There was so much excitement over finding the missing watch that all thought of playing doctor, nurse and sick dolls passed. Vi and Laddie had to hear the story all over again.
"Then the tramps didn't take Captain Ben's watch after all, did they?" asked Vi, when she and Laddie had looked several times in the side pocket of the valise, whence the watch had slid when Russ dropped the satchel.
"We never thought tramps had taken it," said her mother. "Captain Ben missed his watch long before we heard about the tramps."
Speaking of tramps naturally brought the talk to the chase then under way, and the children were wondering whether their father, Captain Ben, Captain Blake and the others would be lucky in the pursuit. It was just getting dusk when steps were heard on the bungalow porch, and in came Daddy Bunker and Captain Ben. They looked tired and discouraged.
"Did you catch the tramps?" cried Russ eagerly.
"No," and his father shook his head. "They had too much of a start on us."
"And they got away," added Captain Ben. "We were unlucky to-day."
"But we were lucky here!" exclaimed Rose, with sparkling eyes.
"What do you mean?" asked the marine, looking from one of the six little Bunkers to the other. Something in their manner told him that the unusual had happened.
"See if you can guess!" proposed Laddie. "Make believe it's a riddle, and guess, Captain Ben."