comtesse de Sophie Ségur

“ The Squire sat at a table to give away the prizes, and Mother Evans, who was almost beside herself with delight, stroked and patted me, and led me up to the table with her to receive the first prize.
“Here, my good woman,” said the Squire; and he was just going to hand the watch and the bag of money to the old woman.
“Please, your worship, it isn’t fair!” cried Bill34 and Andrew. “It isn’t fair! That donkey doesn’t really belong to Mother Evans any more than it does to us! Our donkeys really got in first, not counting this one. The watch and money ought to be ours. It isn’t fair!” ”

“ But there was no help for it, and so when the party assembled at the front door, I was there too, harnessed and ready.
“Bless me!” said Norman’s father, when, after a mile or two, he joined us with his son, “what’s that donkey for?”
“That’s to fetch home the young gentlemen’s game, sir,” said the keeper, touching his hat, with a grin.
The partridges rose in great numbers. I stayed prudently at the rear. The gentlemen and the boys formed a broad line across the field; shots resounded all along the line; the dogs pricked up their ears, watched to see where the game fell, and fetched it in. ”

“ The stableman came and led me away, and Jack and Janie followed. I had two horses and another donkey for companions in the stable. Robert made me a nice litter of straw to sleep on, and then fetched me a measure of oats.
“Oh, Robert, give him more than that!” cried Jack, “it’s such a little, and Emily says he ran in the village race. He must be so tired and hungry. More, more!”
“But, Master Jack,” said Robert, “if you give him too many oats he will be too lively, and then neither you nor Miss Janie will be able to ride him.” ”

“ I have often outwitted some of my poor masters, who, being only men, could not be expected to have the intelligence of a donkey,—and I will begin my Memoirs with the story of a trick I once played in the days of my youth. ”

“ A few days after this there was a fair in the next village, and my mistress’s grandchildren were to be taken there by their fathers and mothers. There were fifteen of them altogether, or sixteen including myself, for little Jack and his cousin Harry rode on my back, and the rest walked or drove.
When we got to the fair we heard some people talking about a wonderful performing donkey who was said to be very clever, and who would begin his tricks in ten minutes at the other end of the meadow where the fair was being held. ”

“ Charles.—How can we draw lots, Caroline? Can we put the donkeys in a bag and draw them out like marbles?
Anthony.—Ha! ha! ha! The idea of donkeys in a bag! As if one could not number them 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Put the numbers in a bag and draw them out as they come.
“That is so, that is so,” cried the five others. “Ernest, make the number slips while we write them on the backs of the donkeys.”
“These children are stupid,” said I to myself; “if they had the sense of a donkey, instead of giving themselves the trouble of writing the numbers on our backs, they would simply place us along the wall ”

“ Who told you that nonsense?”
“People say that the donkey from the farm has been taken away and eaten in the forest.”
“Bah! don’t believe it; the people of that farm are so wicked that they have killed their donkey with bad treatment.” ”

“ I ate a few leaves off the bushes. My legs were stiff with cold, but I did not dare to get out of the water lest the dogs might come upon my scent again. When I had rested a little, I set off again, always following the brook until I got out of the forest. I then found myself in a meadow where over fifty cattle were grazing. I lay down in the sun in a corner of the field. The cattle paid no attention to me, so that I could rest at my ease.
Towards evening two men came into the meadow. “Brother,” said the taller of the two, “shall we take the cattle in to-night? ”

“ Bad! as if a donkey kindly treated were ever bad! We become angry, disobedient, and obstinate only to revenge ourselves for the blows and injuries we receive. When we are well treated we are good,—much better, in fact, than many other animals.
I took the young woman and her little child of two years back to their home; they stroked me, were very much pleased with me, and would willingly have kept me.
But it was, I thought, not honest to stay with them. My masters had bought me and I be5longed to them. I had already broken my mistress’s nose, teeth, and wrist, and had kicked her in the stomach. ”

“ His cousins and Jack admitted my intelligence and my desire to do good. I71 profited by a severe winter which did not permit my being much out of doors, to compose and write this account of some of the important events of my life. Perhaps they may amuse you, my young friends, and in any case they will make you understand that if you wish to be well served, you must treat your servants well; that those you fancy the most stupid are not always so stupid as they appear; that a donkey, as well as others, has a heart to love his masters and to suffer from bad treatment ”

“ I had been so long in the forest that I was not too fat, as some of these prize donkeys were; and so I would take part in the race. I trotted up to the others, and took my place among them, and then, to32 attract attention, I opened my mouth and brayed vigorously.
“Oh, you stop that!” cried out a man named Bill. “Hi! you there, donkey, you just stop that music, will you? and get out of there! You can’t run, you shabby brute! and, besides, you don’t belong to anybody.” ”

“ I was better, but not yet well, and it was a whole week before I could do anything except rest in the meadow and crop the grass. Jack and Janie took the greatest care of me; they came to see me several times a day. They picked grass for me, so that I shouldn’t have to stoop my head down to get it for myself. They42 brought me cool juicy lettuce from the kitchen garden, and cabbage-leaves, and carrots; and every evening they came to see me home to my stable, and there filled my manger for my supper with what I liked best of all, potato-peel and salt. ”

“ I did not move, but lifted my face towards hers with a gentle and pleading look.
“Poor thing!” she said at last; “you don’t look like a bad creature. If you don’t belong to any one, you shall take the place of my poor Greycoat, who died the other day of old age, and I shall still be able to earn my living by taking my vegetables to market to sell. ”

“ The Story of a Donkey.
CHAPTER I.
Men, poor things, can’t be expected to be as wise as donkeys, and therefore you probably do not know that there was a market in our country-town every Tuesday. At this market vegetables were sold, and butter, and eggs, and cheese, and fruit, and many other nice things. ”

“ Then George brought her a basket of vegetables, which she took on her knee, and we set off to market. Nobody in this market-town had ever seen or heard of me, and I came back joyfully to my new home.
I lived there for four years, and was very happy. I did my work well and never did anybody any harm. I loved my good old mistress and my little master. They never beat me or overworked me, and they gave me the best food they could. We donkeys are not dainty. The outside leaves of vegetables and plants that cows and horses won’t eat, and hay and potato-peel and carrots and turnips, are all we need. ”

“ Gee up! Donkey!” said Ernest, “over the bridge, my friend, over the bridge.” I would not go on; he hit me with his stick, but I continued to walk towards the others. “Obstinate, stupid brute! will you turn round and18 cross the bridge?” said he. I walked on towards my comrades, and joined them in spite of the insults and blows of this wicked boy.
“Why do you beat your donkey, Ernest?” cried Caroline; “he is very good; he took you like lightning, and made you pass Charles.” “I beat him because he would not cross the bridge,” said Ernest; “he took it into his head to turn back.” “Nonsense! ”

“ That young gentleman shot her, thinking she was a partridge.”
“Jenny! Well! Catch me taking boys out shooting again!”
“Come here, Norman,” said his father. “Just see to what a pass your conceit has brought you! Say good-by to your friends, sir, and go straight home at once! You will put your gun in my room, and you will not lay a finger on it again till you have learned to have a more modest opinion of yourself!”
“But, father,” said Norman, trying to look as51 if he did not care, “everybody knows that all great sportsmen sometimes shoot their dogs by mistake!” ”

“ This ass, ladies and gentlemen, is not such an ass as he looks. He knows a great deal, a great deal more than some of you. He is an ass without an equal. Come, Muffles, show the company what you54 can do. Make your bow, and let these ladies and gentlemen see that you have learned manners.”
"Muffles took the Bunch of Flowers."
The donkey went forward two of three steps, and bent his head in a most melancholy fashion. I was indignant with the showman; I thought to myself, “It’s quite easy to see that this poor55 Muffles has been taught his tricks by means of a rope’s end;” ”

“ There was a yell of pain, the dog made a leap into the air, and then rolled over quite dead.
“You stupid fellow!” shouted the keeper, as he ran to the spot, “you’ve shot our very best dog! Here’s a pretty end of your fine sport!”
Norman stood speechless from fright. Dick and Teddy looked scared out of their wits. The keeper restrained his anger, and stood looking at the poor dog without saying another word.
49
"A Sad Procession." ”

“ Hundreds of people crowded into the ring, and were so anxious to caress me that I was afraid they would tear me to pieces. The people from our own village, who knew me, were more than57 proud of me, and before very long all the people in the place were telling wonderful tales of my intelligence and my adventures. ”

“ They began to quarrel with each other, and my comrades and I began to bray.
"We were placed along the Wall."
The noise brought out the fathers and the mothers, to whom the matter was explained. One of the fathers at last thought of placing us in order along the wall. Then they made the children 17 draw the numbers. “One!” cried Ernest. It was I. “Two!” said Cecil. It was one of my friends. “Three!” said Anthony, and so on until the last donkey was drawn. “Now, let us go,” said Charles; “I will start first.” “Oh! ”