Her preference had dated from the night when she had entered the Kennel
after a long absence, and had seen the stranger in the half light of the
June midnight. He had changed somewhat since the imperious days when he
had threatened the life of his trainer, and she had not recognized the
Incorrigible in the handsome dog who had greeted her with such
flattering cordiality.

He soon manifested an abject devotion to her, and would barely listen
even to "Scotty" when she was near--the moment he heard her footsteps
howling insistently till she ignored all of the others and came directly
to him. It became a matter of pride with her to take him into the
streets where people would still look askance at the erstwhile
"man-eater," and comment on her courage in handling the "brute." While
she and the "brute" had the little joke between them, which she later
confided to Ben, that Jack McMillan's misdemeanors were merely the
result of an undisciplined nature handled unsympathetically, and that at
heart he was the gentlest dog in Nome.

"Jack minds all right now," ventured Ben. "I seen him the other day with
Mr. Allan, an' he minded as good as any of 'em--even Kid."

"Well, none of them could do better than that. 'Scotty' says that Kid
has every admirable quality that a dog could possibly possess, and that
without a doubt he is the most promising racing leader in Alaska. But of
course Jack would have to mind or he would not be here. The first thing
a new dog must realize is that 'Scotty' is the sole authority, and that
obedience is the first law of the Kennel. Even with his first racing
driver I believe it was more a case of misunderstanding on both sides
than wilful disobedience. But it grew to a point where it became almost
a matter of life or death for one or the other."