The Mystery of the Castaway Children

here.”
    “What did you have to eat, son?” his father asked.
    “There’s a garden and an orchard on this farm,” Davy explained. “I pulled up stuff—just what I needed,” he added hastily, looking apologetically at the Beldens. “Once I took food from the refrigerator, but I paid for it!”
    “I found your money,” Di put in.
    “And I gave you a sandwich,” Bobby added, feeling important.
    “It was a good sandwich,” Davy said. After a silence, he asked his father, “Did you get enough money, Daddy? Do you still have to sell us?” He bit his lower lip to keep it from shaking.
    “We weren’t going to sell you, and we never will,” David said earnestly, kissing his son’s forehead.
    “We aren’t going to an apartment,” his mother told him. “Your daddy has a new job. He’ll be working on a farm, and we’ll be living on the farm with him.”
    “Wicky, too?” Davy asked.
    “Of course,” Eileen said.
    Bobby looked crestfallen at the idea of losing a pony that he had known so short a time, but then he brightened. “I’ll come see you, Davy.”
    “We’ll both ride Wicky,” Davy offered.
    “But Dodgy’ll have to wait till he’s big like us,” Bobby said. “I don’t think he likes to be tied up.”
    Trixie took the coins from the top of the refrigerator and handed some to Davy. “You paid us too much,” she told him. “We also found some of your money in the woods.”
    “I knew I lost some when I took a bath,” Davy said.
    It all fits together, Trixie thought. Even the soap.
    At that moment, the telephone rang. The call was for Jim.
    “Yes, Regan,” said Jim. “I know Starlight, Strawberry, and Spartan came home with a Shetland. I hoped they did, at any rate. Will you please send someone to pick up Honey and me?
    Jim winked at the group gathered around him in the kitchen. “Why do we need a ride? Well, I’ll tell you, Regan. Brian’s gas tank is empty. The tires on my ten-speed are slashed. A police car, a red convertible, and the Beldens’ car are blocking the way of the Bob-White station wagon in the lane. It’s getting pretty crowded around here, so it’s time we all clear out. That’s why we need a ride!”
    “You don’t need to go, Jim,” Bobby said. “Our walls are stretchy. Moms says so.”
    Eileen Dodge shifted the weight of the baby in her arms and said tremulously, “And so are your hearts.”
    “We Dodges owe all of you a debt we can never repay,” her husband agreed.
    Di’s violet eyes sparkled impishly. “You and your family can pay me back by coming to my party tomorrow,” she said.
    “What party?” teased Mart. “Jeepers! We know who Dodgy is—he doesn’t need a naming ceremony anymore.”
    “We’re having the party because I’ve already done all the preparations for it!” Di retorted.
    “And besides,” added Trixie, kissing the top of Dodgy’s downy head, “look how much more than just a name we have to celebrate now!” Dodgyawoke, stretched his arms, and cooed his agreement.