The Mixer II: He Moves In Society by P.G. Wodehouse, 1915
The magic trick:
Telling the story from the dog’s point of view for comic effect
I thought P.G. Wodehouse was very, very funny when I was kid, so it is possible to claim this as a children’s story and part of our monthlong series. It helps, too, that the protagonist is a kid and the narrator is a dog. And that’s quite a trick on Wodehouse’s part.
The selection:
‘If you wait, Master Peter, your father will buy you a beautiful, lovely dog….’
‘I don’t want a beautiful, lovely dog. I want this dog.’
The slur did not wound me. I have no illusions about my looks. Mine is an honest, but not a beautiful, face.
‘It’s no use talking,’ said the chauffeur, grinning. ‘He means to have him. Shove him in, and let’s be getting back, or they’ll be thinking His Nibs has been kidnapped.’
So I was carried to the car. I could have walked, but I had an idea that I had better not. I had made my hit as a crippled dog, and a crippled dog I intended to remain till things got more settled down.
As always, join the conversation in the comments section below, on SSMT Facebook or on Twitter @ShortStoryMT.
Subscribe to the Short Story Magic Tricks Monthly Newsletter to get the latest short story news, contests and fun.
