"Yes. Our daddy wants it back!"

Mr. Gannon looked a bit surprised.

"Not to wear," explained Russ quickly. "He doesn't want it to wear. You
can keep it, I guess. But when he told the clerk in his office to give the
coat to you there were some papers in one of the pockets and----"

"Real estate papers," broke in Laddie, remembering this part.

"Yes, real estate papers," said Russ. "They were in the pocket of the old,
ragged coat, and my daddy would like awful much to get 'em back. Have you
got the coat?"

Mr. Gannon did not speak for a moment or two. He seemed to be trying to
think of something. Then, as Russ and Laddie looked at him, and as Zip sat
looking at the cat, the red-haired tramp lumberman said:

"Well, now, it's a funny thing, but I _have_ got that old coat yet. It's
too ragged for me to wear--it got a lot more ragged after your father gave
it to me--but I sort of took a liking to it, and I kept it. I've got it
yet."

"Where is it?" asked Russ eagerly.

"Right here in my cabin. Mr. Barker lets me stay here while I'm cutting
down trees to build his dock. I like to be by myself. I've got the coat
here. I'll get it."

He went inside and came out a moment later with a ragged coat in his hand.
It was tattered and torn.

"This is the coat your father gave me," said the lumberman, "but I'm sorry
to say there are no papers in the pockets. You can look yourself if you
like. There isn't a paper at all!"

As Russ watched, the red-haired man thrust his hands first into one
pocket and then into the others. But no papers came out. Russ looked sad
and disappointed. So did Laddie.

"This is the coat all right that I got at a real estate office in
Pineville," said Mr. Gannon. "But every pocket was empty when I got it. I
remember feeling in them. There were no papers at all. If there were ever
any in the pockets they must have dropped out before I got the coat. The
pockets are full of holes, anyhow. I'm sorry!"

So were Laddie and Russ. They watched while Mr. Gannon went through each
pocket of the ragged coat once more. But it was of no use. No papers were
to be found.

"Come on, Laddie," said Russ in a low voice to his brother. "We'd better
go back home. Good-bye!" he called over his shoulder to the red-haired
lumberman.

"Good-bye," answered Mr. Gannon. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I
haven't your daddy's papers."

CHAPTER XXV

"HURRAY!"

Slowly and sadly Russ and Laddie drove their dog-