“Oh, he will!” Bunny would say.
Then Patter would go back around the corner of the house, and when Bunny whistled, Patter would come dashing back with another ticket in his mouth. So, often, two were sold where, had it not been for this trick, only one would have been taken.
Of course it was just another of Patter’s tricks. Some time before this Bunny and Sue had discovered that if one of them kept Patter out of sight of the other, and gave him something to hold in his mouth, when a whistle was heard Patter would dash to find Sue or Bunny—whoever whistled.
The children used to take Patter around the corner of the barn. Bunny would hide himself, and Sue would hold Patter by the collar, after giving him something to hold in his mouth. Then, at Bunny’s call, the dog would rush away as soon as Sue let go his collar.
So when they wanted him to help sell admissions for the show, they just put a ticket in his mouth. They would do that before knocking on the door or ringing the bell, and then of course, when Bunny whistled, around the corner would come rushing Patter with the ticket.
“It’s one of the best things you ever thought of,” said George.
While the ticket-selling was going on the boys did not forget to make Patter, Wango, and Toby practice their tricks. The monkey seemed to like to swing on the trapeze with the dog, and Mr. Winkler was glad to have his pet do something for the aid of the Home for Crippled Children.
As for Toby, he was always willing to do what Bunny and Sue got him to do. And no dog ever enjoyed tricks more than did Patter.
“Wouldn’t it be great if we could put Toby up on the trapeze and have Wango and Patter both on his back,” said George in the barn one day, after a practice.
“Why, Toby would break our trapeze! It isn’t strong enough to hold him,” objected Bunny.