I am going to buy a dog as soon as I can
find a good one."
Billy swept toward her with a whoop.
"Do you want a boy?" he shouted.
Katharine Comstock stretched out her arms, and gathered him in.
"Of course, I want a boy!" she rejoiced.
"Maybe you'd like to have me?" offered Billy.
"Sure I would," triumphed Mrs. Comstock. "Any one would like to have
you. You are just a real boy, Billy."
"Will you take Snap?"
"I'd like to have Snap almost as well as you."
"Mother!" breathed Elnora imploringly. "Don't! Oh, don't! He thinks you
mean it!"
"And so I do mean it," said Mrs. Comstock. "I'll take him in a jiffy. I
throw away enough to feed a little tyke like him every day. His chatter
would be great company while you are gone. Blood soon can be purified
with right food and baths, and as for Snap, I meant to buy a bulldog,
but possibly Snap will serve just as well. All I ask of a dog is to bark
at the right time. I'll do the rest. Would you like to come and be my
boy, Billy?"
Billy leaned against Mrs. Comstock, reached his arms around her neck and
gripped her with all his puny might. "You can whip me all you want to,"
he said. "I won't make a sound."
Mrs. Comstock held him closely and her hard face was softening; of that
there could be no doubt.
"Now, why would any one whip a nice little boy like you?" she asked
wonderingly.
"She"--Billy from his refuge waved toward Margaret--"she was going to
whip me 'cause her cats fought, when I tied their tails together and
hung them over the line to dry.
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