“Don’t touch him! He is going to show off,” said Nat, displaying his new pet with great pride. First he put a cocked hat on the bird’s head, and the boys laughed at the funny effect; then he added a pair of paper spectacles, and that gave the owl such a wise look that they shouted with merriment. The performance closed with making the bird angry, and seeing him cling to a handkerchief upside down, pecking and “clucking,” as Rob called it. He was allowed to fly after that, and settled himself on the bunch of pine-cones over the door, where he sat staring down at the company with an air of sleepy dignity that amused them very much.
“Have you any thing for us, George?” asked Mr. Bhaer, when the room was still again.
“Well, I read and learned ever so much about moles, but I declare I’ve forgotten every bit of it, except that they dig holes to live in, that you catch them by pouring water down, and that they can’t possibly live without eating very often;” and Stuffy sat down, wishing he had not been too lazy to write out his valuable observations, for a general smile went round when he mentioned the last of the three facts which lingered in his memory.
“Then we are done for to-day,” began Mr. Bhaer, but Tommy called out in a great hurry,—
“No, we ain’t. Don’t you know? We must give the thing;” and he winked violently as he made an eye-glass of his fingers.
“Bless my heart, I forgot! Now is your time, Tom;” and Mr. Bhaer dropped into his seat again, while all the boys but Dan looked mightily tickled at something.
Nat, Tommy, and Demi left the room, and speedily returned with a little red morocco box set forth in state on Mrs. Jo’s best silver salver. Tommy bore it, and, still escorted by Nat and Demi, marched up to unsuspecting Dan, who stared at them as if he thought they were going to make fun of him. Tommy had prepared an elegant and impressive speech for the occasion, but when the minute came, it all went out of his head, and he just said, straight from his kindly boyish heart,—
“Here, old fellow, we all wanted to give you something to kind of pay for what happened awhile ago, and to show how much we liked you for being such a trump. Please take it, and have a jolly good time with it.”
Dan was so surprised he could only get as red as the little box, and mutter “Thanky, boys!” as he fumbled to open it. But when he saw what was inside, his face lighted up, and he seized the long desired treasure, saying, so enthusiastically that every one was satisfied, though his language was anything but polished,—
“What a stunner! I say, you fellows are regular bricks to give me this; it’s just what I wanted. Give us your paw, Tommy.”