Animals -- Juvenile fiction; Boys -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Farm life -- Juvenile fiction; Obedience -- Juvenile fiction
The dog leaped down from the sled, and came bounding up the road. He
leaped first about Mr. Edwards, and then about Jonas, as if at a loss
which was his master.
"Why, Ney," said Mr. Edwards,--"poor Ney,--have you got back at last?
Come, walk in, Ney."
Ney slipped in through the door, and turned immediately into the little
room, as if he was perfectly familiar with the localities. Jonas and Mr.
Edwards followed. They shut the door, and took their seats again. Ney
ran around the room, and examined every thing. He looked at the strange
dog lying so comfortably in his old place upon the warm carpet, and then
came and gazed up eagerly into his old master's face a moment. He came
to Jonas, and wagged his tail, and then he went to the door and whined,
as if he wanted to go out.
"Won't you let him out?" said Mr. Edwards. "We will see what he will
do."
Jonas opened the door, and the dog ran out into the entry, and then made
the same signs to have the outer door opened. Jonas opened it, and let
him out. Jonas stepped out himself a moment, to see what he would do,
and presently returned again to the room where he had left Mr. Edwards.
"Where did he go?" said Mr. Edwards.
"He has run to the sleigh," said Jonas, "and jumped up into it, and is
lying down on the buffalo."
"The dog seems to have become attached to you, Jonas," said Mr. Edwards,
"and I presume that you have become somewhat attached to him."
"Yes, sir, very much indeed," replied Jonas.
Mr. Edwards was silent a few minutes, appearing lost in thought.
"I hardly know what to say about this dog," he continued, at length.
"You did very right to come and let me know about him. I am afraid that
some boys would have kept him, without saying any thing about it. I am
glad that you were honest. I valued the dog very much, and would have
given a large sum to have recovered him, when he was first lost. But I
have got another now, and don't really need two. Should you be disposed
to buy him?"
"Yes, sir," said Jonas, "if I could. But I haven't got but a dollar at
my command, and I suppose he is worth more than that."
Jonas had a dollar of his own. Mr. Holiday had given it to him when he
left his house, thinking it probable that he would want to buy something
for himself. Jonas had taken this money with him when he left the
farmer's, intending to expend a part of it in the market town; but he
did not see any thing that he really wanted, and so the money was in his
pocket now.
"Why, yes," said Mr. Edwards, "I gave a great deal more for him than
that. Haven't you any more money with you?"
"Not of my own," said Jonas.
"I suppose you got some for your produce."
"Yes, sir," said Jonas; "but it belongs to the farmer that I work with."
"And don't you think that he would be willing to have you pay a part of
it for the dog?"
"I don't know, sir," said Jonas. "I know he likes the dog very much, but
I have no authority to buy him with his money."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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