Show vit f It r iON N n By SACK u. u Hose I I Freddy and John wanted a dog but they weren't getting far for with their plea Then a stray mongrel wandered upon the scene one day and roused Caused a great deal of excitement Is Ie how do you dol dot Wont Won't WilY you come in asked Mother us ss she opened the front door Doth Both Freddie and I looked up to see ee who the caller caUer might be The shades were drawn In the tho living liv ing lug room so 10 we couldn't see ice who was standing on the porch Mother had bad darkened the room to protect Freddys Freddy's eyes because Freddy had bad the measles lIe He was 81 covered with witha b a blanket and curled up on the day daybed daybed daybed bed which had been moved down from upstairs I was spread out on the floor with the erector set let We waited to see the unexpected visitor and Imagine our surprise when In walked a 11 big brown dog The newcomer trotted across the room to Inspect me and I patted him on the head bead Then he went over overto overto overto to the day bed and nuzzled his big bighead bead head against Freddy as 81 much as 81 asto asto to say III HI there Dud Bud Ive I've come to help you get well O 0 gee Mom cried Freddy excitedly excitedly excitedly ex ex- ex- ex a dog Can we keep him Mom Where did he ha come coma from What's his name Now now not so 10 fast tast son IOn interrupted In Interrupted Ip- Ip Mother as she settled Freddy under the blanket again lIe He just came to the door when I went to get the mall and I thought maybe hed he'd help you pass the time Ume while youre you're closed up here with the measles Do you like him Boy Doy Ill I'll say lay Freddy and I chanted In unison hes he The newcomer who was busy ins In the premises was Just dog part airedale part hound lie He was big grayish-brown grayish and would have passed for tor a genuine aIredale U he hadn't had those big floppy dog hound ears We had always wanted a dog but Dad said we didn't have a place for fora a dog dot and he wouldn't have one U if Uhe Uhe he had to keep it tied we call him Mom I asked eagerly Why dont don't you and Freddy figure fig fig- figure ur ure ure that out for tor yourself son she said as she went toward the kitchen to get dinner under way All my life Ilfe I had bad wanted people to call caU me Jack because I liked it for tor a nickname but all aU I ever heard was Just plain John so I said Lets call caU him Jack Freddy Yeah Jacks Jack's Jacks Jack's a good name all aU allright right Here lIere Jack come over here old boy boyl I he called to the dog And Jack wagged his tail tall put his big front paws up on the couch and licked Freddy on the nose Gosh look John said Freddy he knows his name already We had a wonderful time with Jack hack until Dad came home going on here he called when he saw the dog stretched out on the living room floor Where did that mongrel come from lie He came to help me ma get well Dad piped Freddy from his haven on the day bed Freddy always could work Dad for tor most anything and when he fin tin shed telling Dad how the dog Just practically came up and knocked on the door to help Freddy get well Dad Just grinned and said grudgIngly grudgingly grudgingly Well I guess we can keep him for tor a while until you get well anyhow But Dut after Freddy got well Jack stayed dayed Dad kicked d about it jt a little but he finally agreed to let us have Jack U if we kept him in the basement at night and the dog didn't get into any trouble We bot bout both promised I Dut But keeping Jack out of ot trouble W was J like Uke trying to keep water from flowing down down- hill Mil Everything went along fine tine until un un- until til Mr came over to complain complain com com- plain that tha Jack had dug up his garden garden gar gar- den to bury a bone All AU our efforts to explain didn't appease Dad very much and he was disgusted Then Jack chased Rousha Roush's cat and the cat got caught In the porch railing and couldn't get out until old man Roush sawed the railing loose Naturally he be wasn't too pleased about that Dad was adamant by that time and Insisted Jack would have to go He lie had bad found some farmer who would take the dog Dut But Jack had hada a knack for taking things Into his own hands or I guess we ought to tony say ny his own paws Ilie I lIe He had a habit of following us to school chool but wed we'd usually chase him home after a block or two Dut But one morning when the snow was comIng coming corning com corn ing down pretty heavily Jack trotted trotted trot trots ted along behind us Go back Jack I shouted at him Go on home old boy but the dog kept trotting along behind us I threw stones at him and tried everything I could think of but he Iii r i. i r ei y p pIt It 1 r i I t ii t k d r P C w IS lei lp y p y w d y But keeping Jack out of trouble was like trying to keep water from flowing downhill kept coming right along Nothing we could do would persuade him to togo togo togo go back We knew wed we'd be late Uwe Uwe U it we didn't hurry so we went on to school As we entered the building Freddy shouted to the dog You wait walt here till we come out Jack Jackl JacklI I asked my teacher if U I could bring Jack in and she gave consent consent consent con con- sent if U I would promise to keep him quiet I hurried out to find him but Jack had disappeared WHEN WIlEN we got home that night Mother asked Wheres Where Jack I haven't seen leen him him all aU day He Ue followed us to school this morning Mammal I explained but when I came out to get him he was gone Well I suppose that saves your father the trouble of getting rid of him Mm she said Take off your coats and hang them up to dry Youre You're all wet from the snow No one had much to say at the supper table that night Even Dad was pretty quiet and he went to the window several times to look out before we went to bed Two dejected little boys boy prayed fervently for tor the safe keeping of a alost alost lost dog that night We rolled and to tossed sled all aU night long wondering where our pet might be That was the last we saw of ot Jack until about a month later laler One of the neighbors said uld You know I 1 think thin I saw your dog this morning over at the Whittier Whittier Whit Whit- tier school lIe He was outside watching watching watch watch- ing the children as III they came out I stopped slopped the car and turned around but by the time I went back to look for tor him he was gone Mother replied that Jack was probably making the rounds of ot the schools schools' looking for tor us We kept searching and hoping renewed by bythe bythe bythe the news that Jack was still alive Dut But we didn't have much time to hunt for tor him as I was practicing every night for tor a school chool play The night of ot the plays play's performance we almost found Jack again During the second act there was wasa a lot of commotion near the back of the auditorium and several ushers ran up and down the aisles It was pretty hard for us to enact the scene with all aU that commotion going on inthe in inthe inthe the a auditorium On the way home I asked Mom what the noise was and she laughed I think It was your old friend she replied What dp you mean Mom I questioned Why a dog got in during the play and made a bee line for tor the stage when the ushers caught him I looked around to see four of ot them dragging him up the aisle and it looked for tor all aU the world like Uke Jack Dut But lets let's go back and look for far him I cried Your father tather and I did look for tor him son as soon as the play was over said Mother as the car turned in the driveway at home Dut But we couldn't find him anywhere I guess were we're Just not supposed to have him back anymore Dut But two days later Just as suddenly suddenly sud suds denly as he had gone Jack came home homel I Freddy was out shoveling hoveling snow of off the sidewalk and ani Jack came bounding up the street Jus like Uke hed he'd never been away traIn from home Everyone welcomed him back and even Dad didn't say a word Dut But our pleasure in our dog didn't last long About a a. a month later Jack was lying on the front porch Teddy Long a tot about two who lived across the street from us was wad playing on the tile sidewalk in front of his house He Ue toddled toward the curb and was climbing down into the street when Jack leaped to the center of the street barking furiously furiously furiously furi furi- at the youngster Just then a acar acar acar car came around the corner and struck Jack Jack wasn't dead but nearly all aU his hi ribs were broken Dad sat up with him through two long nights night feeding him and nursIng nursing nurs nurs- ing him but old Jack Just couldn't make it ft t. t Our only consolation was that Jack had undoubtedly sacrificed his life to save lave little Teddy for tor the car could have struck truck the youngster just justas as a. easily Dut But this was a logic difficult dU dif for tor youngsters to understand Freddy reddy cried as 81 though his bI heart would break and I J guess I was pretty tearful myself After waiting so long to get our dog back it was pretty tough having having hav hay ing to lose him so 80 soon lOOn Things were so glum around the house that Mother decided we ought to have havo a party to cheer things up Dut But it was no use usa nothing could take the place of our lost dog Even when spring pring came and Dad took us on a fishing ashing trip something war missing We were sitting on the porch one afternoon waiting for tor Dad to come home for tor supper aupper Freddy sighed and said Poor old Jack Mother asked Beys Beya youre you're surely surely sure ure ly 11 not moaning about that dog yet et are you fOu Just then Dad swung the ear car into I the driveway From along side lide the house we heard him honk the horn I Freddy ran to see sea wha what he wanted Suddenly he burst bursa around the corner cor cot ner nor of the house bouse carrying a squirm squirm- hag uig p puppy in his hb arms and shouting 1 Hey Uey Mom look what Daddy brought home borne lies He's our new d dog Mom and you know bow what his hia name Is ta Mom Ills name is II Jack Jackl Mom looked at Dad and aftel smiled an and l I thought I saw f just the least leant sign aim of a t tear ar in the he corner comet of ot Dads Dad's eye ee as al the tho new puppy kissed Ted ned dy on the nose noo |