PETER’S NEW HOME
The next day Peter was transported to his new home. So great was the excitement over making the change, that many things Susie had intended to say to him in the way of good advice were forgotten. With a great lump in her throat, which mothers are apt to have on such occasions, she bade him good-by forever.
After the thrill of his first ride in an automobile, Pete arrived at his new home, where he was greeted by his new master and mistress. They were a pair of chubby youngsters of four and five years, who looked enough alike to be twins. There being only one year’s difference in their ages accounted for this.
Their names were Mabel and Ralph. Both had brown eyes, and their hair was almost the color of Peter’s coat. They were delighted to see Peter, with his brown eyes and his coat of brown and tan, so soft and fuzzy. They laughed at his funny little tail. And his silken ears—as the little girl rubbed one of them against her cheek, Peter gave a sigh of relief because they were clean.
This episode of the ears reminded him of home and his mother, just as other sons who have left home for the first time have had their memories of their mothers jogged. Peter gulped down the lump that came into his little throat; he must be brave. That was one of the things Shep had emphasized in his advice. He had said, “Bravery is the greatest asset for a dog.”
After each of the children had had a good “snuggle” at him, he was given his dinner on a beautiful blue plate, all his own. This was nice, but in all his life he had never before eaten alone. How could he eat, with no one to push and crowd him, and no dad to tell him when he had had enough? When he took a mouthful of really good bread and gravy, it almost choked him. Then, those wide-eyed youngsters were watching every bite he ate, making him feel so self-conscious that he simply could not remember his table manners. He put his paws on his plate, and made a noise chewing his food. At home, every scrap was eaten, and the plate cleaned in a tidy way, ready for the next meal. His orderly mother would have been ashamed of him, if she could have seen the mess he was making of this, his first meal in his new home.
A survey of the premises was next in order. He was shown his bedroom, which was a box on the back porch. It was large enough for him to stretch out in and be very comfortable. It looked about right, but it lacked the “homey” odor of his former bed. It was too fresh and clean.
Then Pete had his first touch of homesickness. These youngsters were all right, as youngsters go, but they were not to be compared for company to a family of rollicking puppies. What did they know about a game of tug-of-war with an old sock, or of ball with a lump of coal, and other delightful dog games? With a contemptuous shrug of his shoulders, he went on with his investigations.
Out on the window sill, where the sun shone warmly, was something that attracted his attention. Going closer to see more clearly, he observed a creature which was something new to him. It seemed to be a bundle of fuzzy fur, with a head at one end, and something at the other end that looked a little like the feather duster the puppies used to play with at home.
The head was loose, too, for now it was turning. It opened two eyes, and then a mouth, and yawned. All at once, something happened. Down the creature pounced, right on Pete’s back. He was still uncertain what it was, until it began to spit and snarl. As all cats snarl and spit about alike, Pete knew it must be some kind of a cat, but how different from the cats which he had known. All his former cat acquaintances had worn sleek coats with spots or striped, and they had had long, slim tails, or no tails at all. A Manx cat he had known had no tail.
Fluff, for that was the cat’s name, was as much astonished as Peter was, at what she was encountering. This was something unlike anything she had ever seen before. Something told her it was akin to her old enemy, the dog, but how harmless this one seemed! Nothing but the wag of his ridiculous little tail was at all doglike.
They surveyed each other for a while. Then Peter remembered his mother’s advice about following the Golden Rule with cats, especially when the cat had the advantage, as was the situation now. Turning, he ran back to his bedroom for a nap, as so much excitement had wearied him.
Hopping into his box, he turned around twice before he lay down. Soon he was asleep. When he awoke, it was dark. Where was he? Nosing around, he could find no bedfellow, nothing that was familiar, and then he realized how homesick he was. He wanted his mother and he began to cry.
Peter Sees Fluff for the First Time
Upstairs somewhere, awake in a snug, warm bed, lay a little boy. He heard that pitiful cry, and felt his own little heart ache with pity for the baby dog. He listened for a while. Then, unable to stand it any longer, he slipped out of bed. Tiptoeing his way, so that no one would hear him, the boy went out on the cold back porch to the puppy. Taking Pete under his warm bathrobe, he slipped as quietly back to bed. The puppy was “snuggled” in Ralph’s arms, and soon dog and boy were fast asleep. Thus a bond of affection was established between these two that proved lasting and true, as we shall see.
The better acquainted Peter got with his new friends, the better he liked them, especially the boy and the girl. With the latter, however, he felt as if he were not in full favor. She seemed to prefer petting that presumptuous, fluffy cat, rather than him. He was not quite sure, but he thought he overheard some such conversation as this between them:
“Fluffy, you must be nice to our new puppy. You know he is only a little doggie.”
There was considerable emphasis laid on the “only.” For some reason which Pete did not stop to analyze, he determined he would show this pair, the girl and the cat, a few things, when he ceased to be “only a little doggie,” and became a real dog.
Life at this new home was very pleasant for Pete. The little boy and he had so much fun, that he soon forget the home he had left. He never knew how his mother missed him, for, although more puppies came to bless and cheer her heart, still she could never forget Pete.