At first Bunny was going down the ladder to get his dog. But he happened to think that he could hardly climb up the ladder again and carry Patter with him. Then Bunny had another idea.
“Why can’t you climb the ladder, Patter?” he asked his dog.
“Bow-wow!” again barked the trick dog. This might mean that he could or couldn’t, whichever way you took it. But Bunny seemed to think it meant that Patter could climb up the ladder to the haymow, for Bunny held his hands down invitingly and called:
“Come on up, Patter! come on up!”
Again Patter whined and cried, and then, as Bunny called again, the wise dog put his two front paws on the first round of the ladder and then pulled himself up so that he could reach the second round from the floor with his front paws, and get his hind paws on the first round.
“Oh, good, Patter! That’s great!” shouted Bunny. “You are learning another trick!”
The ladder was built straight up against the side of the haymow, and did not slant out like the ladder the painter uses.
Calling to his dog, and snapping his fingers, Bunny urged Patter to make his way slowly up the ladder. And then, with a joyful bark, the dog flung himself from the top of the ladder to the pile of hay where Bunny was waiting and tried to lick his little master’s face.
From where the other boys were playing on the trapeze came a hail:
“Where are you, Bunny? Come on, take a swing!”