Lulu and the Dog from the Sea Read Online Free

great leap and jumped right over Sam.
    He landed in front of the water bowl. There was a sound like a drain, and the bowl was empty—slurped dry in one enormous slurp by the dog from the sea.
    “ RUFF! ” roared Sam.
    The dog from the sea ran, trampling his great sandy paws over Sam’s beanbag on the way.
    “ RUFF! ” howled Sam furiously, and he would have gone after him if Lulu had not grabbed his collar.
    “Shush!” she told Sam, while Mellie refilled his water bowl, and to the dog from the sea Lulu called, “Good dog! It’s all right! Good dog!”
    High on the sand dunes the dog heard and was happy.
    He had never been called a good dog before.
    He liked it.

    Lulu and Millie did not see the dog from the sea again that day. In the afternoon they walked into the town to bounce on the giant trampolines. That was fun. Afterward they went back to the cottage to start work on Mellie’s kite.
    Even with all the family’s help that was not easy at all.
    Includes everything needed to build this magnificent kite! read the writing on the box.
    Lulu’s father said there had been a printing error. He said it should read nothing instead of everything .
    The bare little cottage was not much help. It didn’t contain any useful kite-making things. Just before the shops closed they sent Lulu’s father out in the car to buy scissors and glue and something sharp that would drill tiny holes.
    “And while you are shopping you might get a couple of new mugs,” said Lulu’s mother. “And some bread and some salad and some sausages and a can opener that works. And a dish towel or two would be useful...”
    Lulu’s father groaned. Shopping was his least favorite thing to do and driving through potholes was his second least favorite. He drove away before they could think of any more things they needed.
    “Scotch tape,” remembered Mellie, watching the dust fly up as he bumped down the road.
    “More dog food and a frying pan,” added Lulu’s mother. “Oh well, we’ll send him again tomorrow! Poor thing! Never mind. We’ll be extra nice to him when he comes back.”
    They were very kind to Lulu’s father when he came bumping home. They let him barbecue the sausages, and afterward they played softball with him and then they helped him pile his smuggled rocks onto the trash can lid, and then they all went to bed.
    Everyone went to sleep at once.
    Except Lulu.
    Lulu thought about the dog from the sea.
    She thought about the smuggled rocks piled up on the trash can.
    And she thought how painful it would be if those rocks were to fall on anyone’s nose.
    As soon as Lulu had thought these thoughts she climbed out of bed.
    And then out of the window.
    Then she went to the trash can and began lifting the rocks from its lid. She had to concentrate hard while she was doing this, because of the danger of dropping them on her bare feet. She did not look up until she had lifted down the last rock, and then she nearly jumped out of her skin.
    The dog from the sea was creeping toward her like a hungry wolf.
    (“I think I would have screamed,” said Mellie, when Lulu told her the next day.)
    Lulu managed not to scream. Instead she said, as she had said before, “Good dog! It’s all right! Good dog!”
    The dog’s tail began to swing with pleasure.
    “Good dog,” said Lulu encouragingly, and she lifted the lid from the trash can and fished out a burned sausage.
    The dog ate all the burned sausages, and he drank two buckets full of water (collected for him by Lulu by way of the bedroom window). Then he and Lulu sat down together, and Lulu petted him, being careful not to touch the itchy patches where his fleas had made him scratch away his fur. Often she said “Good dog” as she petted, and every time she said it the dog’s tail beat with happiness.
    That was how Lulu and the dog from the sea became friends.

Chapter Four
Monday and Tuesday
    On Monday Lulu’s family spent the day exploring the local fort. It had cannons around