Jonas on a Farm in Winter | Page 8

left him, and that they should see no more of him in the
afternoon. But when Jonas went out, after dinner, to get the old General,
to harness him for work again, he found Franco lying snugly in the
General's stall, under the crib.
At night, therefore, he told the farmer about him. The farmer said that
he was some dog that had strayed away from his master; and he told
Jonas to go out after supper and drive him away. Josey begged his
uncle to keep him, but his aunt said she would not have a dog about the
house. She said it would cost as much to keep him as to keep a sheep,
and that, instead of bringing them a good fleece, a dog was good for
nothing, but to track your floors in wet weather, and keep you awake all
night with his howling.
So the farmer told Jonas to go out after supper, and drive the dog away.
"Let us give him some supper first, father," said Oliver.
"No," said his father; "the more you give him, the more he won't go
away. I expect now, you've fooled with him so much, that it will be
hard to get him off, at any rate."
"Jonas has not fooled with him any," said Oliver.
"Nor I," said Josey.
After supper, Jonas went out, according to orders, to drive Franco away.

It was a raw, windy night, but not very cold. Franco was in a little shed
where there was a well, near the back door. He was lying down, but he
got up and came to Jonas when he saw him appear at the door.
"Come, Franco," said Jonas, "come with me."
Franco wagged his tail, and followed Jonas.
Jonas walked out into the road, Franco after him. He walked along until
he had got to some distance from the house, Franco keeping up with
him all the way, sometimes on one side of the road, and sometimes on
the other. At length, when Jonas thought that he had gone far enough,
he stopped. Franco stopped too, and looked up at Jonas.
"Now, Franco, I've got to send you away. It's a hard case, Franco, but
you and I must both submit to orders. So go off, Franco, as fast as you
can."
So saying, Jonas pointed along the road, in the direction away from the
house, and said, "St---- boy! St---- boy!"
Franco darted along the road a few steps, barked once, and then turned
round, and looked eagerly at Jonas, as if he did not know what he
wanted him to do.
"Get home!" said Jonas, in a stern and severe tone; "get home!" and he
stamped with his foot upon the ground, and looked at Franco with a
countenance of displeasure.
Franco bounded forward a few steps over the smooth and icy road, and
then he turned round, and stood in the middle of the road, facing Jonas,
and looking very much astonished.
"Get home, Franco!" said Jonas again; and, stooping down, he took a
piece of hardened snow or ice from the road, and threw it towards him.
The ice fell, before it reached Franco, and rolled along towards his feet,
which made him scamper along a little farther; and then he stopped,
and turned around, and looked at Jonas, as before.

Jonas began slowly to turn backwards, keeping his eye on Franco.
"It's a hard case, Franco, I acknowledge. If I had a barn of my own, I'd
let you sleep in a corner of it; but I must obey orders. You must go and
find your master."
So saying, Jonas turned round and walked slowly home. Just before he
turned to go into the house, he looked back, to see what had become of
the dog. He was standing motionless in the place where Jonas had left
him.
"I wish the farmer would let me give him a bone," said he to himself;
and then he turned away, and walked slowly around to the barn, to
fodder the cattle.
That night, just before bed-time, he went to the front door, and looked
out into the road, and all around, to see if he could see any thing of
Franco. It was rather dark and windy,--though he could see the moon
shining dimly through the broken clouds, which were driving across the
sky. The roads looked black, as they do about the commencement of a
thaw. Presently the moon shone out full through the interstices of the
clouds. Jonas took advantage of the opportunity to look all up and
down the road; but Franco was nowhere to be seen.
The next morning, however, when he went out into the stable to give
the cattle some hay, he found Franco in his old place,