Philip and the Angel (9781452416144) Read Free Page A

dog’s mouth that
Philip checked his fingers to make sure he still had
five.
    “ I have more,” Philip told the dog. He
rolled up a slice of turkey and broke it in two. The dog ate one
piece, then the other. Philip put a bunch of rolled-up turkey and
ham on the grass. As the dog inspected each one before slurping it
up, Philip got his noose and rope ready. After the dog ate the
third from last piece of ham, it looked up at Philip, and Philip
slipped the noose over the dog’s head.
    “ Arolwll!” the dog whelped.
    “ Whoa!” screamed Philip.
    The dog began running around the backyard
trying to get the rope off its head. Philip held on, tripped, and
slid across the grass on his knees, then his stomach, then his
back.
    “ Wait, wait. Here’s more meat,” Philip
yelled at the dog. The dog stopped and shook its head, but the
noose stayed in place. Philip got up. The dog took off again and
jumped over a short fence. Philip went with him and leaped
desperately but caught his knee on the top of the fence and his
pants ripped.
    “ Wait a minute, you dumb dog. Hold
it!”
    The dog ran through Mrs. Beebe’s newly
watered garden. Philip slipped on the grass and went down among the
daffodils. He could feel the wet dirt moosh through his jeans. The
dog gave a strong yank, and Philip’s right ear splashed into the
mud.
    Philip struggled to his feet. One of his
sneakers had come off and his white sock had already turned brown
with mud and started to slide off his foot.
    The dog started running again, but running
away from Philip’s house, back through Mrs. Beebe’s yard. Philip
gave a fed-up yank on his rope. The dog went, “Rolwp!” and
stopped.
    “ Come this way, dumb dog.” Philip
pulled the dog toward the opening between Mrs. Beebe’s house and
the garage next to it. The dog saw the direction Philip suggested
and ran through the space. Philip felt another strong yank on his
rope, and off he went behind the speeding dog. A nail stuck out of
the garage and Philip’s shirt went rrriiipppp. He purposely slid to the ground and
tried to pull the dog to a stop, but he was already on the cement
leading up to the garage.
    “ Owww!” Philip barked as he slid along
on his knees.
    “ Rorrff,” the dog barked
back.
    Philip got up and stared at the dog, which
now sat quietly in the driveway looking back at him.
    “ Will you calm down?” Philip growled at
him.
    “ Grrrrrr,” the dog replied and started
running. Philip ran, too.
    “ Wait, wait, wait. This is where I
live,” Philip called as the dog tore past his house and down the
street. Philip managed to stop the dog and turn it around, but the
dog kept on running.
    “ No, no, no, here,” cried Philip as he
and the dog charged past his house a second time. Philip again
turned the heavily panting dog, and finally convinced it to try the
path leading to his front door. Halfway there the dog sat down and
panted some more.
    Philip panted, too. “You think you’re tired! Come on. We’re almost
there.” Philip pulled one way and the dog pulled the other, but
little by little Philip forced the stubborn dog to his front door.
He opened the door and dragged the dog inside.
    “ Philip!” His mother stood ten feet
away from him, her mouth wide open.
    Philip could feel the wet mud on the right
side of his face. He looked down. His sock hung halfway off his
foot like a long, muddy tongue. Both knees of his jeans were torn
open, and he knew his knees were scraped and bloody. Grass stains
spotted his jeans, and his ripped shirt hung off his right
shoulder.
    “ Mom,” Philip huffed and puffed, “this
cute little dog . . . just followed me home.” Philip took three
deep breaths. “Can I keep him?”
     
     

Chapter Five
     
    “ Look how cute he is, Mom. I’ll call
him Shep.”
    “ Philip, don’t take the rope off . .
No, don’t!”
    The dog lurched free, barked, and flew
straight up the stairs to the second floor.
    “ Philip, don’t let that dog run around
the