ollard), was a fine
specimen of a boy of ancient times, and Aunt Vi had been much pleased
with the way in which he acted his part. But where was he? Aunt Vi and
the grandparents grew impatient. It was now half-past two; people were
flocking into the tent; but the curtain could not rise, for nothing was
yet to be seen of young Master "Ezekiel Whalen" and his small clothes
and his cocked hat. The house was pretty well filled; really there were
far more people than had been expected, Jimmy, with pencil and paper in
hand, was figuring up the grown people and children, and multiplying
these numbers by twenty-five and by fifteen. When he found that the sum
amounted to nearly nine dollars he almost whistled for joy.

But all this while the audience was waiting. People looked around in
surprise; the Dunlee family grew more and more anxious. Aunt Lucy
pinched Bab and Bab pinched Aunt Lucy.

Suddenly there were loud voices at the entrance of the tent. The tent
curtain was pushed aside violently, and Mr. Templeton and Mr. Rolfe
rushed in exclaiming:--

"Two boys lost! All hands to the rescue!"

The people were on their feet in a moment and there was a grand rush
for the outside. The panic, so it was said afterward, was about equal to
"the little schoolma'am's earthquake."

XIV

JIMMY'S GOOD LUCK

"It's the Pollard and Rolfe boys," explained Mr. Templeton.

"Ho! I know where _they_ are!" cried Jimmy, "They're all right. They're
only digging a cave in the side of a sand-bank."

"Show us where! Run as fast as you can!" exclaimed Mr. Rolfe and Mr.
Pollard. Mr. Pollard had been hunting for the last half-hour. He knew
Nate was deeply interested in "Jimmy's play" and would not have kept
away from the tent unless something unusual had happened.

Jimmy ran, followed by several men who could not possibly keep up with
him. But when they all reached the sand-bank, where were the
"cave-dwellers"? They had burrowed in the sand till completely out of
sight!

"Hello! Where are you"? screamed Jimmy.

There was no answer. In enlarging the cave they had loosened the very
dry earth, and thus caused the roof over their heads to fall in upon
them, actually burying them as far as their arm-pits! They tried to
scream, but their muffled voices could not be heard. The "cave" looked
like a great pile of sand and nothing more. Nobody would have dreamed
that there was any one inside it if it had not been for Jimmy's story.

"Courage,