“Did—did he steal you, too?” I asked him.
“I don’t know. I suppose so. I’ve been here ever since I can remember. Probably he stole me when I was a very little puppy. Sometimes I’ve thought I’d run away, but I never have. I’m afraid to. I’m such an ugly looking dog that no one would want me, I guess. So I just stay here and take what comes. I wouldn’t mind what he did if he would only give me a kind word once in a while.”
Just then there was a noise outside and Jim sprang up with a growl and went to the door.
“Some one coming along the lane in a carriage,” he said. “I must be off.”
He went out and in a moment I heard him begin to bark loudly. Then his master spoke to him and he was still and I heard another voice that I knew.
“Hello,” said William. “Seen a stray dachshund around here?”
“What might that be?” asked the man.
“A black dog with tan markings; long body and short legs,” answered William.
“No, I ain’t seen any dog except this one here. Want to buy him?”
What William said to that I don’t know, because I began to bark as loudly as I could. But as soon as I barked Jim barked too and barked a lot louder than I could, and I suppose William couldn’t hear me at all. At any rate, when I stopped a moment to listen all I could hear was the sound of the buggy rattling off down the road. I felt very sorry for myself then and I laid down in a corner of the box and whined and whimpered as though my heart was broken. After a while Jim came back.