Six little Bunkers at Captain Ben's by Laura Lee Hope

Author:Laura Lee Hope [Hope, Laura Lee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Adventure stories, Siblings -- Juvenile fiction
Published: 2023-07-31T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XV

THE BUNKERS GET TOGETHER

Russ Bunker quickly drew back away from the end of the log after he had stooped down and had seen "something with shoes," as he said.

"Maybe it's a bear!" said Vi.

"Pooh! How could a bear wear shoes?" asked Laddie.

"Well, I don't care!" exclaimed Vi. "I saw a bear in a circus once, and he wore roller skates. And if a bear can wear roller skates I guess a bear can wear shoes."

"There aren't any bears around here," said the farm boy. "Let me take a look."

He stooped down as Russ had done, and looked within the log for some little time, the dog, meanwhile, leaping around and barking.

"Do you see anything?" asked Russ.

"Yes, I do," answered the farm boy. "I see something with shoes on, and I see two legs and I see——"

Just then there was a movement inside the log, the dog barked louder than ever, and then, from the other end of the fallen, hollow tree came—the missing boy Tad!

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" exclaimed Russ, Rose, and Laddie in turn. As for Vi, she had just opened her mouth to ask a question and she was so surprised that she forgot what it was, and she had no time to cry "Oh!" as did the others.

As for Tad, he brushed off some of the dry, rotten wood that clung to his clothes, and then he stood looking at the four little Bunkers, at the farm boy, and at the dog. The dog went up, smelled of Tad's legs, and, seeming to count him as a friend, stopped barking.

"How'd you get in there?" asked Russ.

"I crawled in to rest and sleep," was the answer. "I'd been walking nearly all night, except I got a ride on a milk wagon part of the way."

"What made you run away from Mr. Brown's?" asked Rose.

"Oh, I was in a hurry to get—I just wanted to get away, and I didn't want to wait all night till you folks started in the morning," was the hesitating answer. "I was afraid maybe your auto wouldn't work, and I was in a hurry. So I started off by myself."

"Didn't you go to bed?" asked Rose.

"No," answered Tad.

Just then Daddy Bunker, who had finished his talk with the farmer, while Captain Ben was oiling the automobile spring, called:

"Come, children! We must be moving!"

"Look! We found Tad!" cried Laddie.

"In a hollow log!" added Vi.

Mr. Bunker and Captain Ben, looking up and seeing the missing boy, hurried to the children.

"So you thought you'd rather travel on by yourself, did you?" asked Daddy Bunker.

"Yes, sir. I was in a hurry," was the answer. "I went up to the room where I was to sleep, but I got to thinking I could travel all night, on account of having so many good things to eat. So I sneaked out when nobody was looking, and I walked along. I got a ride part of the way on a milk wagon, and walked the rest. It was almost daylight when I got here, and I saw this hollow log, so I crawled in and went to sleep.

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