American literature -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Sunday schools -- United States -- Periodicals
"But just then his sister came along, and seeing the butterfly
fluttering on me, gradually losing its strength, she uttered an
exclamation of horror, and let the poor thing go, placing me where she
had before. Her brother Fred came in.
"'Now, Bess, that's mean! What possessed you to let my butterfly go?'
"'Because it was so cruel, Fred dear. I couldn't bear to see it
struggling so!' and a tear came into her eye.
"Her brother muttered something about girls' tender feelings.
"That day as Bessie and her mother were sitting sewing on the piazza of
their house, her mother wanted a pin, and so she speedily delivered me
into the lady's hands. She used me for some sewing a little while, and
then put me on a little pincushion in her work-box, where I remained
for about a week.
"Then there was a commotion in the house. I learned from various talks
that Fred with a good many other boys, was going camping into the
woods, and they were busy getting ready for his departure. He was off
at last. He had a gun, a satchel full of clothing, and an umbrella.
Just as he was going out of the door, and his mother was kissing him
good-by, she said:
"'Fred, wait a moment. I didn't give you any pins, and you may need
some.'
"So saying, she took me and a few others from the cushion in her
work-box, and putting them hastily on Fred's coat, bade him good-by
again, and he started.
"I cannot tell you all the fun that the boys had in the woods; they
seemed perfectly happy, and fished, and shot poor animals, and
climbed, all the time. Wherever Fred went, I went too.
"At night they would go into the tents, and lie down, sleeping soundly
all night, and getting up early in the morning, to eat what they had
caught latest the day before. All night I kept watch over Fred's
pillow, in his coat that was hanging on a nail driven into one of the
tent-poles.
"One day one of the dogs came to the place where the boys were taking
dinner, sniffing around their legs, and showing as plainly as possible
that he had discovered something. The boys hastily finished their
dinner, and followed the noble animal into the woods. Soon the dog
stopped, and looking ahead, they saw, by a pool, a splendid deer
drinking, little suspecting what danger there was near.
"'Fire!' said the boys' leader; and a dozen shots went crashing into
the poor deer's side. It fell down dying. One of the boys went over
to examine it. When he reached it, it gave one faint struggle, and
expired. But a boy that had remained thought it was yet alive, and
fired another shot, taking care not to aim at the one who had gone
forward. But he was just bending over to examine the horns of the
animal, and the shot went crashing into his leg! Then there was an
uproar! The boys all rushed forward, my master among them, and examined
the poor boy's leg, which was bleeding very badly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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