The name Johnny Dorset does not occur in the story until the end. The kidnappers decide to kidnap a child of a prominent citizen for the purpose of getting money. They chose the only child of Ebenezer Dorset, a mortgage financier. They figured they could shake down the old man for about two thousand dollars.
When they kidnap the boy, he puts up a tremendous fight, but as soon as they get him back to the cave where they are staying, the boy starts playing Indians and calls himself Red Chief. For the rest of the story, he is called Red Chief. It isn’t until the kidnappers get a response from their ransom note that the name Johnny Dorset is mentioned. The old man responds,
“You bring Johnny home and pay me two hundred and fifty dollars in cash, and I agree to take him off your hands.“ (pg 7)
That is when we learn that the kidnapped boy is Johnny Dorset. The kidnappers pay the ransom and gladly leave him with his father.
My copy of the story comes from the internet. The page numbers may be different in your copy, but it should give you a basic idea of where to locate the information.
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