 Chapter 1 of Don, A Runaway Dog. Don was one of five little puppies. With his brothers and sisters he cuddled up close to Mrs. Gerr, the mother dog to keep warm, for it was rather cool for little dogs, even though there was plenty of straw in the kennel or house where they lived. Don shivered and trembled, but when his mother put her soft, warm paw over him and the other little dogs, Don felt better. Don was such a little puppy that as yet his eyes were not open. I suppose they were made to stay closed until he grew to be a little stronger, for the sunlight was very bright outside of the kennel, and Don might have squinted had his eyes been open. But then Don and his brothers and sisters did not need to see much when they were so little. I can tell you everything that happens, said Mrs. Gerr, the mama dog. You little puppies just stay close together when I go out to get a bone or something else to eat, and you'll keep warm and nothing will happen to you. Hmm, um, um, wine Don. He really was the largest and strongest of the litter of puppies, and perhaps that is why he seemed to come first. What's that you're saying? asked his mother. For you know, doggies have a language of their own. They can not speak as we do, but they can understand when we speak to them. Dogs are smarter in some ways than we are. They can understand and know what we say to them, but we can only guess at what they say when they bark or growl or whine. What's that you say? asked Mrs. Gerr of Don. Um, um, whee, whee, went Don. Oh, you're cold are you? asked Mrs. Gerr, who had this name because she sometimes made a noise that sounded that way. Gerr, grrr, a way down in her throat. "'Yes, son Cole,' said Don, shivering. "'Well, cuddle up close to me, and you'll soon be warm,' said the mama-dog. So Don and his brothers, Spot and Prince, and his sisters Violet and Ruby, crept still closer to their mother, for she was a big dog, and her hair was very warm. For over a week Don and the other little dogs could see nothing, because their eyes were not yet open. They could hear strange noises going on outside their kennel, but they did not know what they meant. Don especially had many adventures, and a great many strange things happened to him. In this book I'm going to tell you all about them, how he ran away, and was locked in a freight car, and how a bad boy tied a tin can to his tail. But there I am getting ahead of my story. Those things did not happen until Don grew to be big. So I shall have to start at the beginning, and the beginning was when Don still did not have his eyes open. Stumbling, barking just a little, and tumbling about like little balls of cotton yarn, Don and the other puppies stayed in the straw in the kennel with their mother. Sometimes she went out to get something to eat, and then the little dogs crept closer to each other to keep warm. They slept a great deal of the time for dogs, like babies, grow when they sleep. Once just before Don had his eyes open he heard strange noises outside of the kennel-house where he lived. Don did not know what the noises meant, but I shall tell you what they were. They were the voices of some boys talking. Oh, look at the puppies exclaimed one boy, what a lot of them said another. Yes, and their all minds spoke a third boy. Oh, Willie, can't I have one? asked the first boy, and he reached down in the straw and picked up Don. Mrs. Gerr, the mama dog, growled a little and whined, for she did not like strange boys to handle her little puppies. You can't have that one, Charlie, answered the boy who had been called Willie. Why not? asked Charlie. Because I promised him to Bobby Black, said Willie. Bobby came one day and picked that puppy out for his. He's going to call him Don, Bob is. That's a fine dog, said Charlie, as he gently put the puppy Don back in the straw again. I wish I had one. You can have that one, said Willie, as he pointed to Prince. Of course Don did not understand all this talk, but his mama understood. She whined when she heard Willie talking about giving her puppies away. Willie was the boy at the house with the man lived who owned Mrs. Gerr and the puppies. When is Bob coming for his dog? asked Charlie. Oh, as soon as they get their eyes open, answered Willie, that'll be in a few days now. The boys stayed a little longer and then went off to play ball. I mean, the boys went off to play ball. For though puppy dogs can do many queer things, I never saw any of them play ball, did you? Wait, though, if you please. Once in a circus I did see a dog bounce a big red rubber ball about with his nose. But that was not exactly playing as the boys do. I suppose it did not count. All at once one day a very strange thing happened to Don and the other puppies. Their eyes were suddenly opened and the darkness they had been in so long gave place to light. Out in the front of the kennel was a broad patch of sunlight and the straw in the kennel itself looked like streaks of gold. Up overhead was blue sky, and the green trees waved the branches. Oh, what is it all? asked Don as he stood up with his little legs far apart. He had to stand that way, for he was not very strong as yet, and though he tried to stand steadily, he swayed to and fro as the elephants do in the circus when they are eating peanuts. What is all that which I see? asked Don, speaking in dog language, which he understood without being taught. That is part of the world you live in, said Mrs. Gur. You see the sunshine, the shadows, and the trees. What makes the trees wiggle, so asked Prince, who was one of Don's brothers? The wind blows them, said the mother dog, and when you go outside the kennel and the wind blows, you must be careful not to get dust in your eyes. For your eyes are open now, you know, and if you don't take care you'll get things in them, so watch out when you leave the kennel. Why, exclaimed Don, is there anything outside of our kennel? I thought this was the only place there was. Oh, indeed there are many more places than this, said Mrs. Gur, with sort of a barking laugh. This is only a very small part of the world. You will find it very large when you start out. I hope you do not get lost. What do you mean, lost, asked Don? Going so far away you cannot find your way back to the kennel, said the mother dog. When you children are a little older, I shall give you some lessons in how to find your way home when you go away from it. So the days went on. The sun shone warmer and warmer, and the leaves grew larger on the trees, for summer was coming. Even as the tree leaves grew, so the little puppy dogs grew, until they were large enough to run outside the kennel and play a boat on the ground. They were not very strong on their legs yet, and often Don and his brothers and sisters would tumble and fall as they raced about, playing a game something like your game of tag. Come on, let's have a race, Prince, said Don one day. All right, I will, answered the other little puppy dog, and off they started down the gravel path that led from their kennel. On they went faster and faster, turning around the corner by the house until all of a sudden they saw a queer little animal in front of them. What's that? asked Don, stopping short. I don't know, answered Prince, speaking in dog language. It looks like a puppy when I'm done, but it doesn't belong to our family. See how big its tail is, and its back is all humped up, and listen to what a funny noise it's making. The other animal on the gravel path was hissing like a steam radiator and a cold and frosty morning. Let's go closer and see what it is, suggested Don. Together he and Prince went up, walking sort of sideways on their funny wobbly legs. Then the queer animal suddenly jumped up in the air, and Don and Prince felt something sharp scratch their little black noses. Ouch! whined Prince. Oh! Hold on! I'm scratched! Let's go home and tell Mama, cried Prince. Tucking their little tails like lead pencils between their legs, home they wobbled to the kennel. Oh, Mama! barked on as he saw the mother dog. You can't guess what happened to us. Oh! cried Prince. We saw another puppy dog, and his tail was so big, and his back was all humped up, and he made a funny noise and stuck something sharp in our noses, and it hurt. That's what it did, cried Don. He rubbed his nose with his paw. Oh! you funny puppy dogs exclaimed Mrs. Gur. What you saw was not a little dog. What was it then, asked Don? It had four legs and a tail. Well, everything that has four legs and a tail isn't a puppy, said the mother dog. That was a cat, and cats almost always scratch dogs, just as we dogs almost always chase cats. Oh! Then if that was a cat, we forgot to chase it, cried Don. We didn't know we had to. Come on back, Prince, and we'll chase it. No, you don't need to, said Mrs. Gur, the dog-lady. All dogs don't chase cats, for some cats are nice. Besides, you wouldn't find that cat now. After this, be more careful and let cats alone. But Don and Prince thought they knew more than their mother did, and that afternoon they started out to find the cat who had made such a big tail of them and had scratched them. They searched all over the garden Don and Prince did for the cat, but they could not find her. But they had a good time, the two little puppy dogs did, rolling over in the soft dirt, pretending to bite each other's ears and playing racing games and tag. Pretty soon Don said, I'm hungry, let's go home. All right, answered Prince, we will. But when those two little puppy dogs started off, they could not find their kennel. They did not know which way to go. First they went one way, and then another, but the harder they tried, the worse it seemed. Although they did not know it, Don and Prince were lost. Oh, what shall we do, whine Don? I don't know, answered his brother, let's go this way. Well they started off a new way, but all of a sudden Don slipped down the bank, right into a puddle of muddy water he fell. Ouch! Oh, wow! howled the little puppy dog as he found himself all wet. Oh, what is going to happen to us? But Don, like nearly all animals, knew what to do when he fell into the water. He began to paddle with his little paws and to swim, for he did not want to be drowned. Oh, can you get out? Can you get out? Howled Prince, standing on the bank of the puddle and looking at his brother? It was not a very large puddle, but it was pretty big for a little puppy dog. Can you get out? Asked Prince. I guess so, I'm trying hard, whined Don, paddling with his paws faster than ever. End of chapter one, recording by Tom Hirsch. Chapter two of Don, A Runaway Dog, by Richard Barnum. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Tom Hirsch. Chapter two, Don's New Home. Prince sitting on the bank of the puddle of water was howling as loudly as he could. Are you getting out, Don? Are you getting out? Asked Prince. Well, I'm trying hard, answered Don. I guess... Then he could not say anything more, even in dog language, for his mouth was full of water. Oh, what shall I do? cried Prince. Don did not have any time to answer him. He was too busy swimming, nearer and nearer to the bank of the puddle off which he had slipped into the water, swam Don. He was soon so close that he could put his paws on the firm earth, and then he knew he was safe and could crawl out. But oh, what a sorrowful looking sight poor Don was. His nice, clean coat was covered with muddy water which dripped down and ran from him in little puddles. Oh, how are you ever going to get dry? asked Prince. Then Don happened to remember how once he had seen his mother out in a rainstorm. She came to the kennel quite wet, but before she went in she shook herself very hard and the water drops flew off her in a shower. That's what I'll do, thought Don. So he gave himself as big and as hard a shake as he could, and the water flew about in a shower. I stop, you're getting me wet, how old, Prince. Oh, I didn't mean to, answered Don, but that's the way I get dry. You asked me that, you know. Yes, but I didn't know you were going to put the water on me, Prince replied. I don't care, though, as long as you're safe, and he went up to his brother and kissed him on the nose with his little red tongue, Prince did, in a way dogs have. So Don got safely out of the puddle into which he had fallen, but his adventures for that day were not yet at an end. Let's go home, said Prince. I'm hungry. So I, spoke Don. But which way is home? Don't you know, asked Prince? No, don't you? The two little puppy dogs looked one at the other. Oh, I forgot, cried Don. Don't you remember? We were lost just before I fell in the puddle, and we're lost yet. Oh, dear. Then the two little puppies felt so badly that they just sat there on the bank of the mud puddle and howled as loudly as they could. I suppose you wonder what good their howling did, but I shall tell you. Back in the kennel, Mrs. Gerr, the mother dog, was waiting and wondering why Don and Prince did not come home. I saw them go over that way, spoke Violet, who was nibbling at a bit of puppy cake. They were having a race, said Ruby, who was practicing it trying to catch her tail. Oh, such boys, cried Mrs. Gerr. I suppose they've gone so far away they can't find their way back. Come, Spot, we'll go look for them. All right, said the other brother of Don and Prince. He was called Spot because he had a white spot on him, otherwise he was all black. Mrs. Gerr and Spot hurried out of the kennel and they had not gone very far before they heard a noise. What's that? asked Spot, standing still and wagging his tail. Listen, said his mother. Oh, wow, brrr, where's the noise they heard? There they are, said the dog lady. Those are your lost brothers calling. Come on, Spot, I know where they are now. Mrs. Gerr was very good at finding lost dogs, and this time she knew just which way to go to find Don and Prince. Soon the mother dog saw them sitting on the edge of the mud puddle. Their heads held up in the air, howling as loudly as they could howl. Oh, my, what a noise! cried Mrs. Gerr with a dog laugh. What is the matter with you puppies anyhow? Oh, mama, is that you? cried Don. We got lost and Don fell in and swam out, added Prince. Well, that was very smart of him, I'm sure, said the mama dog, but it was silly of you to get lost. See, the kennel is only a little way off, just around that clump of bushes. Surely enough, they had been only a little way off from their home all the while. Only they did not know it. But we—we—we couldn't find their way home, said Don. No, and that shows you ought to not to go too far off until you know how to get back. Said Mrs. Gerr. Now, as soon as you get dry, Don, I'll give you all some lessons in how to find your way back home again when you get so far off you can't see it. It did not take Don long to get dry in the warm sun, and then the lessons began. For dogs, even puppy dogs, have to learn their lessons, you know, just as you children do. They have to learn to eat only the things that are good for them. Sometimes a puppy will gnaw on a cake of soap, but he does not do it more than once, for he finds out it makes him ill. And dogs have to learn to come when their master calls them, and to lie down when they are told, and to shake hands and do other tricks, especially in the circus. So Mrs. Gerr showed Don and his brothers and sisters how to sniff and smell along the ground, so they would know their way back again when they had gone away from home. Dogs, you know, have very good noses for smell. Even on a dark night, when a dog cannot see, he can tell just by sniffing the air, whether his master is coming along or whether it is someone else. So when a dog takes a new road, his paws leave sort of a smell in the dust. This smell stays there for some time, and when the dog wants to get back, he just sniffs and smells along the road until he finds where he has made his tracks before, and in that way he gets home again. He can do that even in the dark. It was this lesson that Don's mother taught him, until he and the other puppies could run a long way off from their kennel, even in the woods, and could find their way back again. Now you will not get lost again, Don, said his mother to him. And I don't want to, Don said. Being lost is no fun. The puppy dog family lived in the kennel for some time longer. The little doggies were all growing larger and stronger, and could run about now without falling down so often. Don grew faster and larger than any of the others. One day, two boys came walking out to the kennel where the puppies lived. One boy was Willie, whose father owned Mrs. Gerr. Well, Willie, may I take my puppy now? asked the other boy. Yes, Bob. I guess he's big enough now to leave home, said Willie. Are you sure you want the one you first picked out? Oh, yes, sure. I'll take him, said Bob. Don is the best puppy in the lot. Well, I'm glad he thinks I'm so nice, said Don to himself. He had begun to understand boy and man talk, you see, though he could not speak it himself. Yes, I'll take Don, went on, Bob. I wonder where he's going to take me, thought Don. This is a funny world. Bob stooped over and picked Don up from the pile of straw. He's a fine dog, cried Bob, as he patted and rubbed Don. Don liked that. He was not afraid of the boy, for the boy was kind. Then, without giving Don a chance to say goodbye to his brothers and sisters, and without even letting him kiss the mama dog, Bob the boy took Don away with him to a new home. Don did not mind going away, for the boy was so kind and good to him, and petted him so nicely that Don liked him at once. And Don was not lonesome or homesick, for he saw many new and strange things. At last the boy went up the walk towards a big white house, and he said to Don, Don, this is your new home. Though Don could not speak boy language, I think he understood what the boy meant. End of Chapter 2, Recording by Tom Hirsch Chapter 3 of Don A Runaway Dog by Richard Barnum This sliverbox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Tom Hirsch Chapter 3 Don and Squinty Mother, I have my dog, cried Bob, as he went into the big white house with Don. Have you? That's nice. I hope he'll be a good dog, and not come in on my clean carpets with muddy feet, said Bob's mother. Don heard her say this, and right away he made up his little doggie mind that he would be as good as a puppy dog could be. But he had many things yet to learn. Oh, I'm going to train him to be very good, said Bob to his mother. He won't give you a bit of trouble, will you Don? And Bob held Don high up in the air in his hands. Oh, yelped Don. Oh, he's afraid. Put him down! Cried a girl with curly hair, who was playing with a doll. She was Bob's sister. Oh, I'm going to teach him not to be afraid, said the boy, as he still held Don high in the air. You're not afraid. Are you, Don? Wow! said the puppy again. But this time he was not so frightened. He knew Bob would be kind to him, and not let him fall. And Bob was very careful. Where are you going to keep your dog? asked Bob's mother. I can't have him in the house all the while. Oh, I'm going to build a little kennel for him, just like he had over at Willie's house where he used to live, said Bob. I'm going to make a hunting dog of him. Where's my cap, mother? Oh, Bob, you never can remember where you leave your cap when you come in, exclaimed his mother. Now that you have a dog, I think you had better train him to hunt your cap, and other things for you. That would be a good kind of hunting dog. I guess it would, left Bob. Well, come on, Don. Bob put Don down on the floor, but the puppy dog, instead of running to his little master when he was called, ran over toward the girl who was playing with a doll. I guess Don had never seen a doll before. Here, sir. Come here when I call you, cried Bob, snapping his fingers. But Don paid no attention. He likes me best, said the girl with a laugh. Come to me, Don. No, Sally, you mustn't do that, dear, said her mother. If Bob is to have a dog, it must learn to mind him, and come when he calls. A dog is not of much use unless it minds. First let the dog learn to go to Bob, and then he will teach it to come to you when you call. That's what I will, promised Bob. Now, Don, you come to me. Don had not yet learned to mind. He still wanted to go to the little girl named Sally. But Bob was not going to have that. So he stooped over and picked up Don, giving him a little shake. But, of course, not hurting him in the least, for Bob would not do that. You must come to me when I call you, old fellow, said Bob. I want my dog to be a good dog, and mind me. So that was another lesson Don had to learn, you see. Now we'll try it again, said the boy, after he had padded Don and stroked his silk ears. Now come when I call Don, and, Sally, please don't try to make him come to you. I won't this time, promised the little girl with the doll. Bob carried Don to one end of the room and put him down on the floor. Then Bob went over and stood by the door. Come on, Don, he called. Come to me, sir. Bob snapped his fingers. Don looked up, lifted his ears so he might hear better, and looked at Sally. No, I didn't call you, said the little girl. Here, come to me, cried Bob. This time the puppy understood and knew what was wanted of him. With a little yelp he ran towards his new master. That's right, that's the way to do, cried Bob. Now he is learning to mind he'll be a fine dog. Don was glad when he heard this, and he made up his mind to be as good a dog as he could, even if he was little. Don was taken out and put in a box. Instead of straw he had a piece of old carpet to lie on. That will do until I can get your regular kennel made, said Bob. Then I'll put some straw in it for you to sleep on, but I guess you must be thirsty. I'll get you some milk. Don was very glad to get the nice saucer of milk which the boy soon brought to him. He licked it all up with his red tongue. I mean Don, the puppy, licked up the milk, not Bob the boy. In a few days Bob had finished the kennel for his new little pet, and Don had just as nice a home as he had at first. Only it was quite different. He had no brothers and sisters to play with, and at first he was a little lonesome. He also missed the mama dog, but so many things happened to Don, and he saw so many new and strange sights that after a little while he forgot all about his first home. Every day, and sometimes two and three times a day, Bob would come out to see Don and would bring his pet some nice things to eat. Then Bob would take him for a little walk. Don's new home was on a farm, and there were many new animals for him to watch. Some of them he did not know the names of, but he soon got so he could tell a cow from a horse, even though each of them had four legs and a tail. But a cow had horns, and a horse did not. Every day Don was learning something new. He was growing to be a large puppy now, and he could run fast and not tumble down as he had done at first. He had strong, sharp teeth too, though he did not want to bite anyone. He kept his teeth for gnawing on bones and chewing puppy cakes, which were hard, almost as hard to eat as ginger snaps are for you. Bob took Don with him to many places on the farm, and also out into the woods. But Don kept close to his new master so as not to get lost. Though if I did get lost I think I could find my way home again, thought Don. I could easily sniff and smell my way back, I'm sure. One day when Don was asleep in the nice soft straw of his new kennel which Bob had made for him, the little puppy dog was suddenly awakened by hearing a loud noise. It sounded like, what are you going to do? Don jumped up and opened his eyes. What am I going to do? he asked. Who is it wants to know? Who are you? What's the matter? Then he heard the voice again. Only this time it seemed to say, With that a long neck covered with feathers was thrust inside the kennel, and something sharper done on his little black nose. Hi there, he barked. Please stop that. You're not a kitten or a cat and you shouldn't scratch me that way. Cock-a-doodle-doo! went the funny animal again. Of course I'm not a kitten or a cat. I'm a rooster, the biggest rooster on the farm, and I'm bigger even than you, no matter if you are a puppy. You are so nice and soft that I like to put my bill in your ribs. Oh, but I don't like it, barked Don, and he tried to get out of the way, but the rooster kept sticking his long neck inside the kennel and pecking at Don. The little puppy dog hardly knew what to do. If he ran out he was sure the rooster would run after him. He had never seen a rooster before, for all the chickens on the farm were kept in their own yard, far away from the kennel. Poor Don was not having a very good time. He howled and barked, and tried to scare the rooster, but the big fall only kept on crowing and saying, Cock-a-doodle-doo! It sounded just as if he said, What are you going to do? Poor Don could not do anything. But Sally, Bob's sister, saw what was going on. Oh, cried the little girl, the big rooster has gotten out of his coop, and he's pecking Don. Bob won't like that. I must drive that rooster away. So the little girl ran up to the kennel, crying, Shoo! Shoo! Go away, you bad rooster! Then the rooster was frightened. He flapped his wings, crowed again, and away he flew, off to his coop behind the wire fence, where he belonged. You poor little puppy you! cried Sally as she tenderly picked Don up in her arms. Did the bad rooster bite you? Wow, yow! said Don softly. But he was all right, now that the rooster had been driven away. Don was not hurt much, for a puppy dog is so soft that a rooster's build does not do much harm. But it was almost as bad as the time the cat scratched me, thought Don. That's two things I've got to be afraid of. Cats and roosters. But when I get to be a big dog, I won't be afraid of either one. When Bob came home from school, his sister told him about the rooster pecking the puppy dog. There must be a hole in the fence where the rooster got out, said Bob. I'll mend it. Come on, Don, we'll go fix the fence. Then the rooster can't get out again to bother you. Oh, wow! barked Don, for he was getting old enough now to bark almost like a big dog. I guess he meant to say that he was not afraid of a rooster, though to tell the truth, I think he was just a little bit. Come on, Don, called Bob, and the dog followed his master. On the way to the chicken coop they passed the pen where the pigs were kept. I guess I'll show you the pigs, Don, said Bob. You must get to know them, so if any of them get out any time, you can chase them and make them go back into their pen. Bob lifted Don up in his arms and held him over the edge of the pig pen. There was one big mother pig and seven little ones. One of the little pigs had a funny, squinting eye. It was partly closed, and the other eye was wide open, and when this little pig looked up at you with one ear lifted up and the other drooping down, you felt as though you wanted to laugh he was so comical. As Bob lifted his dog, Don, up to see the pigs, this one I have told you about raised up on his hind legs and squealed. Hello, Squinty, called the boy, for the pig was named Squinty on account of his squinting eye. Hello, Squinty, cried Bob. I guess you'd like to get out and dig in the garden, eh? Well, you can't, so you must stay in the pen. Squeak, squeak, cried Squinty, the comical pig, about whom I have told you in the book named after him. He had many adventures, did Squinty. Adventures with Slickle the Squirrel, with Moppo the Merry Monkey, and with Tum Tum the Jolly Elephant. Squeak, squeak, grunted Squinty, looking at Don in that funny way. No, you can't get out, said Bob, laughing. Then the Squinty looked at Don. You look like a nice dog, said the little pig. Can't you come and let me out of the pen someday when no one is looking? Do come, I'm tired of staying in here. Woof, woof. Bow, wow, barked Don, and that was how he got to know Squinty, the comical pig. Will you come and bite a hole in the pen so I can get out? asked Squinty of Don. Bow, wow, no, that would not be right, Don said, for he and the little pig could talk together in animal talk, which Bob, the boy, could not understand. Bob thought his dog in the pig were just grunting and squealing and barking and whining. That goes to show you animals can do things we cannot do. No, I can't let you out, said Don as his master set him down, and walked over towards the chicken coop where the boy was going to fix the fence so the big rooster could not get out again. But just before they got there something happened. There was a loud noise and Bob's sister Sally screamed, oh Bob, the big black bull is loose, the big black bull has jumped over the pasture fence, oh Bob. Come on Don, cried Bob, there's some work for us. CHAPTER IV Don Hardly Knew What to Think When Bob his boyish master called to him that way. The little dog had not lived long enough in the world to know much about bulls jumping fences, but he could easily tell that Bob's sister Sally was very much frightened. A dog can tell very quickly when a person is frightened, or glad, or cross. Come on Don, cried Bob as he ran as fast as he could. Where are you going, asked Sally. Oh Bob, don't you know the bad black bull is loose? Yes, of course I know it, answered Bob. And that's where I'm going. What? Not to the bull, are you? asked Sally. That's just where I'm going, said Bob. But he'll hook you with his horns, and maybe he'll step on you, exclaimed Sally. Listen to him call. From a field not far away came a noise that sounded like boo, boo, boo. Bob, wow! barked Don. Yes, that's the bull, all right, said Bob, but we'll drive him back in the light where he belongs, won't we, Don, old fellow? Bob, wow! barked Don again. I suppose he was saying, yes, yes, of course we will. Don knew nothing about bad black bulls, and Bob was not a very big boy. Still, he was brave, and so was Don. Come on, old fellow, call Bob to the dog. Bob, wow! barked Don. I'm coming. Oh dear, cried Sally. She couldn't help being just a little bit afraid. Girls are made that way on purpose, so boys and dogs can protect them. Boo, boo! bellowed the bull again, and Bob, running on ahead with Don coming after him, soon came to the field where the big animal with his sharp horns was pawing up the dirt. Get back where you belong, called Don to the bull. Get back, I say. Bob, wow! barked Don, the brave dog. At first, Don felt a little afraid when he saw the big black animal, but when Don saw how close his brave master Bob went to the bull and shook a stick at him, Don said to himself, well, if Bob is brave, I must be brave too. It would never do to run away and leave him to drive the bull all by himself. I must stay with him. That is the way dogs nearly always do. They are very brave and faithful to their masters, staying by them when they are in danger or when they are hurt, so Don did not run away. Instead, he ran close to the heels of the bull, and barked as loudly as he could. It is a good thing Don did that, for the bull with a shake of his head had just made up his mind to run at Bob and maybe stick the boy with the sharp horns, for all I know. Mind, I'm not saying for sure, but maybe. When Don barked so close to the bull's legs, the big black animal thought he was going to be bitten, so he turned quickly to shake his head and horns at Don, and in that way Bob was not hurt. Bob was not the least bit afraid. He kept on shaking his stick at the bull and throwing stones and pieces of dirt at him, sometimes hitting him on the nose. The bull did not like this, and the big animal did not like Don barking at his heels, either. It made the big black animal think he was going to be bitten. Keep at it, Don, cried Bob. We'll soon have this bull back where he belongs, drive him out of this field. Barked on, which meant in dog language. Of course we'll drive him back. I'm not afraid. So, with the barking of the dog, and the way Bob shook his stick and threw stones, the bull began to feel that perhaps he had better be good and go back where he belonged. The bull was still rather angry, and he kept shaking his head and his horns, and pying up the ground with his front feet. Still, he backed slowly out of the lot where he did not belong, and pretty soon along came Bob's father with a big stick. Sally, Bob's sister, had gone to call her father when she saw Bob and Don trying to keep the bull from getting into the road. Get back there, cried Bob's father, and slowly the bull went back until he was safely locked in the pasture from which he had gotten out by jumping the fence. Well, Bob, said his father, you are a brave little chap. Did you drive back the black bull all alone? Oh no, answered Bob. Don, help me. Didn't you, Don? Bow, wow! barked Don, and as Bob put his arms around the shaggy neck of his pet. Well, he certainly is a fine dog, said the man as he patted Don on the head. And you can just imagine how proud Don was, for he was only a puppy yet, and I think even a larger dog might have been a little afraid to bark at the big black bull. But Don started in by being brave, and that is a good way to begin life. Yes, my dog is a good one, said Bob. We're not afraid of bulls, are we, Don? Bow, wow! barked Don. No, indeed. Well, I must make the fence higher so the bull can't get out again, said the farmer. Then he and Bob and Don went up to the farmhouse, Don wagging his tail on the way, for that is what dogs do when they are pleased and happy. Don was growing every day. He had good things to eat. He could run about and play as he pleased, and he had a nice warm place to sleep. All those things make puppies grow into big dogs. Of course, some dogs are little and always stay that way, but Don was one of the kind that grows to be large. Bob, his master, was very fond of Don, and took him with him everywhere he went, except to school, of course. A dog could not go to school any more than Mary's little lamb. But often, when it was nearly time for school to be out, Don would slip off down the road towards the little red schoolhouse. Not far from it he would lie down in the shade of a tree to wait until the boys and girls came out. Then Don would rush up, barking as loudly as he could, and wagging his tail, for he wanted to see Bob. Don was lonesome without him. And what fun Bob and his boy chums had with Don on the way home from school. Don would carry Bob's books, and if any other boy, even in fun, tried to take the books away from Don, the dog would growl and bark a little, as though saying, Now that's all very well in fun, but you must not take these books. If you do, I might have to bite you, just at least a little bit, and I wouldn't like to do that. So please don't touch Bob's books, and none of the boys dared. Bob taught Don how to lie down and roll over when he was told, and how to sit up on his hind legs, and not move, even when a sweet cracker, or something else good to eat, was put on the dog's nose. Don would sit there just as steady as a clock until Bob called out, Now you may eat it, Don! Then Don would flip his nose, toss the cracker up in the air, and as it came down he would grab it in his white teeth and chew it up. Oh, how good it tasted! Bob also taught Don how to play soldier and march around with a paper cup on his head and a broom for a gun, and Don could jump over chairs and do many other things that only circus dogs are supposed to do. Bob was very fond of his pet, Don. Sometimes, when Bob was off to school, Don would walk around the farm looking at the cows and horses and chickens. He was not afraid of the big red rooster now, though once he had been when he was a little puppy. Instead, the rooster was afraid of Don, though the dog would not harm even a baby chicken. All Don did was to drive the chickens out of the garden when he was told, How did you do, the rooster would grow when he saw Don outside the chicken-yard. How did you do, oh, I'm pretty well, thank you, Don would answer. How are you, Bow Wow? Then they would talk together in rooster and dog language, that is, after the rooster got over being afraid of Don. Sometimes, Don would go to see if the big black bull was safely shut up in his pasture lot. Don and the bull never got to be good friends. I guess the bull was rather angry at Don for having driven him back that time he got loose. On some days, Don would go to the pen where Squinty, the comical pig, lived with his mother and brothers and sisters. Don could look through a crack in the boards and see the pigs. Oh, come on, I say, help me get a board off the pen and run out, Squinty would beg of Don. No, indeed, I'm not going to let you out, Don would answer. Then I'll get out all by myself, Squinty would say, and one day he did. With his strong, rubbery nose, Squinty pushed and pushed on a loose board of his pen until the board came off and Squinty was out in the garden. He had a good time, as I've told you in the book about the comical little pig, so I will not put his adventures in here, for this book is to be about Don, or at least mostly about him. Then the farmer found out that Squinty was loose. Here, Don, Don, call Bob's father, or Bob was off at school. There's a pig loose, Don, drive him back to his pen. Oh, wow, I will, cried Don, and he ran up to take Squinty by the ear and lead him back. Don did not bite Squinty, though the comical little pig squealed as though he were badly hurt. But Don took him safely back to the pen. Then one day Squinty got out again, and this time he wandered off a long distance before Don was sent after him. When the dog did find the little pig, Don saw a strange sight. Along the country road were rumbling big red, green, and golden colored wagons drawn by many horses. But strangest of all, Don saw in the woods a little hairy animal, with a long tail and four hands, or so it seemed to Don, and then there was another queer animal with two tails, one in front and one behind. Wow, wow, barked Don when he saw this animal. I had better run away from here. I don't like this, two tails, oh my. Oh, don't be afraid, said Squinty. That's only Tum Tum. End of Chapter 4. Recording by Tom Hirsch Chapter 5 of Don, A Runaway Dog, by Richard Barnum This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Tom Hirsch Chapter 5 Don Runs Away Don, who had been barking and growling to make Squinty the comical pig go back to his pen, stopped suddenly and grew very quiet when he saw the funny, hairy, four-handed animal, and also the one that seemed to have two tails. Don crouched down in the bushes to hide away, for though he had not been afraid of the big, black bull, this queer beast was much larger and so different. Don't be afraid, said Squinty again. That is only Tum Tum. What do you mean, Tum Tum? asked Don. That sounds like the name of a drum. And why shouldn't I be afraid of an animal with two tails, especially when he is so big? asked Don. He has two tails, grunted Squinty the comical pig. I thought the same thing at first, until Moppo told me different. Who is Moppo? asked Don. Moppo is this chap, a merry monkey, answered the little pig as he pointed with one paw towards the queer, furry, four-handed and long-tailed animal. Oh, so your name is Moppo, is it? asked Don, for he found that he could talk to the other animals as well as understand them. Yes, I am Moppo, the monkey said, but please don't speak my name so loudly. Ah, why not? Don wanted to know. Because I have run away from a circus, answered Moppo. And then Don saw that what he had thought were hands were only paws. But they were almost like hands, and the monkey's tail was almost like a fifth hand to him. Run away from a circus, barked Don. What's a circus? That's it out there, Squinty said, as he nodded his head towards the big red, green, and golden wagons that were rumbling along the country road. Moppo and Tum Tum belonged to the circus, but Moppo was run away, just as I ran from the pen. Tum Tum is after him. Ah, who is Tum Tum? asked Don again. He's that big element, answered Moppo as he pointed towards the creature. Oh ho, barked Don, and he was not so frightened now. So that is what you call an animal with two tails, an elephant. He has some two tails, I tell you, answered Squinty with a pig laugh. One is his tail, that's the short one, and the other is his trunk. It doesn't look like a trunk, said Don. I know what a trunk is. There are some in the attic of the house where I live, and Bob's mother keeps her clothes in them. I don't see how Tum Tum could keep any clothes in that trunk that hangs down from his nose. It isn't that kind of a trunk, said the big elephant with a deep jolly laugh. My trunk is just a long nose to breathe through and squirt water through, and I can curl it around and pick up things with it. And to prove how easy it was, he just picked up Moppo, the merry monkey in his trunk, Tum Tum did, and set him on his back. Oh ho, so that's what a trunk is for, exclaimed Don. Well, I'm glad to know, and I'm glad to meet you, Moppo and Tum Tum, but now, Squinty, you must come back to your pen with me. I don't want to go, squealed the little pig. But you must come, Don said. I was sent after you, and I am going to take you home, even if I have to lead you all the way by the ear. Yes, you had better go, said Tum Tum. I have been sent from the circus to bring back Moppo, the merry monkey. But I'm not coming, Moppo said. I've run away, and I'm not going to run back again until after I have some fun. And if you want to read all the things the monkey and the elephant did, you may do so in the special books about them, just as you may read about Squinty, the comical pig. One book is called Moppo, the merry monkey, and the other, Tum Tum, the jolly elephant. I have not room in this book to set down all their wonderful adventures. Aren't you coming back with me? asked Tum Tum of Moppo. No, I am going to run away some more. Moppo chattered in monkey fashion, and off through the bushes he slipped to have some fun. I am sorry about that, said Tum Tum, the jolly elephant, as he crashed through the underbrush. I shall have to go back to the circus without Moppo. But I am not going back to the farm without you, Squinty, said Don, the dog, and with that he took hold of the comical little pig and led him through the woods to his pen. The monkey and the elephant can do as they like, said Don, but my master told me to fetch back any runaway pigs I saw, and I am going to do it. I don't like you, said Squinty, rather crossly to Don as they went along through the woods. Well, I am sorry about that, barked on, for I do not mean to be unkind to you. Still, I must take you back where you belong. And just when I was having such fun running away, went on, Squinty, disappointed. It isn't any fun to run away, spoke Don as he took hold of Squinty's ear in a new place, so as not to hurt the comical little pig with the queer Squinty eye. Oh, it isn't! squealed, Squinty. That's because you never tried it, you don't know. Now, if you were to run away once, you'd have so much fun you'd like it, I'm sure. Did you have any fun when you ran away, asked Don? Lots of fun, answered Squinty. That is, I did have until you came along and spoiled it all. Well, I'm sorry I spoiled it, but I had to bring you home, spoke Don. You belong at the farm, you know, not in a circus with monkeys and elephants. But it's lots of fun in a circus, went on, Squinty. I say, Don, you went on eagerly. Let's run away together and join the circus. We could learn to do tricks and have lots of fun, come on. No, indeed, growled on, I'm not going to run away. But think of the fun you'd have, Squinty went on. At the farm nothing ever happens. There doesn't, ah, asked Don. I suppose you called the bad black bull breaking out of his pasture, and bobbin' me driving him back, I suppose you call that nothing. Oh, well, that, of course, admitted Squinty. And then running after you. Is that nothing, Don wanted to know? Well, I wish that hadn't happened, Squinty said. But I mean lots more happens if you run away than if you stay at home. Just think, everything is the same every day when you're on the farm. You get your meals just so often, and you always have to come when Bob calls you. Yes, but I like that, for I love my little master, Bob, said Don, and I like my three meals a day. But if you run away you can ease as often as you pleased, said Squinty. Do you really think so? asked Don doubtfully. I'm sure of it, Squinty said. Well, spoke Don, I never thought of that. Maybe there is something to this running away after all. And for the first time since he had come to live with Bob on the farm, Don began to think of running away. He had never thought of such a thing before, and he wouldn't have done so then, only Squinty put it into his head, you see. Don kept hold of Squinty's ear all the way back to the farm, and led the comical little pig right up to the pen from which he had broken out. There you are, growled Don. But his voice was quite friendly. Yes, here I am back again, sighed Squinty sourfully. I wish you had led me run further away. Oh no, I couldn't think of it, barked Don. Never mind, maybe someday you'll run away yourself, went on, Squinty. And then you'll be sorry if someone makes you come back home. No, I never will, Don said. The farmer who owned the pigs came running out of the barn. Well, I declare, he cried. If Don hasn't brought back that rascal Squinty who ran away, good dog, Don. Then Don felt very proud and happy, and wagged his tail so hard that it is a wonder it did not fall off. But then a dog's tail was made quite tightly fast to him, you see, so it cannot wag off. No, said Don as he went to his kennel to dig up a nice juicy bone he had buried near it. No, I'll never run away, never. But you just wait and see what Don did. For several days after he had brought back Squinty the comical pig, nothing much happened to Don. He played about with Bob, his little master, chased the chickens out of the garden, and did some of his tricks. One day Tabby the cat came out to talk to him. Don and Tabby were good friends. The dog had always been kind to cats since his mother had told him to be, and Tabby was not afraid of Don, though she would fluff up her tail and round up her back when she saw some dogs that were not friends of hers. Don't you ever get tired of staying here all the while, Don? asked Tabby as she sat in the sunshine, washing her face with her velvety paw. Dogs and cats can talk to each other, you know, though we cannot understand them. We know, I don't know as I get tired, Don answered. What makes you ask that? Oh, I don't know, meowed Tabby. Sometimes I feel as if I should like to run away and see how the world looks away from this farm. I have been here all my life. So have I, nearly, Don went on, but I like it here. Still, what Tabby had said to him, and what Squinty the comical pig had said to him, stayed in Don's mind. As the days passed and the warm, beautiful summer weather came, Don said, I wonder how it would seem to run away. I have a good notion to try it just once. Then I could come back until Tabby and Squinty and the other farm animals that there is really no fun in running away. That would make them contented, and they would be glad to stay here. Yes, I think I'll run away, but only just to tell the others how it seems, so they won't want to do it. In that way I would be doing Bob and his father a favor. Yes, I shall run away. So Don ran away, and then began some wonderful adventures for him. Chapter 6 Don Is Locked In When Don made up his mind to run away from the farm, he chose a time to do it when Bob would be away at school, for the dog well knew that if Bob were at home there would be little chance of getting away without being seen. Bob always wanted Don with him, and as soon as the boy came home from his lessons the first thing he would do would be to run out to the kennel to see how Don was. Yes, thought Don to himself, in a way dogs have of thinking that we know nothing about. Yes, if I am to run away I must go when Bob is not at home, otherwise he might stop me. But I won't run away very far, thought Don, and I'll soon run back again to tell these silly farm animals that they are much better off stopping safely at home. That is what Don thought, but things do not always happen the way we think, or even the way dogs think. Don walked out of his kennel after he had had a good dinner, looked carefully about to see that no one saw him, and off down the road he trotted. I suppose I ought to say good-bye to Bob, thought Don, but then he doesn't always understand my way of talking. Besides, if I said good-bye to him he'd know I was going away, and he'd stop me, so I guess I won't wait. Don trotted off past the farmhouse down the country road. Tabby, the big yellow cat, was sunning herself on the porch as Don went past. Where are you going? asked Tabby, stretching out her paws. Oh, just to take a walk, answered Don, for he did not want Tabby to follow him, and after all he was walking away, rather than running away, at least at first. I don't want any cats chasing after me, thought Don. No one takes anyone with him when he runs away, at least squint he didn't, and he ought to know all about running away, for he's done it twice. No, I'll go alone. And off Don went. At first it was very pleasant, trotting along the road in the shade. Now and then Don would stop to get a drink at a wayside spring, or he might see a flock of birds, and he would chase after them, with his red tongue hanging out of his mouth. Don did not want to catch the birds, but he just wanted something to run after, and birds were as good as anything else. After a while Don met another dog named Rover, who lived on the next farm. Hello! exclaimed Rover, speaking in dog language, of course, and wagging his tail. Glad to see you, Don! Where are you going? Oh, no play special, answered Don. He was wondering whether he might not tell Rover about running away, and asked the other dog to come with him. A dog to run away with would be all right, thought Don. But not a cat. I guess I'll ask Rover. So Don said, to tell you the truth, Rover, I don't know just where I am going. I am running away to see the world and have some adventures, and perhaps you'd like to come with me. What? running away? cried Rover. Not for me. I'm going to stay home. But think of the adventures we'll have, said Don. Come on. No, thank you, answered Rover. Once I ran away, and I was glad enough to run back again. You will be too. Oh, I don't think so, said Don. Besides so many of the animals on our farm are talking of running away, that I thought if I went and came back to tell them all about it, they wouldn't want to run any more. Well, perhaps they won't, said Rover. But I'm sure you'll be glad to get back. No, I will not, cried Don. And then he ran quickly and hid behind a lilac bush. What's the matter, asked Rover in a barking whisper. Hush, growled Don. It's your master. I don't want him to see me here, for when Bob finds I'm gone, he will hunt for me, and your master may tell him I was here. Oh, all right, hide, said Rover. I won't tell where you are, but mind what I'm telling you. Very glad indeed you'll be to get back home again. Don did nothing so, and after Rover's master had passed on, the runaway dog came out of his hiding place in the bushes, and saying good-bye to the other dog, off Don went again down the road. Well, I am certainly having a good time, thought Don. Squinty was right about it. There's lots of fun in running away. No wonder he didn't want to run back again. On and on, tried to Don, stopping now and then to speak to other dogs he knew, and sometimes resting in the shade near a spring of water. Then off he would go again. Well, thought Don after a bit, I'm beginning to feel hungry. Let me see. What do you do when you get hungry if you are running away? I meant to ask Squinty about that, but I forgot it. I guess I can find something to eat. This was not as easy as Don had thought it would be. It was quite different from having Bob or Bob's mother or sister bring out a nice plate of table scraps or a juicy bone. No one brought Don anything now, for he was a runaway dog. Never mind, said Don to himself, in a way dogs have. I guess I can go up to the back door of one of these houses and pick up a bone or two. I'll try it. Just then he was passing a large white house that looked something like the one where his kennel was. There's sure to be plenty to eat in a place like that, thought Don. Around to the back door he tried it, and surely enough he saw on the ground some bones with bits of meat on them. Don felt more hungry than ever when he saw them. Aha! he whispered to himself as he licked his teeth with his red tongue. Now for a fine dinner. This is as good as I would get at home. Who says running away isn't jolly? But just as Don was going to pick up the nicest bone, a harsh voice called to him. Here! Get out of here! Be off! And a stone was thrown at Don, hitting him on the leg. Ouch! he yelped. Ouch! Get away from here! Get out of this yard! The harsh voice went on, and when a window was raised, Don saw a big, fat cookwoman with a pan of water in her hand. She was just going to throw it on Don, but he ran out of the way in time. My, how impolite, thought Don. I never heard of such treatment, just as if it would hurt anything if I took those bones nobody wanted. The idea. Don felt quite badly as he ran away. No one had ever treated him that way before. Not even when he was a little puppy, and he was now a big dog. Well, I'll try another house, thought Don as he tried it on. Maybe they will be kinder there. Anyhow, I'm glad I ran before that fat woman had time to throw water on me. I wonder if it was hot water. Don tried it along, getting hungrier and hungrier every minute until he saw another house. This one was painted red, but it was quite as large as the white one. Now to see if I can find a bone in this backyard, Don thought as he ran in. He saw a tin can in one corner of the yard, and from the can came a nice smell of bones. Aha! thought Don. Something to eat there, I'm sure. He went up to the can, and was just lifting the cover off with his paw to get at the bone inside when another harsh voice called to him. Be off out of there. I believe you're the dog who rolled in my pansy flower bed the other day. Get away from here. I don't like dogs. Don looked up in time to see the gardener flinging a stone at him, and Don dodged out of the way so as not to be hit. Be off! cried the man. Poor Don tucked his tail between his legs and ran out of the yard. A stone once more came bounding after him and almost hit him. Well, well, thought the runaway dog. This is certainly a hard life. I've been cheated out of my dinner twice, and no one wanted those bones either. I don't see why I couldn't have had them. Don was beginning to find out that it was not so much fun running away as he had thought it would be, and he was getting so hungry. Don and On he ran for some distance. Pretty soon he saw another large, fine house. Rich people must live in there, he thought. But twice now I have been driven away from big houses. I think I'll try a smaller one. So he went on and on until he came to a little house where a poor old lady lived. Don sniffed and smelled about looking for a bone, but he could find none in this yard. However the lady looking out of her kitchen window saw the dog, and she knew he must be hungry. Then Don saw a bit of bread lying on the ground. The lady had fed the birds that morning, and part of the bread was left. I'll get that anyhow, thought Don, and he swallowed it very quickly. Poor dog! I believe you're hungry, said the lady kindly. I know I'm hungry, said Don to himself, for of course he could not speak to the lady in her language. I'll give you a bone, she said, and she threw something out of the window at Don. At first the runaway dog thought it was another stone, but as soon as he smelled the bone he knew better. But I'm not going to run any chances, Don thought. So with a bark of thanks to the kind lady, Don caught the bone in his teeth and out he ran with it into the street. And no sooner had he gotten there than another dog, bigger than Don, saw him. Hold on, cried the other dog. Give me that bone, it's mine. I beg your pardon, spoke Don politely, for he had been brought up that way. But this is my bone, a lady gave it to me. No it isn't, it's mine, growled the other dog, and he began to run after Don. But Don was not going to lose the bone the kind lady had given him, so away he ran as fast as he could go, with the other dog following after, like Jack and Jill falling down the hill, you know. Stop, stop, give me that bone, cried the bad dog. No, no, answered Don. Though the other dog was larger and stronger than Don, he could not run as fast, and Don was soon out of sight around the corner, trotting as fast as he could go with the bone in his mouth. Well, so far so good, thought Don. I never imagined before that it was so hard and dangerous to get anything to eat. It isn't this way on the farm. Still I am running away, that is something, and I suppose these are only adventures. Soon Don came to a quiet, shady place near where a street fountain of water bubbled up. I'll lay down here and eat my bone, thought Don, but it was not as easy to do as he thought. As soon as he began to gnaw the meat off the bone, other dogs, coming to the fountain to get a drink, wanted to take Don's bone away from him. At last Don said, well, I'll have no peace or quietness here. I'll find another place. Picking up his bone he ran on until he came to a railroad station. Don knew what this was, for the railroad ran not far from the farm, and Don had often gone to the depot with Bob to see the trains go by. Don saw a big brown freight car, with the door open, standing on the track. I'll get in there and eat my bone, thought Don, and with one jump up into the car he leaped. There no other dogs bothered him as he gnawed the juicy bone, and then after this little lunch Don fell asleep. How long he slept he did not know, but when he awoke he found himself in the dark, and the car was rumbling along over the track. Oh, the train must have started, thought Don. I must get out. But when he tried he found the door of the freight car was tightly shut. Poor Don was locked in. End of Chapter 6 Recording by Tom Hirsch Chapter 7 Of Don A Runaway Dog by Richard Barnum This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Tom Hirsch Chapter 7 Don In The City Poor Don did not know what to do. There he was, shut tightly up in a dark freight car that was rumbling over the rails as fast as it could go. Well, thought Don, in a way dogs have of thinking, I am in a fix now. I had much better have stopped at home. Running away isn't as much fun as I thought it was. He looked about the car, but he could see no way to get out. There were some boxes and barrels in one corner, but as Don went up to sniff and smell of them, he could tell they had in them nothing good to eat. My, what a rumbling the train made as it puffed along. I wonder where I am being taken to, thought Don. I guess I am in for an adventure. Well, I'll make the best of it. Once more Don went over to the door and tried to push it open with his nose, but it was not a swinging door like the one in the house at home. Instead, it slid back and forth. What had happened was this. When Don was asleep, after having eaten the bone the good lady gave him, a train man had come along and closed the door of the freight car. He did not see Don sleeping inside there to keep out of the way of other dogs, or if he had, the breakman might have called to Don to get out before the door was locked. But, as it was, Don was locked in, and now he was being taken away, where he could not tell. Don was beginning to feel hungry again, and worse than this, he was thirsty. He could stand being hungry, for he had had a bone only a little while before. But, oh, how thirsty he was, and there was not a drop of water in the car. Poor Don put out his tongue and licked his dry lips. There is not anything quite so bad for an animal as to be thirsty, and if you ever have a dog or cat, I hope you will see to it that they can always get clean, fresh water to drink, especially in hot weather. Poor Don's tongue hung out of his mouth, and his breath came fast. Up and down the freight car ran Don, looking for water in every corner, but there was none. Then he thought to himself, I'll bark and howl. That'll let the men know I want a drink, and they'll bring me some water. That's what I'll do. I'll bark and howl. I ought to have thought of that before. So Don sat down in the middle of the car on his hind legs, and lifting his head, he howled. Then he barked, doing both as loudly as he could. But the train made such a rumbling noise, and the engine whistled so loudly that Don's howls and barks could not be heard. But he kept on howling and barking until his poor throat and tongue were tired, and he was thirstier than ever. I guess I'll have to stop, thought Don. This isn't doing any good, and it only makes me feel worse than ever. Oh, if I could only get out. Then poor Don, tired out and weary, laid down and tried to sleep. But it was hard work, even to sleep, in the rumbling car, though at last Don dozed off for a little while. Then he suddenly awakened, and as he set up he knew what had made him stop sleeping. It was the sudden quiet that had come after all the noise. The train had come to a stop. It no longer rumbled over the rails, and the car did not sway from side to side. Oh, maybe I can get out now, thought Don, jumping up. Once more he barked and howled. But he could not do it so loudly now. Or he was so thirsty his throat seemed all swelled shut. Finally, after giving a pitiful howl, Don heard the voices of men outside the freight car, and Don knew enough of men's talk to hear one of them ask, Don't you hear a dog somewhere? Seems to me I do, answered the other voice. I wonder where it can be? I'll soon show them where it is, thought Don. I'll howl again for them. Once more he howled and barked. Why, the dog is in this freight car, exclaimed the first man. So he is, cried the second. We'll let him out. We don't want to be carrying a dog with us. In a little while the door of the freight car slid open, and as soon as Don saw the first streak of daylight come in he gave a yelp of delight. Now I can get out and get a drink, he thought. So without stopping to say anything to the men for letting him out, except to give a short bark, which meant, thank you, Don jumped to the ground and ran as fast as he could. He did not care which way he went as long as he could find some water. Look at that dog run, cried one of the men. Yes, I guess he's badly scared, said the other. Don was not so much frightened as he was thirsty. He was a brave dog. As he ran along, trying to smell his way to the nearest water, he thought, oh, if I ever get safely back to my kennel once more, I'll never run away again. That other dog rover was right. It's no fun to run away. Then all of a sudden Don smelled water. He looked in the direction from which the smell came, and he saw a big stream of water splashing down into the engine that had drawn the train of freight cars. For the engine has to have water, just as a dog does. Only the engine makes steam of it, and it was the engine taking water at a big tank that Don saw. Some of the water splashed down from the engine tank and made a little puddle beside the track. Don trotted up to this puddle and took a long drink, and oh, how good it tasted. That dog was thirsty, all right, said the engineer as he leaned out of his cab window and watched his engine getting a drink, too. I wonder where that dog came from. I came from a freight car. That's where I came from, said Don, but of course he spoke only to himself, sort of thinking like, and the engineer did not hear anything. Don took another drink of the cool water, and he did not mind if it was a bit muddy. At home, in his kennel, Bob, the boy, would never think of giving his pet dog anything but clean water to drink. But it's different when you run away, thought Don. Then you have to take what you can get. He felt much better now that he had quenched his thirst, but he was beginning to feel hungry. That bone I left in the car is no good, for there's no more meat on it, thought Don. I shall have to look for a new one. Then, for the first time since he had come out of the freight car, Don looked about him to see where he was. He saw many trains and railroad tracks and, often the distance, a number of houses and church spires, as well as factory chimneys. I must be in some city, thought Don, and he was right. The freight train had stopped outside a large city where Don was going to have many adventures. Only, of course, he did not know that just now. Poor Don was very tired, quite hungry, and very dirty, for the floor of the freight car had no clean straw on it as had the dog kennel at the farm. In fact, Don did not look like a nice dog at all. But he did not know this, for he had no looking glass to tell him. I very much doubt if dogs use mirrors, don't you? Anyhow, Don did not feel like himself. He was beginning to be more and more sorry every minute that he had run away. But as long as I have, I must make the best of it, thought Don, and the first thing to do is get something to eat. He trotted over the railroad tracks and soon found himself running along the streets of a big city. He had never been in such a large one before, though once he had gone to a small one, not far from the farm, with Bob and the farmer. But this was a very big city, and Don had not a friend in it. He sniffed and smelled as he ran along, trying to find something to eat. At last he smelled meat, and oh, how hungry it made him. He ran toward the smell. But just as he turned the corner nearer, he heard a voice cry, Oh, look at that dog! Let's throw a stone at him! End of Chapter 7 Recording by Tom Hirsch Chapter 8 Of Don A Runaway Dog by Richard Barnum This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Recording by Tom Hirsch Chapter 8 Don and the Can Don looked around quickly to see who had spoken. He saw two boys standing at the corner, nearer where that good smell of meat came from, for which Don was so hungry. One of the boys had stooped to pick up a stone. Come on, Bill! said this boy. Get yourself a stone, and we'll see who of us can hit that dog first. Oh, I don't want to, answered the other boy. What's the good of hitting him? To make him run! Come on! No, I don't want to. What's the use of hurting a dog? I like dogs. I wonder if I could take that one home with me. Don had two kinds of feelings just then. One was sort of an angry feeling at the boy who wanted to throw a stone at him, and the other feeling was a kind, glad one towards the other boy. That boy looks like something like my little master, Bob, thought Don. I'd like to go to him, for I think he would give me something to eat. And oh, how hungry I am! Don wagged his tail. This was for the good boy. Then Don growled. The least little bit. That was for the bad boy. It was as if Don had said to the good boy, I like you. I want to be friends with you. You and I can have good times together. And when Don growled, it was as though he had said to the bad boy, come on now, none of that. No throwing of stones. That isn't nice. I can't be friends with you if you throw stones at me. Of course, neither of the boys understood Don's kind of talk. The dog was just going to go closer to the boy who did not want to throw a stone at him, when all of a sudden the bad boy, as I call him, threw the piece of rock and it hit Don on the leg. Wow, ouch, yep! cried poor Don as he limped away. Left the boy who had thrown the stone. Look at him go. I knew I could make him run. Oh, would you want to go and do that for? asked the other boy quickly. No, I can't get him. Well, he wasn't much good, spoke the boy who had thrown the stone. Let him go. Guess I'll have to, said the good boy, but I wish you hadn't hit him. So do I, thought Don, who heard this talk as he limped away. I don't see why he wanted to throw a stone at me. And I don't see why myself, except that some boys do things without thinking. I don't believe boys ever want really to be cruel and mean, as they are when they stone dogs and cats. It's just that they don't think. Don ran on and after a while his leg that had been hit by the stone did not hurt him so much. His feelings of hunger, which had gone away for a little while after he was hit, came back again worse than before. I must find something to eat, thought Don. I'll get so weak that I'll fall down in the street if I don't eat. So with his nose he sniffed and snuffed until once more he caught the smell of meat. Of course dogs can look for food, but their noses are sharper than their eyes, and they can smell something good to eat long before they can see it. Other animals do too. You just watch your cat some time. She may see a wagon coming down the street, but she does not pay any attention to it because it is only a wagon from the dry goods store. Then another wagon comes down the street. It looks almost like the one from the dry goods store, but as soon as Pussy sees that she meows and runs to meet it, for this is the fish wagon, and she can smell the fish in it before you can. Cats like fish. It was that way with Don, and once more he smelled meat. This time he followed the smell to a can that stood on the edge of the gutter. It was an ash can, but in it was a piece of meat. Don reached in and grabbed it out as quickly as he could, running around the corner, for he had not forgotten the time a stone was thrown at him when he took a bone from a yard. The meat was not as clean and as nice as Don would have gotten at his kennel at the farm, but he was so hungry that he did not stop to think of that. He ate the meat up at once. My, that tasted good, said Don to himself. I wish I could find another piece like that, and to think I wouldn't look twice at such a piece of meat at home. Well, running away is certainly a strange life. I'll never do it again, and I'm going to run home as soon as I can. It was easier to say this than to do it. Don was far, far from the nice farm, and he did not even know which way to start to get back there. My, what a noisy place the city was. Trolley cars and automobiles raced through the streets, and there were many horses and wagons, and so many persons were hurrying here, there, and everywhere. Poor Don was very lonesome. He finished the last scrap of meat he had pulled out of the ash can and walked on. He did not know where he was going or what to do, but everyone in the city seemed to keep moving, so Don did the same. Don came to a street where there were many wagons, cars, and automobiles. On the other side of the street he saw a butcher shop with nice meat hanging in the window. Now, thought Don, if I could only get over there I might get a nice bone or a scrap of clean meat. Guess I'll try it. He watched his chance, for he was afraid of being run over. There were so many wagons and autos in the street. At last Don thought he saw an opening, and he darted forward. But Don was not used to city ways. No sooner was he halfway across the street than it seemed as if a dozen cars were rushing down on him. A policeman shouted at him and blew a whistle. Get out of there, dog! cried the policeman. Don started to run back, but as he did so two automobiles came past with tooting horns, and he was afraid of them. Go on, go on! cried the policeman. So Don kept on across the street. He was almost at the other curb when another auto came along so swiftly that one of the wheels hit Don and knocked him down. But the man steering the automobile turned it out of the way just in time and Don was saved. He scrambled to the sidewalk, his heart beating very fast. Well, well, that was a narrow escape you had, said a voice in his ear, and looking up Don saw another dog. This dog was what we should call a tramp dog. But he spoke kindly to Don. You came near being run over, said this dog, wagging his tail. Yes, I guess I did, agreed Don. What's your name and where do you live? asked the tramp dog, wagging his tail some more to show that he was friendly. My name is Don, said Bob's pet, and I did live on a farm. But I ran away to have some adventures, and well, if you'll take my advice, you'll run back to that farm as fast as you can, said the tramp dog. I lived on one once, and it is much nicer for dogs than the city. You'd better go back. I would, if I could, but I can't find my way, sourfully, said Don, and he told of having been locked in a freight car. My, you certainly have had some adventures, said the city dog, who had mentioned that his name was Jack. Have you had anything to eat? Yes, I found a piece of meat in a can, answered Don. But it was not very good, it was covered with ashes, and, well, you were lucky to get that, said Jack. I haven't had a thing to-day, and I'm almost starved. You'll be very glad to get even scraps from ash cans if you stay in the city long. Let me tell you, very lucky indeed. I wish I could find some now. I'll show you where the can is, offered Don kindly, but I don't think there's any more meat in it. Hardly, agreed Jack. There are too many dogs about to eat it. There's lots of meat in there, said Don, looking at the butcher shop. Maybe they'll give us some. Not much, they won't, cried Jack. All the meat we'll get there wouldn't keep a kitten from starving. We'll have to hunt our own. But come along. Maybe I'll have some luck now that I've met you. Have you any place to sleep tonight? No, but at home on the farm I had a nice kennel filled with soft straw, said Don. You'll find nothing like that here, said Jack. Such a nice kennel. That here, said Jack, such things are only for rich dogs with homes. But never mind, I have a good sleeping place under some boards in a lumber yard. I'll take you there tonight and we'll sleep together. That is very good of you, said Don. And if I find anything to eat, I'll give you half. The two dogs looked longingly at the meat in the butcher shop. In the window sat a bat cat, and it seemed as though she blinked her eyes at the dogs. She was not afraid of them. Just think of it, cried Jack. That cat has all the meat she wants, and we have to be glad of even scraps from an ash can. Well, it serves me right for running away, thought Don to himself. He and Jack managed to find a little meat that day, but it was not much. They drank from a mud puddle, and we're glad enough to do so. Then, worn out, tired and dusty, that night Jack and Don went to the lumber yard to sleep. Haven't you any cushions or anything like that? Asked Don as he saw a space under some bare boards, which Jack said was the bed. Nothing like that, said Jack with a bark. I'm glad enough to have a sheltered place, without cushions. Poor Don was so tired that he fell asleep almost at once, and he dreamed that he was back in his kennel at the farm, lying in the worn straw, and that in front of him was a big bowl of milk and a plate of juicy bones. Dogs and cats, as well as other animals, do dream, I believe. If you ever watch sleeping cats or dogs, you will often see them jump or twitch when their eyes are closed, and sometimes they will whine or howl, just as children talk in their sleep. Of course, no one knows what dogs and cats dream about, but I imagine it must often be of good things to eat, don't you? At any rate, Don dreamed of being back home, but when he suddenly awakened, he remembered where he was. Oh, I'm under the lumber pile, thought Don to himself, and I'll have to go hunting in ash cans for something to eat. Oh, I wish I were back home again, no more running away from me. Then Don began to feel something queer on his tail. It was as though it was being pinched. He looked up, thinking perhaps Jack was doing this to awaken him, but Jack was not to be seen. And then Don saw something else. Tied around his tail was a piece of rope that had not been there when he went to sleep the night before. Don jumped up quickly, and as he did so he heard a rattling sound. At the same time, a boy's voice cried, Hey Jimmy, the dogs woke up, now we'll see some fun. Don sprang out from under the pile of boards. As he did so, the rattling bang sound followed him. It went wherever he went, and as he looked around, he saw that a big tin can was tied to his tail. Don did not know what to make of it. Nothing like that had ever happened to him before. He gave a jump and ran around the lumberyard. At every step the can followed, with a rattle and a bang. Oh, this is terrible, yelped poor Don, as he ran faster and faster. But no matter how fast he ran, that can on his tail followed.