Pud and Tim, the latter’s face an interesting study in bewilderment, followed the lightly tripping feet of Miss Liscomb. In front of a tiny buff-painted house, neat, but not at all the mansion of Gladys Ermintrude’s description, Mrs. Liscomb awaited them, an expression of mingled relief and uneasiness on her thin, tired face. ‘Well,’ she said as the girl clasped her emotionally, ‘so here you are! Your pa’s been hunting all up and down the river for you. Now, that’ll do! I’ve been hugged quite a plenty. You stand still a moment and tell me what you’ve been up to this time.’ ‘Why, Ma!’ said Gladys Ermintrude reproachfully. ‘How you talk! And right before strangers, too!’ ‘Humph,’ said Mrs. Liscomb. ‘Young man, you can set that bag down on the steps, and then maybe you’d better tell me where you came across this young lady.’ ‘Now, Ma,’ said the girl, ‘I’ll tell you all about everything just as soon as we’re alone. We mustn’t keep these boys any longer. Oh, dear, I forgot to introduce you, didn’t I? Ma, this is Pud. I don’t know his other name. And this is Ted――no, Tim. They’ve been very kind and obliging. They brought me up the river in their launch, and Ted――Tim carried my bag for me. Wasn’t that nice of him? And now I guess I’ll say good-bye――’ ‘We rescued her from the kidnapers, ma’am,’ said Pud innocently, ‘and we’d have had her here before only they chased us and we had to camp out overnight on a creek down there.’ ‘Oh,’ said Mrs. Liscomb, turning a piercing look on her daughter, ‘so she was kidnaped, was she?’ ‘Sakes alive, Ma, can’t you take a joke?’ giggled Gladys Ermintrude. ‘He’s always joking. He’s just too funny for words!’ Pud scowled. ‘How big is the reward, ma’am?’ he asked. ‘Reward?’ faltered Mrs. Liscomb. ‘Well, I think I’ll take my bag in and――and――My, how very tired I am!’ And Gladys Ermintrude hurriedly faded from the picture. Mrs. Liscomb heaved a sigh. Then she said: ‘Come up on the porch, please, and tell me just what happened. You look real tired yourselves.’ Pud, occasionally aided by Tim, gave a brief but succinct narrative of events, and at intervals Mrs. Liscomb nodded and at intervals she sighed. ‘Of course,’ said Pud in conclusion, ‘I knew there wasn’t any reward. We didn’t come for that, ma’am. But what I’d like to know is was she really kidnaped?’ ‘No, she wasn’t. I’m so sorry about it all, because you were dear to take all that trouble. I might as well explain, first off, that Tibbie――’ ‘Is that really her name?’ asked Tim. ‘Her name is Isabel, but we’ve always called her Tibbie.’ ‘Gosh, she said it was Gladys Ermintrude!’