At three weeks the pups were not only fascinating from their baby ways but for their intelligence as well; and in the matter of points, Squire Burley pronounced them quite remarkable for their age, Miss Jule adding that it was a well-known fact that beagles developed more quickly than almost any other breed of dog; while the fact that they could lap milk nicely was a great help to Happy in keeping her larder well filled, for catering for one pair of twins was wholly different from supplying three pairs.
They had just been frisking about their dish, rolling and playing, when Anne and Tommy came out from breakfast, bent upon the important business of naming them.
“Ouch! their teeth have come, and sharp as fishes’, too!” exclaimed Tommy, who had experience both with fish-teeth and fish-hooks, quickly withdrawing an inquisitive finger.
Naming the Pups.
“Don’t tease them,” cautioned Anne; “if we are to name them, it must be done properly, so that they won’t feel sorry about it when they grow up. I want to give them real names we can call them, and not have them registered under one name, like Cadence, and always called another.”
“Try to call them something that you can shorten,” said Anne’s father, stopping on his way to the dark house. He, too, had been lured from the study many times to take pictures of the puppies; but he refused to show the results until they were properly finished.
“We might call them after birds,” said Anne, who had been looking through the trees down to the distant meadows, where many birds were flocking before starting on their autumn travels.
“Yes, let’s,” agreed Tommy, quickly. “Jay’d be a first-rate name for one,” he added, as one of those bold-talking sneak-thieves called overhead.