didn't they," asked Lulu.

"Indeed, they did," answered Alice. "They weren't afraid of anything, even
when an owl hooted."

So the next day, which was Saturday, when there wasn't any school, Jimmie
started off with his wooden bat over his shoulder, his catching glove
under one wing and his ball under the other.

"Where are you going?" asked his mother.

"I'm going over to Mrs. Bow Wow's house to see if I can find the puppy
dogs," he said. "I want to get acquainted with them."

"All right, Jimmie, but be sure to wipe your feet if you go in Mrs. Bow
Wow's house, and don't forget to take off your cap and say 'yes, ma'am,'
and 'no, ma'am,' Jimmie."

"S'posin' she doesn't ask me anything?" inquired Jimmie. "What'll I say?"

"Well, then, of course, you needn't say anything; but be polite," warned
the little boy duck's mother, for sometimes he forgot, though he didn't
mean to.

Well, he was walking along through the woods, and over the green fields
where the dandelions were just coming up, looking like buttons on a
policeman's coat, if the policeman's coat was green instead of blue, and I
think green would be a nice color. But no matter about that.

Jimmie was walking along, when, all of a sudden, he heard a little growl.
At first he thought it was the bad fox after him again, but in a moment he
saw a little black ball of fur rolling along, and then he saw a little
white spot, and he thought that might be Sammie Littletail, only he knew
the rabbit boy never growled. Then, all at once, if that ball of fur
didn't unroll, and there stood a puppy dog!

"Hello!" called Jimmie Wibblewobble, real friendly-like.

"Hello!" answered the puppy dog.

"Are you Peetie or Jackie Bow Wow?" asked the little boy duck, for he knew
the puppy dog must be one or the other.

"I'm Jackie," was the answer. "Can't you tell? I'm all black with a white
spot on my nose, and my brother, Peetie, is all white with a black spot on
his nose. See? I'm black with a black spot--no, I mean I'm black with a
white spot, and Jackie he's black--no, hold on--he's white--no, I'm
Jackie, and he's Peetie--he's white with a white--no, a black spot--"

"Oh, for mercy sakes, stop!" cried Jimmie. "I'm all tangled up with white
spots and black spots!"

"So am I," admitted Jackie. "It's hard to tell who I am, sometimes."

"Is it, really?" asked Jimmie.

"Yes, it is. In fact I'm mixed up now. Would you kindly look and tell me
if I have a white or a black spo