He abandoned this at once, however, to race
beside or behind or before the wagon, and to help in the pulling by
laying hold of any of the children's dresses that came most readily
within reach of his jaws.
The ride became a romp, for the pup was barking, the wheels were
creaking, and the three small girls were crying out and laughing at the
tops of their voices. They drew their royal coach through every room
in the house--which rooms were five in number--and then began anew.
Back and forth and up and down they hastened, the pup and tiny
Skeezucks growing more and more delighted as their lively little
friends alternately rearranged him, kissed him, crept on all fours
beside him, and otherwise added adornments to the pageant. In an
outburst of enthusiasm, Tintoretto made a gulp at the off hind-wheel of
the wagon, and, sinking his teeth in the wood thereof, not only
prevented its revolutions, but braced so hard that the smallest girl,
who was pulling at the moment, found herself suddenly stalled. To her
aid her two sturdy little sisters darted, and the three gave a mighty
tug, to haul the pup and all.
But the unexpected happened. The wheel came off. The pup let out a
yell of consternation and turned a back somersault; the three little
Stowes went down in a heap of legs and heads, while the wagon lurched
abruptly and gave the tiny passenger a jolt that astonished him
mightily.
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