Beautiful Joe - Marshall Saunders (the reading strategies book .TXT) 📗

had better stick to that."

 

"Yes, father," they all said; and then Mr. Morris started to go back to

his study. On the doorsill he paused to ask the cabin boy when his ship

sailed. Finding that it was to be in a few days, he took out his

pocket-book and wrote something in it. The next day he asked Jack to go

to town with him, and when they came home, Jack said that his father had

bought an oil-skin coat for Henry Smith, and a handsome Bible, in which

they were all to write their names.

 

After Mr. Morris left the room, the door opened and Miss Laura came in.

She knew nothing about the parrot and was very much surprised to see it.

Seating herself at the table, she held out her hands to it. She was so

fond of pets of all kinds, that she never thought of being afraid of

them. At the same time, she never laid her hand suddenly on any animal.

She held out her fingers and talked gently, so that if it wished to come

to her it could. She looked at the parrot as if she loved it, and the

queer little thing walked right up and nestled its head against the lace

in the front of her dress. "Pretty lady," she said, in a cracked

whisper, "give Bella a kiss."

 

The boys were so pleased with this and set up such a shout, that their

mother came into the room and said they had better take the parrot out

to the stable. Bella seem to enjoy the fun. "Come on, boys," she

screamed, as Henry Smith lifted her on his finger. "Ha, ha, ha--come on,

let's have some fun. Where's the guinea pig? Where's Davy, the rat?

Where's pussy? Pussy, pussy, come here. Pussy, pussy, dear, pretty

puss."

 

Her voice was shrill and distinct, and very like the voice of an old

woman who came to the house for rags and bones. I followed her out to

the stable, and stayed there until she noticed me and screamed out, "Ha,

Joe, Beautiful Joe! Where's your tail? Who cut your ears off?"

 

I don't think it was kind in the cabin boy to teach her this, and I

think she knew it teased me, for she said it over and over again, and

laughed and chuckled with delight. I left her and did not see her till

the next day, when the boys had got a fine, large cage for her.

 

The place for her cage was by one of the hall windows; but everybody in

the house got so fond of her that she was moved about from one room to

another.

 

She hated her cage, and used to put her head close to the bars and

plead, "Let Bella out; Bella will be a good girl. Bella won't run away."

 

After a time the Morrises did let her out, and she kept her word and

never tried to get away. Jack put a little handle on her cage door so

that she could open and shut it herself, and it was very amusing to hear

her say in the morning, "Clear the track, children! Bella's going to

take a walk," and see her turn the handle with her claw and come out

into the room. She was a very clever bird, and I have never seen any

creature but a human being that could reason as she did. She was so

petted and talked to that she got to know a great many words, and on one

occasion she saved the Morrises from being robbed.

 

It was in the winter time. The family was having tea in the dining room

at the back of the house, and Billy and I were lying in the hall

watching what was going on. There was no one in the front of the house.

The hall lamp was lighted, and the hall door closed, but not locked.

Some sneak thieves, who had been doing a great deal of mischief in

Fairport, crept up the steps and into the house, and, opening the door

of the hall closet, laid their hands on the boys' winter overcoats.

 

They thought no one saw them, but they were mistaken. Bella had been

having a nap upstairs, and had not come down when the tea bell rang. Now

she was hopping down on her way to the dining room, and hearing the

slight noise below, stopped and looked through the railing. Any pet

creature that lives in a nice family hates a dirty, shabby person. Bella

knew that those beggar boys had no business in that closet.

 

"Bad boys!" she screamed, angrily. "Get out--get out! Here, Joe, Joe,

Beautiful Joe. Come quick. Billy, Billy, rats--Hie out, Jim, sic 'em

boys. Where's the police. Call the police!"

 

Billy and I sprang up and pushed open the door leading to the front

hall. The thieves in a terrible fright were just rushing down the front

steps. One of them got away, but the other fell, and I caught him by the

coat, till Mr. Morris ran and put his hand on his shoulder.

 

He was a young fellow about Jack's age, but not one-half so manly, and

he was sniffling and scolding about "that pesky parrot." Mr. Morris made

him come back into the house, and had a talk with him. He found out that

he was a poor, ignorant lad, half starved by a drunken father. He and

his brother stole clothes, and sent them to his sister in Boston, who

sold them and returned part of the money.

 

Mr. Morris asked him if he would not like to get his living in an honest

way, and he said he had tried to, but no one would employ him. Mr.

Morris told him to go home and take leave of his father and get his

brother and bring him to Washington street the next day. He told him

plainly that if he did not he would send a policeman after him.

 

The boy begged Mr. Morris not to do that, and early the next morning he

appeared with his brother. Mrs. Morris gave them a good breakfast and

fitted them out with clothes, and they were sent off in the train to one

of her brothers, who was a kind farmer in the country, and who had been

telegraphed to that these boys were coming, and wished to be provided

with situations where they would have a chance to make honest men of

themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

       *       *       *       *       *

 

CHAPTER X (BILLY'S TRAINING CONTINUED)

When Billy was five months old, he had his first walk in the street.

Miss Laura knew that he had been well trained, so she did not hesitate

to take him into the town. She was not the kind of a young lady to go

into the street with a dog that would not behave himself, and she was

never willing to attract attention to herself by calling out orders to

any of her pets.

 

As soon as we got down the front steps, she said, quietly to Billy, "To

heel." It was very hard for little, playful Billy to keep close to her,

when he saw so many new and wonderful things about him. He had gotten

acquainted with everything in the house and garden, but this outside

world was full of things he wanted to look at and smell of, and he was

fairly crazy to play with some of the pretty dogs he saw running about.

But he did just as he was told.

 

Soon we came to a shop, and Miss Laura went in to buy some ribbons. She

said to me, "Stay out," but Billy she took in with her. I watched them

through the glass door, and saw her go to a counter and sit down. Billy

stood behind her till she said, "Lie down." Then he curled himself at

her feet.

 

He lay quietly, even when she left him and went to another counter. But

he eyed her very anxiously till she came back and said, "Up," to him.

Then he sprang up and followed her out to the street.

 

She stood in the shop door, and looked lovingly down on us as we fawned

on her. "Good dogs," she said, softly; "you shall have a present." We

went behind her again, and she took us to a shop where we both lay

beside the counter. When we heard her ask the clerk for solid rubber

balls, we could scarcely keep still. We both knew what "ball" meant.

 

Taking the parcel in her hand, she came out into the street. She did not

do any more shopping, but turned her face toward the sea. She was going

to give us a nice walk along the beach, although it was a dark,

disagreeable, cloudy day, when most young ladies would have stayed in

the house. The Morris children never minded the weather. Even in the

pouring rain, the boys would put on rubber boots and coats and go out to

play. Miss Laura walked along, the high wind blowing her cloak and dress

about, and when we got past the houses, she had a little run with us.

 

We jumped, and frisked, and barked, till we were tired; and then we

walked quietly along.

 

A little distance ahead of us were some boys throwing sticks in the

water for two Newfoundland dogs. Suddenly a quarrel sprang up between

the dogs. They were both powerful creatures, and fairly matched as

regarded size. It was terrible to hear their fierce growling, and to see

the way in which they tore at each other's throats. I looked at Miss

Laura. If she had said a word, I would have run in and helped the dog

that was getting the worst of it. But she told me to keep back, and ran

on herself.

 

The boys were throwing water on the dogs, and pulling their tails, and

hurling stones at them, but they could not separate them. Their heads

seemed locked together, and they went back and forth over the stones,

the boys crowding around them, shouting, and beating, and kicking at

them.

 

"Stand back, boys," said Miss Laura; "I'll stop them." She pulled a

little parcel from her purse, bent over the dogs, scattered a powder on

their noses, and the next instant the dogs were yards apart, nearly

sneezing their heads off.

 

"I say, Missis, what did you do? What's that stuff? Whew, it's pepper!"

the boys exclaimed.

 

Miss Laura sat down on a flat rock, and looked at them with a very pale

face. "Oh, boys," she said, "why did you make those dogs fight? It is so

cruel. They were playing happily till you set them on each other. Just

see how they have torn their handsome coats, and how the blood is

dripping from them."

 

"'Taint my fault," said one of the lads, sullenly. "Jim Jones there said

his dog could lick my dog, and I said he couldn't--and he couldn't,

neither.

 

"Yes, he could," cried the other boy; "and if you say he couldn't, I'll

smash your head."

 

The two boys began sidling up to each other with clenched fists, and a

third boy, who had a mischievous face, seized the paper that had had the

pepper in it, and running up to them shook it in their faces.

 

There was enough left to put all thoughts of fighting out of their

heads. They began to cough, and choke, and splutter, and finally found

themselves beside the dogs, where the four of them had a lively time.

 

The other boys yelled with delight, and pointed their fingers at them,

"A sneezing concert. Thank you, gentlemen. 'Angcore, angcore'!"

 

Miss Laura laughed too, she could not help it, and even Billy and I

curled up our lips. After a while they sobered down, and then finding

that the boys hadn't a handkerchief between them, Miss Laura took her

own soft one, and dipping it in a spring of fresh water near by, wiped

the red eyes of the sneezers.

 

Their ill humor had gone, and when she