Renni the Rescuer Read Free

the letter.
    When he found he could not get back into the garden because the gate was closed, he would sit whimpering pitifully. George would let him in. “Renni,” he would say sadly, reproachfully, “Renni, you know you must not go out on the street alone. You’re not allowed to do that. You’ll turn out a good-for-nothing vagabond. You might get stolen. You might get run over. There’s nothing out there that concerns you at all. Do you hear? Nothing at all!”
    Crouching down or lying on his back, his paws in the air, Renni would listen piously to this sermon, apparently filled with remorse.
    Still Renni had a notion that there was a good dealoutside which did concern him, and so he had an adventure that came within a hair’s breadth of costing him his life. Once more he ran out on the street, loitered around on the pavement, chased after a dog and found himself across the way where the fields spread out. He was so tantalized by the smells of mice and moles that he went rummaging about here and there.
    George, who had been trying to keep an eye on him in vain, at last caught sight of him. “Renni,” he cried, “Renni, come here this minute!”
    But Renni did not come. No matter how loud George called, Renni seemed to have forgotten his name completely, forgotten that George had anything to do with him, But at last something of the sort must have entered his head, and he started back.
    George was happy when he saw this and cried out, “Good boy! That’s a fine dog!” though the puppy did not deserve such praise at all. But then a strange spell came over Renni. He lay down right in the middle of the highway. He lay there deaf to all shouts.
    Nobody could ever determine whether some suddenpain caused him to stretch out that way, or whether he grew tired, or whether he lay down to think over the riddle of the universe.
    Whichever it was, he did not get a chance to carry out his purpose. He did not have time to make up his mind about anything. A truck came roaring along straight at Renni. Choking with fear and anguish, all George could do was utter a dull moan. It was too late to get Renni, too late now to call him again.
    Renni did not move. He acted as though the thunder of the heavy truck meant no more to him than the buzzing of a fly.
    George tried hard to signal the driver of the threatening monster, but the driver seemed as much a monster as the truck. George’s wild and anguished warning had not the slightest effect on him. George grew rigid, felt helpless. It came to him now that the driver could not possibly stop the truck before it reached Renni even if he wanted to.
    Renni was gone, gone beyond hope of saving. All that would be left of the young life, all that would beleft of George’s hopes would be a bloody little mass, crushed and tattered. That and a great sorrow. Nothing more.
    Through George’s mind there whirled in a wild confusion, self-reproach because he had not taken better care of Renni, visions of the next few terrible seconds, foretastes of the sadness which the next few weeks would bring. He came near collapsing.
    By this time the truck had roared over Renni, and on past, leaving behind a cloud of dust and bluish smoke.
    Renni lay flat on the ground, not moving a limb. He was alive! He had not the slightest wound! He was only paralyzed by fright. That was why he dared not make a move. He had lain between the crushing wheels while sudden darkness, crashing and roaring, broke over him, passed in the twinkle of an eye and then vanished, leaving the bright friendly sunshine again.
    When George rushed to him and found him safe and sound, picked him up and felt him all over, he could not believe that Renni had escaped whole from certain death, that nothing at all had happened to him.Like a man possessed he pressed the puppy close, hugging the chubby warm body to him, stammering words of endearment mingled with threats and warnings. At last