The tramp looked at his own coat. "This is ragged enough," he said, "but it hasn't any papers in it that I know of. I guess they'd fall out of the pockets if there was any," he added. "This coat is nothing but holes. I guess you don't know who I am. I'm a hungry man and——" "Aren't you a lumberman, and didn't my father give you an old coat the other day?" asked Russ. The tramp shook his head. "I don't know anything about lumber," he said. "I can't work at much, and I'm hun gry. I'm too sick to work very hard. All I want is something to eat. And I haven't any papers that belong to your father. Is he at home—or your mother?" "I'll call them," said Rose, for she knew that was the right thing to do when tramps came to the house. But there was no need to go in after Mr. and Mrs. Bunker. They had heard the children talking out on the side porch, and a strange man's voice was also noticed, so they went out to see what it was. "Oh, Daddy!" cried Russ. "Here's the tramp lumberman you gave the old coat to, but he says he hasn't any papers!" "Excuse me!" exclaimed the tramp, "but I don't know what the little boy is talking of. I just stopped in to ask for a bite to eat, and he and the other children started talking about a lumberman and some papers in a ragged coat. Land knows my coat is ragged enough, but I haven't anything belonging to you." Mr. Bunker looked sharply at the ragged man, and then said: "No, you aren't the one. A tramp lum berman did call at my real estate office the other day, and I told one of my clerks to give him an old coat. In the pocket were some valuable papers. But you aren't the man." "I know it, sir!" answered the tramp. "This is the first time I've been here. I'm hungry and——" "I'll tell Norah to get him something to eat," said Mrs. Bunker, who was kind to every one. And while she was gone, and while the six little Bunkers looked at the ragged man, the children's father talked to him. "I'd like to find that tramp lumberman," said Mr. Bunker. "I gave him the
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