“It’s kinder too bad to be called such names in the papers, ain’t it, Tip?” said the boy, speaking for the first time since they had left the store, “an’ I think he ought to be ’shamed of hisself to talk so about you. It ain’t your fault if your legs is short an’ your tail gone; you’re worth more’n all the dogs in this world, an’ you’re all that I’ve got to love me, an’ we’ll never go back to let Captain Babbige beat us any more, will we, Tip?”
Just then the dog, which had been chewing some blades of grass, got one in his nose, a mishap which caused him to sneeze and shake his head vigorously; while Tim, who firmly believed that Tip understood all that was said to him, looked upon this as a token that the dog agreed to what he had said, and he continued, earnestly:
“I know just as well as you do, Tip, that it wasn’t right for us to run away, but how could we help it? They kept tellin’ us we was in the way an’ they wished we’d die, and everybody that was kind to us told us we’d better do just what we have done. Now we’re off in the big, wide world all by ourselves, Tip, an’ whether the cap’en catches us or not, you’ll love me just as much as you always have, won’t you, for you’re all I’ve got that cares for me?”
The dog was still busy trying to settle the question about the grass in his nose, and after that was decided in his favor he looked up at his young master and barked several times, as if expressing his opinion about something, which the boy interpreted as advice.
“Well, I s’pose you’re right, Tip—we had ought to go along, for if we don’t we sha’n’t even find a barn to sleep in, as we did last night.”
As he spoke Tim arose wearily from his hard seat, his legs stiff from long walking, and trudged along, while Tip followed as closely at his heels as it was possible for him to get.
It was nearly sunset, and as he walked on it seemed as if he was getting farther into the woods, instead of coming out at some place where he could find shelter for the night.
“Looks kinder lonesome, don’t it, Tip?” and Tim choked back a sob as he spoke. “I don’t want to sleep out here in the woods if I can help it; but it wouldn’t be half so bad if one of us was alone, would it?”