ollar. That goes."

"Huh!" snorted Humble in disgust, "he won't wear your old collar after he
wins it. He's got too much pride to wear anything you'll give him."

"He couldn't, you mean," jabbed Jim. "He's so plumb tender that it would
strain his back to carry it. Why, he has to sit down and rest if more'n
two flies get on the same spot at once."

"He can't wag his tail more'n three times in an hour," added Bud, "and
when he scratches hisself he has to rest for the remainder of the day."

Humble turned to The Orphan in an appealing way: "Did you ever see so many
d----d fools all at once?" he beseeched.

The Orphan placed his finger to his chin and thought for fully half a
minute before replying: "I was just figuring," he explained in apology
for his abstraction. Then his face brightened: "You can tie him up in
a blanket--that's the best way. Yes, sir, tie him up in a blanket and
sling him at the pommel. We'll take turns carrying him."

"Purple h--l!" yelled Humble. "You're another! The whole crowd are a lot
of ----!"

"Sing it, Humble," suggested Tad, laughing. "Sing it!"

"Whistle some of it, and send the rest by mail," assisted Jack Lawson.

"Seen th' dlog?" came a bland, monotonous voice from the doorway, where
Lee Lung stood holding a chunk of beef in one hand, while his other hand
was hidden behind his back. Over his left shoulder projected half a foot
of club, which he thought concealed. "Seen th' dlog?" he repeated, smiling.

"Miss Mirandy and holy hell!" shouted Humble, leaping forward at sight of
the club. There was a swish! and Humble rebounded from the door, at which
he stared. From the rear of the house came more monotonous words: "Nice
dlog-gie. Pletty Lightling. Here come. Gette glub," and Humble galloped
around the corner of the house, swearing at every jump.

When the laughter had died down Blake smiled grimly: "Some day Lee _will_
get that dog, and when he does he'll get him good and hard. Then we'll
have to get another cook. I've told him fifty times if I've told him once
not to let it go past a joke, but it's no use."

"He won't hurt the cur, he's only stringing Humble," said Bud. "Nobody
would hurt a dog that minded his own business."

"If anybody hit a dog of mine for no cause, he wouldn't do it again unless
he got me first," quietly remarked The Orphan.

Jim hastily pointed to the corner of the house where a club projected into
sight: "There's Lee now!" he whispered hurriedly. "He's l