Then Phil climbed up on one of the gate-posts with me in his arms,
and Elsie promptly scrambled up to the other.

"That's what might happen to Dago any day, sister," Phil said, in a
solemn voice, as he hugged me tight. If we give him up, some old
organ-grinder may get him, and beat him and beat him, and be cruel to
him, and I'm just not going to let anybody have him. I'll hide him
somewhere so nobody can find him."

"Trouble is he won't stay hid," answered Elsie, with a mournful look
in her big blue eyes. "We'll have to think of some other plan."

It was a cold morning, but there they perched on the gate-posts, and
thought and thought until the school-bell began to ring.




CHAPTER V.

WHAT DAGO TOLD ON FRIDAY.


Before the bell stopped ringing, some one called Elsie to the house to
get ready for kindergarten, and Phil ran down to the stable with me.
He tied me to an iron ring in one of the stalls by a halter. Of course
any knot that a boy of that size could tie would not keep me a
prisoner very long. By the time he was halfway to school I was free
and on my way back to the house.