d boy hugged the half-wild animal on his
bed, the astonishment of Bunny Brown, his sister, his father and Mrs.
Jason--well, there was enough excitement for a few minutes to satisfy
even the children.

Sue did not know what to make of the strange actions of Dix on the bed
where the injured boy had been sleeping, and she whispered to Bunny:

"Maybe Dix wants to bite him!"

But Bunny shook his head. He understood what had happened.

"Don't you see, Sue!" he said. "He's been found."

"O-o-oh!" gasped the little girl.

"Yes, sir, Fred Ward, the boy who ran away from next door to us, has
been found. That's his dog, Dix. And Dix knows him, just as we thought
he would, even though his face is pretty well bandaged up. That's Fred
Ward!"

"Is that your name?" asked Mr. Brown, who also understood what had
happened.

"Well, I guess it is," was the slow answer. "But it isn't the name I've
been going by lately. I called myself Professor Rombodno Prosondo, but
now----"

"Then, it _was_ you all blacked up like a minstrel!" cried Bunny.

"Yes, I was playing on the banjo for Dr. Perry's medicine show, but when
I saw you in the crowd I managed to get away. Then I joined the circus
and now----"

"Don't talk and excite yourself," said Mrs. Jason. "The doctor will be
here in a little while and perhaps he can take the bandages off your
face, so your friends will know you."

"Dix knows him all right," said Mr. Brown, and indeed the dog was half
wild with joy at having found his master.

Dr. Fandon came in a few minutes later and said Fred was much better.
When the face bandages were taken off, so new ones could be put on,
Bunny and Sue at once recognized Fred, though his face was badly
scratched.

Dix tried to lick his master's face, but had to be stopped for fear he
might do Fred harm. So the dog had to show his joy by thumping his tail
and whining softly.

Then Fred told his story. As has been said, he ran away from home
because he felt his father should not have punished him.

"But I've had a good deal worse punishment since," the lad said, "and
I'm sorry I ever ran away. I'd have gone home long ago only I was
ashamed."

"Well, you needn't be," said Mr. Brown. "Your father and your mother
both want you back. We have been looking for you as well as we could on
our auto tour. But it was Dix who knew you first."

"I wish he had seen me before the lion did," said Fred, smiling a
little. "I wonder where he went to after