ften rang during
the day, but just now, when Uncle Fred was about to tell his story, it
rather surprised the children to hear the tinkle.

"I'll go and see who it is," offered Russ. "And please don't tell any of
the story until I come back," he begged.

"I won't," promised Uncle Fred.

Russ hurried to the door, and, as he opened it, the other children heard
him cry:

"Oh, Daddy! What made you ring?"

"I forgot my key," answered Mr. Bunker. "I couldn't open the door."

"Oh, it's Daddy!" cried Mun Bun and Margy, and, slipping down from Uncle
Fred's knee, they raced to the hall to get their usual kisses.

"Guess who's here!" cried Russ, for his father could not see into the
room where his wife's brother sat. "Guess!"

"Grandma Bell?"

"Nope!"

"Aunt Jo?"

"Nope!"

"It's Uncle Fred!" cried Rose, hurrying out into the hall. "And he's got
a secret out at his ranch like Grandpa Ford had at Great Hedge, and he's
going to take us all out there and--and----"

"My! better stop and catch your breath before it runs away from you,"
laughed Daddy Bunker, as he lifted Rose in his arms and kissed her. "So
Uncle Fred is here, is he? He came a little ahead of time."

"And he s'prised us all up in the attic," added Laddie, who had also
come into the hall. "Russ and I rode down on the scooter, and we bumped,
and had a mix-up, and Uncle Fred came up, and----"

"And we thought he was a burglar!" finished Violet.

"You must have had quite a time," laughed Daddy Bunker. "Well, now,
after I get my wet things off, I'll go in and see Uncle Fred and hear
all about it," and soon Daddy Bunker and his wife's brother were shaking
hands and talking, while the children sat about them, eager and
listening.

"We'll have an early supper," said Mother Bunker, when she had given
Uncle Fred a cup of tea, "and then we can hear all about Three Star
Ranch."

Norah O'Grady soon had a nice supper on the table, and after Rose had
helped with it, as she often did, for her mother was teaching her little
daughter to be a housekeeper, the children took their places and began
to eat. And, at the same time, they listened to the talk that went on
among the grown folk. Mother and Father Bunker had many questions to ask
Uncle Fred, and he also asked them a great many, for he wanted to know
all about Grandma Bell, and Aunt Jo and Grandpa Ford and all the rest of
the Bunkers' relatives.

"And now will you tell us about Three Star Ranch?" asked Russ ea