His Dog

Link Ferris has spent his whole life on a stubborn patch of land high in the New Jersey hills, toiling from sunrise to dusk just to keep the farm afloat. The son of a Civil‑War veteran, he knows little beyond the endless rows of crops, the creaking barns, and the occasional cheap whisky he drinks to dull the ache of solitude. His world is a routine of labor, sleep, and brief, restless escapes to the nearby hamlet of Hampton.

One night, stumbling home through the dusk‑lit road, Link hears a faint, desperate whimper coming from a ditch. He discovers a wounded collie, its eyes pleading yet proud, tangled in mud and oil. Compelled by an instinct he can’t quite name, he tends the animal’s injuries, setting the stage for an unexpected companionship that may finally give his hard‑won existence a new purpose.