He afforded much sport to the boys, who would gather around him, and give him words by the dozen to spell.

The readiness and ingenuity with which he would mis-spell the most simple words, was quite amusing to them.

He never hesitated, nor stopped to think, but always spelt the given word in his peculiar way, just as promptly as though he did it according to a rule which he perfectly understood.
One Saturday afternoon, as Oscar and Alfred were looking about the stable, Andy suddenly made his appearance, and asked them for a bit of tobacco.

Both of the boys, by the way, wished to be considered tobacco-chewers, and usually carried a good-sized piece of the vile weed in their pockets, though it must be confessed that the little they consumed was rather for appearance sake, than because they liked it.
They also smoked occasionally, for the same reason.
"You must spell us a word or two, first," said Alfred, in reply to Andy's request.
"No, I can't stop--got important business to negotiate," replied Andy.
"Yes, you must," continued Alfred; "spell fun." "P-h-u-g-n," said Andy.
"Spell hotel," continued Alfred.
"H-o-e-t-e-l-l-e." "Spell calculate," said Oscar.
"K-a-l-k-e-w-l-a-i-g-h-t--there, that 'll do," continued Andy.
"No, spell one more word--spell tobacco, and you shall have it," added Alfred.
"T-o-e-b-a-c-k-k-o-u-g-h--now hand over the 'baccy.'" "I have n't got any--have you, Oscar ?" said Alfred Oscar fumbled in his pockets, but there was none to be found.
"You mean, contemptible scalliwags!" exclaimed Andy, "why did n't you tell me that before?
You catch me in that trap again, if you can!" and he walked off in a passion, amid the laughter of Oscar and Alfred.
"Let's go and see the pups, Alf," said Oscar, after they had got done laughing over the joke they had played upon Andy.
Alfred's step-father had a fine dog of the hound species, with a litter of cunning little pups.

A bed had been made for her and the little ones in a corner of the yard, adjoining the stable, with a rough covering to shelter them from wind and storms.