Free News For Dogs by Lois Duncan

you
promised
!” Bruce cried. “You told me that when Red was legally mine I’d be able to take him running. Mom, you were there when he said it. You remember that, don’t you?”
    “You did tell him that,” Mrs. Walker said to her husband. But she, too, looked distressed, as if she wished the promise hadn’t been made.
    “I acknowledge that promise,” said Mr. Walker. “I meant it when I made it. But I never expected Bruce to buy the dog so quickly. I thought, by the time he managed to save up that much money, he’d have gone through a growth spurt. Red is a lot of dog for a boy his size to handle, especially if he decides to dash into the street again.”
    “He won’t do that unless Jerry rams him,” Bruce said. “And Jerry’s not going to do that — not with his cousin, Connor, keeping a watch on him.”
    “Well, I’d like to be here to keep a watch on things, too,” said Mr. Walker. “There’s a problem I didn’t anticipate when I made that promise. Your mother and I are going to be gone for three weeks. We’re going to Europe to celebrate our fifteenth anniversary. We’ve been postponing telling you and Andi, because we knew that you wouldn’t be happy about staying with Aunt Alice.”
    “We won’t mind that at all,” Bruce said. “I know you’ll love Europe. Andi and I will be happy to stay with Aunt Alice.”
    If his parents had appeared startled when he’d told them he’d paid for Red Rover, that was nothing compared to the surprise on their faces now.
    “Do you really mean that?” his mother askedincredulously. “I’ve been so concerned! I’ve always dreamed of visiting Europe, and when your father surprised me with the tickets, I was so excited and happy I almost fainted. But I hated the thought of you children back here, miserable, and I’m worried about being out of reach in an emergency.”
    “There won’t be an emergency,” Bruce assured her. “And, if there is, Aunt Alice will know how to handle it. After all, she used to be a detective.”
    “That was a long time ago,” his father said. “Aunt Alice is old now, and elderly people don’t cope well with stressful situations. Your mother and I feel confident that Alice can deal with the ups and downs of everyday life, but we don’t want her faced with a calamity. I want you to get a book about how to train dogs and teach Red to obey your commands. And I’m asking you to postpone taking him out of the yard until we’re back from our trip. Then, if something goes wrong, we’ll be here to help deal with it. Does that sound like a reasonable compromise?”
    Bruce had to struggle to keep from showing his disappointment. He felt sure he could manage Red Rover without any difficulty, but he didn’t want to ruin his parents’ vacation by having them worry about him the whole time they were gone.
    “Okay,” he said. “I promise to wait till you get back.”
    The following evening he walked down to the Gordons’ to collect the bill of sale. Mr. Gordon had it ready and complimented him again on his business initiative.
    “It’s wonderful to see young people so motivated,” he said.
    When Bruce left to go home, he found Connor in the Gordons’ driveway, preparing to wax his car.
    “Hi, dude, what’s up?” Connor asked in his friendly manner. “Word has it you’ve got yourself a dog.”
    “Sure do!” Bruce said. “Now I’m going to start saving for a car. But I’ll never be able to afford a set of wheels like yours. Someday, when you’re not busy, would you take me for a ride?”
    “I’d be glad to,” Connor said, “but there isn’t much time when I’m not busy, what with so much volunteer work and the job selling magazines.”
    “But I thought …” Bruce let the sentence trail off. Every time he talked to the Gordons he got more and more confused. It was as if their family never communicated and no one had any idea what the others were doing.
    “What’s with this
Dogs’ Home Journal
?” he