hung in the balance, "you can't go wrong on him; he'll be a credit to us
all some day." And so Spot was rescued from death, or at least from a
life of poverty and obscurity, and given to George Allan to become his
constant companion.

"You know," she persisted, "if a leader is too young he's apt to become
over-zealous and important the way Irish did the day we loaned him to
Charlie Thompson in the first Moose Handicap. Don't you remember he was
disgusted at the way they were being managed by a rank novice, so he
took his place in front of a rival team that was being well driven, and
led them to victory, with the whole town cheering and yelling? You don't
want that to happen to you, because your leader is inexperienced."

"It ain't the same thing at all," explained George patiently; for it is
ever the man's part to try to be patient with the feminine ignorance of
dogs and baseball and other essential things about which women seem to
have no intuition. "You see, I ain't goin' to drive him loose. A dog
shouldn't ever be a loose leader unless he's a wonder at managin' all
the rest, an' young dogs ain't generally had the trainin' for it. After
a dog has showed he can find the trail, an' keep it, an' set the pace,
an' make the others mind him, bein' a loose leader's kind of an honor
he's promoted to; like bein' a General in the army. He don't have t' be
hitched up to the tow-line any more, an' pull; he just has t' think, an'
keep the team out o' trouble."

"It's too bad that dogs aren't driven with lines instead of spoken
orders--then there wouldn't be all of the bother about a leader every
time." Both George and Danny looked at her for a moment with a contempt
they barely succeeded in concealing. Even Ben Edwards was unpleasantly
surprised, and he was not given to regarding her vagaries with