Little Dog Ready: How He Lost Himself in the Big World

by Mabel F. Stryker

Faster and faster ran Ready

Then he tried to run home, but of course he ran in the wrong direction, and when you run home in the wrong direction, a most unpleasant thing happens—you don’t get there at all.

Ready ran on and on until he came to a house which he thought was his. You see he was quite sleepy by this time, and when you have a sleepy turned head you may as well give up.

He wondered why the windows were all closed, but even before he had finished saying, “How queer that the windows are not——” he was fast asleep on the doormat. He did not wake up until he heard some one talking.

“Oh, see this darling little dog!” said a young lady, looking down at him.

Then all the family came to look down at him and to say, “How cute!” and “What a dear!”

Now Ready, as you remember, was a very polite little dog; so of course he wagged his waggy tail and said in his best dog language, “How do you do?”

“How do you do?”

This seemed to delight everybody, and they gave him breakfast at once. Ready greatly enjoyed his breakfast, and he thought there would be no harm in staying a few minutes with such very pleasant people. But that is where he made his second bad mistake, as you will see.