by William Bebb
“I don't need a bath,” Billy whined, as he stood in his torn and dusty clothes.
“You march in there now, mister. And if you aren't spotlessly clean when you get out of that tub, I'll give you another spanking,” Mrs. Remlap said, with both of her hands on her narrow hips while looking severely down at the filthy boy.
Billy grumbled under his breath as he kicked off his boots, went into the small bathroom and closed the door. His butt was still sore where she'd paddled him after he'd hugged his grandpa. She's a mean old lady. That was one thing Billy knew to be undeniable as he lowered himself into the bathtub filled with bubble bath. He'd wanted to keep watching to see what would happen next, but after the truck drove off nothing had. Oh sure, a few guys were wandering around the park but nothing cool like all the gunfire earlier.
“Thanks for giving him a spanking. The little fart scared ten years out of me by wandering off like that. And those were ten years I really can't afford to spare,” Colonel Lester said while leaning over the dog lying on the kitchen floor. He looked at the dog's injured front leg and used his straight razor to shave off the fur around the snake bite.
“God looks out for little children and dumb animals,” she said, looking down at the dirty dog.
Boris looked up and licked the old man’s hand as he worked on his leg.
“This dog may be dumb, but I don't doubt for a second if he hadn't been with Billy I'd never have seen my grandson again,” he said, rubbing the dog's wound with an alcohol soaked washcloth.
Boris whimpered softly as the old man finished cleaning out the wound and wrapped it with a bandage.
“Will he live?” Remlap asked, wandering over to the window and looking outside.
“He's got as good a shot as any of us do, I think,” he said, gently scratching a spot behind the dog's ears. “I suspect he was mostly exhausted. I didn't see too much discoloration around the bite mark so hopefully he didn't get a lethal dose of venom. Of course, I don't know for certain, but it seems to me if he were going to die he'd be dead by now,” he said, as the dog's wagging tail thumped softly against the floor.
