k to make sure they were all right, but when I put my
hand in the pocket, the papers weren't there. What do you make of that
now?" and he glared at them as though they had a guilty knowledge of the
papers and had better hand them over forthwith.

"Papers!" exclaimed Mrs. Rushton, her heart sinking at this new
complaint. "What papers were they?"

"I hope they weren't very valuable?" said Mr. Rushton.

"Valuable!" almost shrieked Aaron Rushton. "I should say they were
valuable. There was a mortgage and there were three notes of hand and
the transcript of a judgment that I got in a court action a little while
ago. I can't collect on any of them, unless I have the papers to show.
I'm in a pretty mess!" he groaned, as he went around the room like a
wild man.

"We'll make a careful search for them everywhere," said Mrs. Rushton.
"They must be somewhere around the house."

"House, nothing!" ejaculated Aaron. "I know well enough where they are.
They're down in the river somewhere, and I'll never clap eyes on them
again. They must have fallen out of my pocket when I jumped. Oh, if I
just had the handling of that imp"--and his fingers writhed in a way
that boded no good to Teddy, if that lively youth were luckless enough
to be turned over to his uncle for punishment.

"I can't tell you how sorry I am, Aaron," his brother assured him.
"We'll have a most careful search made at the place where the accident
happened, the first thing to-morrow morning. I'll also put up the offer
of a reward in the post office. The papers are not of much value to any
one except you, and if somebody has found them, they'll be glad enough
to bring them to you. In the meantime, we'll take one more look about
the house."

But the search was fruitless, and, at last, Aaron, still growling like a
grizzly bear, went reluctantly to his room to await developments on the
morrow.

In the meantime, Teddy, the cause of it all, although cut off from the
rest of the household, had shared in the general gloom. He was devotedly
attached to his father and mother, and was sincerely sorry that he had
so distressed them. He would have given a good deal if he had never
yielded to his sudden impulse of the afternoon.

Fred had spent most of the evening with him, and had done his level best
to cheer him up. He had succeeded to some extent, but, after he had left
him and gone to his own room, Teddy again felt the weight of a heavy
depression.

It must be admitted t