"Well, Dick, have you got my bird?" said Mr. Acres, as Dick came puffing and blowing into his presence.
"Yes, indeed!" returned Dick with a broad smile of pleasure, presenting the bird he had abstracted from its warm, soft nest.
"You are a fine smart boy, Dick, and will make a man one of these days!" said Mr. Acres, patting Dick on the head encouragingly. Then, taking the bird, he toyed with it for a while fondlyfed it, and finally placed it in a cage. The promised half-dollar, which was promptly paid to the lad, made him feel rich. As he was about leaving the house of Mr. Acres, the latter called to him:
"Look here, Dick, my fine fellow, don't you want a dog? Here's Rover, the very chap for you."
"May I have Rover?" eagerly asked Dick, his eyes glistening with delight.
"Yes. I've more dogs now than I want."
"He fights well!" ejaculated Dick, surveying the dog proudly. As he did so, the animal, seeing himself noticed, walked up to Dick, and rubbed himself against the lad familiarly.
"He'll whip any dog in the neighbourhood," said Mr. Acres.
"And you'll give him to me?"
"Oh, yes. I've got too many dogs now."
"Here, Rover! Here, Rover! Here! Here! Here!" cried Dick in an animated tone, starting off. The dog followed quickly, and in a few moments both were out of sight.
"A smart chap that," remarked Mr. Acres to himself, as Dick bounded away. "He'll make something before he dies, I'll warrant."
The possession of the dog and half-dollar, especially the latter, were strongly objected to by Dick's mother.
"How could you, my son, think of robbing a poor bird of her little young ones?" said she seriously and reprovingly.
"But, mother, Mr. Acres wanted me to get him a bird, and of course I could not say 'no.' What would he have thought of me?"
"You never should do wrong for any one."
"But if it had been so very wrong, Mr. Acres never would have asked me to do it, I know," urged Dick.
Mrs. Lawson would have compelled her son to take back the money he had received, if almost any other person in the village but Mr. Acres had been concerned. But he was well off, and influential; and, moreover, was her landlord; and, though she was behindhand with her rent, he never took the trouble to ask for it. The dog, too, would have been sent back if any one but Mr. Acres had given it to her son. As it was, she contented herself with merely reprimanding Dick for robbing the bird's nest, and enjoining on him not to be guilty of so cruel an act again.
About three days after this event, Dick, accompanied by Rovernow his inseparable companionmet his young friend, Henry Jones, who had with him his father's large house-dog, Bose.
"Whose dog is that?" asked Henry.
"He's mine," replied Dick.
"Yours!"
"Be sure he is."
"Why that is Mr. Acres's Rover."
"Not now he isn't. Mr. Acres gave him to me."
"What did he give him to you for?"
"For getting him a young mocking-bird."
"I thought he promised you half-a-dollar?"
"So he did; and what is more, gave it to me, and Rover into the bargain."
"Well, I wouldn't have robbed a bird's nest for a dozen Rovers," said Henry Jones, warmly.
"Wouldn't you, indeed?" returned Dick, with a sneer.
"No, I would not. It's wicked."
"Oh, you're very pious! But Rover can whip your Bose, anyhow."
"No, he can't, though," replied Henry quickly, who could not bear to hear his father's faithful and favourite old dog's courage called in question.
"Yes, but he can, ten times a day. There, Rover! There, sck!sck!sketch him!" At the same time pushing Rover against Bose.
Both dogs growled low, and showed their teeth, but that was all.
"Rover's afraid to touch him!" said Henry, a good deal excited.
"No, he is not, though!" returned Dick, his face glowing with interest; and, lifting up the forefeet of Rover, he threw him full against old Bose, who received the onset with a deep growl and a strong impression of his teeth on Rover.
This brought on the battle. Bose was nine or ten years old, and somewhat worn down by age and hard service, while Rover had numbered but two years, and was full of fire and vigor. Still the victory was not soon decided. During the fight, each of the boys entered into the spirit of the contest almost as much as the dogs. First one would interfere to secure for his favourite the victory, and then the other, until, at last, Dick struck Henry; and then they went at it likewise, and fought nearly as long, and certainly with as much desire to injure each other, as did the dogs themselves. The result was that both Henry and Bose had to yield, and then the parties separated, indulging against each other bitter and angry feelings. But with Dick there was an emotion of cruel delight at having triumphed over his friend. As he was crossing a field, on his way home, he met Mr. Acres.
"Why, what's the matter with you and Rover?" the farmer asked.
"Rover's had a fight," replied Dick.
"Ah! Who with?"
"Mr. Jones's Bose."
"Well, which whipped?"
"Rover, of course," replied Dick, with a smile of triumph; "and I can make him whip any thing."
"You're a keen chap, Dick," said Mr. Acres, patting the boy on the head, "and are going to make a man one of these days, I see plainly enough. So Rover whipped. I knew there was prime stuff in him."
"There isn't another such a fellow in these 'ere parts," was Dick's proud answer.
"But you look a little the worse for wear, as well as Rover. Have you been fighting, too?"
Dick held down his head for a moment, and then looking up into Mr. Acres's face, said
"Yes, sir," in rather a sheepish way.
"Ah! well, who have you been fighting with?"
"With Harry Jones. He didn't want to give Rover fair play; and once, when he had Bose down, he kicked him."
"And then you kicked him for kicking your dog?"
"Yes, sir."
"That was right. Never permit a friend to be imposed upon. And after that you had a regular fight?"
"Yes, sir."
"Which whipped?"
"I gave him a bloody nose; and shouldn't wonder if he had a black eye into the bargain. And what is more, made him cry 'enough.'"
"That was right. Never fight but in a good cause, and then be sure to whip your man."
"It'll take a smarter boy than Harry Jones to whip me," said Dick proudly.
"And you think Rover can whip any thing about here?"
"Yes, indeed. And I'm going to make him do it, too."
"You'd better not try him against Markland's old Nero."
"He'll whip him in ten minutes."
"I'm not so sure of that. Nero is a great deal bigger and stronger."
"I don't care if he is. I'm learning Rover a trick that'll make him whip a dog twice his size."
"What is that?"
Dick called Rover, and the dog came up to him wagging his tail.
"Give us your paw," said the boy, in a tone of authority.
The dog instantly lifted one of his forefeet, which Dick took in his hand, and began to squeeze gently at first, and then, by degrees, harder and harder, ejaculating all the while, in a quick distinct tone"Leg him! leg him! leg him!" until the dog, from first indicating signs of pain, began to whine, and then to yell out as if in agony. At this, Dick dropped the foot, and looked up into the farmer's face.
"Well, Dick, what does all that mean?" asked Mr. Acres.
"I'm learning him to catch hold of the foot," replied the boy.
"The mischief you are!"
"Yes, sir. And when he's fairly up to it, he can whip any dog, if he's as big as an elephant."
"But can you learn him?"
"I made him catch Jones's Bose by the foot this morning, and it would have done your heart good to have heard him yell. If he isn't lame for a month, then I don't know any thing about it."