She went around the gravel walk of the house, and toward the back door. But, just as she was going up the back steps, down them rushed a big dog, barking loudly and calling out, in animal talk:
“Hi, there! No cats allowed around here! Be off! Bow wow!”
Blackie did not stop to talk. Away she ran as fast as she could go, and as she saw, over her shoulder, the dog coming after her, up a tree she ran. The dog came to a stop at the bottom of the tree, and barking up at Blackie said:
“What do you mean by coming here, anyhow? Who are you, and what do you want?”
Before she had run away, and while she was living with Arthur and Mabel, Blackie would not have paid much attention to any dog. She knew very few dogs, not even the one next door, and most dogs were cross and ugly, she thought. She did not think it safe to talk to them.
But now she was up a tree, and she knew it would be safe to speak to this dog from up there. Also Blackie was so tired and hungry that she felt she must do something to get help. And perhaps this dog was not as cross as some, even if he did chase her. He might tell her where to get something to eat.
So, sitting on the limb of the tree, and looking down at the dog, Blackie said:
“Please be nice to me, Mr. Dog. I am so tired and hungry, and I’m lost. I ran away, Mr. Dog.”
“Hum, ran away did you?” and the dog’s voice was softer now. “I once ran away myself. But my name is not Mr. Dog. It is Don.”
“What! Is your name Don?” cried Blackie, and she was so surprised that she nearly fell off the limb of the tree. “Why, I’ve heard about you, Don?”