ago, when I went to look for them, I couldn't find them. It means
the loss of considerable money."

"Perhaps they are in your desk here," said Mrs. Bunker, for her husband
sometimes did business at his home in the evening, and had a desk in the
sitting-room.

"Perhaps they are," said the father of the six little Bunkers. "That is
why I came home so early--to look."

He went into the house, followed by his wife and Russ and Rose. Mr. Bunker
stepped over to his desk, and began looking through it. He took out quite
a bundle of books and papers, but those he wanted did not seem to be
there.

"Did you find them?" asked his wife, after a while.

"No," he answered with a shake of his head, "I did not. They aren't here.
I'm sorry. I need those papers very much. I may lose a large sum of money
if I don't find them. I can't see what could have happened to them. I had
them on my desk in the office yesterday, and I was looking at them when
Mr. Johnson came along to see about buying some lumber from the pile in
the yard next to my office."

"Perhaps Mr. Johnson might know something about the papers," suggested
Mrs. Bunker.

Her husband did not answer her for a moment. Then he suddenly clapped his
hands together as a new thought came to him, and he said:

"Oh, now I remember! I left those papers in my old coat."

"Your old coat!" repeated Mrs. Bunker with interest.

"Yes. That old ragged one I sometimes wear at the office when I have to
get things down from the dusty shelves. I had on that coat when I was
holding the papers in my hand, and then Mr. Johnson came along. I wanted
to go out in the lumberyard with him, to look at the boards he wanted to
buy, so I stuck the papers in the pocket of the old coat."

"Then that's where they must be yet," said Mrs. Bunker. "Where is the
coat?"

"Oh, I always keep it hanging up behind the office door. Yes, that's it. I
remember now. When Mr. Johnson came in and I went out to look at the
lumber with him, I stuck the papers in the inside pocket of the old,
ragged coat. And then I forgot all about them until just now, when I had
to have them. I'll hurry back to the office and get the papers out of the
pocket of the coat."

"May we come with you?" asked Russ.

"Please let us," begged Rose.

Mr. Bunker, who did not seem quite so worried now, looked at his wife.

"Take the children, if you have time," she said. "At least Rose and Russ.
The others are playing in the sand," for that'