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Poor Dick had now no one to love him but a cat. One day, when he was
out at play, he saw some boys pelt a cat to kill her. He did not like
to have them kill the cat, so he ran to her, took her up in his arms,
and took her home. The girl let him keep the cat, for she kept off all
the rats and mice. She was a gray cat. She had fine soft fur, and a
long tail. When Dick had done his tea, he took puss on his knee to pat
her on the head, and talk to her, as if she knew all that he said to
her.
She then did rub her head on his arm, and purr, and lie down on his
knee and take a nap. She had her bed on his heap of rags.
Once when Dick had felt bad all day, he lay down on his bed. He said
to puss, "No one is kind to me but you, puss; no one has love for me.
I will run off. I will not stay."
Dick did not shut his eyes, but when it was yet dark, he got up, and
went out of his room, down to the door. He put his hand on the key and
gave it a turn. He felt the cold air on his face when he went out.
But he ran on fast, till he was so weak, he had to stop.
Just then a big bell near him rang out loud on the air to say that
day had come once more. It made Dick turn his eyes to see this bell,
and as it rang, he felt it say to him,
"Turn back, Dick!--Turn back, Dick!--Turn back, Dick!"
Dick did not move. He did not know what to do. His eyes were on the
bell as it rung out,
"Turn back, Dick!--Turn back, Dick! Turn back, Dick!"
It put him in mind of the time when his ma had laid her hand on his
head ere she went to God, and said, "O God, take care of my poor boy!"
It put him in mind what a bad boy he had been, and how he had made
his life a hard one by his ill ways. He made up his mind to go back.
But then he said, "If they find out I have run off, they will beat
me." This fear made him run so fast, that he got home and back to his
heap of rags ere the man and the girl were up.
As Dick lay on his bed, he made up his mind to be a good boy. He knew
his ma used to pray to God to make him good, so he bent his own knee
to pray, and said, "O God, make Dick a good boy."
Just then the girl came to the door, and said, "Dick! Dick! get up! It
is day!" So Dick soon went down and was so kind and good, they did
not know what to make of it. But Dick went on day by day, and soon he
saw that when he was kind and good, they were kind and true to him.
It was hard work for Dick to give up all his bad ways. But each morn
and eve he went to God, to ask Him for help, and he did not ask in
vain. By-and-by the girl let him sit with her. She made him a good
bed. Miss Puss yet kept her seat on his knee, when he sat down to
rest, and all was love and joy.
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