family, and soon Bert happened to look back,
and gave a whistle of surprise.

"That dog isn't going home, papa," he said. "He's still after us, and
look! now he's running."

They all glanced back on hearing this. Surely enough the big white dog
was running after them, wagging his tail joyfully, and barking from
time to time.

"This will never do!" exclaimed Mr. Bobbsey. "Whoever owns him may
think we are trying to take him away. I'll drive him back. Go home!
Go back, sir!" exclaimed Papa Bobbsey in stern tones.

The dog stopped wagging his tail. Then he sat down on the path, and
calmly waited. Mr. Bobbsey walked toward him.

"Oh, don't--don't whip him, papa!" exclaimed Flossie.

"I don't intend to," said Mr. Bobbsey. "But I must be stern with him
or he will think I'm only playing. Go back!" he cried.

The dog stretched out on the path, his head down between his fore paws.

"He--he looks--sad," said Freddie. "Maybe he hasn't any home, papa."

"Oh, of course a valuable dog like that has a home," declared Bert.

"But maybe they didn't treat him kindly, and he is looking for a new
one," suggested Nan, hopefully.

"He doesn't seem illtreated," spoke Mrs. Bobbsey. "Oh, I do wish he'd
go back, so we could go on."

Mr. Bobbsey pretended to pick up a stone and throw it at the dog, as
masters sometimes do when they do not want their dogs to follow them.
This dog only wagged his tail, as though he thought it the best joke he
had ever known.

"Go back! Go back, I say!" cried Papa Bobbsey in a loud voice. The
dog did not move.

"I guess he won't follow us any more," went on Mr. Bobbsey. "Hurry
along now, children. We are almost at the trolley." He turned away
from the dog, who seemed to be asleep now, and the family went on. For
a minute or two, as Nan could tell by looking back, the dog did not
follow, but just as the Bobbseys were about to make a turn in the path,
up jumped the animal and came trotting on after the children and their
parents, wagging his tail so fast that it seemed as if it would come
loose.

"Is he coming?" asked Flossie.

"He certainly is," answered Bert, who was in the rear. "I guess he
wants us to take him home with us."

"Oh, let's do it!" begged Flossie.

"Please, papa," pleaded Freddie. "We haven't got Snoop now, so let us
have a dog. And I'm sure we could teach him to do tricks--he's so
smart."

"And so he's coming after us still!" exclaimed Mr. Bobbsey. "Well