There was enough left to put all thoughts of fighting out of their heads.  They began to cough, and choke, and splutter, and finally found themselves beside the dogs, where the four of them had a lively time.

The other boys yelled with delight, and pointed their fingers at them, “A sneezing concert.  Thank you, gentlemen.  ’Angcore, angcore’!”

Miss Laura laughed too, she could not help it, and even Billy and I curled up our lips.  After a while they sobered down, and then finding that the boys hadn’t a handkerchief between them, Miss Laura took her own soft one, and dipping it in a spring of fresh water near by, wiped the red eyes of the sneezers.

Their ill humor had gone, and when she turned to leave them, and said, coaxingly, “You won’t make those dogs fight any more, will you?” they said, “No, sirree, Bob.”

Miss Laura went slowly home, and ever afterward when she met any of those boys, they called her “Miss Pepper.”

When we got home we found Willie curled up by the window in the hall, reading a book.  He was too fond of reading, and his mother often told him to put away his book and run about with the other boys.  This afternoon Miss Laura laid her hand on his shoulder and said, “I was going to give the dogs a little game of ball, but I’m rather tired.”

“Gammon and spinach,” he replied, shaking off her hand, “you’re always tired.”

She sat down in a hall chair and looked at him.  Then she began to tell him about the dog fight.  He was much interested, and the book slipped to the floor.  When she finished he said, “You’re a daisy every day.  Go now and rest yourself.”  Then snatching the balls from her, he called us and ran down to the basement.  But he was not quick enough though to escape her arm.  She caught him to her and kissed him repeatedly.  He was the baby and pet of the family, and he loved her dearly, though he spoke impatiently to her oftener than either of the other boys.

We had a grand game with Willie.  Miss Laura had trained us to do all kinds of things with balls—­jumping for them, playing hide-and-seek, and catching them.

Billy could do more things than I could.  One thing he did which I thought was very clever.  He played ball by himself.  He was so crazy about ball play that he could never get enough of it.

Miss Laura played all she could with him, but she had to help her mother with the sewing and the housework, and do lessons with her father, for she was only seventeen years old, and had not left off studying.  So Billy would take his ball and go off by himself.  Sometimes he rolled it over the floor, and sometimes he threw it in the air and pushed it through the staircase railings to the hall below.  He always listened till he heard it drop, then he ran down and brought it back and pushed it through again.  He did this till he was tired, and then he brought the ball and laid it at Miss Laura’s feet.