SEPTEMBER 14: Welcome, the Dog
“There was once an old, old lady who lived all alone,” said daddy. “Her only companion was a big dog whose name was Fred.
“But one day Fred got sick. Oh, he was such a sick doggie. Hecould scarcely wag his tail when his mistress asked him how he was. He just looked at her out of his big eyes and made queer little sounds in his throat, which in dog language meant, ‘Don’t worry, kind mistress. It makes me sad to see you so unhappy.’
“But Fred only grew worse and worse. The dog doctor came, and said Fred was dying of old age. Poor faithful Fred! How he did hate to leave his mistress. He seemed to know how much she would miss him.
“A week passed by and at the end of a long night when Fred had dozed off and on with his head in his mistress’ lap, his breathing stopped. And over his shaggy fur the old lady’s tears fell hour after hour.
“Now one day, some little while after Fred had died, the old lady was sitting by her window looking out on the village street. There at her door was a big dog—he looked very much like Fred but he was young and he jumped and bounded.
“‘Scratch! Scratch,’ went his paws on the door, and the old lady slowly got up and let him in.
“‘Whose doggie are you?’ she asked.
“The dog looked at her for a moment, jumped about and then licked her hand, as if to say, ‘I am yours, if you will have me.’
“She brought him some milk to drink, and gave him a bone. While he was playing with his bone, she put on her bonnet and shawl.
“‘Come with me,’ said the old lady. ‘But you mustn’t go too fast.’
“And along the village street they went—the dog going off on short runs, but always coming back to join his new mistress.
“From house to house, from store to store, they went, and the old lady’s question was always the same, ‘Do you know from where this dog came?’
“And always she got the same answer, ‘We have never seen the dog before. But he looks like Fred. Maybe he is one of Fred’s grandchildren—you had better keep him.’
“‘I shall name you Welcome,’ she said to the dog, ‘for you were very, very welcome to me. I was so lonely.’ And several tears fell from the old lady’s eyes—but now they fell from joy.”