\"Givehimtime！\"sheurgedonce。\"Heisn\'tquitesixmonthsoldyet；andhehasgrownsoterriblyfast。Why，he\'sovertwofeettall，attheshoulder，evennow——muchbiggerthanmostfull-growncollies。ChampionHowgillRivalisspokenofasa\'big\'dog；yetheisonlytwenty-fourinchesattheshoulder，Mr。Leightonsays。
Surelyit\'ssomethingtoownadogthatissobig。\"
\"ItIS\'something，\'\"gloomilyconcededtheMaster。\"Inourcaseitisacatastrophe。Idon\'tsetuptobeanexpertjudgeofcollies，somaybeIamallwrongabouthim。I\'mgoingtogetprofessionalopinion，though。NextweektheyaregoingtohavethespringdogshowatHampton。It\'salittlehole-in-a-cornershow，ofcourse。ButSymondsistobetheall-aroundjudge，exceptforthetoybreeds。AndSymondsknowscollies，fromthegroundup。IamgoingtotakeBruceoverthereandenterhimforthepuppyclass。Ifheisanygood，Symondswillknowit。IfthedogisasworthlessasIthinkheis，I\'llgetridofhim。IfSymondsgivesanyhopeforhim，I\'llkeephimonawhilelonger。\"
\"But，\"venturedtheMistress，\"ifSymondssays\'Thumbsdown，\'
then——\"
\"ThenI\'llbuyapetarmadillooranornithorhynchusinstead，\"
threatenedtheMaster。\"EitherofthemwilllookmorelikeacolliethanBrucedoes。\"
\"I——IwonderifMr。Symondssmokes，\"musedtheMistressunderherbreath。
\"Smokes？\"echoedtheMaster。\"What\'sthatgottodowithit？\"
\"Iwasonlywondering，\"shemadehesitantanswer，\"ifaboxofverywonderfulcigars，senttohimwithourcards，mightn\'tperhaps——\"
\"It\'safinesportsmanlyproposition！\"laughedtheMaster。\"Whenwomengettorulingtheworldofsport，there\'llbenoneedofcomiccartoons。Genuinephotographswilldoaswell。Ifit\'sjustthesametoyou，deargirl，we\'llletSymondsbuyhisowncigars，forthepresent。Thedog-showgameisalmosttheonlyoneIknowofwhereajudgeispracticallyalwaysonthesquare。Peopledoubthisjudgment，sometimes，butthereispracticallyneveranydoubtofhishonesty。Besides，wewanttogettheexactdopeonBruce。（NotthatIhaven\'tgotit，already！）IfSymonds\'gates\'
him，I\'mgoingtoofferhimforsaleattheshow。Ifnobodybuyshimthere，I\'mgoing——\"
\"Hehasn\'tbeen\'gated\'yet，\"answeredtheMistressincalmconfidence。
Atthelittlespringshow，atHampton，ameagereightydogswereexhibited，ofwhichonlyninewerecollies。Thiscolliedivisioncontainednospecimenstostartlethedog-world。Mostoftheexhibitswerepets。Andlikenearlyallpets，theywere\"seconds\"——inotherwords，thelessdesirabledogsofthoroughbredlitters。
Hampton\'stownhallauditoriumwasfilledtoovercrowding，withamassofvisitorswhoparadedinterestedlyalongtheaislesbetweentheraisedrowsofstall-likebencheswherethedogsweretied；orwhogroupeddenselyaroundallfoursidesoftheropedjudging-ringinthecenterofthehall。
Foradogshowhasawel-nighuniversalappealtohumanityatlarge；evenasthelovefordogsisoneoftheprimalandfirm-
rootedhumanemotions。Notonlytheactualexhibitorandtheircountlessfriendsflocktosuchshows；butthepublicatlargeisdrawnthitherastonootherfunctionofthekind。
Horse-racing，itistrue，bringsoutacrowdmanytimeslargerthandoesadogshow。Butonlybecauseofthethrillofwinningorlosingmoney。Forwhereone\'ssparecashis，thereishisheartandhisall-absorbinginterest。Yetitisamatterofrecordthatgrassisgrowinghigh，ontherace-tracks，insuchstatesashavebeenabletoenforcetheanti-bettinglaws。The\"sportofkings\"
flourishesonlywherewagersmayaccompanyit。Removethebettingelement，andyouturnyourracetrackintoahugeanduntroddenlot。
Thereispracticallynobettingconnectedwithanydogshow。
Peoplegotheretoseethedogsandtowatchtheirjudging，andfornothingelse。Asarule，theshowisnotevenasocialevent。
Nevertheless，theaveragedogshowisthrongedwithspectators。
（TrytocrossMadisonSquareGarden，onWashington\'sBirthdayafternoon，whiletheWestminsterKennelClub\'sShowisinprogress。Ifyoucanworkyourwaythroughthepressofvisitorsinlessthanhalfanhour，thenNatureintendedyouforafootballchampion。）
Thefortunateabsenceofabetting-interestalonekeepssuchaffairsfrombecomingamongtheforemostsportingfeaturesoftheworld。Manyofthedogsonviewarefools，ofcourse。Becausemanyofthemhavebeenbredsolelywithaviewtoshow-points。
Andtheirownersandhandlershavedonenothingtoawakenintheirexhibitsthehalf-humanbrainandheartthatisadog\'sheritage。Allhasbeensacrificedto\"points\"——topointswhicharearbitraryandwhichchangeasfreakilyasdofashionsindress。
Forexample，afewyearsago，afinancialgiantcollectedandexhibitedoneofthefinestbunchesofcolliesonearth。Hehadacompetentmanagerandanarmyofkennel-mentohandlethem。Hetookinordinateprideinthesepricelesscolliesofhis。OnceI
watchedhim，attheGardenShow，displayingthemtosomeWallStreetfriends。Threetimeshemadeerrorsinnaminghisdogs。
Once，whenheleanedtooclosetothestarcollieofhiskennels，thedogmistookhimforastrangerandresentedtheintrusionbysnappingathim。Hedidnotknowhisownpets，onefromanother。
Andtheydidnotknowtheirowner，bysightorbyscent。
Atthesmallshows，thereisanatmospherewhollydifferent。Fewofthebigbreedersbothertocompeteatsuchcontests。Thedogsareforthemostpartpets，forwhichtheirownersfeelakeenpersonalaffection，andwhichhavebeenbroughtupasmembersoftheirmasters\'households。Thus，ifsmallshowsseldombringforthaworld-beatingdog，theyatleastarefullofcleverandhumanizedexhibitsandofmenandwomentowhomthesuccessorfailureoftheircaninefriendsisamatterofintensestpersonalmoment。Whereforethesmallshowoftengivesthebeholdersomethinghecanfindbutrarelyinalargerexhibition。
Afewdogsgenuinelyenjoyshows——oraresupposedto。Tomanyothersadogshowisahorror。
WhichwindydigressionbringsusbackbyprosydegreestoBruceandtotheHamptondogshow。
Thecollieswerethefirstbreedtobejudged。Andthepuppyclass，asusual，wasthefirsttobecalledtothering。
Therewerebutthreecolliepups，allmales。Onewasarangytri-
colorofelevenmonths，withafairheadandabadcoat。Thesecondwasanexquisitesix-monthspuppy，richofcoat，prematurelyperfectofhead，andcowhocked。ThesetwoandBruceformedthepuppyclasswhichparadedbeforeSymondsintheoblongring。
\"Anyhow，\"whisperedtheMistressastheMasterledhisstolidlygiganticentrytowardtheenclosure，\"Brucecan\'tgetworsethanathird-prizeyellowribbon。Weoughttobealittleproudofthat。Thereareonlythreeentriesinhisclass。\"
Buteventhatbitofbarrenpridewasdeniedtheawkwardyoungster\'ssponsor。Asthethreepupsenteredtheenclosure。thejudge\'shalf-shuteyesrestedonBruce——atfirstidly，theninrealamazement。CrossingtotheMaster，beforegivingthesignalforthefirstmaneuvers，hesaidintireddisgust——
\"PleasetakeyourmeaslySt。Bernardmonstrosityoutofthering。
Thisisaclassforcollies，notforfreaks。Irefusetojudgethatpupasacollie。\"
\"He\'sathoroughbred，\"crosslyprotestedtheMaster。\"Ihavehiscertifiedpedigree。There\'snobetterbloodin——\"
\"Idon\'tcarewhathisancestorswere，\"snappedthejudge。\"He\'sathrow-backtothedinosaurortheGreatAuk。AndIwon\'tjudgehimasacollie。Takehimoutofthering。You\'redelayingtheothers。\"
Ajudge\'sdecisionisfinal。RedwithangryshameandsuppressinganunworthydesiretokickthelucklessBruce，theMasterledthepupbacktohisallottedbench。Brucetrottedcheerilyalongwithamaddeningairofhavingdonesomethingtobeproudof。DeaftotheMistress\'ssympathyandtohertimidlyvoicedprotests，theMasterscrawledonanenvelope-backthewords\"ForSale。NameYourOwnPrice，\"andpinneditontheedgeofthebench。
\"Hereendeththefirstlessonincollie-raising，sofarasThePlaceisconcerned，\"hedecreed，stalkingbacktotheringsidetowatchtherestofthejudging。
TheMistresslingeredbehind，tobestowafurtiveconsolatorypatuponthedisqualifiedBruce。Thenshejoinedherhusbandbesidethering。
Itwasprobablybyaccidentthatherskirtbrushedsharplyagainstthebench-edgeasshewent——knockingthe\"ForSale\"signdownintothelitterofstrawbelow。
Butawell-meaningfellow-exhibitor，acrosstheaisle，sawthebitofpaperflutterfloorward。Thisgoodsoulrescueditfromthestrawandpinneditbackinplace。
（Theworldisfullofhelpfulfolk。ThatisperhapsonereasonwhytheMillennium\'sdateisstillsoindefinite。）
Anhourlater，amantouchedtheMasteronthearm。
\"Thatdogofyour，onBench48，\"beganthestranger，\"thebigpupwiththe\'ForSale\'signonhisbench。Whatdoyouwantforhim？\"
TheMistresswasseveralfeetaway，talkingtothesuperintendentoftheshow。Guiltily，yetgratefully，theMasterledthewould-
bepurchaserbacktothebenches，withoutattractinghiswife\'snotice。
Afewminutesafterwardhereturnedtowheresheandthesuperintendentwerechatting。
\"Well，\"saidtheMaster，tryingtosteelhimselfagainsthiswife\'spossibledisappointment，\"IfoundabuyerforBruce——aDr。
Halding，fromNewYork。Helikesthepup。SaysBrucelooksasifhewasstrongandhadlotsofendurance。Iwonderifhewantshimforasledge-dog。Hepaidmefifteendollarsforhim；anditwasamightygoodbargain。Iwasluckytogetmorethananickelforsuchacur。\"
TheMastershotforththisspeechinalmostasinglerapidbreath。Then，beforehiswifecouldreply，——andwithoutdaringtolookintohertroubledeyes，——hediscoveredanacquaintanceonthefarsideoftheringandbustledofftospeaktohim。TheMaster，yousee，wasahusband，notahero。
TheMistressturnedaworriedgazeonthesuperintendent。
\"Itwasbest，Isuppose，\"shesaidbravely。\"Weagreedhemustbesold，ifthejudgedecidedhewasnotanygood。ButI\'msorry。
ForI\'mfondofhim。I\'msorryheisgoingtoliveinNewYork，too。Abigcityisnoplaceforabigdog。IhopethisDr。
Haldingwillbenicetothepoorpuppy。\"
\"Dr。——WHO？\"sharplyqueriedthesuperintendent，whohadnotcaughtthenamewhentheMasterhadspokenitinhisrapid-firespeech。\"Dr。Halding？OfNewYork？Huh！
\"Youneedn\'tworryabouttheeffectofcitylifeonyourdog，\"hewentonwithvenomousbitterness。\"Thepupwon\'thaveaverylongspellofit。IfIhadmyway，thatmanHaldingwouldbebarredfromeverydog-showandstuckinjail。It\'sanoldtrickofhis，tobuyupthoroughbreds，cheap，atshows。Thebiggerandthestrongertheyare，themorehepaysforthem。Heseemstothinkpedigreeddogsarebetterforhisfilthypurposesthanstreetcurs。Theyhaveahighernervousorganism，Isuppose。Theswine！\"
\"Whatdoyoumean？\"askedtheMistress，puzzledbyhisvehemence。
\"Idon\'t——\"
\"YoumusthaveheardofHaldingandhisso-called\'researchwork，\'\"thesuperintendentwenton。\"Heisoneofthemostnotoriousvivisectionistsin——\"
Thesuperintendentgotnofurther。Hewastalkingtoemptyair。
TheMistresshadfled。HerdeterminedsmallfiguremadeatumbledwakethroughthecrowdasshespedtowardBruce\'sbench。Thepuppywasnolongerthere。InanothersecondtheMistresswasatthedoorofthebuilding。
Alineofparkedcarswasstretchedacrosstheoppositesideofthevillagestreet。Intooneofthesecarsalargeandloose-
jointedmanwasliftingalargeandloose-jointeddog。Thedogdidnotlikehistreatment，andwasstrugglingpatheticallyinvainawkwardnesstogetfree。
\"Bruce！\"calledtheMistress，fiercely，asshedashedacrossthestreet。
Thepuppyheardthefamiliarvoiceandhowledforrelease。Dr。
Haldingstruckhimroughlyovertheheadandscrambledintothemachinewithhim，reachingwithhisonedisengagedhandfortheself-starterbutton。Beforehecouldtouchit，theMistresswasontherunning-boardofthecar。
Assheran，shehadopenedherwristbag。Now，flingingontherunabout\'sseatatenandafive-dollarbill，shedemanded——
\"Givememydog！Thereisthemoneyyoupaidforhim！\"
\"Heisn\'tforsale，\"grinnedtheDoctor。\"Standclear，please。
I\'mstarting。\"
\"You\'redoingnothingofthesort，\"wasthehotreply。\"You\'llgivebackmydog！Doyouunderstand？\"
ForanswerHaldingreachedagaintowardhisself-starter。A
renewedstrugglefromthewhimperingpuppyfrustratedhisaimandforcedhimtodevotebothhandstothesubduingofBruce。ThedogwasmakingfranticwrithingstogettotheMistress。Shecaughthisfurryruffandragedon，sickwithanger\"Iknowwhoyouareandwhatyouwantthispoorfrightenedpuppyfor。Youshan\'thavehim！Thereseemstobenolawtopreventhumandevilsfromstrappinghelplessdogstoatableandtorturingthemtodeathintheunholynameofscience。Butifthereisn\'tacornerwaitingforthem，below，it\'sonlybecauseHadescan\'tbemadehotenoughtopunishsuchmenastheyoughttobepunished！You\'renotgoingtotortureBruce。There\'syourmoney。Letgoofhim。\"
\"Youtalklikeallsilly，sloppysentimentalists！\"scoffedtheDoctor，hisslightGermanaccentbecomingmorenoticeableashecontinued：\"Awomancan\'thavetheintellecttounderstandourservicestohumanity。We——\"
\"Neitherhavehalftherealdoctors！\"sheflashed。\"Fullyhalfofthemdenythatvivisectioneverhelpedhumanity。Andhalftheremaindersaytheyareindoubt。Theycan\'tpointtoasingledefinitecasewhereithasbeenofuse。Alienistssayit\'sadistinctformofmentalperversion，——thecravingtotorturedumbanimalstodeathandtomakescientificnotesoftheirsufferings。\"
\"Pah！\"hesniffed。\"I——\"
Shehurriedon\"Ifhumanitycan\'tbehelpedwithoutcuttinglivedogsandkittenstoshreds，inslowagony——thensomuchtheworseforhumanity！Ifyouvivisectorswouldbecontenttopracticeononeanother——oroncondemnedmurderers，——insteadofonfriendlyandinnocentdogs，there\'dbenocomplaintfromanyone。Butleaveourpetsalone。Letgoofmypuppy！\"
BywayofresponsetheDoctorgruntedinloftycontempt。Atthesametimehetuckedthewrigglingdogunderhisrightarm，holdinghimthusmomentarilysafe，andpressedtheself-starterbutton。
Therewasasubduedwhir。AmoveofHalding\'sfootandareleaseofthebrake，andthecarstartedforward。
\"Standclear！\"heordered。\"I\'mgoing。\"
ThejoltofthesuddenstartwastoomuchfortheMistress\'sbalanceontherunning-board。Backshetoppled。Onlybyluckdidshelandonherfeetinsteadofherhead，uponthegreasypavementofthestreet。
Butshesprangforwardagain，withalittlecryofindignantdismay，andreacheddesperatelyintothemovingcarforBruce，callinghimeagerlybyname。
Dr。Haldingwassteeringwithhislefthand，whilehisviselikerightarmstillencircledtheprotestingcollie。AstheMistressranalongsideandgraspedfranticallyforherdoomedpet，heletgoofBruceforaninstant，tofendoffherhand——orperhapstothrustherawayfromtheperilofthefast-movingmud-guards。AttheMistress\'scry——andatthebriefletupofpressurecausedbytheDoctor\'smenacinggesturetowardtheunhappywoman——Bruce\'slong-sleepingsoulawoke。Heansweredthecryandtheman\'sblowathisdeityintheimmemorialfashionofalldogswhosehumangodsarethreatened。
Therewasasnarlingwild-beastgrowl，thefirstthateverhadcomefromtheclownlikepuppy\'sthroat，——andBruceflunghisunwieldyyoungbodystraightforthevivisector\'sthroat。
Halding，withaviciousfist-lunge，sentthepuptothefloorofthecarinacrumpledheap，butnotbeforethecurvingwhiteeyeteethhadslashedthesideoftheman\'sthroatinanuglyflesh-woundthatdroveitswaydangerouslyclosetothejugular。
Halfstunnedbytheblow，andwiththebreathknockedoutofhim，BrucenonethelessgatheredhimselftogetherwithlightningspeedandlaunchedhisbulkoncemoreforHalding\'sthroat。
Thistimehemissedhismark——forseveralthingshappenedallatonce。
Atthedog\'sfirstonslaught，Halding\'sfoothadswungforward，alongwithhisfist，inaninstinctivekick。ThekickdidnotreachBruce。Butitlanded，fullandeffectively，ontheaccelerator。
Thepowerfulcarrespondedtothetouchwithabound。AnditdidsoattheverymomentthattheflashofwhiteteethathisthroatmadeHaldingsnatchhisownlefthandinstinctivelyfromthesteering-wheel，inordertoguardthethreatenedspot。
Asecondlatertherunaboutcrashedatfullspeedintothewallofahouseonthenarrowstreet\'soppositeside。
Therestwaschaos。
Whenacrowdofidlersandapolicemanatlastrightedthewreckedcar，twobodieswerefoundhuddledinertlyamidajunk-
heapofsplinteredglassandshiveredwoodandtwistedmetal。Thelocalambulancecarriedawayoneoftheselimpbodies。ThePlace\'scarrushedthesmash-up\'sothersenselessvictimtotheofficeofthenearestveterinary。Dr。Halding，withashatteredshoulder-bladeandafracturednoseandjawandamildcaseofbrain-concussion，——wasreceivedasaguestofhonoratthevillagehospital。
Bruce，hisleftforelegbrokenandanastyassortmentofglass-
cutsmarringthefluffinessofhisfur，wasskillfullypatchedupbythevet\'andcarriedbackthatnighttoThePlace。
Thepuppyhadsuddenlytakenonanewvalueinhisowners\'eyes——
partlyforhisgallantlypunyeffortatdefendingtheMistress，partlybecauseofhispitifulcondition。Andhewasnursed，rightzealously，backtolifeandhealth。
Inafewweeks，theplastercastontheconvalescent\'sbrokenforeleghadbeenreplacedbyabandage。Inanotherweekortwothevet\'pronouncedBruceaswellasever。Thedog，throughhabit，stillheldthemendedforelegofftheground，evenafterthebandagewasremoved。Whereat，theMastertiedabandagetightlyabouttheuninjuredforeleg。
Bruceatoncedecidedthatthis，andnottheother，wasthelameleg；andhebeganforthwithtolimponit。Asitwasmanifestlyimpossibletokeepbothforelegsoffthegroundatthesametimewhenhewaswalking，hewasforcedtomakeuseoftheonce-brokenleg。Finding，tohisamaze，thathecouldwalkonitwithperfectease，hedevotedhislimpingsolelytothewellleg。AndassoonastheMastertookthebandagefromthat，Bruceceasedtolimpatall。
Meanwhile，alawyer，whosenamesoundedasthoughithadbeenculledfromaRhineWinelist，hadbegunsuit，inDr。Halding\'sname，againsttheMistress，asa\"contributorycause\"ofhisclient\'saccident。Thesuitnevercametotrial。Itwasdropped，indeed，withmuchhaste。Notfromanychangeofheartontheplaintiff\'sbehalf；butbecause，atthatjuncture，Dr。HaldingchancedtobearrestedandinternedasadangerousEnemyAlien。
OurcountryhadrecentlydeclaredwaronGermany；andthebelatedspy-huntwasup。
DuringtheFederalofficers\'searchofthedoctor\'shouse，fortreasonabledocuments（ofwhichtheyfoundanamplesupply），theycameuponhislaboratory。Nofewerthanfivedogs，invaryingstagesofhideoustorture，werefoundstrappedtotablesorhangingtowall-hooks。Thevivisectorbewailed，loudlyandgutturally，thiscruelinterruptiontohisresearchesinScience\'sbehalf。
Oneday，twomonthsaftertheaccident，Brucestoodonallfourfeetoncemore，withnovestigeleftofscarsoroflameness。Andthen，forthefirsttime，asteadychangethathadbeensoslowastoescapeanyone\'snoticedawnedupontheMistressandtheMaster。Itstruckthembothatthesamemoment。Andtheystareddullyattheirpet。
Theshapeless，bumptious，foolishPestoftwomonthsagohadvanished。Inhisplace，byaverynormalprocessofnature-magic，stoodamagnificentlystatelythoroughbredcollie。
Thebigheadhadtaperedsymmetrically，andhadlostitspuppyformlessness。ItwasnowaheadworthyofLandseer\'sownpencil。
Thebonilyawkwardbodyhadlengthenedandhadlostitsmyriadknobsandangles。Ithadgrownmassivelygraceful。
Theformerthatchofhalf-curlyandindeterminatelyyellowishfuzzhadchangedtoaroughtawnycoat，wavyandunbelievablyheavy，stippledattheendswithglossyblack。TherewasastrangedepthandreposeandSoulinthedarkeyes——yes，andakeenintelligence，too。
ItwastheoldstoryoftheUglyDuckling，alloveragain。
\"Why！\"gaspedtheMistress。\"He\'s——he\'sBEAUTIFUL！AndIneverknewit。\"
Atherlovedvoicethegreatdogmovedacrosstowhereshesat。
Lightlyhelaidonelittlewhitepawonherkneeandlookedgravelyupintohereyes。
\"He\'sgotsense，too，\"chimedintheMaster。\"Lookatthoseeyes，ifyoudoubtit。They\'realivewithintelligence。It\'s——it\'samiracle！Hecan\'tbethesameworthlesswhelpIwantedtogetridof！HeCAN\'T！\"
Andhewasnot。Thelongillness，atthemostformativetimeofthedog\'sgrowth，haddoneitsworkindevelopingwhat，allthetime，hadlainlatent。Thesameillness——andthelong-enforcedpersonaltouchwithhumans——haddoneanequallytransformingworkonthepuppy\'sundevelopedmind。TheThackeray-Washington-
Lincoln-Bismarcksimilehadheldgood。
WhatlookedlikeamiraclewasnomorethanthesamebeautifullysimpleprocesswhichNatureenactseveryday，whenshechangesanawkwardanddirt-coloredcygnetintoagloriousswanoraleggilygawkycoltintoasuperbDerby-winner。ButBruce\'smetamorphosisseemednonethelesswonderfulintheeyesofthetwopeoplewhohadlearnedtolovehim。
SomewhereinthehideouswreckofDr。Halding\'smotorcarthedoghadfoundasoul——andtheresthadfollowedasanaturalcourseofgrowth。
Attheautumndog-show，inHampton，a\"dark-sable-and-white\"
collieofunwontedsizeandbeautywalkedproudlyintotheringclosetotheMistress\'sside，whenthepuppyclasswascalled——aclassthatincludesalldogsundertwelvemonthsold。SixminuteslatertheMistresswasgleesomelyacceptingthefirst-prizeblueribbon，for\"bestpuppy，\"fromJudgeSymonds\'owngnarledhand。
Thencametheotherclassesforcollies——\"Novice，\"\"Open，\"
\"Limit，\"\"Local，\"\"AmericanBred。\"AndasBrucepacedmajesticallyoutoftheringatlast，hewasthepossessoroffivemoreblueribbons——aswellastheblueWinner\'srosette，for\"bestcollieintheshow。\"
\"Greatdogyou\'vegotthere，madam！\"commentedSymondsinsolemnapprovalashehandedtheWinner\'srosettetotheMistress。\"Finedogineveryway。Finepromise。Hewillgofar。OneofthebesttypesI\'ve——\"
\"Doyoureallythinkso？\"sweetlyrepliedtheMistress。\"Why，oneoftheforemostcolliejudgesinAmericahasgoneonrecordascallinghima\'measlySt。Bernardmonstrosity。\'\"
\"No？\"snortedSymonds，incredulous。\"Youdon\'tsayso！Ajudgewhowouldspeakso，ofthatdog，doesn\'tunderstandhisbusiness。
He——\"
\"Oh，yes，hedoes！\"contradictedtheMistress，glancinglovinglyatherhandfulofblueribbons。\"Ithinkheunderstandshisbusinessverywellindeed——NOW！\"
CHAPTERIII。TheWarDogTheguesthaddecidedtowaituntilnextmorning，beforeleavingThePlace，insteadoffollowinghisfirstplanoftakinganighttraintoNewYork。HewasacaptaininourregulararmyandhadnewlycomebackfromFrancetoforgetanassortmentofshrapnel——
bitesandtoteachpracticaltacticstorookies。
HereachedhisdecisiontoremainovernightatThePlacewhileheandtheMistressandtheMasterweresittingonthevine-hungwestverandaafterdinner，watchingthefloodofsunsetchangethelaketomoltengoldandtheskytopinkfire。Itwouldbepleasanttostealanotherfewhoursatthisback-countryHouseofPeacebeforereturningtothehumdrumdutiesofcamp。Andtheguestyieldedtothetemptation。
\"I\'mmightygladyoucanstayovertillmorning，\"saidtheMaster。\"I\'llsendwordtoRobertsnottobringupthecar。\"
Ashespoke，hescrawledapenciledlineonanenvelope-back；
thenhewhistled。
Fromacoollounging-placebeneaththewistaria-vinesaroseahugecollie——statelyofform，darkbrownandwhiteofcoat，deep-
setofeyeandwithaheadthatsomehowremindedoneofaLandseerengraving。ThecollietrottedupthestepsoftheverandaandstoodexpectantbeforetheMaster。Thelatterhadbeenfoldingtheenvelopelengthwise。Nowheslippeditthroughtheringinthedog\'scollar。
\"GiveittoRoberts，\"hesaid。
Thebigcollieturnedandsetoffatahand-gallop。
\"Good！\"approvedtheguest。\"Brucedidn\'tseemtobeinanydoubtastowhatyouwantedhimtodo。HeknowswhereRobertsislikelytobe？\"
\"No，\"saidtheMaster。\"Buthecantrackhimandfindhim，ifRobertsisanywherewithinamileorsofromhere。Thatwasoneofthefirstthingswetaughthim——tocarrymessages。Allwedoistoslipthepaperintohiscollar-ringandtellhimthenameofthepersontotakeitto。Naturally，heknowsusallbyname。
Soitiseasyenoughforhimtodoit。Welookonthetrickastremendouslyclever。Butthat\'sbecauseweloveBruce。Almostanydogcanbetaughttodoit，Isuppose。We——\"
\"You\'remistaken！\"correctedtheguest。\"AlmostanydogCAN\'Tbetaughtto。Somedogscan，ofcourse；buttheyaretheexception。
Ioughttoknow，forI\'vebeenwheredog-couriersareadecidedlyimportantfeatureoftrench-warfare。Istoppedatoneofthedog-
trainingschoolsinEngland，too，onmywaybackfromPicardy，andwatchedtheteachingofthedogsthataresenttoFranceandFlanders。Notoneintencanbetrainedtocarrymessages；andnotoneinthirtycanbecountedontodoitreliably。YououghttobeproudofBruce。\"
\"Weare，\"repliedtheMistress。\"Heisoneofthefamily。Wethinkeverythingofhim。Hewassuchastupidandawkwardpuppy，too！Then，injustafewmonths，heshapedup，asheisnow。Andhisbrainwoke。\"
Bruceinterruptedthetalkbyreappearingontheveranda。Thefoldedenvelopewasstillintheringonhiscollar。TheguestglancedfurtivelyattheMaster，expectingsomesignofchagrinatthecollie\'sfailure。
Instead，theMastertooktheenvelope，unfoldeditandglancedatawordortwothathadbeenwrittenbeneathhisownscrawl；thenhemadeanotherpenciledadditiontotheenvelope\'swriting，stuckthetwistedpaperbackintotheringandsaid——
\"Roberts。\"
OfftrottedBruceonhissecondtrip。
\"Ihadforgottentosaywhichtrainyou\'llhavetotakeinthemorning，\"explainedtheMaster。\"SoRobertswrote，askingwhattimehewastohavethecaratthedoorafterbreakfast。Itwascarelessofme。\"
Theguestdidnotanswer。ButwhenBrucepresentlyreturned，——
thistimewithnopaperinhiscollar-ring，——theofficerpassedhishandappraisinglythroughthedog\'sheavycoatandlookedkeenlydownintohisdarkeyes。
\"Gun-shy？\"askedtheguest。\"Orperhapshe\'sneverheardagunfired？\"
\"He\'sheardhundredsofgunsfired，\"saidtheMaster。\"IneverallowaguntobefiredonThePlace，ofcourse，becausewe\'vemadeitabirdrefuge。ButBrucewentwithusinthecartothetestingoftheLewismachineguns，upatHaskell。Theymadeamostungodlyracket。Butsomehowitdidn\'tseemtobothertheBigDogatall。\"
\"H\'m！\"musedtheguest，hisprofessionalinterestvehementlyroused。\"Hewouldbeworthafortuneoverthere。Therearealotofcolliesintheservice，inonecapacityoranother——almostasmanyastheAiredalesandthepolicedogs。Andtheyaredoinggrandwork。ButIneversawonethatwasbetterfittedforitthanBruce。It\'sapityhelivesonthewrongsideoftheAtlantic。Hecoulddohisbit，tomoreeffectthantheaveragehuman。Therearehundredsofthousandsofmenfortheranks，butpitifullyfewperfectcourier-dogs。\"
TheMistresswaslisteningwithatensitywhichmomentarilygrewmorepainful。TheMaster\'sforehead，too，wascreasedwithanewthoughtthatseemedtohurthim。Tobreakthebriefsilencethatfollowedtheguest\'swords，heasked：
\"Arethedogs，overthere，reallydoingsuchgreatworkasthepaperssaytheyare？Iread，theotherday——\"
\"\'Greatwork！\'\"repeatedtheguest。\"Ishouldsayso。Notonlyinfindingthewoundedandactingasguardsonlisteningposts，andallthat，butmostofallascouriers。Thereareplentyoftimeswhenthewirelesscan\'tbeusedforsendingmessagesfromonepointtoanother，andwherethereisnotelephoneconnection，andwherethefiringistoohotforahumancouriertogetthrough。Thatiswhereisthewardogshaveprovedtheirweightinradium。Collies，mostly。Therearea，milliontruestoriesoftheirprowesstold，atcamp-fires。Herearejusttwosuchincidents——bothofthemonrecord，bytheway，attheBritishWarOffice\"Acollie，downnearSoissons，wassentacrossabadstripoffire-scourgedground，withamessage。Abochesharpshooterfiredathimandshatteredhisjaw。Thedogkepton，inhorribleagony，anddeliveredthemessage。Anothercolliewassentoverastillhotterandmuchlongerstretchofterritorywithamessage。（ThatwasduringtheSommedriveof1916。）Hewasshotat，adozentimes，asheran。Atlasttwobulletsgothim。Hefellover，mortallywounded。Hescrambledtohisfeetandkeptonfalling，stumbling，staggering——tillhegottohisdestination。ThenhedroppeddeadatthesideoftheColonelthemessagehadbeensentto。Andthoseareonlytwoofthousandsoftruecollie-anecdotes。
YetsomefoolsaretryingtogetAmericandogsdoneawaywith，as\'non-utilitarian，\'whilethewarlasts！AsifthedogsinFrance，today，weren\'tearningtheiroverseasbrothers\'righttolive——
andlivewell！\"
Neitherofhishearersmadereplywhentheguestfinishedhisearnest，eagerrecital。Neitherofthemhadpaidmuchheedtohisfinalwords。FortheMasterandtheMistresswerelookingateachotherinmuteunhappiness。Thesamemiserablethoughtwasinthemindofeach。Andeachknewthethoughtthatwastorturingthemindoftheother。
Presently，ataglintofinquiryintheMaster\'seye，theMistresssuddenlybentoverandburiedherfaceinthedeepmassofBruce\'sruffasthedogstoodlovinglybesideher。Then，stillstrokingthecollie\'ssilkenhead，shereturnedherhusband\'swretchedlyquestioningglancewitharesignedlittlenod。TheMasterclearedhisthroatnoisilybeforehecouldspeakwiththecalmindifferencehesought。Then，turningtotheapparentlyunnoticingguest，hesaid——
\"IthinkItoldyouItriedtogetacrosstoFranceattheverystart——andIwasbarredbecauseIampastfortyandbecauseI
haveabumheartandseveralotherdefectsthatasoldierisn\'tsupposedtohave。MywifeandIhavetriedtodowhatlittlewecanfortheCause，onthissideoftheocean。Butithasseemedwoefullylittle，whenwerememberwhatothersaredoing。Andwehavenosonwecansend。\"
Againheclearedhisthroatandwentonwithsulkyungraciousness：
\"Webothknowwhatyou\'vebeendrivingatforthepastfiveminutes。And——andweagree。Brucecango。\"
\"Great！\"applaudedtheguest。\"That\'sfine！He\'llbeworthhis——\"
\"Ifyouthinkwe\'reacoupleoffoolsfornotdoingthismorewillingly，\"wentontheMasterwithsavageearnestness，\"juststoptothinkwhatitmeanstoamantogiveupthedogheloves。
Nottogivehimuptosomeonewhowillassurehimagoodhome，buttosendhimoverintothathell，whereaGermanbulletorashell-fragmentorhungerordiseaseiscertaintogethim，soonorlate。Tothinkofhimlyingsmashedandhelpless，somewhereinNoMan\'sLand，waitingfordeath；orcaughtbytheenemyandeaten！（TheRedCrossbulletinsaysnolessthaneightthousanddogswereeaten，inSaxonyalone，in1913，theyearBEFOREthewarbegan。）OrelsetobecapturedandthencutupbysomeGermanvivisector-surgeoninthesacredinterestsofScience！Oh，wecanbringourselvestosendBruceoverthere！Butdon\'texpectustodoitwithagoodgrace。Forwecan\'t。\"
\"I——\"begantheembarrassedguest；buttheMistresschimedin，hersweetvoicenotquitesteady。
\"Yousee，Captain，we\'vemadesuchapet——suchababy——ofBruce！
Allhislifehehaslivedhere——herewherehehadthewoodstowanderinandthelaketoswimin，andthishouseforhishome。
Hewillbesounhappyand——Well，don\'tlet\'stalkaboutthat！
WhenIthinkofthepeoplewhogivetheirsonsandeverythingtheyhave，tothecountry，Ifeelashamedofnotbeingmorewillingtoletameredoggo。ButthenBruceisnotjusta\'meredog。\'Heis——heisBRUCE。AllIaskisthatifheisinjuredandnotkilled，you\'llarrangetohavehimsentbackheretous。
We\'llpayforit，ofcourse。Andwillyouwritetowhomeveryouhappentoknow，atthatdog-trainingschoolinEngland，andaskthatBrucebetreatednicelywhileheistrainingthere？He\'sneverbeenwhipped。He\'sneverneededit，yousee。\"
TheMistressmighthavesparedherselfmuchworryastoBruce\'streatmentinthetrainingschooltowhichhewasconsigned。Itwasnotaplaceofcruelty，butofdevelopment。Andwhen，outofthethousandsofdogssentthere，thecorpsoftrainersfoundonewithpromiseofstrongability，suchapupilwashandledwithallthecareandgentlenessandskillthatatemperamentalprimadonnamightexpect。
SuchadogwasthebigAmericancollie，debarkedfromagoodscaratthetrainingcamprailwaystation，sixweeksaftertheMistressandtheMasterhadconsentedtohisenlistment。Andthehandlerstreatedhimaccordingly。
TheMasterhimselfhadtakenBrucetothetransport，inBrooklyn，andhadledhimaboardtheoverfullship。Thenewsightsandsoundsaroundhiminterestedthehome-bredcollie。ButwhentheMasterturnedhimovertotheofficerinwhosechargehewastobeforthevoyage，Bruce\'sdeep-seteyescloudedwithasuddenheartsickforeboding。
Wrenchinghimselffreefromthefriendlyhandonhiscollar，hespranginpursuitofhisdepartingdeity，——thelovedMasterwhowasleavinghimaloneanddesolateamongallthesestrangescenesandnoises。TheMaster，plodding，sullenandheavy-hearted，towardthegangway，wasawareofacoldnosethrustintohisdejectedhand。
LookingdownhebeheldBrucestaringupathimwithaworldofstarkappealinhistroubledgaze。TheMasterswallowedhard；
thenlaidhishandonthebeautifulheadpressedsoconfidinglyagainsthisknee。Turning，heledthedogbacktothequartersassignedtohim。
\"Stayhere，oldfriend！\"hecommanded，huskily。\"It\'sallright。
You\'llmakegood。Iknowthat。Andthere\'sachanceinabillionthatyou\'llcomebacktous。I\'m——I\'mnotdesertingyou。AndI
guessthere\'spreciouslittledangerthatanyoneonThePlacewilleverforgetyou。It\'s——it\'sallright。Millionsofhumansaredoingit。I\'dgiveeverythingI\'vegot，ifIcouldgo，too。
IT\'SALLRIGHT！\"
ThenBruceunderstoodatlastthathewastostayinthisplaceofabominations，farfromeverythingheloved；andthathemustdosobecausetheMasterordainedit。Hemadenofurtherefforttobreakawayandtofollowhisgodashore。Butheshiveredconvulsivelyfromheadtofoot；andhisdesolategazecontinuedtotracetheMaster\'srecedingfigureoutofsight。Then，withalongsigh，helaydown，heavily，hisheadbetweenhiswhiteforepaws，andresignedhimselftowhateveroffuturemiseryhisdeitiesmighthaveordainedforhim。
Ensuedafortnightofmentalandbodilyanguish，astheinland-
reareddogtastedthehorrorsofavoyageinarollingship，throughheavingseas。Afterward，camethelandingataBritishportandthetrainridetothecampwhichwastobehishomeforthenextthreemonths。
Bruce\'ssenseofsmelltoldhimthecampcontainedmoredogsthaneverhehadbeheldinallhisbrieflifeputtogether。Buthishearingwouldhaveledhimtobelievetherewerenotadozenotherdogswithinamileofhim。
Fromtheencampmentarosenoneoftheracketybarkingwhichbetokensthepresenceofmanycanines，andwhichdeafensvisitorstoadog-show。
Oneofthecamp\'sfirstandmoststringentrulesforbadebarking，exceptunderspecialorder。Thesedogs——orthepickofthem——weredestinedforworkatthefront。Thebarkofadoghasacarryingqualitygreaterthanthecombinedshoutingoftenmen。Itisthelastsoundtofollowaballoonist，afterhehasrisenabovethereachofallotherearth-noises。
Hence，achancebark，risingthroughthenighttowheresomeenemyairmansoaredwithenginesturnedoff，mightwellleadtothebombingofhithertounlocatedtrenchesordetachment-camps。
Forthisanddiversotherreasons，thefirstlessontaughttoarrivingwardogswastoabstainfrombarking。
Thedogsweredivided，roughly，bybreeds，asregardedthelineoftrainingassignedtothem。Thecolliesweretaughtcourier-
work。TheAiredales，too，——hideous，cruel，snake-headed，——wereusedascouriers，aswellastobearRedCrosssuppliesandtohuntforthewounded。Thegauntandwolflikepolicedogswerepressedintothetwolattertasks，andweretaughtlistening-postduty。Andsoonthroughallavailablebreeds，——includingthestolidlywiseOldEnglishsheepdogswhoweretoproveinvaluableinfindingandsuccoringandreportingthewounded，——downtothehumbleterriersandmongrelswhoweretaughttoridtrenchesofvermin。
Everywherewasquietefficiencyandtirelesslypatientandskillfulworkonthepartofthetrainers。ForBritain\'sbestdogmenhadbeenrecruitedforservicehere。Ontheperfectionoftheircharges\'trainingmightdependthefateofmanythousandgallantsoldiers。Wherefore，thetrainingwasperfect。
Hundredsofdogsprovedstupidorunreliableorgun-shyortooeasilyconfusedinmomentsofstress。Thesewereweededout，continually，andshippedbacktothemasterswhohadprofferedthem。
Othersdevelopedwithamazingspeedandcleverness，graspingtheirprofessionascouldfewhumansoldiers。AndBruce，lonelyandheartsore，yetthrowinghimselfintohislaborswithallthezestofthebestthoroughbredtype，——wasoneofthisgroup。
Hisearlyteachingsnowstoodhimingoodstead。Whatoncehadbeenajollygame，forhisownamusementandthatoftheMistressandtheMaster，wasnowhislife-work。Steadilyhistrainerwroughtoverhim，bringingoutlatentabilitiesthatwouldhavedumfoundedhisearliestteachers，steadyinganddirectingthegaylydashingintelligence；upbuildingandroundingoutallhisnativegifts。
AdogofBruce\'sraretypemadeuptothetrainersforthedullnessoftheiraveragepupils。Helearnedwithbewilderingease。Heneverforgotalessononcetaught。
No，theMistressneednothaveintercededtosavehimfrombeating。AssoonwouldanimpresariothinkofthrashingCarusoorPaderewskiaswouldBruce\'sglumScottishtrainerhavelaidwhiptothisbestpupilofhis。LifewasbareandstrictforBruce。
Butlifewasneverunkindtohim，inthesefirstmonthsofexilefromThePlace。And，bitbybit，hebegantotakeajoyinhiswork。
Notforaday，——perhapsnotforanhour，didthebigcollieforgetthehomeofhisbabyhoodorthosehehaddelightedtoworship，there。Andthelookofsadnessinhisdarkeyesbecameasettledaspect。Yet，here，therewasmuchtointerestandtoexcitehim。Andhegrewtolookforwardwithpleasuretohisdailylessons。
Attheendofthreemonths，hewasshippedtoFrance。Therehisseeminglyaimlessstudiesatthetrainingcampwereputtoactiveuse。
**********
AtthefootofthelongFlandershill-slopethe\"Here-We-Come\"
Regiment，ofmixedAmericanandFrenchinfantry，heldacaterpillar-shapedlineoftrenches。
Totheright，afewhundredyardsaway，waspostedaLancashireregiment，supportedbyabattalionfromCornwall。OntheleftweretwoFrenchregiments。Infront，facingthehill-slopeandnotahalf-miledistant，wasthegeometricarrangementofsandbagsthatmarkedthecontouroftheGermanfirst-linetrenches。
Thehillbehindthem，thebochesinfrontofthem，FrenchandBritishtroopsoneithersideofthem——theHere-We-Comeswerehelpingtodefendwhatwasknownasa\"quiet\'sector。Behindthehill，andonloftierheightsfartotherear，theAlliedartillerywasposted。SomewhereinthesamegenerallocalitylayadivisionofBritishreserves。
ItisalmostawasteofwordstohavedescribedthusthesurroundingsoftheHere-We-Comes。For，withnowarningatall，thoseentiresurroundingswereabouttobechanged。
LudendorffandhislittleplaymateswerejustthenengagedinthecongenialsportofdeliveringunexpectedblowsatvarioussuccessivepointsoftheAlliedline，inanefforttofindsomespotthatwassoftenoughtocaveinundertheimpactandletthroughahordeofgray-cladHuns。Andthoughnoneofthedefendersknewit，this\"quiet\"sectorhadbeenchosenforsuchaminorblow。
Themeninhighercommand，backtherebehindthehillcrest，hadabelatedinkling，though，ofaproposedattackonthelightlydefendedfronttrenches。FortheAlliedairplaneswhichdriftedintheupperheavenslikeascatteredhandfulofdragon-flieswerenotdriftingthereaimlessly。Theyweretheeyesofthesnakelikecolumnsthatcrawledsoblindlyonthescarredbrownsurfaceoftheearth。Andthose\"eyes\"haddiscernedthemassingofaforcebehindtheGermanlinehaddiscernedandhaddulyreportedit。
Theattackmightcomeinaday。Itmightnotcomeinaweek。Butitwascoming——unlessthebehind-the-linespreparationswereagiganticfeint。
Aquietdawn，inthequiettrenchesofthequietsector。
Desultoryartilleryandsomewhatlessdesultorysnipinghadprevailedthroughoutthenight，andatdaybreak；butnothingoutoftheordinary。
Twomenonlistening-posthadbeenshot；andsohadanovercurioussentrywhopeepedjustaninchtoofaraboveaparapet。Ashellhadburstinatrench，knockingthetelephoneconnectionoutofgearandhalfburyingasquadofsleepersunderalotofearth。Otherwise，thingsweredrowsilydull。
InadugoutsprawledTop-SergeantMahan，——formerlyofUncleSam\'sregulararmy，playinganuninspiringgameofpokerwithSergeantDaleofhiscompanyandSergeantVivieroftheFrenchinfantry。
TheFrenchmanwasslowinlearningpoker\'smysteries。
And，anyway，allthreemenweretemporarilypennilessandwereforcedtoplayforI。O。U\'s——whichisstupidsport，atbest。
Sowhen，fromtheGermanline，cameaquicksputt-sputt-sputtfromahalf-dozensharpshooters\'rifles，allthreemenlookedupfromtheirdesultorygameinrealinterest。Mahangottohisfeetwithagrunt。
\"Someotherfoolhasbeentryingtoseehowfarhecanrubberabovethesandbagswithoutdrawingbochefire，\"hehazarded，startingouttoinvestigate。\"It\'samiracletomehowabochebulletcangothroughheadsthataresofulloffirst-qualityivoryasthoserubberers\'。\"
ButMahan\'sstrictureswerequiteunwarranted。Thesharpshooterswerenotfiringattheparapet。Theirscatteringshotswereflyinghigh，andhittingagainsttheslopeofthehillbehindthetrenches。
Adownthisshell——pockedhillside，asMahanandtheotherdisturbedidlersgazed，camecanteringahugedark-brown-and-
whitecollie。Themorningwindstirredtheblackstipplingthatedgedhistawnyfur，showingthegold-grayundercoatbeneathit。
Hiswhitechestwaslikeasnowdrift，andofferedafinemarkfortheGermanrifles。Abulletortwosangwhininglypasthisgaylyup-flunghead。
AhundredvoicesfromtheHere-We-Cometrencheshailedtheadvancingdog。
\"Why，it\'sBruce！\"criedMahaningladwelcome。\"Imight\'a\'
knownheoranotherofthecollieswouldbealong。Imight\'a\'
knownit，whenthetelephoneswentoutofcommission。He——\"
\"Regardez-donc！\"interruptedtheadmiringVivier。\"Heactslikebulletswasmadeofflies！Moochhecareforbochelead-pills，cebravevieux！\"
\"Yes，\"growledDaleworriedly；\"andoneofthesedaysabulletwillfinditswayintothatsplendidcarcassofhis。He\'sbeenshotat，athousandtimes，tomyownknowledge。AndallIaskisachance，witharifle-butt，attheskulloftheHunwhodownshim！\"
\"DownsBruce？\"queriedVivierinfinescorn。\"Thebocheheisnobornedwhocandoit。Brucehaswhatyoucallit，inAinglish，the\'charmlife。\'Hegosafe，whereothercanichebepepper-
pottedfullofholes。I\'vewatchheem。Iknow。\"
Unscathedbytheseveralshotsthatwhinedpasthim，Brucecametoahaltattheedgeofatraverse。Therehestood，wagginghisplumeofatailingravefriendliness，whileascoreofkhaki-
cladarmsreacheduptolifthimbodilyintothetrench。
Asergeantunfastenedthemessagefromthedog\'scollarandpostedofftothecolonelwithit。
Themessagewassimilartoonewhichhadbeentelephonedtoeachofthesupportingbodies，torightandtoleftoftheHere-We-
Comes。Itbadethecolonelpreparetowithdrawhiscommandfromthefronttrenchesatnightfall，andtomovebackonthemainforcebehindthehill-crest。Thefronttrencheswerenotimportant；andtheywerefartoolightlymannedtoresistamassattack。Whereforethedrawing-inandconsolidatingofthewholeoutflungline。
Bruce，hisworkdonenow，hadleisuretorespondtothecountlessoffersofhospitalitythatencompassedhim。Onemanbroughthimasliceofcoldbroiledbacon。Anotherspreadpork-greaseoverabitofbreadandprofferedit。Athirdunearthedfromsomesacredlyguardedhiding-placeanexcessivelystalehalf-inchsquareofsweetchocolate。
Hadthedogsochosen，hemightthenandtherehaveeatenhimselftodeathonthemultitudeofvotiveofferings。Butinafewminuteshehadhadenough，andhemerelysniffedinpoliterefusalatallfurthergifts。
\"See？\"lecturedMahan。\"That\'sthebeastofit！Whenyousayafelloweatsordrinks\'likeabeast，\'yououghttorememberthatabeastwon\'teatordrinkamouthfulmorethanisgoodforhim。\"
\"Gee！\"commentedthesomewhatcorpulentDale。\"I\'mgladI\'mnotabeast——especiallyonpay-day。\"
PresentlyBrucetiredoftheovationtenderedhim。Theseovationsweregettingtobeanoldstory。Theyhadbegunasfarbackashistraining-campdays——whenthestoryofhisjoiningthearmywastoldbythemantowhomThePlace\'sguesthadwrittencommendingthedogtothetrainers\'kindness。
Atthetraining-campthisstoryhadbeenreenforcedbythechiefcollie-teacher——adourlittleHielandScotnamedMcQuibigaskie，whoonthefirstdaydeclaredthattheAmericandoghadmoresenseandmorepromiseandmoresoul\"thana\'t\'othertykessoutho\'KirkcudbrightBrae。\"
Beingonlymortal，Brucefounditpleasantertobeadmiredandpettedthanignoredorkicked。Hewasimpersonallyfriendlywiththesoldiers，whenhewasoffduty；andherelishedthedaintiestheywereforeverthrustingathim。
ButattimeshissofteyeswouldgrowdarkwithhomesicknessforthequietlovelinessofThePlaceandfortheMistressandtheMasterwhowerehisloyallyworshipedgods。Lifehadbeensohappyandsosweetlyuneventfulforhim，atThePlace！Andtherehadbeennoneoftheawfulendlessthunderandthebewilderinglyhorriblesmellsandgruesomesightswhichheremethimateveryturn。
Thedog\'slovingheartusedtogrowsickwithitall；andhelongedunspeakablyforhome。Buthewasagallantsoldier，andhedidhisworknotonlywell，butwithasnapandadashandanalmostuncannyintelligencewhichmadehimanidoltothemen。
Presently，now，havingeatenallhewantedandhavingbeenpattedandtalkedtountilhecravedsolitude，Brucestrolledevertoanemptydugout，curleduponatornblanketthere，puthisnosebetweenhiswhitepawsandwenttosleep。
TheGermanartillery-firehadswelledfromanoccasionalexplosiontoaceaselessroar，thatmadethegroundvibrateandheave，andthatbeatontheeardrumswithnauseatingiterance。
ButitdidnotbotherBruce。Formonthshehadbeenusedtothissortofannoyance，andhehadlearnedtosleepsnuglythroughitall。
Meanwhile，outsidehisdugout，lifewasspeedingupatadizzyingrate。TheGermanartilleryhadsprungtosuddenandwholesaleactivity。FartotherightoftheHere-We-Comeregiment\'strenchesahazehadbeguntocrawlalongthegroundandtosendsnakytendrilshighinair-tendrilsthatblendedintoasinglegrayish-greenwallastheymovedforward。Thehazewall\'sgray-
greenwasshotbyyellowandpurpletingesasthesun\'sweakraystouchedit。TotheleftoftheHere-We-Comes，andtheninfrontofthem，appearedthesamewallofbillowinggas。
TheHere-We-Comeswerereadyforitwiththeirhastilydonnedmasks。Buttherewasnoneedoftheprecaution。Byoneofthesuddenwind——freakssocommoninthestoryofthewar，thegas-
cloudwascleftintwobyaswirlingbreeze，anditrolleddanklyon，torightandleft，leavingthecentraltrenchesclear。
Now，anartillerybarrage，accompaniedorfollowedbyagas-
demonstration，canmeanbutonething：ageneralattack。
ThereforetelephonicwordcametothedetachmentstoleftandrightoftheHere-We-Comes，tofallback，undercoverofthegas-
cloud，tosaferpositions。Twodogsweresent，withthesameorder，totheHere-We-Comes。（Oneofthedogswasgassed。Abitofshrapnelfoundtheother。）
ThusitwasthattheHere-We-Comeswereleftalone（thoughtheydidnotknowit），toholdtheposition，——withnosupportoneitherside，andwithamerehandfulofmenwherewithtostemtheimpendingrush。
Ontheheelsofthedispersinggas-cloud，andstraightacrossthehalf-mileorlessofbrokenground，camealineofgray。Infivesuccessivewaves，accordingtocustom，thebochescharged。Eachwavehurleditselfforwardasfastasefficiencywouldletit，infaceoftheopposingfire，andasfarashumanendurancewouldbegoaded。Thenitwentdown，anditssurvivorsattachedthemselvestothesucceedingwave。
Hence，bythetimethefifthandmightiestwavegotintomotion，itwasswelledbythesurvivorsofallfourofitspredecessorsandwasanall-but-resistlessmassofshoutingandrunningmen。
Theriflesandmachine-gunsoftheHere-We-Comesplayedmerrilyintotheadvancinggrayswarms，stoppingwaveafterwave，andatlastcheckingthefifthand\"master\"wavealmostattheverybrinkoftheFranco-Americanparapet。
\"That\'showtheydo！\"Mahanpantinglyexplainedtoarathershakynewcomer，asthelastwavefellback。\"Theycountonnumbersandbullrushestogetthemthere。Ifthey\'dhadtenthousandmen，inthatrush，insteadoffivethousand，they\'dhavegotus。Andiftheyhadtwiceasmanymenintheirwholearmyastheyhave，they\'dwinthiswar。Butpraisebe，theyhaven\'ttwiceasmany！
Thatisoneofthefifty-sevenreasonswhytheAlliesaregoingtolickGermany。\"
Mahantalkedjubilantly。Thesamejubilationranallalongthelineofvictors。Butthecolonelandhisstaffwerenotrejoicing。Theyhadjustlearnedofthewithdrawaloftheforcestoeithersideofthem，andtheyknewtheythemselvescouldnothopetostandagainstasecondandlargercharge。
Suchachargetheenemywerecertaintomake。TheGermans，too，mustsoonlearnofthedefectionofthesupports。Itwasnowonlyaquestionofanhourorlessbeforeachargewithadouble-
envelopingmovementwouldsurroundandbagtheHere-We-Comes，catchingthewholeregimentinaninescapabletrap。
Tofallback，now，upthatlongbarehillside，underfullfireoftheaugmentedGermanartillery，wouldmeanadecimatingoftheentirecommand。TheHere-We-Comescouldnotretreat。Theycouldnothopetoholdtheirground。Thesolechanceforlifelayinthearrivalofstrongreenforcementsfromtherear，tohelpthemholdthetrenchesuntilnight，ortomanthesupportingpositions。Reserveswerewithineasystrikingdistance。But，ashappenedsomanytimesinthewar，therewasnoroutinewaytosummonthemintime。
Itwasthechancesightofacrumpledmessagelyingonhisdugout-tablethatremindedthecolonelofBruce\'sexistenceandofhispresenceinthefronttrench。Itwasamatterofthirtysecondsforthecoloneltoscrawlanurgentappealandabriefstatementofconditions。Almostassoonasthenotewasready，anorderlyappearedatthedugoutentrance，convoyingthenewlyawakenedBruce。