A Humdrum Day in the Life of Walter
By
DebbieB
“Oh hum…this certainly is the life,” mused Walter as he scratched the fleas that nibbled his flesh, deep beneath the coarse fur that covered his hide.
His life sure had made a turn around, since living with that big man, Hoss Cartwright. Walter scratched again. “Dang fleas,” he sighed.
“Hey Walter…wanna play fetch?” Hoss inquired as he
entered
the great room from the kitchen with a large stick in his hand.
Walter’s yellow eyes opened slightly and he looked up at the man everyone called Hoss.
“What do you think? Of course not…I’m napping,” Walter thought, wishing he could put words to his thoughts.
From lowered lashes, he watched Hoss go to the front door and open it wide.
“Come on Walter…let’s go…”
“No!” sighed the mutt.
“Aw…shucks, Walter, it’s a right purty day…and ya need some exercise.”
“Me?” the dog raised his head slightly and
glared at
Hoss. “Just what are you saying? Are you hinting that I’m fat, or lazy?”
Walter made a hacking sound, which brought Hoss quickly to his side.
“Say Walter, ya alright?” Hoss said as he sat on the square table opposite his furry companion.
“Do I look alright?” Walter’s mouth opened wide and he gagged. “Yuk!”
“Ya sure do look like ya need some sun, come on Walter, let’s…”
Hoss had taken a hand full of fluff along the back of Walter’s neck and gently tugged until the dog slipped down from Ben’s favorite chair.
“Alright, alright,” Walter said in a huff. “I’ll go outside with ya, ya big galoot,
but don’t expect me to chase ya stupid stick!”
“That’s a good boy, Walter,” Hoss said closing the front door.
Once out on the porch, Walter stopped to scratch, using his hind leg to dig at the obnoxious fleas that feasted on his belly.
“Here ya go, Walter,” smiled Hoss as he tossed the stick and waited for Walter to bound across the yard and fetch it back to him.
Walter sat down on his hindquarters and watched the stick sail through the air, almost to the barn.
“Go get it, boy!” encouraged Hoss.
“You’ve got to be kidding, in this heat?”
Hoss waited but Walter stood his ground.
“Aw…ya just too dadburn dumb to know how to play fetch,” growled Hoss.
“Go on, Walter, fetch the stick!”
“You threw it, you go get it, if you want it so
badly!”
“Maybe he’d rather play ball,” Little Joe said.
He had come out onto the porch just as Hoss had tossed the stick and watched with amusement the dog’s reaction.
“Aw…shucks, Joe, Walter’s just so dadburn lazy, he wouldn’t chase after a bone if’n he were starvin’,” groaned Hoss.
“Oh yeah? Well
throw me a bone and I’ll show you a thing or two!”
“Try this,” Adam said as he handed a ball to Hoss.
Adam had joined them on the porch and reached down to scratch the top of Walter’s head.
“Oh…hmm…that feels good.
NO! Don’t stop, not now!”
“Alright Walter, pay attention now, boy. There ya go…fetch it…go on…go on…Walter, not that way…this way! Come on boy…follow me!” Hoss chided gently as he trotted across the yard after the ball.
“Why should I?
You’re going after it yourself…and you call me dumb?”
Walter had turned and started back into the house. Joe and Adam were giggling as they watched Hoss scurry across the yard and return to the house with the ball held firmly between his teeth.
“See, Walter…it ain’t hard to do…where’d he go?”
Hoss dropped the ball and looked around for the dog. Joe, standing close to Adam, nudged his older brother. Both turned to peek into the house. Walter had climbed back onto Ben’s chair and had lain down.
“Aw…dadburnit, Walter…just what kind of a dog are ya, anyways?” groaned Hoss.
“Smarter than most…at least I didn’t make a
fool out of
myself, chasing after a ball and having my own brothers laughing at
me…you could
take a few lessons on animal behavior, big boy.
Now leave me be, its time for my nap.”
“I think Walter out smarted you, big brother,” giggled Little Joe.
“My sentiments exactly,” sighed Walter as
he snuggled
down into the Ben’s chair and closed his eyes.
“Oh…hum…this is the life! Eat,
sleep and watch dog’s best friend make a fool out of himself. Life
can’t get
much better’n this!”
The End