t once, she noticed an
ugly gash on the front of his chest. The Davenports could not imagine
how he received it, but they doctored and petted him to his great
delight.

Soon after breakfast, Mr. Brown again appeared, very indignant over
Duke's truancy.

"I'll make the ugly beast pay for all the trouble he has caused me," he
muttered, flourishing before the cowering dog a riding whip which he
carried.

"You shan't whip him," declared Marian, her eyes blazing. "I'll--I'll
have you arrested if you do."

Beth looked as if she would like to hug Marian for her boldness. The
man laughed.

"I ain't going to whip him. It wouldn't do no sort of good. But I'll
outwit the ugly beast yet. It seems as if I couldn't keep him from
you, but I'll get the better of him yet. Last night I locked him in a
room in the barn where all the lower sashes are barred with iron. He
kept me awake howling most of the night. Not till morning was he
quiet. I thought I'd conquered him, but when I went to the barn my dog
was gone. I found the upper glass in one of the windows broken, and
saw that he must have jumped and escaped that way, though it seems
incredible."

"That's the way he cut himself," declared Marian, giving Duke a parting
love pat.

That day, Mr. Brown, by means of a heavy chain, led Duke down to one of
the river boats.

"Keep an eye on this dog," he said to the captain; "I'll chain him up
well here. At Silver Lake a man'll come aboard for him. I'm sending
him there because he runs away."

Duke howled so pitifully that after the boat was well under way from
Jacksonville one of the sailors took pity on him and unloosed him,
supposing him perfectly safe aboard boat in midwater.

However, Duke was not to be hindered by obstacles. With one bound, he
leaped to the side of the boat and jumped overboard.

"Well," the captain muttered, "I don't know what Brown'll say, but it
can't be helped."

Duke swam immediately to shore. There one of the wharf hands saw him
as he landed, and exclaimed:

"Why, that's Brown's dog. Perhaps he'll give me something if I take
him home."

So the wharf hand caught Duke and took him up to Brown's home at noon.
Brown, who had been drinking and was in a very unpleasant mood, was
struck with amazement at sight of the dog. He gave the wharf hand some
small change, and, when he was gone, took Duke into the back yard and
beat him. Next, he tied the dog with an extra heavy chain.

"Ther