were
enough to drive a boy crazy, much less a little dog with Zip's snappy
disposition, and he barked back, "Just you wait until I get hold of you
again, and I'll not only snip a piece off your tail, but I'll bite the
whole tail right off!"

At this Peter-Kins ran his tongue out at Zip. Then Zip flew at the door
and barked and scratched as if he would tear the house down.

Peter-Kins pressed his face close to the window-pane and grinned at him.
Right then the grocery boy came and seeing a little dog barking and
scratching on the door, thought he belonged there and was trying to get
in. So when he opened the door to put the groceries on the kitchen table,
he let Zip in, deposited his parcels on the table and left, shutting the
door after him, regardless of the fact that Polly was screeching, "Help!
Murder! Thieves! Fire!" at the top of her voice, and Peter-Kins was
jumping around wildly at the end of the string with which he was tied to a
chair.

[Illustration: THE MONKEY WAS TRYING TO HIT HIM WITH THE EMPTY DIPPER

(_Page Seventy-One_)]

Zip sat quietly in the middle of the kitchen floor, enjoying their fright
until the sound of the grocery wagon had died out down the street. Then he
barked, "Ha, ha! I've gotten you now just where I want you, and I am going
to bite your tail clear off! I see you have it done up in a white rag with
witch hazel on it, for I smell the stuff."

Zip really did not intend to bite his tail off, but only pretended to do
so, giving it a good pinch between his teeth.

[Illustration]

With a shrill scream of fright, the monkey jumped onto the kitchen table
that stood beside his chair, and he pulled so hard that the string broke.
Its giving way so suddenly sent him flying off the table onto the floor,
but he was up in a minute and leaped to the stove. The fire was out, but
the stove was still warm, so he jumped upon the tea kettle. There he
perched, hanging to the handle until Zip, seeing there was no fire in the
stove, jumped on the hearth and from the hearth up on the stove. As Zip
landed there, Peter-Kins ran up the stove pipe, but he kept slipping back,
it was so smooth. From there he leaped to the top of the roller towel, but
horrors! it began to roll up and when he stuck his claws into the towel,
it unwound and took him nearly to the floor. He was afraid to let go and
drop to the floor. Still if he held on, Zip could reach him too. He was
wondering just where he could go to escape t