CHAPTER XXV
THE POCKETBOOK OWNER
Indeed it was quite strange and wonderful, as they all agreed, thatRose's doll had been found in such a curious way. Rose, herself, wasvery happy, for, though the doll was not her "best" one, she liked itvery much indeed, and had felt sad at losing Lily.
"I'm glad the airship came down at your house," said Rose to Mary.
"And I'm glad I found her for you," said the cashier.
"'Cause," remarked Vi, "she might have fallen in a house where there wasa puppy dog, and he'd have bitten her and torn her dress. I wonder whereher dress went."
"Oh, I guess the wind blew it off," said Russ. "The wind is awful strongup high in the air. Once it busted one of my kites."
"I guess that's how it happened," said Daddy Bunker. "The toy balloonsmust have gone up very high, carrying your doll along, Rose."
"No. Lily didn't have on a dress that day. I was in an awful hurry, an'I just wrapped a handkerchief around her. That blew away, I guess."
By this time Margy was feeling all right again, and after a little moretalk with Mary, the six little Bunkers went out to play on the sandybeach, Rose carrying her doll.
"Oh, it's lovely at Nantasket Beach!" said Russ, as he and Laddie ranabout and waded in the shallow water. "Thank you, Aunt Jo, for bringingus here."
"Oh, I'm enjoying it as much as you children are," said Daddy's sister.
But all things must come to an end, even picnics, and when the sixlittle Bunkers had done about everything they wanted to at the pleasureresort it was time to take the boat back for Boston.
On board, after the children and the grown folks were seated, Vi saw herfriend Mary Turner.
"There's the girl that found me when I was lost, and the one that hadRose's doll," said Vi, pointing.
"Oh, so it is!" exclaimed Mrs. Bunker. "Don't you want to come over andsit by us?" she asked the bathing-pavilion girl.
"Yes, I should like to," was the answer. "It's lonesome riding homealone."
"Where do you live in Boston?" asked Mrs. Bunker, as Mary sat down nearher and the children, who were too tired with their fun to romp aroundmuch.
"I board down near where I can get this steamer easily," was the answer."I have a pass on the boat, and by walking to the dock I save carfare.And these days one has to save all one can," she added.
"You say you board," put in Aunt Jo. "Have you no relatives?"
"Oh, yes, I have a brother and a mother, but Mother is ill in thehospital," was the answer.
"That's too bad," said the ladies, who felt quite sorry for Mary.
Then they talked about different things until, at dusk, the boat landedat the wharf, and the six little Bunkers and all the other passengersgot off. Rose whispered something to her mother, who looked a littlesurprised and then spoke to Aunt Jo.
"Why, yes, I'd be delighted to have her," was the low answer, for Marywas walking on ahead, with Russ and Laddie.
"Rose thinks it would be nice to ask Mary to come to supper with us,"said Mrs. Bunker to her husband. "Aunt Jo says that she is willing."
"Of course we'll ask her!" said Mr. Bunker kindly, and when Mary wastold about the plan she smiled and said she would be glad to come. So toAunt Jo's nice home they all went, and Parker had a fine supper soonready for them, even though she didn't expect company.
After the supper, which Mary seemed to enjoy very much, saying it wasmuch nicer than at her boarding-house, she and the six little Bunkerssat on the porch and talked. Mary told about the funny things whichsometimes happened at the bathing-beach.
"Well, I'm glad we went there to-day," said Rose. "If we hadn't I'dnever have found my airship doll."
"You were very lucky," said Laddie.
"Yes," added Russ. "I wish I had such good luck as Rose. She found herdoll and she found a pocketbook."
"Oh, I didn't tell you about that!" exclaimed Rose to Mary. "I reallydid find a pocketbook in the street, about two weeks ago, and it had alot of money in it."
"Did it?" asked the bathing-beach girl, and she seemed interested morethan usual.
"Oh, a lot of money," went on Rose. "Please, Daddy, can't I show Marythe pocketbook I found?" she asked, for Miss Turner had told thechildren to call her by her first name. "I want to show her thepocketbook I picked up," went on the little girl.
"All right, you may," said Mr. Bunker. "I'll get it for you," and hebrought it from the house.
"There it is!" cried Rose. "Wasn't I lucky to pick that up?"
"Indeed you were," said Mary Turner, and then, as she caught sight ofthe wallet in Mr. Bunker's hand she exclaimed:
"Why, there it is! There's the very one! Oh, to think that you haveit!"
"Do you know whose this is?" asked Mr. Bunker. "Ever since my littlegirl found the wallet we've been trying to find the owner, but wehaven't been able to."
"That's my mother's pocketbook!" cried Mary. "And it's on account ofthat she's in the hospital, and ill. Oh, how wonderful!"
"Is this really your mother's purse?" asked Mr. Bunker.
"It surely is," answered the bathing-beach girl. "She had justsixty-five dollars in it."
"That's just how much was in this!" exclaimed Russ.
"And besides," went on Mary, "I know the pocketbook. It has a littletear in one corner, and the clasp is bent."
"That's right," said Mr. Bunker.
"And," went on Mary, "besides the sixty-five dollars there was a funnyChinese coin with a square hole in the middle. Did you find that in thepurse?"
"Yes," exclaimed Aunt Jo, "there was a Chinese coin in the pocketbook!That proves it must be your mother's pocketbook."
"I'm sure of it," said Mary. "Oh, how glad she'll be that it is found,and the money, too. That is--if we can have it back," she said softly.
"Have it back? Of course you may!" cried Mr. Bunker. "If it is yourmother's we want you to have it. Was there anything else in the pursewhen your mother lost it?"
"Yes," Mary said, "there was a letter from my brother, but part of itwas torn off," and she spoke of what the note had in it. Then they wereall sure it was Mrs. Turner's purse.
The letter, from which the lower part had been torn, was from Mary'sbrother John. He was a soldier in the army. His mother had written,telling him that her brother, Mary and John's "Uncle Jack," had sent themoney to her, and that she was going to spend it in trying to get a restof a month, as she was very tired from overwork.
But the pocketbook had been lost by Mrs. Turner, and, as Mary said, itmade her mother ill, so she had had to go to the hospital.
But through the good luck of Rose everything had come out all right, forMary felt that the news of the recovery of the money would take theworry from Mrs. Turner's mind, thus making it easier to regain herhealth.
"You found my doll," exclaimed Rose, "and I found your pocketbook! Weare both lucky!"
"Indeed we are," said Mary, smiling, as she took the wallet from Mr.Bunker. "Oh, but Mother will be happy, now!" went on the girl.
"Mother had been overworking, for we are poor and she had had us twochildren to bring up, as my father is dead. She was on her way to seeabout going away for a time to get a good rest, now that John and I areold enough to look out for ourselves, when she lost the purse and thesixty-five dollars.
"She felt so bad about it, when she couldn't find it, that she was madeill, and had to be taken to a hospital. We did not tell my brother, aswe did not want to worry him. But I know this good news will make Motherbetter.
"I walked all around the streets near where she thought she had lost herpurse, but I couldn't find it."
"Didn't you read the lost and found advertisements?" asked Mr. Bunker."We advertised the finding of the pocketbook in the papers."
"No, I was so worried about Mother that I never thought to," was theanswer. "And when I had her taken to the hospital, and found aboarding-place for myself, and went to work at Nantasket Beach, Ithought there was no use to look. I never expected to get the moneyback."
&n
bsp; "But you did, and I'm glad I found it," said Rose.
They were all glad. Mr. Bunker took Mary that very night to the hospitalwhere her mother was, and the good news so cheered Mrs. Turner that thedoctor said she would soon get better, and, after a while, entirelywell. That is what good news sometimes does.
But the good luck of the Turners did not end with the getting back ofthe lost pocketbook. Aunt Jo became interested in the little family, andpromised to give Mrs. Turner plenty of work to do at sewing as soon asshe was well. And a better place was found for Mary to work, where shewould not have to take the long trip back and forth from NantasketBeach.
So many good things came about just because Rose saw the pocketbook andpicked it up.
And now my story is nearly done. Not that the six little Bunkers did nothave more fun at Aunt Jo's, for they did, but I have not room for anymore about them in this book.
"But do we have to go home right away?" asked Russ, when he heard hisfather and mother talking of packing up a few days later.
"Oh, no," was the answer. "We have a letter from another of ourrelatives, asking us to come to see him before we go back to Pineville,and I think we'll accept."
"Where is it?" asked Rose.
"Down at the seashore," answered her father. "Don't you remember?" Andwhat next happened to the children will be told in the book after this,to be called, "Six Little Bunkers at Cousin Tom's."
It was a beautifully sunshiny day. Out on the lawn Russ and Laddie wereplaying with the hose.
"Mother, make Russ stop!" suddenly Laddie cried.
"What's he doing?" asked Mrs. Bunker, who could see that not very muchwas happening.
"He's squirting water on me from the hose."
"I am not, Mother," said Russ, laughing. "I'm only making believe Laddieis in bathing down at Cousin Tom's at the seashore, and when you go inswimming you've got to get a little wet!"
"Oh, well, if you're making believe play _that_, all right," saidLaddie, "wet me some more."
Russ did. So, at their play, we will take leave, for a time, of the sixlittle Bunkers, wishing them well.
THE END