ch harm done. But it is lucky you had on such a thick
sleeve. I can tell you that."

"That was because we have not paid the Chinaman, and he wouldn't send
home my blouses this week. It was so warm I wanted to wear a blouse,
but they were all at the Chinaman's." Eddy's teeth chattered as he
spoke, his childish lips quivered, and tears were in his eyes. He
continued to tremble violently, but he did not for a moment give way.
He even shook off the protecting arm which Anderson placed around his
little shoulders.

"Come, we will go in the house and have this tied up," said Anderson.

But Eddy rebelled. "I don't want a lot of women fussing over a little
thing like this," said he, stoutly. "It isn't anything at all."

"No, it is not very serious, but all the same it had better be tied
up, and I have something I want to put on it. I tell you what we will
do. We will go around the back way. I will take you in the kitchen
door and up the backstairs to my room, and doctor it unknown to
anybody."

"I don't want Charlotte to know anything about it; she will be just
silly enough to faint away again. Girls always do make such an awful
fuss over nothing," said Eddy.

"All right," said Anderson. "Come along, my boy."

Anderson started, and the boy followed, but suddenly he stopped and
ran back before Anderson dreamed what he was about. He stopped in
front of the kennel, and danced on obviously trembling legs a dance
of defiance before the frantic dog.

Anderson grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Come at once," he said, quite sternly.

Eddy obeyed at once. "All right," he said. "I just wanted him to see
I wasn't afraid of him, that was all."

Eddy and Anderson entered the house through the kitchen door,
ascended the backstairs noiselessly, and gained Anderson's room,
where the wound was bound up after an application of a stinging
remedy which the boy bore without flinching, although it was
considerably more painful than the bite itself. He looked soberly
down at his arm, now turning black and blue from the bruise of the
dog's teeth, beside the inflamed spots where they had actually
entered, while Anderson applied the violent remedy.

"Well," he said, "I suppose I was to blame. I ought to have minded
you."

"Yes, I suppose you ought, my son," assented Anderson, continuing to
handle the wound gently.

"And I suppose that is an exclusive dog. He doesn't like everybody
going right up to him. Say, I guess he is a pretty smart