FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117  
118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   >>   >|  
madam, he is not mine to sell." "Where dwells his master, then?" "That I know not, for he had strayed and I found him and must restore him if I can." "'Tis a fool's errand," said the woman, who liked the dog herself, and, moreover, saw that there was money in his nimble feet. "I will give you as many coppers as you can carry in your cap if you will leave him here and go your way and say nothing about it to any one." Gabriel shook his head. "Alas, madam, he is not mine," was all the woman could induce him to say, and she thought his sadness was at the thought of the cap full of pence which she believed he dared not accept for fear of getting into trouble. Little she knew that if only the golden dog were Gabriel's very own, no money could buy from the boy the one heart on earth that beat warmly for him, and the graceful, gay coat of flossy silk which he loved to caress; so the farmer's wife and children were obliged to let the couple go. Gabriel had seen, the night before, a creek that wandered through the meadow, and before entering the town he ran to it and, pulling off his clothes, jumped in and took a good swim. Barking with delight, Topaz joined in this new frolic, splashing and swimming about like the jolly little water dog that he was. When, at last, they came out and were dried, and Gabriel was dressed, they were a fresh looking pair that started out for the town. Now Gabriel was not so stupid as his brothers believed, and, as he said over to himself the verse he had read that morning in the barn, and looked at Topaz, so winsomely shining after his bath, he began to see how unwise it would be to tell every one he met that he was searching for Topaz's owner. There were people in the world, he knew, who would not scruple to pretend that such a pretty creature was their own, even if they had never seen him before; so Gabriel determined to be very careful and to know that God would give him power and a sound mind, if he would not be afraid, as the Book of Life had said. Now the two entered the town; but from the moment their feet struck the pavements, Topaz's manner changed. He kept so close to Gabriel that the boy often came near to stepping on him. "What ails you, little one?" asked Gabriel, perplexed by his companion's strange actions. "Don't you know that you are going home?" But Topaz did not bark a reply. His feathery tail hung down. He looked at Gabriel only from the tops of his eyes as he
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117  
118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Gabriel

 

looked

 

believed

 
thought
 
creature
 

people

 
scruple
 

pretend

 

searching

 

pretty


stupid
 

brothers

 

started

 

dressed

 

shining

 
morning
 

winsomely

 

unwise

 

actions

 
strange

perplexed

 
companion
 

feathery

 

afraid

 

entered

 

determined

 

careful

 
moment
 

stepping

 

changed


struck

 

pavements

 

manner

 

accept

 

induce

 

strayed

 

sadness

 

master

 

trouble

 

Little


golden

 

nimble

 

errand

 

coppers

 

restore

 

warmly

 
Barking
 

jumped

 

pulling

 

clothes