many more trees than you have ever climbed in your life."

"Listen to me, Madge," admonished Phil, laughing at her friend, "you
can't have a fight with a small boy in the top of a tree or shake him
out of it. Don't allow him to tease you. Let's go on into the village
and get a policeman. Then, if the boy really knows anything about the
disappearance of our houseboat, the policeman will make him tell us."
Phil tried to make her voice sound as threatening as possible when she
mentioned the word "policeman."

"I won't be here when you git back," was the imp's cheerful response.

Madge and Phil paid no further heed to him. They went on toward the
town. A few yards farther on they heard the patter of bare feet.
"Can't you wait a minute?" a voice pleaded. "I was only teasing you.
If you promise you won't give me away, I'll tell you what became of
your old boat. My pa took it."

"Your pa?" cried Madge in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"When I told Pa I'd seen a new-fangled kind of a boat hitched to our
post, where we most generally ties up our own boat, he said you hadn't
no right to be there. So he just hitched up our mule and he come down
here and untied your boat and dragged it up shore. I run after him
until I got too tired. Then I come back here to tell you," ended the
boy.

"Where is your father?" Phil asked quietly. Madge's eyes were flashing
dangerously, her temper was rising.