“After grandmother read that in the paper about my father’s ship sinking she cried, and I cried too.  Then she wrote some letters to the company that owned the ship.  She thought maybe the papers were wrong, about the ship sinking, but when the answers came back they said the same thing.  The men who owned the ship which my father was captain of, said the vessel was lost and no one was saved.  No more letters came from my father, and no more money.  Then grandmother and I had to move away from the house where we were living, and had to go to a little house down by the dumps.  It isn’t nice there.”

“Does your grandma have any money now?” asked Flossie.

“A little.  She sews and I run errands for the groceryman after school, and earn a little.  But it isn’t much.  I was glad when the fresh air folks took me to the farm.  I had lots to eat, and my grandmother had more too, for she didn’t have to feed me.  She is going to the fresh air farm some day, maybe.”

“That will be nice,” said Flossie.  “We’re going to Uncle Dan’s farm again next year, maybe, and perhaps your grandma can come there.”

“I don’t believe so,” returned Tommie.  “But anyhow I had fun, and I weigh two pounds more than ’fore I went away, and I can run errands faster now for Mr. Fitch.”

“Why, he’s our grocery man!” cried Freddie.  “Do you work for him, Tommy?”

“Sometimes, and sometimes I work for Mr. Schmidt, a butcher.  But I don’t earn much.  When I get through school I’ll work all the while, and earn lots of money.  Then I’m going to hire a ship and go to look for my father.”

“I thought you said he was drowned in the ocean!” exclaimed Flossie.

“Well, maybe he is.  But sometimes shipwrecked people get picked up by other vessels and carried a long way off.  And sometimes they get on an island and have to stay a long time before they are taken off.  Maybe that happened to my father.”

“Oh, maybe it did!” cried Freddie.  “That would be great!  Just like Robinson Crusoe, Flossie!  Don’t you remember?”

“Yes, mother read us that story.  I hope your father is on Robinson Crusoe’s island,” she whispered to Tommy.

“I’ll tell you what we’ll do,” said Freddie to the new boy.  “When I get home, I’ll take all the money in my bank, and help you buy a ship.  Then we’ll both go off together, looking for the desert island where your father is; will you?”

“Yes,” said Tommy, “I will, and thank you.”

“I’m coming, too,” said Flossie.

“No.  Girls can’t be on a ship!” said Freddie.

“Yes they can too!  Can’t they, Tommy?”

“Well, my mother was once on the ship with my father, I’ve heard my grandma say.”

“There, see!” cried Flossie.  “Of course I’m coming!  I’ll do the cooking for you boys.”

“Oh, well, if you want to cook of course that’s different,” said Freddie, slowly, as he thought about it.