They found the dog tied to the fence, his jaws strapped together.
With many endearments of hand and speech, the latter in German, she unbound him, led him to the kitchen door, and made him smell of rope and chair. “Seek! seek! Find him! Hold! him!” she commanded.
The dog sniffed doubtfully a minute, growled, and with a short bark, set off through the gate and down the street.
“You also, Seedney! Run! Catch up mit Blitzen. He’ll find that boy, ant you bring him back. No matter what he says, bring him.”
The run was short and led scarcely a block away to a vacant lot, where Sydney found the other boy prone on his face in a thicket of young sallows and wild blackberry.
Evidently stunned from a fall, he was mumbling incoherently and Blitzen was nosing him doubtfully. Even the dog had his scruples about attacking a fallen enemy. Sydney turned the lad over, trying to learn what had happened, and was debating the next thing to do when Mrs. Schmitz puffed into the zone of excitement.
“Ach! Here he iss! Hooray, Blitzen! Good Blitzen!” She gave the dog a caress that took the drooping doubt from his tail and set it high over his back, a waving plume of satisfaction.
They soon had the stranger on his feet and back in the kitchen. He seemed willing to go, and quite calm but reticent, evidently perplexed as to Mrs. Schmitz’s motive in compelling his return.
She did not hurry him, but busied herself about the room; gave the dog some food, and piled the dishes together, Sydney helping. Presently she turned to the boy, decision in her face. “You come now mit me up stairs ant have one bath ant go to bed. To-morrow you shall talk mit me.”