“I do wonder!” said Tess, with a sigh.
“What do you wonder?” asked Ruth, mildly.
“Sounds like a game,” Agnes observed, briskly. The Corner House girls were sitting on the porch with their sewing, and it was a very warm August forenoon. “‘Cumjucum—what do you come by? I come by the letter T’—which stands for ‘Tess’ and ‘Trouble,’ which last is the expression on Tess’ face,” concluded Agnes, with a laugh.
Tess’ train of thought was not to be sidetracked so easily. “I wonder whatever became of Tommy Rooney?” she said.
“You don’t really believe that was Tommy you saw the day it rained so hard?” cried Agnes.
“Yes, I do. And we know that Tommy stole cherries from Mr. Pease, and milk from Mrs. Adams. Didn’t he, Dot? And then, we saw Mr. Pinkney and that bulldog chasing him.”
“He ran into our yard to escape the dog,” said Dot, seriously.
“Well,” said Ruth, “if it was Tommy, I wish he had come to the house, so we could have fed him. Mrs. Rooney must be awfully worried about him. It’s been a month since we heard he had run away.”
“And he’d been gone a week, then,” added Agnes.
“Well,” said Tess, “I guess he hasn’t killed any Indians here in Milton, or we would have heard about it.”