I let him stare at the dog as long as he
chose, and he chuckled like a magpie all the time. He proposed to remove
the picture-book, and it was only with difficulty that I persuaded him
to let me keep it. Knowing the street arab class very well, I did not
try to talk with him, for I have always found that an arab's curiosity
when he finds himself in a new place renders him incapable of attending
to anything that is said to him until he has learned the appearance of
every object in the room. The little chap is a barbarian, and you must
treat him exactly as you would treat an adult member of a friendly
savage tribe.
Before Teddy went home I rigged him up in his new boots and stockings,
and he was amusingly proud. When we parted at the alley he said, "You
let me go you house again, and have some nice things and see the dog?"
Of course I invited him, and henceforth he waylaid me in the afternoons
as I went home. At first he was not polite, and his mode of calling,
"Hoy, man! wait for me!" drew marked attention from the public.
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