by Oliver Optic
He stooped down and lifted the lid of the basket. Then he tipped itover on one side and out rolled the fattest brown and white colliepuppy dog you ever saw!
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" shrieked Brother and Sister together. "What a perfectlydear little puppy!"
"He's yours, Brother," said Ralph, smiling like the dear big brother hewas. "Yours to take care of and love, and to name."
"Hasn't he any name?" asked Brother, hugging the fat puppy, who seemedto like it and tried to say so with his little red tongue. "I don'tknow what to name a puppy dog."
"Call him 'Brownie,'" suggested Sister, down on her knees on the floor,watching the dog with shining eyes. "I think that is a nice name."
"So do I," agreed Brother.
"I do, too," said Ralph. "And now you must get dressed if you are notto be late for breakfast; and I must go down now--I have to take anearlier train in."
"Won't you come to the party?" begged Sister, as Ralph stood up to go.
"Don't believe I'll be home in time," he answered. "But you can tell meall about it and that will be almost as nice."
Mother Morrison came in to help them dress and she kissed Brother sixtimes because it was his birthday. He wore a new blue sailor suit, andSister put on her next-to-the-best hair-ribbon in his honor.
"I like birthdays," sighed Brother, slipping into his seat at thebreakfast table and eyeing the little heap of bundles at his plate withgreat delight. "Look at my puppy dog, Dick."
"Well, that is a nice pup," admitted Dick, putting down his paper."Have you named him yet?"
"Name's Brownie--Betty thought of it," replied Brother. "Can he havecereal, Mother? And Daddy wrote on this box, didn't he?" The little boypicked up a box wrapped in paper.
"Now just a minute," said Mother Morrison firmly. "The dog can't eat atthe table, dear; put him down until you have finished breakfast. Idon't want you to open the parcels, either, until you have had yourmilk and cereal. But those two on top you may open--they are from Daddyand Dick and they're going to leave in ten minutes."
Brother opened the two packages eagerly. That from Daddy Morrison was alittle wooden block and a set of rubber type with an ink-pad, so thatBrother might play at printing. He knew his letters and, if someonehelped him, could spell a number of words. Dick's parcel contained alittle silver collar for the new puppy, so made that it could be madelarger for him as he grew.
"Oh, Dick!" Brother flung himself upon that pleased young man andkissed him heartily. Somehow Brother seldom kissed Dick, although heloved him dearly. "It's the nicest collar!"
"All right, all right," said Dick hastily. "Glad you like it. Coming,Dad?"
Brother had to thank Daddy Morrison for his gift and kiss him good-bye,and then the interrupted breakfast went on. As soon as they had allfinished, they gathered around Brother to watch him open his birthdaygifts.
CHAPTER VII
MORE PRESENTS
"With so many birthdays in one family, we must not give elaborate orexpensive presents ever," Mother Morrison had once said, and she hadmade that a rule.
So Brother's presents, while representing a great deal of beautifullove, were simple and mostly home-made.
Louise had made him an entire set of new sails for his ship Swallow;Grace had cleverly painted and cut out a set of paper soldiers, and setthem in tiny wooden blocks so that they stood upright; Jimmie's presentwas a set of little garden tools; Molly brought in a gingerbread man,very wide and tall and most handsomely decorated with pink sugar icing.And Mother Morrison gave him a box of watercolor paints and a paintingbook.
Just as Brother had unwrapped the last of his gifts, dear GrandmotherHastings hurried in. Under her arm she carried a large square box, andher eyes twinkled as she set it down.
"For the birthday boy!" she said.
"A toolchest!" shouted Brother in delight. "Look, Grandma, Ralph gaveme a puppy!"
"I hope you said 'thank you!' just like that!" laughed Grandmother, asBrother hugged her so tightly she could scarcely get her breath. "Letme give you six kisses, dearie. Why, Brother, what is the matter?"
"I never said 'thank you' at all," mourned Brother. "Did I, Sister? AndRalph gave me such a nice puppy dog."
"But you can say 'thank you' tonight, can't he, Grandma?" protestedSister loyally.
"Why, of course, dear. Don't worry, Brother--Ralph knew you were veryhappy to have the doggie. Now come and tell me what you are going tocall him."
There were many things to be done to get ready for the party thatafternoon, and while Brother and Sister introduced Brownie to theirgrandmother, the rest of the family scattered to their work. PresentlyGrandmother Hastings declared she must run home and put a lace collaron her best frock so that she could come to the party, and Brother andSister were left alone with the new presents.
"Let's take Brownie out for a walk," suggested Sister. "Have you fedhim, Roddy?"
Brother shook his head. No, Brownie had had no breakfast.
"I wish I'd said thank you' to Ralph," worried Ralph's little brother."Maybe he won't come home to supper tonight, and I'll be in bed when hecomes."
"Telephone him," said Sister, stroking one of Brownie's velvet ears.
"I don't know the name of the law school," objected Brother.
"Ask Daddy," promptly responded Sister. "He'll know."
The children knew the number of Daddy Morrison's big office in thecity, and both could telephone very nicely. The phone booth was underthe hall stairs and Brother knew no one in the house could hear himwhen he took down the receiver.
"Please give me 6587 Main," he said politely, while Sister and Browniesat down on the floor to wait and listen.
Dick was in his father's office, and unless the person calling askedfor Mr. Morrison, senior, the switchboard operator gave them Mr.Morrison, junior. That was Dick, who was named for Daddy Morrison.
"Hello, hello!" came Dick's voice over the wire in answer to Brother'scall.
"I want Daddy," said Brother distinctly.
"Is that you, Brother?" asked Dick in surprise. "Did Mother ask you tocall him? Is anything wrong at home?"
"No, only I want to speak to him," said Brother impatiently.
"He's busy--if you are only trying to amuse yourself, I advise you tostop it," answered Dick rather sharply. "You know you are not supposedto use the 'phone, Brother."
"I guess I can talk to my father," asserted Brother indignantly. "Youtell him I want to speak to him, Dick Morrison!"
Dick apparently made the connection, for in another moment Brotherheard his father's voice.
"Yes, Son?" it said gently. "What can I do for you?"
"Oh, Daddy!" Brother spoke rapidly, his words tumbling over each other."I never said 'thank you' to Ralph for the puppy dog! An' sometimes hedoesn't come home to supper, and I don't see him till tomorrow morning.I want to tell him how much I like Brownie, and I don't know the nameof the law school. Will you tell me so I can ask 'Central' for thenumber and call Ralph up?"
There was a pause. Daddy Morrison was apparently thinking.
"I'll tell you, son," he said presently. "I do not believe Ralph'sschool allows their pupils to be called from a class to answer thetelephone, so you had better not try that plan. But Ralph is coming tothe office this noon to go to lunch with Dick. You tell Mother that Isaid you were to be permitted to telephone the office at half-pasttwelve. In that way you'll catch Ralph here and can say what you wantto him. How will that do?"
"That's fine, Daddy!" replied Brother gratefully. "Thank you ever somuch--wait a minute, Daddy--"
"I'm just saying the good-bye," called Sister, who loved to telephone.
"Good-bye, youngsters," said Daddy Morrison, laughing as he hung up thereceiver.
"Well, for goodness' sake, what are you two doing here?" demandedLouise, coming through the hall with something hidden in her apron."Who said you could telephone? Whom did you call up?"
"Daddy," answered Brother serenely. "He said I could call the officeagain at half-past twelve. What yo
u got, Louise?"
"Secrets," said Louise mysteriously. "People with birthdays shouldn'task questions."
She hurried on toward the kitchen and in a few moments the childrenheard her laughing with Molly.
"I think Brownie is hungry," insisted Sister. "Aren't you ever going tofeed him?"
"Of course he's hungry," chimed in Grace, who had overheard. "There's abowl of bread and milk Mother fixed for him before breakfast, out onthe back porch, with a plate over it to keep the cats out. Take him outthere and feed him, Brother."
Brownie was indeed very hungry and the children enjoyed watching himeat the bread and milk Mother Morrison had fixed for him. After he hadeaten it all up, they took him out on the grass to play, but that fatlittle brown puppy, instead of playing with them, curled up and went tosleep.
"Never mind--here comes the party!" cried Sister, whose bright eyes hadspied a wagon turning into the drive.
CHAPTER VIII
THE PARTY
"The party" happened to be the ice-cream, and Brother and Sisterwatched eagerly as the delivery boy carried the heavy wooden tub inwhich the cream was packed, up the back steps.
"Going to have a party?" he smiled at them as he came back to hiswagon. "Have a good time!"
The pretty little notes of invitation, which Mother Morrison hadwritten to six boys and six girls, friends of Brother's and Sister's,two weeks ago, had said from "four to six," so it was time to dress inthe best white clothes soon after lunch. Indeed, Brother's collar bowwas not tied before the doorbell rang, and Nellie Yarrow arrived.
"I suppose she lived so far away, she thought she might be late," saidLouise.
She ran downstairs and showed Nellie where to put the present she hadbrought for Brother.
After that the other boys and girls came, one by one, and Brother soonhad a little pile of presents on the living-room table. He opened eachone, and said thank you to the child who had brought it, and he forgotto be shy, so that he really enjoyed it all very much.
Charlie Raynor and his sister, Winifred, were the last to come, andWinifred was excited over something.
"I had the most awful time with Charlie!" she announced earnestly, tosympathetic Mother Morrison. "He acted dreadful!"
Winifred was two years older than Charlie and felt responsible for him.
"Give Roddy his present now," Winifred urged Charlie. "Hurry, I tellyou."
Silently Charlie held out a little paper bag of candy.
"I had all I could do to keep him from eating it on the way here," hissister explained. "He just loves candy!"
Brother took the bag of candy and put it with his other gifts on thetable. Then the children began the peanut hunt, which was the firstgame Louise and Grace had planned for them.
This was played outdoors, and it was fully half an hour before all thepeanuts had been discovered. Then, as several of the girls wanted tostart the old, old game of "Going to Jerusalem," and Grace offered toplay the music, they all trooped back to the living-room.
"Why, Roddy, your candy is gone!" announced Sister in surprise. "Whendid you eat it?"
Brother came up to her where she stood by the table of presents.
"I didn't eat it," he said wonderingly. "I left it right there on topof that book. Isn't that funny!"
"Well, it's gone," asserted Sister. "Someone ate it!"
Winifred had heard, and now she turned on the unfortunate Charlie.
"Charles Eldridge Raynor!" she said sternly. "Did you eat Roddy's candythat you brought him? Did you?"
Charlie nodded miserably. He had slipped into the room, unnoticedduring the peanut hunt, and unable to longer withstand the temptation,had calmly eaten up his birthday gift.
"I hope," stammered Winifred with very red cheeks, "I hope you willexcuse him, Mrs. Morrison. I never knew him to do such a thing before!"
"Oh, it isn't anything so very dreadful," declared Mother Morrison,smiling. "Any laddie with a sweet tooth might easily do the same thing.Come, children, Grace is waiting to play for you."
They played "Going to Jerusalem" and "Drop the Handkerchief," and allthe time there was the mysterious fishpond back of the table! But theycould not fish till after they had had ice cream.
As they were playing a noisy game of "Tag" out on the lawn, Molly cameto the door to ask them to come into the dining-room.
Such a pretty table met their eyes! It seemed to be all blue and white,and in the center was the big birthday cake--iced as only Molly couldice it, and showing no trace of the starch Sister had tried to cover itwith. Six candles twinkled merrily on the top.
"Make six wishes, Brother," said Mother Morrison.
"Then he blows, and as many candles as he blows out he will have wishescome true," explained Sister quaintly.
Brother made his wishes--they must not be spoken aloud--and then took adeep breath.
Pouf! Three of the candles went out
"Three wishes!" shouted the children. "You'll have three wishes cometrue!"
It was a lovely birthday supper. Everyone said so. They had chickensandwiches, and cocoa, and vanilla and strawberry ice-cream, and ofcourse the birthday cake, which Brother cut in slices himself with thebig silver cake knife.
"Why--look!" ejaculated Sister in surprise, glancing up from her cakeat the doorway.
Mother Morrison stood there, smiling, and in her hands she carried whatseemed to be a very large pudding or pie baked in a milk pan.
"What is it?" said Brother curiously. "What is it?"
"It's a secret," answered his mother mysteriously. "GrandmotherHastings planned it for you."
"And you and Louise bought part of it," Grandmother Hastings assuredhim, nodding and smiling from the other doorway, the one that led intothe hall.
She had come over, in her prettiest white and lavender gown, to see theend of the party.
Mother Morrison came up to the table with the pie and the children sawthat the paper crust was full of little slits and that from each slit aribbon hung out. Some were blue and some were pink.
"Each girl must choose a blue ribbon," said Mother Morrison. "The pinkones are for the boys. You pull first, Lucy."
Lucy Reed pulled one of the blue ribbons. She hauled out a littlecelluloid doll dressed in a gay red frock.
"How lovely!" Lucy cried. "Do we all get something?"
Each child was eager to pull a ribbon, and, wasn't it strange?--therewere just enough ribbons to go round! After every one, includingBrother and Sister, had had his turn, the "crust" was all torn, and nota single present or ribbon was left.
"Half-past five!" said Louise then, looking at her little wrist-watch."We must hurry with the fishing."
So they went into the living-room and had a delightful time fishing inthe pond back of the table. There was a gift for everyone who fished,and when six o'clock struck, and it was time to go home, each smallguest had a package to take along.
"We've had the nicest time," they called to Mother Morrison as theysaid good-bye. "We hope Roddy has a party every year."
CHAPTER IX
OUT IN THE BARN
"The party was a great success, eh?" asked Ralph at the breakfast tablethe next morning. "I judged so, because it was one o'clock before Icould leave Dad's office to get some lunch. He and Dick insisted onholding me there till quarter past."
Brother looked at Sister. Sister looked at Brother. They had bothforgotten they meant to telephone Ralph at half-past twelve!
"Don't worry over it, Brother," said Ralph, laughing. "No serious harmwas done, old chap. I made Dad tell me the mysterious reason of thewait, and when you didn't 'phone in we all three concluded the partyhad been too much for you. I'm glad you liked the dog."
"Oh, yes!" Brother seized upon this safe topic. "It is the nicest dog,Ralph. And I did mean to say thank you,' only I forgot."
After Daddy Morrison and Ralph and Dick had gone off to the station,Brother and Sister began to have queer feelings. Yes'm, they both felt"somehow different," as Brother said.
&n
bsp; "I don't want to clear off the table," complained Sister, drawingpictures on the tablecloth with a fork, a practice which Molly hadalways sternly forbidden.
"Neither do I," agreed Brother. "Let's go out in the barn and play."
"Jimmie won't like it," suggested Sister, taking up a cup so carelesslythat some of the coffee left in it slopped over on the clean cloth.
"Jimmie doesn't own the barn," sniffed Brother crossly. "I guess we canjust play in it without hurting any of his stuff."
"Here, here, what are you talking so long about?" demanded Mollygood-naturedly.
She came to the dining-room door and inspected the table critically.
"Just as I thought," she said grimly. "Too much party yesterday!Sister, give me that cup and stop marking the cloth. Run off and play,both of you, till you get over being cross. I'd rather do the workmyself than listen to you grumble."
Thus dismissed, Brother and Sister wandered off to the barn. They oughtto have felt happy with the extra time for play, but, for some reason,they were decidedly uncomfortable.
"Everybody's busy," grumbled Brother. "Nobody cares what we do. Louiseand Grace are sewing, and Mother is going to make strawberry jam. Let'stry the rings, Betty."
They were inside the old barn now, and the swinging rings had alwaysfascinated Sister. But she knew that Jimmie had said they were not totouch them, and indeed Daddy Morrison had warned the children not toplay in the barn unless some of the older boys were with them.