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 togedder haf I seen.” The man’s voice rose to a piercing note, as if accusing his listener of spiriting away the missing child. The captain put an end to the scene in summary fashion.

“See here,” he said sternly, “come out of your hysterics and get down to business. It seems you saw a dog an’ a kid in a cab and you think this is the dog but you know it ain’t the kid. There’s about two thousand bull dogs in New York, I guess, all havin’ a kind of family likeness, so it’s just possible you’ve made a mistake in the dog as well as the boy. Anyhow, as you ain’t lost a bull dog an’ never had one to lose, I don’t see what’s exciting you so. The question is— Is—that—boy—your—son—or—is—he—not? Answer yes or no.”

“He ees not.”

“Very well, we have to start on another tack, that’s all, an’ look somewheres else, Rh