Chapter VII: Bob Laid Up

HAPPILY Stray proved not to be seriously hurt, and in a few days his wound was healing nicely. Jackie, though he had seen the stone thrown, could only give a very hazy description of the thrower, who, it seemed, had run away the instant he had seen he had hit the dog. Bob would have gone to Tom Smith in hot haste and accused him of having done the cruel deed, but Mrs. Winter had prevented his doing so, by pointing out that they had no proof that Tom was the culprit.

Bob felt sure that Tom Smith was the stone-thrower nevertheless. He did not see him again till after the school holidays, when, one morning on his way to school, he passed him in the street.

"What about that dog of yours now?" Tom shouted after him with a jeering laugh, thus showing that Bob had not misjudged him.

Bob wheeled around sharply, his heart hot with indignation; and went back, his eyes ablaze with anger.

"Look here," he said, "I want a word with you. The dog's not mine, he belongs to one of my aunt's lodgers—but that doesn't matter to you. What I've got to say is this, if you ever throw a stone at him again, I'll go to the police about you and get you punished."

"Do you think I'm afraid of the police?" sneered Tom.

"Yes, I do," Bob answered. "I saw you slink away the other night— you were bullying a boy younger than yourself—when you saw a policeman coming. There's a law to stop people who are cruel to dumb animals. I've heard about it from my father, who can't bear to see animals of any kind badly treated. You're a big coward, Tom Smith, that's what you are!"

"Take care what you say!" shouted Tom, turning crimson. "You're a cheeky youngster! As for your father, he's only a common Tommy!"

"A common Tommy!" echoed Bob, adding quickly, "Anyway, he's a brave man, and he wouldn't hurt a poor dog like you did."

"If you're not careful what you say, I'll give you something you won't like!" Tom threatened.

"You'd better not!" Bob retorted.

And Tom decided that he had better not, for after looking at Bob uncertainly for a minute, he muttered something under his breath, turned sharply on his heel, and moved on.

"I don't think he'll dare do any harm to Stray again," thought Bob; "he saw I meant it when I said I'd go to the police about him."

Mrs. Mead had forgiven Bob by this time for the loss of her apples, and was using him as an errand boy out of school hours as she had done before. Sometimes when he went to bed he was so weary and his limbs ached so much that he could not; get to sleep till the early hours of the morning, and this began to tell on his health. Then, at the end of October, he caught a bad cold on the chest and had to be in bed several days.

During those days it was Mrs. Winter who nursed him. Lizzie brought him his food, and Mrs. Mead came to see how he was night and morning; but it was his kind old neighbour who poulticed his chest, and gave him his cough mixture regularly, and sat with him whilst his little brother was at school, telling him stories, or talking to him of her young days and the children she had had in her care.

"I loved them all," she said, as she was keeping him company one afternoon, "but not one quite so well as Miss Peggy. The little dear was an orphan, just three years old, when I went to be her nurse, and her aunt, who was her guardian, left her entirely to my care. It was I who taught her to love Jesus—to know Him as her Saviour Who died for her. Ah, she loved Him and trusted Him with all her heart, did Miss Peggy! 'I feel He's near me, Nana!' she used to say."

"It's a great thing to feel that," Bob remarked thoughtfully, adding, "Jackie is not half so afraid of the dark now you've made him understand that Jesus is there."

"Bless his dear little heart, no!" Mrs. Winter agreed, with her sunniest smile.

Bob was struck by the brightness of her expression. "I think you're the happiest person I ever knew," he said; "you're so cheerful that it does one good to be with you. Mrs. Winter, I should like to ask you a question—if you won't be offended?"

"Oh, I am sure I shall not be offended!"

"Then—are you very poor?"

"Yes, as far as money goes, and poorer I shall be if food continues to rise in price. But God will provide for me, my dear, don't you fear! See how He's providing for Stray now! I was wondering how I should be able to get food for the dog that day your aunt promised to save the scraps of the house for him. Don't you think God put that kind thought into her heart? I do!"

Stray was generally with his mistress when she visited Bob. He was to-day, lying on the shabby strip of carpet by the bedside. He looked up and wagged his tail every time his name was mentioned. Mrs. Winter stooped and patted him.

"He misses his walks with you, Bob," she said; "I don't take him far enough to satisfy him. I tell you what I think I'll do this afternoon as the weather's fine and sunny. I'll meet Jackie as he comes out of school, and take Stray with me."

"Oh, I wish you would!" Bob cried eagerly. "Jackie didn't come straight home yesterday, and I couldn't think what had become of him. I made up my mind he had met with some accident—been knocked down by a motor-car, perhaps, and killed! He had only been playing with other little boys he told me, and he promised he'd come straight home to-day; but it would be kind of you to meet him."

"Oh, I will!" Mrs. Winter broke in. "I'll take him for a little walk; but we won't be long."

"Oh, I shall know he's all right if he's with you," Bob replied. "Aunt Martha says I'm silly to be nervous about him, and I daresay I am; but almost the last words father said to me were, 'Look after Jackie, Bob!' and I don't think I could face father again if anything happened to him. It's nearly four o'clock, isn't it, Mrs. Winter?"

"It's twenty to four," she answered, rising. "I'll go at once. Come, Stray!"

The dog followed her from the room. A few minutes later Bob heard him scamper down the stairs, barking excitedly, and his mistress trying to quieten him.

"They'll be in time," the boy said to himself; "what Jackie and I'd do without Mrs. Winter now I really don't know!"