Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-06-18
Joe Black.

The first time l ever saw Joe Black he
was out on the sidewalk in front of the
house where he lived. 1t was a sharp
winter morning. He had a coat on, but
no hat. A boy who goes out on winter
morning without any hat on will be al
most sure to catch cold, get a sore throat,
and perhaps have the Group and be very
sick indeed.
There were a number of boys out on
the sidewalk too, and Joe was looking
On to see them play, rather than playing
with them. Some of them were sliding
along on the ice in the gutter, others were
snow-balling, and all seemed to be hav-
ing a fine time.
Pretty soon man came along. Joe
was busy watching the boys, and did not
see or hear the man until he was close
upon him. The man had a heavy bundle
upon his shoulder, and called out rather
angrily to Joe: " Get out of the way"
Joe was not little frightened at the
harsh tone in which the man spoke to
him, and got out Of the way as quickly
as he could.
Some boys would have answered this
rude man rudely back, and perhaps told
HIM to get out Of the way himself; but
Joe took the rOughneSS very meeklY.
liz hS<AS l1AClL1AlS UOC w do OIb again,
only this time he had not got so far as the
sidewalk, but was standing on the door
steps, looking up and down the street
and wondering what he should do. While
he was so standing and wondering the
same man came along who had spoken to
him so unkindly the day before. He had
what looked like the same bundle on his
shoulder. The man did not see Joe, but
Joe saw him and recognized him. But
he kept perfectly still and watched him
go by.
Presently the man, as he walked
along, put his hand in his side
pocket and pulled out his handker-
chief In 50 dong he pulled out
one Of his mittens too. 1t fell unseen
by the owner on the sidewalk. When he
put his handkerchief back in his pocket
he did not miss the mitten. There it lay
just where it fell, the man walking faster
and faster away.
Some boys in Joe's place would have
been glad that such a cross man had lost
his mitten and would hope that he might
never find it.
Not so Joe Black. He saw what had
happened-the Observation-Disclosures out, the
mitten fallen and left lying on the walk,
the man unconscious even that he had
dropped it. 1t took him but moment to
decide that he ought to 60 and restore the
mitten to its owner. | don't know that
he so much as thought of the cross way
the man had spoken to him the day be-
fore. If he did, he did not cherish any
resentment. So off he started down the
steps and along the walk until he came to
the mitten. Picking it up, he ran on
after the man as fast as his legs could
carry him. Instead of calling out to him,
he waited until he got close behind him,
and then gently touched his hand.
The man turned round to see who
touched him.
There stood Joe, holding up the mitten.
"Well done" said the man, recognize
ing the mitten and feeling in his pocket
at the same moment. "Well donel
Where did you ind that?" And he took
the mitten and put it back IN his pocket.
Joe only wagged his tail; for he was
nothing but great Newfoundland dog,
Joe Black, and he couldn't speak word.
But l have sometimes thought that he was
more of a gentleman than the man who
dropped his mitten. At any rate he
knew how to return good for evil. Do
you ?-EdOard Abbott, IN ". 7. Inde-
peIdent.