"I should say that you fooled yourself," his father retorted. "Anyhow, we're going to have strawberry shortcake for supper to-night. I heard your mother say so. And she made a special cake for you."
That news made Johnnie Green look a good deal less gloomy. In fact he almost smiled.
"I was going to give you that old fishing rod of mine if you'd help carry in the wood," Farmer [Greene] went on. "And you could take it now and go fishing, if you thought you could be home in time for supper."
"Hurrah!" Johnnie Green suddenly jumped up and down. "Hurrah!" he cried. "And thank you very much!"
And when, an hour later, old Spot came swimming across the creek and joined Johnnie on the further bank, and shook drops of water all over his young master, Johnnie Green only patted him and called him a "good old fellow."
VII
SWIMMING
Old dog Spot liked boys. Somehow they always managed to have a lively time; and usually they seemed glad to have him join them in their sports.
He never could understand why Johnnie Green and the neighbors' boys didn't want him to play baseball with them. Spot loved to chase a ball. And sometimes when he was watching a game and somebody hit a slow grounder he would rush out and grab the ball and run with it.
Then all the boys would run after him and try to catch him. That always pleased Spot mightily. And the longer the chase lasted the happier he was. But it was different with the boys. The harder they had to run after Spot before they got the ball away from him the more out of patience they became.