Lucy on the Loose by Ilene Cooper

1
Who’s That Cat?
    Lucy was Bobby Quinn’s dog. She was a great dog!
    She was a beagle. She was white and brown with black spots. Her eyes were soft and dark, like chocolate candy.
    Lucy liked to jump. She liked to run. She loved to run! Lucy loved running up to people. She thought everyone was her friend.
    Bobby was shy. Meeting new people made his heart pound fast. His face got red. Even his ears got red.
    But Bobby wasn’t so shy when he was with Lucy. She helped Bobby makefriends. Shawn was a friend Bobby had made, thanks to Lucy.
    Shawn was a new boy in the neighborhood. He had just moved in that summer. At first, Bobby was afraid to go across the street and say hello. But Lucy wasn’t. And she pulled Bobby right along with her.
    Shawn was shy, too, just like Bobby. But Bobby and Shawn weren’t shy with each other. They played ball. They drew cartoons. And they spent lots of time chasing Lucy.
    Lucy loved to run in circles around Bobby’s big yard. The boys tried to catch her. Lucy tried to get away.
    Fast Lucy slipped between their legs.
    Slippery Lucy wiggled out of their grasp.
    Then she’d run around some more.
    Bobby and Shawn just laughed. It was hard to keep up with Lucy.
    One day, Shawn came over to Bobby’s house. Bobby was swinging in the hammock. Lucy was curled up at his feet. Summer was almost over, but it was still hot.
    “Hey, Bobby. Hey, Lucy,” Shawn said.
    “Hi, Shawn,” Bobby greeted his friend. Lucy gave a happy bark.
    “Want to go get some comic books?” Shawn asked.
    Bobby sat up. Lucy sat up, too.
    “Absolutely,” he said. Absolutely was Bobby’s favorite word.
    Bobby liked to draw. He used comic books to practice drawing his own super-heroes.
    Bobby ran inside. He asked his motherif he could go with Shawn to the Buy Lo store on Main Street.
    “I really, really need some new comics,” Bobby told his mother.
    Ms. Quinn laughed. “Oh, really? Then I guess you can go.
    “And can I take Lucy?” he asked.
    “All right,” Mrs. Quinn said. “But hold onto her. You know how Lucy likes to tug on her leash.”
    “Okay,” Bobby said. He thought his mother worried too much. He knew how to take care of Lucy.
    Mrs. Quinn gave Bobby some money for comics. Bobby raced back outside.
    Lucy was standing with her paws on the fence. She was barking short, hard barks.
    “What’s wrong?” Bobby asked Shawn.
    “A cat,” Shawn said.
    “What cat?”
    Shawn pointed. On the sidewalk was a big orange cat. A huge orange cat. The cat was licking his paws and swinging his long tail. The cat ignored Lucy. Lucy barked harder.
    “Calm down, Lucy,” Bobby said. “That cat’s not bothering you.” Bobby led Lucy away from the fence. He patted Lucy’s head as he snapped on her leash.
    Lucy’s warm tongue gave Bobby’s hand a lick.
    But her eyes were on that big orange cat.

2
Comic Books
    Bobby, Shawn, and Lucy walked past the big yellow house on the corner. It was where Mr. Davis lived.
    Mr. Davis was another friend Bobby had made with Lucy’s help.
    Bobby used to be scared of Mr. Davis. He thought that maybe Mr. Davis was a grumpy old man. But Mr. Davis was nice. He liked puttering around his garden.
    “Hi, boys,” he said. He clipped a rose from the rosebush. Lucy barked hello.
    “There’s my gal,” Mr. Davis said.
    “We’re going to get comic books,” Bobby told him.
    “Mind if I come?” Mr. Davis asked. “I could use the exercise.”
    Mr. Davis walked slowly, but Shawn and Bobby didn’t mind. Mr. Davis always had interesting stories to tell.
    Today he told the boys about growing up listening to radio shows. There was no television when he was a boy. Bobby and Shawn couldn’t imagine a time without television. Even Lucy liked to watch TV if there were dogs on.
    “Oh, there were great shows,” Mr. Davis said. “The Lone Ranger was my favorite. He was a cowboy. Wore a black mask over his eyes. And he rode a horse named Silver.”
    “The Lone Ranger,” Bobby said softly. He