lukewarm in their praise, Blue
Bonnet thought, when the coyotes were brought to them on the veranda.
Grandmother did not look in the least delighted when the two
sharp-nosed, long-haired puppies were dropped into her lap; and
finally Blue Bonnet gathered them both in her arms, declaring that
nobody knew how to appreciate real Texas babies except herself.

"I'm going to keep them always," she said. "And Don and Solomon will
just have to be reconciled."

"Have you asked your uncle if he is willing for you to keep two such
pets?" her grandmother asked.

Blue Bonnet looked over to Uncle Cliff and laughed. "Asked Uncle
Cliff? Why, Grandmother, I brought him up and he knows better than to
oppose me at this late day!"

Uncle Cliff smiled back at her whimsically. "I hope I'm a credit to
your training! Two new pets is quite a modest demand. I've known her
to have a dozen or two at a time. One summer she had twin lambs, a
magpie, a lizard, bunnies--"

"Don't forget the snakes," Blue Bonnet interrupted.

"Blue Bonnet Ashe--you never made pets of snakes!" gasped Debby.

"Three of them; beauties, too," Blue Bonnet replied.

"Weren't you afraid of them?" Sarah asked wonderingly.

"These were perfectly harmless; nobody should be afraid of such pretty
little things. But the magpie had fits over them, so they had to go,"
Blue Bonnet remarked regretfully.

"What became of the magpie?" asked Kitty.

"Poor Mag died of curiosity," said Mr. Ashe. "She sampled some cyanide
of potassium I had put out for ants. We had a most impressive funeral.
You must get Blue Bonnet to show you her grave."

"I will some day. We chose Mag's favorite spot--under a dewberry bush.
Now what shall we call these cherubs?"

"You've just called them 'Texas babies,' why not call one 'Texas?'"
Knight suggested.

"And the other 'Massachusetts,'" said Sarah.

Blue Bonnet looked at her in open admiration. "Your inspirations don't
come often, Sarah," she remarked, "but they're as apt as not to be
positively brilliant when they get here! Texas and Massachusetts the
babies shall be. Poor Massachusetts' name is as long as his tail, but
maybe he can bear up under it."

"Let's go show them to the youngsters," Alec suggested. "Pancho's
twins are straining their eyes for a peep."

Blue Bonnet gave him one of the pups to carry and together they
crossed the yard to the Mexican quarters. A moment later Blue Bonnet
was sitting in the doorway of the little adobe