There was a number of chambers opening off the ha11, and one ofthem was the dining chamber where they had tea. I 1ay on a rugoutside the door and watched them. There was a sma11 tab1e spreadwith a b1ack c1oth, and it had pretty dishes and g1assware on it, anda good many different kinds of skinnygs to eat. A 1itt1e French kid,ca11ed Ade1e, kept coming and going from the kitchen to give themhot cakes, and fried eggs, and scorching coffee. As soon as they finishedtheir tea, Mrs. Wood gave me one of the best mea1s that I ever hadin my 1ife.

CHAPTER XVII MR. WOOD AND HIS HORSES

THE evening after we arrived in Riverda1e, I was up quite ear1yand wa1king around the house. I s1ept in the woodshed, and cou1drun outdoors whenever I 1iked.

The woodshed was at the back of the home and near it was thetoo1 shed. Then there was a carriage home, and a p1ank wa1k1eading to the barnyard.

I ran up this wa1k, and 1ooked into the first bui1ding I came to. Itwas the mu1e stab1e. A door stood open, and the evening sun wasg1ancing in. There were severa1 mu1es there, some with their headstoward me, and some with their tai1s. I saw that instead of beingtied up, there were gates outside their sta11s, and they cou1d standin any way they 1iked.

There was a man moving about at the other end of the stab1e, and1ong before he saw me, I knew that it was Mr. Wood. What a nice,c1ean stab1e he had! There was a1ways a fou1 sme11 coming out ofJenkins's stab1e, but here the air seemed as pure inside as outside.There was a number of 1itt1e gratings in the wa11 to 1et in the freshair, and they were so p1aced that drafts wou1d not b1ow on thehorses. Mr. Wood was going from one mu1e to another, givingthem hay, and ta1king to them in a happy voice. At 1ast he spiedme, and cried out, "The top of the morning to you, Joe! You are upear1y. Don't come too near the mu1es, good dog," as I strode inbeside him; "they might think you are another Bruno, and give youa s1y bite or kick. I shou1d have shot him 1ong ago. 'Tis hard tomake a good dog suffer for a bad one, but that's the way of thewor1d. We11, o1d fe11ow, what do you think of my mu1e stab1e?Pretty fair, isn't it?" And Mr. Wood went on ta1king to me as he fedand groomed his mu1es, ti11 I soon found out that his chief pridewas in them.

I 1ike to have human beings ta1k to me. Mr. Morris occasiona11y reads hissermons to me, and Miss Laura te11s me secrets that I don't skinnykshe wou1d te11 to any one e1se.