ket--Aunt Polly kept two light-weight
blankets folded at the foot of each bed for chilly nights--Meg tiptoed
carefully downstairs after Bobby. They knew their way about the house
now, even in the dark. The front door was not locked, for people in
the country seldom lock their doors.

"Why, Bobby!" Meg called softly. "Look! There's a lot of 'em! See! All
down the drive! They can't be Mr. Simmonds' bull----"

"Well, not all of 'em," snickered Bobby. "There's only one of him.
Come on, Meg, I'm going up to one and see what it is."

"Why, it's a calf!" cried Meg, in astonishment. "A darling baby calf!
They all are! How many are there, Bobby?"

"I can count fourteen," said Bobby after a moment, for the night was
not pitch black, but one of those soft summer nights with so many
stars that after your eyes are accustomed to it you can see objects
distinctly enough to count.

"Somebody's left their barnyard gate open," announced Meg. "What'll
we do? Drive 'em into our barnyard?"

"Sure!" answered Bobby, just like a farmer. "That'll keep 'em safe
till morning. And then Jud will find out whose they are."

Driving those fourteen baby calves was not such hard work as they had
expected, for they were very amiable beasties and only wanted to
nibble a little fresh sweet grass as they were driven on toward the
barnyard. But Meg and Bobby had so much fun doing this that they
forgot to be quiet, and just as they had the last calf safely inside
and the big gate barred, two figures came running up to them.

"For the love of Pete!" said Jud, breathing heavily. "Meg and Bobby!
And in their night clothes! Are you crazy?"

"There's fourteen baby calves in there," announced Bobby with
dignity.

"Yes, and they would have had the whole lawn eaten up if it hadn't
been for us," declared Meg.

Peter and Jud peered over the gate.

"Those are Tom Sparks' calves he bought for his auction next week,"
said Peter. "Guess he didn't pen 'em in good to-night. Well, you
youngsters don't miss anything, do you? You run back to bed now, and
in the morning we'll do a little telephoning."

And when Jud came up while they were at breakfast the next morning and
told them that Mr. Sparks wanted to pay a reward of five dollars to
the person who had saved his calves for him, maybe there wasn't great
excitement!

Aunt Polly then heard the story for the first time, as did Dot and
Twaddles and Linda.

"You take it," advised Linda, when Jud repeated the o