FOR thE LOVE OF A MAN
on froze in tners able and left o get o get out a raft of saime inued limp left cer, listening lazily to ture, Buck sloh.
A rest comes very good after one raveled t must be confessed t Buck o cover matter, ton, and Skeet and Nig--ing for t to come t o carry to Da tle Irister o resent advances. Sor trait ens, so ser , sed task, till o look for rations as mucons. Nig, equally friendly trative, was a laugure.
to Bucks surprise ted no jealousy toronger ticed o all sorts of ridiculous games, in o join; and in to a neence. Love, genuine passionate love, ime. t Judge Millers doa Clara Valley. iting and tramping, it ners of pompous guardiansately and dignified friends love t ion, t aken Joon to arouse.
t, furter. Oto ty and business expediency; o t . And a kindly greeting or a co sit doalk ;gasquot; --aking Bucks o Buck er joy t roug eac seemed t s ecstasy. And tered sound, and in t fas movement, Joon ly exclaim, quot;God! you can all but speak!quot;
Buck rick of love expression t o . en seize tons teetime afterood to be love ood te for a caress.
For t part, ion. on touco seek tokens. Unlike Skeet, o sons ill petted, or Nig, ons knee, Buck ent to adore at a distance. , at tons feet, looking up into , studying it, follo interest eacing expression, every movement or cure. Or, as c , o tclines of ts of en, sucrengtons urn t speec s of s.
For a long time after like ton to get out of . From t tent to again, Buck ransient masters since o t no master could be permanent. ton of and Francois and tc. Even in t, in ed by t sucimes o tent, en to ters breathing.
But in spite of t love on, civilizing influence, train of tive, ion, t ained o sit by Joons fire, rat Soutamped ions of civilization. Because of love, steal from t from any ot ate an instant; ection.
eet as fiercely as ever and more s and Nig oo good-natured for quarreling--besides, to Joon; but trange dog, no matter ly acknoerrible antagonist. And Buck age or dreed on to deatz, and from ting dogs of t master or be mastered; in t ood for fear, and sucandings made for deat or be eaten, e, do of time, he obeyed.
, and ternity bey ro ed dog, be and prompting, tasting t e, ting for ter ing tening elling ; dictating ing ions, lying doo sleep uff of his dreams.
So peremptorily did t eac a call en as eriously t compelled to turn en eart, and to plunge into t, and on and on, as often as unbroken earton drehe fire again.
ton alone of mankind ravelers mig all, and from a too demonstrative man up and ners, e, arrived on ted raft, Buck refused to notice till o ton; after t olerated t of ing favors from ting. type as ton, living close to t into t Daood Buck and insist upon an intimacy sucained and Nig.
For ton, o groraveling. Notoo great for Buck to do, aked t and left Daers of tanana) tting on t of a cliff beloting near t less ention of e to t ;Jump, Buck!quot; and over t instant reme edge, o safety.
quot;Its uncanny,quot; Pete said, after it their speech.
ton s;No, it is splendid, and it is terrible, too. Do you kno sometimes makes me afraid.quot;
quot;Im not o be t lays ; Pete announced conclusively, nodding oward Buck.
quot;Py Jingo!quot; ion. quot;Not mineself eit;
It Circle City, ere t, t Petes appre;Blackquot; Burton, a man evil tempered and malicious, enderfoot at ton stepped good naturedly betion. Burton struck out, raigon spinning, and saved che bar.
t a somet described as a roar, and t tons t. tinctively t op of eet. time tly blocking, and orn open. t ing to rusile clubs. A quot;miners meetingquot; called on t, decided t t provocation, and Buck ion day hrough every camp in Alaska.
Later on, in tons life in quite anotners doretcy Mile Creek. e moved along tree to tree, , s descent by means of a pole, and sing directions to t abreast of t, er.
At a particularly bad spot, into t off ton poled t out into tream, ran doo snub t ream in a current as s as a mill-race, oo suddenly. t flirted over and snubbed in to ttom up, , ream to part of tretcer in which no swimmer could live.
Buck ant; and at ter, on. ail, Buck rengt tream amazingly rapid. From beloal roaring in s teeter as it took t steep pitcful, and ton kne truck a tcs slippery top er sed: quot;Go, Buck! Go!quot;
Buck could not on doream, struggling desperately, but unable to ed, ly reared out of ter, t look, turned obediently toe and t ruction began.
t time a man could cling to a slippery rock in t driving current ter of minutes, and t as to a point far above ac to Bucks neck and s it srangle o tream. ruck out boldly, but not straigo tream. ake too late, of rokes away w.
ly snubbed . tig, ill ruck against t. e to er out of aggered to and fell do sound of tons voice came to t make out t, t remity. ers voice acted on Buck like an electric so and ran up to t of ure.
Again ttacruck out, but time straigo tream. ed once, but be guilty of it a second time. tting no slack, it clear of coils. Buck ill raigon; turned, and rain on saering ram, beree, and Buck and ton er. Strangling, suffocating, sometimes one uppermost and sometimes ttom, smas rocks and snags, to the bank.
ton came to, belly doly propelled back and fort log by e. glance ting up a face and closed eyes. ton ered, and carefully over Bucks body, hree broken ribs.
quot;t settles it,quot; ;e camp rig; And camp till Bucks ribs knitted and o travel.
t er, at Da, not so one t puts cotem pole of Alaskan fame. t icularly gratifying to tood in need of tfit rip into t, appeared. It ion in tful of te dogs. Buck, because of arget for ton outly to defend tated t art a sled ; a second bragged six hird, seven hundred.
quot;Poo; said Joon. quot;Buck can start a t;
quot;And break it out, and for a ; demanded Matt.
quot;And break it out, and for a ; Joon said cooly.
quot;ell,quot; Mattely, so t all could ;Ive got a t says . And t is.quot; So saying, of the bar.
Nobody spoke. tons bluff, if bluff it a ton! t appalled faitrengten t arting suc never, as no, t and ing. Furte.
quot;Ive got a sled standing outside noy fifty-pound sacks of flour on it,quot; Matt on al directness; quot;so dont let t ;
ton did not reply. knoo say. o face in t and is seeking some art it going again. todon king and old-time comrade, caug o o rouse o do w he would never have dreamed of doing.
quot;Can you lend me a t; in a whisper.
quot;Sure,quot; anst;ts little fait t can do trick.quot;
tied its occupants into treet to see test. tables ed, and to see tcome of to lay odds. Several tened, banked around tance. Mattanding for a couple of ense cold --it y belo to to one t Buck could not budge t;break out.quot; OBrien contended it ons privilege to knock to quot;break it outquot; from a dead standstill. Matted t ty of tnessed t decided in t up to to one against Buck.
takers. Not a man believed . ton o t; and no tself, te fact, eam of ten dogs curled up in t, task appeared. Matt.
quot;to one!quot; ;Ill lay you anot t figure, ton, ;
tons doubt rong in ing spirit ing spirit t soars above odds, fails to recognize to all save ttle. e to ners could rake togetotal capital; yet t unatingly against Matthewsons six hundred.
team of ten dogs o t tagion of tement, and t in some ton. Murmurs of admiration at up. condition, an ounce of superfluous flesy pounds t and virility. s o lift , as ticular ive. t breast and ion of ig t doo to one.
quot;Gad, sir! Gad, sir!quot; stuttered a member of test dynasty, a king of t;I offer you eigest; eig as ands.quot;
ton sepped over to Bucks side.
quot;You must stand off from ; Mattested. quot;Free play and plenty of room.quot;
t; only could be o one. Everybody ackno animal, but ty fifty-pound sacks of flour bulked too large in to loosen trings.
ton knelt do love curses; but ;As you love me, Buck. As you love me,quot; was w h suppressed eagerness.
tcerious. It seemed like a conjuration. As ton got to , Buck seized tened antly. It erms, not of speec of love. ton stepped well back.
quot;No; he said.
Buck tigraces, tter of several inc he way he had learned.
quot;Gee!quot; tons voice rang out, sense silence.
Buck so t, ending t in a plunge t took up ted y pounds. the runners arose a crisp crackling.
quot;; ton commanded.
Buck duplicated time to t. turned into a snapping, ting and ting several inco t. Men .
quot;Now, MUS;
tons command cracked out like a pistol s. Buck tigraces ly togetremendous effort, tting like live t c o t rembled, arted for appeared a rapid succession of jerks, t never really came to a dead stop again . . . ill it eadily along.
Men gasped and began to breat for a moment to breaton o a roar as ed at command. Every man earing ts and mittens did not matter babel.
But ton fell on ly, and softly and lovingly.
quot;Gad, sir! Gad, sir!quot; sputtered t;Ill give you a twelve ;
ton rose to . . tears reaming frankly do; o t;no, sir. You can go to s t I can do for you, sir.quot;
Buck seized tons eeton sed by a common impulse, to a respectful distance; nor enougo interrupt.