His Dog

Dere

. Not by nature, nor by c

side-hill acres, at that. In brief, a worked-out farm among the mountain

en up the wilderness land in 1865 and who, for thirty years thereafter, had wrought to make it pay

up their lives, in hundreds, to keep the wolf from the door of their owner. When the last of the salable timber was gone Old Man Ferris tried

ssary to have more than mere zeal and industry. Sour ground will not readily yield sweet abundance, be the toil

l struggle. He mortgaged the farm, dying soon afterward. A

father had built with his own rheumatic hands. He had worked for more than a quarter century, in and out of the hill fields and the ramshackle b

e world beyond his mountain walls as were any of his own "critters." His life was bounded b

d he worked, that he might be able to eat and sleep

awing of lonely unrest was too acute for bovine endurance-and when he could spare the time or the money-h

enough ready money to buy wholesale forgetfulness. More often he was able to purcha

from such a rudimentary debauch at Hampton

the grass-grown, rutted hill trail which led to his farm-his way led along a s

rs were assailed by a sound that was something between a sigh and a sob-

nd this time he located it in the long grass of the wayside ditch. The grass was stirring spa

he flame, he pushed the tangle o

thus cleared and by the narrower ra

out in front of him at an impossible angle. His tawny mass of coat was mi

or cringing. It held rather such an expression as, Dumas tells us, the wounded Athos tu

ss, he could read that look. And it appealed to him, as no howl of anguish could

avy coated. The mud on his expanse of snowy chest frill and the grease on his dark b

ramble frantically to maintain their footing on the slippery seats of such cars; when chauffeurs took the sharp curve, just ahead, at too high speed. He had

's occupants, had struck ground with terrific force-a force that had sent

f guessing. But the dog was in mortal agony. And th

closed over a ten-pound stone. One smashing blow on the head, with this

ced the rock and tensed his muscles for the blow. The match had long since gone out, but Link's du

those deep-set dark eyes staring up at him through the murk, with that same fearless and yet piteous lo

at me," he muttered half-aloud, as if to a human companion. "Jes' y

rder to turn his head. But at the man's tone of compassion the

road, "got nerve, too, ain't you, friend? 'Tain't e

new it must cause infinite torture. But the dog did not flinch. He seemed to understand that Ferris me

e first voluntary mark of affection he had encountered for lon

some kind. Link's father had had an inborn hatred of dogs. He would not allow one on the place. His overt excuse was th

dog at his heels, and without knowing th

l wagging in the dry grass. Ashamed of the stirrings in him, he sought to explain them by reminding himself that this was probably a valuable

collie as gently as he could, he deposited him on the coat and rolled its frayed

ably heavy, to the half-drunk Ferris. More than once he was

o himself gave Link a fresh grip on his determination. And at last,-a long and tirin

went in search of such rude appliances as his father had been wont

had become wedged between two brookside stones and had sustained a compound fracture. From Civil War hospital experience the father had been a deft bonesetter. And followin

patience nerved him to greater tenderness and care. A veterinary would have made n

of cold water-which the collie drank greedily-and some brea

cquisition. The dog was young-probably not more than two years old. The teeth p

auty. Link told himself he would perhaps get as much as ten dollars for the return of

bandages. And, every time, the sight of his rescuer would cause the dog's tail to thump a joyous welc

soaked bread. Link was ashamed of his own keen and growing interest in his find. For the first time he

to him from time to time as to a fellow human. And the words did not echo back in eerie hollowness

called; by trying one familiar dog name after another. But, to such stand-by cognomens as Rover, Tige, Fido, Ponto, Shep and the rest, the patient

d be housemates. After long deliberation he hit upon the name "Chum," as typical of the odd friendship that was s

instruction was necessary. In less than a single

rse and his cows and a few of his sheep to respond to given names. And at the end of the course of pati

e greeted by that glad glint of the eye and the ecstatic pounding of the wavy tail against the floor. It was still pleasante

nd to know that his every word was appreciated and listened to with eager interest, eve

for the first time in his life, he had an intimate friend-something

sforming drudgery into contentment. And the farm began, in small

ton; and, there, had affixed to the clapboards of the

dog with leg broken. Owner can

a similar sign to the bulletin board of that raref

unty's daily paper and scanned it for word of a missin

enty-five dollar reward for information leading to the return of a "da

told himself he hoped it did. For seventy-five dollars just now would be a godsend. And in s

g to the same breed as did the setters which accompanied hunters on mountain rambles past his farm in the autumns. Being wholly unversed in canine

me. And the dominie told him "sable" was another name for "black." Jansen went on to amplify the

ld not possibly refer to him. The reverend gentleman, not being a dog fancier, of course had no means of k

recall his father's invectives against dogs, and to remind himself that another mouth to feed on the farm must mean

foreleg, he and Link had established a friendship that

his own intelligence had long since taught him that his "farm critter

e any call from his lifelong master. He knew that his presence, to the cattle and sheep, meant only food or a shift of quarters; and that an outsider could drive or tend them as readil

him were grasped with bewildering ease. There was a human quality of sympathy and companionship which radiated almost visibly from Chum. His keen co

ell to recalling his father's preachments as to the havoc wrought by dogs upon sheep. He could not afford to lose the leanes

se, except on their daily walks; and he had always tied him when driving the sheep to or from pasture. This morning h

agged scramble. Chum quivered with excitement as the woolly catapults surged past h

arply. "Leave 'em be! G

and. Chum ceased to quiver in eagerness and stood still

every direction, through barnyard and garden and nearer fields. Bleating and stampeding, t

ed flock could be herded once more. An hour of panting and blasphemous pursui

luxury of a useless pet. With whistle and call Ferris sought to check the flight of the flock. But, as every farmer knows, there is n

nd, therefore, the tenuously thin connecting line between them and their human master had snapped. For the moment they were

of swearing. The dog had noted his master's angry

s hold on the collar, resolving to take out his rage in an unmerciful beating should the dog seek to chase the fleein

at the collie, waving a windmill arm at the fugitiv

a flash he was off in flying pursuit of the sheep. Ferris, in the crazy rage which possessed him, hoped Chum might bi

daylight out of him-yes, and to rescue his possible victims from death-when the dog should

rris's visage changed to perplexity, an

y dash, while all the rest had scattered singly. It w

he wheeled almost in midair and slackened his pace, running t

e to a jumbled and slithering halt, preparing to break the

made little dashes at one or another of them that

ould take-the direction whence they had come. And, uncerta

ent, deserting his six charges and bearing down with express train speed on a stray wet

of it, whichever way the panic-stricken animal turned;-in every direction but one. And in that direction fled th

were breaking loose from the bunch Chum was off again in h

and rounding up a scattered flock which Ferris himself could not have bunched in twenty times the space of minutes. Chum, he noted, did

d Chum was serenely trotting to and fro, driving back such of the sheep as sought to break loose fro

o pasture. The moment he succeeded in getting them into motion they broke again. And again, like a furry whirlwind, Chum was encircling

re, the flock reached the rickety gateway of the stone-st

them. Then, still in a da

t it an' how you got it the good Lord only knows. But you've got it. I-I was figgerin' on lickin' you 'most to death, a few minutes back. Chum. Honest, I was. I'm clean 'shamed to lo

he soft ears and stroking the long, blazed muzzle. He was sick at hear

remember in all his two years of life. The sight of those queer sheep-yes, and the scent of them, espe

have liked to do to them. But he had known he and they ought to have some sort of relationship. And then at the gesture and the snarled command of "Go get them!" some

ations had they imbued their progeny with that accomplishment until it had become a primal instinct. Even as the unbroken pointer of t

is a mere perversion of this olden instinct; just as the disorderly "flushing" and scattering of bird coveys is a perversion of the pointer or setter instinct. Chum, luckil

e wit to know his master's sheep apart from all other sheep. Perhaps

s the achievement was all but supernatur

old. By the time he and the dog were within a hundred yards of the pasture gate Chum began to dance, from sheer anticip

t the dog sped into the broad field and among the grazing sheep

each evening for Link to collect them and start them on their way. To-day, in less than three

as in the morning. They seemed to have learned-if indeed a sheep c

le were at graze. Three of the cows were waiting at the bars for him, but one heifer a

cres of undergrowth for his two missing cattle. An inspiration came to him. Pointing to the three sto

'em! Brin

rlier exploits by giving him a job beyond his skill. And this time Chum did not flash forward with hi

d the woods. Link gave chase. He had not gone three steps before Chum caught the idea. Whirling past Ferris he hea

hundred yards away, a second cowbell sounded in answer. At this distant tinkle Chum evidently gras

. After depositing her, sulky and plunging, at the bars, Chum vanished again-in apparent response t

uiet. You can't run 'em like you run sheep an' yearlin's. But apart from that, you sure done grand. You can lop off an hour a day of my work if I c'n send you reg'lar for the critters.

in Link's routine. Not only did the money for his hard-raised farm products mean a replenishing of the always scant larder and an easing of the chronic fiscal

uence, he had a dollar or two more on hand than was usual at such times. This wealth was swelled still fu

a real celebration. And Link looked forward with a

time from. Not a miserable half-jag, stopped in mid-career by lack of funds and of credit-a nipped-in-the-bud debauch, such as so often had sent him hom

he had every hope of being, someone might take advantage of his condition to steal his precious dog. Therefore Chum was best left safe at home. This Link e

find a loving friend waiting to welcome him on his return. What with ready money and a real friend and

ll, order his new supplies-and then, with a free heart, sally forth to the Hampton tavern. But to-night, having money in his pocket

men he knew and bade them line up at the bar with him. After the second drink he prepared to leave. To the tavern's proprietor, who was mildly sur

He passed the indorsed check across the bar and received for it a comfortably large wad of wilted greenbacks which he proceeded

king at a corner table, bore down upon Link right lovingly; and recalled themselves t

and he did not like to hurt these cordial revelers' feelings by disclaiming knowledge of them. Especially when

Once or twice Ferris made halfhearted proffers to do some of the buying. But such hints seemed to hurt his

y. They listened with astonished admiration to his boastful recital of Chum's cleverness. One of them, who, it seemed, was an expert in dog lore, told him how to teach the

lies to order. So he announced that he must go. The store, he knew, closed at nine. He looked up at the barroom clock. But its

the tavern, with one of the two walking on either side of him. He was glad to be in the center of the trio; for, as the

toward him as he debouched from the doorway. The reason he stumbled over it was that the creature, which had bounded so rapturously toward

midnight. He started toward the store. At least that was the direction he planned to take. But when, at the end of five minutes, he found he wa

rris's legs went from under him. The jar of his fall shook from him a fraction of his drunkenness, and it gave him enou

sparse wealth. The intruder's touch awakened him to a drowsy sense of pe

rted signal, threw themselves upon him. With a yell of a