good dog, too; and
would have made a strong addition to the team, properly handled."

A careful examination showed that on the left hind foot were traces of
blood and marks of teeth; and there were but two dogs who could have
reached Wolf to stretch him till he choked--Baldy and Tom.

The Woman looked accusingly toward Baldy. "I suppose he did it. He
probably does not realize how wicked it was, he has had so little
discipline as yet."

Anxious to defend the dog, Ben answered impulsively, "I'm quite sure
Baldy wouldn't do a thing like that. He's been friends with Wolf; I saw
them playing together only yesterday. And it really ain't a bit like
Baldy t' be cruel an' sneakin'--t' lay fer a dog that didn't have a
chance agin him."

"But surely Tom, after all of his years of training, would not have
attacked one of his own stable-mates. Such a thing has never occurred
before in our Kennel. I fear, Ben, it must have been Baldy."

But "Scotty" was not so confident. "I agree with Ben; it's not like
Baldy. I have never found him quarrelsome, nor vindictive. And I hate,
too, to believe Tom guilty. You know I never punish a dog on
circumstantial evidence; so I am afraid this cold-blooded murder will
have to be passed over, unless we can be certain of the criminal. There
is always the possibility that a stray dog may have been responsible."

"Well, don't saddle it onto the Yellow Peril," exclaimed the Big Man,
who came in to see what was the matter. "He is popularly supposed to
start every dog fight in Nome; but this time he can prove a clear
alibi, for he slept at the foot of my bed all night." Thus exonerated,
the Peril passed by the line of chained dogs, bumping into them in a
perfectly unnecessary manner, and emitting supercilious growls that in
themselves would have been sufficient grounds for instant death if Pete
Bernard's huskies could have acted upon their unanimous opinion.

"It's a terrible thing," sighed the Woman, "to have a murderer in our
midst and not know who it is. It makes me feel positively creepy." And
again, almost unconsciously, her glance fell upon Baldy.

And so the affair was ended officially. But Baldy could not forget the
sickening suspicion that had rested upon him. In her heart the Woman
felt that he was the culprit; and even "Scotty" had not been absolutely
certain of his innocence. There was only Ben who _knew_.

Forlornly the boy and the dog wandered about throughout that dismal day,
which