“We didn’t lose much time, did we?” hailed Mr. Pollock, as the first auto slowed up “Jump in, quick!  Show us the way.”

“I suppose there’s some excitement down in Gridley, about this time?” laughed Dick, as the two autos raced along once more.

“Not a bit,” replied the editor.  “And for the very simple reason that no one knows that Dodge has been found.”

“His family know it, of course?” queried Dick.

“No; not a word.  Chief Coy kept it quiet, and asked me to do the same.  He didn’t want the Dodge family all stirred up by false hopes in case you had made a mistake.  The silence will keep ’The Evening Mail’ from learning the news for a while.  And I’ve had our forms left standing.  We’re all ready to run out an extra —–­in case you haven’t made a mistake, Prescott,” added Mr. Pollock quizzically.

Dick smiled resignedly at this implied doubt.  But the autos were making fast time, and soon the machines had gone as far on the way as they could be used.

“Now we’ll have to get out and strike across country, through the woods,” Prescott called.

So far Dick had resolutely tried to keep out of his mind any thought of that thousand-dollar reward.  It sounded too much like “Blood money” to take pay for helping any afflicted family out of its troubles.  Besides, it had been the glory of doing a piece of bright newspaper work that had allured the two High School boys at the outset.

“Yet a thousand dollars is—–­a thousand dollars!” Dick couldn’t help feeling, wistfully, as he piloted his party across fields and through the woods.  “A thousand dollars!  Five hundred apiece for Dave and me!  What a fearful big lot of money!  What we could do with it, If we had it!  I wonder whether it would be right and decent to take it?”

Then, as he neared the place where he had left his chum on post Dick Prescott found other and anxious thoughts crowding into his mind.

Was Dave Darrin, staunch and reliable Dave—–­still there, on post, and unharmed?

Was Theodore Dodge there?  Were his captors still with him?

CHAPTER VI

THE SMALL SOUL OF A GENTLEMAN

A few minutes later all fears and doubts were dispelled.

Dave Darrin rose to greet the newcomers informing them, in a whisper, that all was still well in the old shanty below.

He of the brogans and club heard a slight noise outside.  Swiftly he rose and darted to the door, ready to pounce.

But he beheld the policemen, with the newspaper trio just behind them.  More, Chief Coy and his subordinates had their revolvers drawn.

“Howdy, gents?” was Mr. Brogans’ greeting as he dropped his club and tried to grin.

“Take care of him, Hemingway,” directed Thief Coy, briefly.

“Me?” demanded Brogans, in feigned astonishment.  “What have I done?”