Here and Now Story Book Part 11

"Hu-u-u, hu-u-u, hu-u-u!" And any one would have loved Pedro.

One day Pedro was lying on his front steps in the warm, warm sun. He put his nose on his little fore paws and went to sleep.

"Bzbzbzbzbzbzbzbzbz!" went a little fly in his ear.

"Yap, yap!" went Pedro's jaws as he snapped at the fly. But he missed the fly.

"Bzbzbzbzbzbzbzbzbz!" went the little fly.

"Yap, yap!" went Pedro's jaws. But he missed the fly again.

"Bzbzbzbzbzbzbzbzbz!"

"Yap, yap, yap!"

"Bzbzbzbzbzbzbzbzbz!"

"Yap, yap, yap, yap!"

Up jumped Pedro. "I can't sleep with that fly in my ear! I'll take a walk!" Down the steps he went. Skippety, skippety, skippety, skippety.

He reached the sidewalk. On the sidewalk went his feet. You could hear them as they beat. Pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter patter down the street.

When he came to the end of the block, he started across the street.

Pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter pat----

"Honk, honk! Look out, look out! Honk, honk!"

Jump-thump! went Pedro's feet. Jump-jump jump-jump, jump-jump, thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump, jump-jump, jump-jump, jump-jump, pitter patter, pitter patter,--he'd reached the other side! And the auto hadn't hurt him!

Again on the sidewalk went his feet. You could hear them as they beat pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter patter down the street.

When he came to the end of this block, he started across the next street.

Pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter pat----

"Clopperty, clopperty, clopperty, clopperty! Get out of my way, get out of my way! Clopperty, clopperty, clopperty, clopperty!"

Jump-thump! went Pedro's feet. Jump-jump jump-jump, jump-jump, thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump, jump-jump, jump-jump, jump-jump, pitter patter, pitter patter,--he'd reached the other side! And the horse hadn't hurt him either!

Again on the sidewalk went his feet. You could hear them as they beat,--pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter patter down the street.

When he came to the end of this block, he started across the next street.

Pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter pat---- Pedro stopped with one little front foot up in the air. In the middle of the street stood a man. He had on high rubber boots and he held a big hose.

Shrzshrzshrzshrzshrz--came the water out of the hose. It hit the street.

Splsh splsh splsh splsh spls.h.!.+ It ran in a little stream into the hole in the gutter,--gubble, gubble, gubble, gubble, gubble! This was something new to Pedro. He didn't understand.

Pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter patter. He thought he'd better find out about it.

"Hie, you little dog! Look out!" shouted the man.

Pitter patter, pitter patter, pitter patter.

"Hie, you little dog. I say look out!"

Pitter patter, pitter pat--ssssssssss bang! the water hit him!

"Ki-eye! yow! yow!" Kathump, kathump, kathump, kathump; kathump, kathump, kathump, kathump! Fast, fast went Pedro's feet, running, tearing down the street.

"Ki-eye! I'm going home!" Kathump, kathump, kathump, kathump! Down the sidewalk, 'cross the street, 'nother sidewalk, 'nother street, kathump, kathump, kathump, kathump! Pedro was at home. Skippety, skippety up the stairs. Pedro was at his own front door.

He stopped. Brrrrrrrrrrrrr--he shook himself. He scattered the water all around.

"Bow, wow, I'm glad I'm home! Bow, wow, I'm glad I'm home!"

Then he lay down in the warm, warm sun. And he put his nose on his little fore paws. And he closed his eyes and he went to sleep.

"Bzbzbzbzbzbzbzbzbz!"

But Pedro was too sound asleep to hear the fly.

"Whe-whuhuhu, whe-whuhuhu, whe-whuhuhu." That's the way he was breathing. For he was oh, so sound asleep! And there he is sleeping now.

HOW THE ENGINE LEARNED THE KNOWING SONG

This story stresses the relations.h.i.+p of use in response to what seems to be a five-year-old method of thinking.

The school has found it best to let the younger children take the parts individually but to omit the parts in unison. The joy of the mere noise makes it difficult to bring them back for the close of the story. All the children have repeated the refrains after a few readings with evident enjoyment.

HOW THE ENGINE LEARNED THE KNOWING SONG

Once there was a new engine. He had a great big boiler; he had a smoke stack; he had a bell; he had a whistle; he had a sand-dome; he had a headlight; he had four big driving wheels; he had a cab. But he was very sad, was this engine, for he didn't know how to use any of his parts.

All around him on the tracks were other engines, puffing or whistling or ringing their bells and squirting steam. One big engine moved his wheels slowly, softly muttering to himself, "I'm going, I'm going, I'm going."

Now the new engine knew this was the end of the Knowing Song of Engines.

He wanted desperately to sing it. So he called out:

"I want to go But I don't know how; I want to know, Please teach me now.

Please somebody teach me how."