wn to
one of the many nice places on the beach.

Harry was sent over to the hotel to ask his mother if he might go, and
also to invite her to be one of the party, and soon Mrs. Slater was on
her way back to Bark Lodge with her little son.

"It is very nice of you, Mrs. Brown, to ask us," said Mrs. Slater.

"I shall have just as much fun as the children," replied the mother of
Bunny and Sue Brown.

Uncle Tad and Bunker Blue were also delighted to go, and Bunny wanted to
take his shovel and dig for soft clams and have a clambake on the beach.

"Not now, dear," said his mother. "It is quite a lot of work, and you
get so muddy digging clams. After a while, when daddy can be with us, we
may have a big bake on the beach some night."

"And maybe Mr. Ravenwood will come!" exclaimed Sue.

"Maybe he will," agreed her mother.

A little later they were all seated on the sands, the older folk in the
shade of some sun umbrellas that Bunker Blue and Uncle Tad put up, while
Bunny, Sue, and Harry played out in the sunshine. They were tanned as
brown as autumn leaves and no longer sunburned.

The children dug holes in the sand, made miniature cities and railroads,
built tunnels which caved in, and finally started to make a cabin of
driftwood.

Uncle Tad and Bunker Blue were helping at this, and they planned to make
a regular thatched roof of seaweed. The little shack on the sand was
half done when the puffing of a motor boat was heard near shore and a
voice hailed the little party.

"Can you tell me where Christmas Tree Cove is?" asked a young man in the
boat.

"It is right here," answered Mrs. Brown, waving her hand toward the
groups of evergreens on the shore.

Bunny, Sue, and Harry looked at the man in the boat, and then at
something else. And the something else was a big, yellow dog that stood
on one of the seats. At the sight of this animal Mrs. Slater stood up
and Harry cried:

"There's Sandy! That's my Sandy all right!"

Instantly, at the sound of the little boy's voice, the dog gave a loud
bark and leaped into the bay to swim to shore. He reached the sand and
ran at full speed toward the party of picnickers. As he ran, Bunny Brown
cried:

"That's the dog! That's the dog that took my mother's pocketbook and
diamond ring!"

CHAPTER XXIV

IN THE BOAT

Nearer and nearer to the picnic party on the beach raced the big, yellow
dog. He was barking in delight and his tail was wagging from side to
side.