The Summer Holidays | Page 7

very
fierce at them as they passed, and then began to growl and bark.
Thomas told his cousin, that this dog had bitten several persons in the
neighborhood, and that some of the school boys had tried to poison it;
but that the farmer was careful always to keep it chained, so that no
body might get a chance to catch it in the road.
About half a mile further onward was a fine stream of water. It began in
the hills, and ran winding along, deeper and broader, to a great distance.
Mr. Harvey owned several farms along this creek; and here Thomas
and John often came, in summer evenings, to swim. The water was
clear and pure, so that hundreds of fish could be seen sporting around
the shores.

When the boys reached this creek, they sat down under a shady tree, to
watch the fishes, and listen to the songs of the birds, on the bushes that
hung over the water. In a short time, a number of eels came from under
a large stone, one after the other, and after swimming about for a little
while, buried themselves in the mud. Samuel asked Thomas where so
many came from.
"They live in the water," replied his cousin. "On a pleasant evening you
can see many more swimming among the stones, and the roots of trees,
by the edge of the creek. But, do you know, that they sometimes come
out of the water, and glide about the meadows."
"No," said Samuel; "do they?"
"Yes," replied Thomas. "At night you may sometimes see a great many
among the grass. One evening last summer John and I met a whole
company of them, going from the little creek, near Daddy Hall's house,
toward the mill pond. We thought, at first, that they were snakes, and
so moved out of their road; but by and by, we perceived that they were
eels. The weather had been hot and dry for two weeks before, and these
eels were travelling to find more water. So father told us afterwards."
The boys now walked on, down the creek, until they came to a small
bridge. On this a boy, about as large as Samuel, was standing, throwing
stones into the water. When Thomas, and the other two, got near
enough, they saw he was stoning frogs. Every time one of these little
animals put its head above the water, the boy pelted it with a stone; and
two or three had been mashed to death, as they sat on the broad stones,
near the water's edge.
[Illustration: STONING FROGS.]
Now, all good boys and girls, who read this book, will say that this was
a cruel boy--and so he was. As soon as John saw what he was about, he
called to him to stop. The boy said he would not, and stoned harder
than before. Then John began to grow angry. You remember, children,
I told you, that though John was a noble hearted fellow, yet he was
quick of temper; and when he saw boys doing wrong, he was apt to get

angry very soon, if they did not stop when they were told. So, seeing
that the boy still threw stones, he called to him again, louder than
before.
"What shall I stop for?" said the boy.
"Because," said John, as he stepped on the bridge, "you have no
business to stone frogs. What hurt do they do you?"
"A good deal," said the boy; and he threw another stone.
"I tell you to stop," replied John; "this is father's field, and they are his
frogs, too; and you have no right here, if you can't behave yourself."
The boy now threw off his cap, as if to fight, and said: "I don't care for
you or your father either; I'll stone as long as I please, and no one shall
hinder me," and as he spoke, he shook his fist in John's face. John was
now very angry.
"If you touch me," he said, "I'll throw you, head foremost, over the
bridge. I tell you to quit stoning frogs, and you shall quit."
Thomas and Samuel now came forward; for they were afraid that there
would be some fighting. John and the boy stood looking at each other
for a little while; but at last, the boy seeing that John was not afraid of
him, picked up his hat and walked off, muttering that he did not care
for any body. "He had better go," said John. When his brother began to
grow calm, Thomas told him that he ought not to get so angry, for he
could have driven off the boy just as well, by speaking quietly to him.
"I have seen him once or twice before," added