Hedge and brush were full of fascinating odors that invited sniffing examination. But the shepherd dog, as though aware that the man who gripped the handle was in her keeping, went ahead with single-minded purpose. The dirt road became a paved street and they were in the town. Lady guided her charge toward the sidewalk, came to a cautious halt at the curb and waited for her command.
A voice called: “Dr. Stone! Dr. Stone!”
Joe saw that it was Tom Bloodgood, the jeweler. They waited, and Lady sat down on her haunches, watchful and alert.
“Heard about the robbery out your way, Doctor?”
“Yes.”
“That’s something I’d never expect to happen. I can’t understand how a burglar could have got across that room without waking the dead. The way that floor creaked——”
“Kent says the storm drowned all other noise.” The doctor’s mouth had grown hard at the corners. “I didn’t know you and Kent were on visiting terms.”
“We’re not.”
“But if you knew about those floor boards——”
“Oh! That was a business call—the only time I was in the house. He sent for me last Wednesday——”