d him. But talking it over with Chum and
studying his thumbed-soiled ledger, he had decided there was a bare
chance he might be able to do it.

As he mounted the steps of the store, this evening in late August, he
saw, tacked to the doorside clapboards, a truly gorgeous poster. By the
light of the flickering lamp over the door, he discerned the vivid
scarlet head of a dog in the upper corner of the yellow placard, and
much display type below it.

It was the picture of the dog which checked Link in passing. It was a
fancy head--the head of a stately and long muzzled dog with a ruff and
with tulip ears. In short, just such a dog as Chum. Not knowing that
Chum was a collie and that poster artists rejoice to depict collies, by
reason of the latter's decorative qualities, Ferris was amazed by the
coincidence.

After a long and critical survey of the picture, he was moved to run
his eye over the flaring reading matter.

The poster announced, to all and sundry, that on Labor Day a mammoth
dog show was to be held in the country club grounds at Craigswold--a
show for the benefit of the Red Cross. Entries were to be one dollar
for each class. "Thanks to generous contributions, the committee was
enabled to offer prizes of unusual beauty and value, in addition to the
customary ribbons."

Followed a list of cups and medals. Link scanned them with no great
interest, But suddenly his roving gaze came to an astonished
standstill. At the bottom of the poster, in forty-eight-point bold-face
type, ran the following proclamation:

COL. CYRUS MARDEN
OF CRAIGSWOLD MANOR
OFFERS A CASH AWARD OF
ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100) TO THE
BEST DOG OF ANY BREED EXHIBITED

One hundred dollars!

Link reread the glittering sentence until he could have said it
backward. It would have been a patent lie had he heard it by word of
mouth. But as it was in print, of course it was true.

One hundred dollars! And as a prize for the finest dog in the show. Not
to BUY the dog, mind you. Just as a gift to the man who happened to own
the best dog. It did not seem possible. Yet--

Link knew by hearsay and by observation the ways of the rich colony at
Craigswold. He knew the Craigswolders spent money like mud, when it so
pleased them--although more than one fellow huckster was at times sore
put to it to collect from them a bill for fresh vegetables.

Yes, and he knew Col. Cyrus Marden by sight, too. He was a long-faced
little man who used to g