e Wanda," said D

[Blodgett <sun...@sa...>]

Here, and I'm pretty sure
of it myself." "Well, what do you think it is?" asked Mr. Trimble. "If there's anyone in there I don't know it.
But I'll open the door,
and let you see. Your dog certainly is making a lot of noise." "Have you got that poor boy, Tom Vine, locked up in there?" asked Mr. Brown.
The farmer laughed.

"Tom Vine locked up in there? Certainly not!" he cried. "I wish I did have. I'd like to punish him for running away from me. But

I haven't seem him since he was at your camp. No, sir! He isn't in my smoke-house. I don't believe anything,
or anybody, is in there. But I'll open the door and let you look inside. Why, the door isn't locked," the farmer went
on, "and I guess I couldn't keep a boy like Tom Vine in a smoke-house without locking the

door on him."

Mr. Brown did not know what to think now. As for Bunny and Sue
they thought surely their new friend, Tom, was locked in the queer little house. "Oh, now we'll see him!" cried Sue, and she felt very glad. Mr. Trimble dropped his hoe across a row of potatoes, and walked to where Splash was still barking away in front of the smoke-house. "Will your dog bite?" asked
the farmer. "No, he is very gentle," answered Mr. Brown. "But I'll
call him
away while you open the door." "I'll hold him," said Bunny. "I'll hold him by his collar." By this time Splash seemed to have barked enough, for he grew quiet.

Perhaps he knew
the door was going to be opened. He came away when
Bunny called him, and the little boy held tightly to the dog's collar.
"I'll help you hold him," cried Sue,
and she, too,

took hold. "I'm sorry to disappoint you," said Mr. Trimble, with a sour sort of laugh, "but yo