Brother and Sister | Page 9

one side and out rolled the fattest brown and white collie puppy dog
you ever saw!
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" shrieked Brother and Sister together. "What a perfectly
dear little puppy!"
"He's yours, Brother," said Ralph, smiling like the dear big brother he
was. "Yours to take care of and love, and to name."
"Hasn't he any name?" asked Brother, hugging the fat puppy, who
seemed to like it and tried to say so with his little red tongue. "I don't
know what to name a puppy dog."
"Call him 'Brownie,'" suggested Sister, down on her knees on the floor,
watching the dog with shining eyes. "I think that is a nice name."
"So do I," agreed Brother.
"I do, too," said Ralph. "And now you must get dressed if you are not
to be late for breakfast; and I must go down now--I have to take an
earlier train in."
"Won't you come to the party?" begged Sister, as Ralph stood up to go.

"Don't believe I'll be home in time," he answered. "But you can tell me
all about it and that will be almost as nice."
Mother Morrison came in to help them dress and she kissed Brother six
times because it was his birthday. He wore a new blue sailor suit, and
Sister put on her next-to-the-best hair-ribbon in his honor.
"I like birthdays," sighed Brother, slipping into his seat at the breakfast
table and eyeing the little heap of bundles at his plate with great delight.
"Look at my puppy dog, Dick."
"Well, that is a nice pup," admitted Dick, putting down his paper.
"Have you named him yet?"
"Name's Brownie--Betty thought of it," replied Brother. "Can he have
cereal, Mother? And Daddy wrote on this box, didn't he?" The little
boy picked up a box wrapped in paper,
"Now just a minute," said Mother Morrison firmly. "The dog can't eat
at the table, dear; put him down until you have finished breakfast. I
don't want you to open the parcels, either, until you have had your milk
and cereal. But those two on top you may open --they are from Daddy
and Dick and they're going to leave in ten minutes."
Brother opened the two packages eagerly. That from Daddy Morrison
was a little wooden block and a set of rubber type with an ink- pad, so
that Brother might play at printing. He knew his letters and, if someone
helped him, could spell a number of words. Dick's parcel contained a
little silver collar for the new puppy, so made that it could be made
larger for him as he grew.
"Oh, Dick!" Brother flung himself upon that pleased young man and
kissed him heartily. Somehow Brother seldom kissed Dick, although he
loved him dearly. "It's the nicest collar!"
"All right, all right," said Dick hastily. "Glad you like it. Coming,
Dad?"

Brother had to thank Daddy Morrison for his gift and kiss him
good-bye, and then the interrupted breakfast went on. As soon as they
had all finished, they gathered around Brother to watch him open his
birthday gifts.
CHAPTER VII
MORE PRESENTS
"With so many birthdays in one family, we must not give elaborate or
expensive presents ever," Mother Morrison had once said, and she had
made that a rule.
So Brother's presents, while representing a great deal of beautiful love,
were simple and mostly home-made.
Louise had made him an entire set of new sails for his ship Swallow;
Grace had cleverly painted and cut out a set of paper soldiers, and set
them in tiny wooden blocks so that they stood upright; Jimmie's present
was a set of little garden tools; Molly brought in a gingerbread man,
very wide and tall and most handsomely decorated with pink sugar
icing. And Mother Morrison gave him a box of watercolor paints and a
painting book.
Just as Brother had unwrapped the last of his gifts, dear Grandmother
Hastings hurried in. Under her arm she carried a large square box, and
her eyes twinkled as she set it down.
"For the birthday boy!" she said.
"A toolchest!" shouted Brother in delight. "Look, Grandma, Ralph gave
me a puppy!"
"I hope you said 'thank you!' just like that!" laughed Grandmother, as
Brother hugged her so tightly she could scarcely get her breath. "Let
me give you six kisses, dearie. Why, Brother, what is the matter?"
"I never said 'thank you' at all," mourned Brother. "Did I, Sister? And

Ralph gave me such a nice puppy dog."
"But you can say 'thank you' tonight, can't he, Grandma?" protested
Sister loyally.
"Why, of course, dear. Don't worry, Brother--Ralph knew you were
very happy to have the doggie. Now come and tell me what you are
going to call him."
There were many things to be done to get ready