ER XVIII

MRS. WOOD'S POULTRY

After breakfast, Mrs. Wood put on a large apron, and going into the
kitchen, said: "Have you any scraps for the hens, Adele? Be sure and not
give me anything salty."

The French girl gave her a dish of food, then Mrs. Wood asked Miss Laura
to go and see her chickens, and away we went to the poultry house.

On the way we saw Mr. Wood. He was sitting on the step of the tool shed
cleaning his gun. "Is the dog dead?" asked Miss Laura.

"Yes," he said.

She sighed and said: "Poor creature, I am sorry he had to be killed.
Uncle, what is the most merciful way to kill a dog? Sometimes, when they
get old, they should be put out of the way."

"You can shoot them," he said, "or you can poison them. I shot Bruno
through his head into his neck. There's a right place to aim at. It's a
little one side of the top of the skull. If you'll remind me I'll show
you a circular I have in the house. It tells the proper way to kill
animals: The American Humane Education Society in Boston puts it out,
and it's a merciful thing.

"You don't know anything about the slaughtering of animals, Laura, and
it's well you don't. There's an awful amount of cruelty practised, and
practised by some people that think themselves pretty good. I wouldn't
have my lambs killed the way my father had his for a kingdom. I'll never
forget the first one I saw butchered. I wouldn't feel worse at a hanging
now. And that white ox, Hattie--you remember my telling you about him.
He had to be killed, and father sent for the butcher, I was only a lad,
and I was all of a shudder to have the life of the creature I had known
taken from him. The butcher, stupid clown, gave him eight blows before
he struck the right place. The ox bellowed, and turned his great black
eyes on my father, and I fell in a faint."

Miss Laura turned away, and Mrs. Wood followed her, saying: "If ever you
want to kill a cat, Laura, give it cyanide of potassium. I killed a poor
old sick cat for Mrs. Windham the other day. We put half a teaspoonful
of pure cyanide of potassium in a long-handled wooden spoon, and dropped
it on the cat's tongue, as near the throat as we could. Poor pussy--she
died in a few seconds. Do you know, I was reading such a funny thing the
other day about giving cats medicine. They hate it, and one can scarcely
force it into their mouths on account of their sharp teeth. The way is,
to smear it on their sides, and they lick it off. A good idea