Malta, the cat, is still living, and is with Mrs. Morris.  Davy, the rat, is gone, so is poor old Jim.  He went away one day last summer, and no one ever knew what became of him.  The Morrises searched everywhere for him, and offered a large reward to any one who would find him, but he never turned up again.  I think that he felt he was going to die, and went into some out-of-the-way place.  He remembered how badly Miss Laura felt when Dandy died, and he wanted to spare her the greater sorrow of his death.  He was always such a thoughtful dog, and so anxious not to give trouble.  I am more selfish.  I could not go away from Miss Laura even to die.  When my last hour comes, I want to see her gentle face bending over me, and then I shall not mind how much I suffer.

She is just as tender-hearted as ever, but she tries not to feel too badly about the sorrow and suffering in the world, because she says that would weaken her, and she wants all her strength to try to put a stop to some of it.  She does a great deal of good in Riverdale, and I do not think that there is any one in all the country around who is as much beloved as she is.

She has never forgotten the resolve that she made some years ago, that she would do all that she could to protect dumb creatures.  Mr. Harry and Mr. Maxwell have helped her nobly.  Mr. Maxwell’s work is largely done in Boston, and Miss Laura and Mr. Harry have to do the most of theirs by writing, for Riverdale has got to be a model village in respect of the treatment of all kinds of animals.  It is a model village not only in that respect, but in others.  It has seemed as if all other improvements went hand in hand with the humane treatment of animals.  Thoughtfulness toward lower creatures has made the people more and more thoughtful toward themselves, and this little town is getting to have quite a name through the State for its good schools, good society, and good business and religious standing.  Many people are moving into it, to educate their children.  The Riverdale people are very particular about what sort of strangers come to live among them.

A man, who came here two years ago and opened a shop, was seen kicking a small kitten out of his house.  The next day a committee of Riverdale citizens waited on him, and said they had had a great deal of trouble to root out cruelty from their village, and they didn’t want any one to come there and introduce it again, and they thought he had better move on to some other place.

The man was utterly astonished, and said he’d never heard of such particular people.  He had had no thought of being cruel.  He didn’t think that the kitten cared; but now when he turned the thing over in his mind, he didn’t suppose cats liked being kicked about any more than he would like it himself, and he would promise to be kind to them in future.  He said, too, that if they had no objection, he would just stay on, for if the people there treated dumb animals with such consideration, they would certainly treat human beings better, and he thought it would be a good place to bring up his children in.  Of course they let him stay, and he is now a man who is celebrated for his kindness to every living thing; and he never refuses to help Miss Laura when she goes to him for money to carry out any of her humane schemes.