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    Tight Times Text

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    Mam Gellen Marie
    The story describes a young girl who wants a dog but her parents can't afford one due to "tight times" financially. Her father loses his job, adding more stress. The girl finds a skinny cat in the trash can and is allowed to keep it. Though upset about the job loss, the parents are relieved that the cat distraction means they won't have to get a dog. The girl names the cat "Dog."

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    Tight Times Text

    Uploaded by

    Mam Gellen Marie
    52 views3 pages
    The story describes a young girl who wants a dog but her parents can't afford one due to "tight times" financially. Her father loses his job, adding more stress. The girl finds a skinny cat in the trash can and is allowed to keep it. Though upset about the job loss, the parents are relieved that the cat distraction means they won't have to get a dog. The girl names the cat "Dog."

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    The story describes a young girl who wants a dog but her parents can't afford one due to "tight times" financially. Her father loses his job, adding more stress. The girl finds a skinny cat in the trash can and is allowed to keep it. Though upset about the job loss, the parents are relieved that the cat distraction means they won't have to get a dog. The girl names the cat "Dog."

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    52 views3 pages

    Tight Times Text

    Uploaded by

    Mam Gellen Marie
    The story describes a young girl who wants a dog but her parents can't afford one due to "tight times" financially. Her father loses his job, adding more stress. The girl finds a skinny cat in the trash can and is allowed to keep it. Though upset about the job loss, the parents are relieved that the cat distraction means they won't have to get a dog. The girl names the cat "Dog."

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    Tight Times

    By Barbara Shook Hazen


     
     
    This morning I asked mom, “Why can’t I have a dog?”
    “Not now,” she said. Not again. And not to bother her
    while she’s busy.

    “Because of tight times,” said Daddy. He said I was too


    little to understand.
    “I’m not too little,” I said.
    Daddy said he’d give me a shoulder ride.
    And tell me all about it at breakfast.

    He said tight times are when everything keeps going up.


    I had a balloon that did that once. Daddy said tight times
    are why we all eat Mr. Bulk instead of cereal in little
    boxes. I like little boxes better.
    Daddy said tight times are why we went to the sprinkler
    last summer instead of the lake.
    I like the lake better.

    Daddy said tight times are why we don’t have a roast


    beef on Sunday. Instead we have little soupy things with
    lima beans. If I had a dog, I’d make him eat mine.

    Daddy said tight times are why Mrs. McIntosh picks me


    up after school instead of Mommy, because of
    Mommy’s job.
    Mommy was more fun.
    Mrs. McInstosh isn’t good at games and she never
    wants  to watch what I want on TV. I’d trade her for a
    dog any day.

    This afternoon something funny happened. Daddy came


    home in the middle of the day. I was making up a new
    game and Mrs. McIntosh was watching her program.
    Daddy looked mad. He said something to Mrs. McIntosh
    and she left.

    Then Daddy fixed us both special drinks. He said he


    wasn’t mad at me. He said he was mad because he’d
    lost something. I said look behind the radiator because
    that’s where I found my lost puzzle piece. Daddy said it
    wasn’t that simple.

    What he’d lost was his job.

    Then Mommy came home. She gave me a candy bar


    and said she wanted to talk to Daddy. She said I could
    go outside and sit on the front steps. But not to go near
    the street, no matter what. Mrs. McIntosh never let me
    do that!

    I was just sitting on the steps when I heard something. It


    sounded like it was coming from the trashcan. It
    sounded like someone crying. It kept crying. So I
    walked over and looked under the lid.

    There was something in there. It was a cat. I don’t know


    how it got in but a nice lady helped me get it out. I never
    saw such a skinny little cat!
    I gave it some of my candy bar, but it wouldn’t eat. The
    nice lady said to give it a saucer of milk. I asked the lady
    if it was her cat. She said no. She said I
    could keep it if I wanted. Wow, what a
    nice lady! I ran all the way upstairs.

    I tiptoed into the kitchen. I tried to be


    quiet. But the milk was up too high. It
    tipped and made a terrible mess.
    Mommy and Daddy ran out of their room. Daddy looked
    funny. He looked at the cat. Then he looked at me.
    “What’s that?” he asked.

    “It’s a cat,” I told him. “A nice lady said I could keep it.
    And I didn’t go near the street.”

    Then something sort of scary happened. Daddy started


    to cry. So did Mommy. I didn’t know daddies cried. I
    didn’t know what to do. Then they both made a
    sandwich hug with me in the middle. So I started to cry.

    Then Daddy said, “Okay, okay, you can keep it. Only
    one thing – I never want to hear another word about you
    wanting a dog, ever!”

    “Okay,” I said.

    After dinner Daddy asked me what I was going to call


    my cat. “Dog,” I said, “because I always wanted one,
    even if I don’t anymore.

    Dog’s a great cat. She’s good at games and she likes to


    tickle me with her chin whiskers. I sure hope Dog likes
    lima beans!

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