King to himself,
anxiously. "The storm is almost over, to be sure"--glancing out of the
window--"but where can he be?" He hurried across the room and touched the
electric button. "You haven't the least idea, Frick, where to look for him,
eh?"
"No, sir," said Frick miserably.
Thomas popped his head in, to be given the order to have one of the
rainy-day carriages brought round. Just then, in ran Jasper. He had been
caught by the sudden shower over at Pickering Dodge's.
"Father," he cried, his face glowing, "I've come home as soon as it slacked
up a bit. Why, you are not going out?"--seeing the old gentleman beginning
to don his mackintosh.
"Yes, I am," said Mr. King grimly, "going to do just that very thing,
Jasper."
"Oh, let me, Father." Jasper sprang to his side eagerly, then looked in a
puzzled way over to Frick.
"It's Joel," said Frick, feeling that it was expected of him to furnish an
answer.
"Joel?" cried Jasper, the color going out of his cheek.
"Yes, Joel can't be found," said old Mr. King, speaking lightly to hide the
dismay he really felt. "It's all right, of course; he's probably at one of
the boys' houses; only as he was to join Frick, why, I'd prefer to look him
up a bit. Well, there's Thomas"--glancing out of the window.
"Oh, let me go for him," begged Jasper. "I can find him. Surely, you don't
need to, Father; don't, pray, in all this rain.
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