As a rumble of thunder echoed in the distance, Tramp moved toward the street. He looked up at the angry clouds above. And as the drops of rain fell, his heart sank.
There was nothing left to do. He had told Lady how he felt, and she had made her decision. So what was he going to do now?
Lady felt horrible. The look on Tramp’s face as he had walked off into the rain was heartbreaking. She hadn’t wanted to say goodbye. But she couldn’t leave her family, and he wouldn’t leave the streets.
Slowly, she started to walk up the porch stairs. But she paused when she heard a scratching noise. Her eyes narrowed. Lowering her body, she crept up the last step. Then she began to growl. The rat! It had nearly scratched through the doggy door. At the sound of Lady’s growl, it turned its beady little eyes to her. Then, with a hiss, it began to run away.
Barking furiously, Lady took off after it. She was about to get the rat when the awful little creature jumped onto the vines on the side of the house. Quickly, it began to climb up—toward the second floor and Lulu’s open window.
Lady turned on her heel and scrambled back to the doggy door. She burst into the house, then raced through the kitchen and into the foyer. She headed to the stairs. But just then, Darling came down them. Stopping her, Darling turned to the door, which Lady realized was suddenly open. Elliott stood in the frame. She wriggled under Darling’s hand as Elliott and Jim Dear spoke.
“The stray I’m after was running around the streets with your dog,” Elliott said.
Lady growled angrily. Jim Dear bent down and patted her on the head. “Easy, girl,” he said soothingly. Lady let out a bark and pulled toward the stairs. Believing her agitation was caused by Elliott’s presence, Jim Dear shot the dogcatcher a look and then scooped Lady up. “I’m going to go let her calm down,” he said.
Jim Dear walked back into the kitchen and put her down inside the pantry. “Just for a minute, Lady,” he said gently. Then he shut the door behind her, locking her in.
Lady charged at the door and scratched helplessly at it. She needed to get out of there. Lulu was in trouble. But she was trapped. Not knowing what else to do, she began to bark desperately. She needed help.
But who was going to hear her?
Down the street, Tramp walked slowly, his heart aching. Then, over the thunder, he heard something. He paused, listening. The sound came again. It was Lady! He would recognize her bark anywhere. And she sounded terrified.
He bolted back to her house. Making his way up the back porch, he hesitated. Then he saw Lady’s face at the small pantry window. Spotting him, she let out another bark.
“Help!” she shouted. “There’s a rat! It’s in the baby’s room!”
“Where?” he asked.
“Second floor,” Lady answered. “Hurry!”
Tramp took a deep breath. Going inside was about the worst idea for a dog like him. If Jim Dear or Darling spotted him, he would be in a world of trouble. But he couldn’t let Lady down again. Mustering his courage, he slipped through the doggy door and made his way into the kitchen. He froze as he saw Elliott at the front door.
He took a deep breath and waited until the humans were all distracted. Then, quickly, he padded through the foyer and up the stairs.
Lady had said the second floor, but she hadn’t said which room. Putting his nose to the ground, he followed the scent of baby powder to the farthest door. He peeked inside. There was the crib. Tramp tiptoed over and hopped up on his back legs to look inside. The baby was asleep, her little cheeks rosy pink, her breathing even. He let out a sigh of relief. She was okay.
Just then, a flash of lightning lit up the room. In the light, Tramp saw the rat. It was standing on top of a cabinet. It let out a hiss and then leaped—landing right on Tramp’s head. Pushing back from the crib, Tramp frantically tried to shake the rat loose. He managed to get free, but as the rat fell to the floor, Tramp felt its claws digging into his head, leaving a deep scratch.
His teeth bared, Tramp backed up, putting himself between the baby and the rat. Both in attack mode, he and the rat stood, eyes locked. And then the rat took off, racing around the room. Tramp gave chase. He sprinted after the small creature, knocking over a chair as he went. Jumping onto a table covered in toys, the rat tried to hide. But Tramp wasn’t going to stop. Snarling, he leaped up, his nose pushing aside stuffed animals. Spotting what he thought was the rat, he bit down. But his teeth closed around cotton, not fur. Spitting out the toy, he watched as the rat jumped back down and headed under a dresser.
Tramp ran over and frantically swiped underneath the dresser with his paw. But the creature seemed to have disappeared. Slowly standing up, Tramp scanned the room. There was no sign of the rat. But then another flash of lightning filled the room.
In horror, Tramp saw the rat. The creature was now perched on top of the crib. Tramp bolted across the room. But just as he reached the crib, the rat let out a hiss and jumped inside. Tramp slammed into the crib. It rocked back and forth and then began to tip over—with Lulu inside. Together, the crib and Tramp fell to the ground. The sound echoed through the house. Jumping to his feet, Tramp looked down at the baby. She was crying but unhurt.
Tramp lifted his head. His eyes narrowed as he spotted the rat clinging to a curtain right above them. If the creature jumped, it would land right on the baby. Tramp leaped at the curtain, then heard a tearing sound as he and the rat fell to the ground amid a pile of fabric. Tramp snapped, his teeth flashing. And then, suddenly, the room grew quiet. A moment later, Tramp pulled himself out from the fabric. Under the curtain, the rat was motionless.
His head pounding from the rat’s claws, Tramp stood in the middle of the room, panting. He had to tell Lady the baby was safe. But just then, the door flew open. Jim Dear and Darling let out gasps as they saw the room, now in shambles, with Lulu on the floor and a strange dog standing in the middle. Darling ran to the baby, lifted her into her arms, and began to coo gently. Jim Dear stared at Tramp.
“That’s him!” Elliott shouted.
Tramp gulped. Elliott was in the doorway. He stormed over, grabbed Tramp by the neck, and began to walk him out of the room. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Elliott looked back at Jim Dear and Darling. “You’re safe now,” he said, as though Tramp, not the rat, were the real problem. “We’ve got strict rules on what happens to dogs who hurt humans.” Then he walked Tramp out of the house and shoved him into the paddy wagon.
Tramp was going to the pound. He just hoped that Lady knew he had tried.
Lady scratched helplessly at the pantry door. She couldn’t do anything but wait for someone to open it and let her out.
Finally, the door swung open. Lady bolted past Jim Dear and up the stairs to Lulu’s room. She raced inside, put her nose to the ground, and began to sniff frantically. On the bed, Darling sat with Lulu.
Sniffing around the fallen furniture, Lady searched for any sign of Tramp—or the rat. Then her nose picked up something. She rushed to the curtain, now on the ground, and pushed it aside. There was the rat. Seeing its lifeless body, Darling let out a gasp.
“Oh, my goodness,” she said. “Jim Dear! Come look at this!”
As Jim Dear pounded up the stairs, Lady raced down them. She flew through the doggy door and headed toward the street. Her head swiveled back and forth. Where had Tramp gone?
Hearing footsteps, she turned, hoping to see Tramp. But it was just Jock and Trusty. “Where’d he go?” she asked, hoping they knew.
Luckily, they did. “Dogcatcher took him to the pokey,” Trusty said. “What happened?”
“It was the rat!” Lady cried. Then she began to run down the street. Behind her, Jock and Trusty exchanged looks. They had been quick to judge Tramp. Maybe they had been wrong. They took off after Lady.
As the trio ran down the street, Lady kept her eyes forward and her nose up. She heard Jim Dear’s Model T engine rev somewhere behind her. Approaching a T-intersection, Lady looked back and forth. “Which way did they go?�
� she asked. There was no sign of the paddy wagon, and she couldn’t smell anything.
“We’ll need to sniff it out,” Jock said, shivering slightly in the night air. She had lost her kilt during the run and looked, for once, like a normal dog.
“Good idea,” Trusty agreed. Feeling the other dogs’ eyes on him, he realized that they meant he should do the sniffing. “Right, of course. Leave it to ol’ reliable here.”
Putting his nose to the ground, Trusty began to work. He followed a scent—straight to a bench and a pair of sailors sharing a drink. That wasn’t it. He put his nose back down and followed it again—this time to a pallet of fish. Still not it. Behind him, Lady and Jock followed, growing disheartened. And then, through the other smells, Trusty caught it—the smell of Tramp! He bayed loudly and took off. “This way!” he shouted over his shoulder.
As they rounded a corner, Lady let out a happy yelp. There, up ahead, was the paddy wagon. It was making its way slowly down the street.
The paddy wagon turned another corner by the park. Lady knew where they were. She began to run through the park. Behind her ran the others.
Bursting onto the street on the opposite side of the park, Lady found herself right behind the paddy wagon. Looking up, she saw Tramp staring back at her through the bars. “We’re coming!” she called. Then she began to bark frantically.
At the sound, Elliott turned. He shifted slightly on his seat. In front of him, the horses began to move faster. Lady didn’t think; she just acted. She raced to the front of the paddy wagon and threw herself in front of the horses. With frightened whinnies, they reared up. There was the sound of cracking wood as their yoke broke, and then they were free, racing off down the street. Behind them, the paddy wagon let out a groan as its front wheels, no longer supported, shattered. The paddy wagon flipped end over end. Elliott and Tramp went flying.
And then there was silence.
Lady looked around. Where was Tramp? She spun in a circle. But all she could see were the remains of the paddy wagon, and all she could hear was the distant neighing of the horses.
Then she stopped. Jock and Trusty were standing by the sidewalk, looking at the ground. Lady ran over and let out a gasp. It was Tramp! He lay on his side, his chest still beneath his dark fur. Lady felt her stomach drop. She was too late. Lifting her head, she let out a mournful howl. The eerie sound pierced the night air.
“What took you so long, kid?”
Lady stopped howling. Looking down, she saw Tramp gazing up at her, a smile on his rugged face. She smiled back. Then, as Trusty and Jock watched, she leaned down and began to nuzzle him.
“Lady!”
Hearing Jim Dear’s voice, Lady lifted her head. He and Darling were making their way through the wreckage of the crash. Darling clutched Lulu in her arms.
“Thank goodness you’re okay,” Jim Dear said when he reached her side. He began to pet her head, and Lady leaned into his hand. Beside her, Tramp was still and quiet, not wanting to ruin the moment.
But then, suddenly, Elliott appeared. Leash in hand, he clipped it to Tramp and yanked him to his feet. “You’re still coming with me,” he said. He began to drag Tramp, limping, back down the street. “I’ll walk you to the pound if I have to.”
Lady watched, her eyes wide with panic. She had just gotten Tramp back. She couldn’t lose him again. She barked, turning her head back and forth between Tramp and Darling and Jim Dear. Behind her, Jock and Trusty joined in.
Darling looked down at her sweet dog and then at the rough-and-tumble mutt limping down the street. Suddenly, her eyes widened in understanding. “Hold on!” she cried. She handed Lulu to Jim Dear and ran to Elliott. “You can’t do this,” she said when she reached the dogcatcher.
Elliott raised an eyebrow. “I not only can,” he replied, “it’s my duty.”
Darling shook her head. She pointed at Tramp. “He was protecting our baby!”
The dogcatcher was unmoved. “The law clearly states that any unlicensed dog without a home will be immediately impounded,” he said, pointing to Tramp’s bare neck. No license.
“But he has a home,” Darling said. Her voice was soft. But as she went on, it grew stronger. She knew in her heart that somehow this dog had been the one to save her baby. She wasn’t going to let him go to the pound—not when she could do something about it. “He has a home,” she repeated.
Jim Dear joined her. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he looked at Elliott. “That’s our dog, sir.”
Elliott looked back and forth between the husband and wife, confused. Then, slowly, it seemed to come to him. Sighing, he handed the leash over. Without another word, he walked toward the paddy wagon.
Darling looked down at the scruffy dog. His eyes were guarded. His tail was tucked between his legs. Lady went to stand beside Darling. She let out a soft whine. Slowly, his tail lifted, and then he began to hobble toward them. Reaching Lady, he lowered his head. As the pair snuggled, tears filled Darling’s eyes.
It looked like their family had just grown by one more.
Snow once again covered the porch of Lady’s house and drifted softly through the air. In the backyard, Jock and Trusty stood, looking pleased. Jock was once again dressed—this time in a snowsuit. Her adventure sans an outfit had been invigorating, but she had realized she enjoyed the comfort of clothes more—especially now that she was a big sister.
Lifting a heavy brow, Trusty looked at Jock. “I didn’t know you got new recruits,” he said.
Jock nodded. “My ‘gift’ from Stephanie,” she said. Her human had been inspired by Darling and Jim Dear and had gone to the pound the very next day. Jock wouldn’t admit it, but she liked having the pups around. It made the house livelier.
“Hey, pups,” Trusty called out. “I’m your uncle Trusty.” Immediately, the puppies were on top of the big old hound. Laughing, he settled down on the ground. “Gather round, cadets,” he began, happy to have a new audience for his stories. “Wanna hear about the time I chased down a dogcatcher? Saved a poor stray with a heart of gold?”
As the pups let out yips of “yes” and tugged playfully at Trusty’s long ears, Jock smiled. Things were definitely changing in the neighborhood. But she was glad they were. She looked into the window of Lady’s house.
Inside, Lady sat beside the fire. The crackling logs warmed her back. Presents filled the room, and Lulu crawled her way between them, tugging at bows and already ripped wrapping.
Lady turned to look at Tramp. His coat had been washed and cleaned. The long hair around his face and eyes had been trimmed, so she could clearly see his deep brown eyes twinkling as he met her gaze. His leg, still in a sling from the paddy wagon accident, was healing. She smiled as Jim Dear knelt down next to them.
“Okay, boy,” he said, “it’s time we made you official.”
Leaning over, he opened a small box. Inside was a collar of Tramp’s very own. Gently, Jim Dear placed it around Tramp’s neck. He gave Tramp a pat and then, standing back up, went to join Darling and Lulu on the couch.
“So how does it feel?” Lady asked Tramp quietly, nodding at the collar.
“You know, it kind of feels…” He stopped and moved his neck this way and that, as though he wasn’t sure how to describe it.
“Too tight? Too itchy?” Lady suggested.
Tramp shook his head. “I was going to say…it kind of feels like home.”
He grinned at Lady, and she grinned right back. The lovable mutt who had thought he only belonged on the street now sat by a warm fire, with a family beside him. It was like Lady had said at the pound: every dog deserved a home, no matter what they looked like or how old they were. And now Tramp had a home of his own—with her.
As snow fell outside and music began to play, Lady and Tramp lifted their heads and barked along in harmony.
Lady and the Tramp Live Action Junior Novel Page 6
