Part 15 (1/2)
The child learned, on the first day of his visit, that it would be well-nigh as safe to play with a handful of dynaold-and-white mate, Lady Lady did not care for liberties from anyone
And she took no pains to ht aversion to the lanky Cyril Her fiery little son, Wolf, was scarce less for teased by an outsider But gallant old Lad was safe gahty heart and soul werefrom so pitifully weak and defenseless a creature as this child He seelance, that Cyril was an invalid and helpless and at a physical disadvantage And, as ever toward the feeble, his big nature went out in friendly protection to this gangling wisp of iood it did hie collie open to an endless succession of tor's size and patience see cruelty in the small visitor's nature
Cyril, fro Lad's life a horror His initial step was to respond effusively to the collie's welco as the Mistress and the Master chanced to be in the room As they passed out, the Mistress chanced to look back
She saw Cyril pull a bit of cake from his pocket and, with his left hand, proffer it to Lad The tawny dog stepped courteously forward to accept the gift As his teeth were about to close daintily on the cake, Cyril whipped it back out of reach; and with his other hand rapped Lad srownand painful trick of that sort on Lad, the collie would have been at the torreat dog's nature to attack a child
Shrinking back, in as jarred, the collie retreated majestically to his beloved ”cave” under the music-room piano
To the Mistress's remonstrance, Cyril deniedNor was his vehemently tearful denial shaken by her assertion that she had seen it all
Lad soon forgave the affront And he forgave a dozen other and worsetook to shunning the neighborhood of the pest That availed hi; except tohad chosen
Lad, trotting hungrily to his dinner dish, would find his food thick-streith cayenne pepper or else soaked in reeking gasoline
Lad, seeking peace and solitude in his piano cave, would discover his rug, there, cleverly scattered with carpet tacks, points upward
Lad, starting up from a snooze at the Mistress's call, would be deftly tripped as he started to bound down the veranda steps, and would risk bruises and fractures by an ugly fall to the driveway below
Wherever Lad went, whatever Lad did, there was a cruel trick awaiting hi's dark eyes took on an expression of puzzled unhappiness that went straight to the hearts of the two humans who loved hied character on the Place Never had he known nor needed whip or chain Never had he,--or any of the Place's other dogs,--been wantonly teased by any huiven, only love and square treatment and stanch friendliness
He had ruled as benevolent iven loyal service to his two deities, the Mistress and the Master; and had stood courteously aloof from the rest of mankind And he had been very, very happy
Now, in a breath, all this was changed Ever at his heels, ever waiting to find some neay to pester him, was a human too s the collie's high-strung nerves on edge or else actively hurting hiained in health and strength, Lad's lot grew increasingly miserable
The Mistress and the Master were keenly aware of conditions And they did their best,--a useless best,--toThey labored over Cyril, to make him leave Lad alone They pointed out to him the mean cowardice of his course of torture They even threatened to send him to nearer relatives until his parents' return All in vain
Faced with the most undeniable proofs, the child invariably would lie
He denied that he had ever ill-used Lad in any way; and would weep, in righteous indignation, at the charges What was to be done?
”I thought it would brighten up the house so, to have a child in it again!” sighed the Mistress as she and her husband discussed the matter, uselessly, for the fiftieth time, after one of these scenes ”I looked forward sohere! But he's--oh, he isn't like any child I ever heard of before!”
”If I could devote five busy runted the Master, ”with an axe-handle or perhaps a bale-stick--”
”You wouldn't do it!” denied his wife ”You wouldn't harm hied to us, we could punish hiood wholeso, more than anyone else I can think of That or some other kind of punishment that would make an impression on him But what can we do? He isn't ours--”
”Thank God!” interpolated the Master, piously
”And we can't punish other people's child,” she finished ”I don't knoe CAN do I wouldn't s he does; if it wasn't for the way he treats Laddie I--”
”Suppose we send Lad to the boarding kennels, at Ridgewood, till the brat is gone?” suggested the Master ”I hate to do it And the good old chap will be blue with hoet kind treatment When he comes over toway, after Cyril has done so to him,--well, I feel like a cur, not to be able to justify his faith that I can ht for hi kennels And, if it weren't for leaving you alone to face things here, I'd be tempted to hire a stall at the kennels for one”