But Simon did not wait to hear anything further. He darted back into the hotel murmuring: "Wait a minute--I've forgotten something--see you right away----" "He acts as though he was afraid to meet me," thought Dick, as he walked on. "I wonder what he's doing here?" An instant later he was surprised to see Simon come out of a side door and fairly run to the stables. At the same instant a man appeared in the door of the barn, and to him Simon made frantic gestures to remain hidden. Then, as Dick watched this by-play with a bewildered air, there came from the stable the bark of a dog. "Grit!" exclaimed Dick. "Grit! Grit, old boy!" The barks became a howl of rage and there sounded the rattle of a chain. "Grit! Grit!" cried Dick, running toward the stable. There was the noise of a chain snapping. Then came frightened shouts. An instant later Simon, followed by a ragged man and a youth, dashed from the barn with the bulldog in close pursuit. Out of the hotel yard they raced, with Grit growling and barking and making fierce leaps for them. "Grit!" called Dick, but, for once, Grit refused to obey his master's voice. His heart was too full of revenge for the insults he had suffered. Out into the highway ran Simon and the two others, with the dog gaining at every leap. "Help! Save me!" cried Simon, as Dick ran out to see what the end would be. He was fearful that Grit would get one of the fleeing ones down and set his teeth into his throat. "Grit! Grit!" he called, frantically, but the bulldog never heeded. Simon turned, hoping to get out of the path of the maddened beast, but he did not reckon on Grit's quickness. The dog made a grab for Simon's trousers and caught them at the seat. There was a ripping sound, a frantic yell from Simon, and he fell, rolling over and over in a cloud of dust. "Grit! Don't bite him!" shouted Dick, fearful of what might happen. CHAPTER XVIII. UNCLE EZRA'S VISIT. But Grit had no intentions of wasting time on Simon when his revenge was not complete. He dropped the large piece of cloth he had torn from Simon's trousers and kept on after the two other fleeing individuals. The ragged youth was the faster runner, and the man, lagging behind, turned as if to beat off the dog. But Grit was fearless. Right at the man he sprang, and the fellow gave a yell of agony as he saw the brute launched at his throat. But Grit was not blood-thirsty. He caught the man by the lapel of his ragged coat, and, in an instant, had pulled him to the ground. Then, having worried him until the thief must have thought he was being eaten alive, Grit left him and set off after the third of the trio.