THE DOG WHO COULDNOT BARK

By Rudyard FearonRWF Publishing. Toronto. Canada2017

Library and ArchivesCanada Cataloguing inPublication

Fearon, Rudyard, 1953-, authorThe dog who could not bark & other

children’s stories/ by Rudyard FearonISBN 978-0-9688679-8-3 (ebook)I. Title.PS8561.E22D63 2017, jC813’.6,

C2017-900764-5

CONTENTSJustine AugustineMy Dog FredThe Dog Who Could Not BarkMr. Fire And Mr. WaterThe Little Bouncing BallCat And DogSue’s Bouncing Ball.

*****

Justin Augustine -- Iknow my ABCs

Justin Augustine was a little boywho had a funny name, but likedschool very much.

“Justin Augustine, where have youbeen?” mocked the idle kids playingon the street one day.

“Down at the schoolhouse learningmy ABCs,” he answered shyly.

“Will you stop and play?” asked theidle kids.

“Sorry, I have to go home to helpmy mommy and daddy with the farm,then do my homework.”

“Justin Augustine, you are such asissy... ha-ha-ha...” they laughed. But

Justin Augustine did not care. He justhippity-hoppity-hopped on home.The next day Justin Augustine went to

school.“Justin Augustine, where have you

been?” mocked the idle kids playing onthe street.

“Down at the schoolhouse where Ilearned to sing my ABCs. Do you wantto hear my song? A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Yand Z. Now I know my ABCs. Will yousing along with me?”

“No! No!” cried the idle kids, “Wedon’t want to know your ABCs?” ButJustin Augustine did not care. He justhippity-hoppity-hopped on home.

The following day Justin Augustine

went to school again.“Justin Augustine, where have you

been?” mocked the idle kids on thestreet.

“Down at the schoolhouse where Ilearned to count from one to ten. Do youwant to hear me count?” He counted hisfingers, “One, two, three, four, five, six,seven, eight, nine, ten. I can do itbackwards too.”

“No! No!” cried the idle kids, “Runon home to your mommy and daddy.”

* * * *Ten years later Justin Augustine went

away to college and on a visit home hefound the same kids on the street.

“Justin Augustine, where have youbeen?” they called out to him.

“Away at college studying to be alawyer.”

“Justin Augustine, you are nothing buta wimp... and will be nothing but awimp... ha-ha-ha...” they laughed.

* * * *Twenty years later Justin Augustine

became the president of his country. Hecame home one day to take his parents tothe Presidential Palace where he nowlived and where all the other presidentsbefore him had lived.

“President Justin Augustine!!!”shouted the big crowd as they waved

happily at him. They were proud of him,Justin Augustine, the boy with the funnyname who became president.

“Justin Augustine, where have youbeen?” shouted the idle men begging onthe street. They were so poor they couldnot take care of themselves or theirfamilies.

“At the Presidential Palace runningthe whole country,” answered PresidentJustin Augustine.

“Can we come and work with you atthe Presidential Palace?” asked the idlemen.

“Sure,” said President JustinAugustine, “if you can count from one toten.” The idle men looked at each other.None of them could count from one to

ten.“Okay, okay,” said President JustineAugustine, “if you can say your ABCs.”Again they looked at each other. None ofthem could say their ABCs. “Sorry,guys!” the President said and started tosing. “A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H- I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y and Z. Iam glad I know my ABCs.” He thenlooked at the idle men, shook his head,and hippity-hoppity- hopped with hisfamily and friends back to thePresidential Palace.

My Dog FredThis is me. And my dog Fred. At

times Fred can be bad. When Fred isbad, he is very bad. Yesterday, Fred wasbad. He chased the mailman up anddown the road. He chased theneighbour’s cat up and over the fence.But most of the time Fred is good. WhenFred is good, he is very good.

Today, he dragged a fireman out of aburning house. Then we went to theplayground. It was fun! We slidpiggyback down the slide. We swung upand over the trees. Then Fred decided tobe bad. He caught the kids’ Frisbee andwouldn’t give it back. The kids chasedhim around and all about. But theyweren’t mad. They had fun chasing Fred.

Then we went home. Mom made a big

bubble bath. Then we played somemore, washing and splashing, until Momhad to come and get us out Then we hadsupper. Fred sat in his high chair andchomped noisily on his bone. Then theold grandfather clock struck eight. Fredand I knew it was beddy time. I huggedand kissed Mommy. I hugged and kissedDaddy. Fred slurped his long red tongue

all over them. This is me. And my dogFred. I love Fred. And Fred loves me.

“Fred, say goodnight.”“BOW-WOW-WOW!”

The Dog Who Could NotBark

Once upon a time, in the town ofMeansville, there lived a mean oldfarmer named Brown. Farmer Brownhad a dog named Mange. Mange was awimpy, skimpy little dog who had avery, very loud bark. Because ofMange’s loud bark, the farm was safefrom trespassers.

One day while Mange was eating abone, a piece stuck in his throat, and hecould not bark anymore. When FarmerBrown found out that Mange could notbark, he refused to wash and feed him.

“You will not eat my food anymore!”he shouted. “You do not bark! What good

is a dog if he does not bark? TomorrowI’ll buy a new dog. I’ll need your kennelfor my new dog. Get out this minute!”

Mange was so scared that he ran off.He did not have anywhere to go and sohe began to live on the street. But lifewas tough living on the street. The kidsmade fun of him. The stray dogs andeven the cats teased him. Old ladies withbrooms would smack him whenever hedared to beg for food. Poor Mange didnot have a friend.

One day a stranger came to town. Hefelt hungry and went into a restaurant tohave a meal. In the corner of therestaurant he noticed a wimpy, skimpylittle dog half asleep.

“Come here boy,” called the stranger.

The dog did not stir.”Come here littledog,” he called again and snapped hisfingers. Mange looked up at the strangerwith hunger in his eyes.

“Waiter!” shouted the stranger,

“Please bring this poor hungry dog somefood.” The waiter stared at Mange indisgust.

“Mister, that dog does not deserve toeat!”

“Why say such a thing?” asked thestranger.

“Because he does not bark, that’swhy! Whoever heard of a dog that doesnot bark?” the waiter laughed.

“Bring the food, please,” the strangerinsisted. Mange was thankful for thefood and licked the stranger’s hand. Thestranger patted him gently on the head.“Who owns this dog?” asked thestranger.

“It used to be Farmer Brown’s dog,”answered the waiter, “but as I said, whowants a dog that does not bark?”

The stranger felt sorry for the dog anddecided to give him a home. Thestranger lived on a little farm with hiscows, horses, pigs, and chickens. The

lives of these farm animals were mademiserable by stray dogs, stray cats,mice, and fleas. The stray dogs chasedthe pigs. The stray cats ate the eggs. Themice ate the cheese. The fleas bit thehorses. But when they saw the strangedog, they all ran away and hid.

The stranger was happy. The farmanimals were happy. Mange was happytoo. But the happiness did not last long,for the stray dogs, stray cats, mice, andfleas all returned when they realized thatthe wimpy, skimpy little dog had nobark.

“If a dog does not bark, he hasn’t gota bite,” they all said. And life wasmiserable again for the farm animals.The stranger was sad. Mange was sad

too. If only he had his very, very loudbark... Just then, a flea crawled into thefur on Mange’s neck. The flea had somuch fun, he called his friends. SoonMange’s neck was all covered withfleas. They bit, tickled, and teased him.Mange was so itchy that he scratched hisneck.He scratched his throat Then ithappened! The bone got unstuck! First itwas a growl, then a wow... then a very,very loud,

“Bow-wow!Wow!

WOW!”

The fleas were so frightened, they

jumped for cover! The stray dogs, thestray cats, and mice all ran away andnever returned. The farm animals werehappy. The farmer was happy. AndMange was very, very happy.

If a dog does not bite, he certainly has

to bark.

Mr. Fire and Mr. WaterMr. Fire and Mr. Water once lived in

the town of Calmsville. Thetownspeople, who were mainly farmers,called them Mister because they werevery important to the town ofCalmsville. Mr. Water rained on thefields and made the grass, fruits andvegetables grow. Mr. Fire burned therubbish and the bushes to make newpaths for the farmers to sow more crops.Because they often worked together, theybecame good friends. Mr. Water wouldclimb into the pot and Mr. Fire wouldprovide the heat from underneath to cookbig meals for the hungry farmers. Oneday, Mr. Fire became very, very angrywith the people of Calmsville and most

of all, with Mr. Water. So Mr. Waterwent to Mr. Fire to ask him what waswrong:

“What’s the matter, my old friend?You act as if the world is coming to an

end.You do not flare, you do not burn.

So I come to you to learn.”

Mr. Fire sparked his temper andanswered:

“Friends we are never!They think you are so clever,

But I’ll show them.Ahem! Ahem! Ahem!”

And then with a shoosh he shot up into

the sky in one big fiery ball. The whole

town was scared because they had neverseen Mr. Fire so angry before. What Mr.Fire did not say was that he was jealous,and he was hopping mad. He felt Mr.Water was becoming more importantthan him. The people seemed to havemore need of Mr. Water than of him. After he cooked the pots, cleared thepaths, and did all the odd jobs, Mr.Water was needed to put him out. It wasalways, “Mr. Water! Mr. Water...!”

“Well,” he thought, “I’m going toshow those poor fools who is the bossaround here. They will forever fear andrespect me after I’m finished with theircrops and homes. Mr. Water too willknow the true might of Mr. Fire!”

The people of Calmsville were

terrified. If Mr. Fire burned their crops,cattle, and homes, as he threatened to do,they would certainly starve to death. Mr.Fire was their trusted friend and servant.They could not understand why hewanted to harm them.

On the thirteenth day of the month, Mr.Fire spread his anger upon the land. Thecrops in the field raged with fire. Theanimals ran wildly for shelter, and thepeople of Calmsville shook with fear. Ifthey did not act quickly they would loseeverything they owned. So they ran toMr. Water and begged him for help:

“Mr. Water! Mr. Water!Our fields are on fire.

We need you Mr. WaterTo put out Mr. Fire.”

But Mr. Water would not help:“Go away my friends,

My trusted friends.It is not right

To fight and fight.”Disappointed, the people returned to

their homes. And the rage of Mr. Fire

spread. upon the land. He burned thebarns, and the horses fled. He burned thehouses, and the people fled:

“Mr. Water! Mr. Water!Our houses are on fire.

We need you, Mr. Water,To put out Mr. Fire.”

Mr. Water looked at their terrifiedfaces. His anger spurted a thousand feetup in the air. He shouted:

“Okay, Mr. Fire, you’ve been bad,You are making everyone sad.

Please stop your curseOr I’ll quench your thirst.”

Mr. Fire answered:“You can spurt

And you can shout,But I will burn, burn

And you will never put me out.”And so these two friends went to war.

Mr. Fire flared... Mr. Water spurted...Mr. Fire shooshed... Mr. Waterwhooshed... Soon the two were engulfedin a huge ball of flame.

The whole town watched nervously asthe two struggled together. After a longand bitter fight, Mr. Water conquered.The people were glad the fight was over.They begged the two to make up. And ina way they did, because from that day

forward Mr. Fire and Mr. Water workedtogether the way they had done beforethe great battle. But they were no longerthe friends they once were. Instead, theyworked together as the natural enemiesthey still are to this day.

The Little Bouncing BallBounce, bounce goes the little

bouncing ball. It bounces under her legs,it bounces over her head, it bounces inthe air... it just seems to bounceeverywhere!

“Dad, I cannot catch my bouncingball!” cried Sue. Dad peered over hispaper and smiled at Sue. He had justbought her the little bouncing ball for herfourth birthday.

“That’s how bouncing balls are,dear,” said Dad, smiling. “Try again,you’ll get it this time.”

Bounce, bounce goes the littlebouncing ball. It bounces under her legs,it bounces over her head, it bounces inthe air... it just seems to bounce

everywhere! Sue was so pooped, shefell down in the grass. “Dad!” she criedagain, “please help me catch mybouncing ball.”

“Okay, okay,” said Dad as he putaside his paper. “In a jiffy, I’ll get yourbouncing ball.” Bounce, bounce goes thelittle bouncing ball. It bounces under hislegs, it bounces over his head, it bouncesin the air... it just seems to bounceeverywhere! Dad was so pooped, he toofell down in the grass.

“Geez!” said Dad, panting, “yourbouncing ball seems to have a mind ofits own.”

“I want my bouncing ball!” cried Sue.“Okay, okay,” said Dad, “I’ll ring up

the firemen, they’ll certainly catch your

bouncing ball.” Dad rang up the firemenand they came zooming down the streetin their big red fire trucks.

“And what can we do for you, littlegirl?” asked the firemen, dressed in theirsteely hats and funny suits.

“Can you catch my bouncing ball?Can you, can you?” asked Sue eagerly.

“We sure can,” answered the firemen.Bounce, bounce goes the bouncing ball.It bounces under their legs, it bouncesover their heads, it bounces in the air... itjust seems to bounce everywhere!

“Geez!” said the pooped firemen asthey too fell down in the grass, “yourbouncing ball seems to have a mind ofits own.”

Sue was very sad. She was about tocry.

“Look!” shouted Dad, pointing at thebouncing ball, bouncing slowly towardsSue. Bounce, bounce, the little bouncingball bounced right into Sue’s lap. It toowas pooped.

“Go to your room” said Sue. “You

have been bad. You almost made mecry.”

Cat and DogCat and Dog always hated each other.

But one day Cat went to Dog and said,“Dog, I have been thinking. We live inthe same house. We have the samemaster... Don’t you think that we shouldbe friends?”

Dog thought about it for a long whileand said, “Cat, you are so right... Weshould be friends. We both love ourmaster, and I know that our master lovesus both. But all we do is fight. It wouldreally please our master if we becamefriends.”

“Good!” said Cat, “then we shouldshake on it.” Cat extended his right paw.Dog extended his right paw. And theyshook on it. They were soon acting as

good friends. They hunted together. Theyate together. They played together. Theyeven slept together. And they were reallypleased that they had made their mastervery pleased.

But one day while their master wasaway, Big Bad Wolf wandered into theyard. Cat and Dog were having theirafternoon nap. Big Bad Wolf movedquietly and slowly... until he was rightover them. Cat, who was never a soundsleeper, opened his eyes just as Wolfwas about to pounce on him. Up hejumped, right over Wolf, and into thepear tree. Dog, who was dreaming,opened his eyes and saw Wolf. Hethought to himself:

“Gosh this dream seemed so real.”

And promptly went back to sleep. It wasonly when Wolf had him by the collarthat he realized what was reallyhappening. Frightened, he looked aroundfor Cat. There was no Cat.

Wolf had eaten Cat!

This thought made him very angry. Sohe bit Wolf on the neck. He bit Wolf onthe foot.

Wolf thought, “My God, this Dog ismad!” So he ran, and ran. He ran aroundthe house. And Dog chased him. He raninto the bushes and Dog chased him. Dogbit him on the tail; then abandoned thechase.

Sadly, Dog walked back to the yard.“Poor Cat. I have lost my friend.”

****

“Bravo! Bravo!” The sound came from the pear tree.

Dog looked up. There was Cat perchedhigh on a branch. When Cat came down,Dog asked Cat,

“Cat why did you run off and leaveme like that!” Cat tried to explain, butDog pretended not to hear. “Cat, you are

no longer my friend!” he said, andplayfully chased Cat back up the tree.

Sue’s Bouncing BallSue was six. It was her birthday and

Dad had bought her a special birthdaypresent. All day, Sue stared at the fancylittle box wrapped in yellow ribbons,with a red bow on top. She wonderedand wondered, what was in the box.Finally, curiosity got the better of her.She could take it no longer. She wentlooking for Dad and found him in the denreading the newspaper.

“Dad,” she pleaded in her tiniestvoice, “can I open my birthday presentnow? Please!” Dad looked at Sue andsmiled. He knew she was much tooexcited to wait any longer. But beforeDad could even say, “Go ahead...” Suealready had the box in her hand. Quickly

she tore it open and there, lyingpeacefully on its seam, was a red,rubber, bouncing ball -- just what shehad wanted. She was so happy that shestarted jumping for joy. She hugged Dadby his legs. He bent over and she kissedhim.

“Geez, thanks Dad. Now, can I playwith my little bouncing ball at theplayground?” Dad said she could and offshe ran to the playground.

“Look what my Dad bought me!”Mary, John, and Anne ran over to look atSue’s bouncing ball.

“Can I play with it?” asked Mary, theeldest.

“Sure, we all can,” said Sue. “I’mgoing to bounce it and see who will be

the first to catch it.”Sue bounced the ball as hard as she

could. The ball flew up into the air, for amoment it seemed to hang high over theirheads, and then it fell. The kids chasedafter the ball, but it flew back up into theair. Mary ran beneath it, cupped herhands and waited for it to fall. It fell, butnot into her hands. It changed its courseand fell between John and Anne. Thekids rushed to catch it again, but the littleball bounced between their legs andover their heads. No one caught the littlebouncing ball and the kids soon becameweary.

“I’m tired,” said Mary.“I’m tired,” said John.“I’m tired,” said Anne.

“I’m tired too,” said Sue.So they all went home leaving the

little bouncing ball behind. The verynext day, Sue and her friends went to theplayground to look for the little bouncingball. To their surprise, the little red ballwas there bouncing merrily along.

“I have a plan,” said John. “Let usform a circle and when the ball bouncesbetween us, one of us will try to catchit.”

They formed a circle, but without anyluck. The little ball bounced betweentheir legs and over their heads. They ranafter the ball, chasing it with every lastbit of energy they had. Nobody couldcatch the little bouncing ball and the kidsbecame exhausted.

“I’m tired,” said Mary.“I’m tired,” said John.“I’m tired,” said Anne.“I’m tired too,” said Sue.And they all went home leaving the

little bouncing ball. The next day, offthey went to the playground in search ofthe little bouncing ball. To their surprise,the little red ball was there once againbouncing merrily along.

“I have a plan,” said Anne, unfoldinga net from the knapsack she had broughtalong. “Let’s spread this net with each ofus holding one end. This time we willcertainly catch the little bouncing ball.”

With each of them holding one end,they ran with the open net right beneaththe falling ball. The ball fell into the net

and bounced right out again; into the netand bounced right out again.

“Each of you, bring your end up!”cried Anne. They brought their ends up,but not quickly enough. The littlebouncing ball popped out and bouncedaway.

“I’m tired”, said Mary.“I’m tired”, said John.“I’m tired”, said Anne.“I’m tired too”, said Sue.They all went home leaving the little

bouncing ball. And so, the next day, theywent again to the playground to look forthe bouncing ball. And to their surprise,the little red ball was there stillbouncing merrily along.

This time, no one had a plan so they

sat and watched as the little ballbounced merrily along.

“There,” cried Mary, pointing, “thereis Jake the Great!”

“Jake!” called Sue. Jake was sevenfeet tall and he often boasted that he wasthe best basketball player in the land.With a couple of steps, Jake stoodtowering over Sue and her friends. Sueexplained how they tried to catch herlittle bouncing ball - but just could not.

“Can you help us?” they asked. Jakechewed on his bubble gum. He blew ahuge bubble until it burst in his face.

“I am Jake the Great, the bestbasketball player in the land. With ease,I’ll have your little ball in hand.” But thelittle red ball bounced under Jake’s legs

and over his head. Jake the Great was soembarrassed; he hung his head in shame- and ran home.

Then Sue thought of a plan. Quicklyshe gathered up all the sticky chewinggum she could find around theplayground. Cleverly, she spreadchewing gum in a path along the ground.

“Come on you guys!” she called,“chase the bouncing ball against thiswall!” The bouncing ball flew high intothe air, bounced along the wall, and thenalong the ground right into the path ofSue’s sticky chewing gum. It tried tobounce up, tried to bounce up - but justcould not!

“Gotcha!” the happy kids shouted as

they ran to retrieve the little bouncingball. And the kids were certainly weary.

“I’m tired,” said Mary.“I’m tired,” said John.“I’m tired,” said Anne.“I’m tired too,” said Sue.And they all went home, with Sue

clutching very tightly, her little red,

bouncing ball.