"And he would have eaten that tramp up, if he'd gotten hold of him," Agnes declared, as they gathered at the breakfast table.
"Oh, no, Aggie; I don't think Tom Jonah would really have _bitten_ that Gypsy man," Tess hastened to say. "But he might have grabbed his coat and held on."
"With those jaws--I guess he would have held on," sighed Agnes.
"Anyway," said Dot, "he saved Ruthie's hens. Didn't he, Ruthie?"
"I'll gladly pay his license fee if he wants to stay with us," said Ruth, gaily.
The cornmeal muffins chanced to be a little over-baked that morning; at least, one panful was. Dot did not like "crusts"; she had been known to hide very hard ones under the edge of her plate.
She played with one of these muffin crusts more than she ate it, and Aunt Sarah Maltby (who was a very grim lady indeed with penetrating eyes and a habit of seldom speaking) had an accusing eye upon the little girl.
"Dorothy," she said, suddenly, "you will see the time, I have no doubt, when you will be hungry for that crust. You had better eat it now like a nice girl."
"Aunt Sarah, I really do not want it," said Dot, gravely. "And--and if I don't, do you think I shall really some day be hungry for just _this_ pertic'lar crust?"
"You will. I expect nothing less," snapped Aunt Sarah. "The Kenways was allus spend-thrifts. Why! when I was your age, Dorothy, I was glad to get dry bread to eat!"
Dot looked at her with serious interest. "You must have been awfully poor, Aunt Sarah," she said, sympathetically. "You have a much better time living with us, don't you?"
Ruth shook her head admonishingly at the smallest girl; but for once Aunt Sarah was rather nonplussed, and nobody heard her speak again before she went off to church.
Neale came over later, dressed for Sunday school, and he was as much interested in the new boarder at the Corner House as the girls themselves.
"If he belongs anywhere around Milton, somebody will surely know about him," said the boy. "I'll make inquiries. Wherever he comes from, he must be well known in that locality."
"Because of what it says on his collar," laughed Neale O'Neil.
"Because of what it _doesn't_ say, I guess," explained Ruth, seeing her sister's puzzled face. "There is no name of owner, or license number. Do you see?"