Beautiful Joe [39]
up all over his head, was running about with a
lantern.
The neighbors' houses were all lighted up, and a good many people were hanging
out of their windows and opening their doors, and calling to each other to know
what all this noise meant.
When the policeman appeared with Jim and me at his heels, quite a crowd gathered
around him to hear his part of the story. Jim and I dropped on the ground
panting as hard as we could, and with little streams of water running from our
tongues. We were both pretty well used up. Jim's back was bleeding in several
places from the stones that Jenkins had thrown at him., and I was a mass of
bruises.
Presently we were discovered, and then what a fuss was made over us. "Brave
dogs! noble dogs!" everybody said, and patted and praised us. We were very proud
and happy, and stood up and wagged our tails, at least Jim did, and I wagged
what I could. Then they found what a state we were in. Mrs. Morris cried, and
catching me up in her arms, ran in the house with me, and Jack followed with old
Jim.
We all went into the parlor. There was a good fire there, and Miss Laura and
Miss Bessie were sitting over it. They sprang up when they saw us, and right
there in the parlor washed our wounds, and made us lie down by the fire.
"You saved our silver, brave Joe," said Miss Bessie; "just wait till my papa and
mamma come home, and see what they will say. Well, Jack, what is the latest?" as
the Morris boys came trooping into the room.
"The policeman has been questioning your nurse, and examining the dining-room,
and has gone down to the station to make his report, and do you know what he has
found out?" said Jack, excitedly.
"No what?" asked Miss Bessie.
"Why that villain was going to burn your house."
Miss Bessie gave a little shriek. "Why, what do you mean?"
"Well," said Jack, "they think by what they discovered, that he planned to pack
his bag with silver, and carry it off; but just before he did so he would pour
oil around the room, and set fire to it, so people would not find out that he
had been robbing you."
"Why we might have all been burned to death," said Miss Bessie. "He couldn't
burn the dining-room without setting fire to the rest of the house.
"Certainly not," said Jack, "that shows what a villain he is."
"Do they know this for certain, Jack?" asked Miss Laura.
"Well, they suppose so; they found some bottles of oil along with the bag he had
for the silver."
"How horrible! You darling old Joe, perhaps you saved our lives," and pretty
Miss Bessie kissed my ugly, swollen head. I could do nothing but lick her little
hand, but always after that I thought a great deal of her.
It is now some years since all this happened, and I might as well tell the end
of it. The next day the Drurys came home, and everything was found out about
Jenkins. The night they left Fairport he had been hanging about the station. He
knew just who were left in the house, for he had once supplied them with milk,
and knew all about their family. He had no customers at this time, for after Mr.
Harry rescued me, and that piece came out in the paper about him, he found that
no one would take milk from him. His wife died, and some kind people put his
children in an asylum, and he was obliged to sell Toby and the cows. Instead of
learning a lesson from all this, and leading a better life, he kept sinking
lower.
He was, therefore, ready for any kind of mischief that turned up, and when he
saw the Drurys going away in the train, he thought he would steal a bag of
silver from their sideboard, then set fire to the house, and run away and hide
the silver. After a time he would take it to some city and sell it.
He was made to confess all this. Then for his wickedness he was sent to prison
for ten years, and I hope he will get to be a better man there, and be one after
he comes out.
I was sore and stiff for a long time, and one day Mrs. Drury came over to see
me. She did not love dogs as the Morrises did.
lantern.
The neighbors' houses were all lighted up, and a good many people were hanging
out of their windows and opening their doors, and calling to each other to know
what all this noise meant.
When the policeman appeared with Jim and me at his heels, quite a crowd gathered
around him to hear his part of the story. Jim and I dropped on the ground
panting as hard as we could, and with little streams of water running from our
tongues. We were both pretty well used up. Jim's back was bleeding in several
places from the stones that Jenkins had thrown at him., and I was a mass of
bruises.
Presently we were discovered, and then what a fuss was made over us. "Brave
dogs! noble dogs!" everybody said, and patted and praised us. We were very proud
and happy, and stood up and wagged our tails, at least Jim did, and I wagged
what I could. Then they found what a state we were in. Mrs. Morris cried, and
catching me up in her arms, ran in the house with me, and Jack followed with old
Jim.
We all went into the parlor. There was a good fire there, and Miss Laura and
Miss Bessie were sitting over it. They sprang up when they saw us, and right
there in the parlor washed our wounds, and made us lie down by the fire.
"You saved our silver, brave Joe," said Miss Bessie; "just wait till my papa and
mamma come home, and see what they will say. Well, Jack, what is the latest?" as
the Morris boys came trooping into the room.
"The policeman has been questioning your nurse, and examining the dining-room,
and has gone down to the station to make his report, and do you know what he has
found out?" said Jack, excitedly.
"No what?" asked Miss Bessie.
"Why that villain was going to burn your house."
Miss Bessie gave a little shriek. "Why, what do you mean?"
"Well," said Jack, "they think by what they discovered, that he planned to pack
his bag with silver, and carry it off; but just before he did so he would pour
oil around the room, and set fire to it, so people would not find out that he
had been robbing you."
"Why we might have all been burned to death," said Miss Bessie. "He couldn't
burn the dining-room without setting fire to the rest of the house.
"Certainly not," said Jack, "that shows what a villain he is."
"Do they know this for certain, Jack?" asked Miss Laura.
"Well, they suppose so; they found some bottles of oil along with the bag he had
for the silver."
"How horrible! You darling old Joe, perhaps you saved our lives," and pretty
Miss Bessie kissed my ugly, swollen head. I could do nothing but lick her little
hand, but always after that I thought a great deal of her.
It is now some years since all this happened, and I might as well tell the end
of it. The next day the Drurys came home, and everything was found out about
Jenkins. The night they left Fairport he had been hanging about the station. He
knew just who were left in the house, for he had once supplied them with milk,
and knew all about their family. He had no customers at this time, for after Mr.
Harry rescued me, and that piece came out in the paper about him, he found that
no one would take milk from him. His wife died, and some kind people put his
children in an asylum, and he was obliged to sell Toby and the cows. Instead of
learning a lesson from all this, and leading a better life, he kept sinking
lower.
He was, therefore, ready for any kind of mischief that turned up, and when he
saw the Drurys going away in the train, he thought he would steal a bag of
silver from their sideboard, then set fire to the house, and run away and hide
the silver. After a time he would take it to some city and sell it.
He was made to confess all this. Then for his wickedness he was sent to prison
for ten years, and I hope he will get to be a better man there, and be one after
he comes out.
I was sore and stiff for a long time, and one day Mrs. Drury came over to see
me. She did not love dogs as the Morrises did.