PETER, PATTY, AND MR PIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 4039, 11 August 1931, Page 70

PETER, PATTY, AND MR PIP.

PLUM-PUDDING PUG.

(Special for the Otago Witness.)

a w°n>°» ne f to ’ day? ” " railed Mr Pip, peeping into his empty dish. “Hard lines on little dogs, that is! ” Wait before you wail any more,” smiled Patty. “And see what Kitty is bringing. ?i OyB i I®?” 03 for . boya! ” « an g out Kitty, struggling along with a big basket of bones for Mr Pip. “Come and nlnv , eyenlg thc bones wh \ cb Kitty had tipped into his dish. “Now I shan’t die of hunger.” ( A ’° -H„ pl , whlle and get U P a g° od appetite,” invited Peter and Patty. ?- i ’•! lt 7 ,Ped 1 <<Those bones deserve the best appetite I can "find for them. upendid idea. chuckled Plum-pudding Pug, waddling towards the dish as soon as Pip’s back was turned.

“A really fine idea,” went on Plum-pudding Pug, seizing the largest bone and racing off with it. “I think I’ll bury this against the time when I’m really hungry.” Meantime Peter, Patty, Mr Pip, and Kitty were pretending to chase butterflies with a net. “Nearly had that one,” shouted Peter, rushing to the top of a little hill. And then he noticed Plum-pudding Pug trudging back for a second bone, having carefully buried the first. b “ Wbat °i n earth Y S that stl ’ an g elookin g creature?” he said. “Patty, look, he’s making for Mr Pip’s bone dish” Mr Pip, hearing the word “bones,” pricked up his ears, looked where the others were looking, and bolted

dish <<May 1 ask What yOU think y ou ' r e doing?” inquired Mr Pip when he reached. Plum-pudding Pug and his bone Plum-pudding Pug Jumped a yard, dropped the bone, and forgot to close his mouth. .. nd wll ° gave you permission to touch my dinner?” asked Mr Pip, still trying to be polite 00-er,” quaked Plum-pudding Pug. “ 00-er, don’t 1-1-look so c-c-cross! ” . Pip edged nearer. He didn’t try to be polite any longer. He just snarled: “What are you here?” N-n-nothing,” quavered Plum-pudding Pug, “ n-nothing at all ” “ i>i Sne^ e d ' M ' r “ Then perhaps you’ll tell me what you have done with my bone?” «» Plum-pudding Pug, jumping another yard as Pip made a sudden dive for him. M-m-m, muttered Kitty, creeping up, “I must look into this. Going to be trouble, I believe.”

Then Plum-pudding Pug started to run. And' Mr Pip started to run. Plum-pudding Pug cleared a wall very well indeed, and chuckled to think how cleverly he had outwitted his pursuer. . “ Now that’s a wicked creature,” murmured Kitty. “ A desperately wicked creature to steal poor Pip’s bones and then run away. Hullo, Pip! ” she called a minute later. “What’s the damage? How many bones did he take?” “Well,” Mr Pip was counting carefully. “There were four here; now there are only three. He must have taken one!” \ “Better find out where that one is,” suggested Kitty. And then Plum-pudding Pug crept back, looking all humble and sorry. “ P-p-please,” he quavered, “ I buried it over there.” And he pointed with his paw. “Oh! Ah!” said Mr Pip in a very grand voice, “this must be seen into. Certainly we must look into this.”

Off flashed Mr Pip like lightning to find the buried bone. And down sat Plum-pudding Pug like a little fat pig to finish off the three remaining bones! “ Pretty good this,” he mumbled, setting his teeth into a particularly nice one. “ What an idiot Pip was to believe me! Serves him right to lose his dinner.” Then came a sort of hurricane, and Kitty, a flying mass of blaek fur and furious eyes, descended upon him. “No, you don’t! ” she screamed. “Oh, no, you don’t, fny friend! ” “ Help! ” screamed Plum-pudding Pug, falling backwards into the dish. “ Help! ” “ I’ll teach you,” hissed Kitty, putting on her most terrible voice and showing all her claws. “ I’ll teaeh you, you big fat thief.” Plum-pudding Pug didn’t wait to argue. He just bolted, but Kitty bolted after him!

“I beg your pardon! I beg your pardon,” wailed Plum-pudding Pug, tearing wildly through space, with Kitty after him. “You’ll beg for mercy before I have finished with you!” screamed Kitty. “Go it, Kit! Good old Kit! ” shouted Mr Pip, who had returned to his dish with the rescued bone. Once more Plum-pudding Pug reached the wall. Once more he made a grand effort and leapt over it. But Kitty was a better jumper than Mr Pip, and she was over almost as soon as Plum-pudding Pug had reached the other side. “ Now I’ll teach you manners,” she announced when she had caught him, “ and then you may come back with me and apologise to Mr Pip for stealing his dinner.” She did teach him. And he did go back and apologise. So I suppose ° all’s well that ends well! ”