meet them. How glad he was to see his little girl again! And how happy
Dot was to put her arms around dear Daddy's neck!

"How is Mother?" she said, "and how are Snowball and Fluff and Muff?"

"Everyone is well," said Daddy, "and I have a grand surprise for you."

"What is it, Daddy?" cried little Dot.

Betty and Peggy came near to listen too.

"That's telling," laughed Daddy. "I'd rather show you when we get
home."

"May Betty and Peggy go with us?" he asked the two mothers. I think the
two mothers must have known the secret. They smiled and said, "Yes,
indeed."

So off the three little girls went with Dot's father.

When they reached Dot's house no one was at the door to meet them.

This seemed strange.

At the head of the stairs a strange lady with a cap and apron on was
standing and smiling at them. She led them into the front room, still
smiling but saying nothing. This made it very exciting.

[Illustration]

There in an easy chair was Dot's mother. She was holding something in
her arms. At her feet were Snowball and the kittens sound asleep in
their basket.

"O, Mother, Mother!" cried little Dot running to her.

"My own little girl!" said Mother. "See, here is a darling new pet for
you and Daddy and me."

She held out the bundle in her arms, and it was a dear little baby
brother.

"The very best pet in all the world!" said little Dot.

And Betty and Peggy thought so too.

II

But what have Paul and Bob been doing all this time? We will have to go
back to the beginning of vacation and see.

The place where they spent the summer was called Fairport. At Fairport
there was a wide, smooth, sandy beach. Here the boys went in bathing,
built sand forts, and gathered shells.

On one part of the shore the beach was very narrow. Great rocks rose
like a fort above it. Paul and Bob liked to play on the rocks. Sometimes
they played that they were Indians and sometimes that they were cave
men.

They found a place under the rocks for their cave. When they pretended
that they were pirates, they hid their treasures in the cave. Their
treasures were things they found on the beach. There were shells and
boxes, and bottles and queer bits of china and glass. Hero was a fierce
monster guarding the treasure.

Sometimes the boys put Hero in the cave and pretended he was a lion.
Then they stole into his den and captured him and sold him to a circus
man. The circus man was Roy, a little boy who liked to play