“Didn’t you see Teddy?” asked the foreman, whose name was Tod Everett.
“Nary a sign of him,” answered Jake.
“Whew!” whistled Tod. “He must have wandered off—maybe he went fishing—and forgot to tell you. But he’s a pretty good boy for his age. I don’t believe he’d do a thing like forgetting on purpose.”
“What do you think happened?” asked Jake.
“I’m afraid he didn’t know in what part of the woods to look for you, though he was sure he knew his way,” said the foreman. “But maybe his mother saw him going and called him back. I’d better go over to the house and find out. It’s getting late and will soon be dark.”
Tod Everett, the foreman, tried not to let his voice sound anxious as he asked Mrs. Martin:
“Is Teddy around?”
“No,” she answered. “Isn’t he over at the mill with you?”
The foreman shook his head.
“He was there,” he replied. “But we had an accident and——”