w and
when I go back to town to live, if I'm not too big I am to have her
again."

"What a cute name for a pony! What are you going to call this pup?"

"I had thought of Ponto, but papa says he will grow up into a big dog,
and he thought General would be a nice name."

"I like Ponto best, I believe. It has a grander sound to it than
General. And yet--can I name my half of the dog, too?" as a sudden
inspiration came to her mind.

"Why--yes--if it fits in with General," a little doubtfully, for
Carrie's ideas of beautiful names differed materially from Tabitha's.

"It will go with it splendidly--Sheridan Sherman Grant McClellan."

"Which one?"

"All of them. That ain't too many, is it? I do like all those generals
so much, and I should hate to have to drop any of them."

"It's an awfully long name to say when you want to call a dog," said the
first little mistress reflectively, yet afraid to suggest the curtailing
of it for fear of wounding her playmate.

"But you can shorten it up like--like I did once with--" The unhappy
episode was still very fresh in her mind, and her heart still very sore;
so she hesitated, unwilling to recall it further.

"I know," interrupted sympathetic Carrie hastily. "We can shorten it to
General Sheridan or General--what would you shorten it to?"

"General McClellan is the grandest sounding name, but General Grant is
the easiest to say, and I suppose a dog ought to be called the easiest
name so he can remember it. We'll call him General Grant."

The dog was named.

That evening Tabitha was sitting on the steps studying her geography
when Tom came home late for supper, but every moment or two she would
look up from her books toward the Carson house, and stare intently at
something he could not see, while she seemed to be listening for
something he could not hear. From his seat at the table he could watch
her unobserved, and when at last he had satisfied his appetite, he
joined her on the steps, asking curiously, "What's the matter, Puss?
Geography doesn't seem to be interesting you."

"Oh, Tom, it's the pup! Carrie has the dearest little shaggy dog. She
said I might be part owner of it, and we've named him General Sheridan
Sherman Grant McClellan. General is her name for him, and the rest is
mine. It's most too long to say the whole of it every time we want him
to come, so we are going to call him General Grant for short. Isn't
that a nice name?"

"Well, I should say so. The G