Jonas on a Farm in Winter | Page 8

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, under the General's crib.
"Why, Franco," said Jonas, "how came you here?"
Franco said nothing, but stood looking up into Jonas's face, and wagging his tail.
"Franco," said Jonas, "how could you get in here?"
Franco remained in the same position; the light of the lantern shining in his face, and his tail wagging a very little. He could not tell certainly whether Jonas was scolding him or not.
Franco remained about the barn until breakfast-time, and then Jonas, at the table, told the farmer that he tried to drive the dog away the night before, but that in the morning he found him in the barn.
"I don't believe you really tried," said the farmer's wife. "I can drive him away, I know,--as I'll show you after breakfast."
Accordingly, after breakfast, putting on hastily an old straw bonnet, she went out into the yard and took a small stick from the wood pile, to use for a club, and then called to Franco.
"Franco," said she, "come here."
Franco looked first at her, and then at Jonas, who was standing in the door-way, as if at a loss to know what to do.
"Go, Franco," said Jonas.
The farmer's wife walked out in front of the house into the wind, calling Franco to follow. She then attempted to drive him along the road, much as Jonas had done. She brandished her stick at him,