Animal Tales - Ralph.

Shortly after Sam, the last great dog in America disappeared, a white short haired puppy came into the yard one day. He looked like his ancestry might be a white German shepherd. Now, so help me, this dog did not "arf, arf" or "wuff, wuff, when he barked it sounded like "ralf, ralf", hence we named him Ralph. He was a nice dog, he played well with children and cats. He was basically an outside dog which meant he only came into the house when the mom was gone.

One afternoon, the older girls were in school. Maureen was home from Kindergarten and playing on the family room floor and I was on the couch dozing/watching my soap opera and Maureen said: "Mama, there's a man in our living room". I jumped up and went into the front room and just inside the door was a young bushy haired man wearing an Army overcoat, his right hand in his pocket - we never locked our doors except at night. I said: "can I help you?". He said: "Mam, I'm hungry, would you have something to eat?". His right hand was still in his pocket. I told him to come around to the back door with the idea of locking both doors before he could get in. He just looked unsavory. I locked the front door and before I could run to the back one, he was inside the back porch and in the kitchen, right hand in pocket. The thought of what was in that right hand, concerned me. He must have bolted around the house because at this time there was a small porch so he had to go through two doors - outside and kitchen. I remember that it was winter and their was snow on the ground. I opened the refrigerator door and saw their wasn't much inside and told him that I didn't have much in the house to eat but I gave him a glass of milk and and an apple in a bowl on the counter. He never took his hand out of his pocket. Maureen had followed me into the kitchen and was standing next to me.

Now I am not known for being the sharpest card in the deck - I may be mixing metaphors here - but from somewhere came: "Maureen, where's Ralph?". "Outside," she answered, "Do you want me to call him?" I looked down at her and told her: "No, it's okay." Before I looked up again, Mr. Bushy hair, Army coat wearing, hand in pocket was out the kitchen door and down the driveway. I ran to lock the porch door and felt my knees go weak. Maureen said: "Mom, I see Ralph coming from Hesses" and she ran to the front door to call him. I told her to wait as our visitor was still walking around the curve on Cruger Road heading towards Peoria.

I don't know if our intruder meant us harm or really was just hungry. I don't know what was in his pocket but he sure scared me. Did we lock our doors after that? No, only in later years if I was there alone. Did I like that dog named Ralph? You betcha!!!