J CHILDREN'S BOOK ? 
 
 COLLECTION 
 
 ~ LIBRARY OF THE ^ 
 
 9 UNivEHsrrv OF CALIFORNIA J 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 
 >ESS EEWARDED. 
 
 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 
 
Carlo, or Kindness Rewarded. 3 
 
 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, 7 ' 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 
 
Ida Saving Carlo. 
 
 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 
 
Eugene and Ida. 
 
 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? 
 
6 Carlo, or Kindness Rewarded. 
 
 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 ? 7 ' 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?" 
 
Carlo, or Kindness Rewarded. T 
 
 As she was still weak, from the shock of the fall and 
 the fright, Eugene went home with her, and explained 
 the thing to the alarmed Mrs. Mason, after which he 
 took his leave, promising to come and see her the next 
 day. Eugene was as good as his word; and early the 
 next morning came down to the widow's cottage, accom- 
 panied by a gentleman and a little girl about four years 
 old, whom Ida had never seen before. Carlo, of course, 
 was in the party, and was made much of by everybody, 
 receiving a great deal of attention, which he accepted 
 with much dignity ; sitting up on his hind legs, -wagging 
 his tail, and giving vent, now and then, to a short, 
 amiable bark of thanks to his kind friends. 
 
 The gentleman, who was Eugene's father, Mr. Morris, 
 after kissing little Ida, said, " this little girl whom I 
 have brought to see you, is my only daughter Lottie ; 
 and you were the means of her having been saved from 
 drowning." Ida's look of surprise at this, was comical 
 to see. "Not long since," went on Mr. Morris, "our 
 good Carlo saved her life, just as he did yours, yester- 
 day. Eugene tells me, that, but for your goodness of 
 heart, Carlo would have been killed when he was a 
 puppy ; and in that case I should have had no little Lottie 
 to-day ; for there was no one near at the time but the 
 nurse, who was too much frightened to be of any use. 
 I desire then, Mrs. Mason, with your permission, to 
 make Ida a " little present." So saying, he kissed Ida 
 again -put a small package into her hand, and bowing 
 politely, to the surprised Mrs. Mason ; left the cottage 
 with his party, before she could find words to thank 
 him. The package proved to be a bank-book in which 
 Ida was credited with five thousand dollars in her own 
 name! This was Mr. Morris's "little present." Mrs. 
 Mason owned the cottage in which she lived, but 
 nothing more ; and was obliged to sew, early and late, to 
 gain a scanty support for Ida and herself. This money 
 was, therefore, great wealth to them, and would enable 
 
Carlo Saving Ida. 
 
 Mrs. Mason to fulfil the dearest wish of her heart, 
 which was to give a good education to her beloved Ida. 
 Every kind action is, I think, rewarded, either here or 
 hereafter ; yet we should try to do good for its own 
 sake, and leave the result to the great Father of us all !