en made; but these were hushed when the
kindly people saw Agnes' tear-streaked face and Ruth Kenway's anxious
eyes.

"Oh, my dear!" gasped Mrs. Kranz, her fat face wrinkling with emotion,
and dabbing at her eyes while she patted Ruth's shoulder. "If I had only
knowed vat dem kinder had in der kopfs yedt, oh, my dear! I vould haf
made dem go right avay straight home."

"De leetla padrona allow, I go right away queek and looka for
theem--yes? Maria and my Marouche watcha da stan'--sella da fruit. Yes?"
cried Joe Maroni to the oldest Corner House girl.

"If we only--any of us--knew where to search!" Ruth cried.

Neale and Luke got out of the automobile, leaving the girls surrounded
by the gossipy, though kindly, women of the neighborhood and the curious
children. Neither of the young fellows had any well defined idea as to
how to proceed; but they were not inclined to waste any more time merely
canvassing the misfortune of Dot and Sammy's disappearance.

Neale, being better acquainted with the dwellers in this neighborhood,
seized a half-grown youth on the edge of the crowd and put several very
pertinent questions to him.

Was there any place right around there that the children might have
fallen into--like a cellar, or an excavation! Any place into which they
could have wandered and be unable to get out of, or to make their
situation known? Had there been an accident of any kind near this
vicinity during the day?

The answers extracted from this street youth, who would, Neale was sure,
know of anything odd happening around this section of Milton, were
negative.

"Say, it's been deader'n a doornail around here for a week," confessed
the Meadow Street youth. "Even Dugan's goat hasn't been on the
rampage. No, sir. I ain't seen an automobile goin' faster than a
toad funeral all day. Say, the fastest things we got around here is
the canalboats--believe me!"

"Funny how we always come around to that canal--or the barges on it--in
this inquiry," murmured Luke to Neale O'Neil.

The two had started down the street, but Neale halted in his walk and
stared at the young collegian.

"Funny!" he exclaimed suddenly. "No, there isn't anything funny in it at
all. The canal. Canalboats. My goodness, Mr. Shepard, there must be
something in it!"

"Water," growled Luke. "And very muddy water at that. I will not believe
that the children fell in and were drowned!"

"No!" cried Neale just as vigorously. Then he grinned. "Sammy