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Read Ebook: Little Folks (October 1884) A Magazine for the Young by Various
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Ebook has 221 lines and 46372 words, and 5 pages
"Oh, Master Edgar! Oh, how they've grown! You won't know them! They're lovely!"
He caught up his favourite first of all, and examined her thoroughly with breathless delight.
She had grown into the most beautifully-marked rabbit that he could imagine.
Even to handle such a rabbit seemed to Harry a very great happiness. What could it be like really to be the owner of that young prize rabbit?
With something like a sigh Harry put her down, and caught one of the others.
"I've seen the young doe, and I've measured her ears!" he exclaimed, as he took the other rabbit to Edgar Stopford.
Harry managed to do as Edgar wished, although it gave him a good deal of trouble; but he did not mind that a bit.
"Oh, Master Edgar! Did you ever see such a beauty as that young doe? Do look at her!" said Harry, eagerly, opening the stable-door, and making a dive after the lop-eared tortoise-shell.
The two boys played with the rabbits for a good half-hour. How much they found to say about them, any boy who is fond of animals can imagine. Poor Edgar had not been out for some weeks, and all that time Harry Pearson had not seen those rabbits. Harry was very happy, but still he could not help saying to himself now and then, as he looked at his favourite--
"I wonder who is going to have her?"
"You seem very fond of that tortoise-shell young one, Harry!" said Edgar presently with a smile.
"Ee--yes!" said Harry, his eyes brightening as he looked down tenderly at her.
"But how could you keep her?" asked Edgar.
"Oh, I'd keep her fast enough!" cried Harry, turning quite scarlet, while his heart gave half a dozen tremendous thumps. "I'd keep her! Why I'd make the neatest little hutch that ever was. And I'd give her the best of oats and pollard. Ah, as much as ever she'd eat!"
"Well, then, I shall give her to you," said Edgar. "I made up my mind when I was ill I'd give her to you, for I was sure you would take care of her. That's why I wouldn't let that other boy have her. He is rich, and can buy prize rabbits if he wants them. I'd rather give her to you."
Harry Pearson could not speak a word for a minute or two. He could only look down on the beautiful gift. To think that such a rabbit was his own was too much for him at first.
"Oh!" he gasped, presently. "Oh! Master Edgar. Oh! Thank you! Thank you!"
"Put her in that basket, and take her home," said Edgar.
Harry lost no time in obeying this delightful command. After which he wheeled Edgar, who was getting tired, back to the house, and then ran home with his rabbit, the proudest and happiest boy in Tolhurst.
All that evening there was an eager crowd of youngsters in front of the cottage where Harry lived.
It was a long while since there had been such an excitement in the village.
Nor did the boys' interest in that rabbit die out; boys were always dropping in to see how she was getting on; and Mr. Blades, the butcher, who was a great fancier, offered Harry three-and-sixpence for her.
Very often Harry went to wheel Edgar Stopford's chair, when the two boys would have long talks about the rabbit; and Edgar's pale face would quite glow with pleasure as he listened to Harry's praises of the wonderful animal.
So things went on for some time until Edgar Stopford was taken away to the sea-side.
Harry missed him very much, but he still had his rabbit to amuse himself with; and so, although it was then the holidays, the days did not hang on his hands until very nearly the date of the re-opening of school.
One afternoon, however, the time did seem very long indeed. Most of the boys Harry liked had gone to a treat to which he had not been asked. He was cross and dull. He had spent the whole morning in cleaning out the rabbit-hutch; he wanted something else to do, when, happening to be loitering about in a meadow by the side of the Squire's house, he saw a squirrel in a tree.
In an instant Harry was cruelly stoning away as fast as he could pelt.
He had not done much stone-throwing since he had had the rabbit; now he forgot for the moment everything except the pleasure of aiming the stones.
Up went the stones one after another; a minute later, and--Crash! Crash! Smash went a lot of glass--then there was a yell of pain and rage--a side-door flying open--and Harry tearing, as if for his life, across the field, while after him rushed his own father and his father's master--the Squire!
They followed him--they drove him into a corner of the field; they secured him.
"Walk him off to the police-station this minute!" exclaimed the Squire in a voice of fury.
"Oh, sir! oh, please! please, sir! Oh! oh! Don't, sir! don't! I'll never do it no more!" sobbed the trembling boy.
"Take him to the station-house! Indict him for manslaughter. He might have killed me?" cried the enraged Squire.
"Beg pardon, sir," said Harry's father, touching his hat; "I've cautioned that boy times without number; but leave him to me this once more, sir."
Harry was marched home. His mother was told. She cried bitterly.
"How much money have you?" asked the father.
"Not a--a far--thing," sobbed Harry.
"Then how is the four shillings to be raised to pay for that broken glass?" continued Mr. Pearson.
"I don't--boo-hoo! kn--now!"
"No! no!" shrieked Harry; "I'd rather be sold myself!"
"Take that rabbit to Mr. Blades, and bring back three-and-six," said Harry's father, in a stern voice.
He felt as if to part with that rabbit would kill him; but he knew it had to be done. I don't know how he managed to do it. What he suffered was terrible, yet he was sure there was no escape; so he put his pet rabbit into a basket and took it to Mr. Blades the butcher. There, in the picture, you can see him.
"You won't kill her, will you, Mr. Blades?" he faltered, for the sight of the knives in the shop was too much for him.
Harry has learned a hard lesson. Don't you hope Edgar will buy that rabbit for him again? I do.
L. A.
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Said the adjutant-stork to the wee little bird, With a dignified kind of a stare-- "Little creatures like you should be seen and not heard, And your impudence well we can spare! You had better by far go back to your nest, And be pert where they'll heed what you do; For you see that in height I'm six feet and the rest, While you are just no feet two!"
So it is with us all as we pass through the day: For we each of us think we're most clever-- Whether impudent bird that chatters away, Or "Dignity" stork by the river. On our size or our form or our talents we pose, And we hold ourselves up every hour: If the Queen of the Garden be known as the Rose, Then we are that wonderful flower!
THE EDITOR'S POCKET-BOOK.
JOTTINGS AND PENCILLINGS, HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE
How a Dog saved its Blind Master.
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