The Birch and the Star, and Other Stories

by Jørgen Engebretsen Moe; Zacharias Topelius

"Try again!" said Hans, and grinned. "It is dark brown, man, it walks on four feet and laps milk."

"Are you mad? Is it the puppy the Captain has promised me? Is it?" cried Viggo, and forgot all about standing straight and stiff before the Grenadier.

"Right about, you cheater! Of course that's what it is," said Hans the Grenadier.

But Viggo turned a somersault instead of "Right about" and ran to the house. On a piece of carpet close by the fireplace lay the little puppy, and he was beautiful. Viggo could not get tired of looking at him. The body was dark brown, but the nose and paws were light brown, and he had a light brown spot over each eye. He was almost as broad as he was long, and when Viggo sat down on the floor beside him and stroked and patted the soft fur he bent his short, stubby neck and smelled, and then licked Viggo's hand. Soon they had become acquainted and from that time on Viggo watched carefully to see if the puppy grew, almost as carefully as he watched his own nose, to see if it had the proper curve so that he might become a general.

But it went much faster with the puppy. And as he grew Viggo loved him more and more; they were inseparable. In the night Allarm lay by his bed, and in the daytime he sat beside Viggo when he was studying his lessons. The puppy looked at him with his big brown eyes, just as if he would help him when he came to difficult passages, and then he followed him wherever Viggo went or stood. He was not allowed to go along to school, but he met him every afternoon more than half way and barked with joy and wagged his tail when he saw Viggo.

One winter morning Hans the Grenadier and some of the farm hands were going to the woods to haul lumber. Viggo had a holiday that day so he was allowed to go along. He put his rubber boots on and whistled for Allarm. The puppy jumped and barked when he noticed that they were off for the woods, for Allarm's father was a hound, so Allarm wanted to hunt too. But Viggo's father said it would be best to leave Allarm at home, for there were packs of wolves in the woods and their tracks had been seen even in the field close to the farm. Viggo did not like to leave Allarm behind, but when his father said so of course he must do it. He took the strap and tied Allarm to the leg of the sofa. Then he put his old coat on the floor beside the dog, so that he might rest more softly and be comfortable. But you can't imagine how Allarm whined and howled when he understood that he was to be left tied up instead of being allowed to go along to the woods.

He lay flat on the floor and dragged his body to Viggo's feet as far as the strap reached—just as if he begged for freedom and permission to go with him, and he looked at Viggo with sad eyes which seemed to say, "Have you really the heart to go to the woods to have a good time, and to leave me behind, tied up and alone?" No, Viggo had not the heart to do that. He told his father that he could not stand to have Allarm so sad, happen what would, and he begged that he might take him along.

The father smiled and said he was afraid it might be the death of his dog, but if Viggo wanted to risk it and take him along he must take good care of him and not let him out of his sight. Then they untied him, and you may imagine Allarm's joy; he jumped and barked so that the mother had to put her fingers in her ears.