Show I JACK MOK JEI II By JOHN H. H HOSE HOSEI I Cornet LI L- L Freddy and John wanted a dog but they weren't getting far with I II their plea Then a stray mongrel wandered upon the scene one day and caused a great deal of excitement I u X THY how do you do dol Wont Won't VV V V you come In asked Mother I as she opened the front door Both Freddie and I looked up to see who the caller might be 1 The shades were drawn dra In the living living liv liv- ing mg room so we couldn't see who was standing on the porch Mother Mad nad darkened the thc room to protect Freddys Freddy's eyes because Freddy had the measles He was covered with oS a blanket and curled up on the day daybed daybed bed ted which had been moved down from tram upstairs I was spread out on the floor with the erector set We waited to see the unexpected visitor and imagine our surprise r I when in walked a big brown dog The newcomer trotted across the room to inspect me rae and I patted r him on the head Then he went over overto overto overto to the day bed and nuzzled his big bigI bighead bighead I head against Freddy as much as asto asto to say Hi there Bud Ive I've come to help you get well O 0 gee Mom cried Freddy excitedly ex- ex a dog I Can we keep him Wm Mom Morn Where did he come from What's his name Now now not so fast son In hi- d M Mother ther as she settled Freddy under the blanket again I I He just came to the door when I went to get the mail and I thought I maybe hed he'd help you pass the time I while youre you're closed up here with the t f measles Do you like him I Boy Ill I'll say Freddy and I chanted in ln unison hes swell The newcomer who was busy inspecting in In- the premises was just I dog part airedale part hound He I was big grayish-brown grayish and would have passed for tor a genuine airedale I I if 11 he hadn't had those big floppy I dog hound ears I II We had always wanted a dog but 1 Dad said we didn't have a place for fora a dog and he wouldn't have one 11 if ho he had to keep it tied we call him Mom I Ir r asked eagerly I Why dont don't you and Freddy figure fig fig- figI I T f ure ure that out for yourself son she I It t. t said as she went toward the kitchen to get dinner under way i All AU my life tife I had wanted people I to call me Jack because I liked it for tor a nickname but all I ever heard i was just plain John so I said Lets call him Jack Freddy t Yeah Yeah Jacks Jacks Jack's a good name all i right Here Jack come over here I old aId boy I he called to the dog AndI And I Jack wagged his tail put his big bigI I front paws up on the couch and licked Freddy on the nose i Gosh look John said Freddy J I he knows his name already c We had a wonderful wonder ul time with I Jack until Dad came home going on here he called when he saw the dog c stretched out on the living room floor door Where did that mongrel come from I He came to help me get well It Dad piped Freddy from his haven c on the day bed I Freddy always could work Dad I for tor most anything and when he finished finished fin fin- h telling Dad how the dog just I t practically came up and knocked on onN N the door to help Freddy get well Dad just grinned and said grudgingly t Well I guess we can keep him for tor a a while until you get well anyhow But after Freddy got well Jack stayed Dad kicked about It a little but he finally agreed to let us have I Jack if it we kept him in the basement at night and the dog didn't get into I any trouble We both promised I But keeping Jack out of at trouble was like trying to keep water from flowing down down- hill Everything went along fine until until until un un- un- un I til Mr came over to complain complain com corn plain that Jack had dug up his garden garden garden gar gar- den to bury a bone All our efforts to explain didn't appease Dad very much and he was disgusted Then Jack chased 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 wasn't too pleased about that Dad was adamant by that time and insisted Jack would have to go He had found some farmer who would take the dog But Jack had hada a knack for taking things into his own hands or I guess we ought to say his own paws I He had a n habit of following us to school but wed we'd usually chase him home after alter a block or r two But one morning when the snow was coming coming com corn ing lag down pretty heavily Jack trotted trotted trotted trot trot- ted along behind us Go back Jack I shouted at him Go toGa 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 1 14 1 LI 11 U II fI z tA t- t A i But keeping Jack out of trouble was like trying to keep water I 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 if U we didn't hurry so we went on to school As we entered the building Freddy shouted to the dog You wait here till we come out Jack I asked my teacher if I could bring Jack in and she gave consent consent consent con con- sent i if 11 I would promise to keep him quiet I hurried out to find him but Jack had disappeared ATHEN WHEN we got home that night V V Mother asked Wheres Jack I haven't seen him all day He followed us to school this I morning Ma Mamma a I explained but when I 1 came out to get him he was gone Well I suppose that saves your father the trouble of getting rid of ot him It she said Take of oS 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 litile boys prayed fervently for the safe-keeping safe of a alost alost alost lost dog that night We rolled and tossed all night long wondering where our pet might be That was the last we saw of at Jack I until about a month later One of at the neighbors said You know I think I saw your dog this morning over at the Whittier Whittier Whit- Whit tier school He lie was outside watchIng watching watch watch- ing the children as they came out I stopped 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 the schools looking for tor us We kept searching and hoping renewed by bythe bythe bythe the news that Jack was still alive But we didn't have much timo time to hunt for him as I was practicing every night for tor a school play The Thc night of the plays play's performance we almost found Jack again During the second act there was wasa a lot of at 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 that commotion going on Inthe in inthe inthe the 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 That do you mean Mom I questioned Why a dog got in during the play and made a line bee for the stage I when the ushers caught him I looked around to see four of at them dragging him up the aisle and it looked for all the world like Jack But lets let's go back and look for him I cried Your father and I did look for him son as soon as the play was ever ver said Mother as the car turned in the driveway at home But we couldn't find him anywhere I guess were we're just not supposed to have him back anymore But two days later just as suddenly suddenly suddenly sud sud- denly as he had gone Jack came home I Freddy was out shoveling snow off the sidewalk and Jack came bounding up the street just like hed he'd never been away from home Everyone welcomed him back and even Dad didn't say a word But our pleasure in our dog didn't last long About a month later Jack was lying on the front porch Teddy Long a tot about two who lived across the street from us was playing on the sidewalk in front athis of at his house He toddled toward the I curb and was climbing down into the street when Jack leaped to the I center of at the street barking furiously furiously furi fun I at the youngster Just the then a acar acar car came carne around the corner and struck Jack Jack wasn't dead but nearly all his ribs were broken Dad sat up with him through two long nights feeding him and nursing nursing nurs nurs- ing tog him b but t old Jack just couldn't i I make it i Our only consolation was that I Jack had undoubtedly sacrificed his lils life to save little Teddy for the car could have struck the youngster just justas as easily But this was a logic difficult difficult dif dif- for tor youngsters to understand Freddy cried as though his he heart an anI I would break and I guess I was wasI I pretty tearful myself I After waiting so long to get our ouri j i dog back it was pretty tough havI having hav- hav I ing lug to lose him so 80 soon Things were i so glum around the house that M Mother ther decided we ought to have a I party to cheer things up But ItI it itI I was no use use nothing could take takeI I I the place of at our lost dog Even EvenI I j I when spring came and Dad took us lS usi i on a fishing trip something was missing j I We Vie were sitting on the porch one i a afternoon waiting for Dad to come home for supper Freddy sighed and said Poor old Jack Mother asked Boys youre you're surely sure sure- I Ily ly y not moaning about that dog yet i j are you 1 Just then Dad swung the car into the driveway From along side the i house we heard him honk the horn i I Freddy ran to see what he wanted i I Suddenly he burst around the cori cor- cor j i I ner of the house carrying a squirm- squirm I j Ing puppy in his arms and shouting Hey Mom Morn look what Daddy I 1 brought home Hes He's our new dog Mom and you know what his i I name Is Mom His name Is Jack i Mom looked at Dad and smiled and I thought I saw just the least sign of ot a tear in fa the corner comer of at Dads Dad's eye as the new puppy kissed Freddy Freddy Freddy Fred Fred- dy on the noso- noso |