Chapter Ten

Tramp stumbled through the grim streets of their quaint, happy little town, murky puddle water splashing him and gravel stinging his sore paws. The mutt's fur was dank and dirty, mud making him look more brown than gray. If it weren't for the red collar and tag around his neck, no one could've guessed he was a house dog.

His whole body ached - his legs more than anything else - because Tramp had been running and running all of yesterday, all of last night, and all of that morning to find his runaway son before he left on a train.

And he had failed.

Tramp sighed miserably, making his way through the town and back to Snob Hill to return to the Darlings' home. He would have to admit to Lady that he hadn't arrived soon enough to stop their son from leaving.

The dog barely took notice of that bumbling dogcatcher driving towards him in his dinky vehicle, ready to throw him in the pound. While he knew that he wore a collar and would just be picked up by the Darlings, Tramp had no intention of being inconvenienced so. He darted into an alley, ran through another, and lost the dogcatcher in the blink of an eye.

"See that, Whirlwind? I still got it," Tramp whispered. Of course, he would likely never see his Whirlwind again.

Before too long he was back in the rich uptown known as Snob Hill. As he was heading up the sidewalk that led to the Darlings' house, two dogs he knew very well came up to greet him.

"Jock. Trusty," he nodded.

"Laddie! Wherever' 'ave ya' been?" Jock yipped, then lowered his voice, "Tramp, I… I know it canna' be true, but Lady… the lass has it in her mind that ya' gone an' a'left her for another girl!"

"What?" Tramp barked, very startled by the news, "She can't - I mean, I know she said something to me yesterday like that, but she- she can't seriously think that I- that I would- "

"Well, she does, sonny," Trusty bowed his head sadly, "Tramp, I don't know why the little lady thinks it, but Jock and I both know you would never do a thing like that."

"No, I wouldn't. Not anymore, anyways," he admitted, but Jock and Trusty both knew what their good friend meant. Tramp sighed, "Y'see, I talked with an old friend of mine named Peg. I used to be pretty… involved with Peg, and now Lady thinks that I've gone back to her."

"Aye, an' ya' haven't," Jock nodded his head, "We believe ya', laddie."

Tramp thanked the little black Scottie and the old brown Bloodhound for their support. With another mournful sigh, Tramp told them all that had happened with Peg and Angel and Scamp.

"…and then I finally found his scent and paw prints at the train yard, but I was too late. Scamp had already gotten on a train with Peg and Angel," he finished the tale, looking up at the son in the sky, "That was early this afternoon, and now it's going on evening… Scamp is long gone by now."

"Lad, I... I be so sorry for ya'. Truly, I am," Jock bowed his head woefully, "We all a'loved the wee pup."

"Maybe he'll be alright. You said Scamp was with Peg and Miss Angel, and I bet they'll keep him safe and sound," Trusty tried to be encouraging. Tramp smiled a little at his effort, but it did little to lift his spirits.

"Well, friends, I need to go talk with Pidge," he told the two sadly, "If she is mad at me... If she really does believe I left her for Peg, I need to sort out the matter with her."

"Would ya' wish for us ta' accompany ya', laddie?"

"No, but thanks anyways. See ya', guys."

"Buddy, before you go... you should know something," Trusty called out to his friend when he had turned to leave, "Little miss Lady has made a... new friend. This dog hurt his leg or something, and now he's staying in that doghouse in your yard. Jock and I particularly don't like the fella', but Miss Lady sure does."

"Is this guy trouble?"

"Well, I don't know, sonny. Now, I don't like to be in the habit of thinking bad of dogs before I get to know them, but… I just don't like this fellar. He's a big young Doberman, mixed I think, with a bad attitude. No collar."

Is it just me, or does that sound an awful lot like… Tramp pondered, but he doubted it was the dog he was thinking of.

"I'll see to him. Maybe this guy just gave you a bad first impression," Tramp tried to be optimistic about his Pidge's new friend.

"Laddie, I hope so."

"Thanks again, guys," he bowed his head to them, then Tramp took off up the sidewalk. He didn't know what to think of Lady and her new "close friend," but he knew exactly what he didn't want to think.

Then again, Tramp knew it wasn't fair to be suspicious of Lady when he didn't know for sure what was going on, no matter how much it hurt that Lady was doing that same thing to him.

The Schnauzer mutt finally arrived at the home of Jim Dear, Darling, and - more than anything - his mate and pups. Tramp considered going in the house and greeting Jim Dear, but he knew he had to find Lady. Smelling her scent in the back of the yard, Tramp ran around the house and - to his surprise - smelled another, vaguely familiar scent.

"Pidge! There you are!" he woofed when he saw her over by the doghouse, but then stopped short when he spotted the Doberman she was with.

"Buster?"

"Tramp!" Lady barked when she saw him approach, "I can't believe you came back! Shouldn't you be with Peggy? And where's Scamp? Where is he?"

"Whoa, whoa, Pidge! Please, calm down!" he begged, but he had a few questions himself, "Do you want to tell me what's going on? Why is Buster here?"

"He's here because- "

" -because he's being a good friend ta' Lady here, who's been in need of a good friend ever since ya' ditched her…" Buster intervened, baring his fangs, "…old buddy."

"I was going to say that he's here because he sprained his hind leg and needs to rest until it's fully healed," Lady glared up at Tramp, "But actually, Buster's right too."

"Pidge! You know Buster's just a- "

"Don't you Pidge me!" she barked, "And I'll have you know that Buster's been very kind to me! He's someone I can talk to and tell how I'm feeling! He comforts me when I'm upset!"

"Oh, like now?"

"Hey, leave her alone, will ya'?" Buster barked angrily at him, "Don't get mad 'cause you never been there for her!"

"Of course I have! But that's - Look, Pidge, this isn't important right now!" Tramp desperately tired to explain, taking a deep breath, "Pidge… Scamp is gone. He's left town on a train with Angel and Peg. I was trying to get to the train yard before he left, but I was too late. I'm so sorry."

"S- Scamp is… gone? Just gone?" Lady choked out, shock and disbelief in her watery eyes, "H- How could he have just left? Why couldn't you have brought him home like you promised?"

"I tried," his voice was barely more than a hoarse whisper, "Pidge, I… I really tried to. You've gotta' believe me."

She didn't answer him, didn't even meet his gaze, but instead turned to Buster, her lip quivering, "Oh, what are we going to do? S- Scamp may be g- gone forever!"

"Hey, hey, it's alright. Cry if ya' need to," the Doberman comforted in a voice so kind it made Tramp feel sick, "But ya' gotta' be strong, Lady. Ya' gotta' be strong for our Scamp."

At that, Buster wrapped a paw around her, and Tramp went livid, "Get your paws away from her! And don't you dare say Scamp is yours! We all know you don't care about him!"

"But he does! Buster cares about Scamp! He told me so himself," Lady instantly defended him.

"Pidge, why do you have to be so naive?" he barked in frustration, "He's just lying to get close to you!"

"Don't call me Pidge."

"Ya' don't gotta' listen to him, Lady. Tha' Tramp is nothing but a liar an' a traitor," Buster spat at him, "Looks like he's ditched ya' just like he ditched me! An' hey, he's even got that same old excuse! What was it ya' said? I fell in love!"

"That's right, Buster. I ditched you because I fell in love," Tramp was quiet, speaking to Buster but gazing tenderly at Lady. Her angry glare vanished for a moment, just a moment, and Buster was quick to notice.

"Y- Yeah, but now ya' ditching Lady here 'cause ya' fallen in love again, but this time it's with dear old Peg!"

"Isn't that right, Tramp? You're in love with Peggy now," Lady was back to an angry glare, "Are you going to get on a train and meet up with Peg in the next town? You, Peg, Scamp, and Angel will all be one big happy family, won't you?"

"I already have a big happy family with you. You know that."

"I thought I knew, but with you leaving me for Peggy, I… I don't know anymore."

"I've told you over and over! I am not with Peg!" Tramp barked, his own temper rising now, "But you know what I don't know? I don't know how you can stand to accuse me of being with Peg while you've been getting all snug with Buster!"

"Jealous, are we?" Buster sneered.

"What do you mean, all snug with Buster? You don't think I would - that I'd be with anyone but- " Lady was taken aback by Tramp's own accusation, "I'm not- I am not with Buster like you're with Peg! He's just been a very good friend to me, but I should've known you'd make something of it!"

"Well then, why don't I just go, huh? I don't see how I'm much needed anymore, now that you've got your good friend!" Tramp growled at the two of them.

"I think that's a great idea! Go on, leave us!" Buster laughed.

"Don't push it, Buster buddy. And don't ever forget you would've never been King of the Junkyard without me."

Buster bared his teeth again and growled at Tramp, but Lady stepped in front of him, "So is this it, Tramp? You'll just leave like you left me in that awful pound?"

He said nothing, just kept glaring at Lady and Buster, but then Tramp kicked his leg up to his red collar. He pushed it up and pulled his head out until the collar came off. Tramp picked it up and threw the collar at Buster.

"Here. You'll need this, seeing as you're a house doggie now."

"How dare ya'- "

" -I don't want to hear it, old buddy. And Lady," he paused for a moment, "…don't call me Tramp. I'm THE Tramp, got it?"

"T- Tramp, you can't- "

" -Do you even have any idea how much I gave up to be with you?" the mutt barked at her, "I used to have freedom and adventure out on the streets! I had friends I haven't seen in ages! I was the best street dog there ever was!"

"Then g- go, if you m- miss your old life that much! Just go!" Lady barked, but her eyes were teary.

The Tramp turned and walked away, footloose and collar-free once more. But before he left the yard, he looked back hoping that Lady would be running over to him, begging for him to stay with her.

It wasn't Lady, but Buster who was approaching. The Tramp growled at him, "What do you want now? Here to add insult to injury?"

"Buddy, before ya' go... ya' should know something" Buster sneered at him, dropping his voice to a menacing whisper, "Ya' pretty little Lady is lying to ya'."

"Doesn't surprise me. What's she lying about?" the Tramp spat out.

"Oh, about her an' me. About us just being good friends. See, we're not so much good friends as we are… very, very good friends… if ya' catch my drift."

"I don't believe you," he growled at him.

"Fine. Don't believe me. Doesn't change tha' fact that she loves me now instead of you," Buster grinned.

The Tramp ran away from him, running out of Jim Dear and Darling's yard and onto the streets. The mutt went through alleys, slid between houses, raced down sidewalks, lost himself in the maze of the town. As he ran and ran through the streets, Buster's words ran and ran through his head. She loves me now instead of you.

Part of him didn't want to believe it, but part of him had an overwhelming suspicion that Buster spoke the truth. Would Lady really leave him for Buster? Maybe she would she if she thought that he had left her for Peg.

He thought and thought about this, but as he ran around the streets of the town, the Tramp gave up thinking. He didn't think of Lady, Scamp, or even his three daughters and the Darlings he'd also just left behind. Now that he was collar-free once more, the Tramp didn't want to think of anything at all.

"It's over…" he panted, flopping down in a dirty back alley, "It's all over…"

Back in the Darling's yard, Buster was once again comforting Lady.

"It's all over…" the Doberman soothed her, "That liar is gone now, an' I say good riddance."

Lady didn't respond. A little worried, Buster asked, "C'mon, Lady. Aren't ya' glad he's long gone?"

"I… I don't know," she whispered, her lip trembling, "I just don't know anymore."