The Adventures Of Penny Pincher: Penny Pincher Helps Patricia With Her Gardening

Penny Pincher adores Patricia and he wants to help her at least once in the garden. Though he had never done a bit of gardening in his life, he was certain that he would be a good gardener. After all, the gardening-stuff did not look that difficult. Plus his friend Max, the dog, was there to help him.

So, he started devising a plan. One day when Patricia has gone to the market to do her shopping, Penny Pincher convinced Max to take him out to the garden. He wanted to surprise Patricia. Max thought it was a brilliant idea.

Emily Babbit thought otherwise. “I don’t think you should go out. Patricia will get angry if you get all dirty and muddy. She will have to clean you and you know how difficult a task that is.”

However, Penny Pincher was not in a mood to listen. He just wanted to try his hand in gardening and he wanted to see the look of awe and wonder on Patricia’s face when she returned.

Once outside, Penny Pincher realized that the garden was quite large. He got Max to put him on old dried tree stump from where he started surveying the garden.

“So, Max, where should I start?”

“Why not start from the veggie garden and then work your way to the flowering plants?” suggested Max while wagging his tail and trying hard not to get distracted by the colorful butterflies and squirrels prancing about the lawn.

“Good idea, my four-legged canine friend,” said Penny Pincher.

Penny Pincher took his plastic shovel and walked towards the vegetable patch. He dug and dug and dug. He then stood back and admired his handywork. Just then the neighbor hearing Penny Pincher shoveling walked over to see what all the noise was. She knew that Patricia had gone out and came over to check. Immediately Penny Pincher pretended to be an ordinary stuffed bear and leaned against the trellis as if he might have been forgotten there. The neighbor on seeing Max and Penny Pincher smiled to herself and returned to her home. Little did she know what this little miraculous stuffed bear was up to?

“Now, Max let’s head to the flowers. But you will have to push the wheelbarrow because I am not tall enough.”

Woof, woof replied Max in affirmative.

Max gently laid Penny Pincher on the wheelbarrow and started pushing him. The wheelbarrow already contained some plants and Penny Pincher decided to tell Max where to lay each flowering plant. Max followed his orders to the T.

Finally Penny Pincher was getting tired. “I think I need to rest a little bit, Max. Is it possible for you to put me on the hammock?”

“Of course, my furry friend. Anything for you,” replied a panting Max. The sun was hot and he too wanted to rest a while and maybe then catch a quick drink and chase the butterflies around the garden.

Before long both Penny Pincher and Max fell off to sleep. They lost track of time and only got up when they heard Patricia asking Max what Penny Pincher was doing outside.

“Bad dog! I’ve told you a number of times that Penny Pincher is a very special bear and he is not a toy. The next time I see you playing with Penny Pincher, it is off to the kennel in the garden. Do you understand me?” said an upset Patricia.

Max slinked off with his tail between his legs and Patricia carried Penny Pincher back home. Just then her eyes fell on the vegetable spot and the wheelbarrow.

“Now, I’m being silly,” she said to herself. “Penny Pincher is just a stuffed bear and there is no way he could have done, could he?” She looked at Penny Pincher and she thought she saw a glitter in his beautiful black eyes.

Shaking her head, she carried Penny Pincher back to his room.

“I know you are special and somehow I think you can talk and walk,” she said to her favorite stuffed bear as she laid him gently on the shelf. “I wonder whether it was you who did all the gardening. If it were, I thank you,” kissing him gently on his forehead.

Penny Pincher was tired but happy. He was glad that Patricia liked his gardening. He decided to apologize to Max later for getting him into trouble. For now all he wanted to do was sleep.