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landed； full and effectively； on the accelerator。
The powerful car responded to the touch with a bound。 And it did so at
the very moment that the flash of white teeth at his throat made Halding
snatch his own left hand instinctively from the steering…wheel； in order to
guard the threatened spot。
A second later the runabout crashed at full speed into the wall of a
house on the narrow street's opposite side。
The rest was chaos。
When a crowd of idlers and a policeman at last righted the wrecked car；
two bodies were found huddled inertly amid a junk… heap of splintered
glass and shivered wood and twisted metal。 The local ambulance carried
away one of these limp bodies。 The Place's car rushed the smash…up's other
senseless victim to the office of the nearest veterinary。 Dr。 Halding； with a
shattered shoulder…blade and a fractured nose and jaw and a mild case of
brain…concussion；was received as a guest of honor at the village hospital。
Bruce； his left foreleg broken and a nasty assortment of glass… cuts
marring the fluffiness of his fur； was skillfully patched up by the vet' and
carried back that night to The Place。
The puppy had suddenly taken on a new value in his owners' eyes
partly for his gallantly puny effort at defending the Mistress； partly
because of his pitiful condition。 And he was nursed； right zealously； back
to life and health。
In a few weeks； the plaster cast on the convalescent's broken foreleg
had been replaced by a bandage。 In another week or two the vet'
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Bruce
pronounced Bruce as well as ever。 The dog； through habit； still held the
mended foreleg off the ground； even after the bandage was removed。
Whereat； the Master tied a bandage tightly about the uninjured foreleg。
Bruce at once decided that this； and not the other； was the lame leg；
and he began forthwith to limp on it。 As it was manifestly impossible to
keep both forelegs off the ground at the same time when he was walking；
he was forced to make use of the once…broken leg。 Finding； to his amaze；
that he could walk on it with perfect ease； he devoted his limping solely to
the well leg。 And as soon as the Master took the bandage from that； Bruce
ceased to limp at all。
Meanwhile； a lawyer； whose name sounded as though it had been
culled from a Rhine Wine list； had begun suit； in Dr。 Halding's name；
against the Mistress； as a 〃contributory cause〃 of his client's accident。 The
suit never came to trial。 It was dropped； indeed； with much haste。 Not
from any change of heart on the plaintiff's behalf； but because； at that
juncture； Dr。 Halding chanced to be arrested and interned as a dangerous
Enemy Alien。 Our country had recently declared war on Germany； and the
belated spy…hunt was up。
During the Federal officers' search of the doctor's house； for
treasonable documents （of which they found an ample supply）； they came
upon his laboratory。 No fewer than five dogs； in varying stages of hideous
torture； were found strapped to tables or hanging to wall…hooks。 The
vivisector bewailed； loudly and gutturally； this cruel interruption to his
researches in Science's behalf。
One day； two months after the accident； Bruce stood on all four feet
once more； with no vestige left of scars or of lameness。 And then； for the
first time； a steady change that had been so slow as to escape any one's
notice dawned upon the Mistress and the Master。 It struck them both at the
same moment。 And they stared dully at their pet。
The shapeless； bumptious； foolish Pest of two months ago had
vanished。 In his place； by a very normal process of nature…magic； stood a
magnificently stately thoroughbred collie。
The big head had tapered symmetrically； and had lost its puppy
formlessness。 It was now a head worthy of Landseer's own pencil。 The
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Bruce
bonily awkward body had lengthened and had lost its myriad knobs and
angles。 It had grown massively graceful。
The former thatch of half…curly and indeterminately yellowish fuzz
had changed to a rough tawny coat； wavy and unbelievably heavy； stippled
at the ends with glossy black。 There was a strange depth and repose and
Soul in the dark eyesyes； and a keen intelligence； too。
It was the old story of the Ugly Duckling； all over again。
〃Why！〃 gasped the Mistress。 〃He'she's BEAUTIFUL！ And I never
knew it。〃
At her loved voice the great dog moved across to where she sat。
Lightly he laid one little white paw on her knee and looked gravely up into
her eyes。
〃He's got sense； too；〃 chimed in the Master。 〃Look at those eyes； if you
doubt it。 They're alive with intelligence。 It'sit's a miracle！ He can't be the
same worthless whelp I wanted to get rid of！ He CAN'T！〃
And he was not。 The long illness； at the most formative time of the
dog's growth； had done its work in developing what； all the time； had lain
latent。 The same illnessand the long…enforced personal touch with
humanshad done an equally transforming work on the puppy's
undeveloped mind。 The Thackeray…Washington… Lincoln…Bismarck simile
had held good。
What looked like a miracle was no more than the same beautifully
simple process which Nature enacts every day； when she changes an
awkward and dirt…colored cygnet into a glorious swan or a leggily gawky
colt into a superb Derby…winner。 But Bruce's metamorphosis seemed none
the less wonderful in the eyes of the two people who had learned to love
him。
Somewhere in the hideous wreck of Dr。 Halding's motorcar the dog
had found a souland the rest had followed as a natural course of growth。
At the autumn dog…show； in Hampton； a 〃dark…sable…and…white〃 collie
of unwonted size and beauty walked proudly into the ring close to the
Mistress's side； when the puppy class was calleda class that includes all
dogs under twelve months old。 Six minutes later the Mistress was
gleesomely accepting the first…prize blue ribbon； for 〃best puppy；〃 from
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