"Didn't your papa get you 'nother one?" he asked, as one searching
for the best.

"Worth dear," called Katie, "let's talk about the live puppies. There
are so many live puppies in the world. And just see how the puppy loves
Miss Ann."

"And Miss Ann loves the puppy. Mustn't squeeze him too tight," he
admonished. "Watts says it's bad for 'em to squeeze 'em. Watts knows just
everything 'bout puppies. He knows when they have got to eat and when
they have got to sleep, and when they ought to have a bath. Do you
suppose, Aunt Kate, we'll ever know as much as Watts?"

"Probably not. Don't hitch your wagon to too far a star, Worthie. No use
smashing the wagon."

Suddenly Ann had squeezed her puppy very tight. "O--h," cried Worth,
"_you mustn't_! I like to do it, too, but Watts says it squeezes the
grows out of 'em. It's hard not to squeeze 'em though, ain't it?" he
concluded with tolerance.

Again Katie looked up. The girl, holding the puppy close, was looking at
the little boy. Something long beaten back seemed rushing on; and in her
eyes was the consciousness of its having been long beaten back.

Something of which did not escape the astute Wayne the Worthy. "Aunt
Kate," he called excitedly, "Aunt Kate--Miss Ann's eyes go such a long
way down!"