 chapters 9 and 10 of Beautiful Joe. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. This reading by Allison Hester of Athens, Georgia. Beautiful Joe by Marshall Saunders, chapter 9, The Parrot Bella. I often used to hear the Moorises speak about vessels that ran between Fairport and a place called the West Indies, carrying cargoes of lumber and fish and bringing home molasses, spices, fruit, and other things. On one of these vessels, called the Mary Jane, was a cabin boy who was a friend of the Mooris boys and often brought them presents. One day, after I had been with the Moorises for some months, this boy arrived at the house with a bunch of green bananas in one hand and a parrot in the other. The boys were delighted with the parrot and called their mother to see what a pretty bird she was. Mrs. Mooris seemed very touched by the boys' thoughtfulness and bringing a present such a long distance to her boys and thanked him warmly. The cabin boy became very shy and all he could say was, go away over and over again in a very awkward manner. Mrs. Mooris smiled and left him with the boys. I think that she thought he would be more comfortable with them. Jack put me up on the table to take a look at the parrot. The boy held her by a string tied around one of her legs. She was a gray parrot with a few red feathers in her tail and she had bright eyes and a very knowing air. The boy said he had been careful to buy a young one that could not speak, for he knew the Mooris boys would not want one chattering, foreign gibberish, nor yet one that would swear. He had kept her in his bunk in the ship and has spent all his leisure time in teaching her to talk. Then he looked at her anxiously and said, show off now, can't ye? I didn't know what he meant by all this until afterward. I had never heard of such a thing as birds hawking. I stood on the table staring hard at her and she stared hard at me. I was just thinking that I would not like to have her sharp little beak fastened in my skin when I heard someone say, beautiful Joe. The voice seemed to come from the room but I knew all the voices there and this was one I had never heard before so I thought I must be mistaken and it was someone in the hall. I struggled to get away from Jack to run and see who it was but he held me fast and laughed with all his might. I looked at the other boys and they were laughing too. Presently I heard it again, beautiful Joe, beautiful Joe. The sound was close by and yet it did not come from the cabin boy for he was all doubled up laughing, his face as red as a beat. It's the parrot Joe, cried Ned. Look at her you baby. I did look at her and with her head on one side and the sauciest air in the world she was saying, beautiful Joe, beautiful Joe. I had never heard a bird talk before and I felt so sheepish that I tried to get down and hide myself under the table. Then she began to laugh at me. Ha ha ha, good dog, sick and boy, rats, rats, beautiful Joe, beautiful Joe. She cried rattling off the words as fast as she could. I never felt so queer before in my life and the boys were just roaring with delight at my puzzled face. Then the parrot began calling for Jim. Where's Jim? Where's good old Jim? Poor old dog, give him a bone. The boys brought Jim in the parlor and when he heard her funny little cracked voice calling him he nearly went crazy. Jimmy, Jimmy, James Augustus. She said which was Jim's long name. He made a dash out of the room and the boys screamed so that Mr. Morris came down from his study to see what the noise meant. As soon as the parrot saw him, she would not utter another word. The boys told him though what she had been saying and he seemed much amused to think that the cabin boy should have remembered so many sayings his boys made use of and taught them to the parrot. Clever Polly, he said kindly. Good Polly. The cabin boy looked at him shyly and Jack, who was a very sharp boy, said quickly, Is not that what you call her Henry? No, said the boy. I call her Belle, short for Belle's above. I beg your pardon, said Jack very politely. Belle, short for Belle's above, repeated the boy. You see, I thought you'd like a name from the Bible being a minister's sons. I had my Bible with me on this cruise saving your presence and I couldn't think of any girl's names out of it, but Eve or Queen of Shiva and they didn't seem very fit. So I asked me mates and he says for his part, he guessed Belle's above was a pretty girl's name as any. So I go for that. It would have been better to let you name her, but you see, it wouldn't have been handy not to call her something where I was teaching her every day. Jack turned away and walked to the window, his face a deep scarlet. I heard him mutter, Belle's above, Prince of Devils. So I suppose the cabin boy had given his bird a bad name. Mr. Morris looked kindly at the cabin boy. Do you ever call the parrot by her whole name? No, sir, he replied. I always give her Belle, but she calls herself Bella. Bella, repeated Mr. Morris, that's a very pretty name. If you keep her boys, I think you would better stick to that. He asked Father, they all said, and then Mr. Morris started to go back to his study. On the door seal, 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 pocketbook and wrote something in it. The next day, he asked Jack to go to town with him. Then 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 Lara 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 hands 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 seemed 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 candy pig? Where's Davy the rat? Where's Pussy? Pussy Pussy. Come here. Pussy Pussy. Dear pretty Puss. Her voice was real and distinct and very like the voice of an old woman who came out 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 good girl. Bella won't run away. After a time the Moorises 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 Moorises from being robbed. It was in the wintertime. 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 and fear poured 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! Hey, out! Jim, sick of 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 one failed and caught him by the coat till Mr. Morris ran and put his hand on his shoulder. He was a young fella 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 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. End of Chapter 9, The Parrot Bella Chapter 10, Billy's Training Continued When Billy was five months old he had his first walk in the streets. 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 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 Hill. 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 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 phoned 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 Moorish children never minded the weather even in the pouring rain the boys would put on rubber boots and coats and go out and play. Miss Lara 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 barely matched as regarded size. It was terrible to hear their fears growling and to see the way in which they tore at each other's throats. I looked at Miss Lara if she had said a word I would have run in and help 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 to be 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 Lara 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 head off. I say Mrs. what'd you do? What's that stuff? It's pepper. The boys exclaimed Miss Lara sat down on a flat rock and looked at them with a very pale face. Oh boys she said why did you make these dogs fight? It's so cruel they were playing happily till you set them on each other just see how they have torn their hints and coats and how the blood is dripping from them. Paint my fault said one of the lads sullenly Jim Jones there said his dog 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 the third boy who had a mischievous face seized the paper that 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 the light pointing their fingers at them a sneezing concert thank you gentlemen encore encore Miss Lara 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 nearby wiped the red eyes of the sneezers there ill humor had gone and when she turned to leave them and said coaxingly you won't make these dogs fight anymore will you they said no sir V Bob Miss Lara went slowly home and ever afterward when she met any of those boys they called her Miss Pepper when we got home we found Willie curled up by the window in the hall reading a book he was too fond of reading and his mother often told him to put away his book and run about with the other boys this afternoon Miss Lara laid her hand on his shoulder and said I was going to give the dogs a little game of ball but I'm rather tired Gamin and spinach he replied shaking off her hand you're always tired she sat down in a hall chair and looked at him then she began to tell him about the dog fight he was much interested and the book slipped to the floor when she finished he said you're a daisy every day go now and rest yourself then snatching the balls from her he called us and ran down to the basement but he was not quick enough though to escape her arm she caught him to her and kissed him repeatedly he was the baby and the pet of the family and he loved her dearly though he spoke impatiently to her oftener than either of the other boys we had a grand game with Willie Miss Lara had trained us to do all kinds of things with the balls jumping for them playing hide and seek and catching them Billy could do more things than I could which I thought was a very clever he played ball by himself he was so crazy about ball play that he never could get enough of it Miss Lara played all she could with him but she had to help her mother with the sewing and the housework and do her lessons with her father for she was only 17 years old and had not left off studying so Billy would take the ball and go off by himself sometimes he rolled it over the floor and sometimes he threw it in the air and pushed it through the staircase railings to the hall below he always listened till he heard it drop then he ran down and brought it back and pushed it through again he did this till he was tired and then he brought the ball and laid it at Miss Lara's feet we both had been taught a number of tricks knees and cough and be dead dogs and say our prayers and stand on our heads and mount a ladder and say the alphabet this was the hardest of all and it took Miss Lara a long time to teach us we never began till a book was laid before us then we stared at it and Miss Lara said begin Joe and Billy say A for A leave a little squeal B was louder C was louder still we barked for some letters and growled for others we always turned a somersault for S when we got to Z we gave the book a push and had a frolic around the room when anyone came in and Miss Lara had us show off any of our tricks the remark always was what clever dogs they are not like other dogs that was a mistake Billy and I were not any brighter than many a miserable cur that sulked about the streets of Fairport it was kindness and patience that did it all when I was with Jenkins he thought I was a very stupid dog he would have laughed at the idea of anyone teaching me anything but I was only sullen and obstinate because I was kicked about so much if he had been kind to me I would have done anything for him I loved to wait on Miss Lara and Mrs. Morris and they taught both Billy and me to make ourselves useful about the house Mrs. Morris didn t like going up and down the three long staircases and sometimes we just raced up and down waiting on her how often I have heard her go into the hall and say please send me down a clean duster Lara, Joe you go get it I would run gaily up the steps and then would come Billy s turn Billy I forgot my keys go get them after a time we began to know the names of different articles and where they were kept and could get them ourselves on sweeping days we worked very hard and enjoyed the fun if Mrs. Morris was too far away to call Mary for what she wanted she wrote the name on a piece of paper and told us to take it to her Billy always took the letters from the postman and carried the morning paper up to Mr. Morris s study and I always put away the clean clothes after they were mended Mrs. Morris folded each article and gave it to me sending the name of the owner so that I could lay it on his bed there was no need for her to tell me the names I knew by the smell all human beings have a strong smell to a dog even though they may not notice it themselves Mrs. Morris never knew how she bothered me by giving away Mrs. Lara s clothes to poor people once I followed her track all through the town and I found it was only a pair of her boot on a ragged child in the gutter I must say a word about Billy s tail before I close this chapter it is the custom to cut off the ends of Fox Terriers tails but leave their ears untouched Billy came to Mrs. Lara so young that his tail had not been cut off and she would not have it done one day Mr. Robinson came in to see him and he said you have made a fine looking dog of him but his appearance is ruined by the length of his tail Mr. Robinson said Mrs. Morris patting little Billy who lay on her lap don t you think this little dog has a beautifully proportioned body yes I do said the gentleman his points are all correct save that one but she said if our creator made that beautiful little body don t you think he is wise enough to know what length of tail would be in proportion to it Mr. Robinson would not answer her he only laughed and said that he thought she and Mrs. Lara were both cranks end of chapter 10 Billy s training continued chapters 11 and 12 of beautiful joe this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org this reading by Allison Hester of Athens, Georgia beautiful joe by Marshall Saunders chapter 11 goldfish and canaries the Morris boys were all different Jack was bright and clever Ned was a wag Willie was a bookworm and Carl was a born trader he was always exchanging toys and books with his schoolmates and they never got the better of him in a bargain he said that when he grew up he was going to be a merchant and he had already begun to carry on a trade in canaries and goldfish he was very fond of what he called his yellow pets yet he never kept a pair of birds or goldfish if he had a good offer for them he slept alone in a large sunny room at the top of the house by his own request it was barely furnished and there he raised his canaries and kept his goldfish he was not fond of having visitors come to his room because he said they frightened the canaries after Mrs. Morris made his bed in the morning the door was closed and no one was supposed to go in and he came from school once Billy and I followed him upstairs without his knowing it but as soon as he saw us he sent us down in a great hurry one day Bella walked into his room to inspect the canaries she was quite a spoiled bird by this time and I heard Carl telling the family afterward that it was as good as a play to see Miss Bella strutting in with her stuck out in her little conceded air and hear her say shrilly good morning birds how do you do Carl? glad to see you boy well I'm not glad to see you he said decidedly and don't you ever come up here again you frightened my canaries to death and he sent her flying downstairs how cross she was she came shrieking to miss Laura she loves birds Bella wouldn't hurt birds Carl's a bad boy Miss Laura petted and soothed her telling her to go find Davey and he would play with her Bella and the rat were great friends it was very funny to see them going about the house together from the very first she had liked him and coaxed him into her cage where he soon became quiet at home so much so that he always slept there about nine o'clock every evening if he was not with her she went all over the house crying Davey Davey time to go to bed come sleep in Bella's cage he was very fond of the nice sweet cake she got to eat but she never could get him to eat coffee grounds the food she liked best Miss Laura spoke to Carl about Bella and told him he had hurt her feelings so he petted her a little to make up for it then his mother told him that she thought he was making a mistake in keeping his canaries so much to themselves they had become so timid that when she went into the room they were uneasy till she left it she told him that petted birds or animals are sociable and like company unless they are kept by themselves when they become shy she advised him to let the other boys go into the room and occasionally to bring some of his pretty singers downstairs where all the family could enjoy seeing and hearing them and where they would get used to other people besides himself Carl looked thoughtful and his mother went on to say that there was no one in the house not even a cat or a bird you might even charge admission for a day or two said Jack gravely and introduce us to them and make a little money Carl was rather annoyed at this but his mother calmed him by showing him a letter she had just gotten from one of her brothers asking her to let one of her boys spend his Christmas holidays in the country with him I want you to go Carl he was very much pleased but looks sober when he thought of his pets Laura and I will take care of them said his mother and start the new management of them very well said Carl I will go then I've got no young ones now so you will not find them much trouble I thought it was a great deal of trouble to take care of them the first morning after Carl left Billy and Bella and Davey and I followed Miss Laura upstairs she made us sit in a row by the door last we should startle the canaries she had a great many things to do first the canaries had their baths they had to get them at the same time every morning Miss Laura filled the white dishes with water and put them in the cages and then came and sat on a stool by the door Bella and Billy and Davey climbed into her lap and I stood close by her it was so funny to watch those canaries they put their heads on one side and looked first at their little baths and then at us they knew we were strangers finally as we were all very quiet they got into the water and what a good time they had fluttering their wings and splashing and cleaning themselves so nicely then they got up on their perches and sat in the sun shaking themselves and picking out their feathers Miss Laura cleaned each cage and gave each bird some mixed rape and canary seed I heard Carl tell her before he left not to give them much hemp seed for that was too fattening he was very careful about their food during the summer I had often seen him take up nice green things to them celery, chickweed, tender cabbage, peaches, apples pears, bananas and now at Christmas time he had green stuff growing in pots on the window ledge besides that he gave them crumbs of course bread crackers, lumps of sugar cuttlefish to peck at and a number of other things Miss Laura did everything just as he told her but I think she talked to the birds more than he did she was very particular about their drinking water and washed out the little glass cups that held it most carefully after the canaries were clean and comfortable Miss Laura sat their cages in the sun and turned to the goldfish they were in large glass globes on the window seat she took a long handled tin cup and dipped out the fish from one into a basin of water then she washed the globe thoroughly and put the fish back and scattered wafers of fish food on the top the fish came up and snapped at it and acted as if they were glad to get it she did each globe and then her work was over for one morning she went away for a while but every few hours through the day she ran up to Carl's room to see how the fish and canaries were getting on when the room was too chilly she turned on more heat but she didn't keep it too warm for that would make the birds tender after a time the canaries got to know her and hopped gaily around their cages and chirped and sang whenever they saw her coming then she began to take some of them downstairs and let them out of their cages for an hour or two every day they were very happy little creatures about the room and flew on Ms. Laura's head and pecked saucily at her face as she sat sewing and watching them they were not at all afraid of me nor of Billy and it was quite a sight to see them hopping up to Bella she looked so large beside them one little bird became ill while Carl was away and Ms. Laura had to give it a great deal of attention she gave it plenty of hemp seed to make it fat and very often the yolk of a hard boiled egg and kept a nail in its drinking water and gave it a few drops of alcohol in its bath every morning to keep it from taking cold the moment the bird finished taking its bath Ms. Laura took the dish from the cage for the alcohol made the water poisonous then vermin came on it and she had to write Carl and ask him to he told her to hang a muslin bag full of sulfur over the swing so that the bird would dust it down on her feathers that cured the little thing and when Carl came home he found it quite well again one day just after he got back Mrs. Montague drove up to the house with a canary cage carefully done up in a shawl she said that a pad tempered house in cleaning the cage that morning had gotten angry with the bird and struck it breaking its leg she was very much annoyed with the girl for her cruelty and had dismissed her and now she wanted Carl to take the bird and nurse it as she knew nothing about canaries Carl had just come in from school he threw down his books took the shawl from the cage and looked in the canary was sitting in a corner its eyes were half shut one leg hung loose and it was making faint chirps of distress Carl was very much interested in it he got Mrs. Montague to help him and together they split matches tore up strips of muslin and bandaged the broken leg he put the little bird back in the cage and it seemed more comfortable I think he will do now he said to Mrs. Montague but hadn't you better leave him with me for a few days she gladly agreed to this and went away after telling him that the bird's name was Dick the next morning at the breakfast table I heard Carl telling his mother that as soon as he woke up he sprang out of bed to see how his canary was during the night poor foolish Dick had picked off the splints from his leg and now it was as bad as ever I shall have to perform a surgical operation he said I did not know what he meant so I watched him win after breakfast he brought the bird down to his mother's room she held it while he took a pair of sharp scissors and cut its leg right off a little way above the broken place then he put some Vaseline on the tiny stump and left Dick in his mother's care all the morning she sat sewing she watched him to see that he did not pick the bandage away when Carl came home Dick was so much better that he had managed to fly up on his perch and was eating seeds quite gaily poor Dick said Carl leg and a stump Dick imitated him with a few little chirps why he is saying it too exclaimed Carl and burst out laughing Dick seemed cheerful enough but it was very pitiful to see him dragging his poor little stump around the cage and resting it against the perch to keep him from falling when Mrs. Montague came the next day she could not bear to look at him oh dear she exclaimed I cannot take that disfigured bird home I could not help thinking how different she was for Miss Laura who loved any creature all the more for having some blemish about it what shall I do said Miss Montague I miss my little bird so much I shall have to get a new one Carl will you sell me one I will give you one Mrs. Montague said the boy eagerly to do so Mrs. Morris looked pleased to hear Carl say this she used to fear sometimes that in his love for making money he would become selfish Mrs. Montague was very kind to the Morris family and Carl seemed quite pleased to do her a favor he took her up to his room and let her choose the bird she liked best she took a handsome yellow one called Berry and a finger and a great favorite of Carl's the boy put him in the cage wrapped it up well for it was a cold snowy day and carried it out to Mrs. Montague's sleigh she gave him a pleasant smile and drove away and Carl ran up the steps into the house it's alright mother he said giving Mrs. Morris a hearty boyish kiss as she stood waiting for him to bring her have it but you expected to sell that one didn't you she asked Mrs. Smith said maybe she'd take it when she came home from Boston but I daresay she'd change her mind and get one there how much were you going to ask for him well I wouldn't sell Berry for less than ten dollars or rather I wouldn't have sold him and he ran out to the stable Mrs. Morris on the hall chair patting me as I rubbed against her in a rather absent minded way then she got up and went into her husband's study and told him what Carl had done Mr. Morris seemed very pleased to hear about it but when his wife asked him to do something to make up the loss to the boy he said I'd rather not do that to encourage a child to do a kind action and then to reward him for it always a sound principle to go upon but Carl did not go without his reward that evening Mrs. Montague's coachman brought a note to the house addressed Mr. Carl Morris he read it aloud to the family my dear Carl I am charmed with my little bird and he has whispered to me one of the secrets of your room you want fifteen dollars very much to buy something for it maybe you won't be offended with an old friend for supplying you the means to get this something Adam Montague just the thing for my stationary tank for the goldfish exclaimed Carl I've wanted it for a long time it isn't good to keep them in globes but how in the world did she find out I've never told anyone Mrs. Morris smiled and said I told her as she took the money from Carl and put it away for him Mrs. Montague got to be very fond of her new pet she took care of him herself and I have heard her tell Mrs. Morris the most wonderful stories about him stories so wonderful that I should say they were not true if I did not know how intelligent dumb creatures get to be under this kind of treatment she only kept him in his cage at night and when she began looking for him at bedtime to put him there he always hid himself she would search a short time and then sit down and he always came out of his hide in place chirping in a saucy way to make her look at him she said he seemed to take the light in teasing her once when he was in the drawing room with her she was called away to speak to someone at the telephone when she came back she found that one of her servants had come into the room and left the door open leading to a veranda the trees outside were full of yellow birds and she was in despair thinking that Barry had flown out with them she looked out but could not see him then last he had not left the room she got a chair and carried it about standing on it to examine the walls and see if Barry was hidden along the pictures in Bricka Brack but there was no Barry there she at last sank down exhausted on a sofa she heard a wicked little peep and looking up saw Barry sitting on one of the rounds of the chair that she had been carrying about to look for him he had been there all the time she was so glad to see him that she never thought of scolding him he was never allowed to fly about the dining room during meals and the table maid drove him out before she set the table it always annoyed him and he perched on the staircase watching the door through the railings if it was left open for an instant he flew in one evening before tea he did this there was a chocolate cake on the sideboard and he liked the look of it so much that he began to peck at it Mrs. Montague happened to come in and drove him back to the hall while she was having tea that evening with her husband and little boy Barry flew into the room again Mrs. Montague told Charlie to send him out but her husband said wait, he's looking for something he was on the sideboard peering into every dish and trying to look under the covers he is after the chocolate cake exclaimed Mrs. Montague he and Charlie put this on the staircase for him she cut off a little scrap and when Charlie took it to the hall Barry flew after him and ate it up as for poor little lame dick Carl never sold him and he became a family pet his cage hung in the parlor and from morning till night his cheerful voice was heard chirping and singing as if he had not a trouble in the world they took great care of him he was never allowed to be too hot or too cold everybody gave him a cheerful word in passing his cage and if his singing was too loud they gave him a little mirror to look at himself in he loved this mirror and often stood before it for an hour at a time end of Chapter 11 Goldfish and Canaries Chapter 12 Malta the Cat the first time I had a good look at the Morris cat I thought she was the queerest looking animal I had ever seen she was dark gray just the color of a mouse her eyes were a yellowish green and for the first few days I was at the Morris's they looked very unkindly at me then she got over her dislike and we became very good friends she was a beautiful cat and so gentle and affectionate that the whole family loved her she was three years old and she had come to Fairport in a vessel with some sailors who had gotten her in a far away place her name was Malta and she was called a Maltese cat I have seen a great many cats but I never saw one as kind as Malta once she had some little kittens and they all died it almost broke her heart she cried and cried about the house till it made one feel so sad to hear her then she ran away to the woods she came back with a little squirrel in her mouth and putting it in her basket she nursed it like a mother to run away from her she was a very knowing cat and always came when she was called Ms. Laura used to wear a little silver whistle that she blew when she wanted any of her pets it was a shrill whistle and we could hear it a long way from home I have seen her standing at the back door whistling from Malta and the pretty creature's head would appear somewhere always high up she was a great climber and she would come running along the top of the fence saying meow meow in a funny short way Ms. Laura would pet her or give her something to eat or walk around the garden carrying her on her shoulder Malta was a most affectionate cat and if Ms. Laura would not let her lick her face she licked her hair with her little rough tongue and a lay by the fire licking my coat or little billies to show her affection for us Mary the cook was very fond of cats and used to keep Malta in the kitchen as much as she could but nothing would make her stay down there if there was any music going on upstairs the Morris pets were all fond of music as soon as Ms. Laura sat down to the piano to sing and to play we came from all parts of the house Malta cried to get upstairs Davy scampered through the hall and Bella hurried after him if I was outdoors I ran in the house and Jim got on a box and looked through the window Davy's place was on Ms. Laura's shoulder his pink nose running the curls at the back of her neck I sat under the piano beside Malta and Bella and we never stirred till the music was over then we went quietly away Malta was a beautiful cat there was no doubt about it while I was with Jenkins I thought cats were vermin like rats and I chased them every chance I got Mrs. Jenkins had a cat a gaunt long legged yellow creature that ran whenever we looked at it Malta had been so kindly treated that she never ran from anyone except from strange dogs she knew they would be likely to hurt her if they came upon her suddenly she faced them and she was a pretty good fighter when she was put to it I once saw her having a brush with a big mastiff that lived a few blocks from us and giving him a good fright which just served him right I was shut up in the parlor someone had closed the door and I could not get out I was watching Malta from the window as she daintily picked her way across the muddy street she was such a soft pretty amiable looking cat she didn't look that way though when the mastiff rushed out of the alleyway at her she sprang back and glared at him like a little fierce tiger her tail was enormous her eyes were like balls of fire and she was spitting and snarling as if to say if you touch me I'll tear you to pieces the dog, biggest he was did not dare attack her he walked around and around like a great clumsy elephant and she turned her small body as he turned his head and kept up a dreadful hissing and spitting suddenly I saw a spits dog hurrying down the street he was going to help the mastiff and Malta would be badly hurt I had barked and no one had come to let me out so I sprang through the window just then there was a change Malta had seen the second dog and she knew she must get rid of the mastiff with an agile bound she sprang on his back dug her sharp claws until he put his tail between his legs and ran up the street howling with pain she rode a little way then sprang off and ran up the lane to the stable I was very angry and wanted to bite something so I pitched into the spits dog he was a snarly cross grained creature no friend to gym in me and he would have been only too glad of a chance to help kill Malta I gave him one of the worst beatings he had ever had I don't suppose it was quite right for me to do it for Miss Laura says dog should never fight but he had worried Malta before and he had no business to do it she belonged to our family Jim and I never worried his cat I had been longing to give him a shaking for some time and now I felt for his throat through his thick hair and dragged him all around the street then I let him go and he was a civil dog ever afterward Malta was very grateful and lit the little place where the spits had bit me I did not get scolded for the broken window Mary had seen me from the kitchen window and told Mrs. Morris that I had gone to help Malta Malta was a very wise cat she knew quite well that she must not harm the parrot or the canaries and she never tried to catch them even though she was left alone in the room with them I have seen her lying in the sun blinking sleepily and listening with great pleasure to Dick singing Malta even taught her not to hunt the birds outside for a long time she had tried to get it into Malta's head that it was a cruel thing to catch the little sparrows that came about the door and just after I came she succeeded in doing so Malta was so fond of Miss Laura that whenever she caught a bird she came and laid it at her feet Miss Laura always picked up the little dead creature pitted it and stroked it and scolded Malta until she crept into a corner then Miss Laura put the bird on the limb of a tree and Malta watched her attentively from her corner one day Miss Laura stood at the window looking out into the garden Malta was lying on the platform staring at the sparrows that were picking up crumbs from the ground she trembled in half rows every few minutes as if to go after them then she lay down again she was trying very hard not to creep on them presently a neighbor's cat came stealing along the fence keeping one eye on Malta and the other on the sparrows Malta was so angry she sprang up and chased her away and then came back to the platform where she lay down again and waited for the sparrows to come back for a long time she stayed there and never once tried to catch them Miss Laura was so pleased she went to the door and said softly come here Malta the cat put up her tail and meowing gently came into the house Miss Laura took her up in her arms and going down to the kitchen asked Mary to give her a salsa of her very sweetest milk for the best cat in the United States of America Malta got great praise for this and I never knew of her catching a bird afterward she was well fed in the house and had no need to hurt such harmless creatures she was very fond of her home and never went far away than I did once when Willie was going to spend a few weeks with a little friend who lived 50 miles from Fairport he took it into his head that Malta should go with him his mother told him that cats did not like to go away from home but he said he would be good to her and begged so hard to take her that at last his mother consented he had been a few days in this place to say that Malta had run away she had seemed very unhappy and though he had kept her with him all the time she acted as if she wanted to get away when the letter was read to Mr. Morris he said Malta is on her way home cats have a wonderful cleverness in finding their way to their own dwelling she will be very tired let us go out and meet her Willie had gone to this place Mr. Morris got a buggy and took Ms. Laura and me with him and we started out we went slowly along the road every little while Ms. Laura blew her whistle and called Malta, Malta and I barked as loudly as I could Mr. Morris drove for several hours then we stopped at a house had dinner and then set out again we were going through a thick wood where there was a pretty straight road when I saw a small dark creature a way ahead triding toward us it was Malta I gave a joyful bark but she did not know me and plunged into the wood I ran in after her barking and yelping and Ms. Laura blew her whistle as loudly as she could there was a little gray head peeping at us from the bushes and Malta found it out gave me a look of surprise and then leaped into the buggy on Ms. Laura's lap what a happy cat she was she purred with delight and lit Ms. Laura's gloves over and over again then she ate the food they had brought and went sound asleep she was very thin and for several days after getting home she slept most of the time Malta did not like dogs but she was very good to cats one day when there was no one about and the garden was very quiet I saw her go stealing into the stable and come out again followed by a sore-eyed starved looking cat that had been deserted by some people that lived in the next street the cat up to her catnip bed and watched her kindly while she rolled and rubbed herself in it then Malta had a role in it herself and they both went back to the stable catnip is a favorite plant with cats and Ms. Laura always kept some of it growing for Malta for a long time this sick cat had a home in the stable Malta carried her food every day in time Ms. Laura found out about her and did what she could to make her well in time she got to be a strong sturdy looking cat and Ms. Laura got a home for her with an invalid lady it was nothing new for the Morris to feed deserted cats some summers Mrs. Morris said she had a dozen to take care of careless and cruel people would go away for the summer houses and making no provision for the poor cats that had been allowed to sit snugly by the fire all winter at last Mrs. Morris got into the habit of putting a little notice in the Fairport paper asking people who were going away for the summer to provide for their cats during their absence End of Chapter 12 Malta the Cat Chapter 13 and 14 of Beautiful Joe This is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org This reading by Allison Hester of Athens, Georgia Beautiful Joe by Marshall Saunders Chapter 13 The Beginning of an Adventure The first winter I was at the Morris Adventure It was a week before Christmas and we were having cold frosty weather not much snow had fallen but there was plenty of skating and the boys were off every day with their skates on a little lake near Fairport Jim and I often went with them and we had great fun scampering over the ice after them and slipping at every step On this Saturday night we had just gotten home it was quite dark outside and there was a cold wind blowing so when we came in the front door and saw the red light from the big hall stove and the blazing fire in the parlor they looked very cheerful I was quite sorry for Jim that he had to go to his kennel however he didn't mind the boys got a plate nice warm meat for him and a bowl of milk and carried them out and afterwards he went to sleep Jim's kennel was a very snug one being a spaniel he was not a very large dog but his kennel was as roomy as if he was a great dang he told me that Mr. Morris and the boys made it and he liked it very much because it was large enough for Jim to get up in the night and stretch himself when he got tired of lying in one position it was raised a little from the ground and it had a thick layer of straw over the floor above was a broad shelf wide enough for him to lie on and covered with an old cat skin sleigh robe Jim always slept here in cold weather because it was farther away from the ground so he turned to this December evening I can remember yet how hungry I was I could scarcely lie still till Miss Laura finished her tea Mrs. Morris knowing that her boys would be very hungry had Mary broil some beef steak and roast some potatoes for them and didn't they smell good they ate all the steak and potatoes it didn't matter to me for I wouldn't have gotten any if they had been left Mrs. Morris could not afford to give the dogs good meat that she had gotten for her children so she used to get the butcher to send her liver and bones and tough meat and Mary cooked them and made soup and broth and mixed porridge with them for us we never got meat three times a day Miss Laura said it was all very well to feed hunting dogs on meat but dogs that are kept about a house get ill if they are fed too well so we had meat only once a day and bread and milk porridge or dog biscuits for our other meals I made a dreadful noise when I was eating ever since Jenkins cut my ears off I had had trouble breathing the flaps that kept the wind and dust from the inside of my ears now that they were gone my head was stuffed up all the time the cold weather made me worse and sometimes I had such trouble to get my breath that it seemed as if I would choke if I had opened my mouth and breathed through it as I have seen some people doing I would have been more comfortable but dogs always like noses you have taken more cold said Miss Laura this night as she put my plate of food on the floor for me finish your meat and then come sit by the fire with me what do you want more I gave a little bark so she filled my plate for the second time Miss Laura never allowed anyone to meddle with us when we were eating she found Willie teasing me by snatching out a bone I was gawing Willie she said what would you do if you were just sitting down to the table feeling very hungry and just as you began to eat your meat and potatoes I would come along and snatch the plate from you I don't know what I'd do he said laughingly but I'd want to wallop you well she said I'm afraid that Joe will wallop you someday if you worry him about his food for even a gentle dog will sometimes snap at anyone who disturbs him at his meals so you had better not try his patients too far Willie never teased me after that and I was very glad for two or three times I had been tempted to snarl at him after I finished my tea I followed Miss Laura upstairs she took up a book and sat down in a low chair and I lay down on the hearth rug beside her do you know Joe she said with a smile why you scratch with your paws when you lie down as if to make yourself a hollow bed and turn around a great many times before you lie down of course I did not know so I only stared at her years and years ago she went on gazing down at me there weren't any dogs living in people's houses as you are Joe they were all wild creatures running about the woods they always scratched among the leaves to make a comfortable bed for themselves and the habit has come down to you Joe for you are descended from them this sounded very interesting and I think she was going to tell me some more about the wild forefathers but just then the rest of the family came in I always thought that this was the snugest time of the day when the family all sat around the fire Mrs. Morris sowing the boys reading or studying and Mr. Morris with his head buried in a newspaper and Billy and I on the floor at their feet this evening I was feeling very drowsy I almost dropped to sleep when Ned gave me a push with his foot he was a great tease and he delighted in getting me to make a simpleton of myself I tried to keep my eyes on the fire but I could not and just had to turn and look at him he was holding his book up between himself and his mother and was opening his mouth as wide as he could and throwing back his head and pretending to howl for the life of me I could not help giving a loud howl Mrs. Morris looked up and said bad Joe keep still the boys were all laughing behind their books for they knew what Ned was doing presently he started off again and I was just beginning another howl that might have made Mrs. Morris send me out of the room when the door opened and a young girl called Bessie Drury came in she had a cap on and a shawl thrown over her shoulders and she had just run across the street from her father's house oh Mrs. Morris she said will you let Lara come over and stay with me tonight Mama has just gotten a telegram from Bungora seeing her aunt Mrs. Cole is very ill and she wants to see her and Papa is going to take her there to train and she is afraid I will be lonely if I don't have Lara can you not come and spend the night here said Mrs. Morris no thank you I think Mama would rather have me stay in our house very well said Mrs. Morris I think Lara would like to go yes indeed said Laura smiling at her friend I will come over in half an hour thank you so much said Mrs. Bessie and she hurried away after she left Mr. Morris looked up from his paper there will be someone in the house besides those two girls oh yes said Mrs. Morris Mrs. Drury has her old nurse who has been with her for 20 years and there are two maids besides and Arnold the coachman who sleeps over at the stable so they are well protected said Mr. Morris and he went back to his paper of course dumb animals do not understand all they hear spoken of but I think human beings would be astonished if they knew how much we can gather from their looks and voices I knew that Mr. Morris did not quite like the idea of having his daughter go to the Drury's when the master and mistress of the house were away so I made up my mind that I would go with her when she came downstairs with her little satchel on her arm I got up and stood beside her dear old Joe she said you must not come I pushed myself out the door beside her after she had kissed her mother and father and the boys go back Joe she said firmly I had to step back then but I cried and whined and she looked at me in astonishment I will be back in the morning Joe she said gently don't squeal in that way then she shut the door and went out I felt dreadfully I walked up and down the floor and ran to the window and howled without having to look at Ned Mrs. Morris peered over her glasses at me and uttered surprise the boys she said did you ever see Joe acting that way before no mother they all said Mr. Morris was looking at me very intently he had always taken more notice of me than any other creature about the house and I was very fond of him now I ran up and put my paws on his knees mother he said turning to his wife let the dog go very well she said in a puzzled way Jack just run over with him and tell Mrs. Drury how he is acting and that I will be very much obliged if she will let him stay all night with Laura Jack sprang up seized his cap and raced down the front steps across the street through the gate and up the graveled walk where the little stones were all hard to cross the drawers lived in a large white house with trees all around it and a garden at the back they were rich people and had a great deal of company through the summer I had often seen carriages at the door and ladies and gentlemen in light clothes walking over the lawn and sometimes I smelled nice things they were having to eat they did not keep any dogs nor pets of any kind so Jim and I never had an excuse to call there Jack and I were soon at the front door and he rang the bell and gave me in charge of the maid who opened it the girl listened to his message from Mrs. Drury then she walked upstairs smiling and looking at me over her shoulder there was a trunk in the upper hall and an elderly woman was putting things in it a lady stood watching her and when she saw me she gave a little scream oh nurse look at that a whore dog where did he come from put him out Susan I stood quite steel and the girl who had brought me upstairs gave her Jack's message certainly certainly said the lady when the maid finished speaking if he is one of the Morris dogs he is sure to be a well behaved one tell the little boy to thank his mama for letting Laura come over and say that we will keep the dog with pleasure now nurse we must hurry the cab will be here in five minutes I walked softly into a front room and there I found my dear Miss Laura Miss Bessie was with her and they were cramming things into a portmanteau they both ran out to find out how I came there and just then a gentleman came hurriedly upstairs and said the cab had come there was a scene of great confusion and hurry but in minutes it was all over the cab had rolled away and the house was quiet nurse you must be tired you would better go to bed said Miss Bessie turning to the elderly woman as we all stood in the hall Susan will you bring some supper to the dining room for Miss Morris and me what will you have Laura well what are you going to have ask Miss Laura with a smile hot chocolate and tea biscuits then I will have the same bring some cake too Susan said Miss Bessie and something for the dog I daresay he would like some of that turkey that was left from dinner if I had had any ears I would have pricked them up at this for I was very fond of foul and I never got any at the Morris's unless it might be a stray bone or two what fun we had over our supper the two girls sat at the big dining table and sipped their chocolate and laughed and talked and I had the skeleton of a whole turkey on a newspaper that Susan spread on the carpet I was very careful not to drag it about and Miss Bessie laughed at me till the tears came in her eyes that dog is such a gentleman she said see how he holds bones on the paper with his paws and strips all the meat off with his teeth oh Joe you are a funny dog and you are having a funny supper I have heard of quail on toast but I never heard of turkey on newspaper hadn't we better go to bed said Miss Laura when the hall clock struck eleven yes I suppose we had said Miss Bessie where is this animal to sleep I don't know said Miss Laura she sleeps in the stable at home or in the kennel with Jim suppose Susan makes him a nice bed by the kitchen stove said Miss Bessie Susan made the bed but I was not willing to sleep in it I barked so loudly when they shut me up alone that they had to let me go upstairs with them Miss Laura was almost angry with me I couldn't help it I had come over there to protect her and I wasn't going to leave her if I could help it Miss Bessie had a handsomely furnished room with a soft carpet on the floor and pretty curtains out the windows there were two single beds in it and the two girls dragged them close together so that they could talk after they got in bed before Miss Bessie put out the light and they were enough to be alarmed if she heard anyone walking about in the night for the nurse was sleeping across the hall from them and she would probably come in once or twice to see if they were sleeping comfortably the two girls talked for a long time and then they fell asleep just before Miss Laura dropped off she forgave me and put down her hand for me to lick as I lay on a fur rug close by her bed I was very tired and I had a very soft and pleasant bed so I soon fell into a heavy sleep but I waked up at the slightest noise once Miss Laura turned in bed and another time Miss Bessie laughed in her sleep and again there were queer crackling noises in the frosty limbs of the trees outside that made me start up quickly in my sleep there was a big clock in the hall and every time it struck I waked up once just after it had struck some hour I jumped up out of a sound nap I had been dreaming about my early home Jenkins was after me with a whip and my limbs were quivering and trembling as if I had been trying to get away from him I sprang up and shook myself then I took a turn around the room the two girls were breathing gently I could scarcely hear them I walked to the door and looked out into the hall there was a dim light burning there the door of the nurses room stood open I went quietly to it and looked in she was breathing heavily and muttering in her sleep I went back to my rug I could not go to sleep but I could not such an uneasy feeling was upon me that I had to keep walking about I went out into the hall again and stood at the head of the staircase I thought I would take a walk through the lower hall and then go to bed again the Drury's carpets were all like velvet and my paws did not make a rattling on them I still clothed at the Morris's I crept down the stairs like a cat and walked along the lower hall smelling under all the doors listening as I went there was no night light burning down here and it was quite dark but if there had been any strange person about I would have smelled him I was surprised when I got near the farther into the hall to see a tiny gleam shine for an instant from under the dining room door then it went away again the dining room was the place to eat surely none of the people in the house would be there after the supper we had I went and sniffed under the door there was a smell there a strong smell like beggars and poor people it smelled like Jenkins it was Jenkins end of chapter 13 the beginning of an adventure chapter 14 how we caught the burglar what was the wretch doing in the house with my dear miss Laura I thought I would go crazy I scratched at the door and barked and yelped I sprang up on it it was quite a heavy dog by this time I felt as light as a feather it seemed to me that I would go mad if I could not get that door open every few seconds I stopped and put my head down to the door seal to listen there was a rushing about inside the room and a chair fell over and someone seemed to be getting out of the window this made me worse than ever I did not stop to think that I was only a medium sized dog and that Jenkins would probably kill me if he got his hands on me I was so furious that I thought only of getting hold of him in the midst of the noise that I made there was a screaming and a rushing to and fro upstairs I ran up and down the hall and halfway up the stairs and back again I did not want miss Laura to come down but how was I to make her understand there she was in her white gown leaning over the railing and holding back her long hair her face a picture of surprise and alarm the dog has gone mad screamed miss Bessie nurse pour a picture of water on him the nurse was more sensible she ran down stairs her nightcap flying in a blanket that she had seized from her bed trailing her there are thieves in the house she shouted at the top of her voice and the dog has found it out she did not go near the dining room door but through opened the front one crying policeman policeman help help thieves such a screaming as that old woman made she was worse than I was I dashed by her out through the hall door and away down to the gate where I heard someone running I gave a few loud yelps to call Jim and leaped the gate as the man before me had done there was something savage in me that night I think it must have been the smell of Jenkins I felt as if I could tear him to pieces I have never felt so wicked sense I was hunting him as he had hunted me and my mother and the thought gave me pleasure old Jim soon caught up with me and I gave him a push with my nose to let him know I was glad he had come we rushed swiftly on and at the corner caught up with the miserable man who was running away from us I gave an angry growl and jumping up bit at his leg he turned around and though it was not a very bright night there was enough light for me to see the ugly face of my old master he seemed so angry to think that Jim and I dared to snap at him he caught up a handful of stones and with some bad words threw them at us the way in front of us was a queer whistle and then another one like it behind us Jenkins made a strange noise in his throat and started to run down a side street away from the direction of the two whistles I was afraid that he was going to get away and though I could not hold him I kept springing up on him and once I tripped him up oh how furious he was against the side of a wall and gave me two or three hard blows with a stick that he caught up and kept throwing stones at me I would not give up though I could scarcely see him for the blood that was running over my eyes old Jim got so angry whenever Jenkins touched me that he ran up behind and nipped his calves to make him turn on him soon Jenkins came to a high wall where he stopped and with a hurried look behind began to climb over it the wall was too high for me to jump he was going to escape what shall I do I barked as loudly as I could for someone to come and then spring up and held him by the leg as he was getting over I had such a grip that I went over the wall with him and left Jim on the other side Jenkins fell on his face in the earth then he got up and with a look of deadly hatred on his face pounced upon me if help had not come I think he would have dashed my brains against the wall as he dashed out my poor little brothers against the horses stall but just then there was a running sound two men came down the street upon the wall just where Jim was leaping up and barking in distress I saw it once by their uniform in the clubs in their hands that they were policemen in one short instant they had hold of Jenkins he gave up then but he stood snarling at me like an ugly dog if it hadn't been for that cur I'd have never been called white and he staggered back uttered a bad word it's me own dog more shame to you said one of the policemen sternly what have you been up to at this time of night to have your own dog in a quiet minister spaniel dog chasing you through the street Jenkins began to swear and would not tell them anything there was a house in the garden and just at this minute someone opened a window and called out hello there what are you doing we're catching a thief sir said one of the policemen least wise I think that's what he's been up to could you throw us down a bit of rope we've no handcuffs here and one of us has to go to the lock up and the other to Washington street where there's a woman yelling blue murder and hurry up please sir the gentleman threw down a rope and in two minutes Jenkins wrist were tied together and he was walked through the gate saying bad words as fast as he could to the policeman who was leading him good dogs said the other policemen to Jim and me then he ran up the street and we followed him as we hurried along Washington street and came near our house we saw lights gleaming through the darkness and heard people running to and fro the nurses shrieking had alarmed the neighborhood the Morris boys were all out in the street only half clad and shivering with cold and the Drury's coachman with no hat on and his hair sticking up all over his head was running about with a lantern the neighbors houses were all lighted up and the good many people were hanging out of their windows and opening their doors and looking to each other to know what all this noise meant when the policemen appeared with Jim and me at his heels quite a crowd gathered around him to hear his part of the story Jim and I dropped on the ground panting as hard as we could and with little streams of water running from our tongues we were both pretty well used up Jim's back was bleeding in several places that Jenkins had thrown at him and I was a mass of bruises presently we were discovered and then what a fuss was made over us brave dogs, noble dogs everybody said and patted and praised us we were very proud and happy and stood up and wagged our tails at least Jim did and I wagged what I could then they found what a state we were in Mrs. Morris cried and catching me up in her arms ran in the house with me and Jack followed with old Jim we all went to the parlor there was a good fire there and Ms. Laura and Ms. Bessie were sitting over it they sprang up when they saw us and right there in the parlor washed our wounds and made us lie down by the fire you saved our silver brave Joe said Ms. Bessie just wait until my papa and mama come home and see what they will say well Jack what is the latest as the Morris boys came trooping into the room the policeman has been questioning your nurse and examining the dining room and has gone down to the station to make his report and do you know what he has found out said Jack excitedly no what asked Ms. Bessie why that feeling was going to burn your house Ms. Bessie gave a little shriek what do you mean well said Jack they think by what they discovered that he planned to pack his bag with silver and carry it off but just before he did so he would pour oil all around the room and set fire to it so people would not find out why we might have all been burned to death said Ms. Bessie he couldn't burn the dining room without setting fire to the rest of the house certainly not said Jack that shows what a villain he is do they know this for certain Jack asked Ms. Laura well I suppose so they found some bottles of oil along with the bag he had for the silver how horrible you darling old Joe perhaps you saved our lives and pretty Ms. Bessie kissed my ugly swollen head I could do nothing but lick her little hand but always after that I thought a great deal of her it is now some years since all this happened and I might as well tell the end of it the next day the breweries came home and everything was found out about Jenkins the night they left Fairport he had been hanging about the station he knew just who were left in the house for he had once supplied them with milk and he knew all about their family he had no customers at this time for after Mr. Harry rescued me and that piece came out in the paper about him he found that no one would take milk from him his wife died and some kind people put his children in an asylum and he was obliged to sell Toby and the cows instead of learning a lesson from all this and leading a better life he kept sinking lower he was therefore ready for any kind of mischief that turned up and when he saw the breweries going away in the train he thought he would steal a bag of silver or a side bird then set fire to the house and run away and hide the silver after a time he would take it to some city and sell it he was made to confess all this then for his wickedness he was sent to prison for 10 years and I hope he will get to be a better man there and be one after he comes out I was sore and stiff for a long time and one day Ms. Drury came over to see me she did not love dogs as the Morris did she tried to but she could not dogs can see the fun in things as well as people can and I buried my muzzle in the hearth rug so she would not see how I was curling up my lip and smiling at her you are a good dog she said slowly you are then she stopped and could not think of anything else to say to me I got up and stood in front of her for a well bred dog should not lie down when a lady speaks to him I wagged my body a little and I would gladly have said something to help her out of her difficulty but I couldn't if she had stroked me it might have helped her but she didn't want to touch me and I knew she didn't want me to touch her so I just stood looking at her Mrs. Morris she said turning for me with a puzzled face I don't like animals and I can't pretend to for they always find me out but can't you let that dog know that I shall feel eternally grateful to him for saving not only our property for that is a trifle but my darling daughter from fright and annoyance and possible injury or loss of life I think he understands said Mrs. Morris he is a very wise dog and smiling and great amusement she called me to her and put my paws on her lap look at that lady Joe she gets pleased with you for driving Jenkins away from her house Jenkins I barked angrily and limped to the window how intelligent he is said Mrs. Drury my husband has sent to New York for a watch dog and he says that from this on our house shall never be without one now I must go your dog is happy Mrs. Morris and I can do nothing for him except to say that I shall get him and I wish he would come over occasionally to see us perhaps when we get our dog he will I shall tell my cook whenever she sees him to give him something to eat this is a souvenir for Laura of that dreadful night I feel under a deep obligation to you so I am sure you will allow her to accept it then she gave Mrs. Morris a little box and went away when Miss Laura came in she opened the box and found in it a handsome diamond ring on the inside of it was engraved Laura in memory of December 20th 18 blank from her grateful friend Bessie the diamond was worth hundreds of dollars and Mrs. Morris told Miss Laura that she had rather she would not bear it then while she was a young girl it was not suitable for her and she knew Miss Drury did not expect her to do so she wished to give her a valuable present and this would always be worth a great deal of money end of chapter 14 how we caught the burglar