Beautiful Joe [58]
the fields.
Miss Laura burst out laughing. Away beyond the barns the hens were coming.
Seeing Mrs. Wood standing there, they thought they were late, and began to run
and fly, jumping over each other's backs, and stretching out their necks, in a
state of great excitement. Some of their legs seemed slicking straight out
behind. It was very funny to see them.
They were a fine-looking lot of poultry, mostly white, with glossy feathers and
bright eyes. They greedily ate the food scattered to them and Mrs. Wood said,
"They think I've changed their breakfast time, and to-morrow they'll come a good
bit earlier. And yet some people say hens have no sense."
CHAPTER XIX A BAND OF MERCY
A FEW evenings after we came to Dingley Farm, Mrs. Wood and Miss Laura were
sitting out on the veranda, and I was lying at their feet.
"Auntie," said Miss Laura, "What do those letters mean on that silver pin that
you wear with that piece of ribbon?"
"You know what the white ribbon means, don't you?" asked Mrs. Wood.
"Yes; that you are a temperance woman, doesn't it?"
"It does; and the star pin means that I am a member of a Band of Mercy. Do you
know what a Band of Mercy is?"
"No," said Miss Laura.
"How strange! I should think that you would have several in Fairport. A cripple
boy, the son of a Boston artist, started this one here. It has done a great deal
of good. There is a meeting to-morrow, and I will take you to it if you like."
It was on Monday that Mrs. Wood had this talk with Miss Laura, and the next
afternoon, after all the work was done, they got ready to go to the village.
"May Joe go?" asked Miss Laura.
"Certainly," said Mrs. Wood; "he is such good dog that he won't be any trouble."
I was very glad to hear this, and trotted along by them down the lane to the
road. The lane was a very cool and pleasant place. There were tall trees growing
on each side, and under them, among the grass, pretty wild flowers were peeping
out to look at us as we went by.
Mrs. Wood and Miss Laura talked all the way about the Band of Mercy. Miss Laura
was much interested, and said that she would like to start one in Fairport.
"It is a very simple thing," said Mrs. Wood. "All you have to do is to write the
pledge at the top of a piece of paper: 'I will try to be kind to all harmless
living creatures, and try to protect them from cruel usage,' and get thirty
people to sign it. That makes a band.
"I have formed two or three bands by keeping slips of paper ready, and getting
people that come to visit me to sign them. I call them 'Corresponding Bands,'
for they are too far apart to meet. I send the members 'Band of Mercy' papers,
and I get such nice letters from them, telling me of kind things they do for
animals.
"A Band of Mercy in a place is a splendid thing. There's the greatest difference
in Riverdale since this one was started. A few years ago, when a man beat or
raced his horse, and any one interfered, he said: 'This horse is mine; I'll do
what I like with him.' Most people thought he was right, but now they're all for
the poor horse, and there isn't a man anywhere around who would dare to abuse
any animal.
"It's all the children. They're doing a grand work, and I say it's a good thing
for them. Since we've studied this subject, it's enough to frighten one to read
what is sent us about our American boys and girls. Do you know, Laura, that with
all our brag about our schools and colleges, that really are wonderful, we're
turning out more criminals than any other civilized country in the world, except
Spain and Italy? The cause of it is said to be lack of proper training for the
youth of our land. Immigration has something to do with it, too. We're thinking
too much about educating the mind, and forgetting about the heart and soul. So I
say now, while we've got all our future population in our schools, saints and
sinners, good people and bad people, let us try to slip in something between the
geography, and history, and grammar that
Miss Laura burst out laughing. Away beyond the barns the hens were coming.
Seeing Mrs. Wood standing there, they thought they were late, and began to run
and fly, jumping over each other's backs, and stretching out their necks, in a
state of great excitement. Some of their legs seemed slicking straight out
behind. It was very funny to see them.
They were a fine-looking lot of poultry, mostly white, with glossy feathers and
bright eyes. They greedily ate the food scattered to them and Mrs. Wood said,
"They think I've changed their breakfast time, and to-morrow they'll come a good
bit earlier. And yet some people say hens have no sense."
CHAPTER XIX A BAND OF MERCY
A FEW evenings after we came to Dingley Farm, Mrs. Wood and Miss Laura were
sitting out on the veranda, and I was lying at their feet.
"Auntie," said Miss Laura, "What do those letters mean on that silver pin that
you wear with that piece of ribbon?"
"You know what the white ribbon means, don't you?" asked Mrs. Wood.
"Yes; that you are a temperance woman, doesn't it?"
"It does; and the star pin means that I am a member of a Band of Mercy. Do you
know what a Band of Mercy is?"
"No," said Miss Laura.
"How strange! I should think that you would have several in Fairport. A cripple
boy, the son of a Boston artist, started this one here. It has done a great deal
of good. There is a meeting to-morrow, and I will take you to it if you like."
It was on Monday that Mrs. Wood had this talk with Miss Laura, and the next
afternoon, after all the work was done, they got ready to go to the village.
"May Joe go?" asked Miss Laura.
"Certainly," said Mrs. Wood; "he is such good dog that he won't be any trouble."
I was very glad to hear this, and trotted along by them down the lane to the
road. The lane was a very cool and pleasant place. There were tall trees growing
on each side, and under them, among the grass, pretty wild flowers were peeping
out to look at us as we went by.
Mrs. Wood and Miss Laura talked all the way about the Band of Mercy. Miss Laura
was much interested, and said that she would like to start one in Fairport.
"It is a very simple thing," said Mrs. Wood. "All you have to do is to write the
pledge at the top of a piece of paper: 'I will try to be kind to all harmless
living creatures, and try to protect them from cruel usage,' and get thirty
people to sign it. That makes a band.
"I have formed two or three bands by keeping slips of paper ready, and getting
people that come to visit me to sign them. I call them 'Corresponding Bands,'
for they are too far apart to meet. I send the members 'Band of Mercy' papers,
and I get such nice letters from them, telling me of kind things they do for
animals.
"A Band of Mercy in a place is a splendid thing. There's the greatest difference
in Riverdale since this one was started. A few years ago, when a man beat or
raced his horse, and any one interfered, he said: 'This horse is mine; I'll do
what I like with him.' Most people thought he was right, but now they're all for
the poor horse, and there isn't a man anywhere around who would dare to abuse
any animal.
"It's all the children. They're doing a grand work, and I say it's a good thing
for them. Since we've studied this subject, it's enough to frighten one to read
what is sent us about our American boys and girls. Do you know, Laura, that with
all our brag about our schools and colleges, that really are wonderful, we're
turning out more criminals than any other civilized country in the world, except
Spain and Italy? The cause of it is said to be lack of proper training for the
youth of our land. Immigration has something to do with it, too. We're thinking
too much about educating the mind, and forgetting about the heart and soul. So I
say now, while we've got all our future population in our schools, saints and
sinners, good people and bad people, let us try to slip in something between the
geography, and history, and grammar that