"Bow-wow!" barked Alexis, and that meant: "Yes, I see her, what about
it?"

"You must be very nice to her, and not chew her nor carry her off and
put her in some hiding-place, as you do your bones," went on Aunt Jo.
Alexis waved his big tail, sniffed at Rose's doll, and then barked
again.

"He will never hurt your toy, Rose," said Aunt Jo. "You may safely leave
her anywhere in the house."

"She's my best doll, and she's been lost in the woods and had lots of
adventures," Rose said. "But I wouldn't like a dog to carry her
off--'specially not such a big dog."

"Well, don't worry about Alexis," said Aunt Jo. "He won't hurt your
Sue."

The visitors were shown to their different rooms, and their baggage was
carried up so the children could change their clothes.

"Why do we have to change our clothes?" asked Vi.

"We want to put on some old things so we can have some fun," returned
Russ.

"Can we sail a boat anywhere around here?" asked Laddie.

"I'm afraid not," said Aunt Jo. "You see this is a big city, and not the
country, as at Grandma Bell's, where you have been staying. True, we are
near the bay, but you couldn't very well sail boats there. I shall have
to think up some other fun for you."

"We like fun," added Violet.

By this time Mun Bun and Margy had been fitted out with their "play
clothes" as they called them; clothes that could not easily be soiled.
Russ and Rose had dressed themselves, and Mrs. Bunker was seeing to
Laddie and Violet.

"And when you're all ready I'll have Parker serve the lunch," said Aunt
Jo. "If you'll just excuse me now, I'll run down and see about it," she
added to her brother.

"Go ahead," said he. "We'll be right down."

"Can Alexis stay up here with us?" asked Mun Bun.

"Oh, yes, he likes to be with children," said Miss Bunker, for that
really was Aunt Jo's name, she being Daddy Bunker's sister.

So Aunt Jo went downstairs to see that the cook got a nice lunch ready
for the six little Bunkers.

Mr. and Mrs. Bunker, now that they had the children ready, could stop
and "get their breaths," as Mother Bunker said. Really it is a good deal
of work to look after six children.

"Come on!" called Daddy Bunker, when he had helped his wife put the
baggage away in the rooms they were to have while at Aunt Jo's house.
"Come down to lunch, children!"

Russ, Rose, Violet and Laddie came from the windows, out of which they
had been looking at scenes in the street.

"Where