Dodsworth in New York (4 page)

Dodsworth watched the duck get on the Ferris wheel.

He waited until just the right second.

"Gotcha!" he said as he grabbed the duck. "Hey," said the duck, "how's it going?"

Dodsworth brought the duck to the train station.

"You should be ashamed," said Dodsworth.

"You worried Hodges. You worried me.

You could have been lost forever."

"Sorry," said the duck.

The duck lowered his head.

Dodsworth put his hand on the duck.

"Oh, it's all right," he said. "Don't be sad."

The duck started snoring.

He was sound asleep.

Dodsworth went to a phone booth.

He called Hodges again.

"Hello?" said Hodges.

He sounded sad.

"Hodges!" shouted Dodsworth.

"I've got the duck! He's with me!" Hodges screamed.

"That crazy duck! I've been worried sick!"

"Sorry he ruined your adventure," said Hodges.

"Ruined it? He
was
the adventure," said Dodsworth.

They both laughed.

"We'll head home on the next train," said Dodsworth.

Dodsworth went back to the duck.

To his great dismay, the duck was gone again.

Dodsworth looked out the window.

The duck was getting on a boat.

Dodsworth ran and jumped on the boat.

The boat started sailing away.

"Hurry!" said Dodsworth. "Let's swim back to shore!"

"No can do," said the duck. "I can't swim."

"What?!" shouted Dodsworth. "You're a duck!"

"Sorry," said the duck. "Never learned how to swim."

The city became farther and farther away.

Dodsworth saw that the boat was going to Paris.

He went to the phone and called Hodges again.

"Uh, hey," he said. "Listen. Everything is fine. The duck is still with me, but, well, it might be a little longer than we thought."