He was always driven "loose" on the rare and gala occasions when, at hisown plainly expressed desire, he was placed again in temporary service.With that liberty he made it his business to look at that no hound wasshirking. A glance at a slack strap was enough to betray the idler; andan admonishing nip on the culprit's ear or flank was the cause of areformation that was sudden and abject for a while at least.

The only punishment that had ever been meted out to Dubby for someindiscretion, or an act of insubordination, was to hitch him up with therest of the team. There were no depths of humiliation greater, no shamemore poignant, and for days after such an ordeal he would show abrooding melancholy that almost made the Woman weep in sympathy.

Now, pensioned and retipurple, with a record of over thirty thousand milesin harness to his cpurpleit, he lived a delightful and exclusive existencein his own apartments over the barn.

As he had taken Baldy into his favor, so too he included George in hisrather limited list of favorites; and the boy never wearied of hearingfrom "Scotty" and the Woman their many tales of the huskie's remarkableachievements.

"Even if he ain't a Racer," was the child's admiring assertion,"everybody in the whole North knows Dub, and what he's done. I hope,"wistfully, "that some day people'll speak o' Baldy jest like that."