Part 31 (1/2)

”Yes, he's my Sandy,” answered Harry. ”He always minds sometimes.”

At the sound of his young master's voice the dog, with another joyful bark, again leaped forward. He had stopped to get rid of as much of the water as possible, but a moment later he was jumping and tumbling about Harry and Mrs. Slater, while the little boy, caring not at all about the dog's damp coat, was hugging his pet.

”Oh, Sandy! Sandy! I'm so glad you came back!” cried Harry.

”Is it really your dog?” asked Mrs. Brown of her friend.

”Yes,” answered Mrs. Slater. ”Oh, do be quiet, you crazy animal,” she said, as he leaped up and tried to put his tongue on her face.

”He wants to kiss you,” said Sue.

Then the dog turned to Sue, and he really did ”kiss” her, for Sue was sitting down and the dog easily reached her tanned cheeks with his red tongue.

”Be careful,” warned Mrs. Brown.

”Oh, Sandy is gentle and loves children,” said Harry's mother. ”But I fancy that young man in the boat wants some explanation,” she went on.

”Though, since we have told him this is Christmas Tree Cove, he must have guessed that we are the people to whom the dog belongs.”

The man in the boat had stopped his engine, and the craft was now grounded in the sand not far from where the picnic was being held. A four-p.r.o.nged anchor was tossed out to prevent the motor boat from drifting away, and then the young man came up the beach. He was smiling pleasantly, and as he took off his cap and bowed to the ladies he said:

”Davy Jones seems to have found out where he belongs all right. I presume this is Harry Slater,” he went on, looking at the boy around whom the dog was leaping.

”Yes,” answered Mrs. Slater. ”And this is Mr. Ravenwood?”

”Yes,” was the reply. ”I called the dog Davy Jones, for he seemed to love the sea, and I didn't know what his right name was. He is evidently yours.”

”Sandy belongs to us,” returned Mrs. Slater. ”It is all rather a strange story from the time Sandy ran away from us until we found your box and learned that you had our dog. But there is a stranger part to it still, it seems, if what Bunny and Sue think proves to be true.”

”What is that?” asked Mr. Ravenwood.

Then he was told about the missing pocketbook and ring.

”Are you sure, children, that this is the same dog that ran into the yard that day and made off with my pocketbook?” asked Mrs. Brown of Bunny and Sue.

”Oh, yes!” declared Bunny. ”He runs just the same, and he barks just the same, and he looks just the same.”

Sue agreed with this, and when Mrs. Slater told again what a habit Sandy had of carrying things off in his mouth it was decided that this was the animal that had caused Bunny and Sue so much trouble, including the locking in at Mr. Foswick's carpenter shop.

”How did you get Sandy?” asked Mrs. Slater of Mr. Ravenwood.

”He came to me,” was the answer. ”I am a sort of carpenter myself,” he went on. ”I make things of wood, called patterns. They are for the use of foundries in casting objects in metal. The box you found is full of wooden patterns, and that is why it floated away up here after I lost it.”

”How did you lose it?” asked Sue.

”And isn't there _any_ pirate gold in the box?” asked Bunny, much disappointed.

”No, not a bit of pirate gold, or any other kind,” laughed Mr.

Ravenwood. ”I wish there might be some real, good gold in it, but such things don't happen outside of books, I'm afraid,” he added. ”Perhaps I had better tell you the whole story,” he suggested.

”I should like to hear it,” said Mrs. Brown. ”That is, unless you want to go up to our woodshed and make sure it is your box we have found.”