or no one else could speak. "Middy's
gone away for a little while."

"I know," said the child, contentedly, "Middy gone to Gramma's to see
Kitty!"

"Why, perhaps she did!" exclaimed Mr. Maynard.

But Mrs. Maynard had no such hope. It was too unlike Marjorie to do such
a thing.

"Well, let's find out," urged King. "Let's get Uncle Steve on the
long-distance wire."

"Don't alarm Grandma," said Mrs. Maynard. "There's no use stirring her
up, until we know ourselves what has happened."

"Leave it to me," said Cousin Jack. "I'll find out."

After some delay, he succeeded in getting Uncle Steve on the telephone.
Then he asked for Kitty.

"Hello, Susannah!" he cried, assuming a merry voice, in his kind desire
not to alarm her. "This is your Cousin Jack!"

"Oh, hello, Cousin Jack!" exclaimed Kitty, in delight. "How nice of you
to call me up! How is everybody?"

"We're well, thank you! How are you all?"

"Oh, we're all right."

"Are you lonesome, away from your family?"

"No, not lonesome, though I'd like to see them. Tell Midget there are
two hundred incubator chicks now."

"Well, that _is_ a lot! Now, good-by, Kitsie; I can't run up too big a
telephone bill for your father. We all send love. Be a good girl.
Good-by."

Cousin Jack hung up the receiver and buried his face in his hands. It
had been a great strain on his nerves to appear gay and carefree to
Kitty, and the implied assurance that Marjorie was _not_ there nearly
made him give way.

"She isn't there," he said, dully, as he repeated to the family what
Kitty had said. And then the telephone rang, and it was the police
department.

Mr. Maynard took the receiver.

"We've traced her," came the news, and the father's face grew white with
suspense. "She bought a ticket to New York, and went there on the
three-o'clock train yesterday afternoon. Nothing further is known, as
yet, but as soon as we can get in touch with the conductor of that
train, we will."

"New York! Impossible!" cried Cousin Ethel, when she heard the message,
and Mrs. Maynard fainted away.

Marjorie! on a train, going to New York alone!

"Come on, King," said Cousin Jack, abruptly, and leaving the others to
care for Mrs. Maynard, these two strode off again. Straight to the
railroad station they went to interview the agent themselves.

He corroborated the story. He did not know Marjorie's name, but he
described the child so exactly that there was no room for doubt of her
identit