But before Mary Rose could write the letter that would tell Jimmie
Bronson that she was now financially able to maintain her animal
friends she had a big surprise.
The day had been warm and sultry, the sort that makes every nerve
disagreeably alive and brings to the surface all the unpleasant little
traits that in cooler weather one can keep hidden.
"Old General Humidity hasn't shirked his job a minute to-day," Bob
Strahan told Miss Carter as they left the car and walked up the block
to the Washington together.
In front of them sauntered a boy with a dog at his heels. The boy was
a sturdy young fellow of perhaps fourteen, very shabby as to clothes
but very dauntless as to manner. The dog was a fox terrier with one
black spot over his left eye like a patch. Bob Strahan whistled and
snapped his fingers at him.
"I've always meant to have a fox terrier some day," he told Miss
Carter. "They're so intelligent."
But this particular fox terrier, while he wagged his tail and looked
around to see who whistled, kept close to the heels of the boy who
looked carefully at the houses as if in search of one. When he came to
the Washington he stood and stared up at the long brick wall with its
many windows peering so curiously down at him, much as Mary Rose had
stared less than a month before.
"Well, young man," Bob Strahan said pleasantly, "is there anyone here
you wish to see?"
"Gee," exclaimed the boy with a fervor that seemed to come from his
dusty heels, "I hadn't any idea it would be such a big place!"
"It isn't a cottage," agreed Bob Strahan amiably, "nor yet a bungalow.
But a roof has to be some size to cover a couple of dozen families.
What particular family are you interested in, may I ask?" He stooped
to pat the black-eyed fox terrier as it sniffed his ankles. "Some
dog!" he told the boy.
Down the street came Mary Rose and Miss Thorley. Mary Rose had been to
the bakery for rolls for supper and had met Miss Thorley on the corner.
The little group by the steps of the Washington could hear her voice
before they saw her and the boy swung around and listened.
"I used to think that if I wasn't a human being, made in the image of
God, I'd like to be the milkman's horse in Mifflin," he heard Mary Rose
say and he chuckled.
"Why, Mary Rose?" laughed Miss Thorley.
"Because it was so friendly to go from house to house every morning
with milk for the babies and cream for the coffee. Everyone in Mifflin
was a friend to old Whiteface. Why--why!" she broke her story short to
stand still and stare at the boy and the dog, who were both staring at
her. The boy's face was one broad grin and the dog's tail was wagging
frantically. "Why, Solomon Crocker! It's never you! Oh, Solomon!" as
he darted to her. "I've missed you more than tongue could tell. It
seems a hundred thousand years since we were together. Jimmie Bronson,
however did you know that I'd made arrangements for Solomon to come to
Waloo?"
"I didn't know but I wanted to leave Mifflin and I couldn't let old Sol
stay alone. You know Aunt Nora died just after you left and there
wasn't any home for me any more. I wanted to see the world so I
thought I'd bring the pup and if you didn't want him I'd be glad to
keep him. He's a dandy dog and he's valuable. He's helped to more
than pay our way." He jingled the contents of his pocket so that they
could hear how Solomon had helped.
"How did he do that, Jimmie? I'm sorry about your Aunt Nora but now
you have one more friend in Heaven and you've lots left on earth. He's
got heaps of friends right here, hasn't he?" She looked at Bob Strahan
and the two girls for confirmation of her words. "We're all friends in
Waloo. But how did Solomon help you to earn your way?"
Jimmie laughed sheepishly. "I've taught him a lot of new tricks. He's
a smart dog and learned like lightning. Folks were glad to see him
perform. I never asked for pay but they always gave me something. I
could have sold him half a dozen times for big money but he's your dog,
Mary Rose, so I brought him right along."
"Show us his new tricks," begged Mary Rose. "Show them to us this
minute."
So Miss Thorley and Miss Carter, with Mary Rose between them, and Bob
Strahan sat down on the broad front steps and watched Jimmie Bronson
put Solomon through his repertoire. Mrs. Schuneman and Lottie joined
them and from their windows Mrs. Bracken and Mrs. Willoughby watched
the performance. Solomon really was a clever dog and Jimmie had been
an excellent teacher so that the entertainment was very creditable.
They were all so interested in it that they never saw an addition to
their number until a harsh strident voice sounded beside them. It made
Mary Rose jump and Mrs. Bracken and Mrs. Willoughby suddenly left their
windows.
"Mein lieber Gott!" Mrs. Schuneman rose involuntarily and heavily to
her feet. "It's Mr. Wells!"
"What's this? What's this?" Lightning flashed from Mr. Wells' eyes
and thunder rumbled in his voice. No wonder everyone was startled.
"Dogs aren't allowed here. Where's Donovan? He shouldn't allow such a
nuisance. Run along, boy, and take your dog with you. You aren't
allowed here!"
"It isn't his dog." Mary Rose ran in front of him. "It's my dog and
he's come all the way from Mifflin. I wish you'd been here earlier so
you could see how smart he is," timidly. "He knows such a lot of funny
tricks. Jimmie, will you have him do that one--"
"Your dog!" interrupted Mr. Wells, with a snort, and his fiery eyes
seemed to bore a hole right through Mary Rose, who was trying
desperately to remember that she had the right kind of eye and could
see nothing but good in the cross old man in front of her. "You know
very well that dogs are not allowed in this house. Take him away, boy,
and don't let me see either of you again."
"Oh!" Mary Rose's heart was full of indignation. So were her eyes.
She was too hurt to be afraid. "Aren't you ashamed of yourself, a
great big man like you to talk that way to a poor little dog who has
come all the way from Mifflin expecting to find friends here? He's my
dog and--"
But Mr. Wells would not let her finish. "You can't keep him here," he
snarled. He was furious at being spoken to in such a fashion by a
janitor's child and before a group of young people who did their best
to look serious. "You haven't any business here yourself. Children
and dogs are forbidden in this building."
Mrs. Donovan had come to the basement window just in time to hear this
angry outburst and she called hastily: "Mary Rose! Mary Rose!"
Mary Rose never heard her. "Why are you always picking at me?" she
demanded of Mr. Wells. "I'm only a little girl and you're a big man
but never once since I came to Waloo have you looked as if you wanted
to be friends with me. I don't mean to be impudent but you--you do
make it very hard for me to like you." Her lip quivered and she turned
quickly and hid her face against Miss Thorley's white skirt.
Miss Thorley's arm went around her and a thrill of emotion rarely
intense ran over the older girl. When she spoke her voice was strange
even to herself:
"Really, Mr. Wells, this is all very unnecessary. You have not been
annoyed by Mary Rose or her pets. I think you can trust to her and to
the Donovans--"
"Oh, you can!" Mary Rose's face came out again and she was so eager to
assure him that he could that she forgot how rude it is to interrupt.
"You shan't ever see Solomon unless you look out of one of the windows
in the white-faced wall. He's going to live with Mr. Jerry. I've made
all the arrangements. I never meant you to be bothered with him. But
I do wish you'd like him. He's a very friendly dog," wistfully. "He'd
like you to like him."
Mr. Wells looked at the friendly dog who wanted to be liked, and at
Mary Rose, before his eyes swept the older group. There was not the
faintest trace of a smile on the faces of Miss Thorley and Miss Carter,
but there was more than a trace on the countenance of Bob Strahan.
"I don't like dogs!" the grin made him say with a snap. "I won't have
one here!" And he went up the steps and slammed the screen door behind
him.
"Mercy, mercy!" feebly murmured Mr. Strahan. "You might think he owned
the whole works. My rent comes due every month, just as his does."
At her window Aunt Kate wrung her hands and thought sadly how
comfortable they were in the basement of the Washington. Mr. Wells
would never rest now until he had Larry discharged. She knew he
wouldn't. He would never overlook the fact that Mary Rose had talked
back to him on the very steps of the Washington. She could not blame
Mary Rose, the child had had provocation enough, goodness knows, but
she wished--she wished--Oh, how fervently she wished that Mr. Wells had
never been born!
Mary Rose looked sadly after the retreating figure which looked as
friendly and unbending as a poker.
"He won't ever forget I called him a crosspatch," she said sadly and
she blushed.
"What!" There was an astonished chorus. How had she dared? It did
not sound like Mary Rose.
"I did!" the color in her cheeks deepened painfully. "I never meant to
but the words were in my mind and so they slipped out of my mouth.
Come on, Jimmie, we'll take Solomon over to Mr. Jerry's. He'll be glad
to see him. He's a human being."
"I think I'll go, too," suggested Bob Strahan who scented a story.
"Have you seen George Washington, the self-supporting cat?" he asked
Miss Thorley and Miss Carter.
"All of you come," begged Mary Rose, glowing happily again. "Mr.
Jerry'd be glad to have you and there's plenty of room in the back
yard. I'd like to have you see my cat. Isn't it wonderful that George
Washington and Solomon are self-supporting? That's being independent,
isn't it, Miss Thorley? Will you come?" she caught her hand and drew
her to her feet.
Miss Thorley hesitated. If George Washington had been boarding with
anyone but Jerry Longworthy she would have gone at once but Jerry
Longworthy was very apt to forget that she preferred work to love. If
she went to his back yard he would be sure to think that her coming was
an inch and proceed to make an ell out of it. It would be far wiser to
stay away. So she shook her head. "Not now, Mary Rose," she said
gently. "Some other time."
After a quick glance at her face Mary Rose did not tease but went off
with the others. They found Mr. Jerry in the back yard. He looked
beyond them as if he found the party too small but as no one followed
to complete it he gave his attention to Solomon and pronounced him
something of a dog. When Jimmie had put him through his tricks again
Mr. Jerry gravely shook hands with both boy and dog.
"You've been a fine teacher," he said to Jimmie. "I congratulate you."
Jimmie's face was as scarlet as the poppies in Mr. Jerry's Aunt Mary's
garden. "Oh, go on!" he murmured in delighted embarrassment.
"Just think, they walked all the way from Mifflin!" exclaimed Mary Rose
in a voice of awe. "It took an automobile and a train and a taxicab to
bring me."
"Well, I didn't have money for an auto nor a train nor a taxi," grinned
Jimmie, "so Sol and I walked. Not all the way. Folks gave us a lift
now and then."
"Of course they did. You'd be sure to find friends," Mary Rose told
him jubilantly. "That's the beautiful part of traveling. You find
friends everywhere."
"Sure!" Jimmie winked at Mr. Jerry and Bob Strahan. "I found one
friend so glad to see me that he had me arrested."
"Why, Jimmie Bronson!" Mary Rose's eyes were as large as the largest
kind of saucers. "What for? Was Solomon arrested, too?" She looked
reprovingly at her dog.
Jimmie chuckled. "I told you I had more than one chance to sell the
brute," with a loving kick at Solomon. "And one man was so mad when I
told him 'nothing doing' that he had me arrested. Said I had stolen
the dog from him. You see there's some class to old Sol but there
isn't much to me. The judge didn't know which of us was lying until I
told him that Sol was a trick dog and would the man who was trying to
put one over on me run through his tricks to show they had worked
together. The cuss turned green and stammered that he wasn't no animal
tamer. The judge gave me a chance and we had a great performance in
the courtroom. When it was over the judge said he guessed if I'd had
Solomon long enough to teach him so much the man, if he was the owner,
should have found him before. He fined the other chap a greenback and
gave it to me. We had beefsteak and potatoes for supper instead of
going to jail, didn't we, old sport?"
"Good for you!" Mr. Jerry gave him a comradely slap on the shoulder.
Bob Strahan nodded significantly to Miss Carter. "Didn't I say I'd get
a story out of this?" he whispered.
"What are you going to do now, Jimmie?" asked Mary Rose. "You aren't
going back to Mifflin?"
No, Jimmie wasn't going back to Mifflin. He thought, rather vaguely,
he'd stay in Waloo and see the world. There must be something there
for a boy to do if he were strong and willing.
"Oh, there is! Isn't there?" Mary Rose looked appealingly from Mr.
Jerry to Bob Strahan.
"Sure, there is," Mr. Jerry told her heartily. He asked for further
particulars. Just what would Jimmie like to do? Had he any plans?
Jimmie hadn't any plans just at present beyond food and shelter but in
ten years or so he hoped to be an electrician. Of course, that
couldn't be until he was a man. In the meantime he'd take anything and
if he could get a job that would let him go to school he'd be about the
happiest kid in the world.
"You can get that kind of job," Bob Strahan told him easily. "I'll
write a little story about your trip and your arrest for the _Gazette_
and I'll bet you'll have a lot of jobs offered you."
"And until you do you can stay here. There's a little room up there,"
Mr. Jerry nodded toward his attic, "that would just about fit a boy of
your size. Do you know anything about autos? Have you ever met a lawn
mower? I guess I can find work for you until you get a regular job."
Every freckle on Jimmie's freckled face glowed gratefully. Mary Rose
jumped up and down.
"Mr. Jerry!" she began in a choked voice. She ran to him and hid her
face against his hand. "First you took my cat," she gasped chokingly,
"and then you took my dog and now my friend from Mifflin. I--I don't
believe a friendlier man ever lived!"
"Mary Rose!" It was Aunt Kate's voice from the back door of the
Washington. "Bring your friend in to supper." Aunt Kate knew that,
under the circumstances, she had no business to ask a boy into the
house but she felt desperately that now it did not matter what she did
and it would please Mary Rose.
"Well, Mary Rose," Bob Strahan pulled her hair as they trooped back to
the Washington, leaving Solomon jumping frantically at Mr. Jerry's
snapping fingers, "are you happy now?"
Mary Rose's face clouded. "Half of me's happy and half of me isn't,"
she confessed in a low voice. "It makes me mad not to be friends with
everybody and I can't honestly feel that Mr. Wells and I are friends."