"Papers?" asked Jimmie. "You know we went to Lady Franklin bay after
papers."

"And they think the mountaineers stole this package?" asked Oliver.

"Tell us what it was that was taken first!" insisted Frank. "I'm
beginning to see a front-page story in this, right now!"

"The package stolen," Ned went on, with a smile, "was more precious
than any bundle of papers could be! It wasn't of gold, silver,
diamonds, or anything possessing that kind of value. It was of flesh
and blood!"

"A child stolen!" cried Frank. "This goes to dad's sheet right now!"

"Boy or girl?" asked Oliver. "Age, please!"

"Boy," answered Ned. "A boy belonging to one of the ambassadors! Age
seven!"

"But why should the mountaineers steal such a child?" asked Jimmie.

"I said the boy belonged to one of the ambassadors," Ned corrected
himself. "I should have said he belonged at one of the foreign
embassies."

"The son of one of the attaches?" asked Teddy. "That's strange! Why?"

"Teddy," reproved Jimmie, "you can ask more questions in a minute