of the big dog, and the other two
they sinks their teeth into that stylish overcoat and tears it off me,
and that sets me free, and I lets them have it. I never had so fine a
fight as that! What with mother being there to see, and not having been
let to mix up in no fights since I become a prize-winner, it just
naturally did me good, and it wasn't three shakes before I had 'em
yelping. Quick as a wink, mother she jumps in to help me, and I just
laughed to see her. It was so like old times. And Nolan he made me
laugh, too. He was like a hen on a bank, shaking the butt of his whip,
but not daring to cut in for fear of hitting me.

"Stop it, Kid," he says, "stop it. Do you want to be all torn up?" says
he. "Think of the Boston Show," says he. "Think of Chicago. Think of
Danbury. Don't you never want to be a champion?" How was I to think of
all them places when I had three dogs to cut up at the same time? But in
a minute two of 'em begs for mercy, and mother and me lets 'em run away.
The big one he ain't able to run away. Then mother and me we dances and
jumps, and barks and laughs, and bites each other and rolls each other
in the road. There never was two dogs so happy as we. And Nolan he
whistles and calls and begs me to come to him; but I just laugh and play
larks with mother.

"Now, you come with me," says I, "to my new home, and never try to run
away again." And I shows her our house with the five red roofs, set on
the top of the hill. But mother trembles awful, and says: "They'd never
let me in such a place. Does the Viceroy live there, Kid?" says she. And
I laugh at her. "No; I do," I says. "And if they won't let you live
there, too, you and me will go back to the streets together, for we must
never be parted no more." So we trots up the hill side by side, with
Nolan trying to catch me, and Miss Dorothy laughing at him from the
cart.

"The Kid's made friends with the poor old dog," says she. "Maybe he knew
her long ago when he ran the streets himself. Put her in here beside me,
and see if he doesn't follow."

So when I hears that I tells mother to go with Nolan and sit in the
cart; but she says no--that she'd soil the pretty lady's frock; but I
tells her to do as I say, and so Nolan lifts her, trembling still, into
the cart, and I runs alongside, barking joyful.

When we drives into the stables I takes mother to my kennel, and tells
her to go inside it and make herself at home. "Oh, but he won't let me!"
says s