The 12 Dogs of Christmas by Emma Kragen Page B

take his hand or not. “I’m not the man you knew,” Douglas continued, “and I apologize for the man I was. Many things have happened to me in the years since we knew each other. Some good— Emma’s mother—a lot bad. But I’m here today to tell you that I’m determined to work hard to make nothing but good things for my daughter and me from now on.”
    â€œYeah,” Dolores said, still skeptical. “Work hard at what?”
    Douglas smiled. “You are looking at the brand new Northeastern United States sales representative for Jell-O.”
    â€œJell-O?”
    â€œHey, it’s light and sweet. And if this country ever needed anything light and sweet . . .”
    â€œJell-O?”
    â€œThey just introduced a new flavor—lime!”
    â€œJell-O?”
    â€œThey’re going to sponsor the Jack Benny radio show!”
    â€œJell-O?”
    â€œOkay, it’s commission only, but I know I can do it. I’ll travel to every city and town and little country store in the Northeast and become the top salesman, I swear. And I can base right here in Doverville, because, you know, I always loved this place. But, because I’m going to be traveling most the time, I need someone to help take care of Emma, and so, I thought . . .”
    Dolores finally took Douglas’s hand and shook it warmly. “I love Jell-O!” she said most emphatically.

Epilogue
    Three weeks later there was a historic picture on the cover of the Doverville Trumpet . It showed the leading citizens of Doverville gathered at the Stevens farm around a large sign that read: THE CITY OF DOVERVILLE & THE STEVENS FAMILY DOG ORPHANAGE. The orphanage was now official, funded by the city, as unanimously approved by the Town Council, and by the flood of donations in pennies, nickels, dimes, and the occasional dollar bill that had come in ever since the second LIKE magazine article had appeared.
    In the picture you could plainly see the mayor on one side of the sign, and Emma, who had just unveiled the sign at the mayor’s invitation, on the other side. You could also see many happy dogs and lots of cheerful children, and Mrs. Walsh and Mable and Old Jake, but not Norman, who was busy collecting garbage, nor bug-face Melvin, who was busy helping him.
    To one side you could see Mike kneeling by and hugging Yeti, and behind them you could see Mrs. Stevens and Coach, the only ones not looking into the camera, for they were looking at each other. And on the other side you could see Douglas O’Connor with Emma’s puppy on a leash, standing next to Dolores. And if you looked very close, you could see her hand comfortably placed in his.
    And you could see Max. Yes, Max, sitting proudly by Mr. Whiteside, now out of his cast. They did not decide to ride the rails to go out West, for Mr. Whiteside could tell that Max did not want to leave all his new friends, especially now that he could run around with them and play. And as no one in Doverville wanted to lose Max, or the man who showed him such great love and devotion, Mrs. Stevens offered Mr. Whiteside the position of senior dog-keeper of the dog orphanage, and Mr. Whiteside was pleased to accept.
    After the picture had been taken, Emma returned to her father and Dolores and her puppy.
    â€œDoes he have a name?” her dad asked as she took the pup into her arms.
    Emma thought for a moment. Then she said, “His name is Miracle.”

About the Author

    Steven Paul Leiva is a writer, director, and producer. He directed and co-wrote the ADA Award–nominated Bob Bergen in Not Just Another Pretty Voice . In film, Leiva is best known for producing the animation in Space Jam . Leiva also provided the voice of “Scott” in the multi-award-winning animated short The Indescribable Nth , which was short-listed for the Academy Award and can be viewed on Atomfilms.com. He is the doting father of two daughters and makes his home