One Dog and Two Boys by Dorothy Duchemin

On a hot summer day, Lee and his friend Andy went to the river. When they came to the place where they usually bathed and swam, they put down their bicycles and began to undress. Their dog Soc, large and beautiful, jumped at them and ran around. He wanted to play with the children. Usually, the boys laughed, ran, and played with Soc, but that day they neither laughed nor spoke. They sat very still.

Andy said, “Lee, let’s not talk about Soc now. We shall swim and bathe first and then talk. I am sure we shall think better when we are cool.”

“Of course,” answered Lee, running his fingers through Soc's long, thick hair. “And Soc will swim in the river with us; he is very hot.”

For an hour, the three of them bathed, swam, and played in the river. Then, cool, happy, and hungry, they got out of the river and began to run about. Soon they took out the nice things they had for dinner.

“Let’s have our dinner, and over it we shall put our heads together and see what we can do about Soc,” said Lee. They had some bread and meat, some cold milk, a few apples, and cakes. Soc also got a nice piece of meat and some bread. When the dinner was over, Andy said:

“Well, Lee, now we shall talk about Soc. In a week, your family will go to the South to live.”

“That’s right,” answered Lee. “And I shall tell you straight out, Andy, I can’t go to the South without Soc. I know he is half my dog and half your dog too, but—well,” he stopped, “well—I like Soc more than you do.”

“You do not! And I shall tell you something, Lee. I just can’t let him go to the South to live.”

Lee pointed to his new, beautiful bicycle that Andy liked so much.

“I shall give you my new bicycle if you give me Soc,” said he.

“No,” Andy answered quickly. “I want Soc.”

“And I want Soc too! Oh, I don’t know a dog as beautiful as he. He is even better than Lessie, Mike’s dog, isn’t he?”

Soc, cool, happy, and greatly pleased with the swim, came up to Lee and touched him with his nose. “You see, he loves me better than you, Andy.”

“No, he doesn’t. It isn’t so and you know it. You are just saying it to make me angry.”

For a moment, he sat still and thought. Then he said, “I shall give you everything that I have for Soc, Lee. I shall give you my toy TV set made by my grandfather. It is so beautiful that a man wanted to put it in a museum. I shall also give you my new knife.”

“Oh, no, Andy, you know I shall not change Soc just for things. Neither for things nor for money. And let’s not talk about it any more.”

“Well, one more question before we end this conversation. Do you know that it is very hot where you will live?”

“And what does that matter?” asked Lee.

“You don’t think of others, Lee,” said Andy.

“You do not think of Soc. You know that hot weather is bad for him, don’t you? He can even die there. If you take Soc with you, time will show that I was right.” With these words, he stood up and picked up his bicycle.

Without another word, the boys went home on their bicycles. We must say that Soc really was half Lee’s and half Andy’s. Three years ago, Andy’s and Lee’s parents paid a lot of money for Soc and gave the dog as a present to the boys when they went up to the third class with good marks. Soc stayed half of the time with Lee and half with Andy. Every day, the boys brushed his silk hair with a hairbrush. Sometimes, when it was very hot in summer, they gave him a cold bath or a shower. Soc always looked clean and nice.

During the summer holidays, Soc always went with Andy and Lee’s class to the woods. He slept with the children in a tent and sat with them at the campfire during the long evenings when the children sang songs or danced. In autumn, Soc always took part in dog shows. There was no dog as beautiful as Soc. He was always the first to reach the finish when the dogs ran. Last year, Soc got a big medal at the show. The boys decorated Soc with the medal and paraded him along the square before all the people. What a great day it was for Soc and the boys!

The boys always celebrated Soc’s birthday. On his last birthday, they gave him a new collar and a nice piece of meat as a present to remember the day. They put the new collar around Soc’s neck and hung his medal on it. Together, they marched along the streets, greatly pleased with themselves. It was a wonderful day.

But let’s go on with our story. That night, Soc stayed with Lee. They slept on the balcony, but it was too hot even there. Soc slept badly. He often jumped up, walked around the balcony in the orchard, and slept very little. The next day, Soc did not touch the nice things Lee put on his dish. He had no appetite.

“I am afraid that Soc is ill,” said Lee.

Lee’s father answered that it was because of the hot weather. Soc was from the North and this hot weather was too much for him. Lee did not know how to help Soc. The boy neither worked nor played. He did not sweep the floor as he usually did. He did not lay the table either. One minute he turned the radio on, and the next turned it off. He watched Soc all the time. Lee wanted him to be well and happy again.

Soc woke Lee up in the middle of the night and asked the boy to let him out. Lee let him out and did not sleep himself because he wanted to see Soc come back. But time passed, and Soc did not come back. So Lee went out to see where Soc was. He called Soc as he rode his bicycle along the streets, but there was no Soc. “Strange,” Lee said to himself. “Where can Soc be? I think he must be at Andy’s place.” And he made his way to Andy’s house. There wasn’t much traffic at that time of the night, and Lee went very quickly. Near Andy’s house, Lee put down the bicycle and hurried to the balcony where Andy usually slept. But Soc wasn’t there either.

Lee did not like it. He did not know what to think. He was afraid. He slowly went along the street. On his way home, he suddenly thought, “The river! Soc must be near the river!” And he hurried to the river. Standing near the river, he cried, “Soc! Soc!”

Down the river, he saw something dark in the water. It was Soc. When Soc jumped out of the river and began to run about, Lee saw that he was well and happy again. How nicely cool it was near the river on the hot summer night! And how right Soc was to come here. Lee sat for a long time near the river and thought. Then he put his arms around Soc’s neck and said, “Oh, my dear Soc, I begin to see now that Andy was right. There’s no river where we are going to live in the South. It will be very hot there. And you are from the North, Soc, you love the cool river so much. And there will be no river there. I did not think of that.”

The next morning, Lee telephoned Andy, “I am leaving Soc with you, Andy, here by the river.”

“Oh, Lee—not really? Why—why?”

“It’s better for Soc,” said Lee.

“How good of you! I give you my word I’ll look after him well,” answered Andy.

“All right, and remember, Andy, your mother has asked me to come to you for the holidays next summer. And my Mum says I can!”

“That’s fine, Lee!” cried Andy on the telephone.

“I say, Andy, let’s take Soc and go to the river now. Mum has given us a wonderful apple cake. And you must see the big piece of meat I have got for Soc.”