to Dorothy for comfort. "I
didn't swaller any matchheads."

"Why did you say you did?" asked Dorothy.

"Just to plague Alice. But I won't do it again. Ugh! that was nasty
stuff she gave me. That's what she'd give me if I _was_ p'izened. I
don't want to be p'izened," declared the little fellow, frankly.

"And you don't want to say what isn't so, either, eh?" queried Dora.

"We-ell," said Master Tommy, slowly, "lots of things that _ain't_ so, is
better than them that _are_ so. There's fairy stories."

"Quite right," said Dora, quickly. "But there's nightmares, too--bad
dreams, you know. They are not so, but they aren't pleasant to dream,
are they?"

"Oh, no!" cried Tommy. "And I had a turrible bad dream--onct! And I was
scart--yes, sir! And Billy heard me crying and he took me out of my crib
and took me into bed with him."

Alice smiled. "I remember Tommy told about that. He said the cats got to
fighting and were scratching and biting him."

"And Billy woked me up and took me to bed with him," said Tommy,
placidly. "I wish Billy would come home again."

"When did this happen?" asked Dorothy, quickly, trying to turn the
conversation from an unpleasant topic, as Alice's eyes filled with
tears.

"Just the other night," said Tommy.

"But Billy's been away two weeks."

"It was jes' afore he went-ed away."

"It wasn't long before Billy went," agreed Alice, nodding.

"I know when!" cried Tommy. "It was the night afore I felled and scraped
my knee on the doorstep."

"Why, Tommy!" cried his sister, springing out of her chair. "Are you
sure of that?"

"Yes'm. I be sure," declared Tommy. "I dreamed the cats were scratchin'
me; an' then that very nex' mornin' the old doorstep scratched me!"
cried the small boy.

Alice turned to her visitors, her face pale in her earnestness.

"Oh, girls!" she cried. "I remember that night of Tommy's dream very
well. He hurt his knee on Wednesday--the morning following the burglary.
Billy took Tommy into bed with him before midnight, and they slept
together all night. Doesn't that prove that Billy was not out of the
house on the night of the burglary? Doesn't it?"

Dora and Dorothy looked at each other, and each slowly shook her head.

"Do you suppose the police would accept Tommy's testimony?" Dora asked,
sadly.

CHAPTER XVI

THE CANOE RACE

The twins were very sorry for Alice and the other Longs and they did not
believe the absent Billy guilty as charged; but