Page:Newspaper writing and editing.djvu/267

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Toward the Hunter home ran the hunted and hunters, and it looked as if Schmidt would have a rabbit stew for supper. But the hunters had not calculated on a drain pipe which stuck out of the ground about 150 yards from the house, and great was their chagrin when cunning Br'er Rabbit whisked into it and disappeared.

Now that pipe leads right into the Hunter house, and pretty soon the hunters saw bunny at one of the windows. When they approached he retreated to the piano and kept running back and forth over the keys, making soft music.

There is no caretaker in the house, and the possibility of the damage that the rabbit will do, for which the hunters may have to pay, is appalling.

On the other hand, the rabbit may have to come out of the house to get something to eat. If he does he will get a warm reception at the end of the drain pipe. A couple of dogs are lurking about there. They tried hard to get into the pipe but they were too wide.



4. Write a pathetic story, using the particulars given in the following narrative:


Dog Catcher Larson visited the Home for the Friendless with his little blue wagon Thursday afternoon, and he left behind him one hundred little tots with saddened hearts and cheeks that burned with scalding tears.

The bewhiskered dog catcher is no respecter of persons or of dogs. The high and low are the same to him, and he recognizes no distinction between the poodle and the fice. And so Thursday afternoon he gathered in the little pet of the children of the Home of the Friendless.

True, it was the pet of these little unfortunates. True, that they had raised this little dog, and that now it was only seven months old—not old enough to know about Atlanta's dog law. Still, Jerry had no tag, and tagless Jerry therefore must take his place in the blue wagon and must await his turn to be ducked to death.

The children had no money and so could not pay the dollar for the tag. Now that the dog was arrested, still less did they have the $2.25 necessary to save him from a watery grave.

One and all they went to bed with heavy hearts, and as they knelt down beside their beds they did not forget to put in a word for "Poor Jerry!"

Friday morning the pangs of sorrow were too great, and their grief burst forth in wails. Jerry had been a companion to them, a faithful friend and a source of solace and comfort. He had never deserted them—and then Jerry was theirs, had been fed by them, raised by them, taught by them.