is world," said Uncle
Tad, as he and Mr. Ravenwood were talking about the finding of the
floating box and the recovery of Sandy. "If we could only find the lost
pocketbook and the diamond ring now, I would say it might be almost like
a fairy story."

"Yes," agreed Mr. Ravenwood, "it certainly might be called that." He was
listening to the noise of the engine as he sat with one hand on the
steering wheel.

"What's the matter?" asked Bunker Blue. "Anything wrong?"

"The motor sounds rather strange," answered the pattern-maker. "I was
just wondering----"

He did not finish the sentence before the engine suddenly stopped with a
sort of wheeze and groan which showed something was wrong.

"Something's caught in the flywheel," declared Bunker Blue.

"That's what it sounds like to me," added Uncle Tad.

"We'll have a look," stated Mr. Ravenwood, as he shut off the gasolene
supply and opened the electric switch. Then he proceeded to lift the
wooden covering of the engine.

"What's the matter?" asked Bunny Brown, looking back.

"The engine has stopped," his mother told him.

"What made it?" Sue wanted to know.

"That's what Mr. Ravenwood is trying to find out," said Uncle Tad.

Idly the boat floated on the water while Mr. Ravenwood looked in the
covering case and around the flywheel.

"There's something jammed down under the flywheel, between it and the
keel of the boat," he said. "I can just feel it. Seems to be a bit of
rag or cotton waste that I use to wipe off the oil and grease from my
hands and to polish the machinery. Wait, I can get it out," he went on,
as he thrust his arm down deeper. "I have my hand on it, but it is
jammed in pretty tight and----"

He gave a grunt and a pull, and then up came his arm, and in his hand he
held something black, which dripped with water and oil.

"There it is," said the young man. "It must have been in the pit for
some time to get so soaked as that. I don't remember dropping anything
in there. In fact, I'm very careful, for there isn't much room between
the rim of the flywheel and the keel, and even a small bit of waste will
stop the wheel, just as this did."

"Is it waste?" asked Uncle Tad.

"No, it doesn't seem to be," was Mr. Ravenwood's answer. "Why--why----"
he went on in surprise, as he laid the object down on top of the engine
cover and examined it. "Why, it's an old leather pocketbook!"

"A pocketbook!" cried Bunny Brown and his sister Sue, and they looked at