"Iglehart!" raged Link, momentarily losing hold over himself. "If
that mangy, wall-eyed slob comes slinking round my farm again,
making friends with Chum, I'll sick the dog onto him; and have
him run Iglehart all the way to his own shack! He's--! There! I
didn't mean to cut loose like that!" he broke off at Dorcas's
shudder of dismay. "Only it riles me something terrible to have
him trying to get Chum away from me."

"There is no occasion to go losing your temper and shouting,"
reproved the girl. "Nothing is to be gained that way. Besides,
that isn't the point. The point is this, since you force me to
say it: You must get rid of that dog. And you must do it before
you marry me. I won't set foot in your house until your dog is
gone--and gone for good. I am sorry to speak so, but it had to be
said."

She paused to give her slave a chance to wilt. But Link only sat,
blank-faced, staring at her. His mind was in a muddle. All his
narrow world was upside down. He couldn't make his brain grasp in
full the situation.

All he could visualize for the instant was a shadowy mental image
of Chum's expectant face; the tulip ears pricked forward,
expectant; the jaws "laughing"; the deepset brown eyes abrim with
gay affection and deathless loyalty for the man who was now asked
to get rid of him. It didn't make sense. Half under his breath
Link Ferris began to talk--or rather to ramble.

"There was one of the books over to the lib'ry," he heard himself