"I would never have saved that kid if I'd known she was Harvey Langdon's!" exclaimed the boy angrily. "You can just bet I wouldn't!" "Oh! How wicked!" "I don't care!" muttered the boy. "Let it be wicked. Gee! if you'd gone through what _I_ have----" "But surely these little children never harmed you," began Oriole. "Never mind. I know what their father is. I don't want to have a thing more to do with Harvey Langdon--nor those kids, either!" Oriole was too amazed to speak. Uncle Nat had gone into the other room to see for himself how Marian was, while Myron was snuggled down on the settee almost asleep. Teddy Ford started for the outer door, pulling his damp cap down over his curls. He carried his coat over his arm. That garment had not been in the sea. "Oh! Oh!" cried Oriole. "Never you mind. I'm not going to hang around here where Harvey Langdon may show up any minute. Not me!" The next moment he had dashed out of the cottage. Oriole ran after him and looked out. But she could not see him, so fast had the strange boy moved. Besides, it was past sunset and fast growing dark. "Well! did you ever?" murmured the amazed Oriole. "Such strange actions! That Teddy Ford is just the funniest boy I ever saw!" CHAPTER IV ORIOLE IS WORRIED Nat Jardin was quite as amazed as Oriole when he came out of the sitting room and found that Teddy Ford had departed. But when he considered the boy's garments drying around the stove, and the fact that those Teddy had on were quite too ridiculous for him to wear very far, the old lightkeeper was relieved. "I cal'late he ain't gone far," he said to Oriole soothingly. "He'll come back. How did you get him mad?" "I never, Uncle Nat!" cried the girl. "I never said a thing to him. But----" and she volubly told her old friend the strange things Teddy Ford had said about the father of the twins. "Did you ever?" was her conclusion. "Never heard the beat of that," agreed Nat Jardin. "Looks like he came from clear out West--like Mr. Langdon did. Knowed him at home, I cal'late." "Why--why, Teddy Ford must be a Western cowboy, too!" Oriole cried. "He's a boy all right; and I cal'late he's from the West," chuckled Nat Jardin. "What he knows about cows is another matter. And I cal'late I better go milk our'n right now. 'Tis time." He got his storm hat and coat and started out with the milk pail to do the chores. But actually he was more anxious to find out what had become of Teddy Ford than anything else. The night was bound to be a cold one, and the strange boy was but thinly dressed.