The Green Turtle Mystery (9 page)

“You save the money,” Mr. Boots said. “Then, after you’re back home again, we can figure it out some time. Besides, you might be needin’ quite a sum o’ money to see all the sights down here.”

“Well, that’s all right with me, if that’s the way you want to do it, Mr. Boots,” Djuna said, doubtfully, but he put his wallet back in his pocket.

“Remember, Djuna, I’ve always told you not to be too hasty,” Mr. Boots said with a chuckle. “I got to git along, now, ’cause I have to pick up a truck load of stuff an’ I want to git back before dark.”

“I wish you could stay and have a bite of supper with us, Mr. Boots,” Mrs. Silvernails said. “I’ve heard Annie talk so much about you.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Mr. Boots said. “I’d like to, but I don’t like to drive after dark.”

“How is Miss Annie, Mr. Boots?” Djuna asked, eagerly.

“Oh, she’s doin’ better every day,” Mr. Boots said. “Her lumbago ain’t so bad, now, and she’s gittin’ around better. We all look in on her a few times every day to see if there’s anything she’s a-needin’. She misses you somethin’ terrible, Djuna. I’ll tell her you was askin’ after her.”

“Thank you, sir,” Djuna said. “Tell her I have a nice present picked out that I’m going to bring back to her.”

“I’ll tell her, Djuna,” Mr. Boots said, smiling. “But do you know what she’ll say when I tell her?”

Djuna shook his head because he couldn’t imagine what Mr. Boots had in his mind.

“She’ll say: ‘Glitterin’ glories of Golconda, tell him to bring himself and that’ll be enough,’” Mr. Boots said, and he laughed until he had tears in his eyes. He was still laughing when he climbed into the seat of his truck.

“Good-by, Mrs. Silvernails! Good-by, Djuna! Good-by, Champ!” Mr. Boots called and stepped on his starter.

Mrs. Silvernails and Djuna both called, “Good-by” and Champ ran around the truck in circles while Mr. Boots turned around. Champ followed the truck out to the sidewalk and said, “Good-by” with two sharp barks.

Then, as Djuna came out to get him, Champ strutted down the sidewalk, barking, with his head cocked first on one side and then on the other as though to say, “Well! Here I am!”

Then Champ came trotting back and Djuna picked him up and hugged him for a moment to show him how glad he was to see him. Then he put him down and said, “Come on, Champ!” and ran into the driveway with Champ galloping at his heels as hard as he could run. Champ skidded a little when he tried to make a sharp turn at the corner of the house but he made it all right without rolling over. Djuna sat down on the steps of the back porch with Champ at his feet, his stubby black tail wigwagging the question, “Now that I’m here, what shall we do?”

Mrs. Silvernails stuck her head out the back door and looked down at them and said, “I don’t wonder you missed Champ, Djuna. He’s the
cutest
thing I ever saw.” Champ barked once to let Mrs. Silvernails know that he knew she had spoken about him.

Djuna stood up and said, apologetically, “I forgot to tell you last night that I telephoned Mr. Boots to ask him to bring Champ down with him. He’s going to stay over with Ben Franklin, a friend of mine who lives on Carpenter Street.”

“Land’s sakes, Djuna!” Mrs. Silvernails said. “He could just as well stay here.”

“Oh, that’s awful nice of you, Mrs. Silvernails,” Djuna said, “but I promised Ben he could stay over there, because I let Ben’s turtle, Waterbury, get lost. Champ will keep him from being so lonesome until he gets him back.”

“Land’s sakes! A turtle?” Mrs. Silvernails said. “What next! But won’t
you
be lonesome without Champ here?”

“No-o,” said Djuna. “Not if I know I can see him every day.” He didn’t think there was any use in reminding Mrs. Silvernails that she had said dogs made her nervous. Then he happened to remember about Champ’s leash and he asked Mrs. Silvernails if Mr. Boots had given it to her.

“No,” said Mrs. Silvernails. “He didn’t mention it.”

“I suppose he forgot it,” Djuna said. “I wonder if there is a piece of rope around that I could use to take him over to Ben’s after supper?”

“Well,” said Mrs. Silvernails a little hesitantly, “there’s an old piece of clothesline hanging out there in the garage. You can cut off a piece of that, if you want, but don’t take more than you need.”

“Oh, thanks very much,” Djuna said. “Maybe I can find a short piece and won’t have to cut the whole clothesline.”

“Just help yourself,” Mrs. Silvernails said and she closed the screen door. “Supper will be ready in a little bit. You better come in and wash up as soon as you get Champ tied up. I’ll find some scraps for him so he can eat out there while we’re having our supper.”

“Yes ma’am,” Djuna said and he was sort of glad that Champ was going to stay over at Ben’s because he imagined that over there he would be allowed in the house while all the children ate their supper, and he grinned as he thought of all the scraps of food that would be slipped to Champ under the table.

At a few minutes before seven, Djuna untied Champ’s rope out in the garage and Djuna said, “I’m going to take you over to a place where you’ll like it a lot because there are so many kids around. But I want you to behave yourself and
not
chase their cat.” Champ barked three times to show that he understood and reared up on his hind legs so that he could pull harder at his leash when he came down.

“Don’t be late, Djuna,” Mrs. Silvernails called after him as they went out the driveway.

“No ma’am,” Djuna called back.

They sauntered slowly down Dapplegray Road while Champ constantly pulled at his leash with his head held high so that he wouldn’t miss any of the strange city smells he was encountering for the first time. At the same time Champ inspected the houses they were passing and every once in awhile he would give a couple of short barks and look back at Djuna to tell him he didn’t like some particular house, or to announce the presence of a dog inside it.

When they were just about in the center of the Square they passed a pleasant-faced little man with a Great Dane on a leash, that was ten or fifteen times as big as Champ. Champ stopped and planted his feet as far apart as he could get them and barked his defiance at the big dog that loomed above him. The Great Dane wrinkled its nose at Champ and then turned its head and looked up at its master as though to ask, “Do you see what
I
see?”

“Don’t you let that Scotty at my dog,” the pleasant-faced little man said to Djuna.

“Oh, he wouldn’t hurt him, sir,” said Djuna and he laughed and pulled Champ along behind him as Champ dispatched a few last threats at the big dog.

When they got over on Sixth Street Champ was pulling so hard on the old piece of rope that Djuna had found in Mrs. Silvernails” garage that the rope broke and Champ went forward on his nose and almost turned a complete somersault. After he had scrambled back on his feet and had recovered from his surprise Champ gave Djuna one quick look and started down Sixth Street as fast as he could go.

“
Champ!
” Djuna shouted at him. Champ looked around and slowed his pace a
little
bit.

“
Champ!
You come here!” Djuna called, and he began to run after him.

This time Champ slowed down until he was moving at only a brisk walk. His head was held high and his tail was straight out behind him as he strutted along feeling very independent. And when he turned his head and saw Djuna running so hard he put his head down and seemed to be snickering into his whiskers.

Djuna caught up to him and while Champ let him tie the two pieces of rope together Djuna said, “What’s the
matter
with you,
anyway?
If you wouldn’t pull so hard you wouldn’t break everything.”

As they started on down Sixth Street Djuna began to worry at the thought that Ben might take Champ out for a walk on this old rope and if Champ broke it he might run right out into the heavy traffic and get killed. Then he happened to remember a store that had been open when he looked in the window the night before. They seemed to sell everything from artists’ supplies and ink to unpainted furniture and hardware. Djuna decided he would use some of the dollar he had offered to Mr. Boots to buy Champ a new leash, so there wouldn’t be any danger of Champ getting away from Ben.

The store was still lighted when they came to it, so Djuna opened the door for Champ and then followed him in. The clerks were all busy waiting on the several customers who were there, so Djuna started looking around to find the department where they might have dog leashes.

Djuna hadn’t paid much attention to the way Champ began to sniff the moment they got inside the store because that was always the first thing Champ did every place they went. And when he began to growl deep down in his throat and the fur rose along his back, Djuna still didn’t pay much attention. He just said, “Be
quiet
, Champ. Where do you think you are?”

But when Champ’s growl changed to a shrill, high-pitched bark and he leaped ahead so quickly that he jerked the leash out of Djuna’s hand, everyone in the store turned around and paid some attention to him.

When Champ found that he was free he darted at a man just a few feet ahead of him who was standing at the counter where they sold oil paints and inks and other artists’ supplies. Champ didn’t snap at the man. He just reared up on his hind feet and snarled at him and then be broke into that shrill bark again.

The man whirled. He squinted down at Champ through thick-lensed glasses, and he looked as though he thought there was a whole pack of wolves after him. He shrank back against the counter and started to kick at Champ just as Djuna grabbed Champ up in his arms.

It was the man’s turn to snarl now, and he did. He snarled at Djuna. “What’s the matter with that dog?” he shouted. “I’ll kick his head off. Why don’t you have him on a leash?”

“Quiet, Champ!
Quiet!
” Djuna said into Champ’s ear until Champ began to wag his stubby little tail and tried to reach Djuna’s face with his tongue to say that he was sorry.

“I hope he didn’t scare you, sir,” Djuna said to the man. “I’m very sorry, I don’t know
what
was the matter with him. You see he was on a leash. He jumped so quick when I wasn’t looking for it that he pulled it right out of my hand. He’s never done anything like that before.”

Then a puzzled expression appeared on Djuna’s face and he looked down at Champ as though he was going to ask him a question as, suddenly, he remembered a time when Champ
had
done something like that before. But Djuna didn’t say anything.

The man with the thick-lensed glasses didn’t say anything either. He glared at Djuna and at Champ and turned back to the clerk who was waiting on him and went on with his purchase.

Djuna put Champ down on the floor again and Champ trotted dutifully after him, taking quick sniffs at all the objects they passed. Two or three people stooped to pat Champ on the head. He wagged his tail for them to let them know that although
he
knew he was a very fine dog he was also democratic.

At the back of the store Djuna found a counter where they had dog muzzles and leashes and other things. Djuna bought a very sturdy leash for forty cents and snapped it to Champ’s collar with a distinct feeling of relief. He wound up the piece of rope he had been using, to take back to Mrs. Silvernails’ garage.

Champ, knowing that he was wearing something new, strutted even more than usual as they started toward the front door. Just before they reached it Djuna saw the man Champ had barked at standing by the door ready to leave; so he slowed up and pretended to be looking at a world globe that was on a counter. He didn’t want Champ to bark at the man again.

After the man was outside and Djuna saw him start down Sixth Street toward Carpenter he opened the door, let Champ through and followed himself. They started down Sixth Street, too, but had taken only a few steps when the man came hurrying back toward them. Just before the man reached them a strong gust of wind came along, lifted the man’s felt hat off his head and took it skimming down Sixth Street.

“I’ll get it!” Djuna shouted at the man and started running after it with Champ galloping behind him. Djuna retrieved the hat after he had run about fifty feet and started back with it, thinking, “This will sort of make up for Champ’s barking at him like that.”

The man looked very mad as he hurried toward Djuna, and when Djuna handed him his hat he snatched it without a word of thanks. And then Djuna was even more amazed because the man didn’t seem to be worried because his hat was all dirty and battered. He seemed to be worried only about a small green feather that was stuck in the hatband. He examined it carefully after he took it out of the hatband and his face seemed to soften when he found that it was all right.

“Be still!” Djuna said to Champ as he began to sniff at the cuffs of the man’s trousers. But Djuna was too late. Just as he told him to be still Champ reared up on his hind legs and broke into the same shrill, high-pitched bark he had used before.

The man jumped backward out of Champ’s reach, and then without letting go of the green feather he held between his thumb and forefinger he snapped it at Champ and said three or four words that Djuna couldn’t understand. Then, without another word he turned and went back into the store where Djuna and Champ had first met him.

Djuna stood staring after the man until he had disappeared inside the store and then he said to Champ, “Well,
what
in the world is the matter with him?” And when Champ just gave a sharp little bark in reply he said to Champ, “And
what
in the world is the matter with you?” He stood looking down at Champ with a puzzled expression on his face for a few moments and then he said, “Come on, Champ. I think we had better go back to Edenboro before we begin to act as crazy as all the other people up here.”

Ben Franklin was waiting on the front stoop for Djuna and Champ. When he saw them coming he ran out the gate and down the street to meet them. Ben squatted down to greet Champ and Champ put his front paws up on his knees and wigwagged with his tail: “Hi, Ben! If you’re a friend of Djuna’s, you’re a friend of mine!”