little fellow, that
might have been the pride of any mother's heart is just no better than
an idiot, and never will be, if he lives to be eighty years old. You
were a good deal cut up yourself, Tom, two weeks ago, when those young
ladies left your hothouse door open, with a frosty east wind blowing
right in; you said it killed a good many of your plants."

"A good many!" said Tom; "there was not one of the tender cuttings that
was not nipped off. I shall have to strike all over again, and the worst
of it is that I don't know where to go to get fresh ones. I was nearly
mad when I came in and saw what was done."

"And yet," said John, "I am sure the young ladies did not mean it; it
was only ignorance."

I heard no more of this conversation, for the medicine did well and sent
me to sleep, and in the morning I felt much better; but I often thought
of John's words when I came to know more of the world.

20 Joe Green

Joe Green went on very well; he learned quickly, and was so attentive
and careful that John began to trust him in many things; but as I have
said, he was small of his age, and it was seldom that he was allowed to
exercise either Ginger or me; but it so happened one morning that John
was out with Justice in the luggage cart, and the master wanted a
note to be taken immediately to a gentleman's house, about three miles
distant, and sent his orders for Joe to saddle me and take it, adding
the caution that he was to ride steadily.

The note was delivered, and we were quietly returning when we came
to the brick-field. Here we saw a cart heavily laden with bricks; the
wheels had stuck fast in the stiff mud of some deep ruts, and the carter
was shouting and flogging the two horses unmercifully. Joe pulled up. It
was a sad sight. There were the two horses straining and struggling with
all their might to drag the cart out, but they could not move it; the
sweat streamed from their legs and flanks, their sides heaved, and every
muscle was strained, while the man, fiercely pulling at the head of the
fore horse, swore and lashed most brutally.

"Hold hard," said Joe; "don't go on flogging the horses like that; the
wheels are so stuck that they cannot move the cart."

The man took no heed, but went on lashing.

"Stop! pray stop!" said Joe. "I'll help you to lighten the cart; they
can't move it now."

"Mind your own business, you impudent young rascal, and I'll mind mine!"
The man was in a towering passion