alley. But Frankie wasn’t with him.
“Where is Frankie?” I asked,
“I don’t know,” Tom said, looking plenty worried. “He wasn’t with Eddie Huddle. I tried the homes of some-other kids he plays with. No luck. I thought I could fol-low the tracks of the wagon but he must have pulled it in the street and the wheels didn’t leave any marks on the gravel. Are you sure he didn’t come back?”
“I’m sure,” I said. “What do we do now?”
Tom took a deep breath. “We tell Mamma,” he said.
Mamma was in the kitchen with Aunt Bertha pre-paring supper. Tom confessed that we had let Frankie run away and couldn’t find him.
Mamma always reacted briskly in a crisis. “I’ll deal with you two later,” she said. Then she telephoned Papa and Uncle Mark. Supper was forgotten.
We were waiting in the parlor when Papa and Uncle Mark arrived. Tom toid them what had happened. Uncle Mark stood up holding his Stetson hat in his hand.
“I don’t think there is anything to worry about,” he said. “A boy pulling a wagon with a dog in it is sure to be noticed. I’ll check the houses on the street he took.”
“I’ll go with you,” Papa said.
It was dark before Papa returned. Frankie wasn’t with him. Mamma began to cry and so did Aunt Bertha. I sure as heck felt like crying.
“Please don’t cry,” Papa said, “Mark is organizing a search party. We did find one person who saw Frankie. Mrs. Cranston, who lives in that yellow house at the edge of town, saw him going down the road toward the river.”
“The river!” Mamma cried. “Why didn’t she stop him?”
“She assumed he was just taking his dog for a ride,” Papa said. “T. D., get me the kerosene lantern from the barn.”
I went to the barn with Tom.
“If anything happens to Frankie,” I said, “I’ll never forgive you,”
“Forgive me?” Tom asked. “What about yourself?”
I knew Tom was right. I didn’t have to go along with the joke. I could have stopped Frankie. I made a sacred vow never to play a joke on anybody again. As we started for the house Brownie began barking. In the moonlight I saw Prince come running down the alley. He had something in his mouth. When the pup got close enough, we could see it was the cap Frankie had been wearing-Tom put the lantern down and dropped to his knees.
“Good boy, Prince,” he said, patting the pup on the head. Then he waved the cap in front of Prince. “Frankie,” he said. “Take us to Frankie.”
But Prince just wagged his tail.
“You try,” Tom said—
1 took the cap and waved it in front of Brownie’s nose. My dog took the cap and dropped it in front of Prince and began barking. I think Brownie understood what we wanted, but the pup didn’t. Prince just stood there, wagging his tail.
“There has to be a way,” Tom said. “Take the lantern to Papa. But don’t say anything about Prince. Too many people will just get the pup more excited.”
I took the lantern to Papa. Then I went back to the alley.
“Did your great brain figure out how to make Prince take us to Frankie yet?” I asked.
“My great brain will make him understand,” Tom said.
He took the cap and ran a few steps down the alley. “Frankie,” Tom called. “Here, Prince. Find Frankie!”
The pup ran to Tom and he put the cap in the pup’s mouth. But Prince just dropped the cap on the ground and stood there wagging his tail. Tom picked up the cap and ran a few more steps down the alley, calling to Prince. The pup followed him but stopped when Tom did.
“He thinks we are playing a game with him,” Tom said as he walked back to where I was standing, “We know he loves Frankie. Just ignore him. Don’t move or speak to him.”
Then Tom threw the cap several feet down the alley. Prince ran to the cap and began to whine.
“Don’t say anything,” Tom whispered. “Just walk toward him.”
We started walking toward the pup. Prince picked up the cap and ran down the alley. He turned around to
“Where is Frankie?” I asked,
“I don’t know,” Tom said, looking plenty worried. “He wasn’t with Eddie Huddle. I tried the homes of some-other kids he plays with. No luck. I thought I could fol-low the tracks of the wagon but he must have pulled it in the street and the wheels didn’t leave any marks on the gravel. Are you sure he didn’t come back?”
“I’m sure,” I said. “What do we do now?”
Tom took a deep breath. “We tell Mamma,” he said.
Mamma was in the kitchen with Aunt Bertha pre-paring supper. Tom confessed that we had let Frankie run away and couldn’t find him.
Mamma always reacted briskly in a crisis. “I’ll deal with you two later,” she said. Then she telephoned Papa and Uncle Mark. Supper was forgotten.
We were waiting in the parlor when Papa and Uncle Mark arrived. Tom toid them what had happened. Uncle Mark stood up holding his Stetson hat in his hand.
“I don’t think there is anything to worry about,” he said. “A boy pulling a wagon with a dog in it is sure to be noticed. I’ll check the houses on the street he took.”
“I’ll go with you,” Papa said.
It was dark before Papa returned. Frankie wasn’t with him. Mamma began to cry and so did Aunt Bertha. I sure as heck felt like crying.
“Please don’t cry,” Papa said, “Mark is organizing a search party. We did find one person who saw Frankie. Mrs. Cranston, who lives in that yellow house at the edge of town, saw him going down the road toward the river.”
“The river!” Mamma cried. “Why didn’t she stop him?”
“She assumed he was just taking his dog for a ride,” Papa said. “T. D., get me the kerosene lantern from the barn.”
I went to the barn with Tom.
“If anything happens to Frankie,” I said, “I’ll never forgive you,”
“Forgive me?” Tom asked. “What about yourself?”
I knew Tom was right. I didn’t have to go along with the joke. I could have stopped Frankie. I made a sacred vow never to play a joke on anybody again. As we started for the house Brownie began barking. In the moonlight I saw Prince come running down the alley. He had something in his mouth. When the pup got close enough, we could see it was the cap Frankie had been wearing-Tom put the lantern down and dropped to his knees.
“Good boy, Prince,” he said, patting the pup on the head. Then he waved the cap in front of Prince. “Frankie,” he said. “Take us to Frankie.”
But Prince just wagged his tail.
“You try,” Tom said—
1 took the cap and waved it in front of Brownie’s nose. My dog took the cap and dropped it in front of Prince and began barking. I think Brownie understood what we wanted, but the pup didn’t. Prince just stood there, wagging his tail.
“There has to be a way,” Tom said. “Take the lantern to Papa. But don’t say anything about Prince. Too many people will just get the pup more excited.”
I took the lantern to Papa. Then I went back to the alley.
“Did your great brain figure out how to make Prince take us to Frankie yet?” I asked.
“My great brain will make him understand,” Tom said.
He took the cap and ran a few steps down the alley. “Frankie,” Tom called. “Here, Prince. Find Frankie!”
The pup ran to Tom and he put the cap in the pup’s mouth. But Prince just dropped the cap on the ground and stood there wagging his tail. Tom picked up the cap and ran a few more steps down the alley, calling to Prince. The pup followed him but stopped when Tom did.
“He thinks we are playing a game with him,” Tom said as he walked back to where I was standing, “We know he loves Frankie. Just ignore him. Don’t move or speak to him.”
Then Tom threw the cap several feet down the alley. Prince ran to the cap and began to whine.
“Don’t say anything,” Tom whispered. “Just walk toward him.”
We started walking toward the pup. Prince picked up the cap and ran down the alley. He turned around to
Similar Books
