And so the affair was ended officially.  But Baldy could not forget the sickening suspicion that had rested upon him.  In her heart the Woman felt that he was the culprit; and even “Scotty” had not been absolutely certain of his innocence.  There was only Ben who knew.

Forlornly the boy and the dog wandered about throughout that dismal day, which seemed interminable.  Nothing interested them, even the very things that had made the other days pass so quickly and so happily.  Nothing except gloomily watching Tom, whose actions would have plainly proved his guilt to “Scotty” had the man not been too absorbed in an improvement for his sled to take much notice of anything else.

For a brief period the wily criminal had shown a humility as deep as it was unusual; he had sat on a pile of wood alone, not even romping with Dick and Harry till he felt the Hour of Judgment had passed.  And then, deciding that there was no punishment forthcoming, he had leaped and frisked, and seemed so guileless that Baldy’s contempt for his own kind made life hardly worth while.

One might look for such actions from inferior animals—­from a cat that has killed a bird for instance; for cats are only soft-footed, purring bundles of deceit, with no standard of trail morals.  But for a dog, a racing dog, and one belonging to the Allan and Darling Team, it was almost incredible.  One would expect him at least to have the courage of his convictions, and be willing to take the consequences of what he regarded as a legitimate feud.

Tom’s escape from all blame in this deplorable matter rankled.  It made Baldy realize the indifference or casual injustice of a world that seldom delves below the surface of things; and while at times it plunged him into periods of depression, more often it spurred him on in his dogged determination to attain the goal of his recently aroused ambitions.

Fortunately he had a forgiving nature, and realized they could not know how deeply he had been wounded by their lack of faith.  Also he was too busy to brood very much, for when they exercised at all, the new dogs were being tried out, and the older ones were in demand as “trainers.”  Most recruits are as eager for the honor of making the team as a freshman is to get into college football; but occasionally it was thrust upon an unwilling candidate.

“I should not be at all surprised if I have some trouble with Fisher,” remarked “Scotty,” as he turned the dogs out one day for their usual run.  “He has a certain malamute stubbornness that might cause me a lot of annoyance just when I could least afford the time to correct him.”

“Well, after your famous victory over Jack McMillan I do not anticipate seeing any real difficulty with Fisher,” was the Big Man’s confident reply.  “I think you would be eligible to the position of wild beast tamer in a menagerie as the result of your tussle with Jack; for his strong wolf strain and his enormous strength certainly made him a formidable opponent.  Yet you never tied nor whipped him.”