Ruth Fielding of the Red Mill | Page 5

Jabez Potter?"
"Me Jabez Potter? Why, ef I was Jabe Potter I'd be owing myself
money, that's what I'd be doin'. You warn't never lookin' for Jabe
Potter?"
Much relieved, Ruth admitted the fact frankly. "He is my uncle, sir,"
she said. "I am going to live at the Red Mill."
The strange old man puckered up his lips into a whistle, and shook his
head, eyeing her all the time so slily that Ruth was more and more
thankful that he had not proven to be Uncle Jabez.
"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.
"I declare for't," exclaimed one man. "That girl will have to go with us,
Doctor Davison. You see what the dog means to do."
Ruth spoke to the mastiff, commanded him to leave her and find
"Tom." But although the dog looked at her intelligently enough, and
barked his response-- a deep, sudden, explosive bark-- he refused to
start without her.
"It's a long way for the girl," objected Doctor Davison. "Besides, she is
waiting to meet her uncle."
"I am not tired," she told him, quickly. "Remember I've been sitting all
the afternoon. And perhaps every minute is precious. We don't know
how badly the dog's master may be hurt. I'll go. I'm sure I can keep up
with you."
Reno seemed to understand her words perfectly, and uttered another
short, sharp bark.
"Let us go, then," said Doctor Davison, hurriedly.
So the men picked up their lanterns and