notes of the band seemed
just suited to Scalawag's leisurely action. He kept perfect time.

"And they're goin' to march clear out to the Calvary Cemetery!"
ejaculated Sammy. "It's four miles!"

CHAPTER XXII

THE GREEN UMBRELLA AGAIN

"Boom! Boom! Boom-te-boom!" rolled the solemn drums, and Scalawag in a
sort of decorous dance, keeping perfect time, insisted upon following
the procession.

"My goodness me, Sammy Pinkney!" gasped Tess. "This is awful!
Everybody's laughing at us! _Can't_ you turn him around?"

"Oh, dear! He won't turn around, or do anything else, till that band
stops," declared Sammy. "This is what Neale meant. He thinks he's in the
circus again and that he must march to the music."

"I do declare," murmured Dot, "this pony of ours is just as hard to make
_stop_ as Mrs. Heard's Jonas-pony is hard to make _go_. I wish it was
Jonas we had here now, don't you, Tess? He'd be glad to stop."

"And Ruthie told us to come right back 'cause there's going to be
ice-cream, and we can scrape the paddles," moaned Tess. "Dear me! we'll
be a _nawful_ long time going out to this fun'ral!"

The situation was becoming tragic. The thought of the pleasures of
scraping the ice-cream freezer paddles was enough to make Sammy turn to
desperate invention for release.

"Here, Tess," he commanded. "You hold these reins and don't you let 'em
get under Scalawag's heels."

"Oh, Sammy! what are you going to do?" queried Tess excitedly, but
obeying him faithfully.

"I'm going to slide out behind and run around and stop him."

"Oh, Sammy! You can't!" Dot cried. "He'll just walk right over you. See
him!"

Everybody along the street was laughing now. It really was a funny sight
to see that solemnly stepping pony right behind the line of carriages.
Sammy would not be deterred. He scrambled out of the phaeton and ran
around to Scalawag's head.

"Whoa! Stop, you old nuisance!" ejaculated the boy, seizing the bridle
and trying to halt the pony.

But the latter knew his business. He had been taught to keep up his
march as long as the band played. If it had suddenly changed to a lively
tune, Scalawag would have stood right up on his hind legs and pawed the
air!

Therefore, the pony had no idea of stopping while the band played on. He
pushed ahead and Sammy had to keep stepping backward or be trod on. It
was a funny sight indeed to see the small boy try to hold back the fat
pony that plowed along just as though Sammy