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one.”
    â€œWhat is his name?” asked Pat.
    â€œI call him just Dog,” responded Mr. Tillytuck. And Just Dog he remained during his entire sojourn at Silver Bush.
    â€œA bit too glib wid yer tongue, Mister Tillytuck,” thought Judy. But she only said,
    â€œAnd what may yer mind be in regard to cats?”
    â€œOh,” said Mr. Tillytuck, who seemed quite contented with a whiff of his pipe between speeches, “I have a feeling for cats, Miss Plum. When I wandered in here the other morning I thought I’d like the people here because there was a cat on the windowsill. It’s a kind of instink with me. So thinks I to myself, ‘This place has got a flavor. I could do with a job here.’ And how right I was!”
    â€œWhere might your last place be?”
    â€œOn a fox farm down South Shore way. No names mentioned. I’ve been there three years. Got on well…liked it well…till the old missus died and the boss married again. I couldn’t pull with the new one at all. Everything on the table bought and only enough to keep the worms quiet at that. A terrible tetchie old woman. Ye couldn’t mention the weather to her but she’d quarrel with ye over it. Seemed to take it as a personal insult if you didn’t like the day. Then she picked on Dog right along. ‘Even a dog has some rights, woman,’ I told her. ‘You and me ain’t going to click,’ I told her. ‘I’m rather finnicky as to the company I keep,’ I told her. ‘My dog is better company than a contentious woman,’ I told her. ‘I’m nobody’s slave,’ I told her…and give notice. When I can’t stay in a place without quarreling with the folks I just mosey along. Likely I’ll be here quite a while. Looks like a snug harbor to me. This arm-chair just fits my kinks. I’ve had my ups and downs. Escaped from the Titanic for one thing.”
    â€œOh!” Cuddles and Pat were all eyes and ears. This was exciting. Judy gave her soup a vicious swirl. Was she to have a rival in the story telling art?
    â€œYes, I escaped,” said Mr. Tillytuck, “by not sailing in her.” He put his pipe back into his mouth and emitted a rumble which they were to learn he called laughter.
    â€œOh, oh, so that do be your idea of a joke,” thought Judy. “I’m getting yer measure, Mister Tillytuck.”
    â€œNot but what I’ve had my tragedies,” resumed Mr. Tillytuck. He rolled up his sweater sleeve and showed a long white scar on his sinewy arm. “A leopard gave me that when I was a tamer in a circus in the States in my young days. Ah, that was the exciting life. I have a peculiar power over animals. No animal,” said Mr. Tillytuck impressively, “can look me in the eye.”
    â€œOh, oh, and are ye married?” persisted Judy remorselessly.
    â€œNot by a jugful!” exclaimed Mr. Tillytuck, so explosively that everyone jumped, even Gentleman Tom. Then he subsided into mildness again. “No, I’ve neither wife nor progeny, Miss Plum. I’ve often tried to get married but something always prevented. Sometimes everyone was willing but the girl herself. Sometimes nobody was willing. Sometimes I couldn’t get the question out. If I hadn’t been such a temperance man I might have been married many a time. Needed something to loosen my tongue.”
    Mr. Tillytuck winked at Pat and Pat had a horrible urge to wink back at him. Really, some people did have a queer effect on you.
    â€œI’ve always thought nobody understood me quite as well as I understood myself,” resumed Mr. Tillytuck. “It isn’t likely I’ll ever marry now. But while there’s life there’s hope.” This time it was at Judy he winked and Judy felt that she was not half as “mad” as she should be. She gave her soup a final stir and stood up briskly.
    â€œWud ye be jining us in a