reason. That’s stealing, Andi! You can’t take material that somebody paid good money for and cut it up for fun.”
“It wasn’t for fun,” Andi said. “It was for Friday. She’s a new mother. She needs to have pretty things around her. Besides, Aunt Alice was never going to make anything out of that. I’m sure she wasn’t. She hasn’t sewed a single thing since we’ve been living with her.”
“How could she when you’re sleeping in the sewing room?” Bruce reminded her. “It can’t be the greatest thing for the old lady, having a family land on top of her like this. I bet she’s counting the days until she can have her house to herself again and sew like crazy.”
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Andi said decidedly. “I bet she got that material on sale without having any use for it. She’s probably been looking at it ever since, just wishing it wasn’t there.”
“Why did you use it on just one window?” Tim asked her.
“Because that window’s on the side of the house where the bushes are. If I’d done the front one,people could have seen the curtains from the street.” Andi turned pleadingly to her brother. “You do think they look nice, don’t you, Bruce?”
“It’s not a question of whether they look nice,” Bruce said. “The thing is, you’ve cut up something that doesn’t belong to you. You’re going to have to replace that material, Andi. You can’t just
take
things, even for Friday.”
“You took Red,” Andi muttered. “That’s stealing too, isn’t it? I bet a dog like Red Rover costs a lot more than some old cloth.”
“That’s different,” Bruce said defensively. “I took Red for his own sake.”
He paused as the logical part of his mind fought with his feelings. Red Rover was a valuable dog, of that there was no question. Mr. Gordon undoubtedly had paid a good price for him when he bought him for Jerry.
“I’ll pay them,” he said now, after a moment of consideration. “I’ll find out how much a good Irish setter costs, and I’ll save up the money and pay it. I’ll leave it in an envelope in the Gordons’ mailbox.”
“It looks like this hotel is getting to be an expensive operation,” Tim remarked. “What about food? How are you paying for that?”
“I’ve been taking table scraps,” Andi said. “Bruce thinks that won’t work much longer.”
“It sure won’t after today,” Bruce said. “Not after the way you copped out on cleaning the kitchen. From now on you’re going to have Mom or Aunt Alice standing over you every time you pick up a dish towel.”
“I’ve seen how Red Rover eats,” Tim said. “You’ll never take care of him with table scraps. It’s going to have to be dog food, and plenty of it. I guess we’ll just have to go to work and start earning.”
“We?”
Bruce said. “This isn’t your responsibility. It’s Andi and I who got ourselves into the hotel business.”
“Well, I’d like to be a partner,” Tim said. “That is, if you want me. I’ve never had a dog of my own. This way I can be part owner of five of them.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Having Tim Kelly as part of the hotel staff was nice for Bruce, but it took Andi only a short time to discover that she did not like it at all.
“I wish he had never stuck his nose in,” she grumbled.
“You’re nuts,” Bruce told her. “Tim’s cool. Look how much he’s helping us! We never could have managed to keep Red in dog food if Tim hadn’t found him and me after-school jobs.”
“Friday doesn’t like him,” Andi said. “She knows he isn’t used to dogs. It upsets her to have him tramping in to look at her puppies.”
This was completely untrue, and both of them knew it. Friday was a proud mother and delighted to show off her puppies to anyone, including Red Rover. The thing Andi really resented was the fact that she no longer was able to run thingsexactly as she wanted. Until now, she and Bruce had been equal partners, with Andi actually holding the
“It wasn’t for fun,” Andi said. “It was for Friday. She’s a new mother. She needs to have pretty things around her. Besides, Aunt Alice was never going to make anything out of that. I’m sure she wasn’t. She hasn’t sewed a single thing since we’ve been living with her.”
“How could she when you’re sleeping in the sewing room?” Bruce reminded her. “It can’t be the greatest thing for the old lady, having a family land on top of her like this. I bet she’s counting the days until she can have her house to herself again and sew like crazy.”
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Andi said decidedly. “I bet she got that material on sale without having any use for it. She’s probably been looking at it ever since, just wishing it wasn’t there.”
“Why did you use it on just one window?” Tim asked her.
“Because that window’s on the side of the house where the bushes are. If I’d done the front one,people could have seen the curtains from the street.” Andi turned pleadingly to her brother. “You do think they look nice, don’t you, Bruce?”
“It’s not a question of whether they look nice,” Bruce said. “The thing is, you’ve cut up something that doesn’t belong to you. You’re going to have to replace that material, Andi. You can’t just
take
things, even for Friday.”
“You took Red,” Andi muttered. “That’s stealing too, isn’t it? I bet a dog like Red Rover costs a lot more than some old cloth.”
“That’s different,” Bruce said defensively. “I took Red for his own sake.”
He paused as the logical part of his mind fought with his feelings. Red Rover was a valuable dog, of that there was no question. Mr. Gordon undoubtedly had paid a good price for him when he bought him for Jerry.
“I’ll pay them,” he said now, after a moment of consideration. “I’ll find out how much a good Irish setter costs, and I’ll save up the money and pay it. I’ll leave it in an envelope in the Gordons’ mailbox.”
“It looks like this hotel is getting to be an expensive operation,” Tim remarked. “What about food? How are you paying for that?”
“I’ve been taking table scraps,” Andi said. “Bruce thinks that won’t work much longer.”
“It sure won’t after today,” Bruce said. “Not after the way you copped out on cleaning the kitchen. From now on you’re going to have Mom or Aunt Alice standing over you every time you pick up a dish towel.”
“I’ve seen how Red Rover eats,” Tim said. “You’ll never take care of him with table scraps. It’s going to have to be dog food, and plenty of it. I guess we’ll just have to go to work and start earning.”
“We?”
Bruce said. “This isn’t your responsibility. It’s Andi and I who got ourselves into the hotel business.”
“Well, I’d like to be a partner,” Tim said. “That is, if you want me. I’ve never had a dog of my own. This way I can be part owner of five of them.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Having Tim Kelly as part of the hotel staff was nice for Bruce, but it took Andi only a short time to discover that she did not like it at all.
“I wish he had never stuck his nose in,” she grumbled.
“You’re nuts,” Bruce told her. “Tim’s cool. Look how much he’s helping us! We never could have managed to keep Red in dog food if Tim hadn’t found him and me after-school jobs.”
“Friday doesn’t like him,” Andi said. “She knows he isn’t used to dogs. It upsets her to have him tramping in to look at her puppies.”
This was completely untrue, and both of them knew it. Friday was a proud mother and delighted to show off her puppies to anyone, including Red Rover. The thing Andi really resented was the fact that she no longer was able to run thingsexactly as she wanted. Until now, she and Bruce had been equal partners, with Andi actually holding the
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