“’Cause she had a stick,” answered Ralph.
“Does he bark at everybody who has a stick?” asked Laddie. “If he does why doesn’t he bark at Russ and me—we have sticks?”
“I guess he will bark at you as soon as he sees you have sticks,” Ralph answered. “I’ll try him.” He moved around until he stood beside Russ and Laddie, and as the dog’s eyes followed his young master Jimsie caught sight of the two Bunker boys and the sticks they held. At once Jimsie began to bark, greatly excited.
“There! I told you!” cried Ralph.
“What makes him bark so just because he sees a stick?” asked Russ. “Does he think we’re going to hit him with ’em? I wouldn’t hit any dog, unless he was going to bite somebody.”
“No, Jimsie doesn’t think he’s going to be hit,” explained Ralph. “He just wants you to throw the sticks in the brook so he can jump in and bring ’em out. Always when he sees any one with a stick he thinks they’re going to play with him and throw the stick into the water. I guess he thought you were going to play with him,” said Ralph to Rose, “and when you didn’t—why, he just barked.”
“Oh, I see!” exclaimed Rose, with a laugh, for she was over her fright now. “That was his way of asking me to throw the stick in the water.”
“Yes,” answered Ralph with a smile that lighted up his jolly, freckled face. “Sometimes he barks like anything when I take a stick and don’t throw it in for him to bring out.”
And, indeed, Jimsie seemed very much excited now because Russ and Laddie would not toss their sticks into the brook. And at last, to please the dog, Russ tossed his stick in.
Instantly Jimsie plunged in after it, swimming out and bringing the stick back to shore, dropping it at the feet of Russ as if asking that it be thrown in again.