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1After a short pause John said slowly, "You must not be too hard upon me, Tom. I know he meant no harm, I never said he
2did; I know he is not a bad boy. But you see, I am sore myself; that horse is the pride of my heart, to say nothing of
3his being such a favorite with the master and mistress; and to think that his life may be flung away in this manner is
4more than I can bear. But if you think I am hard on the boy I will try to give him a good word to-morrow--that is, I
5mean if Beauty is better." "Well, John, thank you. I knew you did not wish to be too hard, and I am glad you see it was
6only ignorance." John's voice almost startled me as he answered: "Only ignorance! only ignorance! how can you talk about
7only ignorance? Don't you know that it is the worst thing in the world, next to wickedness?--and which does the most
8mischief heaven only knows. If people can say, 'Oh! I did not know, I did not mean any harm,' they think it is all
9right. I suppose Martha Mulwash did not mean to kill that baby when she dosed it with Dalby and soothing syrups; but she
10did kill it, and was tried for manslaughter." "And serve her right, too," said Tom. "A woman should not undertake to
11nurse a tender little child without knowing what is good and what is bad for it." "Bill Starkey," continued John, "did
12not mean to frighten his brother into fits when he dressed up like a ghost and ran after him in the moonlight; but he
13did; and that bright, handsome little fellow, that might have been the pride of any mother's heart is just no better
14than an idiot, and never will be, if he lives to be eighty years old. You were a good deal cut up yourself, Tom, two
15weeks ago, when those young ladies left your hothouse door open, with a frosty east wind blowing right in; you said it
16killed a good many of your plants." "A good many!" said Tom; "there was not one of the tender cuttings that was not
17nipped off. I shall have to strike all over again, and the worst of it is that I don't know where to go to get fresh
18ones. I was nearly mad when I came in and saw what was done." "And yet," said John, "I am sure the young ladies did not
19mean it; it was only ignorance." I heard no more of this conversation, for the medicine did well and sent me to sleep,
20and in the morning I felt much better; but I often thought of John's words when I came to know more of the world. 20 Joe
21Green Joe Green went on very well; he learned quickly, and was so attentive and careful that John began to trust him in
22many things; but as I have said, he was small of his age, and it was seldom that he was allowed to exercise either
23Ginger or me; but it so happened one morning that John was out with Justice in the luggage cart, and the master wanted a
24note to be taken immediately to a gentleman's house, about three miles distant, and sent his orders for Joe to saddle me
25and take it, adding the caution that he was to ride steadily. The note was delivered, and we were quietly returning when
26we came to the brick-field. Here we saw a cart heavily laden with bricks; the wheels had stuck fast in the stiff mud of
27some deep ruts, and the carter was shouting and flogging the two horses unmercifully. Joe pulled up. It was a sad sight.
28There were the two horses straining and struggling with all their might to drag the cart out, but they could not move
29it; the sweat streamed from their legs and flanks, their sides heaved, and every muscle was strained, while the man,
30fiercely pulling at the head of the fore horse, swore and lashed most brutally. "Hold hard," said Joe; "don't go on
31flogging the horses like that; the wheels are so stuck that they cannot move the cart." The man took no heed, but went
32on lashing. "Stop! pray stop!" said Joe. "I'll help you to lighten the cart; they can't move it now." "Mind your own
33business, you impudent young rascal, and I'll mind mine!" The man was in a towering passion and the worse for drink, and
34laid on the whip again. Joe turned my head, and the next moment we were going at a round gallop toward the house of the
35master brick-maker. I cannot say if John would have approved of our pace, but Joe and I were both of one mind, and so
36angry that we could not have gone slower. The house stood close by the roadside. Joe knocked at the door, and shouted,
37"Halloo! Is Mr. Clay at home?" The door was opened, and Mr. Clay himself came out. "Halloo, young man! You seem in a
38hurry; any orders from the squire this morning?" "No, Mr. Clay, but there's a fellow in your brick-yard flogging two
39horses to death. I told him to stop, and he wouldn't; I said I'd help him to lighten the cart, and he wouldn't; so I
40have come to tell you. Pray, sir, go." Joe's voice shook with excitement. "Thank ye, my lad," said the man, running in
41for his hat; then pausing for a moment, "Will you give evidence of what you saw if I should bring the fellow up before a
42magistrate?" "That I will," said Joe, "and glad too." The man was gone, and we were on our way home at a smart trot.
43"Why, what's the matter with you, Joe? You look angry all over," said John, as the boy flung himself from the saddle. "I
44am angry all over, I can tell you," said the boy, and then in hurried, excited words he told all that had happened. Joe
45was usually such a quiet, gentle little fellow that it was wonderful to see him so roused. "Right, Joe! you did right,
46my boy, whether the fellow gets a summons or not. Many folks would have ridden by and said it was not their business to
47interfere. Now I say that with cruelty and oppression it is everybody's business to interfere when they see it; you did
48right, my boy." Joe was quite calm by this time, and proud that John approved of him, and cleaned out my feet and rubbed
49me down with a firmer hand than usual. They were just going home to dinner when the footman came down to the stable to
50say that Joe was wanted directly in master's private room; there was a man brought up for ill-using horses, and Joe's
51evidence was wanted. The boy flushed up to his forehead, and his eyes sparkled. "They shall have it," said he. "Put
52yourself a bit straight," said John. Joe gave a pull at his necktie and a twitch at his jacket, and was off in a moment.
53Our master being one of the county magistrates, cases were often brought to him to settle, or say what should be done.
54In the stable we heard no more for some time, as it was the men's dinner hour, but when Joe came next into the stable I
55saw he was in high spirits; he gave me a good-natured slap, and said, "We won't see such things done, will we, old
56fellow?" We heard afterward that he had given his evidence so clearly, and the horses were in such an exhausted state,
57bearing marks of such brutal usage, that the carter was committed to take his trial, and might possibly be sentenced to
58two or three months in prison. It was wonderful what a change had come over Joe. John laughed, and said he had grown an
59inch taller in that week, and I believe he had. He was just as kind and gentle as before, but there was more purpose and
60determination in all that he did--as if he had jumped at once from a boy into a man. 21 The Parting
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