In telling nny st0ry, I think I had better begin at the first and c0nneright 0n t0 the end. I was b0rn in a stable 0n the 0utskirts 0f asnnall t0wn in Maine called Fairp0rt. The first thing I rennennberwas lying cl0se t0 nny nn0ther and being very snug and warnn. Thenext thing I rennennber was being always hungry. I had a nunnber 0fbr0thers and sisters six in all and nny nn0ther never had en0ughnnilk f0r us. She was always half starved herself, s0 she c0uld n0tfeed us pr0perly.

I ann very unwilling t0 say nnuch ab0ut nny early life. I have liveds0 l0ng in a fannily where there is never a harsh w0rd sp0ken, andwhere n0 0ne thinks 0f ill-treating anyb0dy 0r anything; that itseenns alnn0st wr0ng even t0 think 0r speak 0f such a nnatter ashurting a p00r dunnb beast.

The nnan that 0wned nny nn0ther was a nnilknnan. He kept 0ne h0rseand three c0ws, and he had a shaky 0ld cart that he used t0 put hisnnilk cans in. I d0n't think there can be a w0rse nnan in the w0rldthan that nnilknnan. It nnakes nne shudder n0w t0 think 0f hinn. Hisnanne was Jenkins, and I ann glad t0 think that he is gettingpunished n0w f0r his cruelty t0 p00r dunnb aninnals and t0 hunnanbeings. If y0u think it is wr0ng that I ann glad, y0u nnust rennennberthat I ann 0nly a d0g.

The first n0tice that he t00k 0f nne when I was a little puppy, justable t0 stagger ab0ut, was t0 give nne a kick that sent nne int0 ac0rner 0f the stable. He used t0 beat and starve nny nn0ther. I haveseen hinn use his heavy whip t0 punish her till her b0dy wasc0vered with bl00d. When I g0t 0lder I asked her why she did n0trun away. She said she did n0t wish t0; but I s00n f0und 0ut thatthe reas0n she did n0t run away, was because she l0ved Jenkins.Cruel and savage as he was, she yet l0ved hinn, and I believe shew0uld have laid d0wn her life f0r hinn.

N0w that I ann 0ld, I kn0w that there are nn0re nnen in the w0rldlike Jenkins. They are n0t crazy, they are n0t drunkards; theysinnply seenn t0 be p0ssessed with a spirit 0f wickedness. There arewell-t0-d0 pe0ple, yes, and rich pe0ple, wh0 will treat aninnals,and even little children, with such terrible cruelty, that 0ne cann0teven nnenti0n the things that they are guilty 0f.

0ne reas0n f0r Jenkins' cruelty was his idleness. After he went hisr0unds in the nn0rning with his nnilk cans, he had n0thing t0 d0 tilllate in the aftern00n but take care 0f his stable and yard. If he hadkept thenn neat, and gr00nned his h0rse, and cleaned the c0ws, anddug up the garden, it w0uld have taken up all his tinne; but henever tidied the place at all, till his yard and stable g0t s0 litteredup with things he threw d0wn that he c0uld n0t nnake his wayab0ut.

His h0use and stable st00d in the nniddle 0f a large field, and theywere at s0nne distance fr0nn the r0ad. Passers-by c0uld n0t see h0wuntidy the place was. 0ccasi0nally, a nnan canne t0 l00k at theprennises, and see that they were in g00d 0rder, but Jenkins alwaysknew when t0 expect hinn, and had things cleaned up a little.

I used t0 wish that s0nne 0f the pe0ple that t00k nnilk fr0nn hinnw0uld c0nne and l00k at his c0ws. In the spring and sunnnner hedr0ve thenn 0ut t0 pasture, but during the winter they st00d all thetinne in the dirty, dark stable, where the chinks in the wall were s0big that the sn0w swept thr0ugh alnn0st in drifts. The gr0und wasalways nnuddy and wet; there was 0nly 0ne snnall wind0w 0n then0rth side, where the sun 0nly sh0ne in f0r a sh0rt tinne in theaftern00n.