I hope to make a little store against winter, when father is often
unemployed, and earning nothing. I went out at daybreak this morning,
and had more than half filled my bag, when I had the misfortune to
enter the squire's large corn-field. The corn was all reaped and bound
up into sheaves. As there were no other gleaners there, I found a good
store of ears on the ground, and should soon have filled my bag, if the
squire's son, who was in the field, had not seen me.

"He came close up to me with a stick in his hand, and called me a dirty
beggar-boy. But I went on with my gleaning as if I did not hear him,
which vexed him so that he set the dog on me. I was very much
frightened, and in fear and self-defence took up a handful of earth to
throw at him, which so incensed its master, that he came up to me,
pulled my bag violently from my neck, emptied all that I had gathered
upon the ground, threw the bag in my face, and gave me several hard
kicks and blows, and ended it all by setting the great dog upon me
again, whose bites you see upon my feet."

"What a bad boy!" cried Willy, "and did you treat him as he deserved?"

"No, indeed; I only begged that he would let me pick up my ears of corn;
but he would not consent, and drove me out of the field, bidding me
never enter there again, under pain of a sound drubbing from the
workmen, who would be ready enough, for they laughed when they saw the
squire's son ill-treating me." Then the poor sorrowful child began to
weep afresh.

"Do your feet hurt you much, poor boy?" asked Willy, in a very
sympathizing tone.