t."

"It does hurt a little," said Margy, rubbing it.

So that's how it happened. Margy had crawled from the chair in the
kitchen into the box of the dumbwaiter. It had run down with her until
her foot, sticking over the edge, wedged the waiter fast, halfway down
the shaft. Then the door in the wall blew shut, and when Margy cried
Parker was so "flustered," as she said afterward, that she never stopped
to think where the voice came from.

"But don't do it again," warned Aunt Jo.

"I won't," promised Margy.

From out in the yard of Aunt Jo's house came joyous shouts and laughter.
Russ could be heard calling:

"Oh, it works! It works all right! Now we can all have rides."

"Well, whatever it is, I hope it isn't a dumbwaiter they're riding in,"
said Mother Bunker.

She and Aunt Jo looked from the window. They saw that Russ and Laddie
had finally managed to make a harness for the dog Alexis, out of
stronger pieces of cord than they used at first. The dog was tied with
the cords to the express wagon, and seated in it were Laddie and Mun
Bun. Russ was walking alongside, guiding Alexis by strings tied around
his neck.

"Make him go fast!" cried Mun Bun. "I want to ride fast!"

"Oh, if he runs too fast I can't keep up with him," said Russ. "Alexis
can run a lot faster than I can, and if he goes too fast I'll lose hold
of him."

"Let me drive a little," begged Laddie. So Russ let his smaller brother
take the strings that answered for reins. But Russ stayed near the head
of the big dog, with his hand on his collar. For Russ was a careful boy,
and did not want the dog to run away and, perhaps, spill the little boys
out of the wagon.

"Oh, I want a ride in that!" cried Margy, when she saw what her brothers
were doing. "That's nicer than the up-and-down-thing I was in."

"Yes, and a little safer," said her mother. "You may go out and Russ
will give you a ride. Russ, Margy is coming out," she called. "Take care
of her!"

"I will," promised the largest Bunker boy.

Then such fun as the six children had riding behind Alexis, for Violet
awakened from her sleep and came out to enjoy the sport. Russ and Laddie
had tied so many ropes on Alexis, fastening them to the cart, that
William said it would take an hour to loosen the knots. But Alexis did
not seem to mind. He walked along, pulling the cart, with two or three
children in it, as easily as though he were dragging along a tin can
tied to his tail, and much more seda