Everett, after a hasty and almost as incomplete toilet as the one made
by the General in his excitement, arrived on the scene of action just
in time to witness the congratulatory interview between Mrs. Sniffie
and the mistress of her undying affections. The long-eared, plumy,
young setter-mother stood licking the back of Rose Mary's neck as she
sat on the barn floor with all five of the young tumblers in her lap,
with Tobe and Stonie hanging rapturously over her and them, while
Uncle Tucker was expatiating on some points that had made themselves
evident even at this very early stage of the existence of the little
dog babies.

"They ain't not a single stub nose in the bunch, Uncle Tuck, not a one
and everybody's of thems toes stick way apart," exclaimed the General,
his cheeks red with joyous pride.

"Watch 'em, Miss Ro' Mary; watch 'em smell Sniffie when I call her
over here," exclaimed Tobe as he held out the pan to Mrs. Sniffer and
thus coaxed her from the side of Rose Mary and the small family. And,
sure enough, around squirmed every little white and yellow bunch and
up went every little new-born nose as it sniffed at the recession of
the maternal fount. One little precocious even went so far as to
attempt to set his wee fore paddies against Rose Mary's knee and to
stiffen a tiny plume of a tail, with a plain instinct to point the
direction of the shifting base of supplies. Rose Mary gave a cry of
delight and hugged the whole talented family to her breast, while
Stonie and Tobe yelled and danced as Uncle Tucker turned with evident
emotion to Everett to claim his congratulations.

"Never saw anything like it in my life," Everett assured him with the