Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew

by George Cary Eggleston

  There was a large tree close by; Mew-Mew flew up it, and was quitesafe.

  What would poor Bow-Wow do?

  The great dog came up. He did not give Bow-Wow time to speak, but fellon him, and began to roll him over and over on the hard ground.

  "Oh, Mew-Mew! Mew-Mew!" cried he, calling upon the only friend he had.

  "What do you mean by 'Mew-Mew'?" said the big dog.

  And he laid hold of Bow-Wow's neck, and gave him such a shake, as if hewould shake his life out of him.

  Mew-Mew, up in the tree, you may be sure, sat as still as a mouse.

  "Oh! let me go! and I will never--never--" cried Bow-Wow, with hisvoice getting fainter at each word.

  The big dog had such a hold of Bow-Wow, that he was not able to saywhat it was that he would never do.

  "It is all over with me," he said to himself; and he shut his eyes andgave himself up for lost.

  XXVIII

  BOW-WOW IS BADLY HURT

  Just then a loud call was heard.

  "Come off, Rex! Do you hear? Come off, lad!"

  The big dog just lifted his head at the sound, and so gave Bow-Wow timeto get his breath, but he kept him fast on the ground.

  "Come off, you bad dog!" said the man again.

  It was not till he had called a good many times, that the big dog gavepoor Bow-Wow a last shake, and then ran off to the man.

  As soon as he was quite gone, Bow-Wow, who had not dared open his lipsbefore, began to groan with all his might.

  "Oh!" he said. "Oh! oh!"

  They were such sad groans, that they made Mew-Mew's heart, as she satin the tree, quite come into her mouth.

  "What shall I do? Shall I come down, Bow-Wow?" she said.

  But Bow-Wow would not hear her, and only groaned more and more.

  "Oh, dear! dear! I do think he is dying," cried Mew-Mew; and she camedown from the tree, though she could but just stand for fear.

  "Bow-Wow! can you speak?" she called out, as soon as she was down.

  "Do not come near me," said the little dog, in a low voice.

  XXIX

  PUSS TURNS NURSE

  Mew-Mew gave a look all round, and as the sheep-dog was nowhere insight, she came to where Bow-Wow lay.

  "Go away! leave me!" said Bow-Wow.

  "Leave you! Never!" cried the cat. "Oh! my poor dear, dear Bow-Wow!Why, you are badly hurt!"

  "If I am badly hurt you are quite safe, at any rate," said Bow-Wow.

  "You run away, and leave your friend to get badly hurt, do you not?"

  "Ah! but is it not a good thing that I did run away?

  Who would nurse you now if I were hurt too?"

  There was something in that, so Bow-Wow said no more about it.

  Mew-Mew began to run over the things she could do for Bow-Wow: how shewould put him to bed, get him some drink, and kill a bird for him.

  Bow-Wow said he would like some food, and that if he had a very finebird, he would try to eat some of it.

  Mew-Mew went off to find a fine bird.

  But go where she would, up and down, not a bird could she get.

  The land just there had few trees. There did not seem to be a bird inthe place.

  XXX

  CROSS WORDS

  She ran up the trees, she hid in the wheat, yet she saw but six birdsin an hour, and these all got away.

  She went back to Bow-Wow with a sad face.

  "You have come back at last," Bow-Wow said as soon as he saw her."Come! make haste. Where are the birds?"

  "Oh, Bow-Wow, I cannot find any."

  "You cannot find any birds?"

  "Not one! It is the worst place I ever was in," and she began to sob asif her heart would break.

  "You ought to have done better," said Bow-Wow.

  "It is your work to find food. I told you so."

  "And it is your part to take care of us on the way, and you have donethat well, have you not?" said Mew-Mew.

  "You have not much to talk about, anyhow," said Bow-Wow.

  "If I have not, I might have had, for all your good lookout," said thecat.

  Thus they grew very cross.

  I dare say they might even have come to blows, if it had not been thatBow-Wow was not able to stand.

  After a while they made up their cross words.

  As poor Bow-Wow felt ill, they could not go on.

  No food was to be had.

  They lay down just in that place, each rolled into a tight ball, andsoon fell asleep.

  XXXI

  HOW THE RUNAWAYS FARED

  They slept the rest of that day.

  In the night rain began to fall. This made them wake up.

  Bow-Wow was just able to walk to a tree, the same tree that Mew-Mew hadused to hide in. The rain did not come so hard, close up to the trunkof the tree.

  It would take too long to tell you of all this little dog and cat hadto bear, for many days.

  Often without food, in the wind and the rain, and on the cold ground atnight, what a change after the good home they had left!

  Day by day they grew more thin and weak.

  Bow-Wow's black coat was all rusty and dusty; his bones looked as ifthey must come through his skin.

  As for Mew-Mew's fur, you would not think it ever could have been whiteat all, it was in such a sad state.

  She used to wash her paws, and her face, two or three times a day; shewould have done more if she could.

  Once they went near a house, in the hope that some food might be giventhem, but some bad boys cast stones at them, and drove them away.

  They had to run for their lives.

  XXXII

  KIND FRIENDS

  One night, after they had had no food all day, they saw a little boyand girl on the road, and the boy and girl saw them.

  They did not run away at the sight of a dog, as some boys and girlswould have done.

  When they saw how thin and poor the dog and cat were, they took out oftheir bag some bread, which they had left from dinner, and fed them.

  Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew were very glad to have the food, and would havegone home with their young friends.

  But the boy said, "No, you must not come home with us. We do not knowyou.

  We have a big dog in the yard at home. Rex would kill you, if you cameto our house."

  XXXIII

  BAD BLOWS

  The one thing in their minds now was, how to get home once more.

  They could never agree who was most to blame that they had run away.

  Mew-Mew said that all the blame lay with Bow-Wow; and Bow-Wow said thatMew-Mew was quite as much to blame as he was, and more so.

  Mew-Mew could not bear this.

  Weak as she was, she made a spring at Bow-Wow, and gave him such a boxon the ears, that he, being very weak too, fell right down.

  When he got on his legs again, he flew at Mew-Mew.

  One might think they would have killed each other on the spot; but theywere not so strong as they had been, and could not fight long.

  After they could fight no more, they would not speak a word for half anhour.

  Then Mew-Mew, with her kind heart, said, "I am sure I did not mean tohurt you, Bow-Wow!"

  And Bow-Wow said, "Let us not think or say any more about it.

  It is very sad that we cannot live without cross words and bad blows.

  But what are we to do? How are we to live?"

  "I wish we were dead," said Mew-Mew.

  "We soon shall be," said Bow-Wow.

  "But why did we ever, ever run away?" asked Mew-Mew.

  XXXIV

  THOUGHTS OF HOME

  Mew-Mew had asked this a good many times before and Bow-Wow had said,"We did it for the best."

  To-day he only gave a great groan.

  "We had such a good home!" said Mew-Mew.

  "We had!" said Bow-Wow.

  "There was food for us at all times."

  "There was!"

  "We had a fire all the year round to keep us warm."


  "It got too warm sometimes."

  "It never was too warm for me."

  "There were the chicks in the yard, that we did not like."

  "Yes, and the pigs."

  "And the ducks, and the horse, and the cow. Yet they did us no harm."

  "Well, no! I cannot say they did; that is, if we left them alone."

  Bow-Wow did not forget how the pigs trod on him in the sty.

  Mew-Mew went on: "But we gave up our good home, we left the lady whowas so kind to us, and here we are with no food, cold, and wet, andnearly dead. Oh! Bow-Wow."

  "Oh! Mew-Mew!"

  They each had as sad a face as you ever saw in your life.

  "We may get home yet," said the dog.

  "Ah, if we could!" said the cat.

  XXXV

  WHERE WAS HOME?

  In what way did home lie? They had gone now to the right hand, now tothe left hand, now to the north, now to the south.

  How to find the way by which they had come first, they could not tell.

  They could but walk on, and on, and on; and their poor little weak legsfelt many a pain.

  "We can but go on till we die, Bow-Wow," said Mew-Mew.

  They went on, and never knew the least bit in the world where they weregoing.

  Sometimes when the sun rose, they had not the heart to get up at all.

  They would lie still, with their eyes shut, and try to sleep as longas they could, that they might not think of their pains.

  When they had gone long with no food, they could not sleep, but wouldcreep close to each other, or would sit and look at each other in akind of fear.

  XXXVI

  PUSS FALLS ILL

  At last one night came, when poor little Mew-Mew lay quite flat on theground, and put out her four paws.

  She said in a very quiet way, "I can walk no more.

  When the day comes, you must say good-by to me and go on alone."

  "Oh! Mew-Mew," cried Bow-Wow, and he went to her side and sat down.

  The tears came into his eyes so fast that he could not see.

  "I will stay here if you must stay, Mew-Mew," said Bow-Wow. "I willstay here and die too."

  "Oh, no, dear Bow-Wow; you may get home yet."

  "What good would it do me to get home alone?"

  "You could tell the lady how hard we tried to get home.

  I should like to have her know how hard we tried, and how sorry wewere."

  "But she will never know it," said Bow-Wow. "I shall never find her. Icannot go on alone. I will not leave you."

  XXXVII

  THE OLD FARM-HOUSE

  They lay down to sleep. It was a dark cold night. They crept close,that they might not feel the cold so much.

  Bow-Wow could not sleep: he thought every hour would be Mew-Mew's last.

  But the hours passed on, and she still drew her breath in the sameshort way.

  She was alive when the sun rose.

  It had been night when they had come to this place--quite dark.

  When the light came, what do you think Bow-Wow saw?

  As soon as his eyes were open, and this was just as the birds began tosing, he saw, not far off, the farm-house at home.

  There it was; and the sun shone on the warm tile roof, and on the oldstone walls.

  There it was, with the barn-yard and the stacks of hay.

  Bow-Wow knew them every one.

  He gave one long look, and then such a bark, that even made poor sickMew-Mew wake.

  XXXVIII

  HOME

  "Oh, Bow-Wow, what is it?" she said.

  But Bow-Wow could not tell.

  Not a word would come from him save one.

  He ran round and round as if he were wild.

  "HOME! HOME! HOME!" he cried.

  Yes, it was home at last.

  Mew-Mew could see it. There it was, the red house lit up by the sun.

  But poor Mew-Mew could not walk to it.

  Bow-Wow ran off to the house, and in some way or other, as dogs oftenwill, made one of the men come to the place where Mew-Mew lay.

  He took Mew-Mew in his arms, to her long-lost home.

  XXXIX

  TELL US MORE

  But some little boy or girl will say, "Tell us more.

  Tell me,--did Mew-Mew die?

  Did the lady take Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew into the house again?

  What did she do for them, if she took them in?

  Did puss ever get her white coat again?

  And if they both got quite well again, were they good or badafterward?"

  I will tell you.

  The lady was very glad to see her pets home once more.

  They were in such a sad way that she did not whip them.

  She gave Mew-Mew a cup of warm milk before the fire.

  Bow-Wow had a great lump of meat with no bone.

  Then each of them had a warm bath, and Mew-Mew was put to bed.

  As to Mew-Mew's coat, she washed it so often, and took such care of it,that in a few weeks it grew long and was quite white again.

  And I am glad to be able to add, that Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew were as gooda little dog and cat ever after, as you and I could wish them to be.

  ABOUT THE BOOK

  Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew is one of the few books for beginners in readingthat may be classed as literature. Written in words of mostly onesyllable, it has a story to tell, which is related in so attractive amanner as to immediately win the favor of young children. It teachesEnglish and English literature to the child in the natural way: througha love for the reading matter. It is the character of story that will,in the not distant future, replace the ordinary primer or readerwith detached sentences, and which seldom possesses any relation toliterature.

  The ultimate objects of any story can only be effected through the_love_ for a story. The prominent point in this story is developmentof good character, which may well be regarded as the highest purposeof education. The transformation from bad to good traits in the dogand cat cannot but have a desirable effect on every child that readsthe story. Bow-Wow and Mew-Mew become dissatisfied with their home andtheir surroundings, and ungrateful toward their benefactress. As thestory tells, "They did not find good in any thing." But after runningaway and suffering hunger, neglect, and bad treatment, their charactersbegin to change. They naturally come to reflect their mistress'sgoodness. They learn the value of companionship and friendship, andthe appreciation of a home. However, the ethical thoughts in the storyare presented without a moral. The child really _lives_ the scenesdescribed. He has the emotions of the characters and feels theirconvictions. And this determines the worth of a story as an agent incharacter development.

  The narrative furnishes, further, the proper kind of exercise forthe imagination. It affords abundant opportunity for the play of thedramatic instinct in the child, and effects a happy union of the "homeworld" and the "school world." The illustrations, drawn by Miss Hodge,have been planned and executed with considerable care.

  J. C. S.

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  BECKLEY-CARDY COMPANY _Publishers_ CHICAGO