“Today,” said Mother Nature, “we shall find out how it is that Georgie Dog manages to get the muddy rubbers from the hall closet, up the stairs, and onto the nice white bedspread in the guest room.  You must be sure to listen carefully and pay strict attention to what Georgie Dog says.  Only, don’t take too much of it seriously, for Georgie is an awful liar.”

And, sure enough, in came Georgie Dog, wagging his entire torso in a paroxysm of camaradarie, although everyone knew that he had no use for Waldo Lizard.

“Tell us, Georgie,” said Mother Nature, “how do you do your clever work of rubber-dragging?  We would like so much to know.  Wouldn’t we, children?”

“No, Mother Nature!” came the instant response from the children.

So Georgie Dog began.

“Well, I’ll tell you; it’s this way,” he said, snapping at a fly.  “You have to be very niftig about it.  First of all, I lie by the door of the hall closet until I see a nice pair of muddy rubbers kicked into it.”

“How muddy ought they to be?” asked Edna Elephant, although little enough use she would have for the information.

“I am glad that you asked that question,” replied Georgie.  “Personally; I like to have mud on them about the consistency of gurry—­that is, not too wet—­because then it will all drip off on the way upstairs, and not so dry that it scrapes off on the carpet.  For we must save it all for the bedspread, you know.

“As soon as the rubbers are safely in the hall closet, I make a great deal of todo about going into the other room, in order to give the impression that there is nothing interesting enough in the hall to keep me there.  A good, loud yawn helps to disarm any suspicion of undue excitement.  I sometimes even chew a bit of fringe on the sofa and take a scolding for it—­anything to draw attention from the rubbers.  Then, when everyone is at dinner, I sneak out and drag them forth.”

“And how do you manage to take them both at once?” piped up Lawrence Walrus.

“I am glad that you asked that question,” said Georgie, “because I was trying to avoid it.  You can never guess what the answer is.  It is very difficult to take two at a time, and so we usually have to take one and then go back and get the other.  I had a cousin once who knew a grip which could be worked on the backs of overshoes, by means of which he could drag two at a time, but he was an exceptionally fine dragger.  He once took a pair of rubber boots from the barn into the front room, where a wedding was taking place, and put them on the bride’s train.  Of course, not one dog in a million could hope to do that.

“Once upstairs, it is quite easy getting them into the guest room, unless the door happens to be shut.  Then what do you think I do?  I go around through the bath-room window onto the roof, and walk around to the sleeping porch, and climb down into the guest room that way.  It is a lot of trouble, but I think that you will agree with me that the results are worth it.