We stood there, with this letter in our hands, looking it over.
"You say you don't know where this dog's been?" says I.
"Oh, no, sir; quite the contrary. I don't doubt he's often been through the—ahum!—ahum!——"
"Well, how often has he been through the ahum, William?" says I. "What made you let him go? You know it's against orders."
"Hi am quite hinnocent of hany hinfraction of my duties," says he. "On the contrary, Hi've watched this Peanut dog most closely, sir. Yet at times 'e is habsent. Hi'm of the belief that the notes come from the hother side of the fence, sir. But has to their haddress, and has to their contents, sir, Hi assure you Hi'm hutterly hignorant; and hit was for that reason that Hi awsked you to come and see this one. Hit's just at 'and, sir."
I taken all three of them letters away from him and opened them, me being foreman; but when I begun to read I didn't tell William what they was. I only laughed out loud, hard as I could.
"This is just a joke, William," says I. "Don't pay no attention to it. You see, Peanut's been over there again, digging up some petunies," says I.
I went back into the room where Bonnie Bell was. I looked at her for a while.
"Miss Wright," says I—the second time I ever called her that—"I've played the game with you on the square, haven't I? You thanked me for that."
"Yes, Curly; yes," says she, "Why?"