A CHILD was standing on a street-corner. He leaned with one shoulder against a high board-fence and swayed the other to and fro, the while kicking carelessly at the gravel.

   Sunshine beat upon the cobbles, and a lazy summer wind raised yellow dust which trailed in clouds down the avenue. Clattering trucks moved with indistinctness through it. The child stood dreamily gazing.

   After a time, a little dark-brown dog came trotting with an intent air down the sidewalk. A short rope was dragging from his neck. Occasionally he trod upon the end of it and stumbled.

   He stopped opposite the child, and the two regarded each other. The dog

hesitated for a moment, but presently he made some little advances with his

tail. The child put out his hand and called him. In an apologetic manner the

dog came close, and the two had an interchange of friendly pattings and

waggles. The dog became more enthusiastic with each moment of the interview,

until with his gleeful caperings he threatened to overturn the child.

Whereupon the child lifted his hand and struck the dog a blow upon the head.

   This thing seemed to overpower and astonish the little dark-brown dog,

and wounded him to the heart. He sank down in despair at the child's feet.

When the blow was repeated, together with an admonition in childish

sentences, he turned over upon his back, and held his paws in a peculiar

manner. At the same time with his ears and his eyes he offered a small

prayer to the child.

   He looked so comical on his back, and holding his paws peculiarly, that

the child was greatly amused and gave him little taps repeatedly, to keep

him so. But the little dark-brown dog took this chastisement in the most

serious way, and no doubt considered that he had committed some grave crime,

for he wriggled contritely and showed his repentance in every way that was

in his power. He pleaded with the child and petitioned him, and offered more

prayers.

   At last the child grew weary of this amusement and turned toward home.

The dog was praying at the time. He lay on his back and turned his eyes upon the retreating form.

   Presently he struggled to his feet and started after the child. The

latter wandered in a perfunctory way toward his home, stopping at times to

investigate various matters. During one of these pauses he discovered the

little dark-brown dog who was following him with the air of a footpad.

   The child beat his pursuer with a small stick he had found. The dog lay

down and prayed until the child had finished, and resumed his journey. Then

he scrambled erect and took up the pursuit again.

   On the way to his home the child turned many times and beat the dog,

proclaiming with childish gestures that he held him in contempt as an

unimportant dog, with no value save for a moment. For being this quality of

animal the dog apologized and eloquently expressed regret, but he continued

stealthily to follow the child. His manner grew so very guilty that he slunk

like an assassin.

   When the child reached his door-step, the dog was industriously ambling a

few yards in the rear. He became so agitated with shame when he again

confronted the child that he forgot the dragging rope. He tripped upon it

and fell forward.

   The child sat down on the step and the two had another interview. During

it the dog greatly exerted himself to please the child. He performed a few

gambols with such abandon that the child suddenly saw him to be a valuable

thing. He made a swift, avaricious charge and seized the rope.

   He dragged his captive into a hall and up many long stairways in a dark

tenement. The dog made willing efforts, but he could not hobble very

skilfully up the stairs because he was very small and soft, and at last the

pace of the engrossed child grew so energetic that the dog became

panic-stricken. In his mind he was being dragged toward a grim unknown. His

eyes grew wild with the terror of it. He began to wiggle his head

frantically and to brace his legs.

   The child redoubled his exertions. They had a battle on the stairs. The

child was victorious because he was completely absorbed in his purpose, and

because the dog was very small. He dragged his acquirement to the door of

his home, and finally with triumph across the threshold.

   No one was in. The child sat down on the floor and made overtures to the

dog. These the dog instantly accepted. He beamed with affection upon his new

friend. In a short time they were firm and abiding comrades.

   When the child's family appeared, they made a great row. The dog was

examined and commented upon and called names. Scorn was leveled at him from

all eyes, so that he became much embarrassed and drooped like a scorched plant. But the child went sturdily to the center of the floor, and, at the top of his voice, championed the dog. It happened that he was roaring protestations, with his arms clasped about the dog's

neck, when the father of the family came in from work.

   The parent demanded to know what the blazes they were making the kid howl

for. It was explained in many words that the infernal kid wanted to

introduce a disreputable dog into the family.

   A family council was held. On this depended the dog's fate, but he in no

way heeded, being busily engaged in chewing the end of the child's dress.

   The affair was quickly ended. The father of the family, it appears, was

in a particularly savage temper that evening, and when he perceived that it

would amaze and anger everybody if such a dog were allowed to remain, he

decided that it should be so. The child, crying softly, took his friend off

to a retired part of the room to hobnob with him, while the father quelled a

fierce rebellion of his wife. So it came to pass that the dog was a member

of the household.

   He and the child were associated together at all times save when the

child slept. The child became a guardian and a friend. If the large folk

kicked the dog and threw things at him, the child made loud and violent

objections. Once when the child had run, protesting loudly, with tears

raining down his face and his arms outstretched, to protect his friend, he

had been struck in the head with a very large saucepan from the hand of his

father, enraged at some seeming lack of courtesy in the dog. Ever after, the

family were careful how they threw things at the dog. Moreover, the latter

grew very skilful in avoiding missiles and feet. In a small room containing

a stove, a table, a bureau and some chairs, he would display strategic

ability of a high order, dodging, feinting and scuttling about among the

furniture. He could force three or four people armed with brooms, sticks and

handfuls of coal, to use all their ingenuity to get in a blow. And even when

they did, it was seldom that they could do him a serious injury or leave any

imprint.

   But when the child was present, these scenes did not occur. It

came to be recognized that if the dog was molested, the child would burst

into sobs, and as the child, when started, was very riotous and practically

unquenchable, the dog had therein a safeguard.

   However, the child could not always be near. At night, when he was

asleep, his dark-brown friend would raise from some black corner a wild,

wailful cry, a song of infinite lowliness and despair, that would go

shuddering and sobbing among the buildings of the block and cause people to

swear. At these times the singer would often be chased all over the kitchen

and hit with a great variety of articles.

   Sometimes, too, the child himself used to beat the dog, although it is

not known that he ever had what could be truly called a just cause. The dog

always accepted these thrashings with an air of admitted guilt. He was too

much of a dog to try to look to be a martyr or to plot revenge. He received

the blows with deep humility, and furthermore he forgave his friend the

moment the child had finished, and was ready to caress the child's hand with

his little red tongue.

   When misfortune came upon the child, and his troubles overwhelmed him, he

would often crawl under the table and lay his small distressed head on the

dog's back. The dog was ever sympathetic. It is not to be supposed that at

such times he took occasion to refer to the unjust beatings his friend, when

provoked, had administered to him.

   He did not achieve any notable degree of intimacy with the other members

of the family. He had no confidence in them, and the fear that he would

express at their casual approach often exasperated them exceedingly. They

used to gain a certain satisfaction in underfeeding him, but finally his

friend the child grew to watch the matter with some care, and when he forgot

it, the dog was often successful in secret for himself.

   So the dog prospered. He developed a large bark, which came wondrously

from such a small rug of a dog. He ceased to howl persistently at night.

Sometimes, indeed, in his sleep, he would utter little yells, as from pain,

but that occurred, no doubt, when in his dreams he

encountered huge flaming dogs who threatened him direfully.

   His devotion to the child grew until it was a sublime thing. He wagged at

his approach; he sank down in despair at his departure. He could detect the

sound of the child's step among all the noises of the neighborhood. It was

like a calling voice to him.

   The scene of their companionship was a kingdom governed by this terrible

potentate, the child; but neither criticism nor rebellion ever lived for an

instant in the heart of the one subject. Down in the mystic, hidden fields

of his little dog-soul bloomed flowers of love and fidelity and perfect

faith.

   The child was in the habit of going on many expeditions to observe

strange things in the vicinity. On these occasions his friend usually jogged

aimfully along behind. Perhaps, though, he went ahead. This necessitated his

turning around every quarter-minute to make sure the child was coming. He

was filled with a large idea of the importance of these journeys. He would

carry himself with such an air! He was proud to be the retainer of so great

a monarch.

   One day, however, the father of the family got quite exceptionally drunk.

He came home and held carnival with the cooking utensils, the furniture and

his wife. He was in the midst of this recreation when the child, followed by

the dark-brown dog, entered the room. They were returning from their

voyages.

   The child's practised eye instantly noted his father's state. He dived

under the table, where experience had taught him was a rather safe place.

The dog, lacking skill in such matters, was, of course, unaware of the true

condition of affairs. He looked with interested eyes at his friend's sudden

dive. He interpreted it to mean: Joyous gambol. He started to patter

across the floor to join him. He was the picture of a little dark-brown dog

en route to a friend.

   The head of the family saw him at this moment. He gave a huge howl of

joy, and knocked the dog down with a heavy coffee-pot. The dog, yelling in

supreme astonishment and fear, writhed to his feet and ran for cover. The

man kicked out with a ponderous foot. It caused the dog to swerve as if

caught in a tide. A second blow of the coffee-pot laid him upon the floor.

   Here the child, uttering loud cries, came valiantly forth like a knight.

The father of the family paid no attention to these calls of the child, but

advanced with glee upon the dog. Upon being knocked down twice in swift

succession, the latter apparently gave up all hope of escape. He rolled over

on his back and held his paws in a peculiar manner. At the same time with

his eyes and his ears he offered up a small prayer.

   But the father was in a mood for having fun, and it occurred to him that

it would be a fine thing to throw the dog out of the window. So he reached

down and grabbing the animal by a leg, lifted him, squirming, up. He swung

him two or three times hilariously about his head, and then flung him with

great accuracy through the window.

   The soaring dog created a surprise in the block. A woman watering plants

in an opposite window gave an involuntary shout and dropped a flower-pot. A

man in another window leaned perilously out to watch the flight of the dog.

A woman, who had been hanging out clothes in a yard, began to caper wildly.

Her mouth was filled with clothes-pins, but her arms gave vent to a sort of

exclamation. In appearance she was like a gagged prisoner. Children ran

whooping.

   The dark-brown body crashed in a heap on the roof of a shed five stories

below. From thence it rolled to the pavement of an alleyway.

   The child in the room far above burst into a long, dirgelike cry, and

toddled hastily out of the room. It took him a long time to reach the alley,

because his size compelled him to go downstairs backward, one step at a

time, and holding with both hands to the step above.

   When they came for him later, they found him seated by the body of his

dark-brown friend.