All night long they talked and sang, and passed greetings with old
pals, and the home-sick puppies howled dismal. Them that couldn't sleep
wouldn't let no others sleep, and all the electric lights burned in the
roof, and in my eyes. I could hear Jimmy Jocks snoring peaceful, but I
could only doze by jerks, and when I dozed I dreamed horrible. All the
dogs in the hall seemed coming at me for daring to intrude, with their
jaws red and open, and their eyes blazing like the lights in the roof.
“You're a street-dog! Get out, you street-dog!” they yells. And as they
drives me out, the pipe-clay drops off me, and they laugh and shriek;
and when I looks down I see that I have turned into a black-and-tan.
They was most awful dreams, and next morning, when Miss Dorothy comes
and gives me water in a pan, I begs and begs her to take me home, but
she can't understand. “How well Kid is!” she says. And when I jumps into
the Master's arms, and pulls to break my chain, he says, “If he knew
all as he had against him, Miss, he wouldn't be so gay.” And from a book
they reads out the names of the beautiful high-bred terriers which I
have got to meet. And I can't make 'em understand that I only want to
run away, and hide myself where no one will see me.
Then suddenly men comes hurrying down our street and begins to brush the
beautiful bull-terriers, and Nolan rubs me with a towel so excited that
his hands trembles awful, and Miss Dorothy tweaks my ears between her
gloves, so that the blood runs to 'em, and they turn pink and stand up
straight and sharp.
“Now, then, Nolan,” says she, her voice shaking just like his fingers,
“keep his head up--and never let the Judge lose sight of him.” When I
hears that my legs breaks under me, for I knows all about judges. Twice,
the old Master goes up before the Judge for fighting me with other dogs,
and the Judge promises him if he ever does it again, he'll chain him
up in jail. I knew he'd find me out. A Judge can't be fooled by no
pipe-clay. He can see right through you, and he reads your insides.
The judging-ring, which is where the Judge holds out, was so like a
fighting-pit, that when I came in it, and find six other dogs there, I
springs into position, so that when they lets us go I can defend myself,
But the Master smoothes down my hair and whispers, “Hold 'ard, Kid, hold
'ard. This ain't a fight,” says he. “Look your prettiest,” he whispers.
“Please, Kid, look your prettiest,” and he pulls my leash so tight that
I can't touch my pats to the sawdust, and my nose goes up in the air.
There was millions of people a-watching us from the railings, and three
of our kennel-men, too, making fun of Nolan and me, and Miss Dorothy
with her chin just reaching to the rail, and her eyes so big that I
thought she was a-going to cry. It was awful to think that when the
Judge stood up and exposed me, all those people, and Miss Dorothy, would
be there to see me driven from the show.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account