nkers began to shriek
at the top of their voices.

Even the snapping firecrackers could not drown their voices now. Russ
and Rose heard the cries coming from the doghouse, and they knew Mun Bun
and Margy were in trouble. They saw Bobo, who had been with them to the
swamp, seemingly stuck half way in the doorway of his kennel, and Russ
cried:

"I guess that's where they are. Hear 'em, Rose? Come on, save Mun Bun
and Margy."

"I'm afraid of that hound," replied Rose, but she followed her brother
just the same.

Russ shouted to the dog. The hound backed out and looked around at Russ
Bunker. But his red eyes did not scare the boy.

"We're coming, Mun Bun!" Russ shouted. "We're coming, Margy!"

The two little ones appeared at the door of the kennel. They were not
crying much, but they had tight hold of each other's hands.

"Russ! Rose!" cried Margy. "Take us out."

"What are you doing in that dog's kennel?" demanded Rose.

"Playing Christmas," said Margy, with quivering voice.

"I guess it isn't Christmas," said Mun Bun doubtfully. "I guess it's
Fourth of July. Isn't it, Russ? They don't have shooters only on the
Fourth of July."

"They do down here," said Russ, reaching the kennel and looking in while
Bobo stood by as though he still wondered why Mun Bun and Margy had
tried to turn him out of his house.

Just then one of the colored men, who was a gardener, came along and
stooped to look into the kennel too.

"For de lan's sake!" he cried, "what you childern doin' in dat dog
kennel?"

"We--we were playing Christmas tree," said Margy, grabbing hold of
Rose's hand.

"For de lan's sake!" repeated the man, showing the whites of his eyes in
a most astonishing way. "What dat in dere?"

"That's our Christmas tree," said Mun Bun, very bravely now.

"For de lan's sake!" ejaculated the man for a third time. "What Mistah
Armatage gwine to say now? Dat's his bestest rubber plant what he tol'
me to take partic'lar care of. What will you lil' w'ite childern be up
to next, I'm a-wondering?"

CHAPTER XVI

A LETTER AND A BIG LIGHT

"Why, Mun Bun!" murmured Russ.

"Why, Margy Bunker!" exclaimed Rose.

Mun Bun was staring with all his eyes (and he had two very bright ones)
at the rubber plant. He did not consider the mischief he had done. He
was as curious as Vi could possibly have been about an entirely
different thing.

"If that's a rubber plant, Russ," he demanded, "where's the rubbers? I
don't see