Chimneycorner stories Author:William Martin Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: at the same time scampered away in an opposite direction. The light from the burning spot, and the cries of the feathered creation, soon brought some persons ... more »to the place. The lantern was found, and a search commenced after the incendiary in all directions. Giles was soon taken and brought before the magistrates, and denied all knowledge of the transaction. Neddy was also taken, and brought up as a witness against his master. The result was, that the dark lantern, Neddy, and the gipsey, were proved to be old acquaintances, and alike adjudged to be guilty of arson. The dark lantern was given to the constable, Giles was taken to the tread-mill, and Neddy was put in the pound, as the best place, " under all the circumstances of the case," as the judge said. It is a very hard thing for a poor donkey to be in a pound. Neddy did not relish it, I can assure you. When he got in, he in vain looked for a blade of grass or a wisp of hay, and long before night began to feel so hungry that he could have eaten his own head off, if he could have got conveniently at it. He paced round and round the pound, poked his head through the high rails and the low rails, rubbed the great padlock with his nose, and took a taste of the oak post, but found that to be very indigestible. " Well," thought Neddy,." it is a very easy thingto get into a pound, but a plaguy difficult one to get out. What shall I do ?" and so he placed his two fore-feet on the middle rail, and put his nose over the top, and looked wistfully towards the village green. It was now about ten o'clock at night, and a beautiful moonlight night it was. Neddy kept his attitude for some minutes, but most of the villagers were a-bed. He began to despair of supper, and would have given his tail for a thistle. Poor Neddy !...« less