recorded, the elbow crooked. "Don't forget his
teeth," the clerk was admonished; "remember the
braid on the pants."

Gordon resumed his coat, the clerk returned the
books to their shelf, and the factitious excitement
subsided. The light faded, the depths of the store
swam in blue obscurity, but the fragrance of the
spring dusk had deepened.

"When are you going to get the dog, Gord?"
Tol'able asked.

"What dog?" another interposed curiously.

"Why, ain't you heard about Gord's dog," the
chorus demanded. "Where have you been --
up with the Dutch on the South Fork? Gord's got a
dog coming he give two hundred dollars for. Yes,
sir, he paid for a dog, he give real money for a four-legged,
yelping wire-hound. It ain't a rabbit dog,
nor a sheep dog, nor even a bull-dog; but just plain,
stinking dog."

"Ah, he did like hell, give two hundred for a
dog!"

"Yes, he did. That's right, didn't you, Gord?
Two hundred! I saw the cheque. God dam' if he
didn't!"

Gordon admitted the facts as far as they had been
stated. "But this dog," he explained, "is different
from the just happen so hounds around here. This
dog has got a pedigree, his parents were united by

[[152]]

p151 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p152w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p153

v?