The Mystery of the Man in the Tall Black Hat (13 page)

“That’s a good idea,” Tod agreed and was glad when he saw Barney smile.

The sky was still gray and the wind was blowing when the four left the house, but the rain had stopped. They decided to check on the polliwogs before going over to Barney’s. MacDuff followed excitedly as they went around to the woodshed. The water in the pond was murky, reflecting the dullness of the sky.

Tod adjusted the clamp on the hose so that water flowed into the pool. The polliwogs darted about while the foursome watched them. They had grown fat, and several definitely had legs.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we had some frogs pretty soon,” commented Tod as they turned to go. “Some of their tails seem to be shrinking.”

A few minutes later Tricia, Donna, and Tod stood at the foot of the steps at Sebastians’ house while Barney went to the door. He was careful to wipe his feet on the mat and then turned the doorknob and went inside. Tod held his breath wondering what would happen when Barney asked his parents about MacDuff. He expected to hear some yelling from inside the house, but a few minutes later Barney appeared followed by his mother and dad.

MacDuff pulled away from Tod and dashed up the steps. Barney was hugging him and telling him to get down at the same time. Tod noticed that Mrs. Sebastian was smiling. He wondered why she didn’t look happy more often. Mr. Sebastian didn’t look either happy or angry. He just had a blank expression on his face. They stood in the doorway for a minute and then went back inside and closed the door behind them.

“What happened? What happened?” exclaimed Donna.

“I can keep him. They said I could keep him as long as he doesn’t get in the house or bother anything.”

“That’s going to be a big job, Barney,” said Tod. He realized that even this was more than he had hoped for.

“You know something, Tod,” Barney said. Tod noticed his cheeks were glowing and his dark eyes sparkling. “God
does
answer prayer!”

Tod nodded his head. “I know that, Barn. I’m the one who told
you!
”