Six Little Bunkers at Grandma Bell's

start off! All aboard! Toot! Toot!" Russ Bunker made

ose, his sister. "I was helping mother sweep, and I forgot to put th

eyes. They were dark, too, and, just now, were shining in eagerness as he looked at a queer collection of

merry tune as he moved a footstool over to one side. "That's one of the paddle-wheels," he told his smalle

eels always went around!" Vi, as Violet was usually called, loved to ask questions, and sometimes they were the ki

ool go around if it's a

s head on one side and stopping halfway thro

of asking riddles as Vi was of giving out questions. "What kind of a wheel do

now that he had the footstool fixed where he

and looking up with her gray eyes at her brother, whose locks

ose, who had come back from putting away the broom, and wa

nsisted Vi. "I like to gues

Laddie again, smiling at his brothers and sister

a make-believe wheel. It's the nearest like a steamboat paddle-wheel I could find,"

tle fellow. "That's a riddle! What

then we'll get in the make-believe steamboat Russ has made, a

oesn't go 'round

cried Rose. "The w

you put things in," went on Laddie. "Tha

t on the steamboat and we'll have a ride," and he began to whistle a little bit

little to have all those letters for herself. So she was just called Margy. "Where is steamboat?" she

" went on Russ. "But we're making believe this is a steamboat in here," and he pointed to the barrel, the boxes, the chairs and the footstool, w

poke up the sixth member of th

said Rose. "You may sit with me in

lly Munroe Ford Bunker, but it seemed such a big name for such a little chap, that it w

of the light, golden brown kind, with sugar on top. For Mun, as

family of six little Bunkers, and the leader in all the fun

suddenly called Vi. "Is there any

answered. "You couldn't make

who seemed started on her favo

minute, looking at

red. "'Bout ten miles deep. W

her on a steamboat where the water is deep lessen I have a bathing-suit for her. Wait a min

s or a blue one?" Vi turn

!" called Russ. "This steamboat won't ev

thes belonging to her dolls, and ran back to the place where the "steamboat

p in one of the chairs behind the big, empty flour barrel that M

Russ, stopping his whistling a

red Vi. "Don't you kn

to a horse. It's what you tell

d Vi, smoothing out her dress, and

dap' when you want that to start!" exclaim

Margy and Mun, who had climbed up together

to be the fireman, and, of course, they always rode away down inside the steamboat. "I know a nice

aid Rose. "You can tell us some other time. We're going to

cause a horse doesn't wear stocking

d!" cried

d!" repeat

. She was a jolly little girl and ha

k blue sea," went on Rose. "It's an aw

rrel. "Start the steam going. I'm going to steer the boat," and Russ took his place astride the front end of the barrel, and began twisti

, and he began to hiss like steam coming from a pipe. Then he bega

ed Russ from up on top. "'You're jiggling

the rough ocean and the steamboat's got to rock! Look at he

coming apart! Look! Oh, dear!

ed in on Laddie. Then the chairs, behind the barrel, where Rose, Vi and Margy and Mun were sitting, toppled over. In another instant the