Chummie [pp. 77-85]

Chumnmie: A Tale of TIwo Friends
seemingly very proud that he was of soIIme
importance, and looking very much as if
he would like to wag his tail if he had had
any tail to wag.
]But the increased dignity and imipor tance thus imparted to Chumnmie was the
very cause which led to Jack's trouble.
The last message which Chumiie carried.
the very last one, the day before the detail
returned to the Fort, contained somiething
of importance to the Colonel. The major
in charge of the commissary walked over
to the commandant's quarters, and foolish
Chummie, not having been given the word
of dismissal, followed at his heels. And
of course the cats could n't keep out of his
sight. This time one of the Colonel's pets
suffered severe disfigurement, and the
Colonel was furious. Chuinmie was suf ficiently fortunate to escape instant death,
because repeated training in crises had
made him fleeter of foot than the Colonel,
who was fat and fifty. But Jack, who the
next day came in with the detail, innocent
enough of the whole trouble, was in for it.
"Jack," said the commandant, "that
dog has got to get out of this Fort. For
your sake, I'11 not have him killed; but
I'm going to send a freight outfit to
Pierre to-morrow, and he goes with it.
Mind, that's settled. No pleading. He
goes with it."
"Then, I'11 go to," was all Jack said.
A lump had come into his throat at the
first word of Chummie's sentence. He
didn't even ask an explanation of the
Colonel's edict; he knew instantly that
Chummie and the cats had been at it
again.
"I mean it," declared the Colonel, but
with a tone of anxiety in his voice when
Jack threatened desertion.
"I know you ldo, Colonel,"' replied Jack.
It's all right. Guess vou like your pets,
Colonel; but so do I. Why, mie an' this
ol' yeller pup have eat together an' slep'
together for more'n two years. He's
warmed me out in the cold, too. IHe
ain't never gone back on me, an' I ain't
goin' ter go back on him. You been good
to me. I'm sorry to go, but this here ol'
pup-well, he may have his faults, but
he's been a father to me an' I'11 stay by
him."
Which was quite a peculiar statement
for a boy to make about a dog; but the
Colonel, despite his inflexible face, under stood wihat Jackl meant, and felt for him
in his lheart. Truly this ugly yellow dog
had been the only constant thing upon
whicll Jaeck had opportunity to fix his
iatuoral alection since left an orphan.
Butit tle olonel was adamant, at leas:
so far as Jack could see. He would not let
IJack go, lhowe-er, wAithlout a friendly shake
of his lhandl(. Ite exenll unbent so far as to
answver the salulte giten at Jack's order by
Clhununmie, who stood on his hind legs and
)ut lup his dirt-y yellow paw to his head
in a imost lauglabl)le effort, which could
not, by all of his (aily practice of the trick,
be made gracefutl.
That ni'ghlt in giving instructions to the
wag,on-boss wNhlo was to take the freight train over the one hundred and twenty
liles of reservation lands and bring back
supplies from the nearest railroad, the
Colonel said: "Now. don't let that boy
get out of your sight. MAake him stay with
you till Aon are loaded; then I charge you
bring hill backl. But in the mean time
lose the dog somehow. MAind, don't kill
himi,-Jaelk wouild never forgive me for
that,-but get them separated somehow,
and lose the dog."
Later the Colonel explained to the
Major: "TThe trip will do young Green
good anyhlow, and I can get rid of the dog
and at the saone time keep the boy's friendship. By Ji,ove! it's worth having if he
will stick as hlie does to that cantankerous
cur."
So, after all, the trouble to come was all
for Chliumiie, but Jack did n't know.
The Colonel was on the parade-ground
the next morning,-something unusual in
itself, and the poor soldiers had a hard
time of it during, review.
"The Colonel acts as if he had something on his conscience and was deternined that every one else should undergo
the same pIlnislnhment which troubles him
for lis misdoing, whatever it may be,"
remarked the Captain to the Major. rT',
Major had a keen idea that the Colonel's
conscience was troubling him, and he
thought he understood his petulance.
rThe second day after the banishment of
J ack and Chummie it rained-one of
those strange storms from the mountains,
which come without warning just before
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