And they was all shouting and barking and
howling so vicious, that my heart stopped beating. For at first I
thought they was all enraged at my presuming to intrude, but after I
got in my place, they kept at it just the same, barking at every dog
as he come in; daring him to fight, and ordering him out, and asking
him what breed of dog he thought he was, anyway. Jimmy Jocks was
chained just behind me, and he said he never see so fine a show.
"That's a hot class you're in, my lad," he says, looking over into my
street, where there were thirty bull-terriers. They was all as white
as cream, and each so beautiful that if I could have broke my chain,
I would have run all the way home and hid myself under the horse-
trough.
All night long they talked and sang, and passed greetings with old
pals, and the home-sick puppies howled dismal. Them that couldn't
sleep wouldn't let no others sleep, and all the electric lights
burned in the roof, and in my eyes. I could hear Jimmy Jocks snoring
peaceful, but I could only doze by jerks, and when I dozed I dreamed
horrible. All the dogs in the hall seemed coming at me for daring to
intrude, with their jaws red and open, and their eyes blazing like
the lights in the roof.
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