Baldy of Nome | Page 3

the cook give

me scraps an' bones ter feed him. An' once he licked Black Mart fer
throwin' hot water on Baldy when he went ter the door o' Mart's cabin
lookin' fer me. I think Moose Jones is the best man in the world, an'
about the strongest," volunteered the boy loyally.
"And where's Moose Jones now?" asked "Scotty." "I used to see him
prospecting out near the Dexter Divide last winter."
"He was at Dexter first, an' then he was at Golconda fer a while; but in
spring he went ter St. Michael, an' from there up ter the new strike at
Marshall."
"And you miss him very much?" questioned the Woman.
"Yes, ma'am, I miss him a lot, an' so does Baldy. He was awful good
ter animals an' kids. He had a pet ermine that 'ud come in ter see him
every night in his cabin, an' he wouldn't let Mart an' some o' the fellers
set a trap fer the red mother fox that was prowlin' round the place t' git
somethin' fer her babies. Said he'd make trap-bait fer bears o' the first
feller that tried t' git 'er."
"Excellent idea."
"Oh, he didn't really mean it serious. Why, Moose is so kind he hates
ter kill anythin'--even fer food. Sometimes when he's been livin' on
bacon an' beans fer months, he lets a flock o' young ptarmigan fly by
him 'cause he says they look so soft an' pretty an' fluttery he don't like
ter shoot 'em; an' Moose is a dead shot. He's mighty handy with his fists
too, an' next ter Mr. Allan I guess Moose knows more about dogs than
any man in Alaska; an' he said he'd bet some day there'd be a reg'lar
stampede ter buy Baldy."
"A prophet," exclaimed the Woman. "You see we are the forerunners.
But who is Black Mart?"
"Oh, he's a miner that's workin' the claim next ter Golconda. He's a
friend o' the cook there, an' comes over ter eat pretty often. Him and
Moose had some trouble once over some minin' ground, an' Mart kinda

takes it out on all Moose's friends, even if they's only boys an' dogs,
don't he, Baldy?" And Baldy wagged that he certainly did. "Now the
cook says they've got work dogs enough belongin' ter the claim ter feed,
without supportin' my mangy cur in idleness. Mr. Allan," earnestly, "he
ain't mangy, an' he's the most willin' dog I ever seen fer any one that
loves him. But he ain't sociable with every one, an' he don't like bein'
handled rough."
"Scotty" looked at Baldy with a practiced and critical eye. "Those are
all points in his favor," he remarked. "You can't do much with a dog
that gives his affection and obedience indiscriminately."
"Besides, he ain't no cur--he's one o' them Bowen-Dalzene pups, an'
you know there ain't a poor dog in the lot. They give him to me 'cause
he wasn't like any o' the others in the litter, an' would 'a' spoiled the
looks o' the team when they was old enough ter be hitched up,"
continued Ben breathlessly. "He was sort o' wild, too, an' he wouldn't
pay attention t' any of 'em when I was round, an' they said I might as
well take him fer keeps as t' have him runnin' away t' git t' me all the
time."
"And your mother does not like him, and thinks it would be best not to
keep him now?"
"She really does like him; but she does the washin' fer the Camp, an'
helps with the dishes, an' sews when she kin git a job at it. But there
ain't none of 'em reg'lar, an' sometimes there ain't more'n enough fer us
two t' live on. Then she gits pretty tired an' discouraged like, an' says
Baldy's a useless expense, an' keeps me from doin' my chores, 'cause I
like t' play with him, an'--"
"Yes, yes, I see," broke in the Woman hastily, anxious to spare him any
further revelations of a painful nature. "I know exactly how it is; but
maybe we could make some arrangement with your mother about the
dog. We will take a sort of an option on him; you can keep him with
you, and we will pay a certain sum for the privilege of being permitted
to buy him outright before the stampede actually begins."

The boy looked at her suspiciously, but there was no smile on her lips,
and she rose a notch in his estimation. She evidently did realize, in a
slight degree, what an unusual bargain was being offered in his
heart-breaking sacrifice.
"An' it ain't 'cause his appetite's gone that makes him thin. I wasn't
tellin' the truth about that," he stammered desperately; "he's