At the window, waiting for stamps were a number of persons, and taking her place Dorothy looked about at the written notices, such as usually decorate the walls of a country post-office.
One, written differently from the others, attracted her. It was this:
“Reward. One hundred dollars, for the return of a small, white dog, answers to the name of Cyrus. Lost from an automobile on the main road, some time yesterday. The dog is a thoroughbred St. Charles, and the only companion of a lonely woman. When he left the car he wore a bow of Paris blue ribbon. Leave word with postmaster.”
Dorothy read in wonderment! That was surely Ravelings! And Jake would get that reward!
She dropped her letter in the box, and hurried away never stopping to speak to the girls, who were now well on in their tennis game, but going straight up to the stables to tell Jake.
“One hundred dollars!” he gasped. “If I get that miss, I’ll go halves with you, for it was you who found him.”
“Oh, I don’t want any share,” said Dorothy. “But you had better take the dog right down to the post-office, for as soon as people read of that reward they will fetch all sorts of dogs to make claims. Likely the woman will come to enquire just about mail time.”
Jake was a man of few words, and he turned with a pull at his cap as a salute to Dorothy, and was soon getting himself and the dog ready for the trip to the post-office.
Dorothy called “good luck,” as she left him, and said she hoped her news would not be disappointing. But even the excitement of this did not cause her to forget her worries of home, and when Tavia came in from the tennis court, she found Dorothy sitting dejectedly in her room.
“I knew there would be trouble,” cried Tavia. “Dick and Cecilia almost came to blows. Sissy declared the ball had not bounded, and every one could see that it had, and it was our score——”