Lucky Dog Days

by Judy Delton

  “She didn’t take it,” said Mary Beth. “She has enough stuff of her own.”

  “It’s your fault,” grumbled Molly to Tracy. “You made us go to one more house.”

  The girls looked behind bushes and trees.

  They looked to see if the wagon had rolled down the hill.

  “It’s gone,” said Tracy. Her nose was really running now.

  Yuck, thought Molly. But it was sad that Tracy had lost her wagon.

  “Let’s go tell Mrs. Peters what happened,” said Mary Beth.

  The girls walked slowly toward their leader’s house.

  They had no red wagon to pull.

  They had no bags to carry.

  They had no rummage to sell to help a pet.

  When they got to Mrs. Peters’s house, Rachel’s car was in front. Rachel and her mother were carrying things into the garage for the sale.

  “Hello!” called Mrs. Peters. “Did you come to help?”

  Molly nodded. They could help sort the clothes. And put price tags on them.

  “Why, just look at the carload of things that Rachel brought,” Mrs. Peters said.

  Molly looked.

  A hex on Rachel. She always had to have the most of everything.

  Even rummage.

  “My goodness! Just look at the big load of things the boys are bringing,” called Mrs. Peters from the doorway.

  “What hardworking Pee Wees you boys are!” she said.

  Molly turned around to look.

  In the doorway stood Roger and Sonny and Tim.

  Right beside them was Tracy’s red wagon.

  It was filled with coats and shoes and belts and jewelry!

  How Much Is

  That Doggy?

  “Our diamonds!” shouted Tracy.

  “Our belts and shoes and coats,” said Mary Beth.

  “You stole our rummage!” shouted Molly.

  She wanted to go over and grab the diamonds out of Roger’s hand.

  She wanted to hit him. Smack, smack, smack!

  She could too. She was strong.

  But she didn’t want to start a fistfight in Mrs. Peters’s garage.

  “This is our rummage,” said Tim. “We found it sitting right on the sidewalk.”

  “It belongs to us!” shouted Tracy. “That’s my wagon! And those are our diamonds.”

  “Prove it,” said Roger. “I don’t see your name on it.”

  All three girls talked at once. They told Mrs. Peters how they came out of the mean man’s yard and found their wagon was gone.

  “Nobody was near it,” muttered Sonny. “How did we know it was yours?”

  Tracy grabbed her red wagon back. She stuck her tongue out at the boys.

  “The main thing is,” said Mrs. Peters brightly, “that this rummage will help the homeless pets. No matter whose it is!”

  But it did matter, thought Molly.

  We worked hard to get that rummage!

  Harder than Rachel.

  Much, much harder than Roger, Tim, and Sonny.

  The girls grumbled as they unloaded the wagon.

  “What price should we put on the diamonds?” asked Mary Beth.

  “We won’t put a price on them,” said Mrs. Peters. “We will sell them to the highest bidder. That way your necklace will bring in a lot of money for the shelter. It may not be made of real diamonds, but it is very pretty.”

  On the day of the sale, everyone was there.

  All the Pee Wees.

  All the parents.

  All the neighbors.

  HELP A PET, said a banner stretched across the top of the garage.

  Tiny welcomed all the buyers with loud barks.

  A sign in front of Mrs. Peters’s house said, PEE WEE SCOUT SALE HERE TODAY! HELP A PET.

  “Is he for sale?” asked one lady, pointing to Tiny.

  “Oh, no,” said Mrs. Peters. “He’s my dog.”

  Molly had an idea! She leaned over and whispered into Mrs. Peters’s ear.

  Mrs. Peters grinned. “I think that’s a wonderful idea, Molly,” she said.

  Then Mrs. Peters and Molly got into her car.

  “We’ll be right back,” they called.

  They drove to the animal shelter.

  When they returned, Miss Penn was in the car. So were six cages, with a dog in each one!

  “Kevin,” called Mrs. Peters. “Could you boys help us with these?”

  Roger and Sonny grabbed one cage.

  Kevin and Tim grabbed another.

  They lined them up in front of the garage.

  “It looks like this is the animal shelter!” yelled Roger.

  “Or a pet shop,” said Sonny.

  The people who came to buy rummage had to walk past the cages first.

  “A dog sale to help dogs!” said Tim.

  “It was Molly’s idea,” said Mrs. Peters.

  “A super idea,” Miss Penn agreed.

  “We can find some good homes for the dogs and earn money for the shelter at the same time,” Roger said.

  A Thousand

  Dollars for

  the Dogs

  By noon, all the dogs were sold except one.

  “They are going like hotcakes,” said Miss Penn. “I’ll go back and get some more. And I’ll bring a cat or two.”

  “That was really smart,” said Mary Beth to Molly. “How did you ever think of that?”

  “When the lady wanted to buy Tiny,” Molly explained. “She gave me the idea that we could sell dogs.”

  “Dogs make good rummage,” said Mrs. Peters, smiling. “Molly is our Pee Wee hero today.”

  “I could have thought of that,” said Rachel. “It’s not so great.”

  “You’re just jealous,” said Tracy.

  “Rachel’s jealous, Rachel’s jealous!” sang Sonny and Roger and Tim all together.

  It was very crowded at the sale. All the rummage was selling quickly. There were just a few things left.

  “Now,” said Mrs. Peters. “I would like your attention please! It is time to bid for the necklace. Who can give us the largest bid to help the animal shelter?”

  She held the necklace up in front of the crowd. It sparkled and glittered in the bright sun.

  “The diamonds may not be real, but they are very pretty,” Mrs. Peters said.

  She began to read the bids that people had written on pieces of paper. “Ten dollars from Mrs. Dolan,” she read.

  That seemed like a lot of money to Molly.

  “Twenty-five dollars from Joe Smithly,” said Mrs. Peters.

  Everyone cheered.

  “Wow,” said Lisa. “He must be rich.”

  Mrs. Peters kept reading off numbers and names. There were many bids in the box. Then all of a sudden she looked very surprised. “One thousand dollars!” she called.

  “Ooh, aah,” everyone said.

  Who would bid one thousand dollars at a rummage sale?

  The Pee Wee Scouts looked around.

  “It’s not my mom,” said Lisa. “She doesn’t have that much money.”

  “My mom does,” said Rachel. “My dad’s a dentist.”

  Rachel was always bragging about her dad, thought Molly.

  The Pee Wees ignored Rachel.

  “It must be a movie star,” said Sonny. Finally Mrs. Peters read the name on the paper. “Mrs. Noble,” she said.

  The Scouts looked all around. They tried to see if Mrs. Noble looked like a movie star.

  “She’ll have lots of makeup on her face,” whispered Sonny.

  “And gold rings on her fingers,” said Tracy.

  “Here I am!” called out a lady at the back of the crowd. “I’m Mrs. Noble.”

  But this lady did not have makeup on.

  She did not wear gold rings. She had jeans on. And an old blue sweater.

  “She’s no movie star,” scoffed Roger.

  When she came closer, Tracy said, “Do you know who that is? That’s the lady who gave us the necklace.”

 
Molly looked. Rat’s knees! Tracy was right. Why would a lady pay one thousand dollars for her own necklace?

  Mrs. Noble gave Mrs. Peters a check. Then she took the necklace. With a big smile on her face, she looked out into the crowd at Molly and Tracy and Mary Beth.

  “When these nice girls came to my house,” she said, “I was in such a hurry that I didn’t realize I had given them my real diamond necklace.”

  Mrs. Peters’s eyes opened wide. “Those were real diamonds in your wagon,” she said.

  “I knew that,” said Molly.

  “So did we,” said Tracy and Mary Beth.

  “The necklace is worth over ten thousand dollars,” Mrs. Noble said with a smile.

  Kevin whistled through his teeth.

  “She is as rich as a movie star,” said Tim. “Even if she isn’t one.”

  “You could buy a house with ten thousand dollars. Or at least a sports car!” shouted Roger.

  “It isn’t just the money,” said Mrs. Noble. “This necklace has been in my family a long time. I’m very glad to have it back. And I’m glad to donate this money to the animal shelter too.”

  Miss Penn went right up to the front of the crowd. “With this money,” she said, “we can put in some new kennels with outdoor runs. Plus, we’ll be able to take in more poor homeless dogs and cats for people to adopt. Thank you very much.”

  She shook Mrs. Noble’s hand.

  Mrs. Noble has pretty good rummage, thought Molly. Thank goodness she and Mary Beth had gone along with bossy, drippy Tracy! If they hadn’t, they would never have gone to Lake Street or to Mrs. Noble’s house.

  Maybe it wasn’t so bad to be bossy after all.

  At least when it’s for a good cause.

  Leftover

  Puppy

  That night the Pee Wee Scouts fell into bed. They were very hot. They were very tired. Molly was too tired even to eat supper. She slept like a rock.

  But the next morning there was work to be done.

  The Scouts rushed over to Mrs. Peters’s house when they got up.

  “I’ll rake!” shouted Roger.

  “I’ll clean the garage,” said Molly.

  “I’ll help Molly,” said Mary Beth.

  “Sonny and I will pack up the leftover rummage,” said Tim.

  “Yeah,” said Sonny. “We’ll do it together.”

  All of the Scouts pitched in to help.

  “Many hands make light work, my mom says,” said Rachel.

  By noon the yard was swept and cleaned.

  Mrs. Peters poured some lemonade. It was another hot day.

  “Yum,” said Molly. She rubbed her stomach.

  “Now,” said Mrs. Peters, sitting down at the picnic table. “I want to congratulate Troop 23. You brought lots of money to the animal shelter. You brought more than any other Scout troop. But the best thing is, you all worked very hard. You did what Pee Wee Scouts should do. You helped others.”

  Molly was proud. She felt like bursting her buttons. Being a Scout made her feel good. Even if she didn’t get a badge for it.

  “We have only one thing to take care of,” said Mrs. Peters.

  “I know!” shouted Kevin. “The leftover puppy!”

  The Pee Wees all looked at the one cage beside the driveway. Next to the cage sat one leftover puppy. All the others had been sold. Mrs. Peters had fed him and kept him in her house overnight.

  Sonny brought the puppy some fresh water.

  He patted him on the head.

  Sonny was not afraid of puppies.

  Only large dogs.

  “We can’t send him back,” said Molly.

  “Mrs. Peters, do we have to send this puppy back to the pound?” asked Tim.

  “Well,” said Mrs. Peters, pouring more lemonade for the Scouts, “we could use a mascot for Troop 23.”

  “Where would he live?” asked Molly, hoping it would be her house.

  “We’ll have to see if your mothers would take turns keeping him,” replied Mrs. Peters.

  Tracy looked doubtful. She sneezed, loudly.

  “Not Tracy’s mom,” added Mrs. Peters.

  “Yeah!” the Scouts cheered. They all wanted a Pee Wee mascot. He was white with a black nose.

  All the mothers will want him, thought Molly.

  “Let’s call him Spot,” said Lisa.

  “There are lots of better names than Spot,” scoffed Rachel.

  Lisa looked hurt.

  “I like Paws,” said Tracy.

  “King,” said Roger.

  “Prince,” said Kevin.

  Mrs. Peters frowned. “Those are all good names,” she said. “But if we do keep him, I think we should call him Lucky because he was lucky to be at a sale to help pets.”

  Troop 23 clapped loudly.

  Some of the boys whistled.

  Lucky was the best name for a maybe-mascot.

  “This week,” said Mrs. Peters, “I will call your mothers. If they agree to take turns keeping Lucky, we will have a mascot. I will let you know at our next meeting.”

  The Pee Wees groaned. It was a long time to wait.

  Roger snapped a leash on Lucky’s collar and took him for a run. Then everyone petted him. He tried to lick their hands. He wagged his tail.

  “Lucky just has to be our mascot,” said Mary Beth.

  “He’ll be a spoiled one,” said Mrs. Peters, smiling.

  “Why will he spoil?” said Tracy. She frowned.

  The Scouts laughed.

  “I mean he will get too much attention,” said Mrs. Peters. “Not spoil like food. If we keep him,” she added.

  Even though it was not a meeting, the Scouts joined hands and sang their Scout song. Then they said their Pee Wee Scout pledge.

  Mrs. Peters looked pleased. Her troop had worked hard.

  Harder than any other troop.

  “Next week we will have new badges for you,” she said.

  The Scouts cheered at the news. They gave Lucky one last hug, and started home.

  Molly felt good all over. They had worked hard. They would get new badges. They had helped homeless animals.

  And maybe, just maybe, they would get a troop mascot.

  Mrs. Peters’s

  Surprise

  At last it was time for another meeting of the Pee Wees. Molly was eager to find out if the other mothers would agree to keep Lucky. Her mother had said yes.

  Molly was excited about something else too. The Scouts had a surprise for Mrs. Peters.

  During the week they had decided to give Mrs. Peters an end-of-the-summer thank-you party. Mrs. Peters had worked hard too.

  Molly’s mother made a huge cake.

  Molly made a dog out of colored icing for the top. She gave the dog a black nose. And a blue ribbon around his neck. A tag on the ribbon said LUCKY in little letters.

  Sonny’s mother sent potato salad from the deli. “Because she works,” said Sonny proudly. “Otherwise she would have made it herself, she said.”

  Rachel’s mother made little bitty sandwiches in the shape of dogs and cats. They had cream cheese and olives in them. Some had anchovies.

  “Yuck,” said Roger when he tasted one. He spit the anchovy out.

  Rachel sighed. “My mother said she thought that might happen,” Rachel told them. “She said some children might not know what anchovies were, if they didn’t go to parties often.”

  Roger stuck out his tongue at her. He brought hot dogs. His mother called them perfectly good-tasting hot dogs.

  Tracy brought soda pop. “Allergy-free,” she said. “It has no preservatives in it.”

  The Pee Wees couldn’t wait to surprise Mrs. Peters. They snuck the food in the back door while some of the Pee Wees went to the front.

  They tied balloons to the chairs.

  They put the food on the table.

  When Mrs. Peters came into the kitchen, they all yelled, “SURPRISE!”

  Tiny and Lucky both began to bark.

  “How exciting!” cried Mrs. P
eters. “Oh, my goodness! What a nice way to end the dog days of August.”

  “Dog days?” said Kevin.

  “The end-of-summer days in August are called dog days,” Mrs. Peters explained. “When there is green algae on the lake and you can’t swim.”

  Lucky howled at her words. Owoooo! “We have our own dog days,” said Molly. “We have had dog days the whole Help-a-Pet Month!”

  Everyone laughed and got in line behind Mrs. Peters for food.

  Then their leader had badges to give out to the Scouts for working so hard at the rummage sale to help a pet. The Pee Wees pinned them on their shirts.

  “Our troop surely helped pets more than any other troop!” said Mrs. Peters proudly.

  The Scouts could not wait any longer.

  “Do we have a mascot?” shouted Roger.

  “Can we keep Lucky?” asked Molly.

  Mrs. Peters smiled. The Scouts did not move.

  “Yes!” she said. “There were enough mothers who could take turns keeping Lucky. So he is our new mascot.”

  Lucky barked a high puppy bark. “Yip! Yip!”

  Tiny barked a low bark. “Arf! Arf!”

  And Troop 23 cheered loudly. “Yeah!” they shouted. “He is ours!”

  “And now,” Mrs. Peters went on, “I have another little surprise for you.”

  The Scouts looked up at their leader.

  What kind of a surprise? Molly wondered.

  They had their new badges.

  They had a Scout mascot.

  What kind of a surprise could it be?

  The Pee Wees sat on the floor in a big circle. Mrs. Peters sat in a chair. She smiled at the Scouts. Then she said, “My surprise is some big news. I am going to have a little Pee Wee Scout of my own. In a few months I am going to have a baby!”

  The Pee Wees were very quiet. Molly felt shocked. She had never thought of Mrs. Peters with a baby of her own. She was their Scout leader. She wasn’t a mother.

  Some of the Pee Wees looked at each other.

  We should say we are happy, thought Molly. But instead Molly wanted to say, Will you still be our leader?

  No one said anything. They just sat and looked at Mrs. Peters.

  Then Roger whispered to Molly, “Babies can’t be Scouts.”

  “I know you are all surprised,” Mrs. Peters went on. “But I will still be your Scout leader. Our troop will still meet here every Tuesday. We will just have one more little Scout at our meetings.”