ler, whose office was about a mile from his home.

In the first book of the series I told you of a trip the Bunkers took to
Grandma Bell's at Lake Sagatook, in Maine. Grandma Bell was Mrs.
Bunker's mother, and in the Maine woods the children had so many good
times that it was years before they forgot them. They had quite an
adventure, too, with a tramp lumberman, who had a ragged coat, but I
will not spoil that story by telling it to you here.

Before the Bunkers left Grandma Bell's they received an invitation to
visit Aunt Jo in Boston, and they were at her Back Bay home when the
present story opens.

There had been adventures in Boston, too, and the pocketbook which Rose
found, with sixty-five dollars in it, was quite a mystery for a time.
But, finally, the real owner was discovered, and very glad she was to
get the money back.

"Well, we have had good times here at Aunt Jo's," said Mrs. Bunker to
her husband, when they had read all the letters that had come in the
mail. "And now it is time for us to go. I think we shall enjoy our stay
at Cousin Tom's."

"It will be fine for the children," said their father.

"Yes, they are already counting on digging gold out of the sand," said
Mrs. Bunker with a laugh. "Sammie Brown has been telling them some story
about buried treasure his father found."

"Well, I believe that is a true story," said Mr. Bunker. "I heard my
sister say something about Mr. Brown having been shipwrecked on an
island once, and coming back with gold. But if we go to Cousin Tom's we
shall have to begin packing soon, shall we not?" he went on.

"Yes," agreed his wife. "We are to leave about the middle of next week."

"We have been doing a great deal of traveling so far this summer," went
on Mr. Bunker. "Here it is about the middle of August, and we have been
at Grandma Bell's, at Aunt Jo's and we are now going to Cousin Tom's. I
had a letter from Grandpa Ford, saying that he wished we'd come there."

"And my brother Fred is anxious to have us come out to his western
ranch," said Mrs. Bunker. "If we accept all the invitations we shall be
very busy."

So Mr. and Mrs. Bunker talked over the time of leaving, what they would
need to take, and the best way of going. Meanwhile Laddie had run back
to tell his brothers and sisters the good news.

"We're going to the real seashore!" he exclaimed. "It's down to Seaview
where Cousin Tom lives, and we can dig for treasure there!"

"Can we really?" asked