"It is hardly possible that Budd Grass dropped it when she sorted the mail at her office, though it is not very likely," he thought. "I will speak to her about it to-morrow. But if she did do that, she has found it before this and sent it on to Hollow Tree. Of course it will come out all right, for I can't see as I am to blame. At any rate, I expect more trouble from those Burrnocks than from the loss of that mail. What can be on foot among the bushbinders? I have it! Perhaps some of them stole the missing mail! But, how?" Jack quickened his pace, and, naturally light-hearted, his rider was putting the thoughts of his late adventures from his mind, when a sharp voice called upon him to stop, while a wild, elfish-looking figure sprang suddenly into the middle of the road at the imminent risk of being trampled under the feet of the post horse. "Hello!" exclaimed Little Snap, reining in Jack, with an abruptness which threw the creature back upon its haunches. "What is the trouble? and how is it you throw yourself under my horse's very feet?" "Oh, mister! father is lost! Jim is gone, too! An' we can't find Fenn. So come with me—quick!" The speaker was a girl of thirteen or fourteen, who would not have been bad looking had it not been for the coatings of tan and dirt masking her pinched face. She was quite tall for her age, with a slender figure clothed in a gingham gown several sizes too large for her. Her head and feet were bare, except for the thick covering of dirt on the latter and the heavy mat of brown hair on the former. She was fearfully excited over something, and while she spoke she sawed the air with her long arms in a frantic manner. "What has happened?" asked the postboy, in genuine alarm. "Oh, dad and the boys are gone!" "Gone where? Calm yourself, and then tell me what you want." "I can't stop. Mebbe they are killing now! They crawled into that dark place, and they ain't never come out. Ye must go with me!" and she caught hold of Little Snap's arms, nearly pulling him from his seat. I don't understand you. Stop right where you are until you can begin at the beginning and tell me what has happened. Who are you?" I'm Tag Raggles, and me and my folks have jess come from Little Forks, and was going to the Blazed Acres. We stopped jess ayont here, when, seeing a big, black hole in the ground, dad 'lowed it mought lead somewhere. So he crawled inter it; but he ain't come back! Jim went arter him, and he ain't got back. Fenn, he went arter 'em, and he ain't come back. Marm got scared well nigh to death, and she sent me down here to hail the fust person to go past. You'll come with me, mister?" "I can't stop. Don't be alarmed about them; they will come back all right in a short time. No doubt they have come before this."