Beautiful Joe [6]
and once we killed a
kitten. While I was puzzling over it, one of the boys cried out, "Here is
Laura!"
"Take that rag out of the way," said Mr. Harry, kicking aside the old apron I
had been wrapped in, and that was stained with my blood. One of the boys stuffed
it into a barrel, and then they all looked toward the house.
A young girl, holding up one hand to shade her eyes from the sun, was coming up
the walk that led from the house to the stable. I thought then that I never had
seen such a beautiful girl, and I think so still. She was tall and slender, and
had lovely brown eyes and brown hair, and a sweet smile, and just to look at her
was enough to make one love her. I stood in the stable door, staring at her with
all my might.
"Why, what a funny dog," she said, and stopped short to looked at me. Up to
this, I had not thought what a queer-looking sight I must be. Now I twisted
round my head, saw the white bandage on my tail, and knowing I was not a fit
spectacle for a pretty young lady like that, I slunk into a corner.
"Poor doggie, have I hurt your feelings?" she said, and with a sweet smile at
the boys, she passed by them and came up to the guinea pig's box, behind which I
had taken refuge. "What is the matter with your head, good dog?" she said,
curiously, as she stooped over me.
"He has a cold in it," said one of the boys with a laugh; "so we put a nightcap
on." She drew back, and turned very pale. "Cousin Harry, there are drops of
blood on this cotton. Who has hurt this dog?"
"Dear Laura," and the young man coming up, laid his hand on her shoulder, "he
got hurt, and I have been bandaging him."
"Who hurt him?"
"I had rather not tell you."
"But I wish to know." Her voice was as gentle as ever, but she spoke so
decidedly that the young man was obliged to tell her everything. All the time he
was speaking, she kept touching me gently with her fingers. When he had finished
his account of rescuing me from Jenkins, she said, quietly:
"You will have the man punished?"
"What is the use? That won't stop him from being cruel."
"It will put a check on his cruelty."
"I don't think it would do any good," said the young man, doggedly.
"Cousin Harry!" and the young girl stood up very straight and tall, her brown
eyes flashing, and one hand pointing at me; "will you let that pass? That animal
has been wronged, it looks to you to right it. The coward who has maimed it for
life should be punished. A child has a voice to tell its wrong a poor, dumb
creature must suffer in silence; in bitter, bitter silence. And," eagerly, as
the young man tried to interrupt her, "you are doing the man himself an
injustice. If he is bad enough to ill-treat his dog, he will ill-treat his wife
and children. If he is checked and punished now for his cruelty, he may reform.
And even if his wicked heart is not changed, he will be obliged to treat them
with outward kindness, through fear of punishment."
The young man looked convinced, and almost as ashamed as if he had been the one
to crop my ears. "What do you want me to do?" he said, slowly, and looking
sheepishly at the boys who were staring open-mouthed at him and the young girl.
The girl pulled a little watch from her belt. "I want you to report that man
immediately. It is now five o'clock. I will go down to the police station with
you, if you like."
"Very well," he said, his face brightening, and together they went off to the
house.
CHAPTER IV THE MORRIS BOYS ADD TO MY NAME
THE boys watched them out of sight, then one of them, whose name I afterward
learned was Jack, and who came next to Miss Laura in age, gave a low whistle and
said, "Doesn't the old lady come out strong when any one or anything gets
abused? I'll never forget the day she found me setting Jim on that black cat of
the Wilsons. She scolded me, and then she cried, till I didn't know where to
look. Plague on it, how was I going to know he'd kill the old cat? I only wanted
to drive it out of the yard. Come
kitten. While I was puzzling over it, one of the boys cried out, "Here is
Laura!"
"Take that rag out of the way," said Mr. Harry, kicking aside the old apron I
had been wrapped in, and that was stained with my blood. One of the boys stuffed
it into a barrel, and then they all looked toward the house.
A young girl, holding up one hand to shade her eyes from the sun, was coming up
the walk that led from the house to the stable. I thought then that I never had
seen such a beautiful girl, and I think so still. She was tall and slender, and
had lovely brown eyes and brown hair, and a sweet smile, and just to look at her
was enough to make one love her. I stood in the stable door, staring at her with
all my might.
"Why, what a funny dog," she said, and stopped short to looked at me. Up to
this, I had not thought what a queer-looking sight I must be. Now I twisted
round my head, saw the white bandage on my tail, and knowing I was not a fit
spectacle for a pretty young lady like that, I slunk into a corner.
"Poor doggie, have I hurt your feelings?" she said, and with a sweet smile at
the boys, she passed by them and came up to the guinea pig's box, behind which I
had taken refuge. "What is the matter with your head, good dog?" she said,
curiously, as she stooped over me.
"He has a cold in it," said one of the boys with a laugh; "so we put a nightcap
on." She drew back, and turned very pale. "Cousin Harry, there are drops of
blood on this cotton. Who has hurt this dog?"
"Dear Laura," and the young man coming up, laid his hand on her shoulder, "he
got hurt, and I have been bandaging him."
"Who hurt him?"
"I had rather not tell you."
"But I wish to know." Her voice was as gentle as ever, but she spoke so
decidedly that the young man was obliged to tell her everything. All the time he
was speaking, she kept touching me gently with her fingers. When he had finished
his account of rescuing me from Jenkins, she said, quietly:
"You will have the man punished?"
"What is the use? That won't stop him from being cruel."
"It will put a check on his cruelty."
"I don't think it would do any good," said the young man, doggedly.
"Cousin Harry!" and the young girl stood up very straight and tall, her brown
eyes flashing, and one hand pointing at me; "will you let that pass? That animal
has been wronged, it looks to you to right it. The coward who has maimed it for
life should be punished. A child has a voice to tell its wrong a poor, dumb
creature must suffer in silence; in bitter, bitter silence. And," eagerly, as
the young man tried to interrupt her, "you are doing the man himself an
injustice. If he is bad enough to ill-treat his dog, he will ill-treat his wife
and children. If he is checked and punished now for his cruelty, he may reform.
And even if his wicked heart is not changed, he will be obliged to treat them
with outward kindness, through fear of punishment."
The young man looked convinced, and almost as ashamed as if he had been the one
to crop my ears. "What do you want me to do?" he said, slowly, and looking
sheepishly at the boys who were staring open-mouthed at him and the young girl.
The girl pulled a little watch from her belt. "I want you to report that man
immediately. It is now five o'clock. I will go down to the police station with
you, if you like."
"Very well," he said, his face brightening, and together they went off to the
house.
CHAPTER IV THE MORRIS BOYS ADD TO MY NAME
THE boys watched them out of sight, then one of them, whose name I afterward
learned was Jack, and who came next to Miss Laura in age, gave a low whistle and
said, "Doesn't the old lady come out strong when any one or anything gets
abused? I'll never forget the day she found me setting Jim on that black cat of
the Wilsons. She scolded me, and then she cried, till I didn't know where to
look. Plague on it, how was I going to know he'd kill the old cat? I only wanted
to drive it out of the yard. Come