“Then tell us stories,” Budge suggested; “no, make a menagerie for us. Oh, no!—I’ll tell you what, make believe it was our house, an’ you was comin’ to visit us, an’ we’ll bring you up cake an’ coffee to rest yourself with.”
“I’m afraid I smell some little mice!” said Mrs. Burton.
“In the mouse-twap?” inquired Toddie. “Oh! get ’em for ush to play wif!”
“Tell you what,” said Budge. “You can tell us that funny story about the man that had dogs for doctors.”
“Dogs for doctors?” echoed Mrs. Burton.
“Yes,” said Budge; “don’t you know? He’s in the Bible book.”
“He may be,” said Mrs. Burton, rapidly passing in review such biblical dogs as she could remember, “but I don’t know where.”
“Why, don’t you know?” continued Budge. “He was that man that was so poor that he had to eat crumbs, an’ papa don’t think he had any syrup with ’em, either, like we do when the cook gives us the crumbs out of the bread-box.”
“Is it possible you mean Lazarus?” exclaimed Mrs. Burton.
“Yesh,” said Toddie, “dat was him. ’Twasn’t de Lazharus that began to live again after he was buried, though. He didn’t have no dogs.”