Dunno's Adventures

by Nikolai Nosov

Translated by Margaret Wettlin
freebooksforkids.net
Illustrated by Viktor & Kira Grigorievs

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Chapter Twenty-Five
SHOT IS CURED

Dunno's Adventures

After Grumps and Dr. Pillman had run away, if. all the nurses and hospital attendants took care of the only patient left — Shot. He was completely spoiled by so much attention. At one time he demanded that they make him soup out of gum-drops, and porridge out of jam, another time he ordered meat-cakes of strawberries with mushroom sauce (although everyone knows you can't make meat-cakes of strawberries). Still another time he asked for apple sauce, and when they brought it to him he said he had asked for stewed pears. They brought him the stewed pears, but he complained that they smelled of onions or something else just as unpleasant.

Dunno's Adventures

The poor nurses wore themselves out trying to satisfy his every whim. They said they had never seen such a patient in their lives, that it was a punishment to have to wait on him, and that the only thing they hoped for was that he would hurry up and get well.

Every morning he sent one of the nurses out to look for Dot. She would wander up and down the streets of Greenville looking for the dog until she was quite worn out, and when she came back to the hospital, hoping Shot had forgotten all about the dog, he would be sure to say to her:

"Well, did you find him?"

"No, I didn't," she would say.

"Then you couldn't have looked for him."

"But I did. I looked everywhere."

"Then why didn't I hear you calling him? Go and look for him again."

And the poor nurse would go out again without having the faintest idea where else to look.

"Dot, Dot! I wish you were dead!" she would call out from time to time.

Dunno's Adventures

She knew it would do no good to call, but she hoped the sound of her voice would satisfy Shot.

He sent another nurse to see what his friends were doing and to report to him three times a day: in the morning, after lunch, and in the evening. He made a third nurse tell him stories from morning to night, and if the stories were uninteresting he sent her away and demanded another nurse who was more entertaining. He became very angry if none of his friends came to see him, yet if they did come he would chase them away because they interrupted the stories.

Honeysuckle could see how spoiled he was becoming. She said he was twenty times worse than Grumps and Dr. Pillman taken together. Clearly he would be ruined if he were not let out soon but there was the ankle. He himself had made it worse.

One morning when he woke up, he found that the pain in his leg was gone. He jumped out of bed and ran across the room, but before he had taken ten steps he sprained his ankle a second time. They carried him back to bed. His ankle swelled up and by evening he had a temperature. Honeysuckle sat by his bedside all night long without taking a wink of sleep. Thanks to her efforts the swelling went down, but his stay in hospital was greatly prolonged by this accident.

Dunno's Adventures

At last he was allowed to get out of bed for short periods. He managed to move about the room on crutches and holding on to the wall. Little by little he learned to walk, and then they allowed him to go out in the courtyard of the hospital for an hour in the company of a nurse. These walks improved his temper. He grew less irritable, but even so he would get furious whenever the nurse told him it was time to go in.

"I won't go!" he would shout, shaking a crutch at her.

They had to pick him up bodily and carry him in.

Honeysuckle and her helpers took such good care of him that one day the doctor said he could leave hospital. All the boys and girls were delighted to hear such good news.

The next morning they all gathered in front of the hospital with flowers and presents.

"At last we're all together!" exclaimed Shot. "All, that is, but Doono and Dot."

Dunno's Adventures

"That's all right," they comforted him, "perhaps Doono and Dot will turn up yet."

"They won't turn up of themselves," said Shot. "We've got to look for them."

"Yes," said Dunno, "we'll have to look for that foolish Doono. He may come to harm if we don't."

"Why do you call him foolish?" said Dr. Pillman.

"Because he is, and he's a coward besides," said Dunno.

"He is not," began Grumps, but Dunno interrupted him.

"You hold your tongue," he said. "Who's the chief here, you or me? Or perhaps you'd like to go back to the hospital?"

At the mention of the hospital, Grumps became silent.

"On Sunday we re giving a ball to celebrate everybody's getting well," said Snowdrop. "After that you can set out on a search for your foolish Doono. When you find him, we'll give another ball. Won't that be lovely?"

"Splendid! Splendid!" cried everybody.

It is not certain what pleased them more: the prospect of finding Doono, or of giving another ball on his account.

The fruit-picking was over. All the cellars were filled to overflowing, but there were still many apples, pears, and plums left on the trees. It was decided to make the boys in Kite Town a present of them.

The only thing the Greenville Mites thought of now was the ball. Everybody pitched in to help with the preparations. Some of them weeded the circle of ground that was to be the dance floor, others stamped down the earth to make it hard and smooth. Swifty, Mums and Nails undertook the building of a two-tiered stand for the orchestra. Pavilions were put up for providing soda- water, ice-cream, and other refreshments. All of this work was., done to the accompaniment of music, for Trills had formed an orchestra of the ten best harpists in Greenville, and they rehearsed day and night.

The most surprising thing of all was the enthusiasm with which Nails worked. He did everything he was told to do without causing the least trouble. He was, in fact, quite a different boy.

"How nice of you to help us!" Kitty said to him.

"Why shouldn't I?" he replied. "I'll do anything you ask if I bust in the doing!"

"It's a pleasure to see anybody try so hard," said Birdie. "You must enjoy working, don't you?"

"I sure do," said Nails. "I like to be busy. I feel lost when I'm not, and so I do things I oughtn't to. It usually ends in a row, and I get my puss dusted."

Nails snuffled loudly and wiped his nose with his fist.

"What does that mean?" asked Kitty.

"It means I get my nose blown for me," said Nails.

"And what does that mean?"

"It means I get a good sock on the nose."

"Poor dear!" cried Kitty. "Well, don't do things you oughtn't to any more. Come and see us and we'll always find something to keep you busy — a fence that needs mending, or a window that wants glazing."

"Thanks," said Nails.

"Are you coming to our ball?"

"May I?"

"Of course you may. Only wash yourself first, and brush your clothes. We want you to come."

"I'll be only too glad to. Thanks again."

Kitty was very much touched by the way he said "thanks" and by the politeness of his manner in general. She turned pink with pleasure, and, pulling Birdie to one side, whispered into her ear:

"It won't be at all hard to reform him."

"We must praise him more often," said Birdie. "That will do him good. You must always scold a boy for being naughty, and praise him for being good. Next time he'll try to be good so that you will praise him again. But Nails' manners still need working on. Did you notice the way he snuffled?"

"Yes, and his language needs improving," said Kitty. "Did you ever hear such words as 'bust', 'puss', 'sock'? We'll have to get him out of the habit of using such horrid words."

Nails was so pleased to be praised that he really did try his best. After all, anyone likes to be praised.

Dunno's Adventures