“Right here in my cabin.  Mr. Barker lets me stay here while I’m cutting down trees to build his dock.  I like to be by myself.  I’ve got the coat here.  I’ll get it.”

He went inside and came out a moment later with a ragged coat in his hand.  It was tattered and torn.

“This is the coat your father gave me,” said the lumberman, “but I’m sorry to say there are no papers in the pockets.  You can look yourself if you like.  There isn’t a paper at all!”

As Russ watched, the red-haired man thrust his hands first into one pocket and then into the others.  But no papers came out.  Russ looked sad and disappointed.  So did Laddie.

“This is the coat all right that I got at a real estate office in Pineville,” said Mr. Gannon.  “But every pocket was empty when I got it.  I remember feeling in them.  There were no papers at all.  If there were ever any in the pockets they must have dropped out before I got the coat.  The pockets are full of holes, anyhow.  I’m sorry!”

So were Laddie and Russ.  They watched while Mr. Gannon went through each pocket of the ragged coat once more.  But it was of no use.  No papers were to be found.

“Come on, Laddie,” said Russ in a low voice to his brother.  “We’d better go back home.  Good-bye!” he called over his shoulder to the red-haired lumberman.

“Good-bye,” answered Mr. Gannon.  “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I haven’t your daddy’s papers.”

CHAPTER XXV

“HURRAY!”

Slowly and sadly Russ and Laddie drove their dog-cart back toward Grandma Bell’s house.  They went slowly because it was uphill from Green Pond, and Zip was tired.  He had chased after a rabbit and a cat, and he had pulled Russ and Laddie all the way.  No wonder the dog was tired.  So the boys did not try to drive him fast.

And the two boys were sad because, though they had found the right red-haired tramp lumberman—­the same one that had Daddy Bunker’s ragged coat—­still the real estate papers were not in it.

“It’s too bad,” said Russ, as Zip walked along.

“Yes,” agreed Laddie.

“I thought surely we’d get the papers,” Russ went on.

“And I didn’t ask him any riddle,” said Laddie.

“Oh, well, never mind that,” went on Russ.

“Maybe I can ask him again, though,” said Laddie, brightening up.  “We can have daddy take us there, and I can ask him then.”

“What would daddy want to take us there for?” asked Russ.

“To see the old coat.  Maybe Mr. Gannon has another, and that has the papers in.”

“I don’t guess so,” answered Russ.  “Gid-dap, Zip.”

Zip didn’t “gid-dap” very fast, but he kept on going.  And when he came to the top of the hill, and began to trot down toward Lake Sagatook, he went faster.  I think he knew he could have a good rest in the barn, and also have some hot supper.