PrimeVintage: January 2011

Taken from " Carlo - or Kindness Rewarded" published by McLoughlin Bros.

IDA was a kind-hearted girl, and one day when cross-
ing a bridge near her home, she saw two boys on the
banks of the stream, trying to drown a little dog.

Ida, like all good girls, could not bear to see anything
suffer, and was brave enough to try and prevent it. So,
she ran to the shore, wringing her hands, and crying
loudly, " Oh ! you bad, wicked boys ! how can you be so
cruel to that poor little dog?

The boys looked at her in wonder, for they were more
thoughtless than cruel ; and one of them said, " Father
sold the rest of the pups, but could not sell this one,
and so he told us to drown it." " Then he should have
done it himself," replied Ida, her pretty face flushing
with anger as she spoke, " and not have trusted it to
boys, who would cause it needless pain."

The dog had, by this time, reached the bank, and
after politely shaking off the water, crept timidly toward
Ida, as if he knew her for a friend. " Poor little fellow,"
she said, patting his head tenderly, "how pitiful he
looks ! will you give him to me ?" " Yes/' said the
boys, looking very foolish, " we did not mean to be cruel.
You may have him and welcome."

Ida thanked the boys very sweetly, and ran home.

"Oh! Mamma," she cried, "look at this dear little
dog ; two boys were trying to drown him in the creek,
and I asked them to give him to me. May I keep him,
dear Mamma ?" " My dear child," said Mrs. Mason,
(which was the name of Ida's mother,) " I am very glad
to hear that you saved the little creature from pain.
We cannot very well keep him here, but perhaps, in a
few days, we can find some one who will be kind to
him."

Ida was a little disappointed, for we always love
anything we have saved from death, but she said noth-
ing, and you will see in the end how her goodness was
rewarded. The next morning, Ida sat at the door of
the cottage, studying her lesson, while her new pet, lit-
tle Carlo (as she had named the dog) played at her
feet.. A pleasant looking young lad, who was walking
slowly down the road, switching the tall grass as he
came, stopped to look at the pretty picture. His name
was Eugene Morris, and he was the son of a rich gen-
tleman, who lived near by. " Good morning, Ida," he
said, with a bow and a smile, " is that pretty little dog
yours?" "Yes, sir. " said Ida, blushing a little; "but
Mamma says I must give him away, because we cannot
afford to keep him." Ida then told the story of the
dog, and how she had saved him from the hands of the
thoughtless boys ; and finished by saying that she was
only keeping him, until she could find some kind person
who would take good care of him." Eugene looked
much pleased at her artless story, and after a short
pause, said, " Well, pretty Ida, I do not ask you to give
him to me, but if you will sell him, I will take him with
pleasure. Here are five dollars ; will that pay for
Carlo ?" " We do not want any pay for good Carlo,"
said Ida, patting the little creature tenderly, " except a
promise of kind treatment, and that I am sure he will get
from you.*' Eugene looked pleased at this, and, with a
good-bye, then, till to-morrow,' ; went slowly down the
road, and was soon out of sight. The next morning,
Eugene came, and took Carlo away, leaving five dollars
with Mrs. Mason, which he compelled her to take, for
he knew she was poor, and a widow. Ida cried a little
when Carlo whined for her, but she knew that he would
be in good hands and soon dried her tears.

One morning, about two years after Carlo had gone
with his new master, Ida was standing upon the same
bridge, looking at some fish which darted about in the
water as if at play. At last they went further under the
bridge ; and Ida, leaning over, a little too far, in her
eagerness to see them, lost her balance, and fell over
the low rail into the creek, which, at that point, was
deep enough to drown her ! She had but just time to
give one loud cry of fright, as she sunk beneath the cruel
water. In a moment, she rose to the top, but only to
sink again. Poor Ida! is there no one to help her?

Yes, the good God who watches over the smallest of
his creatures has not forgotten little Ida. A large dog,
who lay lazily winking in the sunshine a little way off,
has heard her cry. He pricks up his ears, and comes
swiftly toward her, with great leaps barking loudly as
he jumps in a moment he plunges into the creek, and
catches Ida by her dress just as she is about to sink for
the last time ! Ida is heavy, and cannot help herself,
but the dog is strong and brave, and, swimming and
tugging with all his might, he soon brings her in safety
to the shore. Then pulling her head out of the water,
so that it rested on the soft grass, he raised his head in
the air, opened his great mouth, and barked long and
loudly for help. And help was near. The master of
the dog, a tall, handsome boy, caine running up, " Why,
Carlo boy, what's the matter ?" he said cheerily. But
in a moment he saw Ida still partly in the water, with
her eyes closed, as if dead ! He at once drew her up on
the bank, when she soon opened her eyes, and looked
around as if she did not know where she was. But
Eugene Morris, for it was he, said, " What ! little Ida,
nearly drowned. Why, how in the world did you get in
the water ?" Ida was now well enough to tell her story ;
and after she had finished, Eugene called her attention
to the dog, at the same time wrapping Ida in his over-
coat, and leading her toward her home. "Don't you
know him ? " he said, " it is your old friend Carlo : you
saved his life, and now he has saved yours in return."

How strange are the ways of God ! The very dog
which Ida saved from death, two years before, had now
been able to pay his debt to the tender-hearted little
girl, on the same spot ! This surely is not chance, but
seems to show that good deeds are rewarded even in
this world. Carlo, who was a well-bred dog, had shaken
himself dry by this time, and was rubbing his nose
against Ida's dress, as if to say, " Don't you know your
old friend?"