rom a package his mother had bought for him on the train.

"Look out! He might bite you!" said Laddie's father.

"Bill said his bird was gentle, but, still, maybe the little boy had
better be careful," said Mr. Mead. "Here, I guess I had better feed him."

He held out the bit of cracker to Polly, who took it in one black claw,
and then began to bite off pieces, saying, meanwhile:

"That's the way to do it! That's the way I do it!"

"Oh, he's awful cute!" said Rose. "I wish we had one!"

"But if grandma's got a dog and a cat, maybe the parrot wouldn't like
'em," put in Russ.

"Have you a dog and a cat, grandma?" asked Rose, as Mr. Mead drove off in
his auto with the parrot.

"Yes, I have, my dear."

"Oh, where are they?"

"Zip, my dog, is out in the barn, I imagine. He generally goes out there
when Tom is working around."

"Who's Tom?" asked Laddie. "Is he the cat?"

"No, Tom is the hired man. Thomas Hardy is his name."

"And where's the cat?" asked Vi, looking around the front yard, as if she
might see the pussy under some flower bush.

"Oh, Muffin is in the house, I presume," said Grandma Bell. "And that's
where we'd better go. I guess you're all hungry after your trip, aren't
you? My, but I'm glad to see you--every one!" and she smiled at the six
little Bunkers through her glasses.

"And I guess they're glad, to be here--I know _we_ are," said Mrs. Bunker.
"They've talked of nothing but Grandma Bell's ever since we got your
letter inviting us to come here."

"Well, I hope they'll like it," said the dear old lady.

"We like it already," said Russ. "Please, may I go out and see the dog?"

"I want to go, too," put in Laddie.

"And I want to see the cat," added Rose, "Is her name Muffin?"

"That's her name," said Grandma Bell. "And I call my dog Zip because he
runs around so much. But you'd better rest a bit first, and eat. Then you
can go out and see things."

"I want to see the lake!" exclaimed Laddie. "Can we sail boats on it?"

"Now, first of all," said Mr. Bunker, and he spoke seriously, "I don't
want any of you children to go near that lake unless some of us older folk
are with you. Mind! Don't go too close unless we are with you, or until
you have been here a little while and know your way about. You must be
careful of the water."

The children promised they would; and then, when Grandma Bell's hired girl
had set out a lunch, and it had been eaten, and the children had put on
old clothes