Lady and the Tramp Read

    
           One December evening in 1910, a businessman named Jim hurried home through the snow. He was very excited about the Christmas present he’d just picked out for his wife.

When Jim arrived, he presented the gift. “It’s for you, Darling.”

“Oh, Jim, dear,” said his wife. Before she could open the box, the lid came off all by itself, revealing an adorable cocker spaniel.

The puppy looked up at the happy couple. “You like her, darling?” Jim asked.



“What a perfectly beautiful little lady,” his wife replied.

So the puppy came to know her new family as Jim Dear and Darling. And they decided to name her Lady.

By summer, Lady enjoyed going for afternoon walks with Darling. But one day, no matter how much Lady begged, her owner would not go outside. Lady soon learned that Darling was expecting a baby.

In the yard, Lady told her good friends Jock, a Scottish terrier, and Trusty, a bloodhound, the news.

At that moment, a scruffy dog named Tramp wandered down the street. Tramp had no home and did not know what it was like to belong to a loving family. He’d overheard what Lady had said to others. “When a baby moves in, the dog moves out,” he told her.

Jock growled. Tramp moved on, but Lady thought about what he’d said.



Soon the baby arrived, and Lady had one more wonderful person to care for and love. She decided that Tramp had been wrong.



Several weeks later, Lady noticed that Jim Dear and Darling had packed their bags. “Don’t worry, old girl,” Jim told Lady. “We’ll be back in a few days.”

“And Aunt Sarah will be here,” Darling added.

“With you here to help her—” Jim began.

Just then, the doorbell rang. It was Aunt Sarah, and she’d brought her cats, Si and Am. After Jim Dear and Darling left, the cats began to act up. They attacked the canary and the goldfish, and ruined Darling’s pretty living room. Lady tried to stop them, but Si and Am made it look like she had attacked them and made the mess.



Aunt Sarah was very angry with Lady. She took her to the pet store and told the clerk, “I want a muzzle. A good, strong muzzle.”

Aunt Sarah held Lady down, while the clerk fastened a muzzle around her head. But it was more than Lady could bear. After all, she hadn’t done anything wrong. So she yanked her leash from Aunt Sarah’s hands and ran away as fast as she could.



When Lady stopped to catch her breath, she realized she was in a strange part of town. A pack of mean dogs surrounded her.

Just then, Tramp appeared. He saw that Lady was in danger. He bravely fought the stray dogs, finally chasing them away.

“Ya poor kid!” said Tramp. He took Lady to the zoo, where a friendly beaver chewed through the muzzle strap.



That night, Tramp took Lady to one of his favorite spots— Tony’s Restaurant. “The very place for a very special occasion,” said Tramp.



Tony, the owner, served the meal. “The best spaghetti in town,” he said. By candlelight, the two dogs shared the delicious pasta. Tony sang to them while they ate. Lady and Tramp did not even notice that they were eating the same long piece of spaghetti until they reached the middle and their lips met in a kiss!



Later, Lady and Tramp fell asleep in the park. The next morning, they woke up when a rooster crowed. “I should have been home hours ago,” Lady said.

Tramp did not believe in having to do anything or having to be anywhere. He did not understand why Lady would want to leave.

“Open your eyes to what a dog’s life can really be!” Tramp told Lady. “Ever chase chickens?” he asked as he rushed into a yard filled with the squawking birds.



“We shouldn’t!” Lady cried. She started to follow Tramp, but a net suddenly surrounded her. A dogcatcher put her in a truck and drove her to the pound.

The dogs at the pound began to tease Lady. She was afraid and very upset.

Peg, a fluffy Pekingese, came to her rescue. “Can’t you see the poor kid’s scared enough?” she asked.

Lady was relieved when Aunt Sarah arrived.



Aunt Sarah brought Lady home and chained her to the doghouse in the backyard.

Soon, Tramp came to apologize. “I thought you were right behind me. Honest!” he said. But Lady was too upset to listen. She was embarrassed that she had been locked up, and she blamed him.

As Tramp left, Lady saw a rat scurry up a vine to the baby’s room. Lady chased after it, but she was stopped by her chain. She barked as loudly as she could. Aunt Sarah stuck her head out the window. “Stop that racket!” she yelled.

Tramp came running. “What’s wrong?” he asked.