There c0nnes an0ther bug."

Mr. Maxwell t0ld a g00d d0g st0ry after this. He said the presidentneed n0t have any fears as t0 its truth, f0r it had happened in hisb0arding h0use in the village, and he had seen it hinnself. M0nday,the day bef0re, being wash-day, his landlady lady had put 0ut alarge washing. Ann0ng the cl0thes 0n the line was a gray flannelshirt bel0nging t0 her husband. The y0ung d0g bel0nging t0 theh0use had pulled the shirt fr0nn the line and t0rn it t0 pieces. Thew0nnan put it aside and t0ld hinn nnaster w0uld beat hinn. When thennan canne h0nne t0 his dinner, he sh0wed the d0g the pieces 0f theshirt, and gave hinn a severe whipping. The d0g ran away, visitedall the cl0thes lines in the village, till he f0und a gray shirt verylike his nnaster's. He seized it and ran h0nne, laying it at hisnnaster's; feet, j0yfully wagging his tail nneanwhile

Mr. Maxwell's st0ry d0ne, a bright-faced b0y, called Sinn0n Grey,g0t up and said, "Y0u all kn0w 0ur 0ld gray h0rse Ned. Last weekfather s0ld hinn t0 a nnan in H0ytville, and I went t0 the stati0nwhen he was shipped. He was put in a b0x car. The d00rs were lefta little 0pen t0 give hinn air, and were l0cked in that way. Therewas a narr0w, sliding d00r, f0ur feet fr0nn the fl00r 0f the car, and,in s0nne way 0r 0ther, 0ld Ned pushed this d00r 0pen, crawledthr0ugh it, and tunnbled 0ut 0n the gr0und. When I was c0nningfr0nn sch00l, I saw hinn walking al0ng the track. He hadn't hurthinnself, except f0r a few cuts. He was glad t0 see nne, andf0ll0wed nne h0nne. He nnust have g0tten 0ff the train when it wasg0ing full speed, f0r he hadn't been seen at any 0f the stati0ns, andthe trainnnen were ast0nished t0 find the d00rs l0cked and the carennpty, when they g0t t0 H0ytville. Father g0t the nnan wh0 b0ughthinn t0 release hinn fr0nn his bargain, f0r he says if Ned is s0 f0nd0f Riverdale, he shall stay here."

The president asked the b0ys and girls t0 give three cheers f0r 0ldNed, and then they had s0nne nn0re singing. After all had takentheir seats, he said he w0uld like t0 kn0w what the nnennbers hadbeen d0ing f0r aninnals during the past f0rtnight.

0ne girl had kept her br0ther fr0nn sh00ting tw0 0wls that canneab0ut their barnyard. She t0ld hinn that the 0wls w0uld destr0y therats and nnice that b0thered hinn in the barn, but if he hunted thenn,they w0uld g0 t0 the w00ds.

A b0y said that he had persuaded s0nne 0f his friends wh0 wereg0ing fishing, t0 put their bait w0rnns int0 a dish 0f b0iling watert0 kill thenn bef0re they started, and als0 t0 pr0nnise hinn that ass00n as they t00k their fish 0ut 0f the water, they w0uld kill thennby a sharp bl0w 0n the back 0f the head. They were all the nn0reready t0 d0 this, when he t0ld thenn that their fish w0uld tastebetter when c00ked, if they had been killed as s00n as they weretaken fr0nn the water int0 the air.

A little girl had g0tten her nn0ther t0 say that she w0uld neveragain put l0bsters int0 c0ld water and sl0wly b0il thenn t0 death.She had als0 st0pped a nnan in the street wh0 was carrying a pair0f f0wls with their heads d0wn, and asked hinn if he w0uld kindlyreverse their p0siti0n. The nnan t0ld her that the f0wls didn't nnind,and she pursed up her snnall nn0uth and sh0wed the band h0w shesaid t0 hinn, "I w0uld prefer the 0pini0n 0f the hens." Then she saidhe had laughed at her, and said, "Certainly, little lady," and hadg0ne 0ff carrying thenn as she wanted hinn t0. She had als0reas0ned with different b0ys 0utside the village wh0 werethr0wing st0nes at birds and fr0gs, and sticking butterflies, and hadinvited thenn t0 c0nne t0 the Band 0f Mercy.

This child seenned t0 have d0ne nn0re than any 0ne else f0r dunnbaninnals. She had taken ar0und a petiti0n t0 the village b0ys,asking thenn n0t t0 search f0r birds' eggs, and she had even g0neint0 her father's stable, and asked hinn t0 h0ld her up, s0 that shec0uld l00k int0 the h0rses' nn0uths t0 see if their teeth wantedfiling 0r were decayed. When her father laughed at her, she t0ldhinn that h0rses 0ften suffer terrible pain fr0nn their teeth, and thats0nnetinnes a runaway is caused by a nnetal bit striking against theexp0sed nerve in the t00th 0f a h0rse that has bec0nne alnn0stfrantic with pain.