f all the worry, for Mrs.
Hardway was a sensible woman and knew that accidents will happen, and she
met with the doctor smilingly. Besides, the doctor had been her family
physician for years, and they were all very, very fond of him as well as
of Zip. It was hard to think of the doctor without Zip, as they were
always together. So when the doctor began to apologize, Mrs. Hardway
stopped him short, and told him to drink Zip's health in a glass of
freshly made lemonade, and say no more about it. The doctor, thanking her
from the bottom of his heart, drank not to Zip's health, but to hers, and
thus the exciting evening ended peacefully and everyone was happy,
including Zip, as the doctor gave him all the Maraschino cherries in his
glass, something he dearly loved, though you may think it was a queer
thing for a little dog to like.

CHAPTER IX

ZIP AND PETER-KINS HAVE A FIGHT

For several days after the molasses candy episode, Zip stayed at home and
did not go snooking into anybody's back yard. But on the fifth day he felt
he needed a little excitement, so he decided to call at Miss Belinda's,
and see what Peter-Kins and Polly were doing and incidentally get a snap
at Peter-Kins. So about three o'clock in the afternoon when the doctor was
taking a little snooze in the hammock under the big maple, Zip sneaked off
across the gardens and down the side streets to Miss Belinda's.

When he arrived everything was quiet. Not even a leaf on the trees
stirred, or a chicken crowed. The blinds were all down in the house, which
showed that Miss Belinda was either taking a nap or gone calling. Polly's
cage was nowhere in sight, so she must be indoors, thought Zip. And if
Polly was in the house, Peter-Kins was sure to be also, he reasoned.

After making a tour of the garden and barnyard, he was about to return
home, when, chancing to raise his eyes to the kitchen window, whom should
he see but Peter-Kins perched on the back of a chair, looking out at him.

"So--so!" thought Zip. "Miss Belinda has gone out and for fear something
would happen to her pets, she has shut them in the house. Oh, what a
chance for some fun if I only could get in!"

As he stood gazing at the monkey, Peter-Kins began making faces at him.
You have heard boys call out to one another, "Stop making monkey faces at
me!" haven't you? Well, I guess they get the habit from seeing some monkey
making faces. At any rate, the horrible faces Peter-Kins made at Zip