"Oh dear!" exclaimed Mrs. Ward, and commenced to weep once more.
"I tell her he may come home soon, for he has no money--or at least very little to live on," said the missing boy"s father. "You see Fred has a high spirit, and he did not like it when I had to punish him. But I did it for his good. He must learn the value of money, and he must not spend when I tell him not to."
"No, that is not right," said Mr. Brown thoughtfully. He handed the note to his wife. She read this:
"Father and Mother: I am not coming back for a long while. I do not think you treated me right. I am more than fifteen years old and I have a right to have a banjo if I want it. I want to be a player and play in the theater. That is what I am going to do. I am not going to be treated like a baby by my father. I am too old."
"I did not mean to treat him like a baby," said Mr. Ward. "But our children must be made to obey in things that are right."
"That is true," agreed Mrs. Brown.
"We mind sometimes," said Bunny. "Don"t we, Momsie?"
"Yes, once in a while. But please run away and play now, until we call you. There comes Splash over to have a game with Dix. You children can go out with the dogs."
Bunny and Sue were eager enough to do this. They thought they had heard enough about the missing boy. They were to hear more in a short time.
"And so Fred has run away," said Mr. Ward, speaking to Mr. and Mrs.
Brown. "How can I get him back? It is not good that he should be away.
I will talk about the banjo to him, and if I find he really thinks it is the best instrument for him to play I may let him have it. But where can I find him?"
"Perhaps I can help," said Mr. Brown. "I am a member of the town police committee. That is, I and other men look after the policemen. We can tell them to be on the lookout for Fred."
"Oh, that is kind of you!" cried Mrs. Ward.
"And I can also send word to the police of other cities and towns," went on Mr. Brown. "We work together on cases like this."
"I shall be greatly obliged to you," said Mr. Ward. "I want Fred to come back."
"When did you find out he was gone?" asked Mr. Brown.
"Just a little while ago," answered Mr. Ward. "I sent him up to his room this morning. He did not come down to dinner, for I said he should not eat until he said he was sorry for what he did. Perhaps I was wrong, but I meant to do right."
"You did it for the best," said his wife. "When I went up to Fred"s room this afternoon, he was gone, and there was this note. It was then I cried," she went on, turning to the parents of Bunny and Sue.
"I am so sorry," said Mrs. Brown. "But I think it will all come right.
My husband will help find your boy."
"I"ll get the police to help, too," said Mr. Brown. "They will search for him."
"And we"ll help!" exclaimed Bunny and Sue, coming in just then from having a romp on the lawn with the two dogs. "We"ll try to find Fred for you."
"Bless their hearts!" cried Mrs. Brown, as the children ran out again.
"They get into all sorts of mischief, but they manage to get out somehow. Bunny is ready for anything, and Sue is generally ready for whatever follows."
"But they are learning a good deal," said Mr. Brown. "Their life in the woods and on the farm was good for them--as good as the time they spend in school."
"Yes," said Mr. Ward. "Sometimes I think I may have kept Fred too much at his books. I wish I had him back."
"Oh, we"ll find him," said Mr. Brown.
"I hope so," sighed Mrs. Ward. "It is very kind of you to offer to help us."
"Why shouldn"t we?" asked Mrs. Brown. "That is what neighbors are for--to help one another. We"ll go, now. But Mr. Brown will come back and get you to tell him what Fred looks like, and how he was dressed, so the police will know him if they see him. They will send you word where he is if they find him."
"I will give you his photograph," said Mr. Ward.
As Mr. and Mrs. Brown walked across the lawn, they saw Bunny and Sue playing with the two dogs. Bunny was on Splash"s back as though the dog were a horse, and Sue was doing the same thing with Dix.
"Gid-dap! Gid-dap!" cried the two little ones, holding to the dogs" long ears so they would not fall off--I mean so the children would not fall off, not the dogs" ears.
"Aren"t they having a good time?" asked Mrs. Brown smiling.
"They certainly are," agreed her husband.
"I"m glad it is neither of our children who is away."
"I can"t bear even to think of that!" said Mrs. Brown, with a shudder.
"Look out! They"ll run us down!" she went on, for the children, on their dog-horses, were rushing right at them.
"Clear the track! Clear the track!" cried Bunny, wildly.
"Yes! All aboard for the north pole!" yelled Sue.
"Bow-wow!" barked the two dogs, as happy as the children.
"Oh, Daddy! Do you know how to find Fred?" asked the little girl as she fell off her dog into the soft gra.s.s.
"Well, we are going to try," answered her father.
"And we"ll help," cried Bunny. Then, as he happened to think of something, he exclaimed:
"Oh, Daddy! What about the good news you were going to tell us?"
"We want to hear it now," added Sue.
"You did say something about a surprise," added Mrs. Brown. "So much has happened to-day that I had forgotten."
"Maybe you won"t think it such news after all," observed Mr. Brown. "But it occurs to me that there is going to be some warm weather yet, as the Fall is not yet over. So I was thinking we could take the big automobile--the one we used when we went to Grandpa"s farm--and have a tour in it. I have to go to a distant city on business, but there is no hurry in getting there. We might all go in the big car. Shall we go?"
"Shall we go? Of course!" cried Bunny, dancing about.
"That"s what I say!" added Sue, also capering wildly. "Oh, Bunny!" she cried, "haven"t we got just the bestest daddy in the whole world?"
"We have! We have!"
"Then let"s both kiss him at once!" proposed Sue, and they made a rush for Mr. Brown, who pretended to be much afraid.