Don came to a street where there were many wagons, cars and automobiles. On the other side of the street he saw a butcher shop, with nice meat hanging in the window.
“Now,” thought Don, “if I could only get over there I might get a nice bone, or a scrap of clean meat. Guess I’ll try it.”
He watched his chance, for he was afraid of being run over, there were so many wagons and autos in the street. At last Don thought he saw an opening, and he darted forward.
But Don was not used to city ways. No sooner was he half way across the street than it seemed as if a dozen cars were rushing down on him. A policeman shouted at him, and blew a whistle.
“Get out of there, dog!” cried the policeman.
Don started to run back, but, as he did so two automobiles came past, with tooting horns, and he was afraid of them.
“Go on! Go on!” cried the policeman. So Don kept on across the street. He was almost at the other curb, when another auto came along so swiftly that one of the wheels hit Don, and knocked him down. But the man steering the automobile turned it out of the way just in time, and Don was saved. He scrambled to the sidewalk, his heart beating very fast.
“Well, well! That was a narrow escape you had!” said a voice in his ear, and, looking up, Don saw another dog. This dog was what we should call a “tramp” dog. But he spoke kindly to Don.
“You came near being run over,” said this dog, wagging his tail.
“What’s your name, and where do you live?” asked the tramp dog, wagging his tail some more, to show that he was friendly.
“My name is Don,” said Bob’s pet, “and I did live on a farm. But I ran away, to have some adventures, and――”
“Well, if you’ll take my advice you’ll run back to that farm as fast as you can,” said the tramp dog. “I lived on one once, and it is much nicer, for dogs, than the city. You’d better go back.”
“I would, if I could, but I can’t find my way,” sorrowfully said Don, and he told of having been locked in a freight car.
[Illustration: “Get out of there, dog!” cried the policeman.]
“My! You certainly have had some adventures,” said the city dog, who had mentioned that his name was Jack. “Have you had anything to eat?”
“Yes, I found a piece of meat in a can,” answered Don. “But it was not very good. It was covered with ashes, and――”