eep, same as you did," suggested Laddie to his
mother.

"Well, perhaps she did, and if she were to lie down in the tall grass we
couldn't see her," said Mrs. Bunker. "Oh, dear! I wish I hadn't gone to
sleep, and that Vi hadn't wandered off."

She called again, but there was no answer.

"We'd better go for Daddy!" exclaimed Russ. Daddy Bunker was the one
always wanted when anything happened.

"But we can't get him," said Mrs. Bunker. "He has gone away with Uncle
Fred to look for the lost cattle."

"Then we'll go for Captain Roy!" went on Russ. "He used to be a soldier,
and he'll know how to find lost people."

"Yes, I guess that's the best thing to do," said Mrs. Bunker. "Though I
hate to go away and leave Violet all alone here, wherever she is. But
it's the only way to find her. Come, we'll hurry back to the house and
get Captain Roy."

So the five little Bunkers and their mother hurried over the plain
toward the Three Star Ranch house.

And now I know you are wondering what happened to Violet, so I am going
to tell you. For you know a book-writer can be in two places at the same
time.

When Violet started out to give her doll a walk the little girl had no
notion of going very far. If she had been at home she would have gone
just down to the corner of her block and back. But there are no corners
or blocks on the open plain, so Violet just walked over the green
fields.

"Do you like it here, Su-San?" she asked.

"Oh, you do," she went on, pretending that her doll had spoken. "And you
want to go a little farther, don't you?"

Violet made believe listen to what her doll said.

"Oh, you want to pick some flowers. Well, that will be nice," went on
the little girl. "We'll pick a nice bouquet and we'll take it to Rose's
doll."

There were flowers growing on the plain, and Violet began picking some,
making believe her doll helped. Now, you know how it is when you go to
pick blossoms. First you see a nice one, then, farther on, you see one
that is a little better, and pretty soon you see one that is prettier
than all, and you go for that one, and, before you know it, you are a
long way from where you started.

That is what happened to Violet. She wandered on and on, down among the
little hills and hollows until she was quite a distance from the willow
tree and the creek. She could no longer see the tree.

And Violet forgot, or she did not know, that when one is in a big field,
down among the hills and hollo