now; every blessed collar button is gone from my chiffonier!"

Mother Morrison, who had followed Brother into the room, looked
anxiously at him.

"Brother, you haven't been in Dick's room today, have you?" she
asked him.

Then Sister, whose memory had been waking up, spoke.

"Please, Dick," she said in a very little voice. "Please, I had
the buttons."

"Oh, you did!" Dick quite forgot to smile at her. "What did you
want 'em for? Where are they now?"

"You see, I was playing jackstones with Nellie Yarrow, and
afterward I--I left them in my pocket--" Sister's voice trailed
off.

She recollected that the dress she had been wearing was now down
the laundry chute.

"Mother, something's got to be done!" fumed Dick. "I can't have
the kids going through my stuff and helping themselves to whatever
they want; those buttons were my solid gold ones and my good studs
were in the same box. There's the telephone!--Nina will be furious!
Sister, where did you say that dress was?"

Dick rushed downstairs to answer the telephone, leaving a