"Now was my time at last. I freed my paws by a great jerk, shot past Sam"s legs, flew down the stair, and out of the house; for by great good luck, Jane had just gone to the door to let in the post-man. I am glad to say I sent Sam too down the stair like a shot, with a boot-jack and a pair of tongs, which Ned and Bob threw, and which were meant for me, at his heels. This made up, in part, for the pain he had put me to. But, oh! how sore and lame I was! I sank on the earth when I was clear out of sight, and felt as if my death was near. If it had not been for what next took place, my end would have come that day; but as I lay there all in a shake, I heard a child"s voice say: "O dear Fred! here is such a poor dog! Just see! he looks half dead! Let us stop and pat him!"
""Dear me! Poor toad!" cried Fred. "Where could he have come from? Pat him well; don"t fear."
"Her soft hand on my head made me raise my eyes, and I saw a boy and girl of nine and ten years old. They did not seem to be rich, but they were just as neat and nice as two pins, and their kind looks and words made me feel sure they were good.
""Poor dog! I fear he wants food," went on Nell. "I mean to give him a bit to eat, Fred."
""Let me feed him too!" cried the boy. "Here, take my knife and cut some bread for him."
"Nell took a loaf from the bag on her arm, and with Fred"s knife cut off a good thick slice. She gave half to him, and they broke it in bits and fed me by turns.
""You dear pet," said Nell, with a sigh, "how I wish I could take you with me! But we are too poor; it can not be."
""Oh! don"t you think mam-ma would let us have him?" cried Fred.
""No, dear," said Nell; "we must not think of it. Come, bid the dog good-by, and let us make haste home."
"I could but lick her hand to thank her for the food, and as I could rise now, I felt that it was best to run on.
[Ill.u.s.tration: "Good-by, dear doggy!"--P. 78.]
""Good-by, you dear doggy!" cried both; and they did stand and watch me till I was out of their sight. Oh! how I did wish I could go home with them!
"Just as I did turn round the end of the street, I heard an odd sound----"
Here Frisk rose in haste and said: "But I dare not stay, dear Dash; I ought now to be at home. Some day when I can get out, I will come and tell you the rest of my sad tale, for the worst part is yet to come."
"But where must you go, Frisk?" said Dash.
"Why, to the show, where I play," said Frisk.
"You play! Can you act?" cried Dash.
"Yes! come out-side. Now, just see here!" and while Dash did stare at him, with his mouth and eyes so wide open that you would not think he could close them at all, Frisk stood on his hind legs, and went thro"
a jig, with a look on his face as if he had lost his last hope; then fell down on the gra.s.s, stiff and stark, as if he had been shot; got up, made a low bow, and then went lame on three legs.
"Dear me!" cried Dash, "how smart you are! Where _did_ you learn all that?"
"It would take a long time to tell," said Frisk. "If I can, I will come and see you next week, and you shall then hear all. Now, good-by."
"Here, take this nice sweet bone with you," cried Dash. "Good-by, old chap. I hope I shall see you soon;" and the good dog went back to his house, full of Frisk"s tale. He tried so hard to think of a way to do him some good, that he got quite a bald spot on the top of his head, and at last laid down with his nose in his paws, to sleep on it, and dream of bones with-out end; for, you know, he gave up his own to feed one worse off than him-self. Good Dash! I hope each dear girl and boy who reads this will try to be like him, for that is the way to be loved by all.
PART III.
DASH SEES A PLAY.
The same eve, when Mr. Grey came home he said in a sly way: "I see there is a show of dogs, who dance and act a play, in town; but Hal and May do not care to see them, I know."
"O yes! yes! we want to go!" cried both at once. "Do take us to see them, pa-pa."
"Well, get your hats then," said Mr. Grey, "and we will go."
"Let"s take Dash," said May. "He wants to see the dog-show too!"
Her pa-pa said, with a laugh, that he did not think Dash would care to see a play; but Hal and May did beg so hard, that at last he said they might take Dash if they chose.
So the two ran up the stair in high glee to their nurse, who put on May"s round straw hat and silk sack, and got her nice black mitts to put on her wee hands.
May said, "I want to put on my mitts my-self, nurse;" so nurse said she might do so, and went on to dress Hal.
But when May went to put the mitts on, she was in such haste, that she tried to get the right mitt on the left hand. The mitt would not go on, of course, and she cried out: "Why, nurse, this is all wrong; it"s got no thumb at all!"
How Hal and nurse did laugh when they saw what May had done! May had to laugh too, when nurse did show her that the mitts were quite right, if they were put on in the right way. They had great fun. But their pa-pa came to bid them make haste; so they told nurse good-by, and ran down the stair, hand in hand, as gay as two larks. Dash came to join them in the court-yard, and soon they were all four on their way to the show.
But, dear me! when the man at the door of the show saw Dash, he said: "I can"t let dogs in, sir."
Here was a blow! and May, with her sweet blue eyes quite sad, cried out: "But you will let our Dash in, Mr. Show-man, won"t you? You don"t know what a good dog he is; he saved Hal"s life!"
Now when the show-man heard dear May say this, and saw her sweet face and blue eyes raised to his, he could not help a smile, and said: "Well, for such a dear pet, I must say, yes. Dash may go in, but he must lie still and make no noise. One bark, and out he goes!"
"Oh! he will be as still as a deaf and dumb mouse!" cried Hal and May both at once. So, to the great joy of all, Dash went in. Hal and May took their seats with their pa-pa on a long bench, in a large room full of gay folks, and Dash sat on the floor close by them.
There was a stage at one end of the room; a fall of green baize hung in front of it. In a short time a bell went "ting-a-ling!
ting-a-ling!" and up rose the baize. Then Dash saw a small house, with a grape-vine at the side and tall trees, which he took for real ones, but Mr. Grey said were wood and green paint. You could see a green field at the back of the stage, and high hills, while the blue sky was as clear as it was out of doors.
Mr. Grey had a bill with the names of the dogs that were to act on it, and Dash heard him read it to Hal and May.
The name of the play was:
THE DEATH OF POOR JACK, THE RUN-A-WAY.
JACK, FRISK.
COL. GRAPE-SHOT, TRIP.
THE GUARD, TRAY AND WASP.
JACK"S MAM-MA, FAN.
THE s.e.xTON, SNAP.
THE JUDGE, SHORT.
Dash, when he found Frisk was to act, scarce drew a breath for fear he should lose a bit of the play, and sat so still that not a hair moved.
First, in came two dogs on their hind-legs as the guard, in red coats and caps and blue pants. They had guns too; and they had such an odd look with their own tails up in the air out-side their coat-tails, and their head held as stiff as ram-rods to keep their caps on, that all the folks burst out in a laugh.
Then the guard did peep round all the trees, and in all the holes they could find, on a hunt for Jack; and when they did not find him, they shook their heads as if to say: "No one here! that"s a fact!"