promised Brother I wouldn't look at the present before he did."

"That's so, I did bring a present, didn't I?" said Ralph,
pretending to have forgotten. "Well, Brother, stand up while I
measure you once more; I must be sure that you are tall enough and
that means that you drank your milk every time without grumbling."

"Couldn't he grumble?" asked Sister, watching while Ralph stood
brother against the wall and made a tiny mark with a pencil. "You
never said he couldn't grumble, Ralph."

"Didn't I?" Ralph said. "Well, then, I should, because that is
very important. You will grow, you know, if you drink your milk
and grumble about it, but not half as fast as you will grow if you
drink the milk and make no fuss. That's true, Sister--I'm not
joking."

"I didn't grumble much, did I, Sister?" interposed Brother.
"Haven't I grown, Ralph?"

"Yes, I think you have--enough to have what I have brought you,"
returned Ralph cheerfully. "Here, now, tell me what you think of
this."

He stooped down and lifted the lid of the basket. Then he tipped
it over on one side and out rolled the fattest brown and white
collie puppy dog you ever saw!

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" shrieked Brother and Sister together. "What a
perfectly dear little puppy!"