The Gray Gooses Story | Page 3

do, And vented his gruff bow-wows, As
he tagged my heels in the good old times When we went after the cows.
He'd roll in the grass with the babies, Or carry them on his back; He'd
catch the ball the youngsters tossed, And follow the rabbit's track. A
boy's own dog, and a friendly Companion in peace or rows, As he
tagged my heels in the good old times When we went after the cows.
He could talk with a doggish lingo In his own peculiar way, And I
could understand it all-- Whatever he had to say. He'd jump to my call

at the moment, And utter his gruff bow-wows, As he tagged my heels
in the good old times When we went after the cows.
I told him all of my secrets, And he kept them without fail, With never
a sign that he knew them But a wag of his short, stump tail. Long years
have passed since I heard them.-- The sound of his gruff bow-wows, As
he tagged my heels in the good old days When we went after the cows.
"Those are very good verses, Mrs. Goose," your Aunt Amy said when
the last line had been read, and she replied as she plumed her feathers:
"So I think, although Mr. Crow says they are foolish; but that's because
he doesn't like Mr. Towser Dog. What I admire about them is that they
show what a good friend to a boy an animal can be. Now if Sammy
Boy had made friends with the calf, he wouldn't be in the house this
very minute waiting for his broken arm to get mended."

WHEN SAMMY TEASED THE CALF.
"How was that, Mrs. Goose?" your Aunt Amy asked.
"It was something that began a long time ago on the next farm; but
wasn't finished till last week. You see a little boy calf was born over
there once upon a time, and no sooner did the poor little thing come
into this world than Sammy Boy thought it great fun to drive him from
his mother, beat him with a stick, pull his tail, and do all kinds of mean
things.
"'You're a mean, selfish, cruel boy,' the calf said to himself, when he
was forced to put up with whatever Sammy felt like doing to him. 'I'll
get even with you if it takes me years to do it--You think I can't
remember, because I don't talk the same way you do; but just wait and
see!'
"Of course Sammy didn't understand what the calf said, and he poked
him all the harder with a big stick, laughing as if he thought it great fun.
Well, the years went on, and Mr. Calf grew to be big and strong.
Sammy also grew, but not as fast as the calf did, and the time came
when he didn't dare pull his tail, or poke him with a stick.
"One day when Mr. Calf was three years old, and the folks called him
Mr. Bull, Sammy went out to look at his pigeons, which he wickedly
keeps shut up in a little box, and some one had left the pasture bars
down.
"Mr. Bull was standing near-by, and when he saw Sammy he said to

himself, as he lowered his head and stuck his tail straight up in the air:
"'Now's my chance! I'll show that boy how good it is to have those who
are stronger try to be cruel.'
"Sammy had forgotten all about tormenting the calf; but I'm thinking he
remembered it when he picked himself up on the other side of the
farmyard fence, where Mr. Bull had tossed him. His arm was broken,
and his clothes torn; but with all that he wasn't hurt any worse than the
poor little calf was when Sammy poked him with a stick, or pulled his
tail."
[Illustration: Mr. Bull Pays Off Old Scores.]
Just at this time Mr. Gander came back to say that Mr. Donkey had
promised to teach the boys, who had been riding Mrs. Cow's baby as if
it was a horse, such a lesson that they wouldn't forget it very quickly.
"He's going down into the meadow," Mr. Gander said, "and if those
little rascals are yet there, he'll chase them from one end to the other,
flinging up his heels, and making believe he is trying to kick them. By
the time he gets through, I'll promise you they won't be so eager to pick
upon a poor little youngster who isn't large enough to take care of
himself."

WHERE MR. CROW HID HIS APPLES.
"They'll soon find out what a mistake they made, same as Mr. Crow did
when he put his apples away for the winter," Mrs.