"Why, where did he go? and why couldn't we see him?" asked one of the
little ones.
"Perhaps we might if we knew where to look and what to look for," said
Violet with a smiling glance at Cousin Ronald.
"But where's that little pup that was in my pocket?" cried Don, as if
with sudden recollection, and glancing about the floor. "I can't see
how in the world he got there, nor how he got out again."
Just as he finished his sentence the puppy's whine was heard, seeming
to come from behind the large armchair in which Cousin Ronald was
seated.
"There he is now!" cried Don. "I wish he'd come out of that corner and
let us all see him."
"Perhaps he will if you invite him," said the old gentleman, rising
and pushing his chair a little to one side.
Don made haste to look behind it. "Why, there's nothing there!" he
cried. "What does go with the little scamp?"
"Perhaps he's afraid of you, Don, so gets out of sight as fast as
possible," said Percy.
"Then why did he get in my pocket?" asked Don; then added quickly,
"But maybe he wasn't there, for I couldn't find him, though I clapped
my hand on it the instant I heard his whine." Just then the whine,
followed by a little bark, seemed to come from the farther side of the
room, and the children hurried over there to make a vain search for
the strangely invisible puppy.
"Where did it go to?" they asked. "How could it get away so fast? and
without anybody seeing it?"
"Well, it isn't here, that's certain," said one. "Let's look in the
hall."
They rushed out there, then out to the porch, looking searchingly
about everywhere, but finding nothing.
"Oh, it must have got away into the grounds," cried one. "Let's look
there," and they ran down the path to the gate, off across and around
the grounds--some in one direction, some in another. But it took only
a few minutes to satisfy them that no little dog was there; and they
trooped back to the house to report their inability to find it.
They were all talking at once, discussing their failure in eager,
excited tones, when again that strange, gruff voice was heard in the
hall.
"Say, youngsters, what have you done with my little dog? He's of fine
stock, and if you don't hand him over right away--why, I'll know the
reason why, and it won't be good fur ye, I can tell ye."
"We didn't take him," answered Don; "we've never seen him at all--no,
not one of us; and if we had, we wouldn't have done him a bit of
harm."
Just as Don pronounced the last word, a shrill little bark sounded out
from behind Cousin Ronald's chair.
"Why, there he is now!" exclaimed Don, hurrying to the spot. "Why, no,
he isn't! How does he get away so fast?"
"He seems to be an invisible dog, Don," said his brother Percy; "and,
if I were you, I wouldn't let him trouble me any more."
"No; but I've set out to find him, and I don't mean to give it up,"
replied the little fellow.
"That's right, Don," laughed his father. "I'm pleased to see that you
are not easily discouraged."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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