‘To dog his steps’- there’s libel in the phrase,
A slander on the faithful doggish ways.
By it men mean to follow like a thief,
To tremble at the crackling of a leaf,
To crawl and sneak, to spy and wait and gloat.
And hide a dagger ready for a throat.
No, no! To ‘dog his steps’ is to pursue
With endless loyalty and purpose true;
To leap with love and eagerness and joy,
Be ready for the heartiest emply;
To worship him as if he were a god,
And follow every step that he has trod;
To hang upon his whistle or a word;
To skim along as happy as a bird;
With shining eyes and with a heart of cheer
To be a comrade and a friend sincere;
That-never mind what stupid men may say-
That is to ‘dog his steps’ the doggish way!
