Stick Dog Dreams of Ice Cream Read Online Free Page B

noses toward where the music came from. There was no doubt. The annoying music was getting nearer and nearer.
    â€œThis is kind of scaring me,” Stripes whispered. The pace of her words picked up as she continued. “I’ve already been attacked by a water machine today. I don’t want to be attacked by an annoying music machine too. Let’s get out of here! I don’t care how thirsty we are. Let’s just go back to Stick Dog’s pipe. I’ll drink creek water; I don’t care.”
    The nervousness in Stripes’s voice had clearly affected the other dogs. Theyimmediately nodded along with her idea.
    â€œI’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation,” said Stick Dog calmly. As he said this, the music blared quite loudly. The volume of it, however, was now not changing at all. It was as if something had come closer and closer and closer and then stopped—and stopped nearby. Stick Dog asked, “Who wants to go check it out?”
    Mutt said, “These strings in between my teeth will, unfortunately, prohibit me from investigating the music source.” He quickly sat down and scrunched and unscrunched his mouth in an obvious and valiant attempt to dislodge the offending strings.
    Poo-Poo answered next. “I’m a smeller, not a hearer,” he said with great dignity and pride.
    Stripes provided her excuse next. “I think the water-attacking machine may have temporarily damaged my hearing capabilities,” she said. She then leaned her head over to the right side while tapping the left side to demonstrate that there was, indeed, water in her ear.
    â€œNo problem, Stripes,” said Stick Dog.

    â€œWhat?” she asked. She straightened up and held a paw to her ear.
    â€œI said, ‘No problem,’” Stick Dog repeated.
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œI said—” Stick Dog answered, and stopped himself. Then he said, “The water machine gave your coat a nice rinse. Your spots look great.”
    â€œOh, thank you,” Stripes answered quickly, and glanced down at herself. “Thank you very much.”
    Stick Dog smiled and turned to Karen. She would provide the last excuse, he knew, not to investigate that annoying music.
    â€œStick Dog?” she asked.
    â€œYes?”
    â€œI really just don’t want to go.”
    Stick Dog nodded his head in understanding. “I’ll go,” he said.
    With that, he immediately wriggled through the lilac bushes to discover what was making that annoying sound.

    He didn’t have to go far.

Chapter 7
WHAT’S WEIRD ABOUT IT?
    Stick Dog didn’t even need to leave the safety of the lilac bushes. As soon as he stuck his head out, he discovered the source of that annoying music.
    It was parked right on the street.
    It was one of the strangest trucks Stick Dog had ever seen. And Stick Dog had seen quite a few trucks in his day. His pipe was below Highway 16, after all. And he would often sit outside it and watch the traffic—includingmany trucks—go by on the big highway above.
    But he’d never seen one like this before.

    It was more square in shape than usual—most trucks were long rectangles. It had many strange features. Stick Dog read twowords—“ICE CREAM”—on the side of the truck.

    He ducked back into the bushes to tell the others what he saw.
    â€œIt’s nothing to be afraid of,” Stick Dog began. He wanted to put everybody at ease right away. “It’s just a weird truck parked out on the street.”
    â€œWhat’s weird about it?” Mutt asked.
    Stick Dog answered, “Just about everything. It’s kind of a strange shape, it has a screened window, and it’s decorated with colorful pictures. It also has a shelf that runs along its side. And the music is coming from a strange contraption on the top that looks like a big, metal mouth.”
    â€œI have to see this,” said Mutt as he began to push