The next day Peter was transported to his new home. So great was the
excitement over making the change, that many things Susie had intended
to say to him in the way of good advice were forgotten. With a great
lump in her throat, which mothers are apt to have on such occasions,
she bade him good-by forever.
After the thrill of his first ride in an automobile, Pete arrived at
his new home, where he was greeted by his new master and mistress. They
were a pair of chubby youngsters of four and five years, who looked
enough alike to be twins. There being only one year’s difference in
their ages accounted for this.
Their names were Mabel and Ralph. Both had brown eyes, and their hair
was almost the color of Peter’s coat. They were delighted to see Peter,
with his brown eyes and his coat of brown and tan, so soft and fuzzy.
They laughed at his funny little tail. And his silken ears--as the
little girl rubbed one of them against her cheek, Peter gave a sigh of
relief because they were clean.
This episode of the ears reminded him of home and his mother, just
as other sons who have left home for the first time have had their
memories of their mothers jogged. Peter gulped down the lump that
came into his little throat; he must be brave. That was one of the
things Shep had emphasized in his advice. He had said, “Bravery is the
greatest asset for a dog.”
After each of the children had had a good “snuggle” at him, he was
given his dinner on a beautiful blue plate, all his own. This was nice,
but in all his life he had never before eaten alone. How _could_ he
eat, with no one to push and crowd him, and no dad to tell him when he
had had enough? When he took a mouthful of really good bread and gravy,
it almost choked him. Then, those wide-eyed youngsters were watching
every bite he ate, making him feel so self-conscious that he simply
could not remember his table manners. He put his paws on his plate,
and made a noise chewing his food. At home, every scrap was eaten, and
the plate cleaned in a tidy way, ready for the next meal. His orderly
mother would have been ashamed of him, if she could have seen the mess
he was making of this, his first meal in his new home.
A survey of the premises was next in order. He was shown his bedroom,
which was a box on the back porch. It was large enough for him to
stretch out in and be very comfortable. It looked about right, but it
lacked the “homey” odor of his former bed. It was too fresh and clean.
Then Pete had his first touch of homesickness. These youngsters were
all right, as youngsters go, but they were not to be compared for
company to a family of rollicking puppies. What did they know about a
game of tug-of-war with an old sock, or of ball with a lump of coal,
and other delightful dog games? With a contemptuous shrug of his
shoulders, he went on with his investigations.
Out on the window sill, where the sun shone warmly, was something that
attracted his attention. Going closer to see more clearly, he observed
a creature which was something new to him. It seemed to be a bundle of
fuzzy fur, with a head at one end, and something at the other end that
looked a little like the feather duster the puppies used to play with
at home.
The head was loose, too, for now it was turning. It opened two eyes,
and then a mouth, and yawned. All at once, something happened. Down the
creature pounced, right on Pete’s back. He was still uncertain what it
was, until it began to spit and snarl. As all cats snarl and spit about
alike, Pete knew it must be some kind of a cat, but how different from
the cats which he had known. All his former cat acquaintances had worn
sleek coats with spots or striped, and they had had long, slim tails,
or no tails at all. A Manx cat he had known had no tail.
Fluff, for that was the cat’s name, was as much astonished as Peter
was, at what she was encountering. This was something unlike anything
she had ever seen before. Something told her it was akin to her old
enemy, the dog, but how harmless this one seemed! Nothing but the wag
of his ridiculous little tail was at all doglike.
They surveyed each other for a while. Then Peter remembered his
mother’s advice about following the Golden Rule with cats, especially
when the cat had the advantage, as was the situation now. Turning, he
ran back to his bedroom for a nap, as so much excitement had wearied
him.
Hopping into his box, he turned around twice before he lay down. Soon
he was asleep. When he awoke, it was dark. Where was he? Nosing around,
he could find no bedfellow, nothing that was familiar, and then he
realized how homesick he was. He wanted his mother and he began to cry.
[Illustration: Peter Sees Fluff for the First Time]
Upstairs somewhere, awake in a snug, warm bed, lay a little boy. He
heard that pitiful cry, and felt his own little heart ache with pity
for the baby dog. He listened for a while. Then, unable to stand it
any longer, he slipped out of bed. Tiptoeing his way, so that no one
would hear him, the boy went out on the cold back porch to the puppy.
Taking Pete under his warm bathrobe, he slipped as quietly back to bed.
The puppy was “snuggled” in Ralph’s arms, and soon dog and boy were
fast asleep. Thus a bond of affection was established between these two
that proved lasting and true, as we shall see.
The better acquainted Peter got with his new friends, the better he
liked them, especially the boy and the girl. With the latter, however,
he felt as if he were not in full favor. She seemed to prefer petting
that presumptuous, fluffy cat, rather than him. He was not quite sure,
but he thought he overheard some such conversation as this between them:
“Fluffy, you must be nice to our new puppy. You know he is _only_ a
little doggie.”
There was considerable emphasis laid on the “only.” For some reason
which Pete did not stop to analyze, he determined he would show this
pair, the girl and the cat, a few things, when he ceased to be “only a
_little_ doggie,” and became a real dog.
Life at this new home was very pleasant for Pete. The little boy and
he had so much fun, that he soon forget the home he had left. He never
knew how his mother missed him, for, although more puppies came to
bless and cheer her heart, still she could never forget Pete.