"Run away from home!" exclaimed Mrs. Brown.

"Yes, that's what he's done," said Mr. Ward. "I never thought he'd do
such a thing as that, even though he is quick tempered. Yes, Fred has
run away," and he turned over and over in his hand a slip of paper he
had been reading.

"Perhaps he only went off in a sort of joke," said Mrs. Brown
sympathetically. "I know once Bunny----"

"Yep. I ran away, I did!" exclaimed Bunny. "I got away down to the end
of the street. I saw a man and a hand organ and he had a monkey. I mean
the man did. And I wanted to be a hand-organ man so I ran away and was
going off with him, only Bunker Blue chased after me, so I didn't run
far, though I might have."

"Bunker Blue is a boy who works on Mr. Brown's fishing pier," explained
Mrs. Brown. "Yes, Bunny did run away once, but he was glad to run back
again."

"And I was lost!" cried Sue. "I was out walking with my daddy, and I
went down a wrong street, and I couldn't see him and I didn't know what
to do so I--I cried."

"Yes, Sue was lost a whole morning before a policeman found her and
telephoned to us," put in Mrs. Brown. "She was glad to get back.
Undoubtedly your boy will be the same."

"No," said Mr. Ward slowly, "I don't believe Fred will come home soon.
He has gone off very angry."