\"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!\"