 CHAPTER NINE OF DON A RUNAWAY DOG by R. BARNAM This LibriVox recording is in the public domain, recording by Tom Hirsch. CHAPTER NINE DON AND THE DOG-CATCHER Let him run! cried one of the boys who had tied the tin can on Don's tail when the dog was asleep. Look! He certainly can go! shouted the other boy. Let's see if we can't catch him. But Don was running too fast for any small boys to get hold of him, and those boys were not very large. Don was running as he had never run before, because he was so frightened. Never before had he had a can tied to his tail, and it bumped along after making such a noise, and the rope pinched him so that altogether Don was very much frightened. But it was only fun for the boys. They laughed and shouted to see Don try to get rid of the tin can. For after the first few minutes, Don did try to get rid of that bouncing, rattly-bang thing that seemed to follow him so closely. The dog sat down and, turning around, tried to pull the rope off his tail by his teeth, but the boys had tied it on too tightly to allow Don to get rid of it easily. Come on! Now we can catch him! cried one of the boys as he saw Don sitting down near a pile of shingles. The two boys went softly up toward the dog. I do not know what they would have done with him if they had caught him, but they did not get their hands on Don. He stopped gnawing at the rope long enough to look up, and he saw the boys. With a yelp, a growl, and a whine, all together, Don sprang up and ran on again. There he goes! cried one of the boys. Yes, head him off! You go one way and I'll go the other! shouted the second boy. Then we'll get him sure! Oh, what a lot of trouble I'm having, thought poor Don. How I wish I were back on the farm, and I wish Jack, that shaggy dog, was here to help me. I wonder where he went to? But Jack was far away, and Don had to fight his battle alone. Finally, as he was running around with the can on his tail, Don saw a little hole in the pile of lumber. If I can only crawl in there, he said, I'll hide from those boys. They can't get at me in there. Don made a dive for the hole. It was just large enough to let him crawl in. He hoped the tin can might catch on something and be pulled off his tail, but it did not. Inside his hiding-place, the can followed poor Don. Never mind, thought the tired and panting dog, if the can had caught on something and, if I had pulled too hard, I might pull my tail off also. That would be too bad. And, of course it would. You know that, as well as I do, without me telling you. But maybe when Jack comes back and these boys go away, I'll be able to get rid of this old tin can, thought Don. Maybe Jack can help me nod off. So Don crept further back into the hole under the lumber, and the boys could not get at him. They tried to, but they could not. They even poked sticks in the hole and threw stones in, but none of them hit Don. Finally one of the men who owned the lumber yard came out of his office and saw the boys bothering Don. The man called to them, I there you little fellas, run away in place somewhere else. Then the boys ran away and left Don alone. The man did not know there was a dog hiding under his lumber pile, but Don felt very kindly towards the man who had driven away the boys. Now if he would only help me get rid of this can on my tail, I'd be all right, thought Don. I wonder where Jack is. For some time Don stayed hiding under the lumber pile. His heart was not beating so fast now, though his tail still hurt him when the can was tied on, and he was hungry and thirsty, for he had eaten nothing since the night before. Don was just thinking it would be safe to come out of his hiding-place when he heard a dog barking, and he knew at once that it was his shaggy friend Jack. Though Jack's voice would have sounded to you and me only like, wow, wow, wow. To Don it said, Where are you? What has happened? Where are you hiding? Ah, wow, answered Don. Here I am. Oh, where have you been? Such a lot has happened since you went away and left me sleeping. There is a can tied to my tail. Poor fellow, said Jack to Don as the ladder crawled out. You have had a lot of trouble, haven't you? Never mind, I'll soon have that off your tail. And he did, gnawing the rope with his sharp teeth. Now I have a bone for you, went on, Jack. I left it in the place where we slept. It isn't a very good one, but it's the best one I could find this morning. Oh, that's a fine bone, said Don when he was hungrily gnawing it. At home he would hardly have looked twice at such a bone, for it had very little meat on it. But since he had run away he was glad enough to get almost anything. Where did you go? asked Don of Jack as the bone was finished, and Don began to feel thirsty. Oh, seeing that you were soundly asleep, I went out to look for breakfast, answered Jack. I did not think the boys would find you asleep. We must look for a new hiding place since they know where this one is. Now we'll see if it's all right to go get a drink down at the river. It isn't far. Jack looked out, but almost at once he drew in his head again. What's the matter? asked Don. There's a man out there, explained Jack. I don't want him to see us, or he might chase us. Don looked, and when he saw the man, he exclaimed, Why, he's a good man. He drove away the boys who were throwing stones at me. Then he didn't know you were there, said Jack. For he doesn't like dogs, and he won't have them in this lumberyard. We must wait until he goes away. So though Don would have liked to go up to the man and be padded on the head, he thought perhaps Jack knew best. Things are so different in the city from the country, said Don with a dog sigh. Indeed they are, barked Jack. Pretty soon the man went out of the lumberyard, and then Jack and Don could go down to the edge of the river, near the piles of boards, and get a drink of cool water. Oh, that's fine, cried Don. That's the best water I've had since I ran away. Yes, it is good, agreed Jack. That's why I have a place near it. We can't always get all we want to eat in the city, but water is not so hard to find. Now let's go and hunt up our dinner. But we just had breakfast, said Don. I know we did, spoke Jack as he washed his face with his paw, but we may have to hunt a long time for something more to eat, and then it will be dinner time. Once more Don thought how very different this was from his farm kennel. There, after he had had his breakfast, he could play around, or perhaps drive in a runaway pig, or go after the sheep or cows. He did not have to worry about his dinner, for he knew Bob, or someone, would bring it to him. But now Don had to go out and look for a bone in an ash can. Oh, it was very different. This day Don and Jack were lucky. Together, as they ran about the city streets, they found a large piece of meat which some cook had thrown out at the back door of a house. Oh, this will be fine, cried Jack. We'll take this to the lumberyard and put it in a new hiding place. There will be enough for dinner and supper, too. It was not a very good piece of meat, being old and tough, but it was just as good to those dogs as roast turkey would be to you. Jack took the meat in his mouth and started off with it. Keep a watch out for other dogs, he said to Don. They may try to take it away from us, and if they do, drive them off. I will, said Don, and he had to, several times. But Don was now a big dog, and he was braver and bolder than ever before. So when two or three dogs ran up, Don growled and showed his sharp teeth so that the other dogs were glad enough to run away. Jack picked out a new place under a pile of lumber, and there he and Don ate their dinner. They were feeling much better now, for there was enough meat left for their supper, and they could always get plenty of clean drinking water in the river. All running away isn't so bad after all, said Don that night, after the last of the meat had been eaten. I am beginning to like it now. Wait, advised Jack. This is only the beginning. Not always will we have such good luck as we had today. Jack was right. The next day they could find nothing to eat until late in the afternoon. Then it was only a small bone which they divided between them. It rained, too, and the water ran down through the lumber pile and got the dogs wet. But Don could not find his way home, having traveled so far in the freight car. He tried to get back to Bob, but he could not, and Jack could not help him. For several weeks Jack and Don lived together in the lumber pile, eating wet when they could. Sometimes other dogs would fight them and try to take away their bones, but Jack and Don were both strong and usually they kept what they found. Don could go off by himself now to find food, and one day as he was off thus, searching in different ash cans, he had a sad adventure. He had just found a nice bone in some clean ashes and was wiping it off on the grass when he saw two men running toward him. One of them had a long net on a pole, like the net Bob used for catching fish, and Don wondered what this was for. He soon found out. There's a stray dog! cried one of the men. Get him and we'll take him away! And the dog-catcher ran straight for Don. End of Chapter 9 Recording by Tom Hirsch Chapter 10 of Don A Runaway Dog by Richard Barnum This liver box recording is in the public domain. Recording by Tom Hirsch Chapter 10 Don's New Friend Poor Don did not know what to make of all this, but somehow he felt he was in danger, and with one more glance back over his shoulder, seeing the man with the net on the long pole still running after him, Don ran also, and faster than ever. This is queer, thought Don. I wonder what makes that man chase me, and does he think I am a fish that he tries to catch me in a net? But these men were not fishing for fish. They were fishing for dogs, and Don did not know what would happen if they caught him, so he ran faster and faster. Those men, you see, were hired to catch stray dogs that were not allowed to run loose about the streets in summer. The people feared the stray dogs would go mad and bite them, so they hired men with wagons and nets to catch them. Once the dogs were caught, they would be put in a pen, called a pound, and if, after a certain time the dog's master did not come and take him away, the poor dog would be killed. That is what they do to stray dogs in the city. Of course Don did not know all this, though his friend Jack had told him to be careful as he went about the streets. So now Don felt that there was some danger, and on and on he ran as fast as he could. Somehow Don could not run as fast and as far as he used to. On the farm, when he raced with Bob, Don always beat. But since he had run away, Don had not had as good things to eat as he had had on the farm, and he had not had as good a place to sleep in. So Don was not as strong and healthful as he had been. Why, I'm getting tired, panted poor Don as he raced on. He looked back over his shoulder. The man with the net was coming closer. There was another man following with a big black wagon. Can you get him? asked the man driving the black wagon. Yes, I'll have him in a minute, cried the man with the net. That'll make the wagon full and we'll take them all to the pound. You'll never take me there, not if I can help it, thought Don. He ran on, his red tongue hanging out of his mouth and his breath coming in gasps. He was thirsty too, but he saw no place to get a drink. Even if there had been a puddle of water, Don would not have dared stop to lap up any, for the dog-catcher was close to him, coming on and on. Oh, dear, thought Don. This is terrible. How much better I would have been had I stayed on the farm, no more running away from me. But Don was not at the end of his adventures, even yet. He gave one more glance backwards to see how close the man with the net was to him, and then something happened. Don stepped on a sharp piece of glass in the street and cut his foot. Not badly, but enough to make him limp, and then he could not run so fast. The piece of glass must have stuck in his foot, for Don could not step on it without it hurting him very much. He had to run on three legs. Now a dog cannot run as fast on three legs as he can on four, and Don had to go slower and slower. Now you can get him, cried the man on the wagon. Yes, I'll have him now, shouted the man with the net. Don tried to run on faster, but it was of no use. In a few minutes more he felt something hit him on the head. Then he was all tangled up in the meshes of the net, and he fell down, hurting his cut foot more than ever. Now I have you, cried the man with the net. He picked up Don, and as the wagon came up, tossed him into it. Instantly there was a chorus of barks and growls, for there were many other dogs in the wagon, and they did not seem to like Don. Who's coming in here now, growled one of the dogs in the catcher's wagon? Yes, weren't we crowded enough already? asked another. Oh well, it doesn't make much difference, snarled a third dog. We'll soon have room enough in the pound. I'm sorry to bother you, said Don, thinking it best to make friends with the stray dogs. But I did not come in here of my own accord. I was thrown in, interrupted a little white poodle dog in one corner of the wagon. That's it, you were thrown in. I saw you. That is right, I was thrown in, said Don. I'd gladly go out, if I could, and make more room for you. But I can't, and he looked at the dogs in the tightly closed door. Now you can't get out, growled the yellow dog who had said there would be more room soon. We'll just have to crowd up a little closer, that's all. But we'll soon have plenty of room to move about. You said that before, spoke the little poodle dog. How do you know? Because I've been there, was the answer. I was caught once before, just as I was this time, and taken to the pound. But a boy came and bought me, so I was allowed to go. I forgot to tell you that sometimes people who want a dog go to the pound, pick out one of those that have been caught and buy it, taking it away to give it a good home. I hope someone buys me, thought Don. I don't like this life living like a tramp, with no good place to sleep and no nice things to eat. The wagon rumbled on to the city pound, and there the dogs were allowed to go out and run about in the yard, all fenced in with wire. There were many other dogs there, little ones and big ones, nice ones, and some that were not so nice. Some of them snarled and barked, and some tried to get out, but could not. Oh, dear! cried one little poodle dog, whose silken hair showed that he was used to a good home. Oh, dear! I don't like it here. Oh, stop! he cried as a bigger dog tried to bite him. Here, you let him alone! growled on to the big dog. Why should I let him alone? asked the big dog, growling and showing his teeth. Because he's a friend of mine, said Don. Oh, well, answered the bad dog. In that case it's different. I didn't know he was a friend of yours. Of course I'll let him alone. You'd better, growled on. Of course the little dog was not really a friend of Don's, for he had never seen him before, but Don thought it best to speak that way, for he did not want to see the little dog hurt. And when the bad dog had gone off in a corner of the pound, the little silky poodle who had been in the same wagon with Don came up to him and said, It was very kind of you to take my part that way. I'm very much obliged to you. It was nice to tell him I was your friend, and he wagged his tail in a friendly fashion. Oh, that's all right, said Don as he limped to a shady place to lie down. End of Chapter 10 Recording by Tom Hirsch Chapter 11 of Don A Runaway Dog by Richard Barnum This LibriBox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Tom Hirsch Chapter 11 Don At A Party The little silky poodle dog followed Don, for the dogs in the pound were not very friendly toward one another, at least most of them were not. You would have thought, being all in trouble together, that they would be friendly and kind. But the big dogs pecked on the little ones, and the little ones snarled at the big ones, until there was so much noise that it sounded like a dozen dog fights going on at once. But Don and the little poodle dog did not quarrel. They seemed to be good friends from the start. Oh, have you hurt your foot? asked the poodle of Don. Yes, I stepped on some glass when the man with the net was chasing me, said Don. Oh, that's too bad, the other dog said. I'm so sorry. If you were at my house now, my little mistress would put some salve and a rag on your foot, and it would soon be well. Oh, dear, I wonder if ever I'll see her again, he sighed. See whom? asked Don. My little mistress, I belong to a little girl, the poodle explained. Why did you run away from her? asked Don. Run away, I didn't, cried the silky poodle. I went out on the front steps to get a breath of fresh air this morning, and when I stood there a bad boy came along, picked me up, and ran off with me. He wanted to take me away and sell me. I've often been stolen that way, said the poodle. I'm a very valuable dog, you know. You really have been stolen and carried away? asked Don in surprise. Oh, yes, answered the poodle. Then my little mistress or her father would put an advertisement in the paper, saying that whoever had taken me away could have some money if I were brought back, and I would then be taken home. So when this boy grabbed me up off the stoop, I thought I was stolen again. But a policeman saw the boy take me, and the policeman ran after him, so the boy dropped me and ran, and I got lost trying to find my way home again. Then the dog-catcher came and took me in his wagon. Oh, dear, it's too bad. Were you ever taken away like that? he asked Don. No, no, answered Don. I ran away. Ran away! exclaimed the poodle. Why did you do that? Didn't they treat you kindly? Did they whip you? Oh, no, said Don. My master Bob was very kind to me. I was never whipped, but I wanted to have some adventures, so I ran away. Did you have any adventures? asked the poodle, whose name was Rex. Many of them, replied Don. This is one. I wonder if we shall ever get out of here. Oh, I think so, answered the poodle. My little mistress or her father is sure to come looking for me. Well, I wish someone would come for me, or that I could find my way back to the farm, said Don, sadly enough. I'd never run away again. Never. It was not all that nice in the dog-pound. There was water to drink, but it was not clean, and it was very warm, for the sun shone on it all day long, and there was hardly anything to eat. Once in a while some scraps of food were thrown into the dogs, but there were so many of them, and they were so fierce and strong, the most of them, the little dogs like Rex, and lame dogs like Don, got nothing at all. And I am so hungry, whined Rex. I would just like to have some nice chicken bones now, wouldn't you, Don? I'd be glad to have even a dry crust of bread, said Don, sadly. His foot paint him more than ever now, and he could walk about only a little, and very slowly. I am so sorry for you, said Rex. When my little mistress comes for me, I know she'll help you. Maybe she'll take you home when she takes me. Oh, I couldn't expect that, said Don. But I would be glad if I were back in the hole in the lumber pile with my friend Jack. I thought that was bad enough after my nice kennel, but I would be glad of it now. I wouldn't like to live that way, said Rex. Did you have a blue silk cushion to sleep on when you were home? he asked. No, said Don. But I had some nice clean straw. I like that better than a cushion, but now I am going over and get some of that water. Even if it is warm and muddy, I must drink it. And I'll have to take some, too, said Rex. But I wish I had some nice, cool, clean water out of my little white dish at home. Even dogs cannot have what they want, especially if they run away or get lost. So Don and Rex had to make the best of what they could get. Don and his new friend Rex had to stay in the pound several days. Each day they liked it less and less, for they grew hungrier and hungrier. They saw several of the dogs taken away by those who owned them, but no one came for Rex, and of course no one came for Don, for Bob did not know where his pet was, and the little mistress of Rex did not seem to think of looking in the pound for him. Many, many times in those days spent in the pound Don wished over and over again that he had never run away from Bob. Those were happy days, sighed Don. He even wished for the time he had spent with Jack, the stray dog. But Jack was more lucky than Don. He had not been caught and taken to the pound. I don't see why someone doesn't come for me, said Rex, one day, as he and Don were talking together in one corner of the pound. Don's foot was growing better now. Perhaps they may come today, said Don. I hope so, spoke Rex. I need a bath very much. I like to be clean, and I am so hungry for a good meal and for some nice food to eat and cold water to drink. So am I, said Don, but I don't believe we shall get either very soon. However, good luck was coming to Don and Rex. It was the very same afternoon that they saw the gate of the pound open and the dog-catcher come in. With him was another man and a little girl. Here are some stray dogs, said the pound-keeper. Maybe your pet is in here, little girl. Rex gave one look at the visitors, and then he let out a joyful bark and wagged his tail very hard. What's the matter, asked Don. That's my little mistress come for me, barked Rex. Now I'll be taken home and cared for. I wish that was going to be my luck, said Don, sadly. Oh, wow! barked Rex running up to the little girl. She looked at him once and then she cried. Oh, Father, here he is. Here's my own Rex. I've found him again. And, all dirty as Rex was, the little girl picked him up in her arms and hugged him tightly. Oh, how happy Rex was! So that's your dog, asked the pound-keeper. Yes, I've found him, cried the little girl happily. So it is, Rex, said her father. I wonder how he got here. We found him on the street, said the pound-keeper. And we have to pick up all stray dogs, you know. I know, yes, said the little girl's father. But now we'll take Rex home with us, Alice. Oh, yes, Father, and I must give him a good wash. I think he is hungry, too. Look at how thin he is! He must have had a hard time, said the man patting Rex on the head. I wonder what has happened to him since he was taken away. Oh, if I could only tell you, thought Rex. But, of course, he could not speak man or girl talk. Then a little mistress of the silken poodle started out of the pound with him in her arms. But this did not suit Rex. He did not want to go away from Don that way. Poor Don felt very sad and alone as he saw his little friend being taken away while he had to stay in the pound. Rex struggled so hard that the little girl had to put him down. Why, Rex, what is it? she asked. Don't you want me to take you home and away from this place? Bah, wow! barked Rex, which meant, yes, thank you, of course I do, but I have a friend here. And he ran up to Don and stood so close to him that, in a minute, the little girl's father guessed what the little poodle dog meant. Your pet has made a friend while in the pound, said the man. See, Alice, he likes that big dog. Then Rex took hold of the shaggy hair of Don's leg, for that was as far up as he could reach. And he tried to pull Don toward Alice. Look, exclaimed the little girl. Oh, father, I believe Rex wants us to take that other dog with us. It does look so, spoke the man. I guess this big dog, whatever his name is, has been kind to Rex. Bah, wow! indeed he has, barked Rex. But, of course, Alice and her father could not understand his talk. They did understand his actions, however, for Rex did not seem to want to go away without Don. Oh, father, could we take him with us? asked Alice as she patted Don on his big head. He looked up at her with his big, kind, brown eyes. Well, yes, I suppose we could keep another dog, said the man. Only he is so big he'd have to stay out in the stable with the horses. You couldn't have him in the house as you do, Rex. Oh, please, let's take him home, begged Alice. All right, answered her father with a laugh. We'll take the big dog home, too, he said to the pound keeper. I am glad of it, said the pound keeper. I was sorry I had to bring that dog in, for he looks as if he has been in a good home. I'm glad you're taking him. So Don was led out of the pound, and he walked along beside the man while Alice carried Rex in her arms. Outside the dog pound was a big automobile. Alice and her father had come in that. See, James, cried Alice to the chauffeur. I have Rex back again. So I see, spoke the chauffeur. Hello, Rex. And he patted the poodle on the head, for he knew him well. Bow wow, barked Rex. Then to Don he said, Now we are all right. I'll have my blue silk cushion to sleep on, and we'll both have all we want to eat and good water to drink. Aren't you glad to come home with me? Yes, indeed I am, and thank you very much, said Don and his dog talk to Rex. But are we to ride in that auto, he asked. I never have been in one, though once one almost ran over me. Of course we are to ride in it, said Rex. I hardly ever walk. Jump in. If squinty the pig could only see me now, thought Don as he rode away with Rex. The first thing that happened to Don and Rex when they got to the place where the poodle dog lived was that they each had a nice bath. Rex, being so little, had his in the house. But Don got his scrubbing out in the automobile garage under a hose. And oh, how good it felt, the cool water splashing on him. Then he was dried in the warm sun and given a good meal. Now I am happy again, thought Don. But still, I would like to go back to the farm and my little master Bob. For several weeks Don lived in the barn back of the house where Rex had his home. Sometimes Don was taken into the house and allowed to play with Rex, for Rex was very fond of his big dog friend, and often Rex came out to the barn. One day Alice came out to the barn with a red ribbon in her hand. James, where is Don? she asked the chauffeur. What do you want with him, Miss Alice? asked the man who steered the auto. I want to tie this red ribbon on his neck to make him look pretty, she answered. I am having a party this afternoon, and I want Don to come to it a little while and do some of his tricks. He can do more tricks than Rex. Oh, there you are, Don! cried Alice as she saw the big dog. Come and have a nice ribbon tied on you, and then you may come to the party, she said. When the bow was fastened on his neck, Don was led into the house to the party. And a very wonderful thing happened there. CHAPTER XII Don did not know very much about parties, especially girls' parties. On the farm there had never been any parties, except for boys, and those were mostly fishing or nutting parties. Don never wore any ribbons to those. This party that Alice gave was quite different. Don was led into the parlor, and he saw many little girls sitting about, all wearing white dresses with sashes of different colored ribbons. Some of the sashes were almost as large as the little girls themselves. On the other side of the room were the boys, and they wore black suits and large white colors. Aha! thought Don. It must be Sunday the reason they are all dressed up so nicely, and that's why I have to wear a red ribbon. Yes, it must be Sunday. On the farm, you see, Don had seen Bob and the others put on different clothes for Sunday, and he thought it was that way now. But it was only Alice's party. Oh, what a lovely big dog! cried the girls, as Alice led Don in. Is he yours? We found him in the pound, answered Alice, and he can do tricks too. Alice had found this out soon after bringing Don to her home, and she and her father had put the dog through all the tricks that he could perform. Hello, Don! cried Rex, who was lying on a blue silk cushion. You want to behave your prettiest now, old chap? This is a party, you know. Yes, said Don, barking softly. He was afraid to bark too loudly for fear of knocking down some of the vases from the mantel. Now, Don, said Alice, show the girls and boys how you stand up on your hind legs. Don kindly did this trick for Alice, as he had been used to doing it for Bob. Then he did others, and the boys and girls clapped their hands and left. Then, when Don had finished his trick of marching around like a soldier dog with a broom for a gun, a boy, larger than any of the others at the party, came into the parlor. As soon as Alice saw him, she ran up to him, crying, Oh, cousin Bob! I was afraid you couldn't come. You live so far off in the country, but I'm awfully glad you came to my party. So am I, cousin Alice, said the big boy. I came on the train. I wouldn't miss one of your parties for anything. Why, you have a new dog, he exclaimed as he saw Don. Yes, answered Alice. I got him out of the pound where they had taken Rex, and then suddenly Alice stopped talking for her cousin Bob, who had come all the way from the country to her birthday party, stood looking at Don in a queer way. And Don was looking at Bob. Why, why, why, began Bob? That dog, he looks just like, Why, I believe it's my dog, Don, that ran away from the farm a long while ago, he cried. It's Don! Don was barking now. He did not care how many vases he jarred from the mantle. Now, wow, he barked. Of course I'm Don, and you're my master, Bob. I know you! He sprang toward the boy, and, rising up, put his paws on Bob's shoulders, licking his master's face and hands with his tongue. Oh, look! cried the boys and girls. It's another trick. No, this isn't a trick, said Bob. It's just that Don is glad to see me again, aren't you, old fellow? Don barked, whined, and wagged his tail, and tried to do a half dozen things at once. He was so glad to see Bob again. And Bob was so glad to get his pet dog back that he put his arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Oh, Don! cried Bob. Where have you been all these weeks? Of course Don could not tell, and Bob could only guess. And is he really your lost dog? asked Alice of Bob. He certainly is, answered Bob, laughing. But it is the strangest thing to find him at your party. Where did you get him? Then Alice told of how her pet Rex had been taken away, and how she had found him in the pound, and how Rex seemed to want Don to come home with him. And so we brought him and have kept him ever since, said Alice. But, of course, you can have him now, Bob. Thank you, said Bob. So it turned out that Don found his master again in a very strange way. And to think that I found Don this time, cried Bob. We missed him so at the farm. Squinty the pig runs out of his pen very often, and Don was the only one who could get him back. Yes, we need Don at the farm. Will you be glad to go back there, Don? asked Rex for the two dogs understood something of what was going on. Yes, I think I shall be glad to get back, answered Don. It was very nice here, of course, he said. And I like you very much, but I need room to run about. Someday I hope you will come to the country and see me. Perhaps I shall, said Rex. If I come I shall probably come in the automobile, though, and sleep on my blue silk cushion. I am so used to that. Then the party went on, Don doing more tricks for Bob, and how the other boys and girls laughed and clapped their hands. I wonder how I can get Don home, said Bob when the party was over, after the children had eaten ice cream and cake. You can ride to the farm in Father's automobile, said his cousin Alice, and Don can ride with you. That's how we brought him from the pound. That will be a good way, said Bob. The next day after Don had said goodbye to Rex, he was taken back to the farm in the automobile. Well, this is certainly better than running along on three legs, thought Don, whose sore foot was all well now. When they were halfway to the farm the automobile had to stop, because all the wind came out of one of the big tires. And James, the chauffeur man who steered the machine, had to get out to put on a new tire. While Bob and Alice, who rode with Bob carrying Rex in her arms, were waiting under the shade of a tree beside the road, they heard a bugle horn playing. What's that? cried Alice, soldiers. It sounds more like the horn of a fisherman, said Bob. But it was neither one. Don smelled a strange, wild animal smell in the air, like the one coming from the circus passing along the road, the day's squinty, the comical pig, had run away. Then a round of bend in the road came two men, one of them leading a big bear by a chain, and the other carrying the horn. Oh, it's a bear! cried Alice. I'm afraid. Don't be afraid, said Bob. It's only a tame train to bear. Don and Rex both barked at the bear. But to their surprise the bear spoke to them in animal language. Don't be afraid, the bear said kindly. I won't hurt anyone. I'm only going to do some tricks. And when the men spoke to him he turned somersaults, marched around like a soldier with a wooden gun, and climbed a telegraph pole. Isn't that a pretty good trick? asked the bear. It certainly is, said Don. I can do some tricks, but I can't climb telegraph poles. Oh, I can do other things too, said the bear. I have lots of fun going about the country with my masters. And in another book to be called Daito the Dancing Bear, I shall tell you what happened to the big shaggy creature. Soon the automobile tire was mended, and away went Bob and Alice again, with Don and Rex leaving Daito the bear sitting on the grass with the two men, eating a bun. A little later Don was back on the farm again, and everyone was glad to see him after all his adventures. And as soon as he could, Don ran out to see Squinty, the comical pig. Where in the world have you been, Don? asked Squinty. Oh, pretty, nearly all over, answered Don. Has anything happened here since I've been gone? Oh, I was bought by a boy, and I ran away, and I went up in a balloon, and I had many adventures, said Squinty. But I was glad to get back to the farm again. So am I, said Don, and then he went to look for a juicy bone. And so we will say goodbye to Don the Runaway Dog. End of Chapter 12, Recording by Tom Hirsch End of Don a Runaway Dog, His Many Adventures by Richard Barnum