Mother had a letter to-day , and it said he was out of danger . '' `` Oh , thank God , '' murmured Mrs. Blythe , in a half-whisper . Bruce looked at her curiously . `` That is what father said when mother told him . But when l said it the other day when I found out Mr. Mead 's dog had n't hurt my kitten -- I thought he had shooken it to death , you know -- father looked awful solemn and said I must never say that again about a kitten . But I could n't understand why , Mrs. Blythe . I felt awful thankful , and it must have been God that saved Stripey , because that Mead dog had ` normous jaws , and oh , how it shook poor Stripey . And so why could n't I thank Him ? ` Course , '' added Bruce reminiscently , `` maybe I said it too loud -- 'cause I was awful glad and excited when I found Stripey was all right . I ` most shouted it , Mrs. Blythe . Maybe if I 'd said it sort of whispery like you and father it would have been all right . Do you know , Mrs. Blythe '' -- Bruce dropped to a `` whispery '' tone , edging a little nearer to Anne -- `` what I would like to do to the Kaiser if I could ? '' `` What would you like to do , laddie ? '' `` Norman Reese said in school to-day that he would like to tie the Kaiser to a tree and set cross dogs to worrying him , '' said Bruce gravely . `` And Emily Flagg said she would like to put him in a cage and poke sharp things into him . And they all said things like that . But Mrs. Blythe '' -- Bruce took a little square paw out of his pocket and put it earnestly on Anne 's knee -- `` I would like to turn the Kaiser into a good man -- a very good man -- all at once if I could . That is what I would do . Do n't you think , Mrs. Blythe , that would be the very worstest punishment of all ? '' `` Bless the child , '' said Susan , `` how do you make out that would be any kind of a punishment for that wicked fiend ? ''
`` Do n't you see , '' said XXXXX , looking levelly at Susan , out of his blackly blue eyes , `` if he was turned into a good man he would understand how dreadful the things he has done are , and he would feel so terrible about it that he would be more unhappy and miserable than he could ever be in any other way .
Anne Blythe Bruce Kaiser Mead Mother Reese Stripey half-whisper right