Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1899-01-07
Dear Children

Dear Children
Something has happened at Doro-
thy WhitefOot's house that she wants
to tell us about, and | think we can
make room for her letter, as none of
our other correspondents have writ
ten this week.
Dear Little Human Beings
l haven t written oyou Iorso many
weeks that was almost afraid | had
forgotten how to write.
| don't like to blame Miss Susie; |
know she wants us to be happy; but
| haven t been happy at all for a week,
and Jaclnta hasn't, either, and it is all
because of something Miss Susie did.
/ don't know how it's going to end
This is the way it was: One night
last week, when it was time for Miss
Susie to come home, we heard her ring
at the door c'we' means the Mother
and y. She always rings twice
when she hasn't her key, and | know
her ring just as well as the Mother
does.
There's long hall between the din
ing room and the front door, and
when l know it's Miss Susie at the
door, just love to start at the din
ing room and run Just as hard as |
can down the hall and get to the door
before the Mother does, and then as
soon as the door is opened and Miss
Susie comes in, run back just as fast
as | can, the same way, and Miss
Susie will run after me, and | hide u11-
der the bureau, and we have lots of
fun.
Well, this night | raced down the
hall just as usual, and got to the door
first, and then the Mother came and
opened the door. But Miss Susie
caught it back and just left a crack to
speak through and she said:
put Dorothy in the kitchen, please,
mother. | have dog"
You can't imagine how | felt when
| heard that. | suppose no one but
another cat would know. | felt the
hair all rising up along my back, and
cold shoulders went all over me-
The Mother picked me up and spit
at her; was SO frightened didn't
know what was doing. | was tax
en- out and put in the kitchen, and the
door was shut, and couldn't see nor
hear thing.
don't know how long it was be-
fore the door was opened, but when
it was, it was only to let Miss Susie
in, and then shut again. She came in
and took me up, and | always was
glad to have Miss Susie take me up
before; but this time | could smell
that dreadful dog all over her, and |
forgot myself and spit at her. Just
think of it.
But she seemed to know howit was.
She Just stroked me over and over,
and said:
"Poor little Doro Chats what she
calls me when she is petting me, and |
like it); I'll tell YOU all about it, and
then you won't mind. You see, Doro
dear, / was standing out in the cold
sleet, waiting for a car, tonight,
when | saw a man drive a poor, shiv-
ering little dog out of store into the
street She had ribbon on her collar
and | knew she must be somebody's
pet dog. watched her, and she tried
to get in the doorway out of the sleet,
and she shivered so dreadfullv, and
held up one poor, little freezing paw
out of the snow She looked up into
the face of everyone that passed, and
plead for someone to be good to her.
ust think, DOro, poor, little dog,
without such nice long fur as YOU
have to keep her warm, and lost in
the city street such a bitter night as
this; not much more than a baby dog,
either; such a pititul little shivering
heap, Doro.
And you know, Doro, that tho hun
dreds of people went past, this poor,
little helpless dog might have frozen
and starved and they wouldn't have
noticed it. They don't mean to be
cruel, you know, Doro, but they don't
think. You know how it was with
you and with Jacinta, and it's Just
the same with dogs.
Now, Doro, what would you have
had me do? | couldn't come home
and leave that little dog to be kicked
about, and perhaps freeze before morn
ing, because this would make her suf-
fer just as it would YOU or Jacinta,
and YOU know how much that would
be. SO, of course, | had to bring her
home, and now | want YOU to be a
little lady, Doro, and be good TO your
poor little guest.
All the while she was talking, she
kept stroking me with her hand, and
got used to the smell of the dog, and
didn't mind it so much.