“I hardly think so,” said Mrs. Brown. “I’m afraid it could not well be done with the other things we have planned. I guess we’ll just have Patter alone at the fair.”
“I’d rather it would be that way,” said Bunny. “’Cause if we do the dog and monkey and trapeze trick at the fair, people wouldn’t want to come and see it when we have a show of our own.”
“Oh, that’s right,” agreed Sue.
George and the other boys were a little disappointed when Bunny told them the trapeze trick could not be done at the fair. But they shouted with glee when told how Patter had held the basket and how it was planned to make him do it at the door on the nights when the church fair would be held.
“Well, if he’s going to do that we’d better make him practice now,” suggested Charlie Star.
“All right,” agreed Bunny. “I’ll get a basket.”
He brought one out from the house, and no sooner did Patter see his little master with the basket than the dog ran to him and gently took it from Bunny’s hand. Then Patter sat up on his hind legs, as if “begging.”
“Who taught him that trick?” asked Charlie Star.
“I don’t know,” Bunny answered. “But I guess it must have been that Frenchman who gave the dog to my father. He must have taught Patter a lot of tricks we don’t know anything about.”
“Well, as long as he holds up the basket, let’s pretend we’re ladies at the church fair, and we’ll make believe put tickets in the basket,” suggested George. “This will get Patter used to doing it.”