them to buy their puppy, and now—here he was, saving them from the unknown footstepper, as Rachel had nicknamed the person in her mind already. Sam Doody lived only a few doors from them and he didn't mind at all their tagging right along with him.
"Well," he said, grinning. "Dust the pews?"
"Yes," said Jerry. "We dusted them good. The pulpit too. Everything."
"Fine," said Sam Doody. "You saved my life."
"You saved ours," said Jerry.
"We got a dog," said Rachel.
Jerry opened up his blouse and let Sam Doody take a look and touch his puppy. While they were all standing outside of Sam Doody's house, with Sam Doody admiring the puppy properly, Jerry and Rachel thought they heard the footsteps again. But they didn't care because tall Sam Doody was there and he was the captain of the basketball team. Moreover they were only two doors from home.
"S'long," said Sam.
"S'long," said Jerry and Rachel; and they made a dash for their own front door.
They rushed in and they went into their dark little parlor and, lifting the stiff net curtains, they looked out. They saw a person glide behind their big horse chestnut tree! And they saw this dark shadowy figure move off up the street.
"Did you see his hat?" asked Jerry.
"Not good," said Rachel. "It looked sort of orange or yellow. A funny color."
"Same man," said Jerry with satisfaction. At least he knew what the stranger's hat looked like. At least he knew that much. And he told Rachel about the person leaping across the telephone poles up at Speedys'. Now that he recalled that scene, it seemed as though the person had been sort of crouching as he leaped. "Sneaky, like," he told Rachel. And he suggested also that maybe it had been this man with the hat that Rachel thought she had seen in the doorway of the church, and not the Reverend Gandy.
"Oh-h," gasped Rachel, there being so many developments to take in. She certainly hoped it had been the minister and not the man with the hat. She
would rather be cast out of church, she thought, than to have had the man with the hat snooping on them that long!
"How'd you know it was a man?" asked Rachel.
"Man's hat," said Jerry.
"Oh, of course," said Rachel.
"Beats me," said Jerry. "If he wanted to grab the puppy, why didn't he? He had plenty of chance all the long way home."
"Um-m-m," said Rachel, puzzled. "Maybe he just wanted to see where we live."
"Jiminy. We should have doubled on our tracks and thrown him off," said Jerry.
"We didn't though. Here we are and now he knows where we live. Do you think he would steal the puppy sometime?"
"No. We'll always be with the puppy."
"School starts Tuesday."
"We'll tell Mama never to let him out of the yard. But we're dumbbells. We should have thrown him off our trail somehow."
"It happened so suddenly we didn't have time to think," said Rachel consolingly.
"Yes, but we're dumbbells. Tomorrow I'll ask Mrs. Speedy, you bet, who the other person was that wanted our puppy, so's we'll know who to watch out for."
"Um-m-m. Besides the hat."
Later they told Mama about the footsteps. The story did not sound sensible anymore. Maybe they had really imagined the whole business. Mama didn't seem to be paying much attention to the story of the "mysterious footstepper," or the "man with the hat," as the stranger was called by Rachel and Jerry. But that night she locked the doors extra carefully. "We don't want any unsavory characters roaming around," she said.
Mama liked the puppy. They all liked him. Gracie-the-cat had gone out for her night prowling. She was not yet introduced.
4. The Naming of Ginger Pye
Gracie-the-cat took an immediate liking to the new member of the family. She was not at all jealous. After her first long incredulous stare when they were introduced the next morning, she tried to give the puppy a good washing. He accepted a lick or two but he would not stay still long enough for more and made a game of it. When he got too impudent Gracie gave him a cuffing, but she kept
"Well," he said, grinning. "Dust the pews?"
"Yes," said Jerry. "We dusted them good. The pulpit too. Everything."
"Fine," said Sam Doody. "You saved my life."
"You saved ours," said Jerry.
"We got a dog," said Rachel.
Jerry opened up his blouse and let Sam Doody take a look and touch his puppy. While they were all standing outside of Sam Doody's house, with Sam Doody admiring the puppy properly, Jerry and Rachel thought they heard the footsteps again. But they didn't care because tall Sam Doody was there and he was the captain of the basketball team. Moreover they were only two doors from home.
"S'long," said Sam.
"S'long," said Jerry and Rachel; and they made a dash for their own front door.
They rushed in and they went into their dark little parlor and, lifting the stiff net curtains, they looked out. They saw a person glide behind their big horse chestnut tree! And they saw this dark shadowy figure move off up the street.
"Did you see his hat?" asked Jerry.
"Not good," said Rachel. "It looked sort of orange or yellow. A funny color."
"Same man," said Jerry with satisfaction. At least he knew what the stranger's hat looked like. At least he knew that much. And he told Rachel about the person leaping across the telephone poles up at Speedys'. Now that he recalled that scene, it seemed as though the person had been sort of crouching as he leaped. "Sneaky, like," he told Rachel. And he suggested also that maybe it had been this man with the hat that Rachel thought she had seen in the doorway of the church, and not the Reverend Gandy.
"Oh-h," gasped Rachel, there being so many developments to take in. She certainly hoped it had been the minister and not the man with the hat. She
would rather be cast out of church, she thought, than to have had the man with the hat snooping on them that long!
"How'd you know it was a man?" asked Rachel.
"Man's hat," said Jerry.
"Oh, of course," said Rachel.
"Beats me," said Jerry. "If he wanted to grab the puppy, why didn't he? He had plenty of chance all the long way home."
"Um-m-m," said Rachel, puzzled. "Maybe he just wanted to see where we live."
"Jiminy. We should have doubled on our tracks and thrown him off," said Jerry.
"We didn't though. Here we are and now he knows where we live. Do you think he would steal the puppy sometime?"
"No. We'll always be with the puppy."
"School starts Tuesday."
"We'll tell Mama never to let him out of the yard. But we're dumbbells. We should have thrown him off our trail somehow."
"It happened so suddenly we didn't have time to think," said Rachel consolingly.
"Yes, but we're dumbbells. Tomorrow I'll ask Mrs. Speedy, you bet, who the other person was that wanted our puppy, so's we'll know who to watch out for."
"Um-m-m. Besides the hat."
Later they told Mama about the footsteps. The story did not sound sensible anymore. Maybe they had really imagined the whole business. Mama didn't seem to be paying much attention to the story of the "mysterious footstepper," or the "man with the hat," as the stranger was called by Rachel and Jerry. But that night she locked the doors extra carefully. "We don't want any unsavory characters roaming around," she said.
Mama liked the puppy. They all liked him. Gracie-the-cat had gone out for her night prowling. She was not yet introduced.
4. The Naming of Ginger Pye
Gracie-the-cat took an immediate liking to the new member of the family. She was not at all jealous. After her first long incredulous stare when they were introduced the next morning, she tried to give the puppy a good washing. He accepted a lick or two but he would not stay still long enough for more and made a game of it. When he got too impudent Gracie gave him a cuffing, but she kept
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