Runaway Pony, Runaway Dog

By Ruth Carroll

A delightful story of a pony, Sassy, and a dog, Tough Enough, who run away from their veterinarian’s enclosure in an attempt to get back home to their owners, the Tatum family.

Set in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, the pair encounter some interesting people along their way—including a couple that brings them to a zoo they own!

Wonderfully illustrated by Ruth Carroll.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Muriwai Books
• Release date: Jul 31, 2017
• ISBN: 9781787207554

Ruth Carroll

Ruth Crombie Robinson Carroll (September 24, 1899 - 1999) and “Archer” Latrobe Carroll (January 5, 1894 - November 30, 1996) were an American married couple that created children’s books illustrated by Ruth. They received the Juvenile Award of the American Association of University Women, North Carolina chapter, in 1953 for Peanut and in 1955 for Digby the Only Dog. The couple lived in Asheville, North Carolina.

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Text originally published in 1963 under the same title.

© Papamoa Press 2017, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

Publisher’s Note

Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

RUNAWAY PONY, RUNAWAY DOG

BY

RUTH AND LATROBE CARROLL

Pictures by Ruth Carroll

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

DEDICATION 5

1 7

2 15

3 21

4 26

5 30

6 33

7 46

REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 53

DEDICATION

For the Children

in the Asheville Orthopedic Hospital

1

TOUGH ENOUGH whined. The little dog was worried. He cocked his large ears forward; his eyes were restless, alert. He knew something was wrong with Sassy, his pony friend. The pony was limping toward a tempting clump of grass. Tough Enough was trotting along beside him. When the pony put his nose down to the grass, the dog whimpered softly and touched Sassy’s nose with his.

All of a sudden, Tough Enough’s ears brought him news. He turned them toward distant sounds. As he listened he stopped and stood quite still with his left paw lifted a little. People were coming into this pasture high in the Great Smoky Mountains. They were still a long way off, but he began to bark, sharp and loud and challenging. He sniffed and sniffed, trying to catch their scent. Who were these people? Why had they come? He licked the end of his asking nose so he could smell things better.

Now, along the coolness of the morning breeze, he caught familiar scents. His barking changed from a shrill warning to an excited sound of welcome. His people were coming—his master, Beanie Tatum, and Beanie’s mother and father and Beanie’s brothers, Buck and Irby, and Beanie’s sisters, Serena and Annie Mae.

Tough Enough ran toward them, faster and faster. He bounded over a jutting rock, over a fallen tree. He hurled himself up on Beanie as high as he could leap, pawing him and doing his best to lick a great deal of him. Then he went tearing round and round him in joyful yelping circles.

He stopped so quickly, he skidded. His nose had brought him a new scent. A stranger, a man he hadn’t noticed in his eager rush, was with the Tatums. Now the little dog saw him; he gave an inquisitive yip and began to walk toward him slowly. He sensed that his people had accepted this stranger, but he wanted to try a nose test. He sidled up behind, close to the man’s ankles, and sniffed at the edge of his overalls. His nose had trouble sorting out all the scents it was sucking in—smells of cows, of a goat, of sheep and of pigs.

Pa Tatum was talking to the stranger. Jed, we can’t figure what’s ailin’ Beanie’s pony, but you’re the doctor. He hasn’t got a sharp stone or anything stuck up in his hoof, far as I can see—no, sir, he’s not graveled the way he was when he was a little wild pony on the Outer Banks and we picked him up. No bones broke. But just look at him a-limpin’ over yonder—a-limpin’ in his right foreleg like he’s bad hurt.

Well, let’s look him over, said Jed. He was an animal doctor, a veterinarian.

Sassy was hobbling toward Beanie. When he got close he nuzzled Beanie’s neck, then he began to push his nose against Beanie’s pockets, hunting for an apple or a carrot.

Beanie took hold of Sassy’s halter and led him toward the