n's, und gold
fishes, they ain't got no feet even. On'y Izzie could to make them
things."

"Oh, is his name Izzie?" asked Miss Bailey, grasping at this
conversational straw and shaking the paw which the stranger was
presenting to her. "And this is the friend you told me about? You let
me think," she chided, with as much severity as Morris had shown to his
Izzie, "that he was a boy."

"I had a 'fraid," said the Monitor of the Gold Fish Bowl frankly.

So had Teacher as she reviewed the situation from Mrs. Mowgelewsky's
chair of state, and watched the friends at supper. It was a revelation
of solicitude on one side, and patient gratitude on the other. Morris
ate hardly anything, and was soon at Teacher's knee--Izzie was in her
lap--discussing ways and means.

He refused to entertain any plan which would separate him immediately
from Izzie, but he was at last brought to see the sweet reasonableness
of preparing his mother's mind by degrees to accept another member to
the family.

"Und he eats," his protector was forced to admit--"he eats somethin'
fierce, Missis Bailey; as much like a man he eats. Und my mamma, I
don't know what she will say. She won't leave me I shall keep him; from
long I had a little bit of a dog, und she wouldn't to leave me I should
keep _him_, und he didn't eat so much like Izzie eats, neither."

"And _I_ can't very well keep him," said Miss Bailey sadly, "because,
you see, there is Rover. Rover mightn't like it. But there is one thing
I can do: I'll keep him for a few days when your mother comes back, and
then we'll see, you and I, if we can persuade her to let you have him
always."

"She wouldn't never to do it," said Morris sadly. "That other dog,
didn't I told you how he didn't eat so much like Izzie, and she
wouldn't to let me have him? That's a cinch."

"Oh! don't say that word, dear," cried Teacher. "And we can only try.
We'll do our very, very best."

This guilty secret had a very dampening effect upon the joy with which
Morris watched for his mother's recovery. Upon the day set for her
return, he was a miserable battle-field of love and duty. Early in the
morning Izzie had been transferred to Miss Bailey's yard. Rover was
chained to his house, Izzie was tied to the wall at a safe distance
from him, and they proceeded to make the day hideous for the whole
neighborhood.

Morris remained at home to greet his mother, received her encomiums,
cooked the dinner, and set out for afterno