"Then he"d come again, some time when we were not here to throw stones at him."
Mr. Bates"s yellow dog was a very big one. Perhaps he was not altogether a bad dog, either, but he had a sad weakness for teasing any animal smaller than himself. Cats, sheep, chickens, anything defenseless, would have been wise to keep out of his way if they could.
The two poor Dorking chickens had not been able to get away from him the day before, and so they had lost their feathers and their lives.
He had jumped the barn-yard fence now in search of more helpless chickens, and more of what he called fun.
A snap of his great jaws would have been enough to kill any fowl in that yard, and it would have crushed the life out of one of the little yellow "peepers" the old hens were now clucking to, if he had but put a paw on it.
But Bayard, the game-c.o.c.k, was neither a Dorking, nor an old hen, nor a chicken, and he did not run an inch when the big dog came charging so fiercely toward him. He did but lower his head and step a little forward.
"Oh, Uncle Joe! He will be torn all to pieces."
"No, he won"t. See!"
It was done almost too quickly for Parry to see, but the sharp spurs of the beautiful "bird" had been driven smartly into the nose of the big yellow dog, and the latter was pawing at it with a doleful whine.
The game-c.o.c.k had not done with the barn-yard invader. He meant to follow that matter up till he had finished it.
"Clip!" he had hit him again--in the left shoulder this time--and the dog"s whine changed to a howl.
Another, a deep one, in the fleshy part of one of his hind-legs; for Bayard seemed disposed to dance all around him.
That was enough, and Mr. Bates"s yellow pet turned and ran yelping toward the nearest fence, while his conqueror flapped his wings and crowed most vigorously, and every hen in the yard clucked her admiration of his prowess.
Parry, too, clapped his hands, and felt as if he wanted to crow.
"He"s such a little fellow, Uncle Joe, to fight such a big dog as that!"
"With teeth and claws, too, and a hundred times stronger than he."
"Did you know he could beat him?"
"Of course I did."
"He knew just how to use his spurs, didn"t he?"
"That"s it, Parry. He didn"t have much, but he knew just what to do with it."
"Guess the dog knows it too now. He won"t chase any more of our chickens."
"He"ll keep out of this yard for a while. He"s got his lesson."
So had Parry, and Uncle Joe would not let him forget it. It would be a shame, he said, for any boy to be less wise than a game-c.o.c.k, and not to be able to use all the natural gifts he had.
THE CARPENTER"S SERMON.
BY DAVID KER.
"Tell ye what, mates, this sort o" thing won"t do. Here we"ve been at it these six weeks, and not a penny of wages yet. It"s all very fine to say, "Stick to your work," but a man won"t git fat on workin" for nothing, that"s sartain!"
"Right you are, Bill. S"pose we knocks off work, and tells Sir James we won"t do no more without he pays us?"
"Gently, lads: remember what happened to the dog as dropped his meat in grabbin" at the shadder. If we stick to this job, mayhap we"ll git our money some time; but if we knock off, we won"t find another job growin"
on every bush, mark ye."
"Well, that"s true; but it"s mighty hard luck for _us_, all the same."
So grumbled, under their breath, a gang of English workmen, who were repairing the interior of one of the great London churches, one fine summer afternoon in the time of George I. And certainly they had good reason to grumble. Sir James Thornhill, the court painter, whom the King had employed to restore and redecorate the building, had his head so full of his own fine plans and sketches, and of the grand show that the church would make when all was done, that he had quite forgotten such a small matter as the paying of his men"s wages. So, although the poor fellows had been hard at work for six weeks and more, not a shilling of pay had any of them received yet.
"Look here, boys," cried a tall, gaunt carpenter, with a dry, keen-looking face, "I"ve always heard say as Sir James is a kind old gen"l"man at heart, and mayhap it ain"t that he don"t _want_ to pay us, but only that he"s forgot it, like. Let"s just draw lots who shall go and tackle him about it, and then there"ll be no mistake."
The suggestion was at once followed out, and the lot fell upon the tall carpenter himself.
This was more than the worthy man had bargained for, and he looked somewhat nonplussed. However, there was no drawing back for him now. Up he got, and away along the aisle he went toward the spot where Sir James Thornhill was standing.
But the nearer he got to him, the slower he walked, and the more chop-fallen did he appear. Indeed, Sir James looked such a grand old gentleman, as he stood there like a statue, in his laced waistcoat and silk stockings, with his powdered hair falling over his fine velvet coat, and his hand resting upon his silver-hilted sword, that poor Chips felt as bashful as if he were going before the King himself.
But, as the proverb says, "Fortune favors the brave," and the valiant carpenter was unexpectedly helped out of his dilemma by the very man who had caused it. Sir James suddenly turned round, and seeing him coming up, called out:
"Ah, my good fellow, you"ve come just in time to do me a service. You see, I want to be quite sure that that pulpit yonder, which we"re just putting up, is in the right place; for, of course, when the clergyman goes up into it to preach, his voice ought to be heard equally well in every part of the church. Now suppose you step up there and make a speech of some sort, while I stand here and try if I can hear you plainly."
"But what be I to say, your honor?" asked Chips, scratching his head. "I haven"t got the gift of the gab like you gen"l"men have."
"Oh, say whatever you like--just the first thing that comes into your head."
The carpenter"s small eyes twinkled, as if a bright idea had suddenly occurred to him. Up he went, and leaning over the carved front of the pulpit, began as follows:
"Sir James Thorn"ill, sir! Me and my mates has been a-workin" for you, in this here church, good six weeks and more, and we haven"t seen the color of your money yet; and now we ain"t going to do another stroke, without you pays us all that"s owing!"
"That"ll do, my man," said Sir James, hastily; "you may come down. Your elocution"s perfect, but I can"t say I quite admire your choice of a text."
However, the sermon was not thrown away. The very next morning the men received their wages in full, and Sir James gave the clever carpenter half a guinea extra for himself.
[Begun in HARPER"S YOUNG PEOPLE No. 24, April 13.]
THE STORY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON.
BY EDWARD CARY.
CHAPTER X.