Old dog Spot was down the road from the mill pond, carrying a bundle of somebody's clothes in his mouth. When he heard shouts from the water, where Johnnie Green and his friends were swimming, he quickened his pace.  
One of the swimmers was known as "Red." And it was a favorite trick of his to tie hard knots in other boys' garments while the owners of them were in the pond. Usually he wet the knots, because wetting them made them harder to .
 
On this day somebody had turned the tables on Red. Somebody had crept up behind the big old hickory tree on the bank and had knotted Red's clothes tightly. That was why old Spot found a bundle under the tree, all tied up and ready to carry off.
 
It was no wonder that the boys began to yell when they saw Spot pick up those clothes and calmly away with them. It was no wonder that they swam to the bank and up to the big hickory to find out whose clothes were missing.
 
When they saw that Red was the unlucky one, everybody else began to and laugh.
 
But not Red! He let out a frightened scream and started to follow old dog Spot.
 
To the great delight of his companions, the of a and the thud of a horse's feet sounded from up the road. And since some one must soon drive over the bridge, which crossed right above the dam, Red back again and dived into the pond, into which Johnnie Green and the others had already .
 
Red rose to the surface spluttering. And finding that he could touch bottom with his feet, he stood with his carroty head out of water,............