Hal trembled from head to foot when he heard what Dolly Varden said, for he knew it all was true, and he was much afraid that a very hard punishment would be given to him. Then the old black cat, on whom Hal had thrown a dipper of hot water, was called to the witness stand. Poor old thing! the hot water had taken the fur off his back. Then came another cat, limping up to the witness stand, whose leg had been broken by a stone which Hal had thrown. There were so many witnesses that it would make my story too long to tell about them all. All that Christopher Gray could say in Hal’s favor was: “He has a good mother.”
“The more shame for him,” said one of the lawyers.
When the jury had heard all that was to be said, they went out of the room together; in five minutes they came back; all agreed that Hal should be punished. Then Judge Thomas White, in his most solemn tone, said: “Albert Keys, you are found guilty of great cruelty to good cats everywhere. I must, therefore, pronounce sentence upon you. You must go with us to Cat town for two days and one night.”
There were tears in Hal’s eyes, but the Judge had no pity on him, and he called in some of the strongest cats to take him. Oh! what a long, hard way it was; over fences, under houses, and through the barns. It was hard work for Hal to keep up with them, but they made him. What a time he had after he got to Cat town. All of the cats gathered around him, and howled at him, and scratched his face and hands, and made him wish he was any place but there. At last when he was set free, he never could have found his way home, if pretty little Dolly Varden had not forgiven him, and shown him the way back.
Hal was never known after that to throw a stone at a cat, or to treat one badly in any way.
TWO LITTLE GIRLS.
They don’t know much, these little girls,
I’ll tell you why ’tis so,
They played away their time at school,
And let their lessons go.
One took a slate to cipher,
And all went very well,
Until she came to four times eight,
And that she could not tell.
The other would make pictures
In her copy book at school,
Of boys and girls and donkeys
Which was against the rule.