Part 21 (1/2)
”Why did you say you did?” asked Dorothy.
”Just to plague Alice. But I won't do it again. Ugh! that was nasty stuff she gave me. That's what she'd give me if I _was_ p'izened. I don't want to be p'izened,” declared the little fellow, frankly.
”And you don't want to say what isn't so, either, eh?” queried Dora.
”We-ell,” said Master Tommy, slowly, ”lots of things that _ain't_ so, is better than them that _are_ so. There's fairy stories.”
”Quite right,” said Dora, quickly. ”But there's nightmares, too--bad dreams, you know. They are not so, but they aren't pleasant to dream, are they?”
”Oh, no!” cried Tommy. ”And I had a turrible bad dream--onct! And I was scart--yes, sir! And Billy heard me crying and he took me out of my crib and took me into bed with him.”
Alice smiled. ”I remember Tommy told about that. He said the cats got to fighting and were scratching and biting him.”
”And Billy woked me up and took me to bed with him,” said Tommy, placidly. ”I wish Billy would come home again.”
”When did this happen?” asked Dorothy, quickly, trying to turn the conversation from an unpleasant topic, as Alice's eyes filled with tears.
”Just the other night,” said Tommy.
”But Billy's been away two weeks.”
”It was jes' afore he went-ed away.”
”It wasn't long before Billy went,” agreed Alice, nodding.
”I know when!” cried Tommy. ”It was the night afore I felled and sc.r.a.ped my knee on the doorstep.”
”Why, Tommy!” cried his sister, springing out of her chair. ”Are you sure of that?”
”Yes'm. I be sure,” declared Tommy. ”I dreamed the cats were scratchin'
me; an' then that very nex' mornin' the old doorstep scratched me!”
cried the small boy.
Alice turned to her visitors, her face pale in her earnestness.
”Oh, girls!” she cried. ”I remember that night of Tommy's dream very well. He hurt his knee on Wednesday--the morning following the burglary.
Billy took Tommy into bed with him before midnight, and they slept together all night. Doesn't that prove that Billy was not out of the house on the night of the burglary? Doesn't it?”
Dora and Dorothy looked at each other, and each slowly shook her head.
”Do you suppose the police would accept Tommy's testimony?” Dora asked, sadly.
CHAPTER XVI
THE CANOE RACE
The twins were very sorry for Alice and the other Longs and they did not believe the absent Billy guilty as charged; but who in authority would believe the testimony of such a little boy as Tommy? The fact that Billy had been at home, and in his bed, all the night of the burglary at Stresch & Potter's store was established in the minds of Billy's friends only.
The twins saw Chet Belding on the way home and heard some news, after telling Billy's friend of what Tommy had said.