As he
spoke he played with the tennis ball upon his racket, and concluded by
striking the ball high into the air. Its course was not true; and it
descended far over toward the orchard, where Herbert ran to catch
it--but he was not quick enough. At the moment the ball left the racket
Gammire abandoned his prayers: his eyes, like a careful fielder's,
calculating and estimating, followed the swerve of the ball in the
breeze, and when it fell he was on the correct spot. He caught it.

Herbert shouted. "He caught it on the _fly_! It must have been an
accident. Here----" And he struck the ball into the air again. It went
high--twice as high as the house--and again Gammire "judged" it;
continuously shifting his position, his careful eyes never leaving the
little white globe, until just before the last instant of its descent he
was motionless beneath it. He caught it again, and Herbert whooped.

Gammire brought the ball to him and invited him to proceed with the
game. That there might be no mistaking his desire, Gammire "sat up" and
prayed; nor did he find Herbert anything loth. Out of nine chances
Gammire "muffed" the ball only twice, both times excusably, and
Florence once more flung her arms about the willing performer.

"_Who_ do you s'pose trained this wonderful, darling doggie?" she cried.

Mrs. Silver shook her marvelling head. "He mus' 'a' _come_ thataway,"
she said. "I bet nobody 't all ain' train him; he do whut he want to
hisse'f. That Gammire don' ast nobody to train him."

"Oh, goodness!" Florence said, with sudden despondency. "It's awful!"

"Whut is?"

"To think of as lovely a dog as this having to face grandpa!"

"'Face' him!" Kitty Silver echoed forebodingly. "I reckon you' grampaw
do mo'n dess 'face' him."

"That's what I mean," Florence explained. "I expect he's just brute
enough to drive him off."

"Yes'm," said Mrs. Silver. "He git madder ev'y time somebody sen' her
new pet. You' grampaw mighty nervous man, an' everlas'n'ly do hate
animals."

"He hasn't seen Gammire, has he?"

"Don't look like it, do it?" said Kitty Silver. "Dog here yit."

"Well, then I----" Florence paused, glancing at Herbert, for she had
just been visited by a pleasant idea and had no wish to share it with
him. "Is Aunt Julia in the house?"

"She were, li'l while ago."

"I want to see her about somep'n I ought to see her about," said
Florence. "I'll be out in a minute."

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

She ran into the h