e said to thank you and that he was glad to get
it. He went off wearing it."

"And my papers--worth a large sum of money--were in the pocket!" exclaimed
Mr. Bunker. "I never thought about them, for I was so busy about selling
Mr. Johnson the lumber. It's too bad!"

"I'm sorry," said the clerk. "If I had known the papers were in the old
coat I'd have looked through the pockets before I gave it to the tramp."

"Oh, it wasn't your fault," said Mr. Bunker quickly. "It was my own. I
should have remembered about the papers being in the coat. But do you know
who that tramp was, and where he went?"

"I never saw him before," replied Mr. Donlin, "and I haven't seen him
since. Maybe the police could find him."

"That's it! That's what we'll have to do!" cried Mr. Bunker. "I shall have
to send the police to find the old lumberman; not that he has done
anything wrong, but to get back my papers. He may keep the coat. Very
likely he hasn't even found the papers. Yes, I must tell the police!"

But before Mr. Bunker could do this in came the postman with the mail.
There were several letters for the real estate dealer, and when he saw one
he exclaimed:

"Ah, this is from Grandma Bell! We must see what she has to say!"

Daddy Bunker opened the letter, which was written to him by his wife's
mother--the children's grandmother--and when he had read a few lines, he
exclaimed:

"Oh, ho! Here is news indeed! Good news!"

"Oh, what is it?" asked Russ. "Did grandma tell you in the letter that the
tramp lumberman left your papers at her house?"

CHAPTER IV

FOURTH OF JULY

Daddy Bunker looked at his little boy and girl. And, on their part, Russ
and Rose looked at daddy. They were thinking of two things--the letter
from Grandma Bell and Mr. Bunker's real estate papers that the tramp
lumberman had carried off in the old coat. Russ and Rose didn't know much
about real estate--except that it meant houses and barns and fields and
city lots. And they didn't know much about valuable real estate papers,
but they did know their father was worried about something, and this made
them feel sad.

"Has grandma got your papers?" asked Russ again.

"Oh, no, little Whistler," answered Mr. Bunker with a laugh. "She doesn't
even know I have lost them."

"But what's the letter about?" asked Rose.

"It's a letter from Grandma Bell inviting us all up to her home at Lake
Sagatook, in Maine, to spend part of the summer," answered Mr. Bunker.