Ransome

Housedog: The boy who always wanted a dog eventually got one. Time passed for the both of them.
Being cast out of his job and rendered homeless he flees back home – the first of his siblings to ever
return to the town of their birth after having once left it.

A Man’s Worth: Upon arriving home, extraneous circumstances call for the sale of their dog. He refuses
to accept this. In a conflict over whether a dog is worth more than a man, he decides to work to earn the
amount the dog would have fetched.

Loafer: He gets work in a bakery distributing hot loafs. He meets an old lady friend who gives him some
money. At the end of the week he gets paid by the baker, but the money isn’t enough.

Musings: He decides to work for one more week and earn the same amount (which combined with his
savings might just save the dog). In the process of working he finds, he believes, deeper meaning in life.
He philosophizes about what life is all about and the value of life as he saves his beloved dog. Then
someone broke into the house and stole whatever money there was to be had.

A Desperate Need: His mother won’t have any more of it. She decides they now need to sell the dog.
They have no money to feed. He offers to turn in his earnings for the week for that purpose. That still
leaves the issue of selling the dog for that which it was intended. In a desperate bid to escape, he carries
his dog with him across the lake and dumps the dog, shooing her away and desperately managing to
escape without her.

Buyer of Flesh: The dog buyer comes as per his agreement with the mother. There is no dog to be
found. He confesses to his mother who is disappointed. The dog buyer leaves, promising to return in
case the dog comes back. The mother says they’ll now starve thanks to her son’s greater love for a dog
than a human.

Dog: His friend, the canoe-owner comes home, dog in tow. The dog had recognized him and leapt onto
the canoe, refusing to be removed. Both mother and son are genuinely pleased that the dog is back.
When the dog buyer returns, mother declines to sell. She is happy her beloved pet is back. The dog
stays.