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

by Mabel F. Stryker

Ready stood up and said his prettiest good-bye, which was three little barks and then one long one, with tail wagging all the time, of course.

In a second he would have been out of the house, but the young lady caught him by the collar and held him.

Then—I cannot tell you how it hurts me to say this—they tied him. Yes, they did! They tied him to an old hook and kept him there for nearly a week! They took him out for a breath of air for a few minutes each day and then put him back in his stuffy prison.

They tied him

CHAPTER II

READY A PRISONER

Of course if Ready had been a dog of the world, he might have found ways to escape. He might have snapped at people or howled all night. Then the father of the family would surely have let him out, for fathers hate to be disturbed at night.

But Ready had always been taught that snapping and growling are very wicked; so he only moaned a little and shed a few dog tears when no one was looking. You see it is a disgrace to a dog’s doghood to be found in tears.

Of course he was not the least bit hungry. How could any dog be hungry shut up all day in a stuffy old room? And then nothing takes away a dog’s appetite so quickly as sad thoughts.