e running out of the
house where lived "the boy next door," as Bunny and Sue called Fred
Ward, even though they knew his name. They had spoken several times to
him.

"Is that dog savage?" asked Mrs. Brown.

"No, Momsie," replied Sue. "He's just as nice as he can be. He and
Splash are good friends. Here Dix!" she called.

With a joyful bark the dog bounded toward Sue. He evidently knew the
children, and soon made friends with Mrs. Brown.

"He's a strong dog," she said to the children.

"And he's good, too!" exclaimed Bunny. "I was talking to Fred one day
and he told me that his dog Dix saved him from drowning when they lived
in another city, near a river."

"That was fine!" cried Mrs. Brown. "I think I shall like Dix."

By this time they were under the dining-room windows of the Ward house,
and Mrs. Brown and the children heard the sound of a woman sobbing, and
a man trying to comfort her.

"Now don't worry, Martha," said the man. "Everything will come out
right, I'm sure, and we'll find Fred."

"Oh, I hope so!" moaned the woman. And she kept on crying.

"Excuse me," said Mrs. Brown, calling in through the open window. "But I
fear you have trouble, and I have come over to see if I may not help
you."

Mr. Ward looked out of the window.

"It's Mrs. Brown," he said, evidently speaking to his wife in the room
behind him.

"I have been intending to come over to see you," went on Mrs. Brown.
"But you know how it is I suppose, Mrs. Ward," for now the other lady
had come to the window. "We keep putting such things off. And really I
have been so busy since we came back from our camp in the big woods that
I haven't had time to set my house to rights."

"I know how it is, Mrs. Brown," replied Mrs. Ward, wiping the tears from
her eyes, "and I am glad to see you now. Won't you come in?"

"I really don't know whether I ought to or not. My children, on coming
home from school, said they heard sounds of distress in here, and
knowing you were strangers I thought perhaps you might not know where to
apply for help in case you needed it. My husband is one of the town
officials, and if we can do anything----"

"It is very kind of you," said Mrs. Ward. "Thank you so much for coming
over. We _are_ in trouble, and perhaps you can give us some advice.
Please come in."

She went to the front door and let in Bunny, Sue and their mother, the
two children wondering what could have happened to the boy next door,
for they did no