hysic by mistake. Now, Grip, how are your
poor legs?"

"_Ahow-w-ow_!" howled the dog, throwing up his muzzle and making a most
dismal sound.

"Feel the change in the weather?"

A bark.

"Do you, now? But they are quite strong again, aren't they?"

"_How-how-ow-ow_" yelped the dog.

"Here, what made you begin talking about that?"

"What? His broken legs?"

"Yes."

"Pride, I suppose, in our cure. Or nonsense, just to tease the dog. He
always begins to howl when I talk about his legs. Don't you, Grip?
Poor old cripple, then."

"Ahow!" yelped the dog.

"Why did you ask?"

"Because it seemed curious. I say, Gwyn, I believe I did that man an
injustice."

"What man an injustice?" said Gwyn, who was pretending to tie the dog's
long silky ears in a knot across his eyes.

"Tom Dinass."

The dog bounded from where he stood on his hind-legs resting on his
master's knees, and burst into a furious fit of barking.

"Hark at him!" cried Gwyn. "Talk about dogs being intelligent animals?
It's wonderful. He never liked the fellow. Hi! Tom Dinass there. Did
he break your legs, Grip?"

The dog barked furiously, and ended with a savage growl.

"Just like we are," said Gwyn, "like some people, and hate others. I
begin to think you were right, Joe, and he did do it."

"Oh, no--impossible!"

"Well, it doesn't matter. He's gone."

"No, he has not," said Joe, quietly. "He has been hanging about here
ever since he left six months ago."

"What! I've never seen him."

"I have, and he has spoken to me over and over again."

"Why, you never told me."

"No, but I thought a good deal about it."

"What did he say to you?"

"That it was very hard for a man who had done his best for the mine to
be turned away all of a sudden just because Sam Hardock and the fellows
hated him."

"He wouldn't have been turned away for that. But as father said, when a
man strikes his superior officer he must be punished, or there would be
no discipline in a corps."

"I daresay Sam Hardock exasperated him first."

"Well, you often exasperate me, Jolly, but I don't take up a miner's
hammer and knock you down."

"No," said Joe, thinking in a pensive way; "you're a good patient
fellow. But he said it was very hard for a man to be thrown out of work
for six months for getting in a bit of temper."

"Bit of temper, indeed! I should think it was! I tell you it was
murderous! Why don't he go and get taken on at some ot