And that, really, was all there was to it. Patter had watched his chance and had leaped to the pony’s back. The trick dog did not long stand on his front paws. That is hard for any dog to do, and the best of them cannot keep it up for much more than a minute. Standing on the hind paws is easier.
“That’s the very trick you said you were going to teach Patter to do, isn’t it, Bunny?” asked Sue of her brother.
“It is,” he answered. “But I didn’t have time to teach him. I guess he taught himself.”
“I’m going to call mother out to see,” said Sue. But before Mrs. Brown could reach the yard, where Patter had shown off his latest trick, the dog had become tired of standing on his front legs and had sat down on Toby’s back.
The children told Mrs. Brown all that had happened.
“What do you s’pose made him do it?” Bunny wanted to know.
“I think,” answered his mother, “that Patter was taught the trick by his French master. This is the first time the dog had to show us that he could do it, and he jumped up as soon as Toby stood still.”
“He didn’t jump up on Toby’s back when he first saw our pony,” remarked Sue.
“No, I suppose Patter wanted to see what Toby was like before he tried the trick,” suggested Mrs. Brown. “But now you know your pony and your new dog are good friends.”
“Just as good as Splash and Toby were,” said Sue.