Her father and her mother and Aunt Eliza and Uncle Peter sat by the fire, talking. And just as Laura was starting to sleep, she heard Uncle Peter say, “Eliza had an adventure the other day, when I was away at Lake City. You know Prince, that big dog of mine?”
Laura was wide awake at once. She always liked to hear about dogs. She lay still as a mouse and looked at the firelight shining on the log walls, and listened to Uncle Peter.
“Well,” Uncle Peter said, “Early in the morning Eliza started to the spring to get a pail of water and Prince was following her. (A spring is where very clean water comes out of the ground.) She got near to the edge of the river, where the path goes down to the spring. Then all of a sudden Prince put his teeth in the back of her dress and pulled.
“You know what a big dog he is! Eliza scolded him, but he wouldn't let go. He's so big and strong she couldn't get away from him. He kept backing and pulling, until he tore a piece out of her dress.”
“It was my pretty blue dress," Aunt Eliza said to Laura's mother.
“Dear me!” her mother said.
“He tore a big piece right out of the back of it,” Aunt Eliza said. “I was so mad I could have whipped him for it. But he growled at me.”
“Prince growled at you?” her father said.
“Yes,” said Aunt Eliza.
“So then she started on again toward the spring,” Uncle Peter went on. “But Prince jumped into the path ahead of her and snarled at her. He paid no attention to her talking and scolding. He just kept on showing his teeth and snarling. When she tried to get past him, he kept in front of her and snapped at her. That scared her.”
Part two of Prince & the Blue Dress will be posted in Ming Pao English next Week.
The Little House in the Big Woods
Chapter 1 - Part 1: Introduction
Chapter 1 - Part 2: Wolves in the Night
Chapter 1 - Part 4: Smoked Meat
Chapter 1 - Part 5: Food for Winter
Chapter 1 - Part 6: Butchering Time
Chapter 1 - Part 7: After Butchering Time
Chapter 1 - Part 9: Winter Night
Chapter 1 - Part 10: About the Author & Where to Find the Book
Chapter 2 - Part 1: Winter Days and Winter Nights
Chapter 2 - Part 2: Jack Frost
Chapter 2 - Part 3: Laura and Mary Helped Mother with the Housework
Chapter 2 - Part 4: Churn on Thursday
Chapter 2 - Part 5: The Best Time of All
Chapter 2 - Part 6: Her Father Began to Play his Fiddle and Sing
Chapter 2 - Part 7: Father Told Stories
Chapter 2 - Part 8 - The Story of Grandfather and the Panther
Chapter 3 - Part 1: Introduction (The Long Rifle)
Chapter 3 - Part 2: Making Bullets
Chapter 3 - Part 3: Cleaning the Gun
Chapter 3 - Part 4: Loading the Gun
Chapter 3 - Part 5: Where and Why to Keep a Gun
Chapter 3 - Part 6: The Story of her Father and the Voice in the Forest Part 1
Chapter 3 - Part 7: The Story of her Father and the Voice in the Forest Part 2
Chapter 4 - Part 1: Christmas in the Forest
Chapter 4 - Part 2: Making a Gift for his Wife
Chapter 4 - Part 3: Christmas is Coming
Chapter 4 - Part 4: Children Make Pictures in the Snow
Chapter 4 - Part 5: Prince & the Blue Dress (part 1 of 3)
Chapter 4 - Part 6: Prince & the Blue Dress (part 2 of 3)
Chapter 4 - Part 7: Prince & the Blue Dress (part 3 of 3)
Chapter 4 - Part 8: Christmas Morning
Chapter 4 - Part 9: Santa Claus Only Gives Presents to Children
Chapter 4 - Part 10: Breakfast, Dinner and Goodbye
by John Larrysson
A native English speaker who has been teaching practical English in Hong Kong for over two decades.
NOTE: This summer story will be published every Wednesday.
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