Beautiful Joe [65]
horses' eyes. Just put
your hands up to your eyes, members of the band. Half cover them, and see how
shut in you will feel; and how curious you will be to know what is going on
beside you. Suppose a girl saw a mouse with her eyes half covered, wouldn't she
run?"
Everybody laughed, and the president asked some one to tell him who invented
blinders.
"An English nobleman," shouted a boy, "who had a wall-eyed horse! He wanted to
cover up the defect, and I think it is a great shame that all the American
horses have to suffer because that English one had an ugly eye."
"So do I," said the president. "Three groans for blinders, boys."
And the children in the room made three dreadful noises away down in their
throats. Then they had another good laugh, and the president became sober again.
"Seven more minutes," he said; "this meeting has got to be let out at five
sharp."
A tall girl at the back of the room rose, and said: "My little cousin has two
stories that she would like to tell the band."
"Very well," said the president; "bring her right along."
The big girl came forward, leading a tiny child that she placed in front of the
boys and girls. The child stared up into her cousin's face, turning and twisting
her white pinafore through her fingers. Every time the big girl took her
pinafore away from her, she picked it up again. "Begin, Nannie," said the big
girl, kindly.
"Well, Cousin Eleanor," said the child, "you know Topsy, Graham's pony. Well,
Topsy would run away, and a big, big man came out to papa and said he would
train Topsy. So he drove her every day, and beat her, and beat her, till he was
tired, but still Topsy would run away. Then papa said he would not have the poor
pony whipped so much, and he took her out a piece of bread every day, and he
petted her and now Topsy is very gentle, and never runs away."
"Tell about Tiger," said the girl.
"Well, Cousin Eleanor," said the child, "you know Tiger, our big dog. He used to
be a bad dog, and when Dr. Fairchild drove up to the house he jumped up and bit
at him. Dr. Fairchild used to speak kindly to him, and throw out bits of meat,
and now when he comes, Tiger follows behind and wags his tail. Now, give me a
kiss."
The girl had to give her a kiss, right up there before every one, and what a
stamping the boys made. The larger girl blushed and hurried back to her seat,
with the child clinging to her hand.
There was one more story, about a brave Newfoundland dog, that saved eight lives
by swimming out to a wrecked sailing vessel, and getting a rope by which the men
came ashore, and then a lad got up whom they all greeted with cheers, and cries
of, "The Poet! the Poet!" I didn't know what they meant, till Mrs. Wood
whispered to Miss Laura that he was a boy who made rhymes, and the children had
rather hear him. speak than any one else in the room.
He had a snub nose and freckles, and I think he was the plainest boy there, but
that didn't matter, if the other children loved him. He sauntered up to the
front, with his hands behind his back, and a very grand manner.
"The beautiful poetry recited here to-day," he drawled, "put some verses in my
mind that I never had till I came here to-day." Every one present cheered
wildly, and he began in a sing song voice:
"I am a Band of Mercy boy,
I would not hurt a fly,
I always speak to dogs and cats,
When'er I pass them by.
"I always let the birdies sing,
I never throw a stone,
I always give a hungry dog
A nice, fat, meaty bone.
I wouldn't drive a bob-tailed horse,
Nor hurry up a cow,
I "
Then he forgot the rest. The boys and girls ,were so sorry. They called out,
"Pig," "Goat," "Calf," "Sheep," "Hens," "Ducks," and all the other animals'
names they could think of, but none of them was right, and as the boy had just
made up the poetry, no one knew what the next could be. He stood for a long time
staring at the ceiling, then he said, "I guess I'll have to give it up."
The children
your hands up to your eyes, members of the band. Half cover them, and see how
shut in you will feel; and how curious you will be to know what is going on
beside you. Suppose a girl saw a mouse with her eyes half covered, wouldn't she
run?"
Everybody laughed, and the president asked some one to tell him who invented
blinders.
"An English nobleman," shouted a boy, "who had a wall-eyed horse! He wanted to
cover up the defect, and I think it is a great shame that all the American
horses have to suffer because that English one had an ugly eye."
"So do I," said the president. "Three groans for blinders, boys."
And the children in the room made three dreadful noises away down in their
throats. Then they had another good laugh, and the president became sober again.
"Seven more minutes," he said; "this meeting has got to be let out at five
sharp."
A tall girl at the back of the room rose, and said: "My little cousin has two
stories that she would like to tell the band."
"Very well," said the president; "bring her right along."
The big girl came forward, leading a tiny child that she placed in front of the
boys and girls. The child stared up into her cousin's face, turning and twisting
her white pinafore through her fingers. Every time the big girl took her
pinafore away from her, she picked it up again. "Begin, Nannie," said the big
girl, kindly.
"Well, Cousin Eleanor," said the child, "you know Topsy, Graham's pony. Well,
Topsy would run away, and a big, big man came out to papa and said he would
train Topsy. So he drove her every day, and beat her, and beat her, till he was
tired, but still Topsy would run away. Then papa said he would not have the poor
pony whipped so much, and he took her out a piece of bread every day, and he
petted her and now Topsy is very gentle, and never runs away."
"Tell about Tiger," said the girl.
"Well, Cousin Eleanor," said the child, "you know Tiger, our big dog. He used to
be a bad dog, and when Dr. Fairchild drove up to the house he jumped up and bit
at him. Dr. Fairchild used to speak kindly to him, and throw out bits of meat,
and now when he comes, Tiger follows behind and wags his tail. Now, give me a
kiss."
The girl had to give her a kiss, right up there before every one, and what a
stamping the boys made. The larger girl blushed and hurried back to her seat,
with the child clinging to her hand.
There was one more story, about a brave Newfoundland dog, that saved eight lives
by swimming out to a wrecked sailing vessel, and getting a rope by which the men
came ashore, and then a lad got up whom they all greeted with cheers, and cries
of, "The Poet! the Poet!" I didn't know what they meant, till Mrs. Wood
whispered to Miss Laura that he was a boy who made rhymes, and the children had
rather hear him. speak than any one else in the room.
He had a snub nose and freckles, and I think he was the plainest boy there, but
that didn't matter, if the other children loved him. He sauntered up to the
front, with his hands behind his back, and a very grand manner.
"The beautiful poetry recited here to-day," he drawled, "put some verses in my
mind that I never had till I came here to-day." Every one present cheered
wildly, and he began in a sing song voice:
"I am a Band of Mercy boy,
I would not hurt a fly,
I always speak to dogs and cats,
When'er I pass them by.
"I always let the birdies sing,
I never throw a stone,
I always give a hungry dog
A nice, fat, meaty bone.
I wouldn't drive a bob-tailed horse,
Nor hurry up a cow,
I "
Then he forgot the rest. The boys and girls ,were so sorry. They called out,
"Pig," "Goat," "Calf," "Sheep," "Hens," "Ducks," and all the other animals'
names they could think of, but none of them was right, and as the boy had just
made up the poetry, no one knew what the next could be. He stood for a long time
staring at the ceiling, then he said, "I guess I'll have to give it up."
The children