TAD'S NEWS
Margy almost dropped her sick doll, she was so surprised at the
astonishment in the voice of Rose and at the manner in which her
sister pointed toward the old valise. Mun Bun, too, looked at the
leather satchel on the floor, and Russ, who had dropped it, stared with
wide-opened eyes at the sight which met his gaze.
"Look! Look!" went on Rose. "There it is!"
"What?" asked Margy.
"Captain Ben's watch--the gold wrist watch he lost when he was helping
us pack to come here," went on Rose. "It just fell out of the old
valise Russ dropped."
"Did it?" asked Russ, who was as much surprised as was Rose.
"Yes," went on Rose, "it did. As soon as you dropped the valise that
little pocket on the side opened and the watch came out. There it is!"
And there, surely enough, was Captain Ben's missing watch--the one he
thought so much of because it was given to him by a soldier in France.
"What's the matter?" asked Mother Bunker, coming in from the kitchen.
She had heard the cries of excitement among the children.
"Look what we found--Captain Ben's watch--it was in the old valise--it
fell out when Russ dropped it--dropped the valise, I mean," answered
Rose. "He was playing doctor, because Mun Bun's doll and Margy's were
sick. Oh, Mother! won't Captain Ben be glad?"
"Yes, I think he will," answered Mrs. Bunker, as she picked the watch
up off the floor. The timepiece was not damaged, and when Mrs. Bunker
had wound it and given it a little shake, it ticked off merrily, though
of course it had to be set to indicate the proper hour.
"Well, I never knew Captain Ben's watch was in that old valise when I
took it to play doctor," said Russ.
"And no one else imagined it was there," said his mother. "The watch
must have slipped from Captain Ben's wrist when he was helping us pack,
and it fell into the side pocket of the satchel. Then it was strapped
shut and put with our luggage. We never had occasion to open the valise
side pocket, and of course we never thought of looking in there. Only
by accident could it have been found."
"I'm glad we found it," said Russ. "Captain Ben'll be glad, too."
There was so much excitement over finding the missing watch that all
thought of playing doctor, nurse and sick dolls passed. Vi and Laddie
had to hear the story all over again.
"Then the tramps didn't take Captain Ben's watch after all, did they?"
asked Vi, when she and Laddie had looked several times in the side
pocket of the valise, whence the watch had slid when Russ dropped the
satchel.
"We never thought tramps had taken it," said her mother. "Captain Ben
missed his watch long before we heard about the tramps."
Speaking of tramps naturally brought the talk to the chase then under
way, and the children were wondering whether their father, Captain Ben,
Captain Blake and the others would be lucky in the pursuit. It was just
getting dusk when steps were heard on the bungalow porch, and in came
Daddy Bunker and Captain Ben. They looked tired and discouraged.
"Did you catch the tramps?" cried Russ eagerly.
"No," and his father shook his head. "They had too much of a start on
us."
"And they got away," added Captain Ben. "We were unlucky to-day."
"But we were lucky here!" exclaimed Rose, with sparkling eyes.
"What do you mean?" asked the marine, looking from one of the six
little Bunkers to the other. Something in their manner told him that
the unusual had happened.
"See if you can guess!" proposed Laddie. "Make believe it's a riddle,
and guess, Captain Ben."
"Hum! Let me see!" and the marine pretended to be thinking very hard.
"Is it----"
"It's your watch!" burst out Mun Bun. "We were playing sick dolls, and
Russ was the doctor and he had a valise and----"
"Oh, what'd you tell him for? Why didn't you let him guess?" asked
Laddie.
But the secret was out now.
"My watch! My wrist watch! Do you mean you found my watch that the
French soldier gave me?" cried Captain Ben.
"Yes, here it is," and Mrs. Bunker handed it to her relative, telling
him how it had been found.
"Well, I never!" exclaimed Captain Ben. "I had given that up as lost
forever. I should say you did have luck here, even if we were not lucky
in catching the tramps."
"So they got away, did they?" asked Mother Bunker, after Captain Ben
had fastened his watch on his wrist.
"Yes. In the motor boat, which they must have stolen, they were too
speedy for us. Then, too, they had a good start. But we have not given
up. Word has been sent to the police all around here and the men may be
caught any moment. They won't bother us again, that's sure."
"I'm glad of that," said Mother Bunker.
Then they all sat down to supper and talked over what had happened
during the day. There was plenty about which to talk, from the picnic
early in the day, to the sighting of the tramps by Rose, the chase
after them and the finding of the captain's watch. As he had promised,
Captain Ben divided the five dollars reward between Rose and Russ.
But all days must come to an end, and this one finally did. The six
little Bunkers went up to bed and soon were sleeping, tired out with
the many adventures.
It was just after breakfast the next morning when Russ, who was
bringing in some wood for the kitchen fire, heard some one coming up
the front walk and looked to see who it was.
"Why--why!" Russ exclaimed. "It's Tad--Tad Munson!"
"Yes, that's who I am," was the answer. "And I've a lot of news for
you. Where's your father and Captain Ben?"
"They're in the house," said Russ. "But what's the matter? What news
have you to tell?"
"You wait and you'll hear!" promised Tad, for it was, indeed, he. But
he was much changed. He was clean and well dressed. Instead of old,
torn shoes he had on nice, shiny ones.
Just then Captain Ben and Daddy Bunker came out on the porch. They
seemed surprised at the sight of the former runaway boy.
"He's got news for us, Daddy!" cried Russ, dropping his armful of wood.