, out they ran--all six of them--to have fun.

"Will they be all right?" asked Mother Bunker.

"Oh, yes. They can't come to any harm if they keep away from the lake, and
that isn't deep near the shore. Don't worry about them. Let them have a
good time."

And this the children seemed bent on having. They raced around, shouting
and laughing. A big maltese cat came out on the porch to see what all the
noise was about, and did not run away, even when all six of the little
Bunkers charged down on her at once.

"Oh, isn't she just too lovely!" cried Rose, as she caught the cat up in
her arms. "She's almost as big as my doll!"

Muffin seemed to like children, and did not mind being petted. Rose, Vi
and Margy as well as Mun Bun, stroked the soft fur, but Russ and Laddie
soon tired of this.

"Come on, let's go out to the barn and find the dog," said Russ to his
brother.

"That's what we will!" said Laddie, and away they went, Russ whistling a
merry tune.

Grandma Bell's house was built on the edge of a patch of woods, with
fields at the back and the lake to one side. There were some farms in that
part of Maine, and about five miles from grandma's home was the village of
Sagatook. It was a smaller place than Pineville.

The barn was back of the house. Once the place had been a big farm, but
when Grandpa Bell died his widow sold off most of the land to other
farmers, keeping the house, barn, a field or two and a patch of woods for
her home. It was a lovely place, just the nicest spot in the whole world
for the six little Bunkers.

"I hear a dog barking," said Laddie, as he and Russ drew near the barn.

"So do I," said Russ. "I guess that's Zip."

They went on a little farther, and saw a man standing in the barn door
with a dog beside him. The dog barked, but wagged his tail, to show that
he was friendly.

Russ and Laddie came to a halt, but the man waved his hand to them and
asked:

"Are you some of the six little Bunkers?"

"Yes, we're two of 'em," answered Russ.

"Well, that leaves four. They're in the house, I suppose. Mrs. Bell told
me you were coming to-day."

"Are you the hired man?" asked Laddie. "And is that Zip?"

"That's who I am, and that's who he is. Come and meet Zip. He's a fine dog
and loves boys and girls."

Zip soon made friends with Laddie and Russ, and the boys, who felt sure
they would like Tom Hardy, the hired man, ran about the barn, seeing all
sorts of chances in it to have good time