“I’m going over to Mrs. Bow Wow’s house to see if I can find the puppy dogs,” he said.  “I want to get acquainted with them.”

“All right, Jimmie, but be sure to wipe your feet if you go in Mrs. Bow Wow’s house, and don’t forget to take off your cap and say ‘yes, ma’am,’ and ‘no, ma’am,’ Jimmie.”

“S’posin’ she doesn’t ask me anything?” inquired Jimmie.  “What’ll I say?”

“Well, then, of course, you needn’t say anything; but be polite,” warned the little boy duck’s mother, for sometimes he forgot, though he didn’t mean to.

Well, he was walking along through the woods, and over the green fields where the dandelions were just coming up, looking like buttons on a policeman’s coat, if the policeman’s coat was green instead of blue, and I think green would be a nice color.  But no matter about that.

Jimmie was walking along, when, all of a sudden, he heard a little growl.  At first he thought it was the bad fox after him again, but in a moment he saw a little black ball of fur rolling along, and then he saw a little white spot, and he thought that might be Sammie Littletail, only he knew the rabbit boy never growled.  Then, all at once, if that ball of fur didn’t unroll, and there stood a puppy dog!

“Hello!” called Jimmie Wibblewobble, real friendly-like.

“Hello!” answered the puppy dog.

“Are you Peetie or Jackie Bow Wow?” asked the little boy duck, for he knew the puppy dog must be one or the other.

“I’m Jackie,” was the answer.  “Can’t you tell?  I’m all black with a white spot on my nose, and my brother, Peetie, is all white with a black spot on his nose.  See?  I’m black with a black spot—­no, I mean I’m black with a white spot, and Jackie he’s black—­no, hold on—­he’s white—­no, I’m Jackie, and he’s Peetie—­he’s white with a white—­no, a black spot—­”

“Oh, for mercy sakes, stop!” cried Jimmie.  “I’m all tangled up with white spots and black spots!”

“So am I,” admitted Jackie.  “It’s hard to tell who I am, sometimes.”

“Is it, really?” asked Jimmie.

“Yes, it is.  In fact I’m mixed up now.  Would you kindly look and tell me if I have a white or a black spot on my nose.  I could look myself, only it makes me cross-eyed, and I don’t like that.”

So Jimmie looked, very carefully, and he saw a white spot on the puppy dog’s nose, and told him so.

“It’s all right.  I’m Jackie then,” answered the little fellow.  “I thought I was, but it’s best to make sure.”

“Can you play ball?” asked Jimmie.  “My sister told me about you.  It was very kind of you to bring her home.  You haven’t lived here very long, have you?”

“Not very.  But I’m glad I could help your sister.  She is a nice girl.”

“Where’s your brother, Peetie?” asked Jimmie.

“Oh, he’s gone to the store for mamma.”

“Then let’s you and I have a catch until he comes back.  You can play ball, can’t you?”