ugly dog lived out in a place called new jersey, where the mosquitoes are always so busy that the people never have time to think about getting old. near the house of his master there were two rails, on which the running houses kept going up and down as fast as they could. every time a running house went past ugly dog went out and barked, for the very sight of it made him angry. before the running houses came, his master went to the station in a buggy, and ugly dog always went along and trotted back with the coachman. now his master went alone, and ugly dog had to stay at home.
he came out one morning just in time to see his master get on the back steps of a running house and wave good-by to the children. ugly dog was never so angry in all his life. he ran as hard as he could, and tried to jump on the running house so that he could go to the station with his master. then he heard two bells ring, and with a clicking and banging, running house was sliding away so fast that ugly dog could not keep up with it. he ran until he nearly dropped on the ground, and he barked until he was hoarse.
he crawled into the bushes at the side of the road and laid down to rest. he was all covered with dust, and his eyes were red and his tongue was hanging out.
“well,” said sly fox, who had just come up through the bushes, “you do not seem to be very happy this morning. what is the matter?”
“i can’t go to the station any more,” growled ugly dog, “because i can’t run fast enough to keep up with those miserable little houses that go sliding away as soon as my master gets on the back steps.”
“it seems to me,” said sly fox, “that for a dog that has such a fine face you do not know very much. i understand why it is that the running houses do not stop—you are not polite enough to the man at the front door.”
“what am i to do?” asked ugly dog.
“o, that is very simple,” answered sly fox. “you must be very particular about how you act. nobody ever succeeds unless he is polite and always says please. you know that i am very wise, and if you only listen to me, you may never have any more trouble.”
“i am all ears,” said ugly dog, folding his arms and looking as humble as jack rabbit.
[106]
“well, in the first place,” said sly fox, “the running houses only stop when you wave your paw to the man at the front door. now, if i were you i would stand right in front of the next one as it comes along and then i would make a low bow and wave my paw. that is the way your master gets them to stop.”
“i’ll do that,” said ugly dog, “just as soon as i get rested. but how is it that you are all out of breath, too?”
“well,” answered the sly fox, coughing in a funny sort of a way and shuffling his feet around, “you know that i am a doctor, and i was called in a hurry to see two little chickens which had the croup in their crops.”
“is that so?” asked ugly dog, “and are they better now?”
“those dear, little chickens,” answered sly fox, as he stroked his white mustache, “will never be bothered by having anything in their crops again.”
just then there was a whirring sound way up the road and sly fox jumped up.
“my friend,” he said, “i think that another running house is coming. if i were you i would hurry up and get right in front of it.”
ugly dog got up on his feet and shook himself and wagged his tail and smoothed out his hair.
“how do i look?” he asked.
“fine,” answered sly fox. “if i were the man standing on the front porch of any running house i would stop in a minute. now you do just as i tell you, and i am sure that you will never have any more trouble.”
ugly dog went out in front of running house, wagging his tail and standing up on his hind legs and making bows all the time. he waved one of his paws as running house came hurrying down the rail. the man at the front door began to ring the bell as fast as he could and to yell at ugly dog.
“he sees you!” cried sly fox from behind the bushes.
then the man turned a brass handle.
running house began to go slower, but it did not stop. the thing in front which looked like a scraper struck ugly dog and sent him way up in the air, and he fell down at the side of the road all in a heap. when he got on his feet again, he saw the running house going down the road as fast as it could, and on the back step was sly fox, smoking a pipe and looking very wise.
just then there was a crackling of branches and a yelping and a stamping. through the bushes came men riding horses and a pack of angry hounds.
“you are a rascal,” yelped the hounds. “you, ugly dog, stopped the running house so that sly fox could get away from us!”
“i did no such thing,” whined ugly dog. “that mean fox played a trick on me.”
the hounds would not listen to him, but they chased him to his kennel and gave him a good whipping. ugly dog did not get over the hurting he got that day until the next month.
