over to the dressing tent and put on something
dry," said the ringmaster. "And on the way you can stop at that house
yonder by the bridge and telephone home that you are all right and the
young'uns have been found. Then you'll all be my guests at Twomley and
Sorber's Herculean Circus and Menagerie. The big show will commence in
just fourteen minutes. Besides Scalawag wants to see his little
mistress."

"Who is Scalawag?" was the chorused question.

"That pony, Uncle Bill?" asked Neale.

"Oh!" gasped Sammy Pinkney, quite himself once more. "The calico pony
with pink on him! Je-ru-sa-_lem_!"

"Exactly," agreed Mr. Sorber, answering all the queries with one word.
Then he turned to little Louise Quigg, to add:

"That means you and your dad. You will be guests of the circus, too.
Come on, now, Neale, turn your car around and hurry. I'm due to get into
another ring suit-- I always keep a fresh one handy in case of
accident--and walk out before the audience in just--le's see--eleven
minutes, now!"

That was surely a busy eleven minutes for all concerned. The Quiggs had
to be urged a little to leave their canal boat again; but Beauty had
faithfully remained aboard, even if she had gone to sleep at her post;
so they shut her into the partly burned cabin to guard the few
possessions that remained to them.

"We never did have much, and we ain't likely to ever have much," said
the philosophical Louise. "We can bunk to-night in the hold, Pap. We
couldn't find John and Jerry till morning, anyway. We might's well
celebrate 'cause the old _Nancy Hanks_ didn't _all_ go up in smoke."

Luke telephoned the good news to the old Corner House that Dot and Sammy
were found, safe and sound, and that they were all going to the circus.
Poor Tess had to be satisfied with the promise that the long-expected
pony would be at Milton in a few days. News of the runaways' safety was
carried quickly to the Pinkney cottage across Willow Street.

"It strikes me that these kids are getting rewarded instead of punished
for running away," Luke observed to Ruth, when he returned from
telephoning.

"But what can we do?" the girl asked him. "I am so glad to get Dot back
that I could not possibly punish her. And I don't know that she did
anything so very wrong. Nor do I believe she will do anything like it
again."

"How about Sammy?" the collegian asked.

"To tell the truth," said honest Ruth, "from what they both say I fancy
Dot urged Sammy to run