"That single clause has barred out eleven of the sixteen entrants," commented the Superintendent. "You see, most of the dogs at these local Shows are pets, and hardly any of them have been to Madison Square Garden or to any of the other A. K. C. shows. The few that have been to them seldom got a Blue."
"Lad did!" exclaimed the Mistress joyfully. "He took two Blues at the Garden last year; and then, you remember, it was so horrible for him there we broke the rules and brought him home without waiting for——"
"I know," said the Superintendent, "but read the rest."
"'Second,'" read the Mistress. "'Each contestant must have a certified five-generation pedigree, containing the names of at least ten champions.' Lad had twelve in his pedigree," she added, "and it's certified."
"Two more entrants were killed out by that clause," remarked the Superintendent, "leaving only three out of the original sixteen. Now go ahead with the clause that puts poor old Lad and one other out of the running. I'm sorry."
"'Third,'" the Mistress read, her brows crinkling and her voice trailing as she proceeded. "'Each contestant must go successfully through the preliminary maneuvers prescribed by the Kirkaldie Association, Inc., of Great Britain, for its Working Sheepdog Trials.'—But," she protested, "Lad isn't a 'working' sheepdog! Why, this is some kind of a joke! I never heard of such a thing—even in a Specialty Show."
"No," agreed the Superintendent, "nor anybody else. Naturally, Lad isn't a 'working' sheepdog. There probably haven't been three 'working' sheepdogs born within a hundred miles of here, and it's a mighty safe bet that no 'working' sheepdog has ever taken a 'Blue' at an A. K. C. Show. A 'working' dog is almost never a show dog. I know of only one either here or in England; and he's a freak—a miracle. So much so, that he's famous all over the dog-world."
"Do you mean Champion Lochinvar III?" asked the Mistress. "The dog the Duke of Hereford used to own?"
"That's the dog. The only——"
"We read about him in the Collie Folio," said the Mistress. "His picture was there, too. He was sent to Scotland when he was a puppy, the Folio said, and trained to herd sheep before ever he was shown. His owner was trying to induce other collie-fanciers to make their dogs useful and not just Show-exhibits. Lochinvar is an international champion, too, isn't he?"