The Story of a Woolly Dog

The Story of a Woolly Dog by Laura Lee Hope

A Woolly Dog, the finest and most expensive toy in poor Mrs. Clark's struggling little shop, dreams of being sold so his owner can pay her overdue rent. Business is slow after the holidays, and Mrs. Clark despairs of raising the money, hoping her sailor son Jimmie will return with gold from his travels. At night, when no human eyes are watching, the toys in the shop come alive and talk among themselves. The Woolly Dog befriends the cheap Rubber Clown, Jumping Jacks, and Calico-Dressed Dolls, giving the Clown a memorable bouncing ride on his soft back during their nighttime play. The Dog's fortune turns when Mr. Theodore Blakeley, a wealthy businessman whose car has a flat tire, happens to walk down the shop's street and spots the Dog in the window. He buys it without haggling over the three-dollar price, intending it as a birthday gift for his nephew Donald. The sale finally gives Mrs. Clark the money she needs for her rent, and she is relieved of her worries. Blakeley delivers the toy to Donald, who is thrilled, but the boy's mischievous little sister Jane immediately snatches the Dog and runs off to hide with it, sparking a chase through the house. Hidden under a couch, Jane later takes a pair of scissors and cuts the Dog open, curious to find his "bark," pulling out some of his cotton stuffing. Donald is heartbroken when he discovers the damaged toy, but his mother, Mrs. Cressey, reassures him she can mend it. She stitches the Dog back together, though he retains a mysterious "ticklish" feeling inside from then on. That night, the Dog meets a china Chinese Man figure who serves as a needle case and hears stories about the household, including Jane's past mischief with other toys. Soon afterward, Mrs. Cressey discovers her cherished diamond engagement ring is missing, and despite searching everywhere, it cannot be found, casting a shadow of sadness over the family. Meanwhile, the Woolly Dog settles into life with Donald and Jane, meeting neighborhood children and their toys, and enjoying nighttime adventures with fellow playthings, including a thrilling ride on a Rocking Horse and a meeting with a China Cat trapped in a hall closet. The Dog then endures a series of misadventures: he is stolen by two bad boys who, fearing a policeman, toss him over a fence into a farmer's beehive, where the Queen Bee mercifully spares him from being stung. A kindly farmer's wife, recognizing the toy as Donald's, returns him via her egg-delivery basket. Later, the Dog falls into a puddle while sailing on a raft, is nearly dognapped by a real dog, and eventually gets lost in a snowbank after tumbling off Donald's sled during winter coasting. Though the family searches, they cannot find him, and Donald goes to bed heartbroken. A boy named Frank discovers the Dog in the snow, mistaking him at first for a rabbit, and brings him home, where he sits neglected on a mantel for over a week, briefly threatened by a hungry rat who quickly loses interest upon realizing the toy is only stuffed with cotton. Fate intervenes when Mrs. Cressey visits Frank's mother, Mrs. Ward, about laundry work and recognizes the Dog by the telltale stitching from his earlier repair. She reclaims him and rewards Frank with books for his honesty. To celebrate the Dog's return, Donald and Jane host a "toy party," inviting neighborhood children to bring their favorite playthings, including a Sawdust Doll, a Calico Clown, and a Candy Rabbit. During the festivities, the Woolly Dog is accidentally set alight by a birthday candle and badly singed. Mrs. Cressey smothers the flames and prepares to repair him again, cutting away the burned wool—only to discover, astonishingly, her long-lost diamond ring sewn inside the Dog's stuffing, lost there months earlier during the original mending after Jane's scissors incident. The family rejoices at the ring's recovery, Mrs. Cressey sews a fresh patch of lamb's wool onto the Dog, and the party resumes joyfully. That night, the toys note that the Woolly Dog seems different, and he realizes his long-standing "ticklish" sensation is gone—it had been caused by the hidden diamond ring pressing inside him all along. Content and finally free of his mysterious discomfort, the Woolly Dog reflects happily on his many adventures, from the humble toy shop to the Cressey household, hoping his story might one day be written into a work—which, of course, it has.

By Laura Lee Hope · First published 1923 · Genre: Children's Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure Fiction · 10 chapters · 25,238 words

First lines

"Well, he certainly is the finest toy in my little shop, but what good / does that do if I can't sell him? His wool is very soft, and he looks / so natural that I can almost hear him bark. But, oh dear! if I don't / sell him-or sell some of the toys soon-I can't pay my rent and I'll be / turned out! Oh, if my boy Jimmie would only come home from the sea with / the gold he said he'd bring to me!"

A sad-faced, poor, little, old lady moved slowly about a poor / little store on a side street. In the small show window were a few / notions-pins, needles and thread, and a few toys.

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The Story of a Woolly Dog is listed on Textopian as a novella by Laura Lee Hope, dated 1923 CE.

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children's literature · animals · dogs · pets · adventure · fiction · coming-of-age · friendship · family · loyalty · classic literature · heartwarming

Contents

More by Laura Lee Hope