"TakeMr。Gault’scheckandgo，"commandedMarden，thrustingtheslipofpaperatLink。"Ithinkthereisnothingmoretosay。I

haveanappointmentat——"

Hehesitated。Regardlessoftheothers’presence，Ferrisdroppedtoonekneebesidetheuncomprehendingdog。WithhisarmaboutChum’sneck，hebentclosetothecollie’searandwhispered：

"Good—by，Chummie!It’sgood—by，ferkeeps，too。Don’tyougettothinkin’I’vegonean’desertedyou，norgottiredofyou，nornothnn’，Chum。BecauseI’dadam’sightrutherleaveoneofmytwolegsherethantoleaveyou。I——IguessonlyGawdrightlyknowsallyoudoneferme，Chum。ButIain’ta—goin’tofergetnoneofit。Lord，butit’sgoin’tobeprettyturrible，tohome，withoutyou!"Hegottohisfeet，winkingbackamistfromhisredeyes，andturningblindlytowardthedoor。

"Here!"boomedMardenafterhim。"You’veforgottenyourcheck。"

"Idon’taimtotakenomeaslymoneyfergivin’uptheonlyfriendIgot!"snarledLinkoverhisshoulder。"Keepit——feratip!"

Itwasagoodexitline。Butitwasspoiled。Because，asFerrisreachedthedoorandgropedforitsknob，Chumwasbesidehim——gladtogetoutofthisuncongenialassemblyandtobealonewiththemasterwhoseemedsounhappyandsodirelyinneedofconsolation。Linkstiffenedtohisfullheight。Withonehandlovinglylaidonthecollie’ssilkenhead，hemumbled：

"No，Chum，youcan’tcomealong。Back，boy!StayHERE!"

LoweringatGault，headded：

"Heain’tneverbeenhit，noryetsworeat。An’hedon’tneedtobe。Treathimnice，likehe’susedtobein’treated。An’don’tgetsoreonhimifhemopesferme，jes’atfust。Becausehe’ssureto。Dogsain’tlikefolks。Theygothearts。Folkshasonlygotsouls。Iguessdogshasthebestofit，atthat。"

Ferrisswungopenthedoorandstumbledout，nottrustinghimselfforabackwardglanceatthewistfullygrieveddoghehadleftbehind。

Lurchinglyhemadeoff，acrossthelawnandoutthroughthewicket。Hewasnumbandsick。Hemovedmechanicallyandwithnoconsciouspowerofthoughtoroflocomotion。

Outinthehighroad，ahominginstinctguidedhisleadenfeetinthedirectionofHampton。Andheploddeddazedlytheinterminablefourmilesthatseparatedhimfromhisdesolatefarm。

Asheturnedinathisowngate，hewasawareofapoignantdreadthatpiercedhisnumbness。Andheknewitforadreadofenteringthehouseandoffindingnoonetowelcomehim。Settinghisteethhewentforward，unlockedthedoorandstampedintothesilentkitchen。

Uponthetablehedumpedthepaper—swathedcuphehadbeencarryingunnoticedunderhisarm。Besideithethrewthelittlepursefullofgoldpiecesandthewadofprizeribbons。Steppingback，hisfootstrucksomething。Helookeddownandsawitwasagay—coloredrubberballhehadbought，monthsago，forChum——thedog’sfavoriteplaything。

Hisfacetwisting，Linksnatcheduptheballandwentoutontothestepstothrowitfaroutofsight；thatitmightnomoreremindhimofthepetwhohadsooftencoaxedhimtotossitforretrieval。

Ferrishurledtheballfaroutintothegarden。Asthemissilelefthishandanexultantbarkre—echoedthroughthesilenceofthesunset。Chum，whohadbeentrottingdemurelyupthewalk，spranggleefullyinpursuitoftheball，andpresentlycamegallopingbacktothedazedlyincredulousLink，withthemany—coloredsphereofrubberbetweenhisjaws。

Chumhadhadnotroubleatallincatchinghismaster’strailandfollowingithome。Hewouldhaveovertakentheslow—slouchingFerris，hadhebeenabletoslipoutoftheclubhousesooner。Andnowitpleasedhimtobewelcomedbythisevidentinvitationtoagameofball。

Linkgaveagulpingcryandburiedbothhandsinthecollie’sruff，staringdownatthedancingdoginanagonyofrapture。

Then，allatonce，hismusclestensed，andhisnewlyflushedfacewentgreen—whiteagain。

"I——Iguesswegottoplayitsquare，Chum!"hemutteredaloud，withsomethinglikeagroan。"Iwasblattin’to’em，upthere，howyou’dmadeawhitemanofme。An’areg’larwhitemandon’tkeepwhatain’thisownprop’ty。Comealong，Chummie!"

Hisjawverytense，hisbackpainfullystiff，Linkstrodeheavilydownthelaneandoutintothehighroad。Chum，alwayseagerforawalkwithhisgod，friskedabouthimindelight。

HehadtraversedthebulkofthedistancetoCraigswold，thedogbesidehim，whenherememberedthathehadlefthishorseandbuggyattheliverystablethereinthemorning。Well，thatwouldsavehisachingfeetafour—milewalkhome。Inthemeantime——

HeandChumsteppedtotheroadsidetoavoidafast—travelinglittlemotorcarwhichwasbearingdownonthemfromthedirectionofCraigswold。

Thecardidnotpassthem。Instead，itcametoagear—rackinghaltclosebesideFerris。Link，glancingupindulllackofinterest，beheldGaultandthelatter’sdaughterstaringdownathim。

"Chumcamehome，"saidFerris，scowlingatthem。"Hetrailedme。

Don’tlickhimferit!He’sonlyadog，an’hedidn’tknownobetter。Iwasbringin’himbacktoyou。"

Thegirllookedsharplyatherfather。Gaultfidgeteduneasily，ashehaddoneonceortwicethatafternoonintheclubhouse。Andheavoidedhisdaughter’sgaze。SosheturnedherleveleyesonLink。

"Mr。Ferris，"shesaidveryquietly，"doyoumeantosay，whenthisdogcamebacktoyou，youwereactuallygoingtoreturnhimtous，insteadofhidinghimsomewheretillthesearchwasover？"

"I’mhere，ain’tI？"counteredFerrisdefiantly。

"Butwhy？"sheinsisted。"WHY？"

"BecauseI’mafool，Is’pose，"hegrowled。"IguessChumwouldn’tcaremuch’boutlivin’withathief。Takehimuptherewithyouontheseat。Don’tlethimfallout。An’"——hisvoicescalingahalfoctaveinitspain——"keephimtohomeafterthis。

Iain’tnomeaslyangel。Ican’tswearI’dhavethegrittofetchhimbackanothertime。"

Hestopped，tonoteacuriousphenomenon。Therewereactuallytearsinthegirl’sbiggraveeyes。Linkwonderedwhy。Thenshesaid：

"Cavalierisn’tmyfather’sdog。Heismine。Myfathergavehimtomewhenheboughthim，lastspring。ColonelMardenseemedtohaveforgottenthatto—day。AndIdidn’twanttostartasquabblebyremindinghimofit。Afterall，it’smyfather’saffair，andmine。Nobodyelse’s。MyfathergotmeanothercollielastspringtotakeCavalier’splace。AcollieI’meversofondof。SoI

don’tneedCavalier。Idon’twanthim。Itriedtofindyoutotellyouso。Butyouhadgone。SoIgotmyfathertodrivemetoyourplace。We’dhavestartedsooner，butCavaliergotaway。Andwewaitedtolookforhim——tobringhimalong。"

"Bringhimalong？"mutteringlyechoedtheblankbrainedLink。

"Whatfer？"

"Why，"laughedthegirl，"becauseyourhouseiswherehebelongsandwhereheisgoingtolive。Justashehasbeenlivingallsummer。

Ferriscaughthisbreathinachokedwheezeofunbelievingecstasy。

"Gawd!"hebreathed。"GAWD!"

Then，hestammeredbrokenly"They——theydon’tseemnorightwordsto——tothankyouin，Ma’am。

Butmaybeyouund’standwhatI’dwanttosayifIcould？"

"Yes，"shesaidgently。"IthinkIunderstand。IunderstoodfromtheminuteIsawyouandthedogtogether。That’swhyIdecidedI

didn’twanthim。That’swhyI——"

"An’you’llgetthatthousanddollars!"criedLink，hisfingersburiedrapturouslyinChum’sfur。"Ev’rycentofit。I——"

"Ithink，"interruptedthegirl，winkingveryfast。"IthinkI’vegotwhatIwanted，already。Myfatherdoesn’twantthemoneyeither。Doyou，Dad？"

"Oh，forheaven’ssake，stoprubbingitin!"fumedGault。"Comeonhome!It’sgettingcold。IoughttothanktheLordfornothavingyouanywherenearmeinWallStreet，girl!You’dsendmeunderthehammerinaweek。"

Hekickedtheaccelerator，andthelittlecarwhizzedoffinthetwilight。

"Chum，"observedFerris，gapingafterit。"Chum，IguessthegoodLordbuiltthatgalthesamedayHebuiltYOU。IfHedid——well，Hesuredoneonegrandday’swork!"

CHAPTERIV。TheChoiceLuckhadcomeatlasttotheFerrisfarm。Link’scashwentintoimprovementsontheplace，insteadofgoingintothedeterioratingofhisinnerman。Andheworkedthebetter。Asulkymaniseverpronetobeaninefficientman。AndLinknolongersulked。

Allthis—combinedwithawholesaleboominlocalagriculture，andespeciallyintruckgardening——hadwroughtwondersinLink’sfarmandinLink’sbankaccount。WithinthreeyearsofFerris’smeetingwithChumtheplace’slastmortgagewaswipedoutandascoreofneededrepairsandimprovementswereinstalled。AlsothemanhadasmallbutsteadilygrowingsumtohiscreditinaPatersonsavingsbank。

Lifeonthefarmwasmightypleasant，nowadays。Workwashard，ofcourse，butitwasbringingresultsthatmadeitmorethanworthwhile。Ferrisandhisdogwerelivingonthefatoftheland。Andtheywerehappy。

Thencametheinterruptionthathadbeeninevitablefromtheveryfirst。

Ataciturnandeternallydead—brokeman，inaruralregion，neednotfearintrusiononhisprivacy。Convivialfolkmakedetoursroundhim，asifhewereamudpuddle。Thriftierandmorerespectableneighborseyehimaskanceoreyehimnotatall。

Butwhenameedofpermanentsuccesscomestosuchamanheneednolongerbelonelyunlesshesowills。Whichisnotcynicism，butcommonsense。Theconvivialelementwillstillfightshyofhim。Butheiswelcomedintothecircleoftherespectable。

SoitwaswithLinkFerris。Ofoldhehadbeenknownasashiftlessandharddrinkingmountaineerwithasourfarmthatwasplasteredwithmortgages。Now，hehadclearedoffhismortgagesandhadcleaneduphisfarm；andheandhishomeexudedanincreasingprosperity。

People，meetinghiminthenearbyvillageofHamptonoratchurch，begantotreathimwithaconsiderationthatthelong—alooffarmerfoundbewildering。

Yethelikeditratherthannot；beingatheartagregarioussoul。Andwithgrufffriendlinesshemettheadvancesofwell—to—doneighborswhoinolddayshadscarcefavoredhimwithanod。

ThegradualchangefromtheisolatedlifeofformeryearsdidnotmakeanysortofahitwithChum。Thecolliehadbeenwellcontenttowanderthroughtheday’sworkathismaster’sheels；

tobringinthesheepandthecattlefrompasture；toguardthefarmfromintruders——humanorotherwise。

IntheeveningsithadbeensweettoloungeatLink’sfeet，onthelittlewhiteporch，inthesummerdusk；ortolieindrowsycontentinfrontoftheglowingkitchenstoveonicynightswhenthegalescreechedthroughthenakedboughsofthedooryardtreesandthesnowscratchedhungrilyatthewindowpanes。

Now，thedog’ssensitivebrainwasawareofasubtlealteration。

Hedidnotobjectverymuchtotheoccasionalvisitsatthehouseofotherfarmersandtownsfolkduringtheerstwhilequietevenings，althoughhehadbeenhappierintheyearsofpeacefulseclusion。

Buthegrievedathismaster’sincreasinglyfrequentabsencesfromhome。Nowadays，onceortwiceaweek，Linkwaswonttodresshimselfinhisbestassoonastheday’sworkwasdone，andfareforthtoHamptonfortheevening。

SometimesheletChumgowithhimintheseoutings。Ofteneroflatehehadsaid，ashestartedout：

"Notto—night，Chummie。Stayhere。"

Obedientlythebigdogwouldlayhimselfdownwithasighontheporchedge；hisheadbetweenhiswhitelittleforepaws；hissorrowfulbrowneyesfollowingtheprogressofhismasterdownthelanetothehighroad。

Buthegrieved，asonlyasensitivehighbreddogcangrieve——adogwhoasksnothingbetteroflifethanpermissiontoliveandtodieatthesideofthemanhehaschosenashisgod；tofollowthatgodoutintorainorchill；tostarvewithhim，ifneedbe；

tosufferathishands——inshort，todoortobeanythingexcepttobeseparatedfromhim。

LinkFerrishadgottenintothehabitofleavingChumaloneathome，oftenerandofteneroflate，ashisowneveningabsencesfromthefarmgrewmoreandmorefrequent。

HeleftChumathomebecauseShedidnotlikedogs。

"She"wasDorcasChatham，thedaughterofHampton’spostmasterandgeneralstorekeeper。

OldManChathaminformerdayswouldhavewelcomedCalWhitson，theofficialvillagesouse，tohishomeasreadilyashewouldhaveadmittedthene’er—do—wellLinkFerristothatsanctuary。

ButoflatehehadnotedthegrowingimprovementinLink’sfortunes，asevidencedbyhislargerstoretrade，hisinvariablecashpaymentsandthefrequentmoneyorderswhichwentinhisnametothePatersonsavingsbank。

Wherefore，whenDorcasmetLinkatachurchsociableandagainonastrawrideandaskedhimtocomeandseehersometime，hersiremadenoobjection。Indeedhewelcomedthebashfulcallerwithsomethinglikeanapproachtocordiality。

Dorcaswasacalm—eyed，efficientdamsel，morethanalittlepretty，andwithmuchreposeofmanner。LinkFerris，fromthefirst，eyedherwithacertainawe。Whenamysticgrowingattractionwasaddedtothisandwhenitinturnmergedintolove，thesenseofawewasnotlost。Ratheritwasstrengthened。

Inallhisthirty—oneleanandlonelyyearsLinkhadneverbeforefalleninlove。Attheagewhenmostyouthsaresighingoversomewondergirl，hehadbeentoobusyfightingoffbankruptcyandstarvationtohavetimeorthoughtforsuchthings。

Wherefore，whenloveatlastsmotehimitsmotehimhard。Anditfoundhimwoefullyunpreparedforthebattle。

Heknewnothingofwomen。Hedidnotknow，forexample，whattheaverageyouthfindsoutinhisteens——thatgraveeyesandsilentaloofnessandloftyself—willandicypietisminamaidendonotalwayssignifythatsheisasaintandthatshemustbeworshipedassuch。Ferrishadnoonetotellhimthatfaroftenerthesesignspointmerelytostupidnarrownessandtolackofideas。

Dorcaswascleverathousework。Shewasquietlyself—assured。Shewasgoodtolookupon。ShewasnotlikeanyofthefewgirlsLinkhadmet。Whereforehebuiltforherasacredshrineinhisinnermostheart；andhekneltbeforeherimagethere。

IfFerrisfoundherdifferentfromtheotherHamptongirls，Dorcasfoundhimequallydifferentfromthelocalswainssheknew。Sherecognizedhishiddenstrength。Thematernalelementinhernaturesympathizedwithhislonelinessandwiththemarksithadleftuponhissoul。

Fortherest——hewasneitheravillagecut—uplikeConSkerly，norasolemnmassofconceitlikeRoyalCrews；norpatronizinglikeyoungLawyerWetherell；norvaguelyrepulsivelikeoldCap’nBaldyTodd，whocamefurtivelya—courtingher。Linkwasdifferent。Andshelikedhim。Shelikedhimmoreandmore。

OnceherparentstookDorcasandherfive—year—oldsister，Olive，onaSundayafternoonramble，whichledeventuallytotheFerrisfarm。Linkwelcomedthechancecallersgladly，andshowedthemovertheplace。Dorcas’shousewifelyeyerejoicedinthewell—kepthouse，evenwhileshefrownedinwardlyatitsthousandsignsofbachelorinefficiency。Thestockandthecrops，too，spokeofsolidindustry。

Butsheshrankbackinsuddenrevoltasahugetawnycolliecameboundingtowardherfromthefoldwherehehadjustmarshaledthesheepforthenight。Thedogwasbeautiful。Andhemeanthernoharm。Heeventriedshylytomakefriendswiththetallandgrave—eyedguest。Dorcassawallthat。Yetsheshrankfromhimwithinstinctivefear——inspiteofit。

Asachildshehadbeenbitten——andbittenbadly——byanondescriptmongrelthathadbeenchasedintotheChathambackyardbyacrowdofstone—throwingboys，andwhichshehadsoughttooustwithastickfromitshidingplaceunderthesteps。SincethenDorcashadhadanunconquerablefearanddislikeofdogs。Thefeelingwasunconquerablebecauseshehadmadenoefforttoconquerit。Shehadhenceforthjudgedalldogsbytheonewhoseteethmarkshadleftalifelongscaronherwhiteforearm。

ShehadthegoodbreedingnottoletFerrisseeherdistasteforhispetthathewasjustthenexhibitingsoproudlytotheguests。Hershrinkingwasimperceptible，eventoalover’ssolicitouseye。ButChumnotedit。Andwithacollie’soddsixthsenseheknewthisintruderdidnotlikehim。

NotthatheraversiontroubledChumatall；butitpuzzledhim。

PeopleasarulewereeffusivelyeagertomakefriendswithChum。

And——beingultraconservative，likethebesttypeofcollie——hefoundtheirhandlingandotherattentionsannoying。HehadtakenalikingtoDorcas，atsight。ButsinceshedidnotreturnthislikingChumwaswellcontenttokeepawayfromher。

Hewasthemorecontent，becausefive—year—oldOlivehadflungherself，withloudsquealsofrapture，bodilyonthedog；andhadclaspedherfatlittlearmsadoringlyroundhismassivefurrythroatinanecstasyofdelight。

Chumhadneverbeforebeenbroughtintosuchclosecontactwithachild。AndLinkwatchedwithsomeslightperturbationthebaby’sonslaught。ButinamomentFerris’smindwasatrest。

Atfirsttouchofthebaby’sfingersthecolliehadbecomeonceandforallOlive’sslave。Hefairlyreveledinthediscomfortinglytightcaress。Thetugofthelittlehandsinhissensitiveneckfurwasblisstohim。Wigglingalloverwithhappinesshesoughttolickthechubbyfacepressedsotightagainsthisruff。FromthatinstantChumhadadividedallegiance。HishumangodwasFerris。Butthisfluffypink—and—whiteyoungsterwasamightyclosesecondinhislistofdeities。

Dorcaslookedon，tremblingwithfear；asherlittlesisterrompedwiththeadoringdog。Andsheheavedasighofreliefwhenatlasttheywereclearofthefarmwithoutmishaptothebaby。

ForOlivehadbeendearertoDorcas，frombirth，thananyoneoranythingelseonearth。TothebabysisteraloneDorcasceasedtobethegrave—eyedandself—assuredLadyofQuality，andbecameameekandworshipingdevotee。

WhenLinkFerrisatlastmusteredcouragetoaskDorcasChathamtomarryhimhisformofproposalwouldhavebeenruledoutofanynovelorplay。Itconsistedchieflyofamouthfulofhalf—swallowed，half—explodedwords，spokenallinonepanicbreath，totheaccompanimentofamortalfearthatshookhimtothemarrow。

Anyotherwords，thusmouthedandgargled，wouldhaverequiredafullcollegeoflanguagestotranslatethem。ButthespeechwasalongalineperfectlyfamiliartoeverywomansinceEve。AndDorcasunderstood。ShewouldhaveunderstoodhadLinkvoicedhisproposalintheChoctawdialectinsteadofaslurringlymumbledtravestyonEnglish。

Theman’sstarkearnestnessofentreatysentaqueerfluttertotheverydepthsofhercalmsoul。Buttheflutterfailedtoreachortotitillatethesteadyeyes。Nordiditcreepintothelevelandself—possessedvoice，asDorcasmadequietanswer：

"Yes。IlikeyoubetterthananyothermanIknow。AndI’llmarryyou，ifyou’reperfectlysureyoucareformethatway。"

No，itwasnotthesortofreplyJulietmadetothesamequestion。ItismorethandoubtfulthatCleopatraansweredthus，whenAntonyofferedtothrowawaytheworldforhersake。Butitwasawhollycorrectandself—respectingresponse。AndDorcashadbeenrehearsingitfornearlyaweek。

Moreover，wordsareofuse，merelyastheyaffecttheirhearers。

AndallthepassionpoetryofmenandofangelscouldnothavethrilledLinkFerrisasdidDorcas’scorrectanddemureassenttohisfrenziedlygabbledplea。Itwentthroughthelovesickman’sbrainandheartlikethebreathofGod。

Andthusthecouplebecameengaged。

WithonlyaslightdiminishingofhisearlierfeardidLinkseekoutOldManChathamtoobtainhisconsenttothematch。Dizzywithjoyandreliefhelistenedtothatvillageworthy’sungraciousassentalsosecretlyrehearsedforsomedays。

ForthebestpartofamonththereafterLinkFerrisfloatedthroughauniverseofroseatelightsandsoftmusic。

Thencamethejarofawakening。

ItwasoneSaturdayevening，aweekorsobeforethedatesetforthewedding。Dorcasbroachedathemewhichhadbeenmuchinhermindsincethebeginningoftheengagement。Sheapproacheditverytactfullyindeed，leadinguptoitintruefemininefashionbymeansofacunninglydevisedseriesoflevelswhichwouldhavebeenthedespairofaminingengineer。Havingpavedthewaysheremarkedcarelessly：

"JohnIglehartwasatthestoreto—day，fathersays。He’scrazyaboutthatbigcollieofyours。"

InstantlyLinkwasfullofgladinterest。IthadbeenasorrowtohimthatDorcasdidnotlikedogs。Shehadexplainedherdislike——purelyongeneralprinciples——earlyintheiracquaintance，andhadtoldhimofitsorigin。LinkwascertainshewouldcometoloveChum，onintimateacquaintance。IntheinterimhedidnotseektoforceherlikingbybringingthecollietotheChathamhousewhenhecalled。

Linkdidnotbelieveincrossingabridgeuntilhecametoit。

TherewouldbeplentyoftimeforDorcastomakefriendswithChuminthelongandhappydaystocome。Yet，now，herejoicedthatsheherselfshouldhavebeenthefirsttobroachthesubject。

"FathersaysJohniswildaboutChum，"wentonthegirlunconcernedly；adding，"Bytheway，Johnaskedfathertotellyouhe’dbegladtopayyou$100forthedog。It’sasplendidoffer，isn’tit!Thinkofallthethingswecangetforthehousewith$100，Link!Why，itseemsalmostprovidential，doesn’tit？FathersaysJohnisinearnestaboutittoo。He——"

"Inearnest，hey!"snappedFerris，findinghisvoiceafteraninstantofutteramazement。"InEARNEST!Well，that’srealgrandofhim，ain’tit!I’dbeinearnest，too，ifIwastobidtencentsforthebestfarminPassaicCounty。Butthefellerwhoownedthefarmwouldn’tbeinearnest。He’dbetakingitasafinejoke。LikeIdo，whenJohnnyIgleharthasthenervetooffer$100foradogthatwouldn’tbeworthacentless’n$600——evenifhewasforsale。Why，thatcollieofmine——"

"Ifheisworth$600，"suggestedDorcasicily，"you’dbetternotloseanytimebeforeyoufindsomeonewhowillpaythatforhim。

He’snousetous。And$600istoomuchmoneytocarryonfourlegs。He——"

"Nousetous？"echoedLink。"Why，Chum’sworththepayofahiredmantome，besidesallthefondnessI’vegotforhim!Hehandlesthesheep，andhe——"

"Soyou’vetoldme，"interposedDorcaswithnoshowofinterest。

"Irememberthefirstfewtimesyoucametoseemeyoudidn’ttalkofanythingelse，hardly，exceptthatdog。Everybodysaysthesamething。It’sajokeallthroughHampton，thesillywayyou’reforeversinginghispraises。"

"Whyshouldn’tI？"demandedLinksturdily。"There’snotadandier，betterpalanywhere，thanwhatChum’sbeentome。He——"

"Yes，yes，"assentedDorcas，"Iknow。Idon’tdoubtit。But，afterall，he’sonlyadog，youknow。Andifyoucangetagoodpriceforhim，asyousay，thentheonlythingtodoistosellhim。Inhardtimeslikethese——"

"Timesain’thard，"deniedLinktersely。"AndChumain’tforsale。That’sallthereistoit。"

Ifoneofherfather’ssleekcarthorseshadsuddenlywalkedoutofitsstallwithashouteddemandthatitbeallowedtodothedriving，henceforth，andthatitsownersdothehauling，DorcasChathamcouldnothavebeenmuchmoresurprisedthanatthisunlooked—forspeechfromherhumblesuitor。

Uptonow，LinkFerrishadtreatedthegirlasthoughhewereunworthytobreathethesameairasherself。Hehadbeenpatheticallyeagertoconcedeanyandeverymootedpointtoher，withaservileabasementwhichhadrousedhercontempt，evenwhileithadgratifiedhersenseofpower。

ShehadapproachedwithtactthesubjectofChum’sdisposal。ButshehaddonesowithaviewtothesavingofLink’sfeelings，notwiththefaintestideathatherlove—bemusedslavecouldventuretoopposeher。Sheknewhisfondnessforthedogandshehadnotwishedtobringmatterstoanissue，iftactwouldserveaswell。

Topunishherserfandtocrushrebelliononceandforall，aswellastobeavengedforherwasteddiplomacy，Dorcascastasideherkindlierintentanddrovestraighttothepoint。Hercalmtemperwasruffled，andshespokewithanewheat：

"ThereissomethingyouandImayaswellsettle，hereandnow，Link，"shesaid。"Itwillsavebickeringsandmisunderstandings，lateron。I’vetoldyouhowIhatedogs。Theyaresavageandtreacherousand——"

"Chumain’t!"declaredLinkstoutly。

"Why，thatdog——"

"Ihatedogs，"shewenton，"andI’mhorriblyafraidofthem。I

won’tliveinthesamehousewithone。Idon’twanttohurtyourfeelings，Link，butyou’llhavetogetridofthatgreatbrownbrutebeforeyoumarryme。Thatispositive。Sopleaselet’ssaynomoreaboutit。"

Themanwasstaringatherwithunderjawajar。Hersharpairoffinalitygratedonhiseverynerve。HerultimatumconcerningChumlefthimdumfounded。Butheforcedhimselftorallytothedefense。

Thisglorioussweetheartofhisdidnotunderstanddogs。Hehadhopedtoteachherlatertolikeandappreciatethem。ButapparentlyshemustbetaughtatoncethatChumcouldnotbesoldandthatthecolliemustremainanhonoredmemberoftheFerrishousehold。Marshalinghisfactsandhiswords，hesaid：

"InevertoldyouaboutthetimeIwascomingbackhomeonenightfromthetavernhereatHampton，afterI’djustcashedmypaycheckfromthePat’sonmarket。I’veneverblabbedmuchaboutit，becauseIwasdrunk。Yes，itwasbackinthemdays。JustafterI’dgotChum。Acoupleoffellershadgotmedrunk。Andtheysetonmeinalonesomepatchoftheroadbythelake；andtheyhadmedownandwastakingthemoneyawayfromme，whenChumsailedintothemanddruvthemoff。Hehadfolleredme，withoutmeknowing。InthescrimmageIgottumbledheadfirstintothelake。

Iwastoodrunktogetout，andmyheadwasstuckinthemud，’wayunderwater。I’d’a’drownedifChumhadn’tofpulledmeoutwithhisteethintheshoulderofmycoat。Andthat’sthedogyou’rewantingmetosell？"

"Youaren’tlikelytoneedsuchhelpagain，Ihope，"counteredthegirlloftily，"nowthatyouhavestoppeddrinkingandmadeamanofyourself。SoChumwon’tbeneededfor——"

"Istoppeddrinking，"answeredLink，"becauseIgottoseeinghowmuchmoreofabeastIwasthanthefinecleandogthatwaslivingwithme。Hemademefeel’shamedofmyself。Andhewassuchgoodcomp’nyroundthehousethatIdidn’tgetlonesomeenoughtosneakdowntothetavernallthetime。Itwasn’tmethat’madeamanofmyself。’ItwasChummadeamanofme。Maybethatsoundsfoolishtoyou。But——"

"Itdoes，"saidDorcasserenely。"Veryfoolishindeed。Youdon’tseemtorealizethatadogisonlyananimal。Ifyoucangetanicehomeforthecollie——suchasJohnIglehartwillgivehim——"

"Iglehart!"ragedLink，momentarilylosingholdoverhimself。"Ifthatmangy，wall—eyedslobcomesslinkingroundmyfarmagain，makingfriendswithChum，I’llsickthedogontohim；andhavehimrunIglehartallthewaytohisownshack!He’s——!There!I

didn’tmeantocutlooselikethat!"hebrokeoffatDorcas’sshudderofdismay。"OnlyitrilesmesomethingterribletohavehimtryingtogetChumawayfromme。"

"Thereisnooccasiontogolosingyourtemperandshouting，"

reprovedthegirl。"Nothingistobegainedthatway。Besides，thatisn’tthepoint。Thepointisthis，sinceyouforcemetosayit：Youmustgetridofthatdog。Andyoumustdoitbeforeyoumarryme。Iwon’tsetfootinyourhouseuntilyourdogisgone——andgoneforgood。Iamsorrytospeakso，butithadtobesaid。"

Shepausedtogiveherslaveachancetowilt。ButLinkonlysat，blank—faced，staringather。Hismindwasinamuddle。Allhisnarrowworldwasupsidedown。Hecouldn’tmakehisbraingraspinfullthesituation。

AllhecouldvisualizefortheinstantwasashadowymentalimageofChum’sexpectantface；thetulipearsprickedforward，expectant；thejaws"laughing"；thedeepsetbrowneyesabrimwithgayaffectionanddeathlessloyaltyforthemanwhowasnowaskedtogetridofhim。Itdidn’tmakesense。HalfunderhisbreathLinkFerrisbegantotalk——orrathertoramble。

"Therewasoneofthebooksovertothelib’ry，"heheardhimselfmeanderingon，"withaqueerstoryinit。Igottoreadingitthrough，onenightlastwinter。Itwasaboutafellernamed’Fed’rigo。’Awopofsomekind，Iguess。Hegotsoharduphedidn’thaveanythingleftbutapetfalcon。Whateverafalconmaybe。Whateveritwas，itmust’abeengoodtoeat。Buthesetaheapofstorebyit。Himanditwaschums。SameasmeandChumare。Thenalongcomealadyhewasinlovewith。Andshestoppedtohishousefordinner。Therewasn’tanythinginthehousefitforhertoeat。Sohefedherthefalcon。Killedthepetthatwashischum，so’shecouldfeedthedamehewasstuckon。Ithought，whenIreadit，thatthatfellerwasmorekindsofaswinethanI’dhavetimetotellyou。Buthewasn’tanyworse’nI’dbeifI

wasto——"

"I’msorryyoucaresolittleforme，"intervenedDorcas，hervoiceverysweetandverycold，andherslendernosewhiteningalittleatthecornersofthenostrils。"Ofcourseifyoupreferamiserabledogtome，there’snothingmoretobesaid。I——"

"No!"almostyelledthemiserableman。"You’vegotmeallwrong，dearie。Honest，youhave。Can’tyouunderstand？Yourlittlefingermeansaheapmoretomethanev’rythingelsethereis——excepttherestofyou——"

"Andyourdog，"shesupplemented。

"No!"hedeniedfiercely。"Yougotnorighttosaythat!ButChum’sservedmefaithful。AndIcan’tkickhimoutlikehewasa——"

"Nowyouaregettingangryagain!"sheaccused，paleandfurious。

"Idon’tcaretobehowledat。Thecasestandslikethis：Youmustchoosewhethertogetridofthatdogortoloseme。Takeyourchoice。If——"

"Ireadinastorybookaboutafellerthathadathinglikethatputuptohim，"saidpoorLink，unabletobelieveshewasinearnest。"Hisgirlsaid：’Yougottachoosebetweenmeandtobacco。’Andhesaid：’I’llchoosetobacco。NotthatIvaluetobaccosoall—firedmuch，’hesays，’butbecauseagirl，who’dmakeamantakesuchachoice，ain’tworthgivinguptobaccofor。’Yousee，dearie，it’sthisway——"

"You’llhavethatdogoutofyourhouseandoutofyourpossession，insideoftwenty—fourhours，"shedecreed，thewhiteangerofagrave—eyedwomanmakinghercoldvoicevibrate，"oryouwilldropmyacquaintance。Thatisfinal。Andit’sdefinite。

Theengagementisover——untilIhearthatyourdogiskilledorgivenawayorsold。Goodnight!"

Shelefttheroominvindictivehaste。Sooverwhelminglyangrywasshethatsheclosedthedoorsoftlybehindher，insteadofslammingit。ThroughallhisswirlofmiseryLinkhadsenseenoughtonotethisfinalsymptomandwonderbitterlyatit。

Onhiswayoutofthehousehewashailedbyahighpitchedbabyvoicefromsomewhereabovehim。Olivehadcrawledoutofbed，andinherwhiteflannelpajamasshewasleaningovertheupperbalustrade。

"Link!"shecalleddowntothewretchedmanatthefrontdoor。

"WhenyouandDorcasgetsmarriedtogether，I’mcomin’tolivewivyou!ThenIcanplaywivChummieallIwantto!"

Linkboltedouttothestreetinthemidstofherannouncement。

And，sooccupiedwasheintryingtoswallowalumpinhisownthroat，hefailedtohearthesoundofstifledsobbingfrombehindalockeddoorsomewhereintheupperreachesofthehouse。

Asthenightworeon，thesleeplessgirlsoughttocomfortherselfinthethoughtthatLinkhadnotdefinitelyrefusedherterms。Anight’sreflectionandanattitudeofunbendingaloofnessonherownpartmightwellbringhimtoasurrender。

PerhapsitwassomethinginLinkFerris’sdejectedgait，asheturnedintohisownlanethatnight，perhapsitwastheinstinctwhichtellsacolliewhenalovedhumanisunhappy——butChumwasatonceawareofhismaster’swoe。Thedog，atfirstsoundofLink’sapproachingsteps，boundedfromhisvigilplaceontheporchandfriskedjoyouslythroughthedarknesstomeethim。Hesentforthatrumpetingbarkofwelcomeasheran。

Then——fiftyfeetfromtheoncomingman——thebigcolliehaltedandstoodforaninstantwithearscockedandeyestroubled。Afterwhichheresumedhisadvance；butatasolemntrotandwithdowncastmien。AshereachedLink，thecolliewhinedsoftlyunderhisbreath，gazingwistfullyupintoFerris’sfaceandthenthrustinghiscoldnoselovinglyintooneoftheman’sloose—

hanginghands。

Linkhadwincedvisiblyatsoundofthejubilantlywelcomingbark。Now，notingthesuddenchangeinthecollie’sdemeanor，hestoopedandcaughtthesilkenheadbetweenhishands。Thegesturewasrough，almostpainful。YetChumknewitwasacaress。Andhisdroopingplumeofatailbegantowaginresponse。

"Oh，CHUM!"exclaimedthemanwithsomethingakintoagroan。

"Youknowallaboutit，don’tyou，oldfriend？YouknowI’mthemiser’blestmaninNorthJersey。Youknowitwithoutmehavingtosayaword。Andyou’redoingyourlevelbesttocomfortme。Justlikeyoualwaysdo。Younevergetcranky；andyouneversayI

gottachoosebetwixtthisandthat；andyounevergetsoreatme。

You’rejustmychum。Andyou’refoolenoughtothinkI’mallright。YetshesaysIgottagetridofyou!"

Thedogpressedclosertohim，stillwhiningsoftlyandlickingtheroughlycaressinghands。

"What’mIgoingtodo，Chummie？"demandedLinkbrokenly。"What’mIgoingtodoaboutit？Is’poseanyotherfeller’dcallmeafool——likeshethinksIamandtellmetosellyou。Ifyouwassomedogs，that’dbeallright。ButnotwithYOU，Chum。Notwithyou。You’dmopeandgrieveforme，andyou’dbewond’ringwhyI’ddesertedyouafteralltheseyears。Andyou’dgettopiningandmaybegosick。Andthefellerthatboughtyouwouldn’tunderstand。Andmostlikelyhe’dwhaleyoufornotbeingmorechipper—like。Andyouhaven’teverbeenhit。I’d——I’dablame’

sightsoonershootyou，thantoletanyoneelsehaveyou，toabuseyouandletyoubeunhappyforme，Chum。Ablame’sightrather。"

Sidebysidetheymovedonintothedarkenedhouse。There，withthedogcurledathisfeet，LinkFerrislaybroadawakeuntilsunrise。

EarlythenextafternoonDorcasdecidedshestoodinneedofbrisk，outdoorexercise。Olivecamerunningdownthepathafterher，eagerlydemandingtobetakenalong。Dorcaswithmuchsternnessbadehergoback。Shewantedtobealone，unless——Butsherefusedtoadmittoherselfthattherewasany"unless。"

Olive，grievouslydisappointed，stoodonthesteps，watchingherbigsistersetoffuptheroad。ShesawDorcastaketherighthandturnatthefork。Thebaby’sfacecleared。NowsheknewinwhichdirectionDorcaswasgoing。ThatforkledtotheGlen。AndtheGlenwasafavoriteSundayafternoonrambleforLinkandChum。

Oliveknewthat，becausesheandDorcasmorethanoncehadwalkedthithertomeetthem。

Olivewaspleasantlyforgetfulofherparents’positivecommandthatsherefrainfromwalkingaloneonthemotor—infestedSundayroads。Shesetoffatafastjogtrotoverthenearbyhill，onwhoseothersiderantheGlenroad。

LinkFerris，withChumathisheels，wastrampingmoodilytowardtheGlen。Asheturnedintotheroadhepausedinhissullenwalk。There，strollingunconcernedly，someyardsinfrontofhim，wasatallgirlinwhite。Herbackwastowardhim。Yethewouldhaverecognizedheratahundredtimesthedistance。Chumknewher，too，forhewaggedhistailandstartedatafastertrottoovertakeher。

"Back!"calledLink。

Purposelyhespokeaslowaspossible。Butthedogheardandobeyed。Thegirl，too，startedalittle，andmadeasiftoturn。

Justthenensuedawildcracklinginthethickroadsidebusheswhichlinedthehillsidefromhighwaytocrest。Andawhite—cladlittlebunchofhumanitycamegallopingjubilantlyoutintotheroad，midwaybetweenDorcasandLink。

AttheroadedgeOlive’sstubbytoecaughtinanooseofblackberryvine。Astheyoungsterwasrunningfulltilt，herownimpetussentherrollingoverandoverintothecenterofthedustyturnpike。

Beforeshecouldgettoherfeetorevenstoprolling，atouringcarcameroundthebend，tenyardsaway——acarthatwastravelingataspeedofsomethinglikeforty—fivemilesanhour，andwhosefouroccupantsweresingingatthetopoftheirlungs。

LinkFerrishadscarcetimetotensehismusclesforafutilespring——Dorcas’sscreamofhelplessterrorwasstillunborn——whenthecarwasupontheprostratechild。

Andinthesamefractionofasecondafurrycatapultlauncheditselfacrossthewideroadataspeedthatmadeitlookliketawnyblur。

Chum’smadleapcarriedhimtothebabyjustasthecar’sfenderhungaboveher。Aslashinggripofhisteethintheshoulderofherwhitedressandalightningheaveofhismightyneckandshoulders——andthelittleformwashurtlingthroughtheairandintotheweed—filledwaysideditch。

InpracticallythesameinstantChum’sbodywhizzedintotheairagain。Butthistimebynoimpetusofitsown。Thehigh—poweredcar’sfenderhadstruckitfair，andhadtosseditintotheditchasthoughthedoghadbeenaheapofrags。

There——huddledandlifeless——sprawledthebeautifulcollie。Thecarputonanextraspurtofspeedanddisappearedroundthenextturn。

OlivewasonherfeetbeforeDorcas’sflyingstepscouldreachher。Unhurtbutvastlyindignant，thebabyopenedhermouthtomakewayforaseriesofhowls。Then，hereyefallingontheinertdog，sheranovertoChumandbegantocryouttohimtocometolifeagain。

"Nouseofthat，kid!"interposedLink，kneelingbesidethecolliehelovedandsmoothingthesoiledandrumpledfur。"It’seasiertodropoutoflifethanwhatitistocomebacktoitagain。Well，"hewentonharshly，turningtotheweepingDorcas，"thequestionhasanswereditself，yousee。Noneednowtotellmetogetridofhim。He’ssavedmethebother。Likehewasalwayssavingmebother。ThatbeingChum’sway。"

Somethinginhisthroatimpededhisfiercespeech。Andhebentoverthedogagain，hisroughhandssmoothingthepitifullystillbodywithlovingtenderness。Dorcas，weepinghysterically，fellonherkneesbesideChumandputherarmsaboutthehuddledshape。Sheseemedtobetryingtosaysomething，herlipsclosetooneofthefurrylittleears。

"Nouse!"brokeinFerris，hisvoiceasgratingasafile’s。"Hecan’thearyounow。Nogoodtotellhimyouhatedogs；orthatyou’regladyou’vesawthelastofhim。Evenifhewasalive，hewouldn’tunderstandthat。He’dneverbeenspoketothatway。"

"Don’t!Oh，don’t!"sobbedthegirl。"Oh，I’mso——"

"Ifyou’recryingforChum，"wentonthegratingvoice，"there’snoneedto。Hewasonlyjustadog。Hedidn’tknowanybetterbuttogethislifesmashedout’nhim，sosomebodyelsecouldgoonliving。Allheaskedwastobewithmeandworkformeandloveme。Afteryousaidhecouldn’tkeepondoingthat，thereain’tanygoodinyourcryingforhim。Itmustbenice——ifyou’llonlystopcryinglongenoughtothinkofit——toknowhe’soutofyourway。AndI’Moutofittoo!"hewentoninagustoffury。

"S’poseyoutwojusttoddleon，now，andleavemetotakehimhome。Igottherighttothat，anyhow。"

Hestoopedtopickupthedog；andhewinkedwithmuchrapiditytoholdbackanannoyingmistwhichcamebetweenhimandChum。

Hismouthcorners，too，weretwitchinginawaythatshamedhim。

Hehadababyishyearningtoburyhisfaceinhisdeadfriend’sfur，andcry。

"DON’T!"Dorcaswaswailing。"Oh，youcan’tpunishmeanyworsethanI’m——"

Hersob—brokenvoicescaledhighandswelledoutintoacryofstarkastonishment。SlowlyChumwasliftinghissplendidheadandblinkingstupidlyabouthim!

Thefenderhadsmittenthecolliejustbelowtheshoulder，inamassoffur—armoredmuscles。Infallingintothewaysideditchhisskullhadcomeintosharpcontactwitharock。Knockedsenselessbytheconcussion，hehadlainasdead，forthebestpartoffiveminutes。Afterwhichhehadcomeslowlytohissenses——bewildered，bruisedandsore，butotherwisenoworsefortheaccident。

Hecametohimselftofindaweepingwomanclutchinghimstranglinglyroundtheneck，whileshetriedtokisshisdust—smearedhead。

Chumdidnotcareatallforthistreatment，especiallyfromacomparativestranger。Buthesawhisadoredmasterlookingsoidioticallyhappy——overthatorsomethingelse——thatthedogforboretoprotest。

"Ifyoureallywantedhimputoutofthewaysobad——"beganLink，whenhecouldtrusthimselftospeak。

Hegotnofurther。DorcasChathamturnedonhimingenuinesavageness。Thebigeyeswerenolongergraveandpatronizing。

Theairofaloofnesshadfallenfromthegirllikeadiscardedgarment。

"Link!"sheblazed。"LinkFerris!Ifyoueverdarespeakaboutgettingridof——ofMYdog，——I’ll——I’llneverspeaktoyouagain，aslongas——aslongaswe’remarried!"

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