kind of ridiculous air of stern
authority about him as he sat all bundled up in blankets soberly
reviewing the passing cars. So odd and gnomelike was he that he might
have stepped out of the pages of "Alice in Wonderland." He would have
made a good radiator ornament on an automobile.

This, you will know, was little Whitie Bungel, who seemed not at all
disconcerted at being elsewhere than in his own home. He had been moved
about so much without any exertion on his own part that he was quite at
home anywhere.

Though Pee-wee had spoken in high hope to Pepsy about their unexpected
and glowing prospects, he was haunted by thoughts of the terrible thing
which was to happen on the morrow. Pepsy was to be taken away, back to
the big brick building which she hated, just as the planks of the old
bridge had foretold;

Pee-wee's loyalty was so staunch that he did not even consider the
things his aunt had said. He was going to save Pepsy from that place and
make her the sharer of the fortune that was within their grasp. He made
this resolve with the same generous impulse as that which had caused him
to put two hundred and fifty dollars within the reach of Mr. Bungel who
had boxed his ears.

"I'm lucky," he said to himself as he trudged down to the post office;
"I'll fix things all right. I'll show them; I don't care, I'll show
them. They won't take her back to that place, not while I'm around."

He did not know how he was going to prevent this but he had unbounded
faith in his capacity to fix things and in his good luck.

So, as he trudged along, stepping out of the way of many cars, he came
to the home of Doctor Killem.

"Hello, soldier," piped up a little thin voice upon the porch.

"I'm not a soldier," said Pee-wee.

"My father can arrest people," said the little gnome, looking straight
ahead of him.

"That doesn't prove I'm a soldier," said Pee-wee.

"You've got a uniform," said the gnome. "I'm not afraid of soldiers. My
father's got a lot of money, he's got two hundred and fifty dollars and
I'm not going to get dead."

"Where's your father?" Pee-wee asked.

"He's up the road and he's going to catch people and put them in jail."

"Is he?"

"Why do you say 'Is he?' I didn't go to the hospital last night. Do you
want to know why?" He asked questions as if they were riddles.

"Yes, why?" Pee-wee asked, half interested.

"Because the bridge burned down. Do you like bridges?"

"It isn't a question of whethe