PART THE LAST

            As I said, I was in charge of everything and had to check everything everyday a hundred times a day.  It was a lot of work but i didn't complain.  That's the way I am; a good dog.

            Then one day, the one called Bill said "Come one, Felipe, let's see if you want to take a walk.

            Well, I didn't know what a walk was but I'm always ready to try something new, so they brought a big heavy chain and put it around my neck and we went to the bottom of the stairs.  They opened the door.  I couldn't believe it.

            When we came to another house the one called Bill brought some keys from his pocket and opened the door.  And guess what?  There was Dottie!  I couldn't believe it!  My best friend in the whole word and this was her house.  I ran all over the place and looked everywhere, upstairs, downstairs and Dottie showed me where the water was and where to go to the bathroom and where not to go to the bathroom.  We were having a wonderful time.

            Well, I was enjoying my visit and lying on a nice little rug when I looked up and saw something walking slowly in the door.  It had four legs, all black and a tail sticking straight up.  I didn't know what it was but you know I'm a friendly kind of guy and always polite so I thought I'd go say hello.  So I jumped up and ran over and started to give it a big greeting.

            That was the most horrible moment of my life.  Suddenly, the thing blew up to be ten times its size and a thousand sharp knives appeared from its paws and huge teeth came out of its mouth and a terrible scream and it attacked my poor little adorable nose and I felt the worst pain in my life, I tell you.  I screamed and turned and ran for my life and hid under the table.  My poor little nose was hamburger.

            "Be careful of the cat, Felipe," said the one called Bill.

            I couldn't believe he would say that.  Now, I didn't know what a cat was, never having had such a misfortune in my short life but I peeked up through my tears and saw the thing turn away with a slight smile on its lips and licking its paw and very slowly strolling away like it owned the place.  Dottie was just shaking her head.

            I couldn't understand why they let something like that come into the house.  Why didn't they call the police.  But I held my tongue and learned to give that cat a side berth, I tell you.

            Now all you little puppies listening to my story, if you ever see something like that cat come walking by, so slowly and innocent looking, you turn right around and go the other way, you hear me?  And you don't have anything to do with a cat ever in this life, I tell you.

***

            So, later, as we were leaving I told the one called Bill that he had a nice house, except way too many cats.

            "Well, there's only one little kitty, Felipe."

            "Way too many cats," I repeated.

            So, I would visit Dottie her house again a lot, of course, and she would come to visit me at the office, as I say, and she would be my best friend for years, all my life, really, and I always liked to go to her house and I would later go to live there.  But I gave that damn cat a wide berth, I tell you.

            Then one day learned that they make violins out of a certain part of the cat.  This was the best news I had heard in years.

            I immediately went to the one called Bill and told him about it and said that I thought we needed a new violin right away!

            "Felipe!  Don't even think such a thing!" he said

            "I will be the first to play 'Ode to Joy' on that instrument, Bill," I assured him.

            "Felipe!"

            Well, the cat's still around, of course,  but I keep humming a little Mozart and Charles Ives each day, hoping the one called Bill will change his mind about the violin.

This is getting to be a long story.

            But first a word about dog food.  Now you listen up you little puppies, all you hearing my story, because this is important.  The one called Bill always says to buy the best and you'll never be sorry and I can say that I eat the best dog food in the whole world, naturally, and certainly the most expensive as the one called Bill reminds me each day.  So remember to eat all you dry dog food every day,  drink lots of fresh water and always go to the bathroom where you're supposed to go to the bathroom.  And maybe you will grow up to be good dogs.  Like me.

            As I say, Dottie has always been such a good friend to me, the best really, well, in my whole life and I promised her that she could have the last word in my book and although I'm sort of kicking myself that I agreed to that, well, I want everyone to know I'm a dog of my word, of course, and besides, the one called Bill said, well, you promised Felipe, so you got to do it.  And so, all you little puppies out there, hearing my story and learning something from my life, you just remember that Felipe will always steer you right and you just remember what I say, and learn from me and you will all grow up to be good dogs.  Like me.  And so I'll just say, Dottie, come on, it's all yours.

            Dottie:  "Don't believe a word that yellow dog says."

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THE END