across the haymow. Such
shrieks of laughter, such howls as the robbers in their excitement
sometimes forgot and pulled a braid of Sarah's or Dorabelle's! The baby
continued to sleep placidly through all the noise, and Jimmie told
Grandpa that he thought perhaps "the poor little kid was deaf!" Jimmie
was only fooling, of course, for the Hatch baby was not deaf at all.

It was Sunny Boy's turn to be chased, and as he heard David's robber
tribe beginning to climb up on the roof of his cave he dashed out and ran
for the other cave at the end of the haymow. Up the side he went, and
down. Dorabelle was captured in that raid and had to go over to David's
side.

"Now I've got four in my tribe," crowed the robber chief. "Get your men
together, Jud, and we'll do it again."

"Where's Sunny Boy?" demanded Juddy, counting his tribe. "He was here--I
saw him climb up the top of the cave. Sunny Boy! Sun-ny!"

No Sunny Boy answered.

"Jimmie, is Sunny Boy down there with you?" Juddy peered over the edge of
the haymow where Jimmie sat mending the harness. Grandpa had gone to the
house, declaring that there was a little too much noise in the barn for
his rheumatism.

"Haven't seen him," answered Jimmie. "Isn't he up there with you?"

Juddy's lip began to quiver. He was only eight years old.

"Then he's lost," he said. "He isn't here at all, Jimmie."

Jimmie dropped his harness and ran up the little ladder that led to the
haymow.

"Nonsense!" he declared sharply. "A boy can't get lost with a roof over
him. Likely enough he's hiding for fun. Sunny! Sunny Boy, where are
you?"

But no Sunny Boy answered. And though Jimmie and the Hatch children
turned over the hay and looked in every corner of the haymow, they could
not find him.

"Shall I go and tell Mr. Horton?" suggested David, who was the oldest of
the Hatch boys.

"Not till we have something to tell," was Jimmie's answer. "Where was he
when you saw him last?"

"Right over in that corner," said Juddy, pointing. "I saw him going over
the top of the cave, an' then I ducked under, and when David got
Dorabelle he just wasn't here."

"He must be here--somewhere," retorted Jimmie impatiently. "I'm going to
look once more--and if he's just hiding, won't I shake him!"

Jimmie climbed over the top of the "robber's cave," as Sunny Boy had
done, and down on the other side. The children heard him scuffling about,
kicking the hay with his feet, and then suddenly he gave a shout.