“Do you know Mr. Potter?” she asked, undecided what to do.

“Do I know Jabe Potter?” repeated the man.  “Well, I don’t know much good of him, I assure ye!  I worked for him onct, I did.  And I tell ye he owes me money yet.  You ax him if he don’t owe Jasper Parloe money—­ you jest ax him!”

He began to get excited and did not seem at all inclined to step out of Ruth’s path.  But just then somebody spoke to her and she turned to see the station master and two or three other men with him.

“This is the girl Mr. Mason spoke to me about, isn’t it?” the railroad man asked.  “The conductor of the express, I mean.  He said the dog would mind you.”

“He seems to like me,” she replied, turning to the mastiff that had stood all this time close to her.

“That is Tom Cameron’s dog all right,” said one of the other men.  “And that lantern is off his motorcycle, I bet anything!  He went through town about dark on that contraption, and I shouldn’t wonder if he’s got a tumble.”

Ruth showed the station master, whose name was Curtis, the bit of handkerchief with the appeal for help traced upon it.

“That is blood,” she said.  “You see it’s blood, don’t you?  Can’t somebody take Reno and hunt for him?  He must be very badly hurt.”

“Mason said he expected it was nothing but some fool joke of the boys.  But it doesn’t look like a joke to me,” Mr. Curtis said, gravely.  “Come, Parloe, you know that patch of woods well enough, over beyond the swamp and Hiram Jennings’ big field.  Isn’t there a steep and rocky road down there, that shoots off the Osago Lake pike?”

“The Wilkins Corners road—­ yep,” said the old man, snappishly.

“Then, can’t you take the dog and see if you can find young Tom?”

“Who’s going to pay me for it?” snarled Jasper Parloe.  “I ain’t got no love for them Camerons.  This here Tom is as sassy a boy as there is in this county.”

“But he may be seriously hurt,” said Ruth, looking angrily at Jasper Parloe.

“‘Tain’t nothin’ to me—­ no more than your goin’ out ter live with Jabe Potter ain’t nothin’ to me,” responded the old man, with an ugly grin.

“You’re a pretty fellow, you are, Jasper!” exclaimed Mr. Curtis, and turned his back upon the fellow.  “I can’t leave the station now—­ Ah! here’s Doctor Davison.  He’ll know what to do.”

Doctor Davison came forward and put his hand upon Ruth’s shoulder most kindly.  “What is all this?” he asked.  “And there is the mastiff.  They tell me you are a dog tamer, Miss Fielding.”

He listened very closely to what Mr. Curtis had to say, and looked, too, at the smeared handkerchief.

“The dog can find him—­ no doubt of that.  Come, boys, get some lanterns and we’ll go right along to the Wilkins Corners road and search it.”  Then to Ruth he said:  “You are a brave girl, sure enough.”

But when the party was ready to start, half a dozen strong, with Parloe trailing on behind, and with lanterns and a stretcher, Reno would not budge.  The man called him, but he looked up at Ruth and did not move from her side.