Brown said. At
any rate, the dog went back to his place in the bow, and did not shake
the water off his dripping fur. Whenever he did that he made a regular
shower.

The boat was soon close to the other shore. Bunker Blue rowed up to a
little dock, and tied fast. Then Mr. Brown helped out Bunny and Sue.
Splash did not need any help. He jumped out himself and ran on ahead,
now giving himself a good shake to get rid of the water drops.

A short walk brought the party to Mr. Trimble's farm. The cross farmer
was not in the house, but his wife said he was out in the barn, and
there Mr. Brown found him.

"Well, what do you want?" asked Mr. Trimble in that cross voice of his.
He seemed never to smile.

"I came to see if you have that boy I'm taking care of--Tom Vine," said
Mr. Brown. "Did you take him away?"

"No, I did not," said Mr. Trimble, crossly.

"Do you know where he is?"

"No, I don't."

"Have you seen him at all?" asked Bunny's father. "Yesterday he went to
the spring for a pail of water, but he did not come back. We are afraid
something has happened to him. Then I thought perhaps you might have
taken him, though you had no right to."

"Well, I didn't take him, though I had a right to," growled the farmer.
"I hired that boy to work for me, and I gave him a suit of clothes,
besides feeding him. He didn't stay with me long enough to pay for what
I gave him. And if I catch him I'll make him work out what he owes me.
But I haven't seen him since he was in your camp. I wish I did have him
now. I'd make him step lively, and do some work!"

So Mr. Brown had his trip for nothing. Tom was not at the Trimble farm,
that was sure.

"I guess he ran away from you the same as he did from me," said Mr.
Trimble as Mr. Brown turned away.

Bunny's father shook his head.

"Tom Vine isn't that kind of boy," he said. "He may have run away from
you because you didn't treat him well, but he would not run away from
us. He liked it at Camp Rest-a-While."

"That's all you know about boys!" laughed the farmer. "I treated him as
well as he needed to be treated. Boys are all lazy. They'd rather play
than work. And you'll find out that Tom Vine has run away from you. He
didn't want to work."

"He didn't work very hard at our camp," said Mr. Brown. "All he had to
do was to wash the dishes and help with little things. He liked it. I'm
sure something has happened to him, and I'm sorry, for I intended doing
something for him."