his
sister. "Want b'ue stones."

"I can't get you the blue stones--not now," said Janet. "But I guess
Teddy will let you knock down his playhouse and build up another one.
And you can knock down my playhouse, too. Come on, Trouble!"

Knocking over the playhouses of stone which his brother and sister had
built the night before seemed such great fun to the little boy, and he
had such a good time doing this and, with Jan's help, making another and
larger house of his own, that he forgot all about his blue stones.

Ted and Hal did not forget them, though, and the more they thought of
the queer way they had been taken away in the night, the more they felt
sure that the stones must have gold in them, or, at least, something
that the tramps wanted badly enough to come and take it.

And that it was the tramps, or some man, or men, who had taken the blue
stones, Hal and Ted felt certain.

"For no dog or other animal could carry away every stone," said Hal.
"Anyhow a dog wouldn't want them, nor a fox either. It was the tramps
all right."

"Maybe they wouldn't like us to go to the cave and get the stones back,"
suggested Ted.

"Well, the tramps can't have the blue stones," said Hal, shaking his
head. "We found 'em, and they're Trouble's. But he's so little he don't
want any gold, so we'll give it to your grandfather and grandmother."

"Don't you want any?" asked Ted.

"No. My father's got lots of money. I just want to find some gold for
you. I got my light from under my pillow," and Hal showed it to Ted.
They were out behind the sleeping tent talking, and Ted had his pockets
full of cookies and little cakes he had begged from Nora.

"Though what in the world the child is going to do with them all, is
more than I can guess," laughed the maid. "But I s'pose the children are
always hungry."

Ted and Hal were now ready to go to the cave. They looked around the
corner of the tent and saw Janet still playing with Trouble. He had
gotten over crying for his blue stones, and was now busy making a
playhouse of the rocks and pebbles his brother and sister had used.

"Come on, Janet! We're going!" called Ted in a loud whisper, as his
sister looked at him. He also made motions with his hands to show that
he and Hal were ready to start for the cave.

Janet saw that her little brother was too busy playing to need her to
stay with him--at least for a time. Still she could not leave him alone
without calling her mother or Nora to