THE DOGBERRY BUNCH. 33

 

moment, and then told her he would go back home
with her.

So Lucy came on the afterncon train, just as she
expected to do, and with her came the guardian.

Dogberrydom stood brown and still in the even-
ing sunshine, meditating about its emptiness. I
suppose the little old house said:

“Where are all my children? Are the boys at
work? Is sweet Alice in the school-room? But
Lucy’s feet do not pat about, and I cannot see Rome
and Arty on the croquet field. I don’t like this.
Come home, young ones! I shall die without some
life in me! Why, this is a pretty way to treat your
old home, that has sheltered you since you could
chipper! Here’s a strange cat sneaking along one
of my back window sills, to find a broken pane and
get into the cupboard. I don’t believe I could
stand this all night. I want to hear your little noses
snoring. You haven’t gone off to stay, have you?
I'd willingly have my roof raised by a good noise ;
though in times past I dd complain that you shook
me considerably.”

Now, to the old house’s joy, Ben and Alice drove
up to the fence, and, tying Thomas’ sorrel, hastened
up the lawn.

“Why, the door’s locked, Allié! ” exclaimed Ben,
trying it. They felt for the key on a nail under the
step (this was a family secret ), and entered.

“We—ell!” breathed Alice, slowly, looking
around the silent and empty place, “where are the
children?”

“That’s what I want to know!” cried Jack, burst-
ing in from the station where he had just arrived.
‘““Where’s Arty? Has he been found, yet?”

“Yes, he has,” said Alice, hugging Jack and shak-
ing hands with him. “ And you've a nice boy to get
carried off while you are in bed, and travel all over
the country without a clean shirt on!”

“Where have you been?” inquired the older
- brother, pumping Jack’s hand.

Pat, pat, came a pair of shoes and a pair of boots
on the steps, and Rome and Remus, with their brass-
nailed box, scampered in.

“Why, here’s Jack!”

“And Ben and Allie!”

““Where’s Arty?”

A Babel of sounds now ensued.

“Arty isin Danport!” — “Where you been?” -—

 

 

“Billy Greer put us in a tan vat!”— “In Cincin-
nati!’’— “Was he hurt badly?” — “No, only
bruised ! — He was run over!— He is at Mrs. Green-
off’s !—We’ll bring him home in a day or two!” — “J
had a splendid time, and you can’t guess what I’ve
got for you!” —“O, I’m so glad the baby is safe!”
“What's that box you put on the table, Maudie?” —
“My gracious! what a noise! Don’t; we'll raise
the neighbors!” — “Seems like we’d been gone a
year !” —“ We've all been seekin’ our fortunes |”? —
“Whew! Allie, where did you get that big gold
chain ?””— “Why, where’s Loo?”

“There’s a new candidate coming before this con-
vention!” shouted John White, looking in from the
stoop. “It’s your gardeen, Lawyer McKay. Quict
down, or he might get a hickory and lick a few of
you.”

The Berries, now re-assembled, ran to the door
and met their guardian and Lucy there.

“Any news from the baby?” he inquired directly.

With irrepressible eagerness they began all talk-
ing together again, when John White stuck his fin-
gers in his ears and took a leap off the stoop.

“That’s what I came in to ask,” he cried. “I
saw the horse and buggy tied down here. But you
might as well go to ask the time of day of Niagara
Falls 1”

Ben grabbed a crayon of chalk from his pocket,
and made a bulletin board of the front door, chalk-
ing out:

“ARTY
IS
FOUND!”

“Where did you find him?” inquired Mr. McKay,
moving like oil among the troubled waters.

Ben and Allie related their experience.

“We sent a letter,” they added, “and thought the
children would know all about it by this time; but
I guess they all ran off and forgot to go to the post-
office.”

“ Didn’t Maude and Rheem stay here?” inquired
Lucy.

“TI guess we didn’t /” the twins hastened to assure
their friends, “ when we thought old Billy Greer had
Arty, dipping him in tan-dye to make him a little
gipsy! Jacey Dixon said so!”

‘And we went right down there!”