"I'm 'fraid, Shaggy Man," she said, with sigh, "that we're lost ! "

"That's nothing afraid of," he replied, throwing away the core apple and beginning to eat another one "Each roads must lead somewhere, or it wouldn't be here So what does it matter ? "

" home again," she said

"Well, why don't you ? " said he

"I don't know which road "

" too bad," , shaking his shaggy head gravely " ; but 't I'm stranger parts "

"Seems I were, too," she said, sitting down beside him "It's funny home, and I just came to show you the way to Butterfield--"

"So I shouldn't make mistake and go there--"

"And now I'm lost myself and don't know how home ! "

"Have an apple," suggested the shaggy man, handing her one with pretty red cheeks

"I'm not hungry," said Dorothy, pushing it away

"But , to-morrow; then you'll be sorry you didn't eat the apple," said he

"If , I'll eat the apple then," promised Dorothy

"Perhaps there won't be any apple then," he returned, beginning to eat the red-cheeked one himself "Dogs sometimes can find their way home better than people," he went on; "perhaps your dog can lead you back farm "

" , Toto ? " asked Dorothy

Toto wagged his tail vigorously

"All right," said the girl; "let's go home "

Toto looked around minute and dashed up roads

"Good-bye, Shaggy Man," called Dorothy, and ran after Toto The little dog pranced briskly along for some distance; when he turned around and looked at his mistress questioningly

"Oh, don't 'spect ME you anything; I don't know the way," she said "You'll have it yourself "

But Toto couldn't He wagged his tail, and sneezed, and shook his ears, and trotted back where they had left the shaggy man From here he started along another road; then came back and tried another; but the way strange and decided it take them farm-house Finally, when Dorothy had begun to tire with chasing after him, Toto sat down panting beside the shaggy man and gave up

Dorothy sat down, too, very thoughtful The little girl had encountered some queer adventures since she came to live farm; but the queerest all lost in fifteen minutes, so near to her home and unromantic State of Kansas, was an experience that fairly bewildered her

"Will your folks worry ? " asked the shaggy man, his eyes twinkling in pleasant way

"I s'pose so," answered Dorothy with sigh "Uncle Henry says there's ALWAYS something happening ; but I've always come home safe last So perhaps he'll take comfort and think I'll come home safe "

"I'm sure ," said the shaggy man, smilingly nodding at her "Good little girls never come to any harm, part, I'm good, too; so nothing ever hurts me "

Dorothy looked at him curiously His clothes were shaggy, his boots were shaggy and full of holes, hair and whiskers were shaggy But his smile was sweet eyes were kind

"Why didn't to Butterfield ? " she asked

"Because man lives there who owes me fifteen cents, and if I went to Butterfield and me he'd want me the money I don't want money, my dear "

" ? " she inquired

"Money," declared the shaggy man, "makes people proud and haughty I don't want proud and haughty All is people love me; and as long as I own the Love Magnet, everyone I meet is sure to love me dearly "

"The Love Magnet ! Why, what's that ? "

"I'll show you, won't tell ," he answered, in low, mysterious voice

"There isn't , 'cept Toto," said the girl

The shaggy man searched in one pocket, carefully; and in another pocket; and in third At last he drew out small parcel wrapped in crumpled paper and tied with cotton string He unwound the string, opened the parcel, and took out bit of metal shaped like horseshoe dull and brown, and not very pretty

"This, my dear," said he, impressively, " wonderful Love Magnet given me by an Eskimo Sandwich Islands--where no sandwiches at all--and as long as I carry it every living thing I meet will love me dearly "

"Why didn't the Eskimo keep it ? " she asked, looking Magnet with interest

"He got tired of being loved and longed for some one to hate him So he the Magnet very grizzly bear ate him "

"Wasn't he sorry then ? " she inquired

"He didn't say," replied the shaggy man, wrapping and tying the Love Magnet with great care and putting it away in another pocket "But the bear didn't seem sorry bit," he added

"Did the bear ? " asked Dorothy

"Yes; we used to play ball together Caviar Islands The bear loved me because I had the Love Magnet I couldn't blame him for eating the Eskimo, because his nature "

"Once," said Dorothy, " Hungry Tiger who longed to eat fat babies, because his nature to; but he never ate any because he had Conscience "

"This bear," replied the shaggy man, with sigh, "had no Conscience, "

The shaggy man sat silent for several minutes, apparently considering the cases bear tiger, while Toto watched him with an air of great interest The little dog was doubtless thinking ride shaggy man's pocket and planning out of reach

At last the shaggy man turned and inquired, "What's , little girl ? "

"My name's Dorothy," said she, jumping up again, "but we going ? 't stay here forever, "

"Let's seventh road," he suggested "Seven is lucky number for little girls named Dorothy "

"The seventh from where ? "

"From where you begin to count "

So she counted seven roads, seventh looked just like all the others; but the shaggy man got up ground where he sitting and started down this road sure it best way ; and Dorothy and Toto followed him

2 Dorothy Meets Button-Bright

The seventh road was good road, and curved -- winding through green meadows and fields covered with daisies and buttercups and past groups of shady trees There were no houses of any sort seen, and for some distance they met with no living creature at all

Dorothy began to fear they were getting good way farm-house, since here everything was strange to her; but it would do no good at all back where the other roads all met, because the next one they chose might lead her just as far from home

She kept on beside the shaggy man, who whistled cheerful tunes to beguile the journey, until by and by they followed turn road and saw before them big chestnut tree making shady spot over the highway shade sat little boy dressed in sailor clothes, who was digging hole earth with bit of wood been digging , because the hole was already big enough to drop football into

Dorothy and Toto shaggy man came to halt little boy, who kept on digging in sober and persistent fashion

"Who ? " asked the girl

He looked up at her calmly His face was round and chubby eyes were big, blue and earnest

"I'm Button-Bright," said he

"But what's your real name ? " she inquired

"Button-Bright "

"That isn't really-truly name ! " she exclaimed

"Isn't it ? " he asked, still digging

"'Course not It's just a--a thing you by name "

"Must I ? "

" What does your mama call you ? "

He paused digging and tried

"Papa always said bright as button; so mama always called me Button-Bright,"

" your papa's name ? "

"Just Papa "

"What else ? "

"Don't know "

"Never mind," said the shaggy man, smiling "We'll call the boy Button-Bright, as his mama does That name is as good as any, and better than some "

Dorothy watched the boy dig

"Where live ? " she asked

"Don't know," reply

"How did you come here ? "

"Don't know," again

"Don't where you came from ? "

"No," said he

"Why, lost," she said shaggy man She turned boy once more

" you going ? " she inquired

"Dig," said he

"But 't dig forever; and you going then ? " she persisted

"Don't know," said the boy

"But know SOMETHING," declared Dorothy, getting provoked

"Must I ? " he asked, looking up in surprise

" "

"What must ? "

"What's going of you, ," she answered

" what's going of me ? " he asked

"Not--not 'zactly," she admitted

" what's going of YOU ? " he continued, earnestly

" 't say ," replied Dorothy, remembering her present difficulties

The shaggy man laughed

"No one knows everything, Dorothy,"

"But Button-Bright doesn't seem ANYthing," she declared " , Button-Bright ? "

He shook his head, which had pretty curls all over it, and replied with perfect calmness:

"Don't know "