perfectly quiet, watching for his
master's return. A big bark welcomed the captain home as Jan ran down
the street to meet him.

"Come along, Jan," the old man was smiling, and the dog trotted beside
him into the pound, where the other dogs pulled on their ropes and
greeted them noisily.

The poundmaster stopped in front of each dog and fastened a small metal
tag to its collar, then he took them all into his own back yard, where
they crowded and leaped about him or chased each other in play. One dog
was so happy that he kept turning around and around after his own short
tail until he was too dizzy to stand up.

"It's a pretty good-sized family, Jan," laughed the old man, as he sat
in a chair on the back porch, smoking his pipe and watching the dogs'
antics. "They've all got licenses now, so no one can order any of 'em
killed for a year. I guess we can find homes for all of them before that
time is up."

So, when the two men came again, Captain Smith took them into the back
yard and showed the license on each dog's collar, as he said, "I have
found homes for five of them already, and to-morrow I'll take the others
to a friend in the country. He will look out for them until we have good
places for all."

He smiled happily at the dogs, then looked up at the two men, but his
smile faded at their next words.

"Well, what do you intend doing with the next bunch you collect?"

"Why, I'll get homes for them, like these others."

"That won't do, Smith. Either you've got to take care of the work as
you are ordered, or else let some other man have your place. What are
you going to do about it?"

Smith's hand rumpled the fur on Jan's back. The eyes of the dog and the
old man met, then the poundmaster lifted his head and said quietly, "I
will give up the place. I thought when I took this work that it would
give me a chance to make some poor dumb brutes a little happier and more
comfortable, but I never intended to shoot one of them. Why, I couldn't
do that. They're all my friends!"

"All right," was the answer. "Suit yourself. We'll have another man take
charge to-morrow morning."

Without further words the men left, and the captain, followed by Jan,
went into the back yard where the ten dogs rushed to meet them. Barking,
leaping, tumbling over each other, they struggled to get close to the
old man who stood smiling and patting them, while he said softly, "The
best friends a man ever had, Jan."

Prince Jan looked at