your noddle!... See?” 87

87

Jinnie bowed her head over the sick dog and made a respectful reply.

“I’ll try to get the notion out,” said she, “but, Peggy, oh, Peggy dear, I love the poor little thing so awful much that it’ll be hard for me to throw him away. Will you send him off when he’s better, and not ask me to do it?”

Jinnie cocked her pretty head inquiringly on one side, closed one eye, and looked at Peg from the other.

Peggy sniffed a ruse. She came forward, spread her feet a bit, rolling her hands nervously in her apron. She hated an everlasting show of feelings, but sometimes it was difficult for her to crush the emotions which had so often stirred in her breast since the girl came to live with them.

“I might as well tell you one thing right now, Jinnie Grandoken,” she said. “You brought that pup into this house an’ you’ll take him out, or he won’t get took; see?”

There was a certain tone in Peg’s voice the girl had heard before.

“Then he won’t get kicked out ’t all, Peg,” she said, with a petulant, youthful smile. “I just won’t do it! Lafe can’t, and if you don’t––”

Mrs. Grandoken made a deep noise in her throat.

“You’re a sassy brat,” said she, “that’s what you are! An’ if Lafe don’t just about beat the life out of you when I tell him about this, I will, with my own hand, right before his eyes. That’s what––”

Jinnie interrupted her eagerly. “Lafe won’t beat me,” she answered, “but I’ll let you make me black and blue, Peg, if I can keep the puppy. Matty used to beat me fine, and she was a good bit stronger’n you.”

Peggy’s eyes drew down at the corners, and her lip quivered.

“Keep him if you want to, imp of Satan, but some day––here, see if the beast’ll eat this bit of meat.” 88

88

Jinnie placed the shivering dog on the floor, and Peg put a piece of meat under his nose. In her excitement, Jinnie rushed away to Lafe. Peg’s mumble followed her even through the closed door.

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