the workmen had done at the far end of the school yard. The
laborers had been digging for some days, fixing water pipes, and had
made a deep trench, so deep that when a man stood down in it only his
head showed above.

Just now none of the men was near the hole, all having gone away to get
other tools, and as the boys were busy playing at the other end of the
yard, or watching Charlie's auto, the girls could explore the digging by
themselves.

"It's nothing but a hole!" said Sue, in some disappointment, as they
approached as near as they dared and looked in.

"I'd like to go down in it!" exclaimed Helen, who was rather daring.

"Oh!" cried Sue. "Come back! Don't go too close!"

But Helen did not heed. She went up to the very edge of the long, deep
trench, and was looking in when suddenly her feet slipped out from under
her, and down she went, sliding right into the hole!

"Oh! Oh!" she cried.

"Oh! Oh!" screamed the other girls, and in such excited voices that Miss
Bradley came running out of the classroom and the boys crowded down to
the end of the yard.

"What has happened?" asked the teacher.

"Helen Newton fell into the big hole!" cried Sadie West.

"Did the dirt cave in on her?" asked Miss Bradley.

Fortunately, it had not. The walls of the trench were firm and solid,
and the only thing that had happened was that Helen was down in the
deep trench, and could not get up by herself. She was crying now.

"Don't cry," said Miss Bradley. "You're all right. We'll soon get you
out. Now you other boys and girls keep back from the edges, or you'll
cause the sides to cave in and they'll cover Helen! Keep back, Bunny,
Sue, every one!"

This was good advice, and as the other children moved back away from the
trench there was less danger. Miss Bradley was just going to send one of
the boys to call the janitor when two workmen came back. They broke into
a run as they saw the crowd about their digging place, for they had told
the teacher to keep the children away from it.

"There's been an accident!" said one man.

But it was not so bad as he feared, and he and his companion soon lifted
Helen out on solid ground again, a rather frightened little girl, but
not in the least hurt.

"I told you to stay away from that hole!" said Miss Bradley, rather
severely. "I was afraid something like this might happen. It is
fortunate it was no worse. Who started it?"

There was a moment's pause, and then Helen raised her hand