n
you want. Don't be afraid of playing with things, for I don't believe
you can hurt them. Then your mother and I will be getting out your
rubber boots, and you may play in the snow this afternoon."

With whoops and shouts of delight the six little Bunkers trooped up to
the attic. As Grandma Ford had said, it was a large one. It was over
about half the house of Great Hedge Estate, and the house Grandpa Ford
had bought from Mr. Ripley was a big one.

There were many rooms on the first floor, more on the second and some on
the third. Then came the attic, highest of all, and in this attic were
stored the things thought to be of no use any more.

As Great Hedge was in the country, though not many miles outside the
city of Tarrington, there were country things in the attic, such as a
spinning wheel, two of them, in fact, candlesticks, candle-moulds and so
on. You all know that a candlestick is something in which to stick a
candle so one may carry it around. In the olden days, before we had
electric lights, gas or even kerosene lamps, the people used to read and
work by means of candles.

A candle is a stick of tallow, wax or something like that, with a
string, or wick, in the middle, just as rock candy has a string in the
middle. Only you light the string in a candle, and you throw away the
string in a stick of rock candy.

Candle-moulds are tin tubes, just the shape of candles, and into these
tubes was poured the melted wax or tallow to make the light-givers.

Up into the attic tramped the six little Bunkers. From the windows, high
up, they could look across the snow-covered fields. They could see the
trees, now bare of leaves, and the great black hedge around Grandpa
Ford's house. The big chimney of the house was hot and that kept the
attic fairly warm.

"You wouldn't think a ghost could get in, would you?" asked Rose of Russ
in a low voice.

"Maybe it was here already," suggested Russ. "An attic is a good place
for ghosts. Let's look for one here."

"But don't let the others know," cautioned Rose, motioning to Mun Bun
and Margy, Laddie and Vi.

"No," agreed Russ.

He and his sister began to look about the big attic. As Grandma Ford had
said, there were many things with which to play and have fun.

"Oh, Russ!" cried Laddie. "Here are two spinning wheels. Couldn't you
make something of them--a steamboat or an auto or something?"

"Yes, I guess I could," agreed Russ. "Let's see if they turn around
easy."