Marshall Saunders

“ Think of the dog kicked to death by his master, the horse driven into his grave, the thousands of cattle starved to death on the plains--will they want to meet their owners in heaven?"
"According to my reckoning, their owners won't be there," said Mr. Harry. "I firmly believe that the Lord will punish every man or woman who ill-treats a dumb creature just as surely as he will punish those who ill-treat their fellow-creatures. If a man's life has been a long series of cruelty to dumb animals, do you suppose that he would enjoy himself in heaven, which will be full of kindness to every one? ”

“ When one stands up, and speaks, and the human faces spreading out like a flower-bed change and lighten, or grow gloomy, as one wishes, it is majestic,—it makes a man feel like a deity."
"You will get on in the world," said Bidiane, impulsively. "You have it in you."
"But must I go alone?" he said, passionately. "Bidiane, you, though so much younger, you understand me. I have been happy to-day, yes, happy, for amid all the excitement, the changing faces, the buzzing of talk in my ears, there has been one little countenance before me—"
"Yes,—Rose's." ”

“ The dainty little breezes rippling the surface of the lake reminded me that I was thirsty and Mr. Talker, who was passing by with a covered milk pail in each hand, said, "Go down to the lake, boy. You are the only quadruped without running water in your stall."
I felt like a colt, and kicking up my hoofs, raced through the barnyard gates and across the road to the long strip of sandy shore in front of the farm. ”

“ The house is situated on a bit of rising ground overlooking the Pleasant River Valley—just a tiny, baby valley with a slender thread of a river picking its way among meadows of the greenest grass I ever saw.
The house is beautifully, even luxuriously, furnished, but without a foolish expenditure of money. The drawing-room is a dream. We dogs are allowed to go in, if we are quite clean, and if we lie down quietly on the big hearth-rug, and do not romp about and shake ourselves.
Even if a dog does live in the country, there is no need for him to be careless in his habits. ”

“ Mammy Juniper went over to her. “Awake, my princess, the hour of the Lord is at hand.”
Vivienne’s dazed glance took in the black figure standing over her, the bright lamps of the room, the darkness outside, then she shuddered. “I have had a distressing dream. Is Mr. Armour here? I thought that he was hurt.”
“Mourn not for the elder but for the younger branch, O princess,” chanted the old woman. “Ephraim is a proud man. He transgresseth by wine, neither keepeth at home. He enlargeth his desire as hell and as death, that cannot be satisfied.” ”

“ He smiled slightly, called Derrice, and the picnic party took up its way to the wood, while Chelda returned to the house.
She was not lonely, although she had never in her life been as much cut off from society as she was this summer. She despised Rossignol, she disliked the people in it. Only one person had made the place endurable to her, and that person had been driven from her. She had now but one desire,—to accomplish her vengeance, to see Derrice unhappy, one-tenth as unhappy as she was,—and then to take her aunt to some place nearer the man without whom her life was unendurable. ”

“ The Englishman had told him that each grass-blade came up from the earth with a tale on the tip of its quivering tongue, and that all might hear who bent an ear to listen. Narcisse wished to get news of the storm in the night, and really fancied that the grass-blades told him it had prevailed in the bowels of the earth. He sprang up to impart the news to Vesper, and Agapit, who was passing down the lane by the house to the street, scowled, disapprovingly, at the pretty, wagging head and animated gestures. ”

“ I said firmly. “I will be your friend and stand by you, if you will promise to try to be a better squirrel.”
“And give up Chummy?” he asked.
“Why should I give up Chummy?” I said. “He is a good, kind-hearted bird. I think he would become your friend too, if you reformed.”
“I hate Chummy,” he said.
“But don’t you understand, Squirrie,” I said quickly, “that if you become a good little animal, instead of hating everybody, you will love everybody, and you will feel so much more comfortable. It’s dreadful to be so mad inside all the time. It eats up your strength, and your kind-heartedness.” ”

“ I am an old dog now, and am writing, or rather getting a friend to write, the story of my life. I have seen my mistress laughing and crying over a little book that she says is a story of a horse's life, and sometimes she puts the book down close to my nose to let me see the pictures.
I love my dear mistress; I can say no more than that; I love her better than any one else in the world; and I think it will please her if I write the story of a dog's life. She loves dumb animals, and it always grieves her to see them treated cruelly. ”

“ Can you tell a lie, then, as you don’t know about George Washington?”
“In general,” said Eugene, in his grave, old-fashioned way, “I do not tell lies. At times, if I consider one better than the truth, I tell it without scruple.”
“You don’t think it’s wrong to lie?”
“No, sir; truth is often tiresome; there is tedium in it, my grandfather says. The great emperor lied.”
“I’ll bet anything on that,” said the sergeant grimly, “and he didn’t get any good by it either, nor will you, my boy; but of that more anon, as Shakespeare says. ”

“ Dallas gave him a peculiar glance. It certainly was not an ungrateful one.
The Judge gazed at him more steadfastly. How well the boy looked in his heavy black coat and dark fur cap! He was stouter, too, than when he came. Already good living and freedom from care were beginning to show a favorable influence upon him. But what about the soul? And the Judge peered more earnestly than ever at him. A good outside was a fine thing, but the inner things of the heart were what counted, and the elderly man made up his mind to ask a few questions. ”