Let me take this child, and if its
parents cannot be found, I will be a mother to it."
Mr. Trent smiled pleasantly, nodded his head and said: "Well, well, take
it. Let us not be less sympathetic than these three men, and that
pitying dog."
By this time the poor dog had reached the shore, and stood shaking the
water from his coat; so that the bystanders had to rush aside to escape
a good wetting. Then he began to bark with joy and wag his tail,
springing first at this one, then at that one, as if to express his
thanks for the baby's rescue.
Mr. Trent noticed this, and said: "See how thankful this dog is, and
human beings should never be less thankful." He took some gold coins out
of his pocket, and handed two to each of the three fishermen. They
hesitated, not wishing to take the money. "What we have done was purely
out of love for humanity and without any thought of reward," said they.
Mr. Trent was pleased with them, and said: "Yes, I understand and
realize how very noble it is of you to refuse a reward for your
self-sacrificing services, but I must insist that you take it."
"Well, then," said the younger fisherman, "we will accept the money and
help our poor brothers in the neighboring villages who have suffered so
many losses during this flood."
The dog had now passed through the crowd. His loud barks of joy had
awakened the babe, and it started to cry. Mrs. Trent raised the child in
her arms and kissed it. It looked about as if it were seeking something.
Pages:
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77