"Yes, I think you did, Son," said Mrs. Bunker. "It is gold and it is a treasure."
"Did the pirates hide it?" demanded Russ.
"No, I think not," said Mrs. Bunker with a smile. "I think Rose lost it."
"Rose lost it!" cried the two Bunker boys. "What?"
"Yes, it is her locket that she dropped when we first came here and never could find," went on Mrs. Bunker. "Laddie, you have found it. You have discovered the golden treasure—Rose's locket!"
Having dug away the sand in which it was imbedded, Mrs. Bunker lifted up a dangling gold chain to which was fastened the gold locket.
"Oh, it is mine!" cried Rose. "Oh, how glad I am to get it back again! Oh, Laddie, how glad I am!"
Her mother handed the little girl her long-lost locket. It was not a bit hurt from having been buried in the sand, for true gold does not tarnish in clean sand. And the ornament was as good as ever. Rose clasped it about her neck and looked very happy.
"How did it get in my hole?" asked Laddie.
"It didn't," said his mother. "You happened to dig in just the place where Rose dropped her locket and you uncovered it. Or this may not have been the exact place where it fell. Perhaps the sands shifted and carried the locket with them. That is why we could not find it before. But now we have it back."