re of the headlight, wondering what it all meant. Maybe by to-morrow
he would be hundreds of miles away.

Jim rose, picked up the bucket, and stepped out into the cold moonlight.
Even on a little trip like this Prince had always come with him. He
could imagine he saw him now, sitting on his haunches out there in the
yard, waiting for the water to be drawn. He had comforted himself with
the thought that Gordon would be kind to Prince, and now----

"A man that would treat a woman like that," he said bitterly, "would
kick a dog!"

He turned back to the house, his head bowed. As he went up the steps he
seemed to hear up the misty moonlit road that led to the club a faint
tinkle like that made by a running dog's collar. He stood listening for
a moment. The ghost of a sound had ceased. He went inside and closed the
door behind him.

Mary sat by the fire above the empty rug, her chin in her hand. He
placed the bucket on the stand and washed his face, smoothing back with
a big wet hand his heavy, iron-gray hair. He sat down and began to
undress in silence. He had taken off one shoe when he heard it
again--the tinkle, unmistakable this time, of a running dog's collar.

"What's that, Jim?" demanded Mary.

But he was already on his feet and halfway down the hall, Mary close
behind him.

"It's him!" he said grimly. "He run away!"

He threw the door open. Big, white, with shining eyes, old Prince was
jumping all over him, jumping up into his face, and into the face of
Mary. They turned back to the fire. He was running round and round the
room, looking at them over the table, his tail beating chair rungs and
bedstead. He was frantic with joy; his eyes were aglow with happiness,
the happiness of a dog that has come home.

"Get my hat, Mary."

"Why, Jim?"

"It was blood money bought him but I've got to take him back."

She pleaded with him. There was her money. Maybe he would take it now.

But Jim's face was set. "He turned you down once, gal. He'll never have
another chance!"

She brought him his hat, her face white.

"Come on, old man," he said, and started for the door.

But Prince hung back, ears drooped, eyes pleading.

"Come on, sir!"

He pretended not to understand. He sat down on his haunches. He lay down
humbly on the floor, head between his paws, tail dragging contritely
across the rag rug. He showed decided symptoms of an intention to crawl
under the bed, and Jim started grimly toward him. Then it was