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.
Dan made all haste to do his trading, and taking his stockings and shoes under his arm, set out for home, avoiding the road, as he always did when Don and Bert were about, and skulking around through the woods and fields.

When he reached the cabin, he seated himself upon the bench beside the door, and there he remained building air-castles until four o'clock in the afternoon.

Then he began to bestir himself, and David, who came home that night before his mother did, was surprised to find a roaring fire on the hearth, a pile of wood large enough to last all the evening beside it, and in a pan upon the table a half a dozen squirrels, dressed and ready for the frying-pan.
"What in the world is up now ?" thought David.