He was entering the town by the least inviting road. On one side were
rows of miserable houses with broken windows and grimy walls and doors,
that looked as if all their brightness had gone into the smart
public-houses on each corner.
On the other side stretched a piece of waste land, where iron clinkers
and slag lay in great heaps, and rubbish of all kinds was deposited.
Not a blade of grass or tree could be seen, and the children playing
and quarrelling together were as dingy as the dirt they played with.
Two big lads were standing by the edge of a dark pool, not far from the
roadside, laughing at something that wriggled in their hands.
Suddenly a little girl darted across and snatched at this, crying,
"It's my kitty! It's mine, I tell you. Give her to me, she's mine!"
But the cruel tormenter only held the kitten higher, and showed the
string and the stone his companion was tying to her neck.
The little girl screamed aloud, and flung herself upon him in a vain
attempt to reach the kitten, which was mewing pitifully. In her
excitement she was in great danger of falling into the black water.
"Now then, one, two, three, and----" Before he could finish and throw
the captive in, Dick had sprung to the rescue.
"For shame! How can you be such a coward?" he cried, seizing the
outstretched arm of the bully so fiercely that he released his hold.
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