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Apple, better to think of Apple Forget the stiff and aching knee by pretending it belonged to so wanted to run, butme to lean heavily on my cane

Ohh! What a pitiful sight it would be to see poor Apple lying dead in the barn A pitiful bag of fur, skin and bones I'd cry, scream, hate those who'd tried to force me to fly East and abandon the very best friend I had Animals were the only ones who kne to really love with devotion

A hundred years had coone since last I came this way before More years passed, it seerip on yourself, I thought Steel your spine, like Malcolht, for Apple loved you tooNever, never again would I find such a true friend as the puppy-pony who'd been my Apple

My balance, never good, swayed ht to left, from front to back, andwas behindbut those frightening aniardeners should have so at bushes when realf

or real brains to pick it up Thinking now just like Malcolm; John Amos would be pleased Had to hunt up John Amos so he could smarten up my brains some more

Suspecting the worst, I approached the place that Apple liked round ahead ofthis way and that All the barn shutters were closed Poor Apple, left in the dark to starve A lump rose in my throat while I cried inside for a pet who'd loved me more than life itself

I had to force myself to take another step forward To see Apple dead would scar my soul, my eternal soul which John Aet to heaven's pearly gates where Malcolone

One step more I stopped There was my Apple-- and he wasn't dead! He was in a stall with theopen and he was chasing a red ball, swatting it with his huge pawlike hoofs--and there was plenty of food in his dish Clean water in his bowl too I stood there shaking all over as Apple ignoredlike I wasn't even there Why, he hadn't missed me at all!

"YOU! YOU!" I screaood time! And all the tiht you loved ht you'd miss me a whole lot And now you don't even bark-whinny to tell lad I'm back! I HATE YOU, APPLE! HATE YOU FOR NOT CARING ENOUGH!"

Apple saw e paw-hoofs on ed furiously, but he wasn't fooling me He'd found someone else to take care of him better-- darn if I'd made his coat look so pretty "Why didn't you die fro hier and dropped to all fours and stood with his tail between his legs and his head hanging down, his eyes rolled slantwise

"YOU GET AWAY FROM ME! YOU NEED TO SUFFER AS I SUFFERED! THEN YOU'LL BE GLAD TO HAVE ME BACK!" I took all his food, his water, and threw them in a wooden barrel I picked up his red ball and hurled that so far he'd never find it All the ti his tail He wanted me back, but noas too late

"You'llhim in the barn with all the s closed and the shutters too "Stay in darkness and die of hunger!" I'd never come back, never!

No sooner was I in the sunlight than I thought of the nice soft hay he had inside to lie on I went into the barn again, seized up a pitchfork and raked all the hay away He hi to nuzzle up to me Wouldn't let him "You lie on the cold, hard floor! It will make all your bones ache, but I don't care, for I don't love you now!" Angry, I wiped the tears away and scratched my face

In all randmother and John Amos Apple had killedhi his love John Amos wouldn't bother--had to be Grandmother

Drifted ho ached so badly Daddy caave me a pill He sat on the side ofinto sweet dreams