by Karen Hesse
Home! Pap had said home!
I couldn’t keep my hands off Sable. I never left her side. Never even waved good-bye to Mr. Cobb.
Doctoring Sable, Pap and I found some ugly sores. Pap cut part of her fur away to dress them.
Mam went in and fried up a mess of hamburg. “For lunch,” she said, although it wasn’t nearly eleven. Then she didn’t even serve any to me or Pap. She just put down a dish for Sable.
* * *
Sable had plenty chance to wander off after she came back. She never did.
“I guess you’ve finally had your fill of wandering, girl,” I said, stroking her dark head. “We never even needed that fence.”
Sable and I took the fence down. It took a lot less time knocking it apart than it took hammering it together.
Sable never knew I’d built that fence for her. But she sure enjoyed taking it apart. She’d steal a sticker and race around the property with it, then come back and trot beside me, carrying her sticker while I carted a load of my own, off to the woodshed for winter kindling.
Sable even started coming inside the house. You could tell where she’d been by the trail of sawdust she left. Pap and I had to clean up our tracks with the broom and dustpan. Mam cleaned up after Sable.
At night, Sable curled by the kitchen woodstove, thumping her tail whenever Mam walked by. And once, while Mam was fixing dinner, I swear she handed a good piece of meat down to that dog. And Sable took it from her easy, real easy.
“Mam!” I cried. “What are you doing?”
“It’s just a bite, Tate,” Mam said.
As if Sable needed a reason for staying.
GOFISH
questions for the author
KAREN HESSE
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Braver.
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to write.
What’s your first childhood memory?
Going to the hospital to have my tonsils removed. I was three.
What’s your most embarrassing childhood memory?
There are so many. One of the most memorable was the time I gave a classmate a black eye.
What’s your favorite childhood memory?
One of my favorites is going out to eat at the Pimlico House with my mother, my grandmother, and my aunts. I was the only child and I wore white gloves and white anklets and shiny black patent-leather shoes. I felt so grown-up.
As a young person, who did you look up to most?
Everyone. But particularly my grandfather. He was so kind.
What was your worst subject in school?
MATH!!!
What was your best subject in school?
Everything else. I LOVED school.
What was your first job?
Bagel Shop waitress.
How did you celebrate publishing your first book?
We splurged and my husband, my two daughters, and I ate in a restaurant … a very rare treat.
Where do you write your books?
In the attic of my 1880, Queen Anne house.
Where do you find inspiration for your writing?
Everywhere. Newspaper and magazine articles, radio and television interviews, lectures, art, music, overheard conversations, other writers’ books, life.
Which of your characters is most like you?
Emily Michtom, from Brooklyn Bridge.
When you finish a book, who reads it first?
That all depends on who’s running the slowest.
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Definitely morning.
What’s your idea of the best meal ever?
A dark chocolate appetizer followed by a dark chocolate entrée, finishing with a dark chocolate dessert washed down by a rich pot of chocolate and a few hours later, a couple of aspirin for the sugar headache and digestive aids for the obvious reasons.
Which do you like better: cats or dogs?
I adore them both!
What do you value most in your friends?
Honesty and a sense of humor.
Where do you go for peace and quiet?
Inside myself.
What makes you laugh out loud?
My husband.
What’s your favorite song?
Too many great ones. But I have a major soft spot for anything by James Taylor.
Who is your favorite fictional character?
Too many great ones. But I have a Very Soft Spot for Horton (of Hatching the Egg fame).
What are you most afraid of?
I’m too scared to tell.
What time of year do you like best?
Spring.
What’s your favorite TV show?
I’m pretty enthusiastic about The Charlie Rose Show on PBS. But I’ve also been caught watching Oprah from time to time.
If you were stranded on a desert island, who would you want for company?
My husband.
If you could travel in time, where would you go?
I would go to the beginning of the universe with Dr. Who.
What’s the best advice you have ever received about writing?
Don’t quit your day job.
What do you want readers to remember about your books?
I’d be delighted if readers remember anything about my books.
What would you do if you ever stopped writing?
I can’t imagine not writing.
What do you like best about yourself?
My crazy, curly hair. Ironically, it’s the thing I liked least about myself when I was growing up.
What is your worst habit?
My husband says I have none. Ha-ha.
What is your best habit?
My husband wouldn’t say, but I suspect I have none of those, either.
Where in the world do you feel most at home?
Brattleboro.
What do you wish you could do better?
See through walls, fly, and cook.
What would your readers be most surprised to learn about you?
That I have a sense of humor.
About the Author and Illustrator
Karen Hesse is the author of Letters from Rifka, winner of the Christopher Medal, the National Jewish Book Award, an ALA Notable Book, and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Her many other books for young readers include Phoenix Rising, an ALA Notable Book and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, Lavender, and Wish on a Unicorn. In 1998 she received the Newbery Medal for Out of the Dust.
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Ms. Hesse lives with family in Brattleboro, Vermont. You can sign up for email updates here.
Marcia Sewall is the illustrator of many books for children, including Nobody’s Cat. She lives in Dorchester, Massachusetts. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
1. The Arrival
2. A Collar for Sable
3. The Bed
4. Sable’s Bad Habit
5. Stop, Sable!
6. A Trip
7. The Empty Bed
8. The Runaway
9. The Storm
10. Cleaning Up
11. The Arrival Again
Gofish
About the Author and Illustrator
Copyright
An Imprint of Macmillan
SABLE. Text copyright © 1994 by Karen Hesse.
Illustrations copyright © 1994 by Marcia Sewall.
<
br /> All rights reserved. R. R. Donnelley &. Sons Company, Harrisonburg, Virginia.
For information, address Square Fish, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
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Originally published in the United States by Henry Holt and Company
First Square Fish Edition: January 2010
Square Fish logo designed by Filomena Tuosto
mackids.com
eISBN 9781250103581
First eBook edition: October 2015
