me, mentioning the name of the owner, so that I could lay it on his bed.
There was no need for her to tell me the names. I knew by the smell. All
human beings have a strong smell to a dog, even though they mayn't
notice it themselves. Mrs. Morris never knew how she bothered me by
giving away Miss Laura's clothes to poor people. Once, I followed her
track all through the town, and at last found it was only a pair of her
boots on a ragged child in the gutter.

I must say a word about Billy's tail before I close this chapter. It is
the custom to cut the ends of fox terrier's tails, but leave their ears
untouched. Billy came to Miss Laura so young that his tail had not been
cut off, and she would not have it done.

One day Mr. Robinson came in to see him, and he said, "You have made a
fine-looking dog of him, but his appearance is ruined by the length of
his tail."

"Mr. Robinson," said Mrs. Morris, patting little Billy, who lay on her
lap, "don't you think that this little dog has a beautifully
proportioned body?"

"Yes, I do," said the gentleman. "His points are all correct, save that
one."

"But," she said, "if our Creator made that beautiful little body, don't
you think he is wise enough to know what length of tail would be in
proportion to it?"

Mr. Robinson would not answer her. He only laughed and said that he
thought she and Miss Laura were both "cranks."

* * * * *

CHAPTER XI

GOLDFISH AND CANARIES

The Morris boys were all different. Jack was bright and clever, Ned was
a wag, Willie was a book-worm, and Carl was a born trader.

He was always exchanging toys and books with his schoolmates, and they
never got the better of him in a bargain. He said that when he grew up
he was going to be a merchant, and he had already begun to carry on a
trade in canaries and goldfish. He was very fond of what he called "his
yellow pets," yet he never kept a pair of birds or a goldfish, if he had
a good offer for them.

He slept alone in a large, sunny room at the top of the house. By his
own request, it was barely furnished, and there he raised his canaries
and kept his goldfish.

He was not fond of having visitors coming to his room, because, he said,
they frightened the canaries. After Mrs. Morris made his bed in the
morning, the door was closed, and no one was supposed to go in till he
came from school. Once Billy and I followed him upstairs without his
knowi