«Let him sleep,» I heard the big one say.
«I'm going to call an ambulance,» said the other.
They began to argue.
«Go away, leave me alone,» I muttered.
It was quiet again. I fell asleep. I dreamt that I was in the dog show; I was a chow and I had a blue ribbon around my neck. In the next booth was another chow; he had a pink ribbon around his neck. It was a toss-up which of us would win the prize.
Two women whom I seemed to recognize were bickering about our respective merits and demerits. Finally the judge came over and placed his baud on my neck. The big woman strode away angrily, spitting in disgust. But the woman whose pet I was bent over and, holding me by the ears, raised my head and kissed me on the snout. «I knew you would win the prize for me,» she whispered. «You're such a lovely, lovely creature,» and she began stroking my fur. «Wait a moment, my darling, and I'll bring you something nice. Just a moment...»
When she returned she had a little package in her hand; it was wrapped in tissue paper and tied with a beautiful ribbon. She held it up before me and I stood on my hind legs and barked. «Woof woof! Woof woof!»
«Take it easy, dear,» she said, undoing the package slowly. «Mother's brought you a beautiful little present.»
«Woof woof! Woof woof!»
«That's a darling... that's it... easy now... easy.»
I was furiously impatient to receive my gift. I couldn't understand why she was taking so long. It must be something terribly precious, I thought to myself.
The package was almost unwrapped now. She was holding the little gift behind her back.
«Up, up! That's it...
I got to my hind legs and began prancing and pirouetting.
«Now beg! Beg for it!»
«Woof woof! Woof woof!» I was ready to jump out of my skin with joy.
Suddenly she dangled it before my eyes. It was a magnificent knuckle bone, full of marrow, encircled by a gold wedding ring. I was furiously eager to seize it but she held it high above her head, tantalizing me mercilessly. Finally, to my astonishment, she stuck her tongue out and began to suck the marrow into her mouth. She turned it around and sucked from the other end. When she had made a clean hole through and though she caught hold of me and began to stroke me. She did it so masterfully that in a few seconds I stood out like a raw turnip. Then she took the bone (with the wedding ring still around it) and she slipped it over the raw turnip. «Now you little darling, I'm going to take you home and put you to bed.» And with that she picked me up and walked off, everybody laughing and clapping hands. Just as we got to the door the bone slid off and fell to the ground. I tried to scramble out of her arms, but she held me tight to her bosom. I began to whimper.
«Hush, hush!» she said, and sticking her tongue out, she licked my face. «You dear, lovely, little creature!»
«Woof woof! Woof woof!» I barked. «Woof! Woof, woof, woof!»
