Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-07-13
WHAT HAPPENED TO DON.
Showing That II Is Not Best to Judge
by Appearances.

The two boys were tying tin cans t
the strange dogs tail when younl
girl came running across the road, he
eyes sparkling and her face flushed.
"Stop, stop!" she cried excitedly.
Tom and Harry looked at her in as
tcnishment while the dog licked the
hand she held out 10 him.
"You don I look like bad boys, saic
the girl, "and / dom believe you
meant any harm. You see you hav,
Just moved here and don't know, oil
am sure you would not do it. You
think Don is ugly, but he was not al
ways so, and il what made him SC
that makes everybody who knows love
him. o Don, Don!'
She was on her knees, her arms
around Don s neck and the tears roll
ing down her cheeks.
Tom thought her the prettiest thing
he had ever seen, while the dog certain
ly was a ''mean specimen. He was
lame, had lost one eye and the hair on
his body seemed to grow in patches
with great bare spaces between.
~ IN sorry" said Tom, s'that we We
done anything to trouble you. You
see, we didn I like his looks, and we
thought we would drive him away so
he would not come here any more. II
was a mean thing to do, and promise
you we won't do anything of the kind
again.
"Thank you" said the girl, "I'll
take Don home now, ~
"Won't you tell us what happened
to himi" asked Tom, who had unfas.
tened the tin cans.
"Oh. I'd love to-" said Helen Gag
erly; "it g beautiful story. We were
living in the city then and Don slept
in the house when father was away.
One night something in the cellar
caught fire and filed the house with
smoke. Don knew something was
wrong and went to mother 3 room bark
ing and knocking on the door with
his tail. When mother opened the door
and saw the smoke Don went up stairs
and walked the servants and then ran
back to mother. She had walked us all
and wrapped us up well, but we were
little and she was wondering how she
could get us all out Of the house and
through the smoke when Don picked
up the baby as carefully as you could
and started off with her. l shall never
forget how we went through that awful
smoke, for we were almost suffocated
when we got into the street. Mother
heard the servants screaming behind us
and thought they were all safe, but
Don missed one Of them and went back
for her. She had not reused enough
at first to know what was the matter,
and when Don went for her again she
could not get all the way down stairs.
The fire engines had come then, and
when she and Don were seen at the
window up stairs ladder was brought
and fireman went up and carried the
woman down, calling to Don to follow.
Don started, but he was on fire and in
some way lost his footing and fell.
That 8 what s the matter with Don, and
| think it beautiful story, don 7
you?'
eyes, and we thank you so much for
telling u.s." said Tom.
Somehow, it makes me feel like pet
ting all the ugly animals / see,' said
Helen, "for there is no knowing what
is behind, you know. Mother says we
ought to treat people the same way and
be ready with kind word for the I'M
attractive ones for the sake of the fine
character, the life of self-sacrifice or
the something behind that might make
them seem beautiful if we only knew"
IT guess l II always try to remember
that" said Tom.
~ say" said Harry, sit was good
of you to say that you did not think we
were bad boys when we were worrying
your dog To himself he said,
''There's something behind all that,
and I like it. Annie Weston Whit.
ney, in Advocate and Guardian.