"No; not yet," Penrod said. "It's too soon after his meal. You ought to
know that yourself. What we got to do is to make up a bed for him--if he
wants to lay down or anything."

"Make up a what for him?" Sam echoed, dumfounded. "What you talkin'
about? How can--"

"Sawdust," Penrod said. "That's the way the horse we used to have used
to have it. We'll make this horse's bed in the other stall, and then he
can go in there and lay down whenever he wants to."

"How we goin' to do it?"

"Look, Sam; there's the hole into the sawdust-box! All you got to do is
walk in there with the shovel, stick the shovel in the hole till it gets
full of sawdust, and then sprinkle it around on the empty stall."

"All _I_ got to do!" Sam cried. "What are you goin' to do?"

"I'm goin' to be right here," Penrod answered reassuringly. "He won't
kick or anything, and it isn't goin' to take you half a second to slip
around behind him to the other stall."

"What makes you think he won't kick?"

"Well, I KNOW he won't, and, besides, you could hit him with the shovel
if he tried to. Anyhow, I'll be right here, won't I?"

"I don't care where you are," Sam said earnestly. "What difference would
that make if he ki--"

"Why, you were goin' right in the stall," Penrod reminded him. "When he
first came in, you were goin' to take the rake and--"

"I don't care if I was," Sam declared. "I was excited then."

"Well, you can get excited now, can't you?" his friend urged. "You can
just as easy get--"

He was interrupted by a shout from Sam, who was keeping his eye upon
Whitey throughout the discussion.

"Look! Looky there!" And undoubtedly renewing his excitement, Sam
pointed at the long, gaunt head beyond the manger. It was disappearing
from view. "Look!" Sam shouted. "He's layin' down!"

"Well, then," said Penrod, "I guess he's goin' to take a nap. If he
wants to lay down without waitin' for us to get the sawdust fixed for
him, that's his lookout, not ours."

On the contrary, Sam perceived a favourable opportunity for action.

"I just as soon go and make his bed up while he's layin' down," he
volunteered. "You climb up on the manger and watch him, Penrod, and I'll
sneak in the other stall and fix it all up nice for him, so's he can go
in there any time when he wakes up, and lay down again, or anything;
and if he starts to get up, you holler and I'll jump out over the other
manger."

Accordingly, Penrod established himself in a positio