156 AUNT ESTHER'S RULES. 



ing water upon the cat, or doing any of the many little 

 tricks by which animals are made uncomfortable. "They 

 have but one short little life to live, they are dumb and 

 cannot complain, and they are wholly in our power," 

 these were the motives by which she appealed to our gen- 

 erosity. 



Aunt Esther's boys were so well trained, that they would 

 fight valiantly for the rescue of any ill-treated animals. 

 Little Master Bill was a bright-eyed fellow, who was n't 

 much taller than his father's knee, and wore a low-necked 

 dress with white ruffles. But Bill had a brave heart in his 

 little body, and so one day, as he was coming from school, 

 he dashed in among a crowd of dogs which were pursuing 

 a kitten, took it away from them, and held it as high above 

 his head as his little arm could reach. The dogs jumped 

 upon his white neck with their rough paws, and scratched 

 his face, but still he stood steady till a man came up and 

 took the kitten and frightened away the dogs. Master Bill 

 grew up to be a man, and at the battle of Gettysburg stood 

 a three days' fight, and resisted the charge of the Louisiana 

 Tigers as of old he withstood the charge of the dogs. A 

 really brave-hearted fellow is generally tender and compas- 

 sionate to the weak ; only cowards torment that which is 

 not strong enough to fight them ; only cowards starve help- 

 less prisoners or torture helpless animals. 



I can't help hoping that, in these stories about different 



