Читать книгу The Adventures of Scamp - Enid blyton - Страница 3

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When Scamp was born, he had no name at all, any more than you had. He lay in a dark kennel with his mother, Flossie, the wire-haired terrier. By him were three other puppies, squeaking as they wriggled about.

In the morning Mrs. Hill came to look into the kennel, and she cried out for joy. “Oh! Flossie’s got four beautiful puppies! John, come and see!”

Her husband came up and looked into the kennel. He could just see the four little puppies lying beside their proud mother.

“My, they’re beauties!” he said. “Two are black and white, and two are brown and white. Which shall we give to Kenneth and Joan?”

“Oh, we’ll wait and see,” said Mrs. Hill. “They had better choose for themselves.”

Soon the two children came racing up to see the new puppies too. Their mother and father had promised them one of them for their very own, and they were excited about it. Now that the puppies were really there, they could choose the one they wanted most.

Flossie let them look at her four puppies. “They’ve all got their eyes closed!” said Kenneth.

“Well, puppies and kittens always do have their eyes shut at first,” said Joan. “Aren’t they sweet? I’ll pick one up and cuddle it.”

“AREN’T THEY SWEET? I’LL PICK ONE UP AND CUDDLE IT,” SAID JOAN.

But Flossie growled when Joan tried to pick up the nearest puppy, and the little girl put it down again in a hurry. “All right, Flossie,” she said. “I won’t hurt it. I only just want to choose one for ourselves.”

“Let’s wait till their eyes are open and they can run about,” said Kenneth. “Then we’ll choose the prettiest and the best!”

Every day the two children went to see Flossie and the puppies. They soon grew!

“I’m sure they are growing while I look at them!” said Joan. “And, oh, look, Kenneth—this one has got its eyes just a little bit open! It will see to-morrow!”

It was seeing already, but not very clearly. By the next day his eyes were wide open, for Flossie had licked the eyelids of the puppy with her pink tongue, and he was able to look around.

He had been able to smell before—the nice warm exciting smell of his mother and the other puppies. He had been able to taste too, and to hear the squeals of the others, the voices of the children, the growls of his mother. Now he could see—and that was very exciting indeed!

The other three had their eyes open wide the next day. Then they began to try and waddle round the kennel. They didn’t know how to use their legs at first, and they kept falling over. The children laughed when they saw them.

“Flossie, do let us take your pups on to the lawn!” they begged. “It will be good for them to waddle about there.”

Flossie didn’t mind the children having the puppies now that they were growing well. So Kenneth and Joan took them one by one on to the lawn. But the sunlight was too strong for their newly opened eyes. So they put them into the shade, and then the pups were happy.

They tried to run here and there. They fell over and got up again. They ran into the tree-trunks and bumped their noses. They smelt at a hurrying beetle and wondered what it was. They tried to climb on to the children’s laps, and altogether were really lovely to play with.

“Well, which are you going to have?” asked Mother, as she came to watch too.

“Oh, Mother, we simply don’t know,” said Joan. “They are all so sweet. I love this one with the black patch on his back, and this one too with the brown tail. And this little fellow is sweet with a black patch over one eye. The other one is rather small.”

“Yes, I wouldn’t have her,” said Mother. “She isn’t so well-grown as the others. And don’t have the one with the black patch on one side. His head is a little too big. Choose one of the others.”

Still the children didn’t know which to choose. Kenneth wanted one and Joan wanted the other. And then they both discovered that the puppy with the black patch over one eye was the naughtiest of the lot!

“Let’s have him, shall we?” said Joan. “I’d rather like a naughty puppy—wouldn’t you, Kenneth? He’d be more exciting than a good one. Look at him, the little monkey—he’s pulling the head off that flower. You scamp! Come here! Oh, stop him, Kenneth, he’s just going mad in that flower-bed!”

Kenneth ran to get the puppy. It tore away from him and disappeared into the wood-shed. It tried to get under the pile of firewood there—and by the time that Kenneth reached the shed, the wood was scattered all over the floor, and the puppy was angrily chewing up the piece that had hit him on the head!

“YOU REALLY ARE A SCAMP!” SAID KENNETH.

“You really are a scamp!” said Kenneth, picking up the puppy, which at once tried to chew his sleeve. “Look at the mess you’ve made with that neatly stacked firewood. Now I shall have to tidy it all up. Joan! Take this pup, and keep him quiet. He’s a real scamp.”

“Kenneth! Do let’s choose this one and call him Scamp!” said Joan. “I believe he’ll be the most amusing puppy of the lot. Let’s have him.”

“All right,” said Kenneth, with a laugh, as he watched the puppy pulling at the buttons on Joan’s frock. “Look out—he’ll have those buttons off!”

Mother came up just then. “Children!” she said, “two of the puppies are going away to new homes this afternoon. Have you chosen yours yet?”

“Yes, Mother!” said Joan, and she held up the puppy in her arms. “This one! He’s awfully naughty.”

“Well, for goodness’ sake don’t choose him then,” said Mother, in alarm. “I don’t want my best hat chewed up, and all the mats nibbled!”

“Oh, Mother, we’ll see he doesn’t do anything too naughty!” said Joan, hugging him. “But we do want him. He’s really funny—and so loving. See how he licks me!”

“Yes, he’s a dear little fellow,” said Mother, “I should think he will grow into a fine rough-haired terrier very like his mother. I like that funny black patch over his eye too. It gives him such a cheeky look.”

The puppy looked up at her and barked in a funny little high bark.

“Oh, Mother! That’s the very first time he’s barked!” cried Kenneth, in surprise. “He looks rather astonished at himself, doesn’t he! I don’t expect he knew he could bark!”

Everybody laughed. “Yes, we really must keep him,” said Mother. “He’s going to be an interesting little creature, fearless and faithful. He’s the cleverest of the batch too. What are you going to call him?”

“Well, there’s only one name for him!” said Kenneth. “Scamp! Because he is a scamp, Mother.”

“All right. Scamp is a good name for a dog,” said Mother. “Nice and short, and easy to call. Scamp! You’ll soon know your name!”

Scamp almost seemed as if he knew it already. He rushed at Mother and tried to pull the laces out of her shoes. “Don’t!” she said, trying to take her feet away. “Oh, you little mischief! Leave my feet alone!”

But as fast as she tried to take her feet away Scamp went after them, barking in his funny little high voice, his short tail wagging hard. The children shouted with laughter. In the end Kenneth had to pick him up to let Mother go back to the house in safety.

“I’m glad we’ve chosen you,” said Joan, tickling the puppy round the neck and under his hairy little chin. “You’re our dog now. Our very own. Did you know that?”

“And you’re mine!” barked the puppy proudly. “You belong to me! I’ll look after you all my life long.”