are would be
seventy-five dollars--his father had told him so--and that would make
a larger pile of greenbacks than Dan had ever seen at one time in his
life. With it he was sure he could buy a new gun as fine as the one
Don Gordon owned (he would not have believed it if any one had told
him that that little breech-loader cost a hundred and twenty-five
dollars in gold), a jointed fish-pole, and some good clothes to wear
to church; and when he had purchased all these nice things, he hoped
to have enough left to buy a circus-horse like Don's, and perhaps a
sail-boat also. Godfrey, for reasons of his own, had held out these
grand ideas to him during one of their interviews, and Dan, being
unable to figure the matter out for himself, believed all his father
told him.

Having seen the second catch put into the coop, Dan started toward
the landing again. It was mail day, and consequently there was a
larger number of loafers about the post-office than there usually
was. Among them were Lester Brigham and Bob Owens, who seemed to be
very much interested in something that was fastened to the
bulletin-board in the store. Having nothing better to do just then
Dan walked up behind them, and looking over their shoulders spelled
out with much difficulty the following--

"NOTICE.

"_Ten Dollars Reward_.

"Strayed or stolen, my black-and-white pointer, _Dandy_. I will pay
the above reward for his safe return, and ask no questions; or I will
give _Five Dollars_ for any information that will lead to his
recovery.

"DONALD GORDON."

"I am glad he has lost him, and I hope he will never see him again,"
said Bob, spitefully. "If I knew where he was, I wouldn't tell him
for five times five dollars."

"What does he want him back for, anyhow?" said Lester. "Don is
assisting in shipping quails out of the country, and the first thing
he knows the dog will be of no use to him."

Dan did not waste five minutes in loafing about the store after that.
Here was something he had been waiting for ever since he stole the
pointer. The owner had offered a heavy reward for his safe return--it
was twice as much as Godfrey said they ought to have--and the next
thing to be settled was, how to obtain the money, without facing Don
Gordon. This was a question over which Dan had often bothered his few
brains, but without finding any way of answering it. Something must
be determined upon now, however, for there was a nice little sum of
money at stake.