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Show 55 Josh reached to grab his dog's collar. Head down, tail wagging furiously, the malamute was intensely interested in the raccoon. "Ah, I see you're worried, Abraham," said Mr. Raintree. "He is big, isn't he?" "Chinook, be good. Leave Abraham alone," Josh warned. He gave a little jerk on the collar to remind the dog he was in command. Mr. Raintree came around by Chinook's side, got down on his knees, took the collar from Josh's hand, and began to massage the dog's chest and neck. Josh watched curiously as the old man whispered in the dog's ear for a full two minutes, with the dog responding by occasional licks. Finally Mr. Raintree rose and patted the dog's head. "It's all right now, Abraham, old friend. Chinook understands the ground rules. You may go." With a flip of his tail, the raccoon sailed past Chinook and out the door, while the dog, eyes shining with restrained excitement, sat and watched him go-as if every day he sat and let a raccoon waltz by him like that. Josh scratched his head. "What'd you tell him?" he asked in awe. Mr. Raintree threw back his head and gave a jolly laugh. "Oh, not much. I just explained how we do things around here. He'll cooperate, I'm sure." The old man busied himself washing fresh vegetables he took from a pan, humming to himself as he prepared the dinner. The boys sat on handmade chairs at the table. The room had a cozy feeling about it. There was a window that looked over the meadow, and pictures cut from a magazine hung on the log walls. An old lever-action rifle hung above the fireplace, and a knife hung on a |