at. There was Whisker peacefully lying down, still asleep. And running
toward him, along the woodland path, was Bert, who, as he caught sight
of Freddie and the others, called:

"Oh, there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you. Didn't you
hear me calling?"

"Was that you?" asked Freddie. "We thought maybe it was a gypsy man."

"Or Helen's doll," added Flossie. "Her doll, Mollie, can talk, you know,
Bert. And Whisker gave us a ride here so we looked for the doll."

"Yes, and then I had to come looking for you," said her brother. "But
never mind. I've found you and I've got jolly news."

"Do you mean jolly news because you found us?" asked Freddie.

"No, it's jolly news about something else," Bert said. "But I've got to
hurry home with you so mother won't worry. Then I'll tell you."

CHAPTER VII

WHERE IS SNAP?

"How did you youngsters come to run away?" asked Bert, when he was
driving the goat wagon back through the woods again, taking a path that
was not quite so bumpy as the first one. "My goodness! I came back from
daddy's office to find mother and Nan looking everywhere for you. How
did you happen to run away?"

"We didn't runned away," said Flossie, who was so excited over what had
happened that she forgot to speak the way her teacher in school had told
her to. "Whisker runned away with us."

"I guess he didn't go without being told, and without some one's taking
off his hitching strap," said Bert, with a smile.

"Anyhow, we didn't run much, Whisker just walked most of the time," said
Freddie.

"Well, it's all the same," returned Bert. "I had to chase after you to
find you. Didn't you hear me calling?"

"Yes, but we thought it was gypsies or Helen's doll," answered Flossie.
"We were looking for Mollie, you know."

"You'll not find her unless you find that band of gypsies," said Bert.
"Anyhow, you mustn't come off to the woods alone, you little children."

"We had Whisker with us," Freddie declared. "And if any of the gypsy men
had come he'd have butted 'em with his horns."

"He might, and he might not," went on Bert. "Anyhow, I guess you had a
nice ride."

"We did," said Flossie. "Only we're sorry we couldn't find Helen's doll.
How did you find us, Bert?"

"Oh, I could see by the wheel and hoof marks in the soft dirt which way
Whisker had taken the wagon, and I just followed."

"But what is the jolly news?" Freddie demanded. "Are we going back to
New York?"

"Better than th