Camp Rest-a-While was near the edge of the big woods, and in the book called “Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue in the Big Woods,” which is just before this one, you may read of the adventures with Bunny’s train of electric cars, and of the fun Sue had with her electrical Teddy bear, which could flash its eyes when a button was pressed in his back—­or rather, her back, for Sue had named her Teddy bear Sallie Malinda, insisting that it was a girl bear.

And now the Brown family was home again from the big woods, ready for other happenings.  And that they were going to have adventures might be guessed from what Mr. Brown started to say about some news.  But just now he was reading the letter Fred Ward had written to his parents.

“Hum!  That is a strange note for a boy to leave,” said Mr. Brown slowly.  “He evidently doesn’t intend to come home very soon.”

“Oh dear!” exclaimed Mrs. Ward, and commenced to weep once more.

“I tell her he may come home soon, for he has no money—­or at least very little to live on,” said the missing boy’s father.  “You see Fred has a high spirit, and he did not like it when I had to punish him.  But I did it for his good.  He must learn the value of money, and he must not spend when I tell him not to.”

“No, that is not right,” said Mr. Brown thoughtfully.  He handed the note to his wife.  She read this: 

“Father and Mother:  I am not coming back for a long while.  I do not think you treated me right.  I am more than fifteen years old and I have a right to have a banjo if I want it.  I want to be a player and play in the theater.  That is what I am going to do.  I am not going to be treated like a baby by my father.  I am too old.”

“I did not mean to treat him like a baby,” said Mr. Ward.  “But our children must be made to obey in things that are right.”

“That is true,” agreed Mrs. Brown.

“We mind sometimes,” said Bunny.  “Don’t we, Momsie?”

“Yes, once in a while.  But please run away and play now, until we call you.  There comes Splash over to have a game with Dix.  You children can go out with the dogs.”

Bunny and Sue were eager enough to do this.  They thought they had heard enough about the missing boy.  They were to hear more in a short time.

“And so Fred has run away,” said Mr. Ward, speaking to Mr. and Mrs. Brown.  “How can I get him back?  It is not good that he should be away.  I will talk about the banjo to him, and if I find he really thinks it is the best instrument for him to play I may let him have it.  But where can I find him?”

“Perhaps I can help,” said Mr. Brown.  “I am a member of the town police committee.  That is, I and other men look after the policemen.  We can tell them to be on the lookout for Fred.”

“Oh, that is kind of you!” cried Mrs. Ward.

“And I can also send word to the police of other cities and towns,” went on Mr. Brown.  “We work together on cases like this.”