“It’s so pretty,” Rachel said happily. “I love it here.”
“And supper!” Jack said. “We’re back just in time for supper.”
Which made them all wag their tails.
From where they were standing, the Bad Hat could see that the other rescue dogs were all running around in the meadow.
“You guys should sneak back in there now,” he said. “I’ll take her the rest of the way.”
The dogs looked at each other, and then nodded.
“Okay, Captain,” MacNulty said. “See you inside!”
As they ran off, and disappeared around the fence—to wherever the stupid tunnel was, the Bad Hat tried not to think about how exhausted he was. He just focused on bending down, picking up the branch, and making his way to the front door of the house. Then, he eased Clarabelle onto the doormat, and used his right paw to try and brush the leaves off her.
“Are we here?” Clarabelle asked, her voice frail.
The Bad Hat nodded. “Your kittens are inside the house. Everything’s going to be okay now.”
For the first time, he saw her truly relax, and she sank back onto the welcome mat.
“I don’t know how I’ll ever thank you,” she said.
“Money is good,” the Bad Hat said.
Her eyes widened.
“Joke,” he said. Then, he barked one sharp bark at the front door.
This time, he heard rapid stumping along the floor inside, and it sounded like Florence got there even before Joan did. But, Joan was the one who opened the door, of course.
“Is that—” Joan turned to shout over her shoulder. “Monica, call Dr. K.! I don’t know how he did it, but I think Webster’s brought us the mother cat. Thomas, come quickly, you’re not going to believe this!”
The Bad Hat stepped off to the side, while Joan tenderly lifted the weak, dehydrated cat into her arms. Thomas came running out from the barn to see what was going on. There was a lot of rapid, excited conversation swirling above him, but the dog was too worn out to pay attention.
He looked up at the doorway, where Florence was smiling at him.
“Well, aren’t you a wonder,” she meowed.
“I don’t know,” he barked, and lowered his head bashfully. “Maybe. The others helped a lot.”
“There’s no maybe about it,” Florence said. “I’m so proud of you. All of you!”
When was the last time someone had been genuinely proud of him? And cared about him? Not since he had been with his mother, and siblings, probably. “I lost my whole family,” the dog said. “When I was little. And since then, I’ve always been alone, and I don’t know how to trust anyone, or be nice, and—I’m scared.”
Florence nodded. “We all get scared. But, please don’t leave again. You belong here, and we love you, and we’re your family now.”
Yes. Maybe they really were. And the dog felt something he hadn’t felt since he was tiny.
Happiness. Joy, even! Genuine joy.
“So, are you going to come in, and get something to eat and drink?” Florence asked. “Monica is making hamburger to add to everyone’s food.”
Excellent. “Well, I guess so,” he said, and shrugged his very coolest cowboy shrug. “For tonight, anyway. Although I might have to leave again tomorrow. Since I’m a traveling man, by nature. And an icon, and a cowboy, and everything.”
Florence smiled. “Okay. Whatever makes you happy, Webster. We can worry about it in the morning.”
Yes, that was a good plan. “So. What are we going to watch tonight?” he asked, as he followed her inside.
“Something fun,” Florence promised. “Something wonderful.”
Yay!
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Unfortunately, there are millions of stray animals like the Bad Hat and Jack and Florence who need good and loving homes. Please support animal rescue groups and reputable shelters, and consider adopting from one whenever possible. Rescued animals tend to be the most wonderful pets in the world!
There are many ways to help stray animals, including volunteering at your local shelter; adopting a homeless pet; providing needed supplies like clean blankets and beds; and sending donations to help pay for food, veterinary expenses, and the many other costs of maintaining a safe and successful animal shelter.
Here are three charities personally recommended by the Bad Hat and his friends! Any donations these charities receive will be used solely to help animals in need. There are many wonderful rescue groups, located all over the world, so it is very easy to find a way to help animals in your area. But, these three groups are the Bad Hat’s favorites.
The Bad Hat Fund
c/o Warm Hearts Humane Society, Inc.
P.O. Box 535
Mt. Ida, AR 71957
[email protected] warmheartshumanesociety.com
www.facebook.com/Warmheartshumanesociety
The Jeanne Faucher White Fund
c/o Animal Rescue League of Southern Rhode Island
506B Curtis Corner Road
Peace Dale, RI 02883
www.arlsri.org
The Bad Hat Fund
c/o Riverside Animal Hospital
250 West 108th Street
New York, NY 10025
[email protected] And remember, please always spay and neuter your pets!
Ellen Emerson White lives in New York City. She is wicked private.
Aladdin
Simon & Schuster, New York
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
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First Aladdin hardcover edition November 2015
Text copyright © 2015 by Ellen Emerson White
Jacket illustration copyright © 2015 by Petra Brown
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Jacket designed by Karina Granda
Interior designed by Hilary Zarycky
The text of this book was set in ITC New Baskerville.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
White, Ellen Emerson.
Webster : tale of an outlaw / by Ellen Emerson White.—First Aladdin hardcover edition.
—pages cm
Summary: When Webster the dog arrives at Green Meadows Farm he has already been adopted, mistreated, and given away three times and is done with people, but the other animals of the shelter will not let him give up on the possibility of a special family.
ISBN 978-1-4814-2201-7 (hc)
[1. Dogs—Fiction. 2. Animal shel
ters—Fiction. 3. Cats—Fiction. 4. Animals—Treatment—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.W58274Web 2015
[FIC]—dc23
2014049261
ISBN 978-1-14814-2203-1(eBook)
Ellen Emerson White, Webster
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