CHAPTER I
PLAY DAYS
Bow!
I always begin a story that way. It is what you Two-Legged Folks call “making your bow.” With us dogs it means “Hello” and “How do you do” and “Good morning” and—and lots of other things too. And sometimes it means “Look out!” You see, we have so many ways of saying it!
Perhaps some day I’ll tell you how to know just what we mean when we say “Bow!”—like that—sort of quick and friendly; and what we mean when we say it slow and gruff, way down in our throats.
And then there’s “Wow!” too. “Wow” is different from “Bow.” And “Bow-wow” is still different. But this isn’t telling my story, is it?
Of course, you haven’t said you wanted me to tell you my story, but I’m almost sure you do. I think you’ll like it, because I am a very good story-teller—for a dog. And, although I am not quite three years old, I have seen a lot of things in my day.
You won’t mind if I wag my tail now and then, will you? It is very hard for a dog to tell a tale without wagging. Some folks say a dog talks with his tail. He doesn’t though; not really. He just uses his tail the way you Two-Legged Folks use your hands, to make others understand better what you are saying.