Beautiful Joe [66]
looked dreadfully disappointed. "Perhaps you will remember it by
our next meeting," said the president, anxiously.
"Possibly, said the boy, "but probably not. I think it is gone forever." And he
went to his seat.
The next thing was to call for new members. Miss Laura got up and said she would
like to join their Band of Mercy. I followed her up to the platform, while they
pinned a little badge on her, and every one laughed at me. Then they sang, "God
Bless our Native Land," and the president told us that we might all go home.
It seemed to me a lovely thing for those children to meet together to talk about
kindness to animals. They all had bright and good faces, and many of them
stopped to pat me as I came out. One little girl gave me a biscuit from her
school bag.
Mrs. Wood waited at the door till Mr. Maxwell came limping out on his crutches.
She introduced him to Miss Laura, and asked him if he wouldn't go and take tea
with them. He said he would be very happy to do so, and then Mrs. Wood laughed;
and asked him if he hadn't better empty his pockets first. She didn't want a
little toad jumping over her tea table, as one did the last time he was there.
CHAPTER XXI MR. MAXWELL AND MR. HARRY
MR. MAXWELL wore a coat with loose pockets, and while she was speaking, he
rested on his crutches, and began to slap them with his hands. "No; there's
nothing here to-day," he said; "I think I emptied my pockets before I went to
the meeting."
Just as he said that there was a loud squeal: "Oh, my guinea pig," he exclaimed;
"I forgot him," and he pulled out a little spotted creature a few inches long.
"Poor Derry, did I hurt you?" and he soothed it very tenderly.
I stood and looked at Mr. Maxwell, for I had never seen any one like him. He had
thick curly hair and a white face, and he looked just like a girl. While I was
staring at him, something peeped up out of one of his pockets and ran out its
tongue at me so fast that I could scarcely see it, and then drew back again. I
was thunderstruck. I had never seen such a creature before. It was long and thin
like a boy's cane, and of a bright green color like grass, and it had queer
shiny eyes. But its tongue was the strangest part of it. It came and went like
lightning. I was uneasy about it, and began to bark.
"What's the matter, Joe?" said Mrs. Wood; "the pig won't hurt you."
But it wasn't the pig I was afraid of, and I kept on barking. And all the time
that strange live thing kept sticking up its head and putting out its tongue at
me, and neither of them noticed it.
"It's getting on toward six," said Mrs. Wood; "we must be going home. Come, Mr.
Maxwell."
The young man put the guinea pig in his pocket, picked up his crutches, and we
started down the sunny village street. He left his guinea pig at his boarding
house as he went by, but he said nothing about the other creature, so I knew he
did not know it was there.
I was very much taken with Mr. Maxwell. He seemed so bright and happy, in spite
of his lameness, which kept him from running about like other young men. He
looked a little older than Miss Laura, and one day, a week or two later, when
they were sitting on the veranda, I heard him tell her that he was just
nineteen. He told her, too, that his lameness made him love animals. They never
laughed at him, or slighted him, or got impatient, because he could not walk
quickly. They were always good to him, and he said he loved all animals while he
liked very few people.
On this day as he was limping along, he said to Mrs. Wood: "I am getting more
absent-minded every day. Have you heard of my latest escapade?"
"No," she said.
"I am glad," he replied. "I was afraid that it would be all over the village by
this time. I went to church last Sunday with my poor guinea pig in my pocket. He
hasn't been well, and I was attending to him before church, and put him in there
to get warm, and forgot about him. Unfortunately I was late, and the back seats
were all full, so I
our next meeting," said the president, anxiously.
"Possibly, said the boy, "but probably not. I think it is gone forever." And he
went to his seat.
The next thing was to call for new members. Miss Laura got up and said she would
like to join their Band of Mercy. I followed her up to the platform, while they
pinned a little badge on her, and every one laughed at me. Then they sang, "God
Bless our Native Land," and the president told us that we might all go home.
It seemed to me a lovely thing for those children to meet together to talk about
kindness to animals. They all had bright and good faces, and many of them
stopped to pat me as I came out. One little girl gave me a biscuit from her
school bag.
Mrs. Wood waited at the door till Mr. Maxwell came limping out on his crutches.
She introduced him to Miss Laura, and asked him if he wouldn't go and take tea
with them. He said he would be very happy to do so, and then Mrs. Wood laughed;
and asked him if he hadn't better empty his pockets first. She didn't want a
little toad jumping over her tea table, as one did the last time he was there.
CHAPTER XXI MR. MAXWELL AND MR. HARRY
MR. MAXWELL wore a coat with loose pockets, and while she was speaking, he
rested on his crutches, and began to slap them with his hands. "No; there's
nothing here to-day," he said; "I think I emptied my pockets before I went to
the meeting."
Just as he said that there was a loud squeal: "Oh, my guinea pig," he exclaimed;
"I forgot him," and he pulled out a little spotted creature a few inches long.
"Poor Derry, did I hurt you?" and he soothed it very tenderly.
I stood and looked at Mr. Maxwell, for I had never seen any one like him. He had
thick curly hair and a white face, and he looked just like a girl. While I was
staring at him, something peeped up out of one of his pockets and ran out its
tongue at me so fast that I could scarcely see it, and then drew back again. I
was thunderstruck. I had never seen such a creature before. It was long and thin
like a boy's cane, and of a bright green color like grass, and it had queer
shiny eyes. But its tongue was the strangest part of it. It came and went like
lightning. I was uneasy about it, and began to bark.
"What's the matter, Joe?" said Mrs. Wood; "the pig won't hurt you."
But it wasn't the pig I was afraid of, and I kept on barking. And all the time
that strange live thing kept sticking up its head and putting out its tongue at
me, and neither of them noticed it.
"It's getting on toward six," said Mrs. Wood; "we must be going home. Come, Mr.
Maxwell."
The young man put the guinea pig in his pocket, picked up his crutches, and we
started down the sunny village street. He left his guinea pig at his boarding
house as he went by, but he said nothing about the other creature, so I knew he
did not know it was there.
I was very much taken with Mr. Maxwell. He seemed so bright and happy, in spite
of his lameness, which kept him from running about like other young men. He
looked a little older than Miss Laura, and one day, a week or two later, when
they were sitting on the veranda, I heard him tell her that he was just
nineteen. He told her, too, that his lameness made him love animals. They never
laughed at him, or slighted him, or got impatient, because he could not walk
quickly. They were always good to him, and he said he loved all animals while he
liked very few people.
On this day as he was limping along, he said to Mrs. Wood: "I am getting more
absent-minded every day. Have you heard of my latest escapade?"
"No," she said.
"I am glad," he replied. "I was afraid that it would be all over the village by
this time. I went to church last Sunday with my poor guinea pig in my pocket. He
hasn't been well, and I was attending to him before church, and put him in there
to get warm, and forgot about him. Unfortunately I was late, and the back seats
were all full, so I