than to be with
them. So he stood very still, just hanging his tongue out of his mouth,
as the day was hot, while Laddie and Russ tied the cord around him. Then
they fastened the ends to the express wagon, tying a number of knots.

"We've got to have lines to drive him with," said Laddie. "Else we can't
guide him the way we want him to go."

"Yes, I'll make some lines," said Russ. He tied two strings around the
neck of Alexis, one for the left-hand side and the other for the right.

"I can't put a bit in his mouth, as I could if he was a horse," said
Russ, "'cause Alexis holds his mouth open so much, to cool off his
tongue, that the bit would fall out."

"That's right," said Laddie. "Anyhow, we don't want a bit. Now can we
have a ride?"

"I guess so," said Russ.

There was quite a collection of strings tied around Alexis and made fast
to the little express wagon.

"We'll get in now," said Russ, when he had the cord reins in his hands,
"and we'll drive around the walk where Rose and Vi are playing with
their dolls," for the two girls were having a party, with cookies and
sugar water, which had been given to them by Parker.

Into the wagon got Russ and Laddie. Alexis, harnessed to the little
wagon, turned his head to look at them, as if to make sure they were all
right.

"Gid-dap!" called Russ, as he would to a horse.

"Bow-wow!" barked the dog, meaning, perhaps: "I will!"

Then he started to walk off.

Now, when I tell you that Alexis was a big, strong dog, and that Laddie
and Russ in the express wagon made quite a heavy load, and when I say
that the string harness was not very strong, you can easily imagine what
happened. Alexis had not taken more than two steps before----

Snap! went the string harness, and it broke in several places.

"Whoa! Whoa!" called Russ. "Whoa there, Alexis!"

But Alexis never "whoaed" a bit. He kept on walking, and he walked right
off with the bits of the string harness clinging to him, leaving the
express wagon with the two little boys in it on the walk at the side of
the house.

"Come on back and give us a ride!" called Laddie.

"I guess we'll have to make a stronger harness," said Russ with a laugh.

"I guess so, too," agreed Laddie.

Anyhow, Alexis didn't come back. Just outside Aunt Jo's fence he saw
another dog which he knew, and he ran up to have a "talk" with him, in
bow-wow language, of course.

"Well, we didn't get a ride," said Laddie.

"No," agreed Russ,