SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT AUNT JO'S

BY LAURA LEE HOPE

 AUTHOR OF "THE BOBBSEY TWINS SERIES, " "THE BUNNY BROWN SERIES, " "THE OUTDOOR GIRLS SERIES, " ETC. 

 _ILLUSTRATED_

 NEW YORK GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS

BOOKS

By LAURA LEE HOPE

 * * * * *

_12mo. Cloth. Illustrated. 50 cents per volume. _

 * * * * *

=THE SIX LITTLE BUNKERS SERIES=

 SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT GRANDMA BELL'S SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT AUNT JO'S SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT COUSIN TOM'S SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT GRANDPA FORD'S SIX LITTLE BUNKERS AT UNCLE FRED'S

 * * * * *

=THE BOBBSEY TWINS SERIES=

 THE BOBBSEY TWINS THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN THE COUNTRY THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT THE SEASHORE THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SCHOOL THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SNOW LODGE THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON A HOUSEBOAT THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT MEADOW BROOK THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT HOME THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN A GREAT CITY THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON BLUEBERRY ISLAND THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON THE DEEP BLUE SEA

 * * * * *

=THE BUNNY BROWN SERIES=

 BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE ON GRANDPA'S FARM BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE PLAYING CIRCUS BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT AUNT LU'S CITY HOME BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT CAMP REST-A-WHILE BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE IN THE BIG WOODS BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE ON AN AUTO TOUR BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AND THEIR SHETLAND PONY

 * * * * *

=THE OUTDOOR GIRL SERIES=

 THE OUTDOOR GIRLS OF DEEPDALE THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT RAINBOW LAKE THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN A MOTOR CAR THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN A WINTER CAMP THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN FLORIDA THE OUTDOOR GIRLS AT OCEAN VIEW THE OUTDOOR GIRLS ON PINE ISLAND THE OUTDOOR GIRLS IN ARMY SERVICE

=GROSSET & DUNLAP, = PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK

 Copyright, 1918, by GROSSET & DUNLAP

 * * * * *

 _Six Little Bunkers at Aunt Jo's_

[Illustration: THE CHILDREN WERE HAVING LOTS OF FUN WITH THEIR FUNNYLITTLE PET. 

_Six Little Bunkers at Aunt Jo's. _ _Frontispiece_--(_Page 158_)]

CONTENTS

 CHAPTER PAGE

 I. A QUEER HUNT 1

 II. GOOD-BYE TO GRANDMA 11

 III. ON THE BOAT 22

 IV. IN BOSTON 32

 V. ALEXIS IS SPLASHED 42

 VI. THE POCKETBOOK 52

 VII. A SAD LETTER 62

 VIII. RUSS MAKES A FOUNTAIN 72

 IX. WHAT HAPPENED TO WILLIAM 83

 X. ROSE MAKES AN AIRSHIP 92

 XI. VI IS LOST 103

 XII. MARGY TAKES A RIDE 112

 XIII. MUN BUN DRIVES AWAY 122

 XIV. THE WHISTLING WAGON 133

 XV. LADDIE'S FUNNY "RIDDLE" 144

 XVI. ROSE BREAKS HER SKATE 151

 XVII. THE SKATE WAGON 163

 XVIII. THE SPINNING TOPS 171

 XIX. FLYING A KITE 181

 XX. THE JUMPING-ROPE 191

 XXI. MUN BUN IN A HOLE 202

 XXII. OUT TO NANTASKET BEACH 210

 XXIII. THE MERRY-GO-ROUND 219

 XXIV. ROSE FINDS HER DOLL 228

 XXV. THE POCKETBOOK OWNER 238

SIX LITTLE BUNKERSAT AUNT JO'S

CHAPTER I

A QUEER HUNT

"Let me count noses now, to see if you're all here, " said Mother Bunkerwith a laugh, as her flock of children gathered around her. 

"Don't you want some help?" asked Grandma Bell. "Can you count so manyboys and girls all alone, Amy?"

"Oh, I think so, " answered Mother Bunker. "You see I am used to it. Icount them every time we come to the woods, and each time I start forhome, to be sure none has been left behind. Now then, children!Attention! as the soldier captain says. "

Six little Bunkers, who were getting ready to run off into the woods tofrolic and have a good time at a good-bye picnic, laughed and shoutedand finally stood still long enough for their mother to "count noses, "as she called it. 

"And I'll help, " said Grandma Bell, at whose country home in Maine, nearLake Sagatook, the six little Bunkers were spending part of their summervacation. 

"Russ and Rose!" called Mother Bunker. 

"Here we are!" answered Russ, and he pointed to his sister. 

"Vi and Laddie!" went on Mrs. Bunker. 

"We're here, but we're going to run now, " said Laddie. "I'm going tothink of a riddle to guess when we get to the woods. "

"Where are you going to run to?" asked Vi, or Violet, which was herright name, though she was more often called Vi. "Where you going to runto, Laddie?" she asked again. But Laddie, her twin brother, did not stopto answer the question. Indeed it would take a great deal of time toreply to the questions Vi asked, and no one ever stopped to answer themall, any more than they tried to answer all the riddles--real andmake-believe--that Laddie asked. 

"Well, that's four of them, " said Grandma Bell with a laugh. 

"Yes, " said Mother Bunker. "And now for the last. Margy and Mun!"

"We's here!" said Margy, who, as you may easily guess, was, moreproperly, Margaret. "Come on, Mun Bun!" she called. "Now we can havesome fun. "

And for fear you might be wondering what sort of creature Mun Bun was, I'll say right here that he was Margy's little brother, and his rightname was Munroe Ford Bunker; but he was called Mun Bun for short. 

"They're all here, " said Grandma Bell, with a smile. 

"Yes, " answered Mrs. Bunker, as she saw the six children running acrossthe field toward the woods. "They're all here now, and I hope they'llall be here when we start back. "

"Oh, I think they will, " said Grandma Bell with a smile. "I'm sorry thisis your last picnic with me. I certainly have enjoyed your visithere--yours and the children's. "

The two women walked slowly over the field and toward the woods, inwhich the six little Bunkers were already running about and having fun. The woods were on the edge of Lake Sagatook, and not far from GrandmaBell's house. 

"Come on, Rose!" called Russ to his sister. "We'll have a last ride onthe steamboat. "

"I want to come, too!" shouted Laddie, dropping a bundle of pine coneshe had picked up. 

"So do I, " added Vi. "I want a ride. "

"Say, we can't all get on the steamboat at once!" Russ cried. "It'llsink if we do. "

"Then we can play shipwreck, " proposed Rose. 

"Yes, we could do that, " Russ agreed. "But if the steamboat sinks it'llbe on the bottom of the lake, and it won't move and we can't have rides. That'll be no fun!" And the boy began to whistle, which he almost alwaysdid when he was thinking hard, as he was just now. 

"Well, what can we do?" asked Rose. "I want a ride on the steamboat. "

It wasn't really a steamboat at all, being only some fence rails andboards nailed roughly together. It was more of a raft than a boat, butit would float in the shallow water of the lake near the shore, and thechildren could stand on it in their bare feet and paddle about in asmall cove that a bend in the shore-line of the lake made. The reasonthey had to take off their shoes and stockings was because the watercame up over the top of the raft, and splashed on the children's feet. Anyhow, it was more fun to go barefooted, and no sooner had the sixlittle Bunkers reached the shore of the lake in the midst of the woods, than off came their shoes and stockings. 

"I want to ride on the steamer, too, " said Mun Bun. 

"No, we don't want to do that, " put in Margy, who was standing near him. 

"Why?" he asked. 

"'Cause. "

"But why?"

"Don't you 'member? We're goin' to roll downhill where the pine needlesmake it so slippery. "

"Oh, yes, " agreed Mun Bun. "We'll roll downhill, and then we'll ride onthe steamer. "

"But I want a ride now!" insisted Violet. 

"So do I, " added Laddie. 

"I asked first, " cried Rose. "But I s'pose mother'll make me give in toyou two, 'cause I'm older'n you; but I don't want to, " she added. 

"My! what's all this about?" asked Mother Bunker, as she came along withGrandma Bell, the two women having walked more slowly than the children. "Has anything happened?" She could tell by the faces of the little onesthat everything was not just right. 

"Oh, they all want to ride on the steamboat at once, and it isn't bigenough, " explained Russ. 

"Then you must take turns, " said Mother Bunker quickly. "That's the onlyway to do. Rose, dear, you are the oldest; you will let Laddie andViolet have the first ride, will you not?"

"There! I _knew_ you'd ask me to do that!" cried Rose, and her voice wasnot just as pleasant as it might have been. 

"Never mind, Rose, " whispered Russ to her. "I'll give you a longer ridethan I give them. Anyway, they'll soon get tired of the raft, and thenyou and I can play sailor, and steamboat around as much as we like. "

"And will you let me help push with the pole?" asked Rose. 

"Yes, you can do that, of course, " Russ agreed. 

"All right, " assented Rose. "I'll wait. Go on, Violet and Laddie. Youmay have your ride first. "

With shouts of glee the twins ran down to the edge of the lake where theraft, or, as Russ called it, the "steamboat, " was tied by a rope to anold stump. Russ, with the help of Tom Hardy, the hired man, had made theraft, and on it the children had had lots of fun. 

Russ now took his place in the middle, holding a long pole by which hepushed the raft about in the shallow cove of the lake. The water herewas not deep--hardly over the children's knees. 

"All aboard!" cried Russ, and Laddie and Violet got on the raft. MotherBunker and Grandma Bell sat down in the shade to watch, while Mun Bunand Margy ran over to a little hill, covered with dry, slippery pineneedles, and there they started to roll over and over down the slope, tumbling about in the soft grass at the foot, laughing and giggling. 

Up and down, and around and around the little cove of Lake Sagatook Russpushed his little twin brother and sister. The raft was just about largeenough for three children of the size of those who were on it, but anymore would have made it sink to the sandy bottom of the lake. Then, though they might have played "shipwreck, " it would not be as much fun, Russ thought. 

"Toot! Toot!" cried Russ, making believe he was the steamboat's whistle. Then he ding-donged the bell and hissed, to let off steam. Violet andLaddie laughed, and did the same thing, pretending they were part of theengine of the boat. 

"Well, I think you have ridden on the steamboat long enough now, Laddieand Vi!" called Mother Bunker, after a bit. "Give Rose a turn. "

"Just one more ride!" pleaded Laddie. 

"All right--just one more. But that's the last, " said Russ. 

So he poled the raft across the cove again, and then his little brotherand sister got off while Rose waded out in her bare feet and got onboard, carrying a pole so she could help push the raft; for it had nosails like a sailboat, and no motor like a motor-boat, and to make it goit had to be pushed. 

"Come on, Vi. Let's go over and roll downhill with Margy and Mun Bun, "said Laddie, after watching Rose and Russ a bit. "They're having lots offun. "

The two smallest of the six little Bunkers did, indeed, appear to behaving a good time. Over and over they rolled down the clean, slipperyhill covered with the brown pine needles. 

Soon Laddie and Vi joined in the fun, and their shouts and laughtercould be heard by Mother Bunker and Grandma Bell, where they weresitting in the shade of the trees. 

All at once Laddie, who had rolled to the bottom of the hill, endingwith a somersault in the soft grass, stood up and called:

"Listen! What's that?"

Vi, Margy and Mun Bun listened. 

"I don't hear anything, " said Vi. 

"I do, " went on Laddie. "It's some one hollering!"

And, as the children became quiet and listened more intently, they did, indeed, hear a voice calling:

"Come and get me! Come and get me!"

"Oh, it's somebody lost in the woods!" said Violet. 

"A little boy, maybe!" exclaimed Laddie. 

"Or a little girl, " added Mun Bun, his eyes big with wonder. 

"Let's go and hunt for 'em, " proposed Laddie. "If we were lost, we'dlike some one to hunt for us. Come on!"

The other children did not stop to think whether or not this was right. Laddie was the oldest of the four, except Violet, who was just as old, except maybe a minute or two, and Mun Bun and Margy thought what Laddiesaid must be right. 

"Come and get me! Come and get me!" cried the voice again, and to thefour little Bunkers it seemed to be a sad one. 

"Come on!" exclaimed Laddie. And the children started on a queer hunt. 

CHAPTER II

GOOD-BYE TO GRANDMA

Mrs. Bunker, who was busy talking to Grandma Bell, looked up just intime to see Laddie, Violet, Margy and Mun Bun running off through thewoods. 

"Children! Children!" she cried. "Where are you going?"

Faintly came back Laddie's answer:

"There's a little boy or girl lost in the woods, an' they're callin' tous and we're going to hunt for 'em!"

"Oh, my!" exclaimed Mother Bunker. "Wait, children! Wait for me!" shecontinued. "Russ--Rose! Come off the raft! I don't want you on it whileI'm not near you!"

"Where are you going?" asked Grandma Bell, as she saw her daughtergetting up. 

"I'm going to see what those children mean, " was Mrs. Bunker's answer. "I can't tell what mischief they may get into. "

And while Rose and Russ poled the raft toward shore, as their mothertold them to, and got off, Mrs. Bunker started after the other children, who were going to find the strange voice that had called to them. 

And while this is going on I shall have a chance to tell my new readerssomething about the little Bunkers. There were six of them, as, perhaps, you have counted. Russ, or Russell, to give him the whole of his name, was eight years old. He was the oldest, a great boy for making things toplay with, such as a steamboat out of some old boards, or an automobilefrom a chair and a sofa cushion. He was also very fond of whistling, andknew several real tunes. 

Rose, who came next, was seven years old. She was a regular "mother'shelper, " and often sang as she washed the dishes or did the dusting. Shehad light hair and blue eyes while Russ had a dark complexion. 

Then there came Violet and Laddie, the twins, aged six. Laddie's realname was Fillmore Bunker, but he was seldom called that. His hair wascurly, and his eyes were gray, and whether that made him so fond ofmaking up riddles, or of asking those others made up, I can't say. Anyhow he did it. His twin sister loved to ask questions. She could askmore questions in a day than several persons could answer. No one evertried to answer all Vi asked. Her hair and eyes were just like Laddie's. 

Next came Margy and Mun Bun. Margy was five, and her brother was a yearyounger. He had blue eyes and golden hair, and, you can easily imagine, was a pretty picture. 

"Daddy" Bunker, whose name was Charles, had a real estate and lumberoffice in Pineville, which was in Pennsylvania, and was on the RainbowRiver. About twenty thousand people lived in Pineville, and it was avery nice place indeed. The home of the Bunkers was on the main streetof the town, and was less than a mile from Daddy Bunker's office. 

Then there was Mother Bunker, whose hands were full keeping house andlooking after the six little Bunkers. Her name was Amy, and before shemarried Daddy Bunker her last name had been Bell. 

Those of you who have read the first book of this series, called "SixLittle Bunkers at Grandma Bell's, " remember that there were two othermembers of the "family"--Norah O'Grady, the good-natured Irish cook, andJerry Simms, the man who had once been a soldier and who was very kindto the children. Jerry did odd bits of work about the house, and oftenran the automobile for Mr. Bunker. 

The Bunkers had many relatives. There was Grandma Bell, who was Mrs. Bunker's mother, and there was Grandpa Ford, who was Daddy Bunker'sstepfather. He was kind and good, and had loved Daddy Bunker when DaddyBunker was a little boy, and now loved the six little Bunkers as well. Grandma Bell lived in Maine, near Lake Sagatook, and Grandpa Ford livedat Tarrington, New York, his place being called Great Hedge Estate. 

Then there was Miss Josephine Bunker (she was "Aunt Jo, " you know), wholived in Boston; Uncle Frederick Bell, of Moon City, Montana; andCousin Tom Bunker, who lived at Seaview, on the New Jersey coast. 

In the first book I told you about the six little Bunkers when on avisit to Grandma Bell, in Maine, and how they helped solve a mystery andfind some valuable real estate papers that an old tramp lumberman hadcarried off in a ragged coat. 

I can't begin to tell you, here, all the fun the six little Bunkers hadat Grandma Bell's. They spent the last of July and the first part ofAugust there, and now, just before leaving, they were planning for therest of the summer vacation. 

But, just at the present moment, something else was happening. Thechildren's play had been stopped by the voice in the woods; a voiceheard by Laddie, Vi, Mun Bun and Margy. 

"Are you sure it was a little child you heard calling?" asked Mrs. Bunker, overtaking the four children. 

"Oh, yes; sure!" answered Laddie. "It was a little boy. "

"I think it was a little girl, " said Violet. 

"Hark!" exclaimed Grandma Bell, who had come with Mother Bunker. "Thereit goes once more!"

And, surely enough, the voice called again:

"Come and get me! I'm lost!"

"Poor thing!" said Grandma Bell. "I wonder whose little boy or girl itis. "

"'Tisn't any of us, " said Violet, "'cause we're all here!"

"Yes, I counted to make sure, " said Mother Bunker. "But we must find outwho it is. Come on, children. Are we going too fast for you, Mother?"she asked Grandma Bell. 

"Oh, no, indeed!"

"We must find the lost one, " Mother Bunker continued, and so they kepton with the queer hunt. Every now and then they could hear the voicecalling. Pretty soon Mrs. Bell said:

"I can hear some one coming. "

Then the voice called again:

"Come and get me! I'm lost!"

"Oh, there it is! Over in that direction!" exclaimed Grandma Bell. 

They hurried toward a thick clump of trees, from which the voice seemedto come. Then, all at once, another voice called:

"Oh, there you are! I see you! Now come right here to me, and don't goaway again!"

"Why, I know who _that_ is!" exclaimed Grandma Bell. 

Before the children could ask they heard a funny voice say:

"Oh, hello! Pretty Poll! Pretty Poll! Polly wants a cracker!"

"Well, you'll get one, and it won't be a sweet cracker, either, if youfly out of your cage again, " said a man's voice. "You'll get afire-cracker! Now you flutter right down to me and be good!"

"Hello! Hello!" said the funny voice, and then came a strange laugh. "Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Why--why! It's a _parrot_!" shouted Laddie. "I can see his greenfeathers!"

"Yes, and there is Mr. Hixon after him, " said Grandma Bell. "You havebeen fooled by Bill Hixon's parrot, children, just as you were teasedonce before. It wasn't a little boy or girl lost in the woods at all. Itwas just the parrot. "

"That's just what it was, Mrs. Bell, " said Mr. Hixon, and a man steppedout from behind a tree. "Were you after him, too?" he asked, as he heldout his hand the parrot flew down out of the tree and alighted on hisfinger. 

"The children, playing in the woods, heard your parrot calling, andthought it was a lost child, " said Mrs. Bunker. "Did he get out of hiscage?"

"That's what he did, " said Mr. William Hixon, or "Bill, " as hisneighbors called him. "He got out early this morning, and I've beenlooking for him ever since. I followed along through these woods, because a man said he had seen a green bird flying about in here, and, surely enough, I heard my Polly singing out about being lost, andwanting some one to come and get her. She always begs that way when shegets lost. "

"We heard her, " said Laddie. "But I thought it was a little boy. "

"And I thought it was a little girl, " added Violet. 

Mun Bun and Margy didn't say anything. They just stood and looked at thegreen parrot on Mr. Hixon's finger. The bird seemed happy now, and bentits head over toward its owner. 

"She wants it scratched, " said Mr. Hixon. "Well, I'll be nice to younow, but I won't like you if you get out of your cage again, " he said. "She can open the door herself, " he explained to Grandma Bell and Mrs. Bunker. 

"She talks very plainly for a parrot, " said Grandma Bell. "I rememberthe day the six little Bunkers first came, and Polly was in the back ofthe auto. We thought it was a child then. "

"Yes, Polly is a good talker, " said Mr. Hixon, who lived not far fromGrandma Bell's. "But I think I'll have to get her a new cage so shecan't get out. It keeps me busy chasing after her. "

"Polly wants a cracker! Polly wants a sweet cracker!" chanted theparrot. 

"Well, you'll get a sour one if you aren't good!" said Mr. Hixon, with alaugh. "I'm sorry my parrot fooled you, and made you think a child waslost in the woods, " he went on. 

"Oh, that's all right, " said Mother Bunker. "We didn't mind hunting, andwe're glad no one was lost. "

"How are all the six little Bunkers?" asked the owner of the greenparrot, as he started for his home. 

"Well, these four, as you see, are fine, " said Grandma Bell. "The othertwo, Russ and Rose, are playing steamboat on the lake. But I am going tolose them all. "

"Lose them all!" cried Mr. Hixon. "How's that?"

"We are going to pay a visit to Mr. Bunker's sister, who lives inBoston, " explained Mrs. Bunker. "She wrote and asked us to come, andthis is our last week at Grandma Bell's. "

"Well, I'm sure we'll miss the six little Bunkers when they go, " saidMr. Hixon. 

"Indeed we shall!" said Grandma Bell. "But they are coming to see meagain. "

"We love it here, " put in Vi. 

"And we've had lots of fun, " added Margy. 

"Maybe we'll have fun at Aunt Jo's, " said Laddie. 

"I'm sure you will. I guess you could have fun anywhere, you six, " saidMr. Hixon with a laugh. "Well, good-bye, if I don't see you again!"

"Good-bye!" said the others. 

"Good-bye, " echoed the parrot. 

Grandma Bell, Mother Bunker and the four children went back to the shadycove of the lake. 

"Where'd you go?" asked Russ and Rose, who were walking along to meetthem. 

"Oh, we thought somebody was lost in the woods, " answered Laddie. 

"But it was Mr. Hixon's parrot, " added Vi. 

The children went back to their play. 

A day or so later they helped pack the things they had brought with themto Grandma Bell's. 

"We're going to Aunt Jo's! We're going to Aunt Jo's!" shouted Rose, dancing about. 

"In Boston! In Boston!" added Russ. "And we'll have Boston baked beans!"

The next day the children said good-bye to Grandma Bell and, with Daddyand Mother Bunker, started for Aunt Jo's. They hardly even dreamed ofall the good times they were to have there, nor of the strange thingsthat were to happen. 

CHAPTER III

ON THE BOAT

From Grandma Bell's home, near Lake Sagatook, the six little Bunkers, with their father and mother, were taken to the railroad station in abig automobile. As the children looked back, waving their hands to theirdear grandmother, who had made their visit such a pleasant one, Russsaid:

"Oh, dear!"

"What's the matter?" asked his father. "You seem sad. "

"I wish we could take that nice lake with us, " explained Russ. "We hadsuch fun there. "

"And the boat, too, " added Rose. "Can we have a boat at Aunt Jo's, Daddy?"

"I hardly think so, " answered Mr. Bunker with a smile. "Aunt Jo lives inthe city--in Boston, in the Back Bay section, and I hardly think thereis a place there where you can paddle a raft. "

"Can we go wadin'?" asked Laddie. 

"Not unless there is a little lake in some park near by, " his fatheranswered. 

"Couldn't we wait for it to rain and make a mud puddle?" asked Vi. "Wecould wade in that! We do when we're home!"

"But Boston isn't home. And you can't do in a big city the things youcan do at home in Pineville, " said Mrs. Bunker, as the automobilechugged along through the woods. 

"Can't we have _any_ fun?" asked Russ. 

"Oh, yes, lots of fun, " his father replied. "Aunt Jo wouldn't ask us tospend two weeks or more at her house, if she didn't know you childrencould have fun, even if she does live in a city. Don't worry aboutthat--you'll have fun. "

"But we can't have a boat, " sighed Rose. She and the other childrenloved the water, and, living so near Rainbow River as they did, theywere used to paddling about, playing with make-believe boats and toyslike that. 

"Well, if you can't have a boat at Aunt Jo's in Boston, you are goingto ride on one before you get to her house, " said Mother Bunker with asmile. 

"Are we?" cried Russ and Rose together. 

"Yes. Didn't I tell you about that?" asked Daddy Bunker. "We are goingto Boston by boat, instead of by train. That is, we are going most ofthe way by boat. "

"Where is there any water for a boat?" asked Vi, looking around in thewoods through which they were riding. "You can't make a boat go lessenyou have water. "

"Oh, I know. Yes, you can! Yes, you can!" suddenly cried Laddie. 

"How can you?" asked Russ. "You can't sail a boat without water. "

"Yes, you can!" said Laddie again, and he was laughing now. "I justthought of a riddle. This is it. What kind of a boat can you sailwithout water? It's a riddle!"

"Huh! I should say it _was_! Nobody could answer a riddle like _that_!"declared Russ. 

"Yes, they can!" insisted Laddie. "It's a riddle! And I made it up allby myself. Nobody told me, and I know the answer. "

"Well, that's more than I do, " said Mrs. Bunker with a laugh. "Supposeyou tell us, Laddie. "

"And then Daddy can tell us about the boat we're going to ride on toAunt Jo's, " suggested Rose. 

"Yes, I'll do that, " said Mr. Bunker. "Go on, Laddie. What is the riddleyou thought of?"

"What kind of a boat don't have to go in water?" asked the little boy, his eyes shining, for he loved to make up riddles. 

"Well, go on. Tell us the answer, " said his mother. 

"It's a gravy boat!" laughed Laddie. "You know, a gravy boat. It's thekind of a dish we have on the table, with gravy in it, for your bread. You don't have to put _that_ kind of a boat in water. "

"That's right! You don't, " said Mr. Bunker. "That was a good riddle, Laddie. "

"And maybe I could think up another one, " went on the little boy. "Ialmost got one. It's about what makes bread always fall with thebutter-side down. But I haven't thought of the answer yet. "

"Well, don't tell us any more riddles now, " said Russ. "We want to hearabout the boat we're going to ride on to Aunt Jo's. Tell us, Daddy. "

"All right, I will, " promised the children's father. 

Then he went on to tell that, by taking a train to a station on thecoast, they could get a boat that would take them to Boston. 

"We shall have to travel all night though, just as we did in thesleeping-car, " said Mr. Bunker. 

"Why?" asked Vi. 

"Because it will take that long to reach Boston, " explained her father. 

Rose had quite a large doll, her best one, which she carried with her inher arms whenever the family went traveling. Rose had brought her dollto Grandma Bell's and something funny had happened to the doll in thesleeping-car. You may read about it in the book before this one. 

"I must see if my doll is asleep, " said Rose. 

She had put her toy in a cosy corner of the auto seat, and covered herwith a blanket. But when Rose went to look for Sue, as she called herdoll, Sue was not to be found. 

"Oh! Sue's gone! Sue's gone!" cried Rose. "Somebody has taken my Sue!"

"Who did?" asked Vi. 

"Are you sure she hasn't fallen to the floor of the car?" asked Mrs. Bunker. 

"No, she isn't here at all, " wailed Rose. 

"Maybe you didn't bring her. Perhaps you left her at Grandma Bell's, "said Mr. Bunker. 

"Oh, no! I'm sure I had her, " sobbed Rose. "Don't you all 'member that Iheld her up and wiggled her hand at grandma to say good-bye?"

"Yes, I do remember that, " said Mrs. Bunker. "Rose surely had her dollwhen we started. Have any of you children seen Sue?" she asked. 

None of them had, and then Daddy Bunker called to the man driving theauto to stop. 

"What are you going to do?" asked Mrs. Bunker. 

"I thought I'd walk back a little way and see if Sue had not dropped outalong the road, " answered her husband. 

"Have we got time for that? Won't the train go?"

"Well, we've got a little time, " said the driver. "I'll get out and helpyou look, Mr. Bunker. "

"Why'd you lose Sue, Rose?" asked Vi. 

"Why, Vi Bunker, I didn't mean to lose her!" exclaimed Rose. 

Rose was still searching among the blankets, hoping that, somehow orother, the doll might be found, and her father and Mr. Mead, the autodriver, were getting out, when they heard a shout behind them. 

"That's some one calling, " said Mrs. Bunker. 

They looked and saw riding toward them a boy on a bicycle. He hadsomething in one hand, and clung to the steering bars with the other. 

"Oh, he has my doll! He has my doll! I can see Sue!" cried Rose, clapping her hands in joy. "He found her!"

"I do believe he has the child's doll, " said Mother Bunker. 

"But where did he get her?" asked Vi. 

"He must have picked her up along the road after she slipped out of theauto, " answered Mrs. Bunker. 

By this time the boy on the bicycle had caught up to the auto, which hadstopped in a shady place. 

"This doll dropped out of your car in front of our house, " panted thebicycle boy. "I saw it fall, and I picked it up and rode after you. ButI had hard work to catch you. "

"I'm glad you did catch us, " said Mr. Bunker, taking the doll from theboy's hand. "You had quite a ride. Aren't you tired?"

"Oh, I'm a little tired, but not much, " said the boy. "The doll is allright. She had a little dust on her, but I brushed it off. "

"I'm ever so much obliged to you, " said Mr. Bunker. 

"Thank you--a whole lot!" murmured Rose. "I was 'fraid my doll was lostforever. "

"And here is something for your trouble, " said Mr. Bunker, giving theboy a silver quarter. 

"Oh, I don't want to take it!" he said, backing away. 

"Of course you must take it!" insisted Rose's father. "You had a hardride to bring the doll back to us, and you saved us a long walk to lookfor her. Take the money and get yourself something with it. "

"All right. Thank you, " said the boy, blushing a little under his tan. "I'll get me a new knife. I want a knife a lot. My old one's no good. "

Then the boy told of having seen the doll bounce out of the automobileas it went past his house. He had called, but the machine made such anoise, and the six little Bunkers were probably talking so much, that noone heard the lad. 

So he picked up Sue from the road and hurried on after the car. 

"And I never want to lose you again, " said Rose, as she hugged her dollclose in her arms. 

Mr. Bunker and Mr. Mead got back into the auto, and they set off again, Rose and the children waving good-bye to the boy, who stood near hisbicycle, looking at the silver quarter in his hand. 

"Why'd you give the boy a quarter, Daddy?" asked Vi. But that was onequestion too many from Vi, and her father did not explain. 

A little later the Bunkers reached the railroad station, without losinganything more, and they were soon on their way to take the boat forBoston. 

They had had much fun in Maine, at Lake Sagatook, but just as good timeswere ahead of them, they all felt. 

It was evening when they went aboard the big steamer that was to takethem to Boston. The children were rather tired from the day's journey inautomobile and train. 

"I guess we'll all be glad to get into our little beds, " said MotherBunker, as they went to their staterooms, there being two, one next tothe other. "Now let me count noses, to make sure you're all here, " shewent on. "Russ, Rose, Laddie, Vi, Mun Bun--Where is Margy?" she suddenlycried, as she missed the little girl. "Margy isn't here! Where is she?"

It was true. Margy wasn't with the other little Bunkers. There were onlyfive in sight!

CHAPTER IV

IN BOSTON

Daddy Bunker and Mother Bunker were used to having things happen to thesix little Bunkers. Not that they liked to have things happen--that is, unpleasant things--but the father and the mother knew they could nottravel around with half a dozen children and not find a bit of troublenow and then. 

And now trouble had come! Margy was not to be found!

"I'm sure she came on the boat with us, " said Daddy Bunker. 

"Yes, I know that, " said his wife, as she looked quickly around thedeck. "I saw her with the rest not a minute ago. "

"Then where can she have gone?" asked Mr. Bunker. "As the steamer hasnot moved away from the dock, maybe she ran back to shore to getsomething, or look at something. "

"Why'd Margy go away?" asked Vi. 

"Margy is too little to go off by herself, " said Mrs. Bunker. 

"Do you mean some one took her--maybe a gypsy?" asked Russ. 

"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Rose. "Are there gypsies here?"

"Nonsense! Of course not!" answered Mr. Bunker, seeing that what Russhad said might frighten the children. "No one has taken Margy. Maybe sheis just playing hide-and-go-seek!"

Mr. Bunker didn't really believe Margy was doing this, but he said it tomake the children feel better. 

"You take the children down to the stateroom, " said Mr. Bunker to hiswife, "and I'll look for Margy. I'll find her in a jiffy, which is veryquick time, indeed, " he told the children. "Run along now, Mun Bun, andyou too, Vi and Laddie. Rose, you go with your mother and help take careof Mun Bun. "

"Shall I come with you, Daddy?" asked Russ. 

"Yes, " answered Mr. Bunker, "you may come with me, Russ. You can runfaster than I can, and if we find Margy playing tag with some of theother little boys and girls on the steamer you can catch her more easilythan I can. "

Mr. Bunker said this for fun. He didn't really think Margy was playingtag. But he had to say something so the others would not be frightened. And, to tell the truth, Mr. Bunker was a little bit frightened himself, and so was his wife. 

"Where do you suppose Margy can be?" Mrs. Bunker asked her husband, asshe started down the stairs for the staterooms, or bedrooms, where theywere to spend the night. 

"Oh, she's around somewhere, " he answered. "She may be watching the menload the steamer. " Boxes and barrels were still being put into the hold, or "cellar, " of the steamer, which would soon start for Boston. Margy, from the upper deck, might have seen this work going on, and havestepped out of sight to watch. 

"Come on, Russ, we'll find her, " said Mr. Bunker. 

Many people were now coming on board the steamer. There were some boysand girls, and certainly a number of them were tired and sleepy. As Mrs. Bunker went down the stairs with the four little Bunkers, she looked atevery other child she saw, hoping it might be Margy. But she did not seeher smallest daughter. 

Russ and his father walked around the upper deck. They met several menwho worked on the steamer, and asked them if they had seen a little girlabout five years old, with dark hair and eyes, for that is how Margylooked. 

Each of the men Mr. Bunker asked said he had not seen the little lostgirl, and then Mr. Bunker said:

"Well, Russ, we'll go down on the next deck. Maybe she is there. "

There were several decks to the steamer, just as there are severalfloors in a large house. Russ and his father went downstairs, and asthey started to look on the lower deck they met a man who had shiny goldbraid on the sleeves of his coat, and also on his cap. 

"Are you looking for some one?" asked this man, who was a mate, orhelper, to the captain. 

"We are looking for my little girl, " said Mr. Bunker. "She has wanderedaway since we came on board. "

"Was she a very little girl?" asked the mate. 

"Rather small, " answered Daddy Bunker. 

"And did she have dark hair?"

"Yes!" exclaimed Russ eagerly. "Oh, have you seen her? She's my sisterMargy. "

"Well, I just happened to pass a stateroom, where I chance to know nolittle girl belongs on this trip. The door was open, and I looked in, "went on the mate. "On the bunk, which is what we call the beds on asteamer, " he told Russ, "I saw a little girl with dark hair curled up ina heap. She seemed to be asleep, and there was a little white poodle dogwith her. "

"A little white poodle dog!" exclaimed Mr. Bunker. "Then I'm afraid itcan't be my little girl. We have no white poodle dog. "

"Maybe Margy found one, Daddy, and that's why she didn't come with us, "said Russ. 

"Better take a look at this little girl, " went on the mate. "She seemsto be all alone in this stateroom, and she may be yours. "

"We'll look, " said Mr. Bunker. "But I hardly think it can be Margy. "

He followed the mate, holding Russ by the hand so the little boy wouldnot get lost, though Russ was almost too big for this. 

"Here she is, " said the mate, as he came to a stop at an open door of astateroom. And there, on the clean, white bunk, curled up with one armaround a white poodle dog was a little girl, whose dark hair mingledwith the white coat of the poodle. 

"Oh, it is Margy!" exclaimed Russ. 

"Yes, so it is, " said Mr. Bunker. "Thank you, " he added to the captain'shelper. "Now we are all right. We have found our lost little girl. "

"I was wondering to whom she belonged, " said the mate. "And I was goingto tell the captain about her. Now I won't have to. "

When Mr. Bunker and Russ went into the room, the little poodle dograised up his head, opened one eye, and wagged his little stump of atail, as if he were saying:

"It's all right. You don't need to worry. I'm taking care of Margy andshe's taking care of me. "

And it was Margy asleep in the bunk! Poor, tired, sleepy little MargyBunker. 

"My dear little girl, " said Daddy Bunker softly, as he took her up inhis arms. "We were so worried about you. Where have you been?"

"I--I founded a little dog, " said Margy sleepily, as she put her headdown on her father's shoulder. "He was a little white dog an' I lovedhim an' I went with him an' we went to--went to--we----"

And then Margy herself went to where she was trying to tell her daddyshe had gone--to sleep. 

"We'll ask her about it in the morning, " said Mr. Bunker. "I'll carryher to her mother now, so she won't be anxious any more. "

Margy was in slumberland once more, and so was the little white poodledog. He just looked up, with one eye, when he saw Mr. Bunker carryinghis little girl away, and then doggie went to sleep again also. 

"Aren't you glad we found Margy?" asked Russ, as he walked back with hisfather to where Mrs. Bunker and the other children were waiting. 

"Indeed I am, " said Margy's daddy. 

"Where was she?" asked Mrs. Bunker, as she saw her lost little girl. 

"She had wandered into some other stateroom, and had gone to sleep, " Mr. Bunker answered. 

"And the little poodle dog was asleep with her, " added Russ. 

"Where's the little poodle dog?" demanded Laddie, who was almost asleephimself. 

"Oh, we couldn't bring him, " Russ said. And then his father told howMargy had been found. 

The little girl was still too sleepy to talk, so her mother undressedher and put her to bed. 

"We can ask her in the morning what happened, " she said. 

Now the six little Bunkers were together again, and happy once more, andMr. And Mrs. Bunker were no longer worried. They all went to bed, andthen the steamer traveled through the night, getting to Boston the nextday. 

The children were awake early, and when they were dressed they went outon deck. They had breakfast on board, in the big dining-saloon. 

"When shall we get to Aunt Jo's?" asked Rose, as she helped her motherpick up some of the things the other children had scattered about thestateroom. 

"We'll be there in time for dinner, " said Mr. Bunker. "But we haven'tyet heard what happened to Margy. Why did you go to sleep in the strangebed?" he asked his little girl. 

"'Cause I wanted the doggie, " she answered. And then she told how it hadhappened, though they had to ask her many questions to get the wholestory. 

Soon after coming on board the steamer Margy, walking a little distanceapart from the other little Bunkers, had seen the white poodle dogrunning about the deck. She made friends with him, and when the dog, whobelonged to an elderly lady passenger, went off by himself, Margyfollowed. 

The poodle went into the stateroom where his mistress was to sleep, andjumped up on the bed. Margy did the same thing, and then they both fellasleep. Through the open door the mate saw them and then Mr. Bunker cameand got his little girl. 

"But you mustn't do it again, Margy, " he said. 

"No, Daddy. I won't, " she promised. "But he was an awful nice littledog. "

"Could we have him?" Mun Bun wanted to know, for they had seen the whitepoodle running about the deck that morning. 

"Oh, no, " replied Mrs. Bunker. "We're going to Aunt Jo's, and she mayhave a dog herself. "

"That'll be fun!" laughed Margy. "I likes a dog!"

"Has Aunt Jo a dog, really?" asked Vi. 

"Well, maybe, " returned her mother. 

A little later the six little Bunkers were riding through the Bostonstreets on their way to Aunt Jo's house. 

CHAPTER V

ALEXIS IS SPLASHED

"Well, well! Oh, I'm _so_ glad to see you! Now stand still, please, while I look at you to make sure you're all here!"

This is what Aunt Jo said as she stood smiling on the steps of herbeautiful house in the fashionable Back Bay section of Boston. The sixlittle Bunkers, with Daddy and Mother, had arrived in a big automobilethat Mr. Bunker had engaged at the steamer dock. It needed a largemachine to take the whole family, with their baggage, through the city. And when they had rung the bell Aunt Jo was waiting to answer itherself, as she expected her visitors. 

"One, two, three, four, five, six!" she counted, pointing her finger, first at Russ, as he was the oldest, and ending with Mun Bun, who wasthe youngest. "All here! And I'm _so_ glad to see you, " she went on. 

"And we're glad to see you!" added Daddy Bunker as he kissed his sister, for Aunt Jo was his sister, you remember. "I'm afraid you won't findroom for us all. "

"Oh, yes, I shall, " said Aunt Jo, and she laughed and looked so jollythat the six little Bunkers loved her at once. "I've got lots of room inthis big house, " she went on. 

Just then a big dog, the kind called a Great Dane, came stalking intothe hall where the Bunker family was gathered. The dog seemed pleasedwhen he saw the children, and wagged his tail. 

"I can sleep with the dog if you haven't got room for me anywhere else, "said Margy, as she went up to Alexis, which was the dog's name. "I didsleep with a dog on the boat, and he did love me and I did love him. "

"Has you got a cat?" asked Mun Bun. "I want to love something, too, " andhe looked at Aunt Jo with big, round eyes. 

"No, " answered Daddy's sister, "I haven't a cat, but Alexis is largeenough for all you six little Bunkers to love, I guess, " and truly theGreat Dane seemed so. 

"What makes Alexis so big?" asked Vi. 

"Because he's a Great Dane. "

"What makes a Great Dane be so big?"

"Vi, Vi!" protested her mother. "Don't ask any more questions now. "

"But come in and get your things off, " went on Aunt Jo. "I'm keeping youstanding in the hall as if I didn't have room for you inside. Come in, make yourselves at home and I'll have Parker hurry the lunch. You mustbe starved. "

"We had breakfast, but it wasn't much, " said Russ. "I guess it's onaccount of war times. " Russ had really eaten a big breakfast, but, ofcourse, that had been a long time before. 

"Well, of course we must all help with the war, " said Aunt Jo, "but Ithink Parker can give you enough to eat. "

"Is Parker a cat?" asked Vi. 

"Oh, no!" laughed Aunt Jo. "Parker is my cook. I call her by her lastname instead of her first name, as it is the same as mine. Parker is avery good cook, you'll find. "

"If Parker was a cat maybe I could think up a riddle about her, " put inLaddie. "Anyhow, I know a new riddle, Aunt Jo. "

"Do you? Well, I must hear it, " she said, as she opened the door to thesitting-room. 

"Oh, Laddie, can't you wait to ask riddles until we get our things off?"asked his mother. 

"I--I'm afraid I might forget it, " said the little boy. "It's a hardriddle. "

"Well, let me hear it, " said Aunt Jo with a laugh. "I used to be prettygood at guessing them. "

"This is it, " said Laddie. "I didn't make it up, but I asked one of thesailors on the steamer for a good riddle, and he told me this one. It's, 'What can you put in your left hand that you can't put in your righthand?' That's the riddle. "

"Pooh! there can't be any answer to that, " said Russ. "If you can putanything in your left hand you can put it in your right, too. Look!"

He took his knife from his pocket, and put it first in his right handand then in his left. 

"But I don't mean a knife, " said Laddie. "'Tisn't what you _can_ put inboth hands, it's what you _can't_. "

"Let me hear the riddle again, " begged Aunt Jo. 

"What can you put in your left hand that you _can't_ put in your right?"asked Laddie. "It's awful hard--you'll never guess it, " he went on, laughing at the puzzled look on Aunt Jo's face. 

They all tried to guess the riddle--that is all except the smallestchildren--Mun Bun and Margy, and they were too much taken up with lovingthe dog Alexis. Aunt Jo tried several things, but she found she couldput them in one hand as easily as she could in the other, so thatcouldn't be the answer. 

"Do you give up?" asked Laddie. 

"Yes, " said his father, "we all give up. Tell us the answer. "

"It's your right elbow, " said the little boy with a laugh. 

"Your right elbow?" cried Russ. 

"Yes, " Laddie went on. "Look! You can hold your right elbow in your lefthand, but you can't put your _right_ elbow in your _right_ hand. Nobodycan!"

And, surely enough, when they tried, no one could do it. And you canquickly prove it for yourself to make sure Laddie was right. You caneasily rest your _right_ elbow in the palm of your _left_ hand. But tryto put your _left_ elbow in your _left_ hand, or the _right_ elbow inthe _right_ hand, and see how hard it is. 

"Well, that's a good riddle!" laughed Aunt Jo. "I shall have to put onmy thinking cap when you ask me any more, Laddie. "

"Oh, I know _lots_ more riddles, " cried Laddie eagerly. "Some I made upmyself. I know one about why don't the railroad tickets get mad when theconductor punches 'em, but I never can think of an answer for thatriddle. "

"Well, a riddle isn't much fun unless you know the answer, " agreed AuntJo. "And now I'll show you to your rooms, and you can get ready forlunch. "

They went upstairs, Alexis following, for he seemed to like children. And the six little Bunkers certainly liked the big dog. 

"Does he like dolls?" asked Rose, as she held her Sue close in her arms. 

"Well, I never saw him bite any, " said Aunt Jo. 

"I don't want to put my doll down where he could get her if he wouldcarry her off, " went on the little girl. 

"Would Alexis do _that_?" asked Vi. 

"No, I don't believe Alexis would hurt the doll, " said Aunt Jo. "Here, we will try him. Come to me, Alexis!" she called. 

The dog managed to get away from Mun Bun and Margy, who were trying tosee who could hug him the hardest, and he stood near his mistress. 

"Do you see this doll, Alexis?" went on Aunt Jo, holding Sue out for himto see. "Look at her!"

"Bow-wow!" barked Alexis, and that meant: "Yes, I see her, what aboutit?"

"You must be very nice to her, and not chew her nor carry her off andput her in some hiding-place, as you do your bones, " went on Aunt Jo. Alexis waved his big tail, sniffed at Rose's doll, and then barkedagain. 

"He will never hurt your toy, Rose, " said Aunt Jo. "You may safely leaveher anywhere in the house. "

"She's my best doll, and she's been lost in the woods and had lots ofadventures, " Rose said. "But I wouldn't like a dog to carry heroff--'specially not such a big dog. "

"Well, don't worry about Alexis, " said Aunt Jo. "He won't hurt yourSue. "

The visitors were shown to their different rooms, and their baggage wascarried up so the children could change their clothes. 

"Why do we have to change our clothes?" asked Vi. 

"We want to put on some old things so we can have some fun, " returnedRuss. 

"Can we sail a boat anywhere around here?" asked Laddie. 

"I'm afraid not, " said Aunt Jo. "You see this is a big city, and not thecountry, as at Grandma Bell's, where you have been staying. True, we arenear the bay, but you couldn't very well sail boats there. I shall haveto think up some other fun for you. "

"We like fun, " added Violet. 

By this time Mun Bun and Margy had been fitted out with their "playclothes" as they called them; clothes that could not easily be soiled. Russ and Rose had dressed themselves, and Mrs. Bunker was seeing toLaddie and Violet. 

"And when you're all ready I'll have Parker serve the lunch, " said AuntJo. "If you'll just excuse me now, I'll run down and see about it, " sheadded to her brother. 

"Go ahead, " said he. "We'll be right down. "

"Can Alexis stay up here with us?" asked Mun Bun. 

"Oh, yes, he likes to be with children, " said Miss Bunker, for thatreally was Aunt Jo's name, she being Daddy Bunker's sister. 

So Aunt Jo went downstairs to see that the cook got a nice lunch readyfor the six little Bunkers. 

Mr. And Mrs. Bunker, now that they had the children ready, could stopand "get their breaths, " as Mother Bunker said. Really it is a good dealof work to look after six children. 

"Come on!" called Daddy Bunker, when he had helped his wife put thebaggage away in the rooms they were to have while at Aunt Jo's house. "Come down to lunch, children!"

Russ, Rose, Violet and Laddie came from the windows, out of which theyhad been looking at scenes in the street. 

"Where is Mun Bun?" asked Mrs. Bunker. 

"And Margy?" added her husband. 

"I saw 'em a minute ago, " answered Rose. 

And just then, from down the hall, came strange sounds. 

"Now it's my turn, Mun Bun! It's my turn to splash him!" shouted Margy. 

"No, it's mine!" insisted her brother. "You splashed him a lot, an' I'mgoin' to do it now. You let me pull it!"

"Oh, what are those children doing now?" asked Mrs. Bunker. 

"I'll go and see, " offered her husband. 

And then, from a room down the hall, came the sound of splashing waterand the barking of Alexis, the big dog, while Mun Bun could be heardcalling:

"Let me pull it! Let me pull it! I want to splash him, too!"

"What are Mun and Margy Bunker doing?" asked Vi. 

CHAPTER VI

THE POCKETBOOK

"Where are they?" asked Daddy Bunker, looking at his wife. 

"They must be in the bathroom, " she answered. "Oh, do go and lookplease, and see what is happening. "

"What is it? May I go and see?" cried Vi, going toward the bathroomwithout waiting to have her questions answered. 

Mr. Bunker ran down the hall. The bathroom door was open and within hesaw a strange sight. 

Mun Bun and Margy had, somehow or other, got the big dog Alexis to jumpinto the bathtub. Perhaps the dog had done it before. Anyhow he was init now, and, as he stood there, Margy and Mun Bun were having a sort oftug of war to see who should pull the handle of the chain that workedthe shower bath. 

Margy had her chubby fists on the handle, and she was pulling, but MunBun was trying to pull her hands away so he could take hold of the chainhimself. So the pull of the two children was enough to make the waterspurt out from the overhead shower. Down the water came, splashing onAlexis, but he seemed to like it. He barked, but not too loudly, andwagged his tail. 

[Illustration: DOWN THE WATER CAME, SPLASHING ON ALEXIS. 

_Six Little Bunkers at Aunt Jo's. _--_Page 53_]

"Mun Bun! Margy! What in the world are you doing?" cried their father. Of course he could see, perfectly well, what they were doing, but, somehow or other, that seemed the most natural thing to ask. 

"What are you doing?" he cried. 

"We're splashing Alexis, " said Margy. 

"It's my turn to do it, but she won't let me, " complained Mun Bun. "She's splashed him a lot, and now I want to. "

"You mustn't either of you splash Alexis any more like this!" exclaimedMr. Bunker, wanting to laugh at the funny sight, but really not daringto, lest the children try it again some time. 

"Stop it at once, " he said. "Turn that water off, Mun Bun!"

"I'm not pulling it--it's Margy!" said the little boy. 

"Both of you stop!" commanded their father. "Come here, Alexis!" hecalled, and the big dog jumped out of the bathtub. Luckily the floor ofthe room was of white tile, so the water that dripped on it from the dogdid no harm. But when he gave himself a shake, as dogs always do whenthey come out of water, the drops splashed on the two children and alsoon Mr. Bunker. 

"Oh! Oh!" cried Mun Bun. "I'm--I'm all wet!"

"So'm I!" added Margy. She had let go of the shower-bath chain, and thewater no longer ran out. 

"Alexis got me wet, too, " said Daddy Bunker. "But you children shouldnot have done this. It was very wrong. "

"But Alexis was very hot, " said Margy. "His tongue was stickin' out ofhis mouth just like Grandma's dog Zip's used to, and so we wanted tocool him off; didn't we, Mun Bun?"

"Yes, we did, " answered the little boy. "So I told him to get into thebathtub, and we pulled the chain and the water splashed out on him. "

"I should say it _did_ splash!" exclaimed Mr. Bunker, trying not tolaugh. "I don't know what Aunt Jo will say. "

"Well, she said she wanted us to have fun, " went on Margy, "and we didhave fun, and Alexis liked it. "

"Perhaps he did, " said her father, for the dog did not seem to mindbeing wet. "But it was very wrong to do it. You children are very wet. "

"Did anything happen?" asked Mrs. Bunker, as she came down the halltoward the bathroom, with Russ, Rose and Laddie. 

"Well, lots happened, but nothing very bad, " said her husband. "Alexishad his bath, that's all. "

"Oh, my dears!" cried Mrs. Bunker, when she saw the splashed bathroomand how wet the two children were. "How _could_ you do it?"

"I'll show you how to do it!" exclaimed Mun Bun, not exactly knowingwhat his mother meant. "This is how!" and he reached for the handle ofthe shower-bath chain. But his father caught him just in time to stophim from splashing any more water about. 

"It is a good thing I changed their clothes, " said Mrs. Bunker. "PoorAlexis! Did you think it was raining?" she asked, as she patted thedog's wet head. 

But the Great Dane did not seem to mind. He wagged his tail joyfully, and, after all, the day was a hot one. 

"Don't mind about a little water, as long as the children are allright, " said Aunt Jo, when she heard what had happened. "Alexis loves toget a bath, but he is generally washed out in the garage by William, theman who attends to the car. I had never put him in a bathtub, but Isuppose he liked it. "

"He waggled his tail like anything, " said Mun Bun. 

"Well, then that's a sure sign he was pleased, " said Aunt Jo. 

Margy and Mun Bun had been partly dried off in time for lunch, and thesix little Bunkers, with the rest of the family, were now at table. 

"What we going to do this afternoon?" asked Vi. 

"What would you like to do?" inquired her aunt with a smile. 

"Well, I'd like to see something, " Russ put in. 

"I want to see some cows and sheep, " added Laddie. "Maybe I could thinkup a riddle about them if I was to see some. We had some at GrandmaBell's. "

"And he gave 'em sugar 'stid of salt, " said Russ with a laugh. 

"Well, they liked it, " Laddie declared. "Only the old ram--_he_ wasn'tnice!"

"I'm sorry, but there aren't any sheep or cows around here, " said AuntJo with a smile. "You must remember that this is a city, and not thecountry. But there are many things to see here. We can go to visitBunker Hill Monument, and we can go on excursions to NantasketBeach--oh, we can do lots of things to have fun!"

"That's good!" murmured Rose. "I think I'd like to go for a walk, andsee things. "

"So would I, " agreed her mother. "If you like, Rose, you and I will takea walk. I want to get a few things from the store. "

"Well, you can do that, " said Daddy Bunker, "and I'll stay here withAunt Jo and look after the children. I'm afraid even five little Bunkerswill be too much for her to manage. "

"Oh, no!" exclaimed Aunt Jo. "I love children!"

She had never had any of her own, being unmarried, but no mother couldhave been more kind nor have loved children any more than did Aunt Jo. 

"Well, if mother and Rose go downtown for a walk, we'll stay here andlook around a bit, " said Daddy Bunker. 

"And maybe I can find something to make, " said Russ, as he walked about, whistling his shrillest. Russ was not quite happy unless he was makingsomething, whether it was whittling a sword out of a piece of wood, orbuilding an airship. 

So, while Daddy Bunker took the children out into Aunt Jo's backyard--and she had a large one, for which the boys and girls were veryglad--Mrs. Bunker and Rose got ready to go shopping. 

At one end of the yard was the garage for the automobile. The reason shehad not sent it to the dock to meet her brother and the children whenthe boat came in was that she did not know at just what hour they wouldarrive. 

Working around the garage was William, the chauffeur, who also helpedabout the house, taking out the ashes in winter and cutting the grass insummer. 

"We've a man named Jerry Simms who does that at our house, " said Russ, when he learned what William did for Aunt Jo. "Jerry is a soldier, or hewas. Are you a soldier, Mr. William?"

"No, but I may be, some day, " he answered. 

"Have you got any corn shuckers here?" asked Laddie. 

"A corn shucker? No. What's that?"

"Well, it's a thing, and you put ears of corn in a spout and turn awheel and the kernels of corn come out of one end, and the empty cobcomes out of the other end. Grandma Bell's got one. "

"And we put Rose's doll in and shucked off all her buttons, " added Russ. 

"That's what they did, " said Daddy Bunker. "I'm glad you haven't onehere, William. Rose didn't like it when all the buttons came off herdoll. "

"But it was lots of fun, " added Laddie. "Maybe I could think up a riddleabout a corn shucker, if I tried real hard. "

"Oh, look! Here's a hose!" cried Russ, as he saw one with which Williamhad been washing the automobile. "May we squirt it?"

"I'm afraid you'll get wet, " said the chauffeur, with a look at Mr. Bunker. 

"A little water won't hurt them, " said the children's father. "They haveon their old clothes. But perhaps you don't want them to take it. "

"Oh, I was going to water the lawn, anyhow, " said William; "and I'd justas soon they would do it if you don't mind. "

"Hurray!" cried Laddie. 

"I'm going to have first turn at squirting!" insisted Russ. 

Their father settled this little dispute by saying that Vi and the twoolder boys might have the hose for five minutes at a time, and he wouldstay near by to see that everything was fair. So Laddie and Russ and Vibegan to sprinkle the lawn, while Margy and Mun Bun found a pile ofclean sand near the garage, where they could play. 

And now I must tell you something that happened to Rose and her mother. They were walking down one of the Boston streets, after having boughtsome things in one of the stores, when Rose, who was walking a littleahead of her mother, suddenly called:

"Look! Look, Mother!"

"What is it?" asked Mrs. Bunker. 

"It's a pocketbook, " went on Rose, pointing to one on the sidewalk. "Andit looks as if it had money in it. Shall I pick it up, Mother?"

"Yes. Why not?" said Mrs. Bunker, glancing about, and seeing no one whomight have dropped it. "Why shouldn't you pick it up, Rose?"

"'Cause maybe it's an April fool one, and somebody will pull it awaywith a string, " the little girl answered. 

CHAPTER VII

A SAD LETTER

April fool was something Mrs. Bunker had not thought of as she looked atthe pocketbook lying on the sidewalk. As Rose had said, it did seem tohave money in it, but perhaps it might be stuffed with paper. 

Then, too, there might be a string tied to the wallet, and boys, hiddensomewhere near, might pull on the string and yank the pocketbook awayjust as soon as any one stooped over to pick it up. Still Mrs. Bunkersaid to Rose:

"This is too late for April fool. This is August, and no boys wouldthink of playing such tricks now. "

"Maybe not, Mother, " Rose agreed. "I just thought maybe that was what itwas there for. But I'll pick it up. I hope it's got a lot of money init!"

With shining eyes Rose stooped to pick up the purse. 

"Open it, Rose, and see what is inside, " said Mrs. Bunker. "We may findout the name of the owner, and, if she lives around here--for it lookslike a lady's pocketbook--we can take it to her. "

"But we don't know the streets, Mother, " said Rose. 

"We can ask a policeman. If we find the name of the owner, and it is toofar for us to go where she lives, we can give the pocketbook to thepoliceman and he will deliver it for us. But open it and see what is init, " returned Mrs. Bunker. 

The pocketbook opened easily enough, and as Rose turned back the flapshe gave a cry of surprise. 

"What's the matter?" asked the excited child's mother. 

"Oh! Oh, it's just _full_ of money!" cried the little girl. "It's piledfull of money, Mother! Look!"

She hurried to her mother's side with the opened pocketbook. Surelyenough, when Mrs. Bunker looked, she saw a roll of green bills. Justhow many were in the pocketbook she could not tell. 

"Well, this is quite a find!" said Rose's mother. "The person who lostthis will feel bad about it. We must try to find the owner. "

"Oh, can't I keep it?" asked Rose. 

"Of course not, " said her mother. "Whenever we find anything we must tryto discover the owner and give the lost thing back. If you lost yourdoll you'd want whoever found her to give her back; wouldn't you?"

"Oh, of course, Mother! But Sue--she isn't a _pocketbook_ full ofmoney. "

"No, " agreed Mrs. Bunker with a smile. "If Russ were here I suppose he'dsay your doll was full of sawdust. However, no matter what it is, wemust give back whatever we have found if we can find the owner. Ofcourse, after we have tried hard, if we can't discover who lost whateverwe have found, we may keep it. "

"How can we tell who lost this pocketbook and all the money?" askedRose. 

"We'll look inside, and we'll also count the money, " said her mother. 

"Maybe it's a hundred dollars!" exclaimed the little girl, her eyesshining brightly. 

"Perhaps it may be, " said Mrs. Bunker. "But we won't count it out hereon the street. We have nearly finished shopping, so we will take thepocketbook home with us, and show it to Daddy and Aunt Jo. "

Rose had the wallet open, looking at the roll of bills inside. Now hermother gently took it from her and closed it. 

"What made you do that?" asked Rose. 

"Because the wind might blow some of the money out, " was the answer, "and then we could not give it all back to the poor person who owns it. "

"What makes you think the pocketbook is a poor person's?" asked Rose, who was asking almost as many questions as would her sister Vi had shebeen there. 

"Well, the pocketbook is rather a shabby one, even though it seems tohave quite a lot of money in it, " said Mrs. Bunker, as she put it awayin her own shopping bag. "The leather is worn and it is torn. But wewill go over it more carefully when we get home. "

Rose could hardly wait to get back to Aunt Jo's house to look fartherinto the pocketbook and see what it held. No one on the street had paidthe slightest attention to Rose and her mother when the wallet had beenfound, and no policeman was in sight who could be asked about it. SoMrs. Bunker thought the best thing to do was to take it with her andexamine it later. 

When Aunt Jo's house was reached Laddie, Vi and Russ had about finishedwatering the lawn. They had watered themselves a little, also, for theywere so eager, and took so many turns with the hose that it splashed onthem. 

But the day was warm, and, as they had on their old clothes, theirfather did not mind, as long as they did not get too wet. 

"Oh, we had lots of fun!" cried Russ as he saw his mother and Rosecoming along. 

"We had a dandy time!" added Laddie. 

"You don't know what I found!" cried Rose, not thinking so much abouther brothers' fun with the hose as she was about what had happened toherself and her mother. "I found something!"

"What?" asked Vi. 

"Was it a little kittie?" asked Mun Bun, who, with Margy, had finishedplaying in the sand pile. 

"No, it wasn't a kittie, though I wish I could find one, " said Rose. 

"Did you find a new riddle?" Laddie wanted to know. He thought more ofriddles than of many other things that most boys like. 

"No, it wasn't a riddle, " answered Rose. "You'd never guess, so I'lltell you. I found a pocketbook, and maybe it's got two hundred dollarsin it! So there!"

"Oh, you did not! Did she, Mother?" asked Russ, in surprise at what hissister had said. 

"Yes, Rose did find a pocketbook, " answered Mrs. Bunker. "It was lyingon the sidewalk in front of us. But whether it has two hundred dollarsin it, or only one hundred, I don't know yet. "

"Where is it? Where is it?" cried Vi over and over. 

"In my bag. We really did make quite a find, " she went on to her husbandand Aunt Jo, who came out on the porch just then. "Look!" and Mrs. Bunker took the purse out of her shopping bag, handing it over to herhusband. 

"See if you can find out who owns it, " she suggested. 

"And if nobody owns it I'm going to keep it for mine, " said Rose. 

"Can she, Mother?" Russ wanted to know. 

"Well, we'll see, " said Mrs. Bunker. 

Meanwhile her husband was opening the pocketbook. He saw the roll ofbills and whistled. 

"Well, there's some money here, anyhow, " he said. "I'll count it first, so we'll know just how much it is. "

Mr. Bunker was used to counting over bills. He could not do it quite asfast, perhaps, as the cashier in a bank, but he soon had spread out themoney in a chair in front of him on the porch, and he said:

"There are just sixty-five dollars here. "

"Sixty-five!" exclaimed Rose. "I thought it was two hundred. "

"Is sixty-five dollars much money?" asked Vi. 

"Well, sixty-five dollars is a lot of money if you lose it, " said herfather. "And whoever lost this will be very glad to get it back, you maybe sure. "

"Is there anything else in the pocketbook to tell who may own it?" askedMrs. Bunker. 

"No, there doesn't seem to be anything but just the roll of bills, " heanswered. "Hold on, though!" he exclaimed, as he looked in another partof the pocketbook, "here is some sort of a paper. "

"That may have the owner's name on it, " said Aunt Jo. "I always carry inmy purse a slip with my name and address on it, so if I lose mypocketbook whoever finds it will know where to bring it back. Probablythat is what this is. "

"No, it doesn't seem to be, " said Mr. Bunker. "This appears to be partof a letter. Of course it isn't nice to read letters that are for otherpeople, but as we are trying to find out to whom this money andpocketbook belong it will be all right. I'll read this. "

He took out a folded paper from a compartment in the pocketbook next towhere the money had been, and began to read. He read it aloud. It said:

 "DEAR MOTHER: I am so glad you have the sixty-five dollars, for then you will not have to work so hard, and can take a little rest. It was so good of Uncle Jack to send it to you. I feel so much better now that you have this money. You will not have to worry so much. I am working hard myself, but I like it, and I will save all I can and send all I can spare to you. Take good care of the money and don't lose it, for you may never have as much again. I am very lonesome and wish I could see you, but I know the rest will do you good. With lots of love. "

"Is that all?" asked Mrs. Bunker, as her husband stopped reading. 

"That is all, " he said. 

"Isn't there any name or address to that little letter?" Aunt Jo wantedto know. 

"No, nothing like that, " answered her brother. "The only name in it is'Uncle Jack, ' and that might mean anybody. There must have been a namesigned to the letter, but it has been torn off. You can see where thepaper has been torn across. I don't see how we can find who owns themoney from this letter. "

"Maybe there is something else in the pocketbook, " said Russ. 

Mr. Bunker looked, and did find a Chinese coin with a square hole in it. There was only the letter, addressed to "Dear Mother, " and thesixty-five dollars, and the Chinese coin. 

"We'll have to put an advertisement in the paper, saying we have found apocketbook, " said Mr. Bunker. "Whoever has lost it will see theadvertisement and call here. And we must look in the 'lost and found'advertisements in the paper to-night. "

"Yes, we'll do that, " said Aunt Jo. "The poor woman must be very sadover her loss. She will be very glad to get it back, and----"

Just then the telephone in Aunt Jo's house gave a loud ring. 

"Oh, " cried Rose. "Maybe that's some one now to ask about the pocketbookI found. Oh, maybe it is!"

CHAPTER VIII

RUSS MAKES A FOUNTAIN

The six little Bunkers, as well as their father and mother, waited whileAunt Jo went to answer the telephone, which kept on ringing as though ina hurry. Vi had asked "Who's ringing?" but of course nobody could tellher until Aunt Jo answered the call. 

"Yes! What is it?" asked Aunt Jo into the mouthpiece of the instrument, which stood on a table in the sitting-room. "Oh, it's you, is it, Mr. North?" she went on. "What's that? Did we lose anything? No, not that Iknow of. One of my little guests _found_ something, but I haven't heardof anything being lost. Wait a minute, though, until I count noses. I'llsee if all the six little Bunkers are here. I might have missed one andnot know it. "

Laughing, Aunt Jo turned from the telephone to look at the children. They were all there, from Russ the oldest to Mun Bun the youngest. ThenAunt Jo spoke again into the instrument. 

"No, we haven't lost anything, " she said. "Oh, you'll bring it over, will you, Mr. North? Thank you!"

"Was it something about the pocketbook?" asked Rose eagerly. 

"No, it was nothing like that, " answered her aunt. "The gentleman whotelephoned was Mr. North, my next-door neighbor. He says he hassomething belonging to one of you children, and he is going to bring itright over. Did any of you leave out any of your toys when you wereplaying in the yard?"

"I didn't, " said Russ, and none of his brothers or sisters could thinkof anything of theirs that was missing. In a few minutes the door bellrang, and when this was answered, Mr. North brought in what seemed to bea bundle of rags. 

"Your dog Alexis brought this over and left it on my door mat, " he saidto Aunt Jo. 

"Oh, it's my doll Sue!" cried Rose, as she ran forward to take it. "Iforgot all about her. I left her to sleep on the porch in the sun soshe would get nice and tanned, as I do when I go to the seashore, andthen I went downtown with mother and I forgot all about her. "

"Well, I'm glad to bring her back to you, " said Mr. North with a smile. "I guess I must have been holding her upside down, " and so he had. Thatwas what made Sue look so like a bundle of rags. Really she was a nicedoll when she was held right side up. 

"It's queer Alexis brought her to your house, instead of in here to me, "said Aunt Jo. 

"Oh, Alexis and I are great friends, " said Mr. North. "He often bringsme my paper when the boy leaves it at the front gate instead of walkingup to the porch with it, and perhaps your dog might have thought thiswas a paper, though a very large one, " and Mr. North smiled at Rose. 

Mr. North had been introduced to the six little Bunkers, and also toDaddy and Mother Bunker, when he entered, and he stayed some littletime, talking with them, for he liked children, though all his weregrown into big boys and girls now. 

"I found a pocketbook, " said Rose, when she had got over her first bitof shyness sufficiently to talk to the visitor. 

"Did you, indeed? Well, you are lucky!" said Mr. North. Then he was toldabout the sixty-five dollars, and shown the sad letter in thepocketbook. 

"We are going to put an advertisement in the paper, " said Aunt Jo. "Andif you hear of any poor woman who has lost this sum of money, or readabout any in the paper, I wish you would tell us. "

"I will, " promised Mr. North. "Well, Rose, you have had quite anexperience almost as soon as you come to Boston. What are you childrengoing to do the rest of your stay here?"

"I'm afraid I won't know how to provide fun for so many of them, " saidAunt Jo. "I want them to have a good time, and remember their visitpleasantly, but I have no toys for girls and boys----"

"That's just what I was going to speak about, " said Mr. North. "There isan express wagon in my barn, and an old velocipede, as well as acoaster wagon. They used to belong to my youngsters, but they haveoutgrown them. If the six little Bunkers would like to play with thosetoys they are very welcome. "

"That will be splendid!" cried Aunt Jo. "I was just wondering what Icould do to amuse Russ and the others, for I haven't any things thatchildren like, and we can't go on sight-seeing trips or excursions allthe while, though we will go on some. The toys you have, Mr. North, willbe just the thing. "

And indeed they did prove so. The next day Russ and his brothers andsisters went over to Mr. North's barn. It was an old-fashioned one, thekind horses and carriages used to be kept in before there wereautomobiles. Mr. North also had a garage for his cars, but the old barnstood far back in his yard, which was a large one next to Aunt Jo's, andin it were the velocipede, the express wagon, a coaster wagon and otherthings with which to have fun. 

"Oh, we can have jolly good times now!" cried Russ. 

"And I can give my doll a ride, after Alexis carried her in his teeth, "put in Rose. 

"Can't we have rides, too?" asked Vi. 

"'Course you can, " answered Russ. "I'll give you a nice ride. "

And then, while Aunt Jo and Mother Bunker went to a Red Cross meetingand while Daddy Bunker went downtown to put an advertisement in thepaper about the pocketbook Rose had found, the children played aroundMr. North's barn and Aunt Jo's yard. 

"Will it be all right to leave them while we go out?" asked Aunt Jo ofMrs. Bunker. 

"Oh, yes, as long as your man, William, and your cook, Parker, and yourhousemaid, Anne, are around to sort of look after them. I often leavethem with our Norah and Jerry Simms. "

So the six little Bunkers were left to themselves. And you can easilyimagine that they had all sorts of good times. There was a stone walkaround Aunt Jo's house, as well as around Mr. North's, and there Russand his brothers and sisters rode in the express wagon, on thevelocipede and on the coaster. They laughed and shouted, and every nowand then there would be an upset, but no one was hurt and they allseemed to like it. 

Now and then Parker or William or Anne would come out from the house orthe garage to look and see that the six little Bunkers were coming to noharm, and when they found the children were all right they smiled, forit was fun to watch them play. 

"I know what we can do, " said Russ to Laddie, after they had taken turnsriding on the velocipede and coaster. Just at this time Margy and MunBun had the coaster and were playing steam-car with it. 

"What can we do?" asked Laddie, always ready to have fun with his olderbrother. 

"We can make a harness for Alexis, and hitch him to the express wagon, "went on Russ. 

"Oh, that'll be lots of fun!" cried Laddie. "But what'll we make aharness of? Aunt Jo hasn't any horses and Mr. North hasn't either. "

"We can make it of string, " said Russ. "It doesn't need to be verystrong, for we aren't very heavy to pull. "

So Russ and Laddie begged pieces of string from Parker, not telling whatthey were going to make. 

"If it's a cat's cradle you have cord enough for a dozen, " said thegood-natured cook, as she handed out the pieces of string she had savedfrom the grocery packages. 

"No, we're not going to make cats' cradles, " answered Russ. "You can seeit when we get finished. "

It was no very hard matter to catch Alexis and fasten a lot of pieces ofstring around him, as nearly like a harness as the two little boys couldmanage. The dog loved children, and asked nothing better than to be withthem. So he stood very still, just hanging his tongue out of his mouth, as the day was hot, while Laddie and Russ tied the cord around him. Thenthey fastened the ends to the express wagon, tying a number of knots. 

"We've got to have lines to drive him with, " said Laddie. "Else we can'tguide him the way we want him to go. "

"Yes, I'll make some lines, " said Russ. He tied two strings around theneck of Alexis, one for the left-hand side and the other for the right. 

"I can't put a bit in his mouth, as I could if he was a horse, " saidRuss, "'cause Alexis holds his mouth open so much, to cool off histongue, that the bit would fall out. "

"That's right, " said Laddie. "Anyhow, we don't want a bit. Now can wehave a ride?"

"I guess so, " said Russ. 

There was quite a collection of strings tied around Alexis and made fastto the little express wagon. 

"We'll get in now, " said Russ, when he had the cord reins in his hands, "and we'll drive around the walk where Rose and Vi are playing withtheir dolls, " for the two girls were having a party, with cookies andsugar water, which had been given to them by Parker. 

Into the wagon got Russ and Laddie. Alexis, harnessed to the littlewagon, turned his head to look at them, as if to make sure they were allright. 

"Gid-dap!" called Russ, as he would to a horse. 

"Bow-wow!" barked the dog, meaning, perhaps: "I will!"

Then he started to walk off. 

Now, when I tell you that Alexis was a big, strong dog, and that Laddieand Russ in the express wagon made quite a heavy load, and when I saythat the string harness was not very strong, you can easily imagine whathappened. Alexis had not taken more than two steps before----

Snap! went the string harness, and it broke in several places. 

"Whoa! Whoa!" called Russ. "Whoa there, Alexis!"

But Alexis never "whoaed" a bit. He kept on walking, and he walked rightoff with the bits of the string harness clinging to him, leaving theexpress wagon with the two little boys in it on the walk at the side ofthe house. 

"Come on back and give us a ride!" called Laddie. 

"I guess we'll have to make a stronger harness, " said Russ with a laugh. 

"I guess so, too, " agreed Laddie. 

Anyhow, Alexis didn't come back. Just outside Aunt Jo's fence he sawanother dog which he knew, and he ran up to have a "talk" with him, inbow-wow language, of course. 

"Well, we didn't get a ride, " said Laddie. 

"No, " agreed Russ, "we didn't. But I know what else we can do. "

"What?" asked Laddie. 

Russ did not answer for a moment. He was looking at a shovel lying inthe back part of the yard, where William had been spading for a lateflower bed. Then Russ saw the hose with which the man had been washingthe automobile. 

"We can make a fountain, Laddie!" exclaimed Russ. 

"A fountain! How?"

"Come on, I'll show you!" said Russ. 

Then he and his brother began to make a fountain. And I suppose youwonder how they did it. 

CHAPTER IX

WHAT HAPPENED TO WILLIAM

"First, " said Russ, as he took up the shovel, "we've got to make ahole. "

"I thought you said we were going to make a fountain, " said Laddie. 

"We are, " Russ went on. "But first you have to have some place for thefountain water to run into, don't you?"

"I guess so, " agreed Laddie, who was not quite sure. 

"'Course you have, " insisted his older brother. "Don't you 'member how afountain is? It has a big basin where the water splashes in out of athing like a hose, and us boys could paddle our feet in the water if wewanted to. "

"Oh! are you goin' to make _that_ kind of a fountain?" asked Laddie. 

"Sure, " said Russ. "Come on, help me dig the hole, and then we'll fixthe hose in it and run it full of water and then we can paddle in it--Imean in the hole full of water--and the hose'll be squirtin', and thatwill be a fountain. "

"That'll be fine!" cried Laddie. "I'll get a shovel and help you dig. "

Laddie found a small shovel in the barn, and, Russ using the larger one, which was really too big for him, the two brothers began to make theirfountain. If their father and mother had been at home, or even Aunt Johad seen them, I don't suppose they would have been allowed to do this, for it wasn't exactly right, no matter how much fun they thought theywould have. 

But the boys went on digging, making a deep and large hole in thegarden. They tossed the dirt out with their shovels, and, as the soilwas soft, it was easy for them to dig in it. 

"Isn't it 'most big enough now?" asked Laddie, after a while. 

"Almost, " Russ answered, as he looked up from where he stood in thehole. 

"I'm tired--my back aches, " Laddie went on. 

"I'm tired, too, " said Russ. "But I guess when you build a fountain itmakes 'most everybody tired. We'll only dig a little more, and then wecan run the water in and wade. I haven't had a good wade since we camefrom Grandma Bell's. "

"Neither have I, " said Laddie. 

So they dug some more, until they really had quite a large hole in thegarden, and then Russ went to get the hose. It was still attached to thefaucet, but the water was not turned on. 

If William had seen what the boys were doing he would have stopped them. For, though Mr. And Mrs. Bunker had said nothing about not letting thechildren play in the water, and though Aunt Jo had not spoken of it, either, still, I feel sure William would have stopped Laddie and Russfrom making their fountain if he had seen them. But he did not. He wasdoing something inside the garage just then, and it was at this timethat Russ took the nozzle end of the hose, and dragged the long, rubberpipe over toward the hole he and Laddie had dug. 

"Now all we've got to do is to fasten the hose in the hole, so itsticks up straight, " said Russ. "Then I'll turn the water on, and we'llhave a fountain and we can wade in it. "

"That'll be fun!" exclaimed Laddie. 

At first Russ did not have an easy time trying to make the hose nozzlestand up straight in the hole he and his brother had dug. Then the boy, after whistling a bit, and thinking as well as he could, exclaimed:

"I know how to do it!"

"How?" asked Laddie. 

"Why, I'll just drive a stick down in the middle of the hole, and I'llleave part of it sticking up. Then I can tie the end of the hose to it, sticking up in the air, you know, and when I turn the water on it'llsquirt right straight up and come down in the fountain. "

"That'll be nice, " said Laddie. But you just wait and see what happens. 

Russ found an old broom-handle, and, using the shovel for a hammer, hedrove this stick down into the soft dirt, leaving enough showing abovethe bottom of the hole to which to tie the hose. 

Laddie helped his brother do this, and then the fountain was ready to"play" as it is called. I suppose the water bubbling up and down, as itdoes in a fountain, really looks as though it were playing. 

"Now we're all ready to turn it on, " said Russ when the hose was tiedfast. 

"And then we can wade in the fountain, " added Laddie. "I'm going to getmy shoes and stockings off now, " and he sat down on the ground, near thehole, and began to do this. 

Russ went back to where, on the outside wall of the garage, the hose wasscrewed on the faucet. He tried to turn the brass handle. But it wasstiff, and more than his little fingers could manage. 

"Come here, Laddie!" called Russ. "You've got to help me turn on thewater. "

"Wait till I get my other shoe off!" said Laddie. 

"No, come on! Do it now!" said Russ. "You can take your shoe offafterwards, while we're waiting for the fountain basin to fill. "

So, with one shoe on and the other off, Laddie limped over to the garageto help his brother turn the faucet. Before this William had finishedwhat he was doing, and had gone to the house to ask Parker something. Hedid not notice what Laddie and Russ were doing, but on his way back tothe garage the chauffeur saw the pile of dirt, noticed the hole andlooked at the end of the hose sticking up in the air. 

"Now I wonder what that is, " said William to himself. "I didn't leavethe hose like that, and I don't believe Alexis could have dug such a bighole. I must certainly see what it is. "

So William, forgetting for the moment about the little Bunkers, walkedover to the hose. He saw it sticking up in the hole and, as he bent overit, he said:

"This must be the work of Laddie and Russ. I wonder what they're goingto do. Play fireman, maybe. "

And it was just then, as William leaned over the hose, that Russ andLaddie managed to turn the faucet. You can imagine what happened afterthat. 

Through the hose spurted the water, out of the end, right in William'sface. But of course Laddie and Russ did not mean to do that. 

"Oh, my! Here! What's this! Oh, I'm all wet!" spluttered the chauffeur. He jumped back, but not quite far enough, for he stumbled over some ofthe dirt, and fell down, and the water, shooting up into the air, camedown on him in a regular shower. 

"I say now! Stop it! Shut off the water!" cried William. 

At first Laddie and Russ did not know what he meant. Then they lookedtoward the hole, which they intended for a fountain, and saw thechauffeur getting wet. William's legs seemed to be so tangled that hecouldn't get up in a hurry, and he was getting very wet. 

"Turn off the water! Turn off the water!" he begged. "I'm getting allmud!"

Laddie and Russ were frightened, then, and they tried to shut off thefaucet. But, just as, often, when you want to do a thing in a hurry youcan't, so it happened with the two boys. The faucet wouldn't turn, andthe water kept on spurting, and William kept getting wet, until hefinally managed to roll out of the way and then he stood up, looking atthe showering hose. 

"What's all this?" asked the dripping chauffeur, but he was not angry. "What are you boys doing?"

"Please, it's a fountain we made, " said Russ. 

"And we're goin' wadin' in it!" added Laddie. "Oh, look, Russ! Itsquirts fine! I'm going to take off my other shoe!"

He sat down to do this. Really the fountain made from the hose, wassending out a fine shower of water that sparkled in the sun. The waterwas beginning to fill the hole the boys had dug. 

"What are you going to do?" asked William, wiping the water from hisface. 

"We're goin' wadin' in the fountain, " explained Laddie. "That's what wemade it for. "

"Oh, no, you'd better not, " said William. "I'm sorry, but your auntwouldn't like a fountain in her garden. It'll only be a mud-hole, andyou'll get all dirty. Your father and mother wouldn't want that. I guessI'd better shut off the water. When your aunt comes home, if she letsyou do it, why then it will be all right. But I'm afraid I can't let youdo it now. "

Russ and Laddie looked disappointed. After all their work not to havethe fountain! It was too bad!

"We--we're sorry you got wet, " said Russ, thinking perhaps William felta little vexed at them. 

"Oh, that's all right, " said William. "I don't mind. These are my oldclothes, anyhow. But I'd best shut off the water. "

He started toward the faucet to do this. Already the hole Laddie andRuss had dug was half full, and would have made, as Russ said, a "dandy"place to wade. But it was not to be. 

As the boys stood beside the hole half filled with water, and as Williamwas at the faucet, ready to turn it off, a loud barking was heard, andinto the garden came racing a little dog, chased by big Alexis, who wasbarking loudly. 

"Oh, look!" cried Russ. 

And then something else happened. 

CHAPTER X

ROSE MAKES AN AIRSHIP

The little dog that Alexis was racing after must have thought the puddleof water Russ and Laddie had made would be a good place in which tohide. For right into it he ran, and he splattered some of the muddywater over the two boys, who stood near the hole they had dug. Williamwas over at the garage, turning off the faucet, so he did not get wetthis time. And it was a good thing, too, as he was quite wet enoughalready. 

The little dog kept on paddling in the puddle, but big Alexis did notstop when he came to the edge. With a loud bark, in he jumped, and as hewas almost as big as a small Shetland pony you can easily imagine what abig splash he made. 

"Oh! Oh!" cried Russ, as he felt the muddy water shower all over him. 

In the puddle floundered Alexis after the smaller dog, and as the waterwas not deep enough for Aunt Jo's Great Dane to swim in, he just ranthrough it, really making more of a splash than if he had swum. And hesplashed a lot of muddy water over Russ and Laddie. 

"Oh, look at me!" cried Laddie, as he glanced down at his suit, whichwas speckled and checkered with wet and brown spots. 

"I'm the same way, " said Russ. "But I don't care! We couldn't help it, and these are our old clothes, anyhow. "

Just then the little dog scrambled out on the far side of the hole, andAlexis, with a bark, sprang after him. 

"Oh, stop him, William!" cried Laddie. "Stop him! Alexis will bite thelittle dog all to pieces. "

"No, he won't do that, " replied the chauffeur. "The two dogs are goodfriends. The little one lives down the street a way, and he and Alexisoften play together this way, and race all over the yard. But I neversaw 'em go into a mud-puddle before. Say, but you two youngsters aresights! Look at the mud!"

He had shut off the water by this time, and come back to the hole. Meanwhile Alexis was rolling on the grass, letting the little dogpretend to bite his ears. 

"The mud'll brush off, " said Russ. 

"These are our old clothes, " added his brother. 

"Well, that's a good thing, " said the chauffeur. "We're all in the sameboat, I guess. But don't dig any more holes in the yard, and don't playwith the hose unless your aunt says you may. She may blame me as it is. "

When Mrs. Bunker and Aunt Jo came home, the mud had pretty well dried onthe clothes of Russ and Laddie, and they did not look so dirty. But ofcourse they told what had happened. 

"You must never do it again!" said their mother. "Don't make any morefountains in Aunt Jo's yard. "

"We won't, " promised Laddie. 

"Could we make one over in Mr. North's yard?" asked Russ. "Maybe he'dlike one. "

"No, not over there, either, " his mother said, trying not to laugh. 

So that was how Russ made a fountain, and what happened afterward, andfor many a day he and Laddie had fun telling the other little Bunkerswhat they had done. 

As the summer days went by the children had lots of fun at Aunt Jo's. They went downtown to see the sights of Boston, including Bunker Hillmonument, saw some nice moving-picture shows and went on excursions. 

Meanwhile, Daddy Bunker and others had looked in the paper to see if anyone had advertised for a lost pocketbook with sixty-five dollars in it. But no one had. 

And to make sure of finding the owner Mr. Bunker put an advertisement inhimself, stating that such a purse had been found, and offering to giveit to the real owner. 

But no one came to claim it. The shabby wallet, with the roll of billsand the sad little letter, was locked in Aunt Jo's safe, waiting for theowner to come. But no one came. 

"And can I keep the money?" asked Rose, who inquired, each day, whetherany one had yet come for it. 

"We'll see, " promised her mother. 

"I'd like to have the money to spend, " went on Rose. 

"Oh, my dear! What would you spend so much money for?" asked Aunt Jo. 

"I'd buy a lot of circus balloons, " answered Rose. "I know a store, about two blocks down the street, that sells 'em. And I want some. "

"Oh, well, if you only want money for a toy balloon I'll give you that, "said her mother. 

"May I have one, too?" asked Vi. 

"And me?" added Margy. 

"And me?" said Mun Bun. "What is it?"

He always wanted what the others had, whether or not he knew what itwas. 

"Let's all get one!" exclaimed Russ, who seemed to have an idea. "Let'sall get a balloon, and then we can tie strings to 'em and see which onegoes the highest. "

"We can have a race!" suggested Laddie. 

"That's right!" agreed Russ. "We'll have a race. "

Thinking this would be harmless fun for the children, Mrs. Bunker gavethem money enough so each one could buy a good ten-cent toy balloon, forRose wanted that kind. 

"The tenners are bigger than the fivers, " she said, "and they go higherand last longer. "

With shouts of glee and laughter the six little Bunkers went down thestreet to get the toy balloons. It was not far, and their mother knewthey would not get lost. 

"I'm afraid the children aren't having as much fun here at my house inBoston as they had at Grandma Bell's, " said Aunt Jo, as the youngsterswent down the street after the balloons. 

"Oh, they are indeed!" said Mother Bunker. "They always have a goodtime, wherever they go. Don't worry about them. "

"If the weather keeps nice we'll go down to Nantasket Beach some day, "said Aunt Jo. "I think they'll like it there. It is a seaside resort. "

"They'll be sure to, " said Mrs. Bunker. "I do wish we could find theperson who owned that sixty-five dollars. I have an idea it must be thesavings of some poor woman, or rather, from the letter, money some onesent her. It must be hard for her to lose it, but we can't seem to findto whom it belongs. "

"Perhaps we shall, some day, " said Aunt Jo. And they were to, in a verystrange way, as you shall hear in due time. 

Down the street ran the six little Bunkers, to get the toy balloons. They saw them in the store window--red, green and blue ones, and theypicked out different colors. 

"Don't they look pretty?" cried Vi, as they marched back with theblown-up rubber bags floating in the air over their heads. 

As yet the balloons had only short strings on them, and Rose, to makesure the toys of Mun Bun and Margy would not get away, tied the stringsto their wrists. 

"They look like big plums or apples, " said Laddie. "Maybe I could thinkup a riddle about the balloons. "

"Well, you can be thinking about it when we have a race to see which onegoes highest in the air, " said Russ. "When we get to Aunt Jo's house, we'll get string and let the balloons sail away up. "

Mother Bunker said strong thread would be better than string, as itwould not be so heavy, and soon the six little Bunkers were out in thefront yard, letting their toys sail high above their heads. 

"Mine's the highest!" cried Russ, as he looked at his green balloonfloating high above the trees. 

"That's 'cause you let out all the thread, " said Laddie. "I'm not goingto let all mine unwind. "

And neither did the other children, for they were afraid their toysmight get away. For some time they had fun in this way, pulling theballoons down when they got very far up in the air, and then lettingthem float upward again. 

Then came a call from the house. It was Mother Bunker, saying:

"Here is some bread and jam for hungry children. How many of you wantit?"

There was no question as to how many did. Each of the six little Bunkerswas hungry. 

"Let's tie our balloons to the fence and leave 'em here until we getback, " said Russ, and this was done, he and Rose tying the threads ofMun Bun and Margy, who could not make very good knots as yet. 

And so, with the balloons floating out in front, the children went backto sit under the grape-arbor and eat bread and jam that Parker spreadfor them. 

It was so good that some of them had two slices, and then Williambrought the automobile out of the garage and began to get it ready for arun. Aunt Jo was to take the children for a ride. 

"What's William doing to the auto?" asked Vi. 

"Come on! Let's watch him!" proposed Russ, and he and Laddie, with Vi, Mun Bun and Margy, ran over to where the chauffeur was doing somethingto the car. 

"Will our balloons be all right?" asked Laddie. 

"Yes, they can't get away, " said Russ. 

Well, that was true enough. The balloons could not have gotten away bythemselves, but something happened to them. 

Rose did not go with her brothers and sisters over to watch William. Instead, she went into the house, got Lily, one of her dolls, and asmall basket. Rose had a queer idea in her little head, and she wasgoing to carry it out. 

A day or so before an airship had flown over Boston, circling aroundthe Back Bay section, and right over Aunt Jo's house. The children weremuch excited by it, and at first Russ was going to make one. But hefound it harder than he supposed, so he gave it up. 

"But I can make an airship, " said Rose to herself. "Anyhow I can makesomething to give my doll a ride in the air in a basket. "

And that is what the little girl was going to do. She had felt how hardone balloon pulled--for they were filled with gas just as a real balloonis--and Rose thought that if one balloon pulled so strongly six wouldpull harder yet. 

"I'll tie all six balloons to the basket, and put Lily in and give heran airship ride, " said Rose. 

So, while her brothers and sisters were watching the chauffeur, this iswhat Rose did. She carefully loosed each balloon, besides her own, fromthe fence, and tied the strings to the handle of the basket in which sheput Lily. 

Lily was not heavy like Sue, the doll about which I told you before, theone the lady once thought was her baby in the car. The basket was notheavy, either. So that when Rose had tied the last balloon to thehandle, she found that it rose into the air with her doll, and wouldhave floated off, only Rose tied a cord to the bottom of the basket, andkept hold of that. 

"Now I've got an airship for my doll!" exclaimed the little girl, and, really, she did have one kind of airship. 

Up above her head floated the basket with Lily in it, and Rose was quitepleased. 

[Illustration: ABOVE HER HEAD FLOATED THE BASKET WITH LILY IN IT. 

_Six Little Bunkers at Aunt Jo's. --Page 102_]

"I can make things as good as Russ, even if I can't whistle like him, "she said. "This is fun! Don't you like it, Lily?"

Of course Lily couldn't answer and say that she did, but if dolls likeairship rides I'm sure this one of Rose's did. 

Up and along floated the balloons, lifting the basket, and then, all ofa sudden, something happened. 

CHAPTER XI

VI IS LOST

Rose said, afterward, that it was not the fault of Alexis, though thebarking of the big dog made her jump and lose her hold on the stringthat was fast to the basket in which the doll Lily rode as if in anairship. But that is what happened. 

As Rose was walking along, letting the balloons float over her head, andgiving a ride to Lily, the big dog came bounding out of the side yard. He wanted to play with Rose, and he raced toward her, jumping up anddown. Rose was afraid he would jump up and put his paws on her, andAlexis was so big that when he did this to any of the six little Bunkershe almost always knocked them down. In fact, he had knocked Mun Bun andMargy down more than once, but only in fun, and he had not hurt them. 

"Go away, Alexis! Now go away!" exclaimed Rose, as she held the stringabove her head. "I can't play with you now, because I got to give Lilyan airship ride. Go away, Alexis!"

But Alexis didn't want to go away! He barked and he danced around, andhe kept coming closer and closer to Rose, until he really almost bumpedinto her. And then it happened. 

Rose let go of the string, by which she was holding the basket that hadLily in it, and up it shot, high in the air, pulled by the gas-filledtoy balloons. There were six of them, extra big ten-cent ones, and theycould easily lift the small doll in the basket. 

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" cried Rose, three times. "Look what you made me do, Alexis! Oh! Oh!"

And yet, afterward, Rose said it wasn't the dog's fault. 

"I oughtn't to have taken anybody's balloon but mine, and then theywouldn't be lost, " said the little girl sadly. 

For that is what happened. 

Up and up into the air, high above Rose's head, shot the sixballoons--red, green and blue--carrying the doll. When she first feltthe string pulling out of her hand Rose did not know what to do. Then, as she saw the balloons sailing away, she jumped up into the air andtried to grab them. But it was too late. Away over the trees sailed theairship Rose had made, carrying her doll on an unknown voyage. 

"Oh, dear!" cried the little girl again, as she saw that, no matter howhigh she jumped, she could not get hold of the string again. "Oh, dear!"

She looked at the six floating balloons, hoping they might get caught ina tree, as once one did that Mun Bun had. 

But no such good luck as this happened. The balloons sailed clear of thetrees and went on and on and up and up, becoming smaller and smaller. 

"Oh, my poor, dear Lily!" sobbed Rose, and she was really crying now. "My dear, darling Lily!"

"Why, what is the matter, my dear?" asked Aunt Jo, who came along, justthen. "Has anything happened? Did Alexis hurt you?" for she saw the bigdog standing near Rose, and thought perhaps, in his play, he might havescratched the little girl. 

"No, it wasn't the fault of Alexis, " said Rose, "though he did bump intome and make me let go of the string. But I ought never to have taken theballoons. "

"The balloons?" asked Aunt Jo, not exactly understanding at first. 

"Yes, " said Rose. "They're gone. I made an airship of 'em for my doll, and--there she goes!"

She pointed up into the air. Aunt Jo saw the toy balloons, tied to thehandle of the basket, and they were getting smaller and smaller. 

"Oh, my dear little girl!" said she. "And you have taken all theballoons! That's too bad!"

And Rose cried harder than ever. Really she had not done just right, butof course she had not meant to spoil the fun of her brothers andsisters, and lose their toys. But she had. 

Pretty soon Russ, Laddie and the others came from having watched Williamget the automobile ready. 

"Where are our balloons?" demanded Laddie, not seeing them tied to thefence. 

"They're gone, " said Aunt Jo softly, as she put her arms around Rose. 

"Gone?" cried Russ. "Where? Did they bust?"

"I made an airship of 'em, " confessed Rose, "and let go the cord whenAlexis bumped me, and--and there they go!" and she pointed to the sky. 

Well, you can easily imagine that the five little Bunkers felt quite badat losing their balloons. Margy and Mun Bun cried, being the smallest. Vi looked as if she wanted to, and so did Laddie. But Laddie felt he wastoo big, and Vi didn't want to do anything her twin brother didn't do;especially crying. 

Russ swallowed what seemed to be a lump in his throat, and then, learning that his sister's doll had been carried off in the "airship"and seeing how bad Rose felt, and noticing the tears on her cheeks, hesaid:

"Oh, well, maybe the balloons would have busted anyhow. I don't care'cause you lost mine, Rose. "

"I don't either, " said Laddie bravely. 

Then Vi said the same thing. Wasn't that good of them? I think so. 

Of course Margy and Mun Bun, being little, felt worse over the loss oftheir balloons than the others did. But Aunt Jo found some pieces ofcandy for the little tots, and promised they could have new balloons ina few days. 

"And now we'll all go for an auto ride, " she said. 

That made Margy and Mun Bun smile, and the other little Bunkers alsofelt better. 

"Will you take us out the way the balloons are blowing?" asked Russ, forthe "airship" could still be seen, a faint speck in the sky. 

"Why do you want to go that way?" asked Aunt Jo. 

"Because maybe then we can get the balloons back, " Russ said. 

"And my doll, too, and the basket!" added Rose eagerly. 

"Maybe, " said Russ. "You know balloons and airships have always got tocome down. They can't sail on forever, and when this one you made, Rose, comes down, we can get it, and your doll, too. "

"Oh, won't that be good!" cried the little girl. "I do hope we can!"

"Well, of course you may find it, " said Aunt Jo; "but I'm afraid younever will, Rose. Of course I know, around the Fourth of July, sometimesfire balloons, that burn out and don't burn up, come down. Once one camedown in our yard, and William got it. And this may happen to theballoons you sent up, or that you let get away from you. The gas may allgo out of them, as it probably will, and the basket and the doll willcome down. "

"I'd like to get Lily again, awful much, " said Rose. "'Course she wasn'tmy best doll, but I love her just the same. "

"Well, we'll take an automobile ride, " said her aunt, "and if we see theairship down anywhere we'll get it. "

"Maybe some other little girl will find it, as you did the pocketbook, and want to keep it, " suggested Russ. 

"Well, if she knew it was my doll wouldn't she give it back to me?"asked Rose. 

"I'm sure she would, " put in Aunt Jo. "But don't set your heart too muchon it, my dear. I'm afraid your doll is gone forever. "

But you just wait and see what happens. 

They all went for an automobile ride, and, though they looked in thedirection the balloons had floated, they did not see the "airship. " Roseand Russ even asked several policemen they passed if they had seen theballoons and basket with the doll in it come down, but none had. 

Of course Rose felt bad, and so did the other little Bunkers, aboutlosing their balloons, but there was no help for it. They were gone. 

It was a day or so after this, and the children were talking about atrip to Nantasket Beach Aunt Jo was to take them on, when just as lunchwas about to be served, Parker came in to say:

"We are all out of bread, Miss Bunker. The baker forgot to stop. Shall Isend William for some?"

"Oh, let me go!" begged Vi. "I know where there is a bakery, right downthe street. It isn't far. "

"Are you sure you know the way?" asked Aunt Jo. 

"'Course I do, " Vi answered. 

"Well, you may go, " said Aunt Jo. "Only be careful not to get lost. Don't turn around the wrong corners. "

"I won't, " promised Vi. 

But that is just what she did. She got the bread all right, but, on theway back she stopped to pet a kitten that rubbed up against her. Andthen Vi got turned around, and she went down a side street, and walkedtwo or three blocks before she knew that she was wrong. 

"Aunt Jo doesn't live on this street, " said the little girl to herself, as she stopped and looked around. "I don't see her house and I don't seeMr. North's. I must have come the wrong way. "

So she had, and she turned to go back. But she went wrong again, makinga turn around another corner and then Vi didn't know what to do. Shestood in front of a house, with the bread under her arm, and tears cameinto her eyes. 

"Oh, dear!" sighed Vi. "It's terrible to be lost so near home!"

CHAPTER XII

MARGY TAKES A RIDE

This was not the first time Violet had been lost. More than once, evenin her home town of Pineville, she had wandered away over the fields orout toward the woods, and had not been able to find her way back again. But always, at such times, Norah or Jerry Simms, or Daddy or MotherBunker had come to find her and take her home. 

"But I don't see any of them now, " said Vi, as she gazed around her. There were quite a number of persons on the street, for it was the noonhour, but the little girl knew none of them, and none of them seemed topay any attention to her. 

I think, though, almost any one of those who passed by poor little Vi, standing there in the street, if they had known she was lost, would havegone up to her and tried to help her. 

But there were many children in the street, and several of them werestanding still, looking not very different from Vi, except that she wascrying--not a great deal, but enough to make her eyes wet. 

"I guess I'd better walk along a little, " said Vi to herself, after abit. "Maybe I'll see Aunt Jo's house, or Russ or Rose or--or somebodythat knows me. "

Poor little Vi, just then, would have been glad to see even Alexis, thebig dog. Alexis would lead her home, Vi felt sure. But the big dog wasnot in sight. 

Vi walked a little way down the street, and then a little way up it. Shelooked at all the houses and at every one she met, still holding fast tothe loaf of bread. But she did not see Aunt Jo's house, and she did notknow any of the men or women or boys or girls that passed her. 

"Oh, I'm worse lost than ever!" sighed the little girl. "I wonder what Ican do. I'm going to ask some one!"

Now the best way for Vi to have done was to have gone up to one of thehouses and asked where her Aunt Jo's home was. But the funny thingabout it was that Vi wasn't quite sure what her aunt's name was. Her ownname, she knew, was Violet Bunker, but she never spoke of Aunt Jo exceptjust by that name, never using the last part and, while it was the samename as her own, Vi didn't know it. She felt she couldn't very well goup to a house and say:

"Where does my Aunt Jo live?"

The person in the house would be sure to ask:

"What is your aunt's last name, my dear, and on what street does shelive?"

But Vi didn't know that. So you see she was quite badly lost, though shehad only been away from her aunt's home a little while. 

And then, as the little girl stood there, the tears coming into her eyesfaster than ever, along came a rather tall girl with a pleasant face, who, as soon as she saw Vi, went up to her and asked kindly:

"What is the matter? Did you lose your money?"

"Oh, no, " Vi answered, "I didn't lose my money, but I've lost myself. Ispent the money for bread for Aunt Jo, but I came on the wrong street, I guess, and I don't know where she lives. "

"Where who lives?"

"Aunt Jo. I'm one of the six little Bunkers and we're staying at AuntJo's, but I don't know where she lives. "

Then this tall, pleasant-faced girl asked, just as any one else wouldhave done:

"What's Aunt Jo's other name?"

And Vi didn't know!

Then the girl tried to get Vi to tell in what sort of house Aunt Jolived, and near what other houses or big buildings it was. But Vi wasonly six years old, and she hadn't noticed much about houses. She hadbeen too busy playing. 

"But Aunt Jo has a big dog, " said Vi. "He's an awful big dog, and healmost knocks you down when he plays with you. If I could find him he'dtake me home. "

"What's the dog's name?" asked the girl. 

"Alexis, " answered Vi, "and he----"

"Oh, now I know where your aunt lives!" cried the tall girl. "I oftensee that big dog, and I have heard the chauffeur call him Alexis. Iremember it because it's a sort of Russian name, and I like to readabout Russia. Now I can take you home. "

"Can you--really?" asked Vi eagerly. 

"Surely. I know the very house where Alexis lives, and if you live therewith your Aunt Jo I can take you home. It isn't far; come on. My name isMary Turner, and my mother used to sew for a lady on the same streetwhere your aunt lives. I know the way; come on. "

Taking hold of Vi's hand, the kind girl led her along the street, arounda corner and down another block and then Vi cried:

"Oh, now I'm all right. I know where I am now. That's Mr. North's houseand I see Aunt Jo's house and here comes Daddy to meet me!" And surelyenough, along came Mr. Bunker, looking up and down the street for asight of his little girl, who had been gone so long for the loaf ofbread that he knew she must be lost. 

"Well, if you're sure you can find your way I'll let you run along byyourself, " said Mary Turner. 

"Oh, yes, I'm all right now, " said Vi. "My father sees me, and he'swaving to me. Thank you for taking care of me. "

"I'm glad I could help you a little, " said Mary. 

"Does your mother sew any more?" asked Vi. 

"No, " answered Mary, and her voice sounded sad. "She had a great shock, and she's ill in the hospital now. I have to go to work to take care ofher. Well, good-bye, and don't get lost again, " and Mary turned down aside street and walked on, waving her hand to Violet. 

"Well, little girl, what happened to you?" asked Daddy Bunker, as hewalked up to his daughter. "We were getting worried about you, so I cameout to see what had happened. "

"I got lost, " Vi answered. "I went down the wrong street, but MaryTurner--she knew where Alexis lived, and she brought me to you. "

"Who is Mary Turner?" asked Mr. Bunker. 

"That's the nice girl that just went away, " said Vi, pointing, for hernew friend was still in sight. "Her mother used to sew for somebody onAunt Jo's street, but she's in the hospital now--I mean her mother is;she's sick. "

"That's too bad, " said Mr. Bunker. "Aunt Jo might do something for her. But perhaps the girl doesn't like to ask. Anyhow, I'm glad you're notlost any longer. Come along to lunch now. "

So that's how Vi was lost and found. And she was soon eating lunch withthe other little Bunkers and telling them what had happened. 

"What can we do this afternoon to have fun?" asked Russ, as he got upfrom the table. 

"Let's see if we can't make a better harness for Alexis, and have himpull us in the express wagon, " suggested Laddie. "I found some strongrope that we can tie on him. "

"All right, we'll do that, " agreed Russ. "That'll be fun. "

"Will you give me a ride?" asked Mun Bun. "I'll help you make theharness if you will. "

"Yes, we'll give you a ride, " said Russ, "but I guess we can make theharness ourselves. Come on, Laddie. "

"I'm going to play with my doll, " said Margy. "My rubber doll is alldirty and I'm going to wash her. "

"Well, don't turn the hose on her, as Russ and Laddie did to William, "laughed Aunt Jo. "Just wash your doll in a basin of water, Margy dear. "

"Yes, I'll do that, Aunt Jo, " answered the little girl. 

"I'm going to make a new dress for my big best doll Sue, " announcedRose. "I haven't got my little Lily to love now, so I'll make Sue looknice. You didn't find my doll that went up in the airship, did you, Daddy?" she asked. 

"No, " answered Mr. Bunker. "And I don't believe I ever shall. "

"And we haven't heard who lost that pocketbook with the sixty-fivedollars in it, " said Mrs. Bunker. "It is very strange no one claims themoney. "

"Yes, " said Aunt Jo, "it is. But some day we may find out who owns it. Though if we don't by the time you folks are ready to go home, it willbelong to Rose, for she found it. "

"And then I can buy a new doll, " said the little girl. 

So, while Russ, Laddie and Mun Bun went to the garage to try to makeanother harness for Alexis, Rose and Margy played with their dolls. Violet said she was tired from having walked around so much when she waslost, though I think it was because she had cried, so her mother put herto bed for a short nap. Then Daddy Bunker went downtown and Aunt Jo andMrs. Bunker sat on the porch sewing. 

It was about half an hour after Margy and Rose had begun to play withtheir dolls, Margy washing her rubber one in a basin of water, thatsomething happened. Margy got up from the side porch where she wassitting with Rose, and said:

"I'm going to dry her now. "

"Dry who?" asked Rose. 

"My rubber doll, " answered Margy. "She's all wet and I'm going to takeher down in the laundry where Parker is, and put my doll by the fire todry. "

"All right, " answered Rose, "don't burn yourself. "

"I won't, " said Margy, as she went toward the laundry, which was in thebasement of Aunt Jo's big house. 

A little while after this Parker, on going into the kitchen over thelaundry, heard a voice crying:

"Oh, I can't get out! I can't get out! I'm stuck in and I can't getout. "

"For land sakes! Who are you, and what has happened?" cried thefrightened cook. "It's one of the six little Bunkers, I know, " she wenton, "but what happened?"

"Oh, I went to take a ride, " said Margy, "and now I can't get out! Oh, dear!"

And her voice seemed to come from afar. 

CHAPTER XIII

MUN BUN DRIVES AWAY

Parker was a good cook, but she did not know much about children. Sheliked them though, and was kind to them. So when she heard Margy's voicecalling, she could not imagine what had happened, nor did she know whatto do. 

If it had been Mrs. Bunker, or even Daddy Bunker, they would have atonce found out what the matter was. But then they were used to thingshappening to children. 

"Oh, where are you?" cried Parker, as Margy kept on screaming. 

"I don't know what you call it, but I'm in it, " said the little girl, inthat queer, faraway voice. 

"But where is it?" asked Parker, for, somehow, the voice seemed to comefrom somewhere between the laundry and the kitchen. 

"It's that thing you pull up and down with soap and starch and clotheson, " said Margy. "I got in it to have a ride, but my leg is stuck and Ican't get out and, oh, dear! I want my mother!"

"Yes, and I guess I want her, too!" exclaimed Parker. "Oh, my! This isworse than having the chimney on fire. I'll go and call your mother, child, " she went on, "for I can't see a blessed hair of your head. Though you must be somewhere around, and maybe hiding to fool me. "

"Oh, no, I'm not hiding, " answered Margy, who, it seems, could hearParker very well. "I'm in the pull-up-and-let-down-thing, and I want toget out!"

But Parker did not stay to listen. She ran out to the side porch, whereAunt Jo and Mrs. Bunker were sewing, and cried:

"Oh, come quick! The poor child's caught and can't get out and I can'tsee her!"

"Where is she? What happened?" asked Aunt Jo and Mrs. Bunker. 

"She's somewhere between the laundry and the kitchen, " said the maid. "Ican't see her, though I can hear her and----"

Mrs. Bunker and her sister-in-law did not stop to listen to any more. Tothe kitchen they hurried, and there they, too, heard the voice of Margycrying:

"Take me out! Take me out! I'm in the puller-up-and-down-thing!"

Aunt Jo knew right away what Margy meant. 

"She must be stuck in the dumbwaiter--that we pull up and down betweenthe kitchen and the laundry, " she said. "Are you there, Margy?" sheasked as she opened a door in the side wall of the kitchen. 

And then, up the shaft, came the voice of the little girl:

"Yes, I'm in here and I can't go down and I can't get up. Oh, dear!"

"Now don't cry! Mother is here, " said Mrs. Bunker. "And so is Aunt Jo. We'll get you up in a minute. Don't be afraid. "

Aunt Jo ran downstairs and looked up the dumbwaiter shaft. She could seethe box-like waiter stuck halfway up, but of course she could not seeMargy. A dumbwaiter is like a little elevator, except that, as a rule, no one rides in it. It is used to pull things up and down between tworooms, when a person does not want to use the stairs. 

"I see what's the matter, " said Aunt Jo, as she looked up the shaft oncemore. "Margy's foot stuck out over the edge of the box, in which sheclimbed to have a ride, and the waiter can't slide up and down. Her footwedges it fast. "

"Can we get it loose?" asked Mother Bunker. 

"Oh, yes, easily, I think. Get me my long-handled parasol, Parker. I'llreach that up the shaft and push Margy's foot loose. Then thedumbwaiter, with her in it, will slide down. "

And that is just what happened. With the end of the parasol, not pushingso hard as to hurt, Aunt Jo shoved loose Margy's foot. Then thedumbwaiter, which was a sort of open box, slid down on the rope that ranover a pulley-wheel, and Margy was lifted out. She had been crying andwas frightened, but she felt all right when her mother took her in herarms and kissed her. 

"How did you come to do it?" asked Mrs. Bunker. 

"I came down to the laundry to dry my rubber doll after I'd washed her, "said Margy, "and I put her by the fire. One day I saw Parker give a lotof bars of soap a ride on the go-up-and-down-thing. "

"Yes, I do use the dumbwaiter for that, " said the cook. 

"Then I thought I could get a ride if the soap got a ride, " went onMargy. "So, when Parker was out by the garage I went up in the kitchen, and I stood on a chair, I did, and I crawled into the go-up-and-down-thing, and it went down with me. But it didn't go all the way down. It stuck andI couldn't have a nice ride. "

"I should say not!" cried Mrs. Bunker. "And you mustn't do such a thingagain. You might have been hurt when you got your foot caught. "

"It does hurt a little, " said Margy, rubbing it. 

So that's how it happened. Margy had crawled from the chair in thekitchen into the box of the dumbwaiter. It had run down with her untilher foot, sticking over the edge, wedged the waiter fast, halfway downthe shaft. Then the door in the wall blew shut, and when Margy criedParker was so "flustered, " as she said afterward, that she never stoppedto think where the voice came from. 

"But don't do it again, " warned Aunt Jo. 

"I won't, " promised Margy. 

From out in the yard of Aunt Jo's house came joyous shouts and laughter. Russ could be heard calling:

"Oh, it works! It works all right! Now we can all have rides. "

"Well, whatever it is, I hope it isn't a dumbwaiter they're riding in, "said Mother Bunker. 

She and Aunt Jo looked from the window. They saw that Russ and Laddiehad finally managed to make a harness for the dog Alexis, out ofstronger pieces of cord than they used at first. The dog was tied withthe cords to the express wagon, and seated in it were Laddie and MunBun. Russ was walking alongside, guiding Alexis by strings tied aroundhis neck. 

"Make him go fast!" cried Mun Bun. "I want to ride fast!"

"Oh, if he runs too fast I can't keep up with him, " said Russ. "Alexiscan run a lot faster than I can, and if he goes too fast I'll lose holdof him. "

"Let me drive a little, " begged Laddie. So Russ let his smaller brothertake the strings that answered for reins. But Russ stayed near the headof the big dog, with his hand on his collar. For Russ was a careful boy, and did not want the dog to run away and, perhaps, spill the little boysout of the wagon. 

"Oh, I want a ride in that!" cried Margy, when she saw what her brotherswere doing. "That's nicer than the up-and-down-thing I was in. "

"Yes, and a little safer, " said her mother. "You may go out and Russwill give you a ride. Russ, Margy is coming out, " she called. "Take careof her!"

"I will, " promised the largest Bunker boy. 

Then such fun as the six children had riding behind Alexis, for Violetawakened from her sleep and came out to enjoy the sport. Russ and Laddiehad tied so many ropes on Alexis, fastening them to the cart, thatWilliam said it would take an hour to loosen the knots. But Alexis didnot seem to mind. He walked along, pulling the cart, with two or threechildren in it, as easily as though he were dragging along a tin cantied to his tail, and much more sedately. 

Only nobody had ever tied a tin can to the tail of Alexis. He wasn't thekind of dog one could do that to. You might have dared try when he was alittle puppy, but not after he grew up to be almost as big as a smallShetland pony. 

"Oh, this is lots of fun!" cried Rose, when it was her turn to have aride. "I wish my doll Lily was here to like it. "

"She had a good ride in the airship, " remarked Russ. 

"Oh! Oh!" suddenly cried Laddie. 

"What's the matter?" asked Russ. "Did a bee sting you?"

"No. I just thought of a nice riddle. It's about the balloon airshipRose made and the dumbwaiter Margy had a ride in. "

"What's the riddle?" asked Vi. 

"It's like this, " went on Laddie, thinking hard to get it just right. "What's the difference between Rose's airship and the dumbwaiter Margyrode in? What's the difference?"

"A whole lot!" said Rose. "They're not alike at all. "

"Well, that's the riddle--what makes 'em different!" asked Laddie. 

"Because they both have a basket, " said Russ. "Rose tied the balloons toa basket, and the clothes basket rides on the dumbwaiter. "

"Nope! That isn't it, " said Laddie, shaking his head. "You see Rose'sairship went up, and wouldn't come down, and the dumbwaiter, with Margyin it, went down and wouldn't come up. "

"Huh! That's pretty good, " said Russ. "But I guess those balloons aredown by this time. "

"And my doll, too, " added Rose. "I wish I could find her. "

"Well, part of the riddle is right, anyhow, " said Laddie. 

"Yes, it's pretty good, " agreed Russ. "And now we'll have some morerides. "

Around Aunt Jo's house, up and down the lawn and on the paths Alexispulled the six little Bunkers in the express wagon, with the stringharness, and they had lots of fun. Even the big dog seemed to enjoy it, and he didn't get tired. 

It was two days after this, during which time the children had lots offun, that something else happened. Mun Bun was the unlucky one; orlucky, whichever way you look at it. 

Sometimes, even in the fashionable Back Bay section of Boston, ragpeddlers came to buy odds and ends from the homes of the people. Thechauffeurs or the furnace men usually attended to the selling of this, being allowed to keep whatever money they got for themselves. 

One of the wagons, with bags and all sorts of things in it, stopped, oneday, in front of Aunt Jo's house. The ragman knew William, who oftensold him old newspapers or junk, and this time he had quite a few thingsto sell. 

"Rags! Rags! Bottles and rags!" cried the junkman as he went back to thegarage with a bag over his shoulder. 

As it happened, Mun Bun was out, watching William pump air into a newtire, and when the chauffeur went into the cellar with the junkman toget the papers, Mun Bun wandered out in front to where the junkman'shorse and wagon was standing. 

"If I could get up into that wagon now, " thought Mun Bun to himself, "Icould have a better ride than with Alexis. I guess I will. "

How he managed to climb up I don't know, but he did. The wagon was notvery high, and there was a step near the front, and of course there werewheels. Somehow, Mun Bun scrambled up, and the horse, luckily for him, did not move while the boy was climbing. Right up on the seat got MunBun. He picked up the real reins, as he had seen Russ do with themake-believe ones on Alexis, and then Mun Bun called:

"Gid-dap!"

And, just as easily as you please, the horse started off as natural asanything, with Mun Bun driving. Down the street he slowly walked, muchto the delight of Mun Bun. 

But what would happen next?

CHAPTER XIV

THE WHISTLING WAGON

Mun Bun smiled happily. This was more fun than he had ever expected tohave at Aunt Jo's house. In fact, what little thinking he did about itwas to the effect that he could have had a lot more fun by staying atGrandma Bell's. 

Up he sat on the seat of the junkman's wagon, holding the reins as hehad helped Russ or Laddie hold the reins on the big dog Alexis, whopulled the six little Bunkers in the express wagon. 

"This is fun!" said Mun Bun. 

The horse slowly walked along. Junkmen's horses hardly ever run. Thereare several reasons for this. 

In the first place, a junkman's horse goes slowly because the junkman isnever in a hurry. He wants to look at the houses on each side of thestreet to see if any one is going to call him in to sell him paper, rags, old bottles, rubber boots or broken stoves. 

So, of course, a junkman wants his horse to go slowly, for then he has achance to look at the houses on each side of the street. For nowadaysthe junkmen, in the cities, at least, are not allowed to ring bells andshout loudly or make much noise. They used to do that, but they can'tany more. 

Another reason why a junkman's horse walks slowly is that the poor horseis nearly always old and thin and hungry. 

And I suppose it's a good thing this junkman's horse was old and thinand tired and hungry. That's what made him go slowly, so Mun Bun was notrattled off the seat. He was only a little fellow, and it would not havetaken much of a jolt of the wagon to have tossed him off. But as long asthe wagon went slowly he was all right. 

"Gid-dap!" cried Mun Bun in a jolly voice, and he pulled on the reins, thinking what fun it was really to drive, and not make-believe, as heand the others had done with Alexis. 

All this while the junkman was in Aunt Jo's yard, talking with Williamabout the old rags and papers the chauffeur had to sell. The five otherlittle Bunkers were playing at different games, Daddy Bunker wasdowntown, and Aunt Jo and Mother Bunker were busy at something or other, I've forgotten just what. 

So there was no one in particular to see what Mun Bun was doing, and hewas just having the grandest time, all by himself, driving the poor, thin horse. Of course he wasn't really driving it. The horse just wentalong as it always did, as slowly as it could, and, very likely, itdidn't know, or care, whether Mun Bun was driving it, or the junkman. 

"Gid-dap!" cried the little fellow again, and he pulled on the reins. And then a funny thing happened. He pulled a little harder on the leftrein than on the right, and, just as the animal had been used to doingwhenever this happened, the horse turned to the left, and went down aside street. 

Mun Bun didn't mind this. He didn't care which way the horse went aslong as he was having a ride and was doing the driving. Down the sidestreet went the junk wagon, with Mun Bun on it. He was now out of sightof any one who might be looking from Aunt Jo's yard. 

The little fellow was halfway down the new block when a woman, lookingfrom the window of her house, saw the bony horse and the old rattly, rickety wagon. 

"Oh, there's a junkman!" she cried. "I've been looking for one a longtime to take the papers out of the cellar. There's a junkman!"

"No, it's a junk boy, " said the woman's cook, who happened to be withher. "There's no one but a little boy on the wagon. "

"Well, maybe it's the junkman's little boy, " said the woman. "They letthem drive when they go in after the junk. Run after him, Jane, and stophim. I want to get the trash cleaned out of the cellar. "

So the cook ran quickly to the front door and cried:

"Hey! Junk boy! Stop! We got some papers for you!"

Mun Bun heard, and turned around. 

"I isn't the junkman, " he said. "I'm just havin' a ride!"

"We have some old papers for you, " called the cook. 

Mun Bun didn't know just what it all meant, but he saw the cook wavingher hand at him, and he heard her calling, though he could not make outall the words, because the wagon rattled so. But Mun Bun had an idea. 

"I guess maybe she wants a ride, " he said. "She likes to ride same as Ido. I'll give her a ride with me. "

He pulled on the reins, and called:

"Whoa!"

But either Mun Bun did not pull hard enough, or he did not call loudlyenough, for the horse did not stop. Perhaps it thought that if it didstop it would be too hard work to start again, so it kept on going. 

"Stop! Stop!" cried the cook. "We have some papers to sell you!"

"Whoa!" called Mun Bun again. But the horse did not stop. 

Just then a policeman came down the street. He saw Mun Bun on the seatof the wagon, and he saw the cook waving at him and calling. And thepoliceman needed to take only one look to make him feel sure that MunBun was not the junkman's little boy driving the wagon. Mun Bun was notdressed as a junkman's little boy would probably be dressed. 

"That's funny, " said the policeman to himself. "I must see about this. "He walked toward the wagon. By this time the cook had come out on thesidewalk. She knew the policeman. 

"Stop him!" she called, pointing to the wagon. "Stop that junkman!"

"That isn't a junkman, " said the officer. 

"Well, stop that junk boy then, Mr. Mulligan, " begged the cook, smilingat the policeman. 

"Nor yet it isn't a junk boy, " said the officer. "He doesn't belong onthat wagon. "

"Do you mean to say he stole it?" asked the cook. "Mrs. Rynsler has somejunk she wants to get out of the cellar, and----"

"This boy'll never take it, " said Mr. Mulligan, the policeman. "In thefirst place he's too little, and in the second place he isn't a junkboy. I must see about this, " and, hurrying along for a little distance, then walking out to the curb, he reached out his hand and stopped thehorse. It was not hard work. The bony horse was ready to stop almostany time. 

"Whoa!" said the policeman. 

"Whoa!" echoed Mun Bun, and he smiled at the officer. 

"Where are you going?" asked Mr. Mulligan. 

"I'm having a ride, " said Mun Bun. "The junkman is at my Aunt Jo'shouse, and I got up on the seat and I'm having a ride!"

"Land love us! And look at the size of him!" murmured the cook, who hadfollowed the policeman. 

"He is little, " said the policeman. "But you'd better get down, mylittle man. You might fall off. "

"I had a nice ride, anyhow, " said Mun Bun, as the policeman lifted himdown from the wagon. 

"But now I've got to find out where you live, and who owns this rig, "went on the officer. 

"The idea of him drivin' off with it all alone--the likes of him!"murmured the wondering cook. 

"Oh, he's a smart little chap!" said the policeman, smiling at Mun Bun. "But, unless I'm mistaken, here comes the real junkman. He looksworried, too. "

Around the corner of the street came the man who had been talking toWilliam in Aunt Jo's yard. He was running hard, and his hat had fallenoff. 

"My horse! My wagon!" he cried. "Somebody ran away with them!"

"No, they didn't, Ike!" said the policeman, who had seen the junkcollector before. "Your horse just walked away with this boy, and it'slucky the little chap didn't fall off the seat. Get on now, and driveback where you came from. Where does this boy belong?"

"How should I know?" asked the junkman. "I never saw him before. "

"Well, he must have got on the wagon at the last place you stopped, "said the officer. "Where was that?"

"Oh, sure! I know what you mean!" exclaimed the junkman. "I know thelady's house. Her automobile man often sells me old papers. I can tellyou, " and he did, mentioning Aunt Jo's house. 

"I'll just take the boy back, " said the policeman. 

His hand in that of the big policeman, Mun Bun went back gladly enough, and just in time, too, for his mother, looking out and "counting noses"had not seen him with the other children, and, fearing he had wanderedaway, she was just starting out to look for him. 

"Where have you been?" she cried, as she saw Mun Bun with a policeman. 

"Oh, I had a nice ride, " answered the little boy. 

"He was on the junk wagon, " Mr. Mulligan explained. 

"Oh, ho! So it was you who ran with Ike's rig, was it?" asked William. "Well, well! He was frightened when he didn't see his horse out in frontwhere he had left it. How do you like the junk business, Mun Bun?"

"I like the horse, and I did drive him, I did!" said the little fellowproudly. 

"Well, don't do it again, " sighed Mrs. Bunker. 

"No'm, I won't!" promised Mun Bun. 

The six little Bunkers always promised this whenever they did anythingthey ought not to have done. But the trouble was that they did somethingdifferent the next time, and not the same thing they were told not todo. 

"I wish I'd had a ride with you, " said Margy, as her little brother, after the policeman had gone, told what had happened. 

"Well, I don't!" exclaimed Mrs. Bunker. 

So Mun Bun got safely back home again, and the rest of the day hismother saw to it that he played in the yard and around the house withhis brothers and sisters. 

"Did anybody ever come for the pocketbook and the sixty-five dollars?"asked Rose one day, after breakfast, when the six little Bunkers werewondering what to do to have fun. 

"No, we haven't yet found an owner, " said her father. "But there is timeenough yet. "

"And you didn't find my doll that the balloons took away, did you?"

"Not yet, Rose. I'm afraid Lily is gone forever, " answered her mother. "Some day I'll get you a new doll. "

"Yes; but she wouldn't be Lily, " said Rose, and she felt quite bad aboutwhat had happened. 

Out in the yard went the children to play. Russ was making what he saidwas going to be a kite, and Laddie and Violet were playing in the sand. Rose was watching Parker bake a cake and Margy and Mun Bun walked up anddown the porch, pulling two little rubber dolls in a thread box, whichthey pretended was a big automobile. 

Pretty soon, down the street came a two-wheeled cart, pushed by a manwho had gold rings in his ears, and the cart made a cheerful whistlingsound. 

"Oh, listen!" cried Mun Bun. 

"It's like a choo-choo car!" said Margy. 

"Let's go and look at it!" cried Mun Bun. 

"All right, " agreed his sister. 

Leaving the thread-box automobile and the two little dolls on the porch, the two small children ran down to the front gate to look at thewhistling wagon. 

CHAPTER XV

LADDIE'S FUNNY RIDDLE

"Doesn't it make a nice noise?" asked Mun Bun of Margy. 

"Terrible nice, " agreed the little girl. "What makes it?"

Mun Bun looked at the whistling wagon. It was, as I have said, atwo-wheeled cart, and was pushed by a man who had gold rings in hisears. His face was very dark, too, but he smiled pleasantly at thechildren. 

"It's a teakettle, that's what makes it, " said Mun Bun, as he looked. "See the steam coming out, just like it does out of the kettle inParker's kitchen, " and he pointed to something on one end of the cart. 

This something looked like a little stove, and the children could seethe glow of fire in one end of it. And, as Mun Bun had said, steam wascoming from what seemed to be a spout. 

"The steam whistles, " said Mun Bun. 

"Yes, " agreed Margy. "I like it!"

The steam did make a shrill whistling sound. 

The wagon was out in front of Aunt Jo's house now, and suddenly Mun Bunsniffed the air. He smelled something good. 

"Oh, I know what it is!" he cried. "It's peanuts! The man is roastingpeanuts and they whistles to tell him they're done. Don't you 'member, down at the corner by Daddy's office, home, there's a man an' he sellspeanuts and they whistles. "

"Oh, yes!" said Margy. "I 'members! I likes peanuts, too!"

"So do I!" said Mun Bun. 

The man with the gold rings in his ears was stopping in front of AuntJo's house now. He smiled at the children, while the steam from the hotpeanut-roaster made a louder whistling sound, and the man yelled:

"Hot peanuts, five cents a bag!"

"Oh, I wish we had some!" sighed Mun Bun. 

"So do I, " added his sister. "Have you five cents, Mun Bun?"

"Nope! Has you five cents, Margy?"

"No. "

Mun Bun thought for a few seconds while the smiling Italian man, withthe whistling wagon, looked at the two little Bunkers hanging on AuntJo's gate. 

"Please go 'way!" said Mun Bun. "We hasn't got any five cents for yourhot peanuts. "

"No gotta five cents?" asked the Italian. 

"No, " and Mun Bun shook his head. 

"An' we like peanuts, " added Margy. "If you've any left over you couldgive us some. "

"Hot peanuts--five a bag!" said the peddler in a sort of sing-songvoice. 

"Please go 'way!" begged Mun Bun again. "They smells awful good, but wehasn't got any five centies!"

"Maybe you go in th' house, li'l' boy, you get money, " the Italian wenton. 

Margy looked at Mun Bun and Mun Bun looked at Margy. 

"Oh, maybe we could!" exclaimed the little girl eagerly. "Let's go an'ask, Mun Bun!"

"All right!" said he. "We will!"

And they did. Into the room where Aunt Jo and Mother Bunker were sewingburst the two children, out of breath from their run up the graveldrive. 

"Oh, Mother!" cried Mun Bun. "He wants five cents. "

"An' he's got a whistlin' wagon!" added Margy. 

"An' they smell awful good!" went on her brother. 

"Come an' hear the whistle, " begged the little girl. 

"My goodness me!" cried Aunt Jo. "What is this all about?"

"It's hot peanuts--five a bag!" answered Mun Bun, in a sing-song voicealmost like the Italian's. 

"But we haven't the five cents, " added Margy. "An' we want somepeanuts. "

"Well, I think you may have some, " said Mrs. Bunker. "I'll come down tothe whistling wagon with you and see about it. "

Margy and Mun Bun led her down to the front gate, where the peanut man, still smiling, was waiting. The hot oven on his wagon, in which heroasted the peanuts, was still whistling. Afterward Daddy Bunker toldthe children that the steam came out and made the whistling sound bypuffing itself through a tin thing with holes in it, just as a boy blowshis breath through the same kind of tin thing to make a whistle. 

"And the reason the Italian puts water in the top of his peanut-roasteris so that the peanuts in the bags, where he puts them to keep warm, will not burn, " the father of the six little Bunkers told them. "Thewhistling is like the bell the old-fashioned ice-cream man used to ring. People hear it and come to buy, just as you did. "

Mrs. Bunker found the Italian's peanuts fresh and nicely browned androasted, and she bought enough for all the children. 

"You have to thank Margy and Mun Bun for them, " she said to Russ, Roseand the twins. "They first heard the whistling wagon and ran out to seewhat it was. "

The children had a sort of little play-party with the peanuts, thoughLaddie stuffed some of his in his pocket. 

"I'm going to save 'em, " he said. 

"What for?" asked Russ, who had his kite partly finished. 

"Oh, maybe I'll see an elephant in a circus parade, " the little boyanswered. 

"Circus parades never come up in our Back Bay section, " said Aunt Jowith a smile. "So I don't believe you'll see an elephant, Laddie. "

"Oh, well, then I can eat the peanuts myself, " he returned. "But maybe Imight see a squirrel. "

"Yes, we have some of them in our parks, " went on Aunt Jo. "And I haveseen them so tame that they would come up and take a nut from yourfingers. Some day we'll go to the park and look for the little fellows. But I'm afraid you won't have any peanuts left then, Laddie. "

"Well, we can get some more, " said the little boy with a laugh. 

It was a little later that same afternoon, when Rose, who was out on theporch, getting her doll dressed for supper, as she said, came runningin, looking very much excited. 

"Well, what is it now?" asked her mother. "Has Mun Bun or any of theothers, ridden off on a junk wagon?"

"Oh, no, " answered the little girl. "But Laddie went off down the streetwith his peanuts in his pocket, and now he's come back and he has afunny riddle. "

"A funny riddle!" exclaimed Mrs. Bunker. "What do you mean? Is it ariddle about the peanuts?"

"I don't know, " answered Rose. "But Laddie has something hid under hiscoat, and he asked me to guess what it was, so it must be a riddle. Andit makes a funny squeaking noise. "

"My goodness!" exclaimed Mrs. Bunker. "I must see what Laddie's riddleis this time!"

CHAPTER XVI

ROSE BREAKS HER SKATE

Out on the porch Mrs. Bunker found her six children, for Rose hadfollowed her mother out of the house, finally running ahead of her tosee if any one had yet guessed Laddie's latest riddle. 

"What have you there, Sonny?" asked Laddie's mother, as she saw himstanding in front of Russ, Rose and the others, with something under hiscoat. 

"He says it's a riddle, " explained Russ. 

"It is, sort of!" declared Laddie. "Yet 'tisn't zactly a riddle. I justtold 'em to guess what I had under my coat. "

"Where'd you get it?" asked Aunt Jo, who came out to see what the funwas about. 

"I got it with the peanuts I had in my pocket, " the little boy answered. 

"Oh, then it's a squirrel!" guessed Rose. 

"No, it isn't a squirrel, " said Laddie, shaking his head. 

"It's got a tail! I can see it!" cried Vi, as she stooped down andlooked under her brother's coat. "I can see it sticking out. It'sbrown. "

"Yes, it's got a tail, " admitted Laddie. 

"Is it a kite?" asked Russ, for he had not yet finished the one he wasmaking. 

"Nope! 'Tisn't a kite!" Laddie answered. "It's alive, and kites aren'tthat way!"

"They wiggle around as if they were alive, sometimes, " said Rose. 

"Oh, I heard it squeak!" cried Mun Bun. "Is it a little kittie?"

Again Laddie shook his head. 

"Nope, " he answered, "'tisn't a kittie. But it's got fur on. Now I'llgive you each one more guess for my riddle, and----"

But Laddie's "riddle" seemed to think the fun had gone on long enough, and it didn't want to be guessed about any more. All at once the littleboy began to wiggle and try to hold something still beneath hiscoat--something which seemed very much alive indeed. 

"Oh! Oh! Oh, dear!" cried Laddie, but he was laughing. 

"What's the matter?" asked his mother. 

"It--it's _tickling_ me!" he exclaimed. "Oh--there it is!"

As he spoke a funny little wrinkled black face, followed by a littlebrown furry body and a long tail, scrambled out from under Laddie'sbuttoned coat and sat on his shoulder. 

"Oh, look!" cried Rose. 

"It's a black pussy with a long tail!" cried Violet. 

"No, it isn't!" Russ exclaimed. "It's a monkey! That's what it is! Amonkey!"

"A monkey!" repeated Mrs. Bunker. "Why, so it is. Oh, Laddie boy! wheredid you get a monkey?"

Laddie put up his hand to stroke the funny little creature, which seemedto like it, crouching down on Laddie's shoulder and nestling close tohim. The monkey was not much larger than a cat. 

"Where'd you get it?" repeated the children's mother. 

"Have they got any more? Can I get one?" cried Russ. "I'll go and findsome peanuts!"

"Don't let him wind his tail on me!" begged Mun Bun, hiding behind hismother's skirts. 

"Can he play a hand-organ?" asked Violet. 

The children were laughing so hard, and asking so many questions as theycrowded around Laddie, that their mother exclaimed:

"Oh, my dear six little Bunkers! please be quiet a minute until I canhear what Laddie has to say. Tell us where you got such a cute littleriddle!"

"I got him with peanuts, " Laddie said. "He was up in a tree and I sawhim, and I held out some peanuts in my hand and he came down and sat onmy shoulder and ate 'em and then I put him under my coat and he liked itand I brought him home. "

"But where did you find him?" asked Aunt Jo. "In what tree?"

"Oh, just down by the corner at the end of this street, " answered Laddiewith a wave of his hand. 

"Mercy, " gasped Aunt Jo, "are monkeys beginning to make their homes inthe trees of the Boston streets?" and she and Mother Bunker laughed. 

"But was he up a tree?" asked Russ. 

"Yes, he was, " Laddie went on. "First I thought it was a cat, but when Isaw him hang by his tail I knew it wasn't a cat. "

"Oh, we're finding lots of things!" cried Rose. "I found a pocketbook, and now Laddie finds a monkey. "

"And I'm going to keep it and get a hand-organ and then I'm going aroundand take in pennies, " said the little boy, on whose shoulder the monkeywas still perched, looking here and there at the other children, andwrinkling up his funny black face. 

"I know where it came from, " said Russ, after thinking a moment. 

"Where?" asked Vi. "Do you mean out of a circus?"

"No, " answered Russ. "But it must have got away from a hand-organ man. "

"I think that's just what happened, " said Aunt Jo. "Hand-organ men, withmonkeys fast to the ends of long strings, often come up this way, andplay what they call music, and they let the funny little animals goafter the pennies. One of these Italians must have been around herewith his music-machine, and his monkey must have run away from him andhidden up in a tree where you saw him, Laddie. "

"But I found him, and he's mine. I want to keep him, " said the littleboy. "He's awful soft and fuzzy, and he likes me. "

Indeed the monkey was a nice, clean little chap, and he seemed to likeLaddie. And he seemed to like to have the other children pet him, also. He wore a funny little red jacket and a green cap, and every now andthen he would take off his cap and hold it out, as he had been taught todo, for pennies. 

Mun Bun, who had been afraid the monkey would wind its long tail aroundhim, came out from behind his mother's skirts, and even dared to petLaddie's "riddle, " as they called it. 

"He's awful nice!" said Mun Bun. 

"He'd make a lovely doll, " observed Rose. "I wish I had a doll that wasalive. "

"I'll let you play with him sometimes, " promised Laddie. "I'm going tocall him. 'Peanuts' 'cause he likes 'em so. "

"Well, that would be a nice name for a monkey, " said Mrs. Bunker. "Butdon't get your heart set on keeping this one, Laddie. "

"Why not, Mother? Can't I have him?"

"I'm afraid not. In the first place Aunt Jo has no place in her Bostonhome for a monkey, and, in the second place, Alexis, the big dog, mightbark at Peanuts and scare him. "

Alexis was not there just then, or he would have seen the monkey, andsurely would have barked, as he always did when he saw anything new orstrange. 

"Another reason why you can't keep him, " said Mother Bunker, "is thatthe Italian hand-organ grinder will want his monkey himself. That is howhe makes his living--by having the monkey collect pennies for him. "

"But can I keep him until the organ man comes?" asked Laddie, as hecuddled his "riddle" in his arms. 

"Oh, yes, I guess you can keep him until then, " said Mrs. Bunker. "Wecouldn't turn the poor little monkey loose, anyhow, or dogs would chasehim. We'll see what your father says when he comes home. "

"And we can have some fun now, with Peanuts, " added Russ. "We can tie astring to his collar and make-believe we have a circus. "

"Maybe he'll bite, " said Margy. 

"He didn't bite me, " Laddie explained, "and I carried him under my coatfrom down the street. He tickled me though, when he wanted to get out. "

Mrs. Bunker and Aunt Jo said the children could play with the monkeyawhile on the side porch, fastening it by a string attached to thecollar around its neck, so it could not get away. 

"The Italian may be along pretty soon looking for it, " said William, thechauffeur, who had been called from the garage to see Laddie's new pet. 

"Peanuts, " as the six little Bunkers called the monkey, seemed to enjoybeing with them. He climbed about the porch, and came down when theyheld out in their hands bread, bits of crackers or cake, which themonkey liked to eat. 

The children were having lots of fun with their funny little pet, andthey were talking over and over again their wish that they might keephim, when, from out in front, came the sound of a hand-organ. It playedrather a sad and doleful tune, and, at the sound of it, the monkeyseemed to prick up his ears, much as a dog might do. 

"Oh, dear!" sighed Rose. "Maybe that's the hand-organ man that owns thismonkey. "

"If it is I'd better see about it, " said Aunt Jo. "I want you childrento have all the fun you can, but we don't want to keep a poor man'smonkey, any more than we do the poor woman's purse, though she hasn'tcome for that yet. "

William, the chauffeur, who also heard the hand-organ tune, went out infront, and came back to tell Aunt Jo that the Italian had indeed losthis monkey, and was looking everywhere for it. 

"Tell him to come in, " said Miss Bunker. 

And a little later, walking along and grinding out the doleful tune, theItalian came into the yard. 

"Is this your monkey?" asked Aunt Jo, pointing to the one that Laddiehad coaxed down out of the tree with peanuts. 

"Oh, Petro! Petro!" cried the Italian, leaning his hand-organ up againsta tree and rushing to the porch. "Ah, Petro! I have found you again, mybaby!" and he held out his arms. The monkey made a jump for them, andsat up on the man's shoulder, chattering and taking off and putting onhis green cap so often that, as Russ said, he looked like a movingpicture. 

"Ah, Petro! Petro!" cried the hand-organ man, and then he began to talkto the monkey in Italian, which the little creature seemed tounderstand, for he chattered back, though of course he spoke monkeytalk, or, maybe, jungle talk. 

"Is that your animal?" asked William. 

"Sure, he mine!" exclaimed the Italian. "His name Petro! I make-a demusic down de street, an' a big dog chase after Petro! He break-a destring an' jump oop de tree. I no can find! Now I have him back! Ah, myPetro!"

"Well, the children will be sorry to lose their pet, " said Aunt Jo, "butI'm glad you have him back. "

"I glad. Vera mooch-a glad, too!" said the Italian, taking off his hat, and bowing to Aunt Jo and Mrs. Bunker. "Petro bring me in pennies. Iplay for you, but I no want-a pennies. No take pennies--you find myPetro. "

"This little boy found him, " said William, pointing to Laddie. 

"I gave him peanuts, " said Laddie. "He was up a tree. "

"Mooch 'bliged, " said the Italian. "I make-a de music for you. Petro dotricks. "

Then he fastened the long cord he had in his pocket to Petro's collar, and began to grind out what he called "music. " He also made the monkeydo several tricks, such as turning somersaults or climbing trees andjumping from one branch to another. 

Then, with more thanks, and promising to come and play again for them, and not to let Petro take any pennies, the Italian went on his way withthe monkey and the hand-organ. 

Laddie and the others were sorry to lose their pet, but, as Daddy Bunkersaid afterward, the monkey and Alexis might not have been good friends. 

"Well, I found a monkey, and somebody came for it, " said Laddie thatnight. "But nobody has come for the pocketbook yet. "

"And, if they don't, I'm going to have the money, " said Rose. "Anyhow, Ican have some of it, daddy says. And I'm going to buy a pair of newroller skates, 'cause my old ones are 'most worn out. "

However, Rose could still skate on them, and speaking of them as shedid, made her think of them the next day. So, when she had put her dollsto "sleep, " the little girl went out roller-skating on the sidewalk infront of Aunt Jo's house. 

Rose had not been skating long before her mother heard her crying. 

"Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" Rose was saying. 

"What's the matter?" asked her mother, hurrying out to the porch. "Didyou fall and hurt yourself, Rose, my dear?"

"No. But I struck my foot against the curbstone, and now one of myroller skates is broken, and I can't have any fun!"

Rose held up one foot. The skate that had been on it was now in twopieces, and Mrs. Bunker saw that it could not easily be fixed again. Itwas too bad!

CHAPTER XVII

THE SKATE WAGON

While Rose and her mother were looking at the little girl's brokenroller skate, Russ came along. He had been in the yard, playing withAlexis, and his clothes were covered with grass, some of it green andsome of it dried. 

"But I had lots of fun, " said Russ, as he whistled a merry tune. "Andgrass doesn't hurt my old clothes. "

"Alexis always has on his old clothes. He doesn't have to change his toplay, " said Laddie, who was with Russ. 

Just then the two boys saw their mother and Rose looking at the brokenskate. 

"What's the matter?" Russ wanted to know. 

"Oh, I bumped my foot on the curbstone, " answered Rose. "And now look!"

She held out the skate that was broken in two parts. 

"Perhaps Russ can fix it, " said Mrs. Bunker with a smile. "He makes somany things that he might mend this. "

Russ took the pieces of the skate in his hand. Rose still had the other, the unbroken one, on her foot. 

"I could push myself along on one skate, " said the little girl, "but itisn't much fun. Can you fix it, Russ?"

Her brother shook his head. 

"I don't guess anybody could fix that broken skate, " he said. 

"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Rose. 

"But, " went on Russ, "I know how to make something that you can havelots of fun with; and so can I!"

"Can I, too?" asked Laddie. 

"We all can, " said Russ. "We can take turns. "

"On what?" asked Rose. 

"A skate wagon, " answered Russ. "I saw a boy downtown have one--the daywe went to the movies. You take a good roller skate, and pull it apart. Then you put two of the wheels on the front end of a board, and the twoother wheels on the back end. "

"Well, then what do you do?" asked Laddie, for Russ had come to a pause. 

"Well, then you nail a stick up on the front end of the board, for ahandle, and you stand on it--you stand on the board, I mean--and youride downhill on the sidewalk on the skate wagon. It's fun!"

"Say, let's do it!" cried Laddie. "I'll help you, Russ! Give us that oneskate that isn't busted, Rose, and we'll make a skate wagon. "

Laddie knelt down and began to unfasten the strap of the one good skate, which was still on Rose's left foot. 

"Stop! Stop it!" cried the little girl, pulling back her leg. 

"Hold still!" exclaimed Laddie. "I can't get your skate off if youwiggle so much. "

"I don't want my skate off!" insisted Rose. 

"Then how am I going to make a skate wagon?" asked Russ in somesurprise. 

"I can push myself along on one foot, and skate that way, " went on Rose. "If I let you boys take my skate to make a wagon of, you'll be ridingall the time and I won't have any fun. I'm going to keep my own skate. So there!"

"We'll give you some rides; won't we, Russ?" asked Laddie. 

"'Course we will! Lots of 'em!" added the older boy. 

"I'd let them take my skate, if I were you, " said Mrs. Bunker. "Oneskate is not of much use to you, Rose, and if Russ can make a sort ofwagon, or skatemobile, as I have heard them called, it will be fun forall of you. "

"All right, " said Rose, after thinking over what her mother said. "But Igot to have my turns. "

"Yes, you may all have turns, " said Mother Bunker, who usually settleddisputes in this gentle way. "Now, Russ and Laddie, let us see you makethe funny coaster wagon. "

Rose let Laddie take the roller skate off her foot, and then Russ tookthe two front wheels from the two back ones. He had looked at a"skatemobile" a few days before, and, being a clever little chap, heremembered how it was made. 

"I can get the pieces of board out in the garage, " said Russ. "I sawWilliam have some, and he said I could take them. "

Russ did not find it quite so easy to make the coaster wagon as he hadthought. To fasten the wheels of the skate to the board he used manynails, and bent most of them. Then William, who had been doing somethingto Aunt Jo's automobile, came out and watched Russ at work. 

"Ouch!" Russ suddenly exclaimed. 

"What's the matter?" asked the chauffeur. 

"I pounded my finger!" said the little boy, as he popped it into hismouth. "It hurts!" But he did not cry. 

"Yes, it generally does hurt when you hit your finger or thumb with ahammer, " said William. "Better let me finish that for you. I can put thewheels on so they won't come off. "

"I wish you would then, " said Russ. "We want to see how it works. "

William did not take long to fasten the four wheels to the long, narrowboard, two wheels on each end, so that it could easily coast down thesidewalk hill in front of Aunt Jo's house. Then, to the front of thenarrow board, just as Russ had explained, William nailed a handle, making it stick straight up, so it could be grasped by whoever wastaking a ride. 

"Now your skate wagon is done, " he said. 

"Let's go out and try it!" cried Laddie. 

"But I've got to have a turn, " insisted Rose. "It's my skate. "

"You shall all have turns, " put in Mother Bunker, who had come out tothe garage to see how matters were going. "That is, all except Mun Bunand Margy. I'm afraid they're too little to coast. They might fall off. "

"I'll hold 'em on and give 'em a ride, " offered Russ, who was very kindto his little brother and sister. 

"You can have the first ride, " said Laddie to Rose, "'cause it's yourroller skate. "

"I can't go first, " answered the little girl. "I don't know how you doit. You go first, Russ. "

Russ was very willing to do this. So he took the skate wagon to the topof the sidewalk "hill, " as the little Bunkers called it, and then he putone foot on the flat board, to which were fastened the roller-skatewheels. 

"You have to push yourself along with one foot, just the same as whenyou're skating on one skate, " explained Russ. "Then when you get togoing fast you put the other foot on the board and stand there, and youhold on tight and down you go. "

"Show me!" begged Rose, jumping up and down because she was so excitedand pleased. 

And then Russ went riding downhill, almost as nicely as he coasted onthe snow in winter. 

"Is it fun?" shouted Laddie, from where he stood with Rose at the top ofthe hill--only almost no one would have called such a slight grade a"hill. "

"Lots of fun!" answered Russ. 

Down to the bottom of the hill he rode, and then he walked up. 

"Now it's your turn, Rose, " he said, as he handed her the skatemobile. But the little girl shook her head. 

"I'll watch a little more, " she said. "Let Laddie go. "

So Laddie coasted down. Then Rose took her turn. Down the sidewalk hillshe coasted on the skate wagon, and she was just turning around to waveto her mother and her brothers, who were watching her, when all of asudden out from a gate ran a little dog. Right in front of Rose, and alittle ahead of her he ran, and then he stood on the sidewalk and barkedat her. 

"Look out, Rose! Look out!" cried her mother. 

"Steer to one side! Turn out for him!" yelled Russ. 

"Stick out your foot and stop the skate wagon, same as you stop yourselfon roller skates, " cried Laddie. 

But Rose, it seemed, could do none of these things. Straight for thelittle dog she coasted. 

What was going to happen?

CHAPTER XVIII

THE SPINNING TOPS

Rose was not able to stop the skate wagon, on which she was coastingdown the sidewalk hill in front of Aunt Jo's house. Nor did the littledog seem to want to get out of the way. He just stood in front of Rose, while she was coasting toward him, and barked and wagged his tail. Andit was almost as if he said:

"Well, what's all this? Are you coming to give me a ride?"

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way--please!" begged Rose. "I'llbump into you, same as I bumped into the curbstone, if you don't get outof the way, little dog; and then I'll run over you! Get out of the way!"

But the little dog just stayed right there. 

Of course, if Rose had thought about it, she might have jumped off theskate wagon, and let that go on by itself, shoving it to one side. 

But she was coasting down the stone sidewalk hill quite rapidly now, andshe was so excited that she never once thought of getting off or eventrying to turn the skate wagon aside. Straight for the barking littledog she coasted. 

"Oh, we must stop her!" cried Mrs. Bunker, running down the slope afterthe little girl. 

"I'll get her, Mother!" cried Russ. "I guess I can run faster than youcan. "

But there was no chance for either of them to catch Rose beforesomething happened. And the something that happened was that Rose ranright into the little dog. Right into him she ran with the skate wagon. 

"Ki-yi-yi-yip! Ki-yi! Yip! Yip!" yelled the little dog. 

"Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" sobbed Rose, for she was crying. 

Bang! went the skate wagon over into the gutter. 

The little dog--Well, I was almost going to say he laughed to see somuch sport, but that little dog is in Mother Goose, if I rememberrightly, and this little dog didn't laugh. He was very much frightened, and he was hurt a little, and so was Rose. So the little dog just tuckedhis tail in between his hind legs, and back he ran into the yard out ofwhich he had come to see what was going on when he heard the skate wagonrattling down the sidewalk hill. 

By this time Russ, Laddie, and their mother had come up to Rose. 

"Are you much hurt?" asked Mrs. Bunker. "There now, don't cry. We'lltake care of you!"

"It--it's my knees!" sobbed Rose. "I scraped 'em! And is my skate wagonall busted?"

"No, it's all right, " said Laddie, as he picked it up from the gutterwhere it had rolled after Rose fell off. "It's as good as ever. "

"And your knees aren't hurt much--only scratched, " said Mrs. Bunker, asshe looked. Rose wore socks, and her legs, above her shoes, and partlyabove her knees were bare. "See if you can't stand up, " urged Mrs. Bunker, for Rose was as limp as a rag in her arms. 

"Stand up and have some more rides!" exclaimed Russ. 

"No, I don't want any more rides on the old skate wagon!" cried hissister. "I don't like it. "

"Then we can have it all ourselves, Russ!" exclaimed Laddie. 

"No, you can't either!" said Rose, and she suddenly stopped crying. "Youcan't have my skate wagon. I want it myself!"

"But if you can't stand up you can't ride on it----" began Mrs. Bunker. 

"But I can stand up, Mother!" cried Rose, and she did, showing thatnothing much was the matter with her. 

"See, then you're not hurt, " said her mother. "Now don't begin to cryagain, and you can have some more rides. But perhaps you had better notcoast down any more hills. Just ride along the sidewalk as you did onyour roller skates. That will be best. "

"Yes, maybe I'll do that, " said Rose. "Where's the dog that made me runinto him?"

The little dog was safely behind his own fence now, looking out throughthe pickets and barking. Perhaps he wondered what it was all about, andwhat had happened to him. He had been knocked about a bit, and bruised, but not much hurt. Only he was "all mussed up, " as Russ said, after alook at him. 

"Well, I guess he won't get in the way of your roller-skate wagonagain, " said Mrs. Bunker. "Now you can take some more rides, Rose. Yourknees are all right. "

And so they were, after they had been washed off with a little warmwater. Then Rose and her brothers, with Violet taking a turn now andthen, had fine fun on the skatemobile. They rode down the hill though, as they found they could steer better when going fast. 

Mun Bun and Margy came from the yard, where they had been playing in thesand pile, and they, too, wanted rides. Russ and Laddie held them on, for the smaller children were hardly old enough to coast alone, thoughMun Bun did drive off in the junk cart, as I have told you. But that wasdifferent. The roller-skate wagon went faster than the junkman's horse. 

So the six little Bunkers had fun on the skate wagon, and as the dayswent on they were more and more glad they had come to Aunt Jo's house tospend a part of their vacation. 

It was early in August, and there was much of the summer before them. The weather was hot, but there was plenty of shade around Aunt Jo'shouse, so that it was almost as nice as it had been at Grandma Bell's. 

"Are we going to stay here until vacation is all over?" asked Russ ofhis father one day. 

"Well, I'm not sure, " he said. "Cousin Tom spoke once of having us comedown to see him. "

"Down to the seashore, do you mean?" asked Rose. 

"Yes, down to Seaview, New Jersey. "

"Oh, it would be dandy there!" cried Russ. "I could go swimming in theocean, couldn't I?"

"Well, you might go in if the water wasn't too deep, " his father saidwith a smile. "But we'll talk about that later. Rose, where is thatpocketbook you found?" he asked. 

"Why? Do you know who owns it?" the little girl asked. 

"No, but I want to look at it again. Perhaps there may be a card, orsomething, that will tell the address of the person who lost it and thesixty-five dollars. "

"But we did look, " said Russ, "and we couldn't find any. "

"I thought perhaps the card or paper might have slipped through a holein the lining, " said Mr. Bunker, "as the real estate papers I searchedfor so long slipped inside the lining of the old coat I gave thelumberman. Where is the pocketbook?"

"Mother has it, " answered Rose. "I'll get it for you, Daddy!"

She ran to her mother, and soon returned with the purse. The sixty-fivedollars had been put in a safe in Aunt Jo's house, but the sad littleletter was still in the wallet. 

Mr. Bunker read it over again, and then carefully looked through thepocketbook. It was an old one, and the lining was torn, but there was noslip of paper or card in any hole that would tell to whom thepocketbook should be returned. 

"I'll advertise once more, " said Mr. Bunker, "and then, if no one claimsit, I guess the money will belong to you, Rose. "

"And can I spend it?"

"Oh, no indeed! Not all of it. A little, perhaps; but the rest will beput away for you, until you grow to be a young lady. Still I wouldrather give it to whoever owns it. "

"So should I, " said Rose softly. "I'd like to get back my lost doll, that I sent up in the balloon airship, and I guess the pocketbook ladywould like to get her money back. "

They all thought the pocketbook belonged to a poor woman. They got thisidea from the letter--that is, the grown-up folks and the older childrendid. Mun Bun and Margy didn't think much about it, one way or the other. All they cared about was having fun. 

And the six little Bunkers certainly had fun at Aunt Jo's. They playedin the yard or around the garage; they went for auto rides, on littleexcursions and picnics, they played with Alexis, the big dog, and theyrode on the skatemobile. 

One day a boy named Tom Martin, who lived about half a block from AuntJo's house, came up in front and called:

"Hi, Russ! Ho, Laddie! Come on out and play tops!"

The two older Bunker boys had become acquainted with Tom, and liked toplay with him. Now they heard him calling and Russ answered:

"We'll be out in a minute; soon as we've had some bread and jam. "

"Bring Tom a piece, too, " suggested Laddie, for Parker, the good-naturedcook, was giving the boys a little treat. 

"Yes, I'll give you a slice for your friend, " she said. 

So she spread him a nice slice of bread and jam, and Russ and Laddie, carrying their own, which they ate on the way, also took one to theirnew playmate. 

"Let's play tops, " suggested Tom. "We can go down the street where thesidewalk is big and smooth, and spin 'em there. "

"All right, " agreed Russ. "We'll have some fun. "

Down the street they went, to a corner, where a big apartment housestood close to the sidewalk. There the pavement was smooth, just theplace for spinning tops. 

"There, mine's spinning first!" cried Tom, as he flung his top down, quickly pulling the string away, and thus making the top whirl aroundvery fast. "Let's see if either of you can hit my top with yours. "

"I can!" said Russ, and he threw his top at Tom's with all his might. 

Russ didn't hit his playmate's top, but he did hit something else. Upinto the air bounced Russ's top, and, the next moment, there was a crashof glass. 

"Oh!" cried Tom. "You've broken a window!"

CHAPTER XIX

FLYING A KITE

That was just what had happened. When Russ threw his top down so hard, it had bounced up again from the sidewalk, and had gone sailing throughthe air against one of the lower windows of the apartment house whichstood so close to the pavement. And the top went right through theglass. 

The three little boys were so surprised that they just stood there, looking at the shower of broken glass on the pavement. Then Tom cried:

"Oh, we'd better run!"

"What for?" asked Russ. 

"'Cause you broke the window. The lady or the man'll come out an'they'll get a policeman. "

Russ said nothing for two or three seconds. Laddie, who was just goingto bounce down his top, to spin it, still held it in his hand. Hedidn't want to break a glass. 

"Come on!" cried Tom in a whisper. "Come on 'fore they catch us!"

Russ shook his head. 

"No, " he answered. "I'm not going to run. I'll stay here, and when theycome out I'll tell 'em I busted it and my father will pay for it. That'swhat we always do; don't we, Laddie?"

"Yep, " answered the smaller boy. 

"Did you ever break windows before?" asked Tom, who had started to runaway, but who came back when he saw that his two friends were not comingwith him. 

"We broke one at Grandma Bell's, " said Russ. 

"But she didn't make us pay for it, " said Laddie. 

"Tom Hardy, the hired man, put a new glass in, " went on Russ. "And oncewe broke a window back home when we were playing ball. I threw the ball, and Laddie didn't grab it, and it went through a candy-store window, butwe didn't run. "

"What did you do?" asked Tom, to whom this seemed something new. Helooked up at the place where the window had been smashed. As yet no onehad thrust a head out of the window or threatened to send for apoliceman. "What did you do?" asked Tom again. 

"Well, the lady who owned the candy store knew us, " answered Russ, "andshe knew our father would pay for the glass. "

"Did he?"

"Why, of course he did!" exclaimed Laddie. 

"But he said we each had to save up and give him back five cents--apenny at a time, " added Russ. "That was to help pay for the glass, andmake us--make us more careful, I guess he called it. 

"Anyhow, that's what I'm going to do now. We'll wait, and when somebodycomes out I'll tell 'em my father'll pay for the glass my top broke. "

"Here comes somebody now!" whispered Tom, and surely enough a man, wearing blue overalls and looking as though he had been cleaning out acellar, came from the basement door of the big apartment house. 

"Who broke that glass?" he asked, and his voice was rather harsh. 

"I--I did--with my top, " spoke up Russ, but his voice trembled a little. 

"Well, you'll have to pay for it!" went on the janitor, for such he was. "I've told you boys to keep away from here spinning your tops, and yetyou will come! Now you've got to pay for it!"

"I never spun my top here before, " said Russ. 

"And I didn't either, " added Laddie. 

"That's right, Mr. Quinn, " put in Tom, who seemed to know the janitor. "I brought 'em here. It's part my fault. "

"Hum!" said the janitor. "This is something new, to have boys own up toit when they break windows, and not run away. Who did you say was goingto pay for the glass?" he asked. "It'll cost about a dollar. Lucky foryou Mr. Tanzy wasn't at home. It's in his parlor you broke the window, and he's awful cross. "

Russ had thought the janitor himself was cross, at first, but now he didnot think so, for the dusty man smiled. 

"I'm going to pay for the glass--I am, and my brother, " Russ went on. "Ibroke it. "

"Have you got the money with you?" asked Mr. Quinn, the janitor. 

"No, " answered Russ. "I've only five cents. But you can have that, andmy father'll give you the rest when I tell him. "

"Who's your father?" asked the janitor. 

"They're staying with their Aunt Jo, " explained Tom Martin. "She liveson this street--Miss Bunker, you know. "

"We're two of the six little Bunkers, " said Russ. 

"Oh, I'm glad to know that, " and Mr. Quinn smiled again. "Well, as ithappens, I used to be your aunt's furnace man, so I know her. If you'rerelated to her you must be all right. I'll let you two little Bunkers gonow, but your father must come and pay for the window. "

"He will, " promised Russ, who was glad no policeman had come along, though he had made up his mind to be brave, and not be afraid if oneshould happen to be called in by the janitor. But none was. 

"I'll help pay for the window, too, " said Tom. "It was part my fault, 'cause I asked Russ and Laddie to come down here to play tops. "

"Good-bye, boys!" the janitor called after them. "I'm sorry you had thisaccident, but I like the way you acted. "

Russ, Laddie and Tom were sorry, too, for they knew their fathers wouldfeel bad, not so much at having to pay out fifty cents each, as becausethe boys had played tops in a place where they might, almost any time, break a window. 

Tom ought to have known better than to go down by the apartment house, for, more than once, he had been told to keep away, but Russ and Laddiehad not. However, neither Mr. Martin nor Daddy Bunker scolded very much. They sent the money to the janitor, and told the boys just what Mr. Quinn had told them--to play tops on some other pavement. And this theboys did. 

"But we got to have _some_ fun, " grumbled Russ. 

"Oh, there are lots of other places where you can spin your tops withoutgoing down near the apartment house, " said Mr. Bunker. "Windows willget broken, once in a while, but I don't like it to happen too often. "

"Did you get any answers to the advertisement about the lostpocketbook?" asked Mrs. Bunker of her husband that night, for he hadsaid he would stop at the newspaper office and inquire. 

"No, " he replied. "I'm afraid whoever owns it does not read the papers. I wish I knew who it was. "

"So do I, " said Rose. 

For, even though she would like to keep the money for herself, she knewit was better that the poor person, whose it was, should have it. But, so far, no one had come to claim the wallet and the sixty-five dollars. 

After dinner one day Aunt Jo said:

"Who wants to go on an auto ride?"

"I do!" cried Rose and Violet. 

"Me, too!" added Margy, and Mun Bun said something, though they couldnot be sure just what it was, as he was still chewing on a bit ofcracker he had carried from the table with him. 

"I guess he means he'll go, too, " said his mother. "But after this, MunBun, my dear, finish your eating at the table, and don't be droppingcracker crumbs all over Aunt Jo's floor. "

"I get Alexis, and he pick 'em up, " said Mun Bun; and he started for thedoor to let in the big dog. 

"No, don't!" laughed Aunt Jo. "Alexis has just been given a bath byWilliam, and our dog pet is wet. He'd be worse for the floor than a fewcrumbs are. I'll have them swept up, Mun Bun. But come, let's get readyfor the auto ride. "

When the time to go came, Russ and Laddie said they wanted to stay athome. This was unusual. Generally they were the first to want to go. 

"Why aren't you coming?" asked Rose of Russ. "Maybe we might find mydoll that sailed away with the balloons. "

"Oh, I don't guess you will, " said Russ. 

"Anyhow, Laddie and I are going to make some things when you're gone. We've got to make 'em so we can fly 'em with Tom Martin. He's going tomake one, too. "

"Will it fly?" asked Rose. "Oh, is it an airship?"

"No, it's just a kite, " said Russ. "I started to make one, but I didn'tfinish. Now I'm going to make a good one so it will fly away up high. And so are Laddie and Tom. That's why we don't want to go in the auto. "

"All right, then we'll leave you and Laddie at home with your father andWilliam, " said Aunt Jo, for she was going to run the car herself. 

"Be good boys, " begged Mrs. Bunker. 

"We will!" promised Russ. 

"And you won't spin tops and break any more windows, will you?" inquiredAunt Jo. 

"Nope!" agreed Laddie. "We'll just fly kites, and they can't breakwindows, or do any thing else. "

But you just wait and see what happens. 

After Aunt Jo and the others had gone off in the car, Russ and Laddiegot their paste, paper and string, and began making kites. Russ knew howpretty well, and he showed Laddie. They made kites with tails on them, as these are easier for small boys to build, though they are not so easyto fly as the kind without tails. The tails of kites get tangled in somany things. 

"Now mine's done, " said Russ, as he held up his finished toy. 

"I wish mine was, " replied Laddie. 

"I'll help you, " offered his brother, and he did. 

The two boys were soon ready to go to a vacant lot not far from AuntJo's house, to fly their kites. 

"A city's no place to fly kites, " said Laddie. "We ought to be in thecountry. "

"We ought to be at Grandma Bell's, " agreed Russ. "That was a dandy placeto fly kites--big fields and no telegraph wires to tangle the tail in. "

However, they managed, after some hard work, to get their kites up intothe air, and then they sat in the lot, holding the strings and sendingup messengers. 

CHAPTER XX

THE JUMPING ROPE

"My kite's higher than yours, " said Laddie, as he looked at hisplaything, away up in the air, and then at his brother's. 

"Well, I haven't let out all my string yet, " Russ answered. "I can makemine go up a lot higher than yours when I unwind some more cord, and I'mgoing to. "

"I'm going to send up another messenger, " said Laddie. "I haven't gotany more string to let out, but maybe I could get some. "

He took a small piece of paper, put a hole in it, and then slippedthrough this hole the stick to which his kite cord was tied. Then thepiece of paper went sailing up the kite string, twirling around andaround until it was half way to the kite itself. 

"Look at my messenger go!" cried Laddie, as the piece of paper whirledaround and around in a brisk breeze. "Why don't you send up one, and wecan have a race?"

"I will!" exclaimed Russ. "We'll have a race with the paper messengers, and then I'll get some more string, and send my kite higher. "

"So'll I, " decided Laddie. "Oh, Russ, we can even have a race with thekites!" he went on. "We'll see whose kite will go highest. "

"Yes, we can do that, " agreed the older boy. "Now I'll make amessenger. "

So Russ did that, and as the messenger Laddie had put on was, by thistime, nearly up to his kite, he put another on the string. The boys heldthem from going up until both were ready, and then, just as when theysometimes had a foot race, Russ cried:

"Go!"

They took their hands off the paper messengers, and up the strings theyshot, the wind blowing them very fast. 

"Look at 'em go! Look at 'em!" cried Laddie, dancing about in delight. 

"And you'd better look out and not let go of your kite string, orthat'll go, too, " said Russ. "Your kite'll fly away same as Rose'sballoon airship did. "

"I wonder if they'd go to the same place, " said Laddie. "If my kitewould be sure to fly to where Rose let the balloons fly to I'd let itgo. "

"Why would you?" asked Russ. 

"'Cause then I could find Rose's doll for her. I could walk along by mykite string and keep on going and going and going, and then I'd come tothe place where the kite was and there would be the basket with the dollin it. "

"Yes, that would be nice, " said Russ. "But I don't guess they'd go tothe same place. You'd better hold on to your kite. "

"I will, " agreed Laddie. "I wonder how high we could let our kites goup?" he went on, as he watched the messengers whirling around thestrings. "How far would they go?"

"They'd go as far as you had cord for, " said Russ. 

"Could they go away up to the sky?" asked Laddie. 

"'Course they could, " said Russ. 

"The sky's awful far, " went on Laddie, looking up at the blue part, across which the white, fleecy clouds were flying. 

"Yes, it's far, " assented Russ. "But we could get an awful lot ofstring, and let the kites go up. "

"Could we do it now?" the smaller boy wanted to know. "I'd like to seemy kite go up to the sky. "

"Well, we could do it, " Russ said. "But look! My messenger beat yours!"he suddenly cried. "It's away ahead!"

"So it is, " assented Laddie. "Well, anyhow, I've got more of 'em up thanyou have. "

"Now I'm going to get a lot of cord and send my kite up high, " announcedRuss, as he got up from the grass where he was sitting. 

"Are you going to take your kite down?" his brother wanted to know. 

Russ shook his head. 

"I'm going to tie my kite string to a stone, " he said. "That'll keep itfrom blowing away while I go into the house to get more cord. You watchmy kite while I'm gone. "

"I will, " promised Laddie. "I'll tie my kite, too. "

Russ tied the end of his cord to a heavy stone in the vacant lot nearAunt Jo's house, in which the boys were flying their kites. Laddie satdown on the grass, and looked up at the kites, which were like twobirds, high in the air. Russ was gone some little time. It was harderthan he thought it would be to find the right kind of cord. But he hadmade up his mind to send his kite up in the air as high as it would go, and he wanted plenty of string. 

Suddenly Laddie, who was watching his own and his brother's kites, noticed that Russ's was acting very strangely. It bobbed and flutteredabout a bit, and then began to sink down. 

"I've got to pull on the cord, " thought Laddie. Though he was youngerthan Russ he knew enough for this--when a kite starts to come down, torun with it, or to wind the cord in quickly. There wasn't much room inthe vacant city lot to run, so Laddie began winding in the string ofRuss's kite. 

Then Laddie noticed that his own kite was bobbing about and coming downalso. 

"Oh, dear!" exclaimed the little boy. "I can't wind 'em both in atonce. I wish Russ would come!"

But Russ was still back at Aunt Jo's house, and Laddie, much as hewanted to save his brother's kite, wanted even more to save his own. 

So Laddie let go of the string of his brother's kite, and began to pullin on his own. As he did so Russ's sank lower and lower, falling like aleaf, from side to side. 

But as Laddie pulled on his cord his kite went higher and higher intothe air, until, getting to a place higher up, where the wind was blowingstronger, it was out of danger. 

But Russ's kite floated lower and lower, and Laddie dared not let go hisown string to pull in his brother's. Just then Russ came running backwith the cord he at last had found. 

"Where's my kite?" he cried, as he reached the lot, and did not see hiskite in the air. 

"It started to come down, and so did mine, but I couldn't pull 'emboth, " said his brother. "I'm sorry, but----"

"Oh, well, maybe I can pull it up, " said Russ, who was not going to findfault with Laddie for what could not be helped. "I'll wind up thestring as fast as I can. "

So he did this, and at last he saw his kite come into sight above thehouses in the next street. But the wind, low down, was not strong enoughto carry the kite up again, and Russ saw that it was of no use. His kitestill fluttered from side to side. 

"I can't get it up again this way, " he said to Laddie. "I've got to pullit all the way down, and then send it up again. And I'll make it goterrible high this time, 'cause I've got a lot of string. "

"When mine comes down I'm going to send it up higher, " said Laddie. Buthis kite was still well up in the air. 

Russ pulled and pulled on his string, and finally he had his kite wherehe could see it. It was floating over the street near the vacant lot, and Russ was pulling it toward him, when, all of a sudden, somethinghappened. 

A woman, with a large hat on, was walking along the street, right underRuss's kite. Suddenly the kite swooped down, until the dangling tailtouched the woman's hat. Russ, not seeing what had taken place, kept onpulling on the string, winding it in. And, of course, you can easilyguess what happened. 

"Stop! Stop it, little boy!" called the woman. "Stop pulling on yourkite string!"

"What for?" asked Russ, who had been looking at the stick on which hewas winding his cord, wondering if it would be large enough to hold itall. 

"Because you're pulling off my hat!"

And that is just what Russ was doing. The tail of the kite had becometangled in the trimming on the woman's hat, and Russ was pulling it offher head. 

"Oh, please stop, little boy!" she cried, and she had to run along, following the kite across the street. 

Then Russ stopped winding the string, and the woman, putting up herhands, took hold of the kite tail, so it did not quite pull off her hat. But it almost did. 

"I--I'm sorry, " Russ said, as he saw what had happened. 

"Oh, that's all right, " the woman answered with a laugh. "You couldn'thelp it. I have a little boy of my own, and he likes to fly his kite, but he never got it tangled in my hat, that I remember. But it's allright. No harm is done. I can pin my hat on again, but my hair is rathermussed up, I'm afraid. "

"You could go into my Aunt Jo's house and fix it, " said Russ politely. "She has a looking-glass. "

"Has she? That's nice, " said the lady with another laugh. "But I have alittle one of my own. See!" She opened her purse and showed a tiny, round mirror fastened inside. "If you'll hold that up, so I can seemyself in it, I can put my hat on again and it will be all right, " shewent on. 

This Russ did. His kite had fallen to the street, but it was not tornand was all right for putting up again. So he held the woman's mirror, which was in her pocketbook, as well as he could, while she smoothed outher hair and straightened her hat. Then, with a smile and a bow, shesaid:

"There! Is it all right?"

"It looks nice--just like my mother's, " answered Russ, and the womanlaughed as she took back her purse. 

"Did you lose a pocketbook?" asked Russ. 

"No, " was the answer. "Why do you ask?"

"'Cause my sister Rose found one, and it had some money in, but nobodyever came to get it. "

"Well, I hope you can fly your kite again, " said the woman, as shewalked away. 

Russ picked up his kite and went back to the vacant lot with it. Hetried to fly it, but the wind had gone down, and the toy would not rise. Laddie's, too, had begun to bob about, and he said:

"I guess I'll pull mine down before it falls. "

"Well, we had some fun, anyhow, " remarked Russ. 

It was the next day, a fine, sunny one, that Rose and Violet, havingplayed with their dolls until they were tired, wanted to do somethingelse. Daddy Bunker had taken Russ and Laddie to a moving picture show, but as Rose and Violet had seen it once, they did not want to go again. Margy and Mun Bun were asleep, and the two girls didn't know what toplay. 

"I know how to have some fun, " said Rose at last. 

"How?" asked her sister. 

"We can jump rope. I know where there's a piece of clothesline that AuntJo'll let us take. "

"How can two of us jump rope?" asked Vi. "We'd both have to turn, so whocould jump?"

"We can tie one end to a tree, and take turns turning, " said Rose. "Thenone of us can jump, and whoever misses has to turn for the other. "

"Oh, yes, we can do it that way, " assented Vi. So the two little girlsran to get the clothesline and soon they were jumping rope. 

"It's lots of fun, " said Vi, when it was her turn to have "threeslow--pepper, " while Rose turned, the other end of the rope being fastto a tree. 

CHAPTER XXI

MUN BUN IN A HOLE

While Rose turned, Vi jumped, and the little girl was getting alongnicely when she tripped, or the rope caught on her foot, and stopped. 

"Now it's my turn!" exclaimed Rose. "You missed, and you have to turnfor me. "

"You made me trip!" exclaimed Vi. "You gave me the pepper before I wasready. "

"You said to give you 'three slow--pepper, ' and I did, " declared Rose. 

I suppose you girls who jump rope know what "three slow--pepper" means, but the boys probably will not, so I'll explain. 

The person who is turning the rope for the other to jump, turns it veryslowly for three times. Then she turns it fast. Jumping fast is calledjumping "pepper, " and sometimes jumping slow is called "salt. " And Ihave heard some little girls, when they were jumping rope, call for"mustard and vinegar. " But that is very fast indeed--too fast for littlegirls, I should think. Rose and Vi never jumped faster than pepper. 

"Yes, I know I said 'three slow--pepper, '" admitted Vi. "But I didn'twant you to give me such fast pepper. "

"Oh, well, try it again, " said Rose, good-naturedly. "I won't go so fastthe next time. "

So she began turning the rope again, and Vi started to jump. This timeall went well, and Vi, when it came to the "pepper" part, did so welland kept it up so long that Rose at last cried, with a laugh:

"Oh, my arm is tired! Let me rest, Vi!"

"I will, " said the little girl. "I'm tired, too. After I rest a minuteI'll turn for you. "

They sat on the grass under the trees for a while, and then began takingturns jumping again. 

"Now let's try a new way, " suggested Rose after a bit. "We'll see howhigh we can jump over the rope. "

So they began this game, and pretty soon some little girls from thehouse across the street came out to play with Rose and Vi. They werefrom a family that Aunt Jo knew, and had played with the little Bunkersbefore. 

The children had lots of fun, skipping rope, and seeing who could jumpthe highest. Rose was best at this, though Mabel Potter, one of thelittle girls from across the street, jumped nearly as high. 

"Now let's go and play with our dolls again, " suggested Vi. "Can youcome over to our Aunt Jo's house, and sit on her porch?" she askedMabel, Florence and Sallie, the other little girls. 

They said they could, and they were just starting to get their dollswhen along came a boy with a basket of groceries on his arm. He had gotout of a delivery wagon down the street, and was bringing some things toAunt Jo. The boy had often called with groceries before, and Rose and Viknew him. His name was Henry Jones. 

"Hello, little girls!" called Henry, for he was older than any of them. "What you doin'?"

"Seeing who can jump highest, " answered Rose. 

"I can jump higher'n any of you!" boasted Henry. "Want to see me?"

"Well, you ought to jump higher--you're bigger'n we are, " said Mabel. 

"Well, I'll jump and keep on holding my basket, " offered the groceryboy. "That'll make it harder for me. Go on! Hold the rope up real highand I'll jump over it. "

"Maybe you might spill the things in your basket, " suggested Rose. 

"No, I won't. I'm a good jumper, " said Henry. "Hold the rope up realhigh. "

Rose took hold of one end of the rope and Mabel the other. They held itacross the sidewalk as high up as their own waists. 

"Higher!" ordered Henry. 

They raised it a little. 

"There! That's high enough!" said the grocery boy. "Now you watch mesail over that. I'll show you some jumpin'!"

Henry, still holding his basket of groceries, stood on the sidewalk, alittle way back from the rope. Then he took a run and started toward it. Up into the air he jumped, but something sad happened. 

Whether Henry did not spring up high enough, or whether one of thegirls raised the end of the rope when she ought not to have done so, noone ever knew. 

But what happened was that Henry's feet became entangled in the cord, and down he fell, luckily on the grass at one side of the pavement, andnot on the sidewalk stones, or he might have been hurt. 

He sat right down flat, and his basket bounced off his arm, and a lot ofgroceries spilled out of it. 

"Oh, did you hurt yourself?" asked Rose. 

Henry was too much surprised, for a moment, to speak. He looked as if hedid not know what had happened. Then he slowly got up. 

"No, I didn't hurt myself, " he answered. "But I guess I can't jump ashigh as I thought I could. But I'm going to try it again. "

"Oh, you'd better not, " Mabel said. "You might break some more eggs. "

"I didn't break any eggs!" declared Henry. 

"Yes, you did! Look at that bag, " said Rose, and she pointed to one thathad bounced from the basket, together with other bags and bundles. Fromthis bag something yellow was running on the grass. 

"Oh, dear! I guess I did bust some eggs!" exclaimed the grocery boy. "Your aunt'll be awful mad!" he went on. "I wish I hadn't jumped therope. "

Henry picked up the bag of eggs and looked inside. 

"Only one's busted, " he said, "and that's just partly cracked. I'llhurry into the house with it and she can put it in a dish and save it. 'Tisn't cracked very much. "

"That's good, " said Rose. "Parker is going to bake a cake, I heard hersay, so she'll need some eggs right away, and she can use the crackedone first. "

"I'm glad of that, " observed Henry. 

Then he hurried into Aunt Jo's house with the eggs and other groceries, and when he came out--not having been scolded a bit--the girls had gonewith their jumping-rope, so Henry didn't have another chance to take atumble. 

On the shady porch of Aunt Jo's house Rose, Vi and their three littlegirl friends played with their dolls. They were having lots of fun, undressing and dressing them, sending them on "visits, " one to another, and having play-parties. 

"Do you like it here?" asked Mabel of Rose. 

"Oh, yes, lots, " was the answer. "We've had just the loveliest summer. First, we were at Grandma Bell's, and now we're at Aunt Jo's, and maybewe'll go to Cousin Tom's at the seashore before we go back home. "

"You've got lots of relations, haven't you?" asked Sallie. 

"Oh, that's only part of 'em, " Rose went on. "We've got more, " and shementioned them. 

Vi was putting her doll to sleep on a bed of grass made in a corner ofthe porch, when a door slammed and the sound of running feet was heard. 

"Hush! Don't make so much noise!" exclaimed Violet in a whisper. "Mydoll's asleep. "

"It's Margy and Mun Bun, " said Rose, as the two smallest Bunkers cameracing around the corner of the porch. "They're my little sister andbrother, " Rose explained to the other girls. "They've just had a nap, so they feel like playing now. "

"Can we have some fun?" asked Margy. 

"We want lots of fun!" added Mun Bun. 

"Oh, dear! They'll wake up my doll!" whispered Vi. "Can't you two goaway and play somewhere else?"

"Here. I'll let 'em take these marbles, " said Mabel. "They're my littlebrother's. He gave me his bag to hold when he went off to play tops withsome of the boys. I'll let Margy and Mun Bun take the marbles to playwith. "

"That'll be nice, " said Rose. "Run along, Mun Bun and Margy, and playmarbles. "

This just suited the younger children. Down off the porch they ran, andsoon the others could hear them laughing and shouting. But pretty soonMargy came running back. 

"Come an' get Mun Bun, " she said to Rose. "He's got his head in, an' hecan't get it out. "

"Got his head in where?" asked Rose. 

"In a hole, " answered Margy quite calmly. 

CHAPTER XXII

OUT TO NANTASKET BEACH

When Margy told Rose about Mun Bun being down in a hole, Mabel, Florenceand Sallie looked much more frightened than the little girl who had comerunning to the porch with the news. Indeed, Margy did not seemfrightened at all; but, of course, Mun Bun could not stay always withhis head in a hole, so she had come to tell some one to get him out. 

"What kind of a hole is he in?" asked Mabel. 

"Can't he ever get out?" Florence inquired. 

"I don't know, " answered Margy. "It's a funny hole. It's in the yard, and Mun Bun's head is away down in it. I can't see his head, but hislegs are stickin' out. "

"Mother! Mother!" cried Rose, running into the house, where Mrs. Bunkerwas sitting in the sewing-room with Aunt Jo. "Oh, Mother! Mun Bun----"

Rose had to stop, for she was out of breath. 

"What's he been doing now?" asked Mrs. Bunker. Then she saw Rose's face, and added: "Oh, has anything happened?" and she hurried over to Rose. 

"Margy says his head is in a hole in the yard, and that his legs aresticking out, " went on the little girl. "Mun Bun and Margy went out toplay marbles an'----"

But Mrs. Bunker did not stop to hear. Followed by Aunt Jo, out sherushed to the yard, and there she saw a strange sight. In the middle ofthe lawn Mun Bun seemed to be kneeling down. But the funny part of itwas that his head did not show. And yet it wasn't so funny either, justthen, though they all laughed about it afterward. 

"Oh, what has happened to him?" cried Mrs. Bunker as she rushed acrossthe grass. Aunt Jo was beside her, and Rose, Vi, Margy and the threeother girls followed. 

"Mun Bun! Mun Bun!" called his mother, as she came closer to him. "Whatare you doing?"

"Oh, my head's in a hole! It's in a hole, and I can't get it out!"sobbed the little fellow. And, just as Margy had said, his voice didsound strange--as if it came from the cellar. 

"Don't be afraid. I see what has happened, " said Aunt Jo. "Mun Bun isn'thurt, and I can get him out of the hole. "

"And can you get his head out, too?" asked Vi. 

"Oh, yes, his head and--everything, " said Aunt Jo. "I see what he hasdone. He has taken the cover off the lawn-drain, and stuck his head downin it, though why he did it I don't know. "

"He's trying to get some of our marbles, " explained Margy, as Aunt Joand Mother Bunker hurried to the side of Mun Bun. "The marbles rolleddown the hole in the yard and Mun Bun said he could get 'em back. So hestuck down his head, and now he can't get it up. "

"I wonder why?" said Mother Bunker. 

"It's on account of his ears, " said Aunt Jo, who had her hands on thehead of Mun Bun now. "They stick out so they catch on the side andedges of the hole. But I'll hold them back for him. "

She slipped her thin fingers down into the hole, on either side of MunBun's head. Then she raised up his head, and out of the hole it came. 

Mun Bun's face was very red--standing on his head as he had been almostdoing, had sent the blood there. His face was red, and it was dirty, forhe had been crying. 

"Now you're all right!" said Aunt Jo, kissing him. 

"Don't cry any more!" went on Mother Bunker, as she clasped the littleboy in her arms. Mun Bun soon stopped sobbing. 

"I see how it all happened, " went on Aunt Jo. "In the middle of my lawnis a drain-pipe to let the water run off when too much of it rains down. Over the hole in the pipe is an iron grating, like a big coffeestrainer. This strainer keeps the leaves, sticks and stones out of thepipe. But the holes are large enough for marbles to roll down, Isuppose. "

"Some of my marbles rolled down the holes, and so did some of Margy's, "explained Mun Bun. "That is, they wasn't our marbles, but _she_ let ustake 'em, " and he pointed to Mabel. "And when they rolled down in thelittle holes I wanted to get 'em back. So I put my head down to look andI couldn't get up again. "

"But if the holes were only large enough to let marbles roll through, Idon't see how Mun Bun could get his head down them, " said Mrs. Bunker. 

"Oh, but he lifted off the iron grating of the pipe, and put his headright down in the pipe itself, " said Aunt Jo. "The iron grating is madeto lift up, so the pipe can be cleaned. I suppose Mun Bun found itloose, lifted it up, stuck his head down, and then the edge of thestrainer-holder held his ears, so he couldn't get loose. I pushed hisears in close to the sides of his head, and then he was all right. "

And that is just the way it happened. Mun Bun, when he saw the marblesroll down into the drain-pipe, wanted to get them back. He could easilylift up the grating, but when his head was in he could not so easily getit out again. So he yelled and cried, and Margy heard him and went forhelp, which was a good thing. 

"Well, you're all right now, but don't ever do anything like thatagain, " said Aunt Jo. 

"I won't, " promised Mun Bun, as his mother carried him to the house tobe washed and combed. "But I wanted the marbles, and they're down thepipe yet. I couldn't get 'em. "

"Never mind, " said Mabel. "My brother has lots more. He won't care aboutlosing a few. "

And he did not, so Mun Bun had all his trouble for nothing, not evengetting back the marbles. But it taught him never to put his head in ahole unless he was sure he could get it out. 

When Russ and Laddie came home from the moving picture show, they heardall about what had happened to their little brother. 

"Let's go out and look at the hole, " suggested Laddie. 

"All right, " agreed Russ. "I knew it was there, 'cause the last time itrained I saw water running into it. But I didn't know the iron gratinglifted up. "

For several days after that the six little Bunkers had lots of fun atAunt Jo's. They played all sorts of games, and had rides on theroller-skate wagon Russ had made, as well as in the express wagon, pulled by Alexis, the big dog. 

They went out to Bunker Hill monument, where they were told somethingabout what had happened when the men of the colonies fought that theseUnited States might become a free nation. 

"Daddy, " asked Vi very seriously, "didn't they name this monument afteryou?"

"How could they?" broke in Russ. "This monument was put up years andyears before Daddy was born. "

"Well, maybe they named it after his great, great, I don't know how manygreat grandfathers, " put in Laddie. 

"No, it wasn't named after any one in our family, " answered DaddyBunker. 

The father also took the children out to the Charlestown Navy Yard, andtold them something about the navy and how our fighting men of the seahelped to keep us a great and free people. 

And then, one day, Russ saw his mother and father and Aunt Jo lookingover some papers and small books. Russ knew what they were--time tables, to tell when trains and boats leave and arrive. He had seen them at hisfather's real estate office, and also at the house in Pineville justbefore the family started for Grandma Bell's. 

"Oh, are we going home?" asked Russ, his voice showing the sadness hefelt at such a thing happening. 

"Going home? What makes you think that?" asked his father. 

"Indeed, I hope you're not going home for a good while yet, " said AuntJo. "It hardly seems a week since you came. "

"Well, I'm glad you have enjoyed us, " said Mother Bunker. 

"But are we going home?" persisted Russ. 

"No, not yet, " answered his father. "You think because we are looking attime tables we are going to leave. Well, we are, but we are only goingon an excursion, or picnic. "

"Where?" asked Russ, and once more he felt happy. 

"Out to Nantasket Beach, " said Aunt Jo. "That's a nice trip by boat. Ittakes about an hour and a half from Boston, and we are looking to seewhat time the boats sail and come back. "

"Oh, are we coming back?" asked Russ. 

"Yes. We can only spend the day there, " said his mother. "But Aunt Josays it is very nice. It's a sort of picnic ground, with all sorts ofthings at which you can have fun. There are merry-go-rounds androller-coasters. And you can have nice things to eat, and can play inthe sand near the ocean. "

"Oh, that'll be fun!" cried Russ. "When are we going?"

"To-morrow, " answered Aunt Jo. 

Russ jumped up and down, he was so happy, and ran out to tell the otherlittle Bunkers. 

And the next day they all went out to Nantasket Beach. While they werethere something very strange and wonderful happened, and I'll tell youall about it. 

CHAPTER XXIII

THE MERRY-GO-ROUND

"Oh, look over here!"

"See this funny boat!"

"Look, Daddy! What's that man doing?"

"Oh, I hear some music!"

These were some of the things the six little Bunkers said and shouted asthey were on the boat going to Nantasket Beach. The day was a fine, sunny one, and they had started early in the morning to have as long atime as possible at the playground, for that is what Nantasket Beachreally is. 

Russ and Rose, Violet and Laddie, and Margy and Mun Bun ran here andthere on the boat, finding different things to look at and wonder overon the vessel itself, or in the waters across which they were steaming. 

Mother and Daddy Bunker sat with Aunt Jo in a shady place on deck, andwatched the children at their play. 

Russ and Laddie and the two older girls were standing near the rail, toward the front, or bow, of the boat, and they had to hold their hatson to keep them from being blown away. 

"I would like a kite here, " Laddie said. Then he watched some boatsmoving back and forth in the water, big ones and little ones, and, suddenly turning to his brother, said:

"I've got a new riddle. "

"What is it?" Russ asked. "I can guess it. "

"Nope! You can't!" Laddie went on. "And it's an easy one, too. "

"Go on and tell it!" exclaimed Russ. "I know I can guess it. "

"Why is this boat like a duck?" asked Laddie. "Now, you can't answerthat. "

"I can so!" cried Russ, as he thought for a moment. "That's easy. Thisboat is like a duck 'cause it goes in water. "

"Nope!" said Laddie, shaking his head with vigor. 

"It is so!" cried Russ. "I'm going to ask Mother. "

The two boys went in search of their mother, leaving Rose and Vi up infront. 

"What is it now?" Mrs. Bunker wanted to know, as the two boys ran up toher. 

"Laddie made up a riddle about 'why this boat is like a duck, ' and whenI told him 'cause it goes in water like a duck, he says that isn't theanswer. It is, isn't it?"

"That isn't the answer I mean!" exclaimed Laddie, before his mother hada chance to speak. 

"Well, I suppose Laddie can pick out the one answer he wants to his ownriddles, if he makes them up, " said Mrs. Bunker to the two boys. 

"I have an answer, " said Laddie, "and Russ didn't guess it right. "

"Give me another chance, " pleaded the older boy. "I know why the boat islike a duck--'cause it _swims_ in water! That's it!"

"Nope!" said Laddie again, shaking his head harder than before. 

"Then there isn't any answer!" declared Russ. 

"Yes, there is, too, " insisted Laddie. "I'll tell you. This boat is likea duck because it _paddles_! See? A duck paddles its feet in water andthis boat paddles its wheels in water. I saw the paddle-wheels when wecame on board. "

"Huh!" exclaimed Russ. "I could have thought of that if you'd given meone more turn. "

"Isn't that a good riddle?" demanded Laddie, smiling. 

"Pretty good, " admitted Russ. "I'm going to think up one now, and I'msure there can't anybody answer it. You wait!" and he went off byhimself to think up his riddle. 

Margy and Mun Bun, after running about a bit, had heard some music beingplayed on board, and had teased their mother to take them to hear it. This Mrs. Bunker was glad to do, as it gave her a chance to sit quietlywith the smaller children. 

Across the waters steamed the boat, and Russ finally gave up trying tothink of a hard riddle, and walked here and there with Laddie, finallygetting to a place where they could watch the engines. 

Russ did not find it as easy to think up a hard riddle as he had thoughthe would, but he said he was going to try after they got back to AuntJo's house. 

"'Cause, " he said, "there's so much to see now that I don't want to missany of it. "

It was a ride of about an hour and a half from Boston to NantasketBeach, and that pleasure spot was reached long enough before noon forthe children to play about and have fun before lunch. 

They had brought some things to eat with them, but Daddy Bunker saidthey would also have something to eat at a restaurant. It was a goodthing Mrs. Bunker and Aunt Jo did provide sandwiches, for the childrenwere hungry as soon as they left the boat and insisted on eating. 

And then the fun began. There was plenty to do at Nantasket Beach, smooth slides to coast down on, funny tricks that could be played, andphonographs that one could listen to by putting the ends of rubber tubesin the ears after having dropped a penny in the machine. There weremoving pictures and other things to enjoy. 

[Illustration: BEST OF ALL THE CHILDREN LIKED THE MERRY-GO-ROUND. 

_Six Little Bunkers at Aunt Jo's. _--_Page 223_]

Best of all the children liked the merry-go-rounds, and they had so manyrides on the prancing horses, the lions, the tigers, the ostriches andthe other animals and birds that Daddy Bunker said:

"My! I'm afraid we'll all go to the poorhouse if I spend all mypennies. "

"You can take some of the sixty-five dollars I found in the pocketbook, "said Rose. 

"No, " and her father shook his head. "We mustn't touch that money yet. Ihaven't given up the hope of finding who owns it, though it certainlytakes them a long while to find out about it. But there must besomething wrong. Either they have not seen our advertisements, or theyhave gone far away. "

"Can't we ever spend any of the money?" asked Russ. 

"Well, maybe, some day, if we don't find the owner, " said his father. 

The children went in bathing, and then had lunch at an open-airrestaurant. And such appetites as they had! The salt air seemed to makethem hungry, even if they had eaten the sandwiches brought from home. 

"Now I want some more rides on the merry-go-round, " said Margy, afterthey had taken in some other amusements. "I want to ride on the roosterthis time. He's bigger than the rooster at Grandma Bell's, but he's niceand red. "

Among the creatures in the merry-go-round machine was a big, woodenrooster, painted red, with his beak open just as if he were going tocrow. Margy had ridden on a horse and on a lion, and now she wanted therooster. 

"Well, you may have just one more ride, " said her mother. "But don'ttease for any more. "

"Why not?" Margy wanted to know. 

"Because it might make you ill, my dear, " said Mrs. Bunker. "Too muchriding, when you go around in a circle that way, may upset your stomach. One ride more will be enough, I think. "

Margy agreed to be content with one, but when that was over she hadenjoyed it so much that she teased and begged for just one more. 

"Oh, let her have it, Mother!" suggested Rose. "We'd all like anotherride. And I'll sit beside Margy in one of the seats, and then maybe itwon't make her sick. "

Margy didn't look ill, and she seemed to be enjoying herself. 

"Well, this is a sort of play-day, " said Daddy Bunker, "and I want youchildren to have a good time. I don't suppose one more ride will do anyharm, " he said to his wife. "And, I'll try to keep out of the poorhouseuntil we can use the sixty-five dollars in the pocketbook Rose found, "and he laughed. 

"Well, if you say it's all right I suppose it is, " agreed his wife. "Butthis is, positively, the last ride!"

So the children got their tickets, and Margy and Rose took their seatsin a little make-believe chariot, drawn by a green camel. 

The music began to play, the merry-go-round began to turn and once morethe children were having a good time. In chairs near the big machineDaddy and Mother Bunker and Aunt Jo waved to the children each time theycame around. 

The turn was almost over when Mrs. Bunker happened to see Margy leaningup against Rose. And the mother noticed that her littlest girl's facewas very white. Rose, too, seemed frightened. 

"Oh, I'm sure Margy is ill!" cried Mrs. Bunker. "She has ridden toomuch! Oh, Charles! Have them stop the machine!"

"It's stopping now, " he said. He, too, had noticed the paleness ofMargy's face. 

Slowly the merry-go-round came to a stop, but even before it hadaltogether ceased moving Daddy Bunker had jumped on and hurried to whereRose sat holding Margy. 

"Oh, Daddy!" exclaimed Rose, "she says she feels terribly bad. "

"What's the matter with Daddy's little girl?" asked Mr. Bunker, as hetook Margy in his arms and started to get off the machine. "Did youbecome frightened?"

"Oh, no! No, Daddy!" answered Margy in a weak voice. "But I feel funnyright here, " and she put her hand on her stomach. "And my head hurts andI feel dizzy--and--and----"

Then poor little Margy's head fell back and her eyes closed. She was tooill to talk any more. 

CHAPTER XXIV

ROSE FINDS HER DOLL

"Take her out in the air, " said one of the men in charge of themerry-go-round, as he saw Mr. Bunker carrying Margy across the floor. "They often feel a bit faint from riding too much, or from the motion. The air makes 'em all right. Take her right down to the beach. Thatwould be best, I think. "

"I will, " said Mr. Bunker. 

Tenderly he looked down at the little white face on his arm. Mrs. Bunkerand Aunt Jo looked worried, as they hurried after Mr. Bunker, and Roseand Russ, who, with Violet, Mun Bun and Laddie had gotten off themerry-go-round, followed through the crowd. 

"What's the matter? What is it? Was any one hurt?" asked severalpersons. 

"No, it's only a little girl sort of fainted, " a policeman said, andthat was really what had happened to Margy. 

"The fresh air down by the beach will bring her around all right, " saidthe man who had first spoken to Mr. Bunker. "I'll look around for adoctor, if you like. "

"Oh, I don't think she is as badly off as that, " replied Margy's father. "As you say, the fresh air will bring her around. "

So the six little Bunkers, with Margy being carried by her daddy, wentdown near the water. The merry-go-round was not far from the bathingpavilion where they had left their clothes when they went in swimmingduring the morning. 

At the cashier's desk was a young lady, who gave out the tickets andtook charge of watches, jewelry, money and other things that thebathing-folk left with her for safe-keeping. This young lady cashier sawMargy being carried by Mr. Bunker, and called to him:

"Bring the little girl up here. She can lie down on a bench in theshade, and feel the fresh ocean air. That will be better than having herout in the sun. "

"Indeed it will, " said Mrs. Bunker. "Thank you very much. "

With some dry bathing-suits and towels, the girl kindly made a sort ofbed on a bench for Margy, and there the little girl was tenderly put torest by her father. Then he looked carefully at her, and listened to thebeating of her heart. 

"She'll be all right in a little while, " he said. "If I could get her aglass of cold water----"

"I'll get you one, " offered the bathing cashier. "We have some ice waterinside. "

"You are very kind, " said Mrs. Bunker. "We went in bathing from thisplace not very long ago, but I did not see you here then. "

"No, I come only in the afternoons, " said the girl. "Another girl and Itake turns, as the work is pretty hard on a hot day when lots of folksgo in swimming. "

She brought the water for Margy, and then the little girl opened hereyes and looked about her. 

"Take a drink, " said her mother. "Do you feel better now?"

"Yes, " said Margy. "I'm all right. I felt awful funny, " she said, andshe smiled a little. Her cheeks were not so pale now, and she tried tosit up. 

"Better lie down a bit yet, " said Daddy Bunker. "Then you'll feel a lotbetter. Next time you mustn't ride so much on the merry-go-round. Toomany trips are not good for any one. "

In a short time Margy felt so much better that she could sit up. Thecashier came back from her place at the window to ask how the littlegirl was feeling, and she seemed glad when told that Margy was better. 

Russ, Rose and the other children had been asked to stay outside andplay in the sand, but now, having been told by Aunt Jo that Margy wasnearly recovered, they came in the bathing pavilion office to look attheir little sister. Just at this time there were not many peoplewanting bathing-suits, so the cashier who had been so kind was not verybusy. 

As Rose and the others stood looking at Margy, and also at the cashier, Vi suddenly exclaimed:

"Why, I know her!"

"Who?" asked Mrs. Bunker. 

"Her, " went on Vi. She pointed to the cashier. "She found me the day Iwas lost, when I went after the loaf of bread and I went down the wrongstreet and I couldn't find Aunt Jo's house. She found the right streetfor me. I know her--her name's Mary!"

The cashier turned to look at Violet. 

"Oh, now I remember you!" she exclaimed. "Yes, I did see you crying onthe street in the Back Bay section of Boston one day. I remember now. Icould tell where you lived because my mother used to sew in thatneighborhood, and I had seen the big dog at your aunt's house. So yougot home all right, did you?"

"Yes, she came just as I was starting out to look for her, " said DaddyBunker. "We often wondered who had been so kind as to show Violet theright way, but all she could tell was that it was a girl named 'Mary'. Ioften thought I'd like to see her, and thank her for being so kind toour little girl, but, only knowing your first name----"

"My name is Mary Turner, " said the girl. "I live in Boston, though notat Back Bay, but I come over here every day on the boat to work. "

"Do you like it?" asked Aunt Jo. 

"Yes, it is very pleasant, and not too hard. I like the smell of thesalt water. I'd be near the ocean all the while if I could. But we can'thave all we want, " and she smiled. "Shall I get you some more coldwater?" she asked Margy. 

"Yes, please, " answered the little girl. "I feel a lot better now. "

"That's good, " said Mary Turner, as she went to the water-cooler. 

"Wasn't it funny I should see her again?" said Violet. "She was awfulnice to me when I was lost. "

"She seems like a very nice girl, " said Mrs. Bunker, "and she iscertainly very kind to us. I'm glad we met her. "

Mary came back with more water for Margy, who was now able to walkaround, the feeling of illness having passed. 

"I want to go down and play in the sand, " she said. 

"Better not go out in the hot sun right away, " advised Aunt Jo. "Stayin the shade a bit, Margy. "

"Yes, " urged Mary Turner. "Come and see my queer little office, where Isit all day and hand out tickets and take in gold watches and diamondrings and things like that. "

"Do you keep 'em?" asked Russ. 

"Oh, no! The people who go in bathing leave them with me for safety. Ihave to give them back when they hand me the check I give them. I keepeach person's things separately in little pigeonholes, and there is aman on guard there, too, --a sort of policeman. "

"Are there any pigeons in the pigeonholes?" asked Vi. 

"Oh, no!" laughed Mary. "They just call them pigeonholes because theyare like the openings that pigeons go in and out of at barns, and suchplaces, I suppose. They are like the boxes in a post office, onlylarger. Come, I'll show them to you. "

As this would keep Margy in the shade a while longer, Mrs. Bunker saidthe children could go with Mary and look at her "office. "

"My daddy's got an office, " said Rose. "It's a real estate office. "

"Well, mine is different from that, " Mary said. 

They went with her to look. As it was rather soon after the dinner hour, not many persons were in bathing, and the compartments or "pigeonholes"were not all filled. In some, however, were the envelopes in whichpeople sealed their watches, rings and other valuables. 

The six little Bunkers were quite pleased at seeing Mary Turner'soffice, and the "policeman" who was on guard so no one would come in andtake the envelopes. 

"Did some one leave that when they went in bathing?" asked Mr. Bunkerwith a smile, as he pointed to something in one of the pigeonholes. 

"Oh, no, " answered Mary with a smile. "That's mine. It's a doll, and Ibrought it with me to-day, thinking I would have time to make a newdress for it, and give it to a little girl I know. I don't play withdolls any more, though I used to like them very much, and I still liketo make dresses for them. But I've been rather busy this morning, helping Mr. Barton, who owns the bathing pavilion, so I didn't get timeto do any sewing. "

As she spoke she took down the doll, and held it out for Margy and theothers to see. And, as Rose looked at it, she exclaimed:

"Oh, look! Why--why, that's Lily! That's my doll that went up in theairship! That's Lily!"

"It can't be, Rose!" said her mother. 

"Yes, it is!" insisted the little girl, as she took the doll from hersister's hand. "Look! Don't you 'member where there was a cut in her andher sawdust insides ran out and Aunt Jo sewed up the place with redthread?" and Rose turned the doll over and showed where, surely enough, the doll was sewed with red thread. 

"Is that really your doll?" asked Mary, and there was a queer look onher face. 

"It really is, " said Rose Bunker. "I sent her up in a basket and therewas a lot of balloons tied to it. I called it an airship and it gotloose and Lily went away up in the sky, and I couldn't get her down. "

"I said she'd come down, " cried Russ, "'cause I knew the balloonscouldn't stay up forever. But we looked for the doll and couldn't findher. "

"Did she drop out of the airship?" asked Rose eagerly. 

"No, she came down with the 'airship, ' as you call it, " went on thebathing-pavilion cashier. "She was in a basket when I found her. Andtied to the basket were some toy balloons. A few of them had burst, andthe gas had come out of the others, so that they were all flabby andwouldn't keep the airship up any more. Then it came down, and ithappened to land right in the back yard of the place where I board, inBoston. 

"I saw it in the morning, when I went out to feed the pet cat, and Ibrought the doll in. She was all wet, and her dress had come off. But Icarried her into the house and I've kept her ever since. I've beenintending to dress her and give her to a little girl, but I'm glad youhave her back, " and she smiled at Rose. 

"Oh, isn't it just wonderful!" cried the little girl. "To think I havemy own darling Lily back after her going up in the airship!"

CHAPTER XXV

THE POCKETBOOK OWNER

Indeed it was quite strange and wonderful, as they all agreed, thatRose's doll had been found in such a curious way. Rose, herself, wasvery happy, for, though the doll was not her "best" one, she liked itvery much indeed, and had felt sad at losing Lily. 

"I'm glad the airship came down at your house, " said Rose to Mary. 

"And I'm glad I found her for you, " said the cashier. 

"'Cause, " remarked Vi, "she might have fallen in a house where there wasa puppy dog, and he'd have bitten her and torn her dress. I wonder whereher dress went. "

"Oh, I guess the wind blew it off, " said Russ. "The wind is awful strongup high in the air. Once it busted one of my kites. "

"I guess that's how it happened, " said Daddy Bunker. "The toy balloonsmust have gone up very high, carrying your doll along, Rose. "

"No. Lily didn't have on a dress that day. I was in an awful hurry, an'I just wrapped a handkerchief around her. That blew away, I guess. "

By this time Margy was feeling all right again, and after a little moretalk with Mary, the six little Bunkers went out to play on the sandybeach, Rose carrying her doll. 

"Oh, it's lovely at Nantasket Beach!" said Russ, as he and Laddie ranabout and waded in the shallow water. "Thank you, Aunt Jo, for bringingus here. "

"Oh, I'm enjoying it as much as you children are, " said Daddy's sister. 

But all things must come to an end, even picnics, and when the sixlittle Bunkers had done about everything they wanted to at the pleasureresort it was time to take the boat back for Boston. 

On board, after the children and the grown folks were seated, Vi saw herfriend Mary Turner. 

"There's the girl that found me when I was lost, and the one that hadRose's doll, " said Vi, pointing. 

"Oh, so it is!" exclaimed Mrs. Bunker. "Don't you want to come over andsit by us?" she asked the bathing-pavilion girl. 

"Yes, I should like to, " was the answer. "It's lonesome riding homealone. "

"Where do you live in Boston?" asked Mrs. Bunker, as Mary sat down nearher and the children, who were too tired with their fun to romp aroundmuch. 

"I board down near where I can get this steamer easily, " was the answer. "I have a pass on the boat, and by walking to the dock I save carfare. And these days one has to save all one can, " she added. 

"You say you board, " put in Aunt Jo. "Have you no relatives?"

"Oh, yes, I have a brother and a mother, but Mother is ill in thehospital, " was the answer. 

"That's too bad, " said the ladies, who felt quite sorry for Mary. 

Then they talked about different things until, at dusk, the boat landedat the wharf, and the six little Bunkers and all the other passengersgot off. Rose whispered something to her mother, who looked a littlesurprised and then spoke to Aunt Jo. 

"Why, yes, I'd be delighted to have her, " was the low answer, for Marywas walking on ahead, with Russ and Laddie. 

"Rose thinks it would be nice to ask Mary to come to supper with us, "said Mrs. Bunker to her husband. "Aunt Jo says that she is willing. "

"Of course we'll ask her!" said Mr. Bunker kindly, and when Mary wastold about the plan she smiled and said she would be glad to come. So toAunt Jo's nice home they all went, and Parker had a fine supper soonready for them, even though she didn't expect company. 

After the supper, which Mary seemed to enjoy very much, saying it wasmuch nicer than at her boarding-house, she and the six little Bunkerssat on the porch and talked. Mary told about the funny things whichsometimes happened at the bathing-beach. 

"Well, I'm glad we went there to-day, " said Rose. "If we hadn't I'dnever have found my airship doll. "

"You were very lucky, " said Laddie. 

"Yes, " added Russ. "I wish I had such good luck as Rose. She found herdoll and she found a pocketbook. "

"Oh, I didn't tell you about that!" exclaimed Rose to Mary. "I reallydid find a pocketbook in the street, about two weeks ago, and it had alot of money in it. "

"Did it?" asked the bathing-beach girl, and she seemed interested morethan usual. 

"Oh, a lot of money, " went on Rose. "Please, Daddy, can't I show Marythe pocketbook I found?" she asked, for Miss Turner had told thechildren to call her by her first name. "I want to show her thepocketbook I picked up, " went on the little girl. 

"All right, you may, " said Mr. Bunker. "I'll get it for you, " and hebrought it from the house. 

"There it is!" cried Rose. "Wasn't I lucky to pick that up?"

"Indeed you were, " said Mary Turner, and then, as she caught sight ofthe wallet in Mr. Bunker's hand she exclaimed:

"Why, there it is! There's the very one! Oh, to think that you haveit!"

"Do you know whose this is?" asked Mr. Bunker. "Ever since my littlegirl found the wallet we've been trying to find the owner, but wehaven't been able to. "

"That's my mother's pocketbook!" cried Mary. "And it's on account ofthat she's in the hospital, and ill. Oh, how wonderful!"

"Is this really your mother's purse?" asked Mr. Bunker. 

"It surely is, " answered the bathing-beach girl. "She had justsixty-five dollars in it. "

"That's just how much was in this!" exclaimed Russ. 

"And besides, " went on Mary, "I know the pocketbook. It has a littletear in one corner, and the clasp is bent. "

"That's right, " said Mr. Bunker. 

"And, " went on Mary, "besides the sixty-five dollars there was a funnyChinese coin with a square hole in the middle. Did you find that in thepurse?"

"Yes, " exclaimed Aunt Jo, "there was a Chinese coin in the pocketbook!That proves it must be your mother's pocketbook. "

"I'm sure of it, " said Mary. "Oh, how glad she'll be that it is found, and the money, too. That is--if we can have it back, " she said softly. 

"Have it back? Of course you may!" cried Mr. Bunker. "If it is yourmother's we want you to have it. Was there anything else in the pursewhen your mother lost it?"

"Yes, " Mary said, "there was a letter from my brother, but part of itwas torn off, " and she spoke of what the note had in it. Then they wereall sure it was Mrs. Turner's purse. 

The letter, from which the lower part had been torn, was from Mary'sbrother John. He was a soldier in the army. His mother had written, telling him that her brother, Mary and John's "Uncle Jack, " had sent themoney to her, and that she was going to spend it in trying to get a restof a month, as she was very tired from overwork. 

But the pocketbook had been lost by Mrs. Turner, and, as Mary said, itmade her mother ill, so she had had to go to the hospital. 

But through the good luck of Rose everything had come out all right, forMary felt that the news of the recovery of the money would take theworry from Mrs. Turner's mind, thus making it easier to regain herhealth. 

"You found my doll, " exclaimed Rose, "and I found your pocketbook! Weare both lucky!"

"Indeed we are, " said Mary, smiling, as she took the wallet from Mr. Bunker. "Oh, but Mother will be happy, now!" went on the girl. 

"Mother had been overworking, for we are poor and she had had us twochildren to bring up, as my father is dead. She was on her way to seeabout going away for a time to get a good rest, now that John and I areold enough to look out for ourselves, when she lost the purse and thesixty-five dollars. 

"She felt so bad about it, when she couldn't find it, that she was madeill, and had to be taken to a hospital. We did not tell my brother, aswe did not want to worry him. But I know this good news will make Motherbetter. 

"I walked all around the streets near where she thought she had lost herpurse, but I couldn't find it. "

"Didn't you read the lost and found advertisements?" asked Mr. Bunker. "We advertised the finding of the pocketbook in the papers. "

"No, I was so worried about Mother that I never thought to, " was theanswer. "And when I had her taken to the hospital, and found aboarding-place for myself, and went to work at Nantasket Beach, Ithought there was no use to look. I never expected to get the moneyback. "

"But you did, and I'm glad I found it, " said Rose. 

They were all glad. Mr. Bunker took Mary that very night to the hospitalwhere her mother was, and the good news so cheered Mrs. Turner that thedoctor said she would soon get better, and, after a while, entirelywell. That is what good news sometimes does. 

But the good luck of the Turners did not end with the getting back ofthe lost pocketbook. Aunt Jo became interested in the little family, andpromised to give Mrs. Turner plenty of work to do at sewing as soon asshe was well. And a better place was found for Mary to work, where shewould not have to take the long trip back and forth from NantasketBeach. 

So many good things came about just because Rose saw the pocketbook andpicked it up. 

And now my story is nearly done. Not that the six little Bunkers did nothave more fun at Aunt Jo's, for they did, but I have not room for anymore about them in this book. 

"But do we have to go home right away?" asked Russ, when he heard hisfather and mother talking of packing up a few days later. 

"Oh, no, " was the answer. "We have a letter from another of ourrelatives, asking us to come to see him before we go back to Pineville, and I think we'll accept. "

"Where is it?" asked Rose. 

"Down at the seashore, " answered her father. "Don't you remember?" Andwhat next happened to the children will be told in the book after this, to be called, "Six Little Bunkers at Cousin Tom's. "

It was a beautifully sunshiny day. Out on the lawn Russ and Laddie wereplaying with the hose. 

"Mother, make Russ stop!" suddenly Laddie cried. 

"What's he doing?" asked Mrs. Bunker, who could see that not very muchwas happening. 

"He's squirting water on me from the hose. "

"I am not, Mother, " said Russ, laughing. "I'm only making believe Laddieis in bathing down at Cousin Tom's at the seashore, and when you go inswimming you've got to get a little wet!"

"Oh, well, if you're making believe play _that_, all right, " saidLaddie, "wet me some more. "

Russ did. So, at their play, we will take leave, for a time, of the sixlittle Bunkers, wishing them well. 

THE END

THE BUNNY BROWN SERIES

By LAURA LEE HOPE

 * * * * *

Author of the Popular "Bobbsey Twins" Books

Wrapper and text illustrations drawn by

FLORENCE ENGLAND NOSWORTHY

 * * * * *

=12mo. BOUND IN CLOTH. ILLUSTRATED. UNIFORM STYLE OF BINDING. =

 * * * * *

 This new series by the author of the "Bobbsey Twins" Books will be eagerly welcomed by the little folks from about five to ten years of age. Their eyes will fairly dance with delight at the lively doings of inquisitive little Bunny Brown and his cunning, trustful sister Sue. 

BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE

 Bunny was a lively little boy, very inquisitive. When he did anything, Sue followed his leadership. They had many adventures, some comical in the extreme. 

BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE ON GRANDPA'S FARM

 How the youngsters journeyed to the farm in an auto, and what good times followed, is realistically told. 

BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE PLAYING CIRCUS

 First the children gave a little affair, but when they obtained an old army tent the show was truly grand. 

BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT CAMP REST-A-WHILE

 The family go into camp on the edge of a beautiful lake, and Bunny and his sister have more good times and some adventures. 

BUNNY BROWN AND HIS SISTER SUE AT AUNT LU'S CITY HOME

 The city proved a wonderful place to the little folks. They took in all the sights and helped a colored girl who had run away from home. 

 * * * * *

=GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK=

THE BOBBSEY TWINS BOOKS

For Little Men and Women

By LAURA LEE HOPE

Author of "The Bunny Brown" Series, Etc. 

 * * * * *

=12mo. BOUND IN CLOTH. ILLUSTRATED. UNIFORM STYLE OF BINDING. =

 * * * * *

 Copyright publications which cannot be obtained elsewhere. Books that charm the hearts of the little ones, and of which they never tire. Many of the adventures are comical in the extreme, and all the accidents that ordinarily happen to youthful personages happened to these many-sided little mortals. Their haps and mishaps make decidedly entertaining reading. 

THE BOBBSEY TWINS

THE BOBBSEY TWINS IN THE COUNTRY

THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT THE SEASHORE

THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SCHOOL

 Telling how they go home from the seashore; went to school and were promoted, and of their many trials and tribulations. 

THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT SNOW LODGE

 Telling of the winter holidays, and of the many fine times and adventures the twins had at a winter lodge in the big woods. 

THE BOBBSEY TWINS ON A HOUSEBOAT

 Mr. Bobbsey obtains a houseboat, and the whole family go off on a tour. 

THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT MEADOW BROOK

 The young folks visit the farm again and have plenty of good times and several adventures. 

THE BOBBSEY TWINS AT HOME

 The twins get into all sorts of trouble--and out again--also bring aid to a poor family. 

 * * * * *

=GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK=

THE GIRLS OF CENTRAL HIGH SERIES

By GERTRUDE W. MORRISON

 * * * * *

=12mo. BOUND IN CLOTH. ILLUSTRATED. UNIFORM STYLE OF BINDING. =

 * * * * *

 Here is a series full of the spirit of high school life of to-day. The girls are real flesh-and-blood characters, and we follow them with interest in school and out. There are many contested matches on track and field, and on the water, as well as doings in the classroom and on the school stage. There is plenty of fun and excitement, all clean, pure and wholesome. 

 THE GIRLS OF CENTRAL HIGH Or Rivals for all Honors. 

 A stirring tale of high school life, full of fan, with a touch of mystery and a strange initiation. 

 THE GIRLS OF CENTRAL HIGH ON LAKE LUNA Or The Crew That Won. 

 Telling of water sports and fun galore, and of fine times in camp. 

 THE GIRLS OF CENTRAL HIGH AT BASKETBALL Or The Great Gymnasium Mystery. 

 Here we have a number of thrilling contests at basketball and in addition, the solving of a mystery which had bothered the high school authorities for a long while. 

 THE GIRLS OF CENTRAL HIGH ON THE STAGE Or The Play That Took the Prize. 

 How the girls went in for theatricals and how one of them wrote a play which afterward was made over for the professional stage and brought in some much-needed money. 

 THE GIRLS OF CENTRAL HIGH ON TRACK AND FIELD Or The Girl Champions of the School League

 This story takes in high school athletics in their most approved and up-to-date fashion. Full of fun and excitement. 

 THE GIRLS OF CENTRAL HIGH IN CAMP Or The Old Professor's Secret. 

 The girls went camping on Acorn Island and had a delightful time at boating, swimming and picnic parties. 

 * * * * *

=GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK=

THE OUTDOOR CHUMS SERIES

By CAPTAIN QUINCY ALLEN

The outdoor chums are four wide-awake lads, sons of wealthy men of asmall city located on a lake. The boys love outdoor life, and aregreatly interested in hunting, fishing, and picture taking. They havemotor cycles, motor boats, canoes, etc. , and during their vacations goeverywhere and have all sorts of thrilling adventures. The stories givefull directions for camping out, how to fish, how to hunt wild animalsand prepare the skins for stuffing, how to manage a canoe, how to swim, etc. Full of the spirit of outdoor life. 

 THE OUTDOOR CHUMS Or The First Tour of the Rod, Gun and Camera Club. 

 THE OUTDOOR CHUMS ON THE LAKE Or Lively Adventures on Wildcat Island. 

 THE OUTDOOR CHUMS IN THE FOREST Or Laying the Ghost of Oak Ridge. 

 THE OUTDOOR CHUMS ON THE GULF Or Rescuing the Lost Balloonists. 

 THE OUTDOOR CHUMS AFTER BIG GAME Or Perilous Adventures in the Wilderness. 

 THE OUTDOOR CHUMS ON A HOUSEBOAT Or The Rivals of the Mississippi. 

 THE OUTDOOR CHUMS IN THE BIG WOODS Or The Rival Hunters at Lumber Run. 

 THE OUTDOOR CHUMS AT CABIN POINT Or The Golden Cup Mystery. 

 =12mo. Averaging 240 pages. Illustrated. Handsomely bound in Cloth. =

 * * * * *

GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK

 * * * * *

Transcriber's Notes:

Obvious punctuation errors repaired. 

Page 36, "ate" changed to "mate". (asked the mate)

Page 69, "some some" changed to "some". (here is some sort of a paper)

Page 159, "It" changed to "Is". (Is this your)

Page 215, "h" changed to "his". (had all his)

Page 241, "abont" changed to "about". (was told about)