Chapter Six
When the dishes were done, Cam and Hannah went into the big main room of the house to join their guests. David and Gordon were updating the adults on their respective practices and what was happening in town.
Hannah and Daisy exchanged stories of keeping their mens' clothing in good repair and several patterns. Cam sat with Mike who was bored by all the grown up talk and had him tell her about school and his friends and his pony which he had named Giant.
"I'll bet you miss Giant right now, don't you?" she said.
"Yeah, but that's okay. Ben and Jud will take care of him for me."
Cam smiled and then asked, "Aunt Hannah? Have you seen Duncan lately?"
"No dear, not since you two went for a walk this morning."
"Darn! I wonder where he's at?"
A sudden commotion in the yard cut short any more discussion. Cam was on her feet in a flash and out the door before anybody else could react.
A loud squawking, a dog barking and Cam's scolding voice were heard for a few minutes. Just when Jess, in particular, was getting ready to go see if the teenager needed any help the front door opened.
"You're a bad boy, Duncan!" was heard as she closed the door behind her and the mysterious Duncan. "You know better than that!"
As her voice got closer a clicking noise was heard on the wooden floor of the front hall.
"Now you come with me like a good boy!"
Cam entered the living room accompanied by a half grown pup with a tri-colored, thick rough coat. Its face was mostly brown but a strip of white ran from its nose, past its eyes and widened out at the top of the animal's head.
Cam scolded the dog as she pointed to a spot by the stone fireplace.
"Bad dog! You go lie down over there!"
"New member of the family," Gordy quipped.
"A badly behaved member of the family," Cam said as she went back to her seat near Mike. who was looking at the dog with adoring eyes.
"What was he doing this time, as if I couldn't guess?" her cousin asked.
"Chasing the chickens."
Jess got up from his chair and went to kneel by the pup who thumped his rail and let out a pitiful whimper.
"Quiet," Cam scolded.
"What kind of dog is it? Does he have a name?" Mike asked.
"He's a Border Collie, his name is Duncan and he's eight months old," was the answer he got.
"Aren't Border Collies usually herding dogs?" Slim asked.
"Yes, and this one thinks he has to herd our chickens," Cam replied. "I think you can tell by the noise that our hens don't appreciate it.
"Tell us more," Jess said as he made a fuss over the pup.
"If you'll stop treating him like he's a good dog while he's being punished I'll tell you all about the breed and this one in particular," Cam told him. "Really Jess, he was a bad boy and he knows it. I won't have you undoing my attempts to discipline him."
The Texan took the hint and went back to his seat
"So tell us about him."
"Duncan is an eight month old tri-color Border Collie. When he's full grown he will be perhaps 22 inches tall and weight around forty-five pounds. Right now he's nineteen inches tall and weighs about thirty-five pounds. His height hasn't caught up to his weight just yet," Cam smiled as she looked at her still somewhat roly poly pup.
"Border Collies are a Scottish breed and they're excellent dogs for working with livestock or as family pets. They're very active so it's important to keep them busy or they may start chewing on things..."
"Like slippers," Gordon said having had a pair destroyed by Duncan when the pup was six months old.
"I paid to replace them so stop complaining," Cam told him. "He was only six months old when he did that."
The two cousins grinned at each other. It was true that Duncan had chewed a pair of Gordon McAllister's slippers but it was also true that Cam had bought him a new pair to make up for it. Duncan had been scolded roundly for his behavior.
"Duncan's breed, as I said, is known for working with livestock. They're herding dogs. The only problem with that is that he thinks the chickens need to be herded and they don't." She glared at the pup for a second. "We have a lot of work to do on that. He's got to learn not to bother the chickens."
Their visitors, except for Mike, all laughed at the frustrated look on her face and her tone of voice.
Mike looked at the dog so longingly that Cam gave in and called him over.
"Duncan, come here," she said.
The half grown pup got up from his corner and came to his mistress head down and tail drooping. It was clear he expected another scolding.
"Sit," Cam said when he stood in front of her and Mike. "Good boy. Now shake hands with Mike," she commanded.
Duncan promptly sat down and raised his right paw. Mike slid down from his seat on the sofa and eagerly shook hands with the puppy.
"Can he do any more tricks?" the youngster asked.
"He's supposed to roll over and speak when I tell him to. I have to work on that and when he should be quiet."
"Will he do it for me if I ask him?" Mike asked.
"You can try," Cam told him.
The boy told the dog to "roll over" but the puppy just looked at him.
"Roll over,' Mike said again.
This time Duncan barked - loudly and excitedly before running to the front door where someone was knocking.
"I'll go Aunt Hannah," Cam said. '"I have to get Duncan anyway and put him in the corner again."
She came back a few minutes later with two people in tow - a young woman and a boy around Mike's age.
"Mrs. Harrison needs to talk to you, Aunt Hannah. She had to bring Billy with her because there's nobody at home to watch him."
"Of course, Caroline. Why don't we go into the kitchen so we won't disturb my visitors," she said after everyone had been introduced.
"I'll take the boys outside," Cam said. "They'll be bored with all this grown up talk. Come on boys, let's go outside while the ladies talk."