What was of value to the master he valued; what was dear to the master was to be cherished by White Fang and guarded carefully.
Thus it was with the two children.All his life he had disliked children.
He hated and feared their hands.The lessons were not tender that he had learned of their tyranny and cruelty in the days of the Indian villages.
When Weedon and Maud had first approached him, he growled warningly and looked malignant.A cuff from the master and a sharp word had then compelled him to permit their caresses, though he growled and growled under their tiny hands, and in the growl there was no crooning note.Later, he observed that the boy and girl were of great value in the master's eyes.Then it was that no cuff nor sharp word was necessary before they could pat him.
Yet White Fang was never effusively affectionate.He yielded to the master's children with an ill but honest grace, and endured their fooling as one would endure a painful operation.When he could no longer endure, he would get up and stalk determinedly away from them.But after a time, he grew even to like the children.Still he was not demonstrative.He would not go up to them.On the other hand, instead of walking away at sight of them, he waited for them to come to him.And still later, it was noticed that a pleased light came into his eyes when he saw them approaching, and that he looked after them with an appearance of curious regret when they left him for other amusements.