rcing Lad, the youngster turned eagerly to chum-ship
with this flighty gold-white stranger. And Lady, for similar reason,
seemed to find ten times as much congeniality and fun in romping with
Wolf as in playing with the less galvanically agile Lad.

In brief, Lady and little Wolf became inseparable companions;--this to
the semi-exclusion of Lad.

The great collie did not resent this exclusion; nor did he try to
regain his fast-slipping hold on Wolf's affections. Yet, in fashion
that was more pathetic than ludicrous, he sought to win back Lady's
waning affection. A bit clumsily, he tried to romp and gambol with her,
as did Wolf. He tried to interest her, as of yore, in following his
lead in break-neck forest gallops after rabbits or in gloriously
exhilarating swims in the fire-blue lake at the foot of the lawn. To
the pityingly on-looking Mistress and Master, he seemed like some
general or statesman seeking to unbend in the games and chatter of a
party of high school boys and girls.

But it was no use.

True, in the cross-country runs or the swirling charges after rabbits,
neither Lady nor Wolf could keep up with Lad's flying stride. And a
long swim, which scarce breathed Lad, would exhaust either or both of
them.

But, they were young; and he was middle-aged. And, as in human
relationships, that one sentence told the whole tragic story.

As well expect a couple of flyaway children to give up a game of tag in
order to listen to the solemn discourse of an elderly uncle; as to make
the fun-loving Lady and Wolf widen their selfish comradeship to include
in it the steadier and older and infinitely wiser Lad.

Perforce, Lad was thrown more and more on the society of the Mistress
and the Master. And, in their friendship, he was happy;--until he would
chance to see his mate and his little son playing in wild ecstasy with
a stick or ball, and would frisk bulkily over to join them. In a bare
second or two, the demeanor of both showed him just what a grossly
unwelcome interloper he was.

Whereat, after a wistfully miserable glance from one to the other of
the exclusive pair, Lad would trot slowly back to his human deities;
and, with a queerly sobbing little sigh, he would curl up at the
Mistress's feet.

"It's a shame, Laddie!" declared the Mistress, at one such time. "It's
a SHAME! Why, you are worth a million of those crazy playdogs! You're a
million times wiser and beautifuller and more lovable. Why do you
bother wi