"And he ran after a rabbit!" added Laddie. "And he might 'a' got it, only the bunny went down a hole."
"They mostly do that when a dog chases 'em," said the gate-man. "Well, you just follow the road along until you come to the cabin where the red-haired lumberman lives—Mike Gannon is his name—and then you can ask him about the ragged coat and the papers. Stop and tell me about it on your way out."
"We will," promised Russ and Laddie. Then Russ called to Zip:
"Gid-dap!"
Up jumped the dog with a bark, as much as to say "Good-bye!" to the gate-man, and down the gravel drive he trotted with the cart.
"He was a nice man, wasn't he?" observed Laddie.
"Yes, terrible nice," agreed Russ. "I hope we find the red-haired lumberman."
"I forgot to ask him a riddle," went on Laddie. "I mean the man at the gate. But I can ask him one when we go back."
"If we have time," Russ said. "We can't stay too long, or mother and daddy and Grandma Bell will wonder where we are."
"That's so," agreed Laddie. "Well, we'll just find the lumberman and get the papers and take them to daddy."