Beautiful Joe [71]
was chatting in a lively way. "Good
Joe," he said, "I was cross to you, and I beg your pardon It always riles me to
have any of my pets injured. You didn't know my poor snake was only after
something to eat. Mrs. Wood has pinned him in my pocket so he won't come out
again. Do you know where I got that snake, Mrs. Wood?"
"No," she said; "you never told me."
"It was across the river by Blue Ridge," he said. "One day last summer I was out
rowing, and, getting very hot, tied my boat in the shade of a big tree. Some
village boys were in the woods, and, hearing a great noise, I went to see what
it was all about. They were Band of Mercy boys, and finding a country boy
beating a snake to death, they were remonstrating with him for his cruelty,
telling him that some kinds of snakes were a help to the farmer, and destroyed
large numbers of field mice and other vermin. The boy was obstinate. He had
found the snake, and he insisted upon his right to kill it, and they were having
rather a lively time when I appeared. I persuaded them to make the snake over to
me. Apparently it was already dead. Thinking it might revive, I put it on some
grass in the bow of the boat. It lay there motionless for a long time, and I
picked up my oars and started for home. I had got half way across the river,
when I turned around and saw that the snake was gone. It had just dropped into
the water, and was swimming toward the bank we had left. I turned and followed
it.
"It swam slowly and with evident pain, lifting its head every few seconds high
above the water, to see which way it was going. On reaching the bank it coiled
itself up, throwing up blood and water. I took it up carefully, carried it home,
and nursed it. It soon got better, and has been a pet of mine ever since."
After tea was over, and Mrs. Wood and Miss Laura had helped Adele finish the
work, they all gathered in the parlor. The day had been quite warm, but now a
cool wind had sprung up, and Mr. Wood said that it was blowing up rain.
Mrs. Wood said that she thought a fire would be pleasant; so they lighted the
sticks of wood in the open grate, and all sat round the blazing fire.
Mr. Maxwell tried to get me to make friends with the little snake that he held
in his hands toward the blaze, and now that I knew that it was harmless I was
not afraid of it; but it did not like me, and put out its funny little tongue
whenever I looked at it.
By-and-by the rain began to strike against the windows, and Mr. Maxwell said,
"This is just the night for a story. Tell us something out of your experience,
won't you, Mr. Wood?"
"What shall I tell you?" he said, good-humoredly. He was sitting between his
wife and Mr. Harry, and had his hand on Mr. Harry's knee.
"Something about animals," said Mr. Maxwell. "We seem to be on that subject to-
day."
"Well," said Mr. Wood, "I'll talk about something that has been running in my
head for many a day. There is a good deal of talk nowadays about kindness to
domestic animals; but I do not hear much about kindness to wild ones. The same
Creator formed them both. I do not see why you should not protect one as well as
the other. I have no more right to torture a bear than a cow. Our wild animals
around here are getting pretty well killed off, but there are lots in other
places. I used to be fond of hunting when I was a boy; but I have got rather
disgusted with killing these late years, and unless the wild creatures ran in
our streets, I would lift no hand to them. Shall I tell you some of the sport we
had when I was youngster?"
"Yes, yes!" they all exclaimed.
CHAPTER XXIII TRAPPING WILD ANIMALS
"WELL Mr. Wood began: "I was brought up, as you all know, in the eastern part of
Maine, and we often used to go over into New Brunswick for our sport. Moose were
our best game. Did you ever see one, Laura?"
"No, uncle," she said.
"Well, when I was a boy there was no more beautiful sight to me in the world
than a moose with his dusky hide, and long legs, and
Joe," he said, "I was cross to you, and I beg your pardon It always riles me to
have any of my pets injured. You didn't know my poor snake was only after
something to eat. Mrs. Wood has pinned him in my pocket so he won't come out
again. Do you know where I got that snake, Mrs. Wood?"
"No," she said; "you never told me."
"It was across the river by Blue Ridge," he said. "One day last summer I was out
rowing, and, getting very hot, tied my boat in the shade of a big tree. Some
village boys were in the woods, and, hearing a great noise, I went to see what
it was all about. They were Band of Mercy boys, and finding a country boy
beating a snake to death, they were remonstrating with him for his cruelty,
telling him that some kinds of snakes were a help to the farmer, and destroyed
large numbers of field mice and other vermin. The boy was obstinate. He had
found the snake, and he insisted upon his right to kill it, and they were having
rather a lively time when I appeared. I persuaded them to make the snake over to
me. Apparently it was already dead. Thinking it might revive, I put it on some
grass in the bow of the boat. It lay there motionless for a long time, and I
picked up my oars and started for home. I had got half way across the river,
when I turned around and saw that the snake was gone. It had just dropped into
the water, and was swimming toward the bank we had left. I turned and followed
it.
"It swam slowly and with evident pain, lifting its head every few seconds high
above the water, to see which way it was going. On reaching the bank it coiled
itself up, throwing up blood and water. I took it up carefully, carried it home,
and nursed it. It soon got better, and has been a pet of mine ever since."
After tea was over, and Mrs. Wood and Miss Laura had helped Adele finish the
work, they all gathered in the parlor. The day had been quite warm, but now a
cool wind had sprung up, and Mr. Wood said that it was blowing up rain.
Mrs. Wood said that she thought a fire would be pleasant; so they lighted the
sticks of wood in the open grate, and all sat round the blazing fire.
Mr. Maxwell tried to get me to make friends with the little snake that he held
in his hands toward the blaze, and now that I knew that it was harmless I was
not afraid of it; but it did not like me, and put out its funny little tongue
whenever I looked at it.
By-and-by the rain began to strike against the windows, and Mr. Maxwell said,
"This is just the night for a story. Tell us something out of your experience,
won't you, Mr. Wood?"
"What shall I tell you?" he said, good-humoredly. He was sitting between his
wife and Mr. Harry, and had his hand on Mr. Harry's knee.
"Something about animals," said Mr. Maxwell. "We seem to be on that subject to-
day."
"Well," said Mr. Wood, "I'll talk about something that has been running in my
head for many a day. There is a good deal of talk nowadays about kindness to
domestic animals; but I do not hear much about kindness to wild ones. The same
Creator formed them both. I do not see why you should not protect one as well as
the other. I have no more right to torture a bear than a cow. Our wild animals
around here are getting pretty well killed off, but there are lots in other
places. I used to be fond of hunting when I was a boy; but I have got rather
disgusted with killing these late years, and unless the wild creatures ran in
our streets, I would lift no hand to them. Shall I tell you some of the sport we
had when I was youngster?"
"Yes, yes!" they all exclaimed.
CHAPTER XXIII TRAPPING WILD ANIMALS
"WELL Mr. Wood began: "I was brought up, as you all know, in the eastern part of
Maine, and we often used to go over into New Brunswick for our sport. Moose were
our best game. Did you ever see one, Laura?"
"No, uncle," she said.
"Well, when I was a boy there was no more beautiful sight to me in the world
than a moose with his dusky hide, and long legs, and