Baldy of Nome

s his sympathy, he came close beside his friend and licked his hand. Always, before, this had called attention to the fact that Baldy was ready to share any trouble with the bo

y to suppress; but when one is chilled, and tired and hungry, and in

fortunate events of that most unhappy day would be reviewed sternly, though with a certain harsh justice, that could result in nothing less than a sentence of final separati

f way that he stepped aside to let a rapidly approaching dog team pass. As it came closer he saw that it was the Allan and Darling team of Racers, and for the moment his eyes br

evidences of neglect; upon Baldy to whom he could not now even

nd a team that had always seemed as wonderful as Cinderella's Fairy Coach. He hesitated, and then the Woman in the sled beckoned encouragingly. "Get in with me; and your dog may come too," she said as she rearranged the heavy fur robes to make room. The boy advanced with painful shyness, and awkwardly climbed

ll right. He looks kind o' run down jest now 'cause he"-the boy felt a tightening at his throat, and winked hard to keep the tears from starting again-"'cause he ain't got much appetite. But when he's eat

take a look at those Golconda wonders before the winter

om dropping from the lips of an Oracle. He was not so much interested in the Woman's replies, for they displayed a lack of technical informati

rest, and that of course did not entitle her to the same respect you could feel for one to whom the care and culture of the dog assumed the dignity of a vocation. Then, t

gs; had noted their willingness, their affection for "Scotty," and his consideration for them. And as the pace became slower, and he realized that they were nearly at the en

rise. "Why, I thought you and Baldy we

love you; but I got t' git rid of him. It's been com

Are you in some trouble about him? Perhaps it's not so bad a

er him, an' I kin stan' it someway. A feller has ter stan' a lot o' things he don't like in

ad led to the unexpected offer. "I'm Ben Edwards. Maybe you knew my father; he was killed in th

you have been in difficulties since, and need

t the men tease Baldy ner me, an' he made the cook give me scraps an' bones ter feed him. An' once he licked Black Mart fer throwin' hot water on Baldy when

cotty." "I used to see him prospecting

a fer a while; but in spring he went ter St. Michae

very much?" ques

see him every night in his cabin, an' he wouldn't let Mart an' some o' the fellers set a trap fer the red mother fox that was prowl

llent

a flock o' young ptarmigan fly by him 'cause he says they look so soft an' pretty an' fluttery he don't like ter shoot 'em; an' Moose is a dead shot. He's mighty handy with

an. "You see we are the foreru

out on all Moose's friends, even if they's only boys an' dogs, don't he, Baldy?" And Baldy wagged that he certainly did. "Now the cook says they've got work dogs enough belongin' ter the claim ter feed, without suppor

e are all points in his favor," he remarked. "You can't do much w

thers in the litter, an' would 'a' spoiled the looks o' the team when they was old enough ter be hitched up," continued Ben breathlessly. "He was sort o' wild, too,

ke him, and thinks it would

t. But there ain't none of 'em reg'lar, an' sometimes there ain't more'n enough fer us two t' live on. Then she gits pretty tired

is; but maybe we could make some arrangement with your mother about the dog. We will take a sort of an option on him; you can keep him

he rose a notch in his estimation. She evidently did realize, in a slight deg

d and he hesitated, yet he was determined to tell the whole of the sordid little tragedy now that he had begun. "But spendin' too much time with him when I should be workin'

eed "Scotty" heartily.

, an' Mother says she'd ruther have that mem'ry o' him than all the fortunes tha

at from her, and a name like that is t

an' a few pans fer him. I walked inter town t' git 'em, an' Baldy come with me, though she said I was foolish t' be bothered with him.

about your errands,"

was passin' the Court House an' I seen a big c

es you feel like there's sunshine in the room, was a-talkin' agin each other; an' their fightin' was so excitin' an' so

ested in what the

o, I been wantin' t' be a lawyer when I grow up. He didn't have no more book-learnin

ractice his simple virtues of being honest and kind and industrious every day, and

mb from their feelin's bein' so solemn an' deep; an' some o' his other speeches that was fine, I

," replied "Scotty" encouragingly. "And

he likes talkin' t' you all that Virginia's done fer our country, an' I wished I was from Virginia too. But m

so long as you're proud of your state, and g

t speech, on St. Patrick's day, at Eagle Hall, an' I near cried at the end; an' I don't cry

see that you're game, all right; but

trailsman, touched by the tender, pitiful things of life, just like a little bo

Y AND

country, an' mebbe die fer it like Robert Emmett; but the kind that jest makes you want t' be good

difficult sort of bravery-the sort without flags, an

e I allers go t' St. Mary's. He talks plain an' simple, an' cheers you up-I guess kinda the way Lincoln talked-jest like he knew all about people's troubles an

t instead of the tongu

ersham was talkin' men inter sendin' him t' Washington, no matter

variety of orators, and

his lengthy burst of eloquence the child colored violently and concluded in confusion-"an' this mornin' I got so interested i

n absorbed to forget Bald

man that Baldy wasn't a Nome dog; that we live five miles out at Golconda-but he said he was gittin' pretty sick o' that excuse. That no boy's do

astic and sceptical. It seems an inevitable part of their occupation.

no license. Besides, he thought the dog was vicious 'cause he growled when the wire was around his

who stood, dejected and uneasy; and then exchanged a gla

og along with a lot o' others he'd ketched durin' the week. I tuk Mother's money, an' what the cook give me, an' got

other way out of it for the moment,

patience with Baldy after this. I wouldn't mind gittin' punished myself, but I don't want him blamed. He'd be a lot better off with you, Mr. Allan; an

d noted the breadth of his chest

be too much?" ask

thers who do not know his fine points yet, and we should be willing to pay something extra for this opport

t it ain't so much the money I'm gittin' as th

nd Dean, on Front Street, you know-the first time you are in town, a

while I'm kinda worked up to it. Mebbe ef I thought about it fer a few days I wouldn'

et, and tied it to the old strap that served

to see that the knot in the rope was secure at the dog's neck-but the Woman knew in that brief ins

tone that he tried to keep steady. "Thank

k at the dog again, but stepped

e Baldy often," the

lad to-after a while,"

ng round to return to Nome, there came to them out of the grayness a voice,