to tell you the truth, my back was
turned when he leaped aboard."

"He couldn't have had my pocketbook," said Mrs. Brown. "If this is the
same dog that was in our yard, and he seems to be, he either dropped my
purse in the carpenter shop or else in some other place which we shall
never know. The shop has been searched, but where else to look no one
knows."

"Well, as I said," went on Mr. Ravenwood, "Sandy came aboard my boat and
I kept him. It was not until the other day that I noticed an
advertisement about him, and then I knew what to do with him. That was
the day after I lost my box."

"How did you lose that?" asked Uncle Tad.

"I lost it overboard out of my boat in the fierce storm of the other
night," was the answer. "I had packed the box full of wooden patterns,
put it in my boat, and I had lettered my name and address on it in
readiness for sending it away by express. I was also going to put the
name of the place where the box was to go, but I was called away just
then to the telephone at the dock in Sea Gate, and when I came back I
was thinking so much about something else that I forgot all about
putting the other name on the box. I started out in my boat to take the
box across the bay to the express office, and I was caught in the storm.
I was nearly capsized and had to put back to shore, the box tipping
overboard and floating off. I was glad enough to let it go and get
safely back myself."

"And did Sandy go overboard, too?" asked Harry, his arms about his dog's
neck.

"No, I had left Sandy on shore," answered Mr. Ravenwood. "Though he
always wanted to go with me; didn't you, old fellow?" he asked, and the
dog wagged his tail to show how happy he was.

"Well, that's about all there is to my story," said Mr. Ravenwood.
"After the storm was over I set out in search of my box of patterns, for
I knew they would float, but I could not find them. Sandy went with me
on these trips. Then I got Mr. Brown's letter, telling me that the box
with my name on was here in Christmas Tree Cove, and, at the same time,
I noticed the advertisement in one of the papers about the lost dog.

"I connected the two names, and then I thought the best thing to do was
to bring Sandy here and see if he belonged to you folks. And I am glad
to know that he does," he went on. "And now, if I may get my box and pay
any expenses there may be attached to it----"

"There aren't any expenses," interrupted Mrs. Brown, with a smile. "The
b