While the other children, being too young to understand much about Daddy
Bunker's worry, ran down to play in the yard, Russ and Rose stayed on the
porch with their father and mother. They heard Mrs. Bunker ask:

"What sort of papers were they you lost?

"Well, I don't know that I have exactly lost them," said Mr. Bunker
slowly, as though trying to think what really had happened, "I had some
real estate papers in my desk at the office. They were about some property
I was going to sell for a man, and the papers were valuable. But a little
while 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