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Ewing, Juliana Horatia Gatty, 1841-1885

"Brothers of Pity and Other Tales of Beasts and Men"


And only Mark, as they all crowded into their new home, turned his head
round over his back to say: "And you, Flaps; what shall you do?"
"Oh, I shall be all right," said Flaps. "Good-bye and good luck to you."
It cannot be said that Flaps was positively in high spirits when he had
settled his proteges in their new home in the farmyard, and was left
alone; but there are some good folk who contrive to make duty do the
work of pleasure in this life, and then a piece of business fairly
finished is as good as a treat.
It is not bread and bones, however, and Flaps was very hungry--so hungry
that he could not resist the temptation to make his way towards the
farmhouse, on the chance of picking up some scraps outside. And that was
how it came about, that when the farmer's little daughter Daisy, with a
face like the rosy side of a white-heart cherry set deep in a lilac
print hood, came back from going with the dairy lass to fetch up the
cows, she found Flaps snuffing at the back door, and she put her arms
round his neck (they reached right round with a little squeezing) and
said:
"Oh, I never knew you'd be here so early! You nice thing!"
And Flaps' nose went right into the print hood, and he put out his
tongue and licked Daisy's face from the point of her chin up her right
cheek to her forehead, and then from her forehead down her left cheek
back to her chin, and he found that she was a very nice thing too.


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