"
"I don't see why they need to be killed at all," said Mrs. Wood. "If I
knew that forest back of the mountains was full of wild creatures, I
think I'd be glad of it, and not want to hunt them, that is, if they
were harmless and beautiful creatures like the deer."
"You're a woman," said Mr. Wood, "and women are more merciful than men.
Men want to kill and slay. They're like the Englishman, who said: 'What
a fine day it is; let's go out and kill something.'"
"Please tell us some more about the dogs that helped you catch the
moose, uncle," said Miss Laura, I was sitting up very straight beside
her, listening to every word Mr. Wood said, and she was fondling my
head.
"Well, Laura, when we camped out on the snow and slept on spruce boughs
while we were after the moose, the dogs used to be a great comfort to
us. They slept at our feet and kept us warm. Poor brutes, they mostly
had a rough time of it. They enjoyed the running and chasing as much as
we did, but when it came to broken ribs and sore heads, it was another
matter, Then the porcupines bothered them. Our dogs would never learn to
let them alone. If they were going through the woods where there were no
signs of moose and found a porcupine, they'd kill it.
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