cannot have got into much mischief with little
Dorothy along," sighed Mrs. Pinkney, relieved. "But I most certainly
shall punish him when he comes back, for I forbade his leaving the yard
this morning. And I shall tell his father."

This last promise made Tess look very serious. It was the most
threatening speech that the good woman ever addressed to Sammy. Mr.
Pinkney seemed a good deal like a bugaboo to the little Corner House
girls; he was held over Sammy's head often as a threat of dire
punishment. Sammy and his father, however, seemed to understand each
other pretty well.

Sammy had once confided to the little Corner House girls that "We men
have to hang together"; and although he respected his father, and feared
what the latter might do in the way of punishment, the punishment was
usually inflicted by Mrs. Pinkney, after all.

Sometimes when his mother considered that the boy had been
extraordinarily naughty and she told the fact to his father, that wise
man would take his son by the hand and walk away with him. Sammy always
started on one of these walks with a most serious expression of
countenance; but whatever was said to him, or done to him, during these
absences, Sammy always returned with a cheerful mien and with a
pocketful of goodies for himself and something extra nice for his
mother.

Neale O'Neil frequently declared that Mr. Pinkney was one of the wisest
men of his time and probably "put it all over old Solomon. They say
Solomon had a lot of wives," Neale remarked. "But I bet he didn't know
half as much about women and how to handle them as Mr. Pinkney does."

However, to get back to the discovery of the absence of Sammy and Dot.
After Tess had searched the neighborhood without finding any trace of
them, and Agnes had returned from down town, a council was held.

"Why, they did not even take Tom Jonah with them," observed Ruth.

"If they had," said Agnes, almost ready to weep, "we would be sure they
were not really lost."

"Can't you find out at the police station?" suggested Cecile.

"Oh, my! Oh my!" cried Tess, in horror. "You don't s'pose our Dot has
really been _arrested_?"

"Listen to the child!" exclaimed Mrs. Pinkney, kissing her. "Of course
not. The young lady means that the police may help find them. But I do
not know what Sam'l Pinkney would say if he thought the officers had to
look for his son."

Ruth, in her usual decisive way, brooked no further delay. Surely the
missing boy