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"There’s an obvious connection," Travis said "The violin makes music, and the cassette deck reproduces music That’s an i, but does it reallyabout his past?"

"Oh, I’m sure it does," Nora said To Einstein she said, "Did so stared at her

She said, "Did your previousstared at her

She said, "Maybe the violinist in your past used to record his ownblinked and whined

"All right," she said, "is there another picture here that you can associate with the violin and the tape deck?"

Einstein stared down at the Sony ad for a , then walked into another aisle between two azine open to a Blue Cross advertise at the bedside of a newher baby Doctor and mother were all smiles, and the baby looked as serene and innocent as the Christ child

Crawling nearer to the dog on her hands and knees, Nora said, "Does that picture re stared at her

"Was there a mother, father, and new baby in the fa stared at her

Still sitting on the floor with his back against the sofa, Travis said, "Gee, ot a real case of reincarnation on our hands Maybe old Einstein re a doctor, a nify that suggestion with a response

"A violin-playing baby," Travis said

Einstein like position, Nora was only two or three feet froht This is getting us nowhere We’ve got to do more than just have you associate one picture with another We’ve got to be able to ask questions about these pictures and soet answers"

"Give him paper and pen," Travis said

"This is serious," Nora said, i

"I know it’s serious," he said, "but it’s also ridiculous"

She hung her head for ain summer heat, then suddenly looked up at Einstein and said, "How senius? You want to have our everlasting admiration and respect? Then here’s what you have to do: learn to answerwatched her closely, expectantly

"If the answer toyour tail," Nora said "But only if the answer is yes While this test is under way, you’ve got to avoid wagging it out of habit or just because you get excited Wagging is only for when you want to say yes And when you want to say no, you bark once Just once"

Travis said, "Two barkscats,’ and three barks mean ’Get me a Budweiser’ "

"Don’t confuse hi did not even glance at Travis His large brown eyes re-for-yes and bark-for-no systeht," she said, "let’s try it Einstein, do you understand the yes-no signs?"

The retriever wagged his tail five or six times, then stopped

"Coincidence," Travis said "Means nothing"

Nora hesitated aher next question, then said, "Do you know ed, stopped

"Isbarked No

"Is my nameMary?"

One bark No

"Isrolled his eyes, as if chastising her for trying to trick hi One bark

"is ed his tail furiously

Laughing with delight, Nora crawled forward, sat up, and hugged the retriever

"I’ll be da over to join them

Nora pointed to the photo on which the retriever still had one paw "Did you react to this picture because it reminds you of the family you used to live with?"

One bark No

Travis said, "Did you ever live with any fa," Nora said "You must’ve lived so the Blue Cross advertiseht questions "Did you react to this picture because of the baby?"

One bark No

"Because of the woman?"

No

"Because of the : Yes, yes, yes

"So he lived with a doctor," Nora said "Maybe a vet"

"Or maybe a scientist," Travis said as he followed the intuitive line of thought that had stricken hied a "yes" at the mention of scientist

"Research scientist," Travis said Yes

"In a lab," Travis said Yes, yes, yes "You’re a lab dog?" Nora asked Yes

"A research animal," Travis said Yes

"And that’s why you’re so bright" Yes

"Because of so they’ve done to you" Yes

Travis’s heart raced They actually were co, by God, not just in broad strokes, and not just in the coht that the dog had formed a question mark out of Milk-Bones This was co as if they were three people-well, alain Nothing could possibly be the same in a world where men and animals possessed equal (if different) intellects, where they faced life on equal terht, okay, sothis out of proportion Not all aniiven huence; this was only one dog, an experimental animal, perhaps the only one of his kind But Jesus Jesus Travis stared in awe at the retriever, and a chill swept through hi, and in her voice was a trace of the same awe that had briefly rendered Travis speechless: "They didn’t just let you go, did they?"