One day Mrs. Brown told daddy they needed some things from the village store—­sugar, salt, pepper—­groceries that could not be bought at the farmhouses near by.

“I’ll take the children, row over, and get what you want,” said Mr. Brown, for it was easier to row across the lake, and walk through the woods, than to walk half-way around the lake to the store.  With Splash, Bunny and Sue in the boat Mr. Brown set off.

They landed on the other shore, and started to walk through the woods.  On the way they had to pass along a road that was near to the farm of Mr. Trimble, the “mean man,” as Bunny and Sue called him.  Perhaps Mr. Trimble did not intend to be mean, or cross, but he certainly was.  Some folk just can’t help being that way.

“Huh!  Are you coming over again to bother me about that runaway boy, Tom Vine?” asked Mr. Trimble, as he saw Mr. Brown.

“No, I’ve given Tom up,” replied the children’s father.  “I guess he has gone back to the city.  I’m sorry, for I wanted to help him.”

“Boys are no good!” cried Mr. Trimble.  “That Tom is no good.  But I’ll pay him back for running away from me!”

“Did he come back to you?” asked Mr. Brown, thinking perhaps, after all, the “ragged boy,” as Sue sometimes called him in fun, might have thought it best to go back to the man who had first hired him.

“You don’t see him anywhere around here; do you?” asked Mr. Trimble.

“No, I don’t see him,” said Mr. Brown, wondering why the farmer answered in that way.

“Well, he isn’t here,” said Mr. Trimble, and he went on hoeing his potatoes, for he was in a field of them, near the road, when he spoke to Mr. Brown.

As Bunny, Sue and their father walked on, Splash did not come with them.  He hung back, and seemed to want to stay close to a small building, near Mr. Trimble’s barn.  Splash walked around this building three or four times, barking loudly.

“What makes Splash act so funny?” asked Bunny.

“I don’t know,” answered Mr. Brown.  “Here, Splash!  Come here!” he cried.  But Splash would not come.

CHAPTER XIX

IN THE SMOKE-HOUSE

“What makes Splash act so queer?” asked Bunny again.

“I’m sure I don’t know,” said his father.  “I guess we’ll have to go back and get him.”

Certainly Splash did not seem to want to keep on to the village with Mr. Brown and the children.  The dog was running around and around the small house, barking loudly.  Mr. Trimble seemed not to hear the dog’s barks, but kept right on hoeing potatoes.

“We’ll go back and get Splash!” decided Mr. Brown.

He and the children walked slowly back.  Splash kept on barking.

“You seem to have something in that little house which excites our dog,” said Mr. Brown.

“It doesn’t take much to get some dogs excited,” answered the farmer.  He did not seem to care much about it, one way or the other.