THE STBIKE AT SHANE'S. 23 



''There it goes again," said Towser. "Always 

 blaming me for something I can't help." 



"As I said," continued the pig, "I haven't much 

 to complain of, but if I can do anything to help the 

 rest of you I will do it." 



' ' There's a hole in the garden fence w'here my chick- 

 ens would get in last summer, and then I would have to 

 go in and watch them," said a hen. Then some of the 

 other hens would get in, and Tom would come and 

 throw stones at us. He killed tw^o of my chickens and 

 broke my wing. Sometimes he w^ould set Towser on 

 us — " 



"There now, I won't stand it any longer," said 

 Towser, bristling up. 



"Order, order!" shouted Dobbin; and Towser lay 

 down again. 



"I'm kicked and cu.ffed day in and day out," mewed 

 Puss. "I try to catch all the rats and mice I can, but 

 it don't do any good." 



"Am I allowed to speak?" asked a quail which had 

 hopped up on the fence. 



"What reason can you give for appearing in this 

 meeting," asked Dobbin. 



"For the reason that I live on insects, and bugs, 

 and worms, which would be destructive to the farmer's 

 crops. I speak for all classes of birds. It is true that 

 w^e eat a little fniit and grain, but that is nothing in 

 comparison to the great benefits the farmer receives 

 from us. We have added greatly to the prosperity of 

 the farm, yet our nests are destroyed, our^oung killed, 



