Angus and Sadie by Cynthia Voigt

Author:Cynthia Voigt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins

6

How Sadie meets a skunk, dances with light, and locates two sheep

As summer came to an end, the days grew shorter and cooler. Then it was September. Mister used his tractor to bring in the baled hay, stacking it in the barn loft, and Missus no longer sold eggs and vegetables at the farm stand. Instead, in the morning she picked tomatoes in the garden, so that in the afternoon she could skin them and chop them and get them into the freezer for winter. Now that evening came earlier, Mister and Missus liked to sit together on the porch steps after dinner, to talk and listen and watch as the forests and hills, stream, farm, and fields faded away into darkness. But, on one of those evenings, just as they were finishing their supper, Missus said, “It’s about time to board up the farm stand.”

“Let’s do it right now,” Mister decided. “There’s still enough light. We’ll take the pickup to carry back the tables and baskets, and I’ll bring my toolbox so I can winterize the shed. Ready?”

Angus and Sadie—who always ate more quickly than the humans, and were resting by the kitchen stove—knew what “ready” meant. Both dogs jumped up and went to the door. They stood there, ready.

“Look at those two,” Missus said, and she laughed.

“I guess they can come with us,” Mister decided. “Let’s go, Angus, Sadie.” He held the kitchen door open.

The dogs ran out, jumped down the steps, and dashed to the truck, which was parked in front of the barn. When Mister caught up with them, he lowered the transom, and they jumped up onto the bed. He closed the transom behind them.

They bounced along down the dirt driveway to the farm stand. Sadie wanted to tell Angus about the ditches, and everything she’d found there over the summer, but Angus was thinking about something else. Mister is the boss of everyone. He’s the one who decides everything. Have you noticed?

No.

He’s the boss, so I’m supposed to do what he says. And so should you.

I try.

Try harder.

All right. But will you come into the ditch? Sometimes, I can smell something. Maybe it’s a squirrel, or maybe a raccoon.

Or a skunk.

What’s a skunk?

Something you don’t want to meet up with. Mister said.

All right, I won’t.

Or maybe a porcupine.

What’s that?

Something else you never want to meet. Don’t worry, Sadie. Maybe it’s a fox. I’d recognize that smell.

If it’s a fox smell in the ditch, you can tell me and then I’ll know it, too.

When the truck stopped at the farm stand, Mister didn’t come around to let them jump out. He told them, “Angus, Stay! Sadie, Stay!” then said to Missus, “Let’s get to work. You load up the rear while I check out the building.”

Angus pointed this out to Sadie. See what I mean about Mister deciding? Everybody does what Mister tells them to.

I want to go to the ditch, Sadie said.

Mister said Stay! You have to.

They waited, standing with their front paws on

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