100 TALES OF PINK AND SILK. 



red tongue licked as tenderly as if a breath would bruise it. 

 Scrapper never forgot bow he came into Ethel Lawson's 

 possession. Some three years before, she had been shopping 

 in the village, when an unusual din of juvenile voices pro- 

 claimed that something out of the common was m progress, 

 and round the corner came a wretched, ragged little Airedale 

 puppy, a tin kettle tied to its tail, and half a dozen lurchers 

 and a score of excited urchins in hot pursuit. Into and out 

 of a garden the terrified creature rushed, caught sight of a 

 compassionate little figure in a white dress, and hurried to 

 it for protection, only just in time, for a vicious little terrier 

 seized it just at the moment that it reached the dainty tan 

 shoes. Then did there rain on the back of that unfortunate 

 terrier such a hail of blows from a white silk sunshade, and 

 such kicks did it receive in such rapid succession from those 

 dainty Uttle brown shoes, that it fled precipitately. Up 

 came young Barnard, the rat-catcher's son, in haste to seize 

 his prey, but the little damsel fell on him too, and cuffed 

 him to such an extent that he first gasped in astonishment 

 and then bellowed with pain. Next came a bevy of British 

 matrons on the scene, drawn thither by the noise, more ears 

 were boxed, the meeting dispersed in disorder, and the little 

 white figure was found seated on the ground with the 

 bedraggled puppy in her arms, a flood of tears raining on its 

 upturned, piteous face. 



"Don't cry, Miss Ethel; it's that little limb of mine's 

 doings — I'll skin him when I catches 'im, and that there 

 young Barnard and Scrufile's boy. You give it to young 

 Barnard propper, and Mrs. Scruffle is a-dusting her Bills 

 jacket for him now." 



" Poor little doggie 1 Whose is it, Mrs. Hopkins ? " 

 " Bless yer 'eart, I never set eyes on it afore, Miss Ethel. 

 But it's all along a-letting them children have 'olidays on 

 Saturdays ; they seem brim full o' wickedness them days." 



