, did the mail come?" she
asked, for she saw that the oldest boy had some letters in his hand.

"Yes, Mother," was the answer. "Oh, look at the crab trying to get out!"
and with a stick Russ, the oldest of the six little Bunkers, thrust the
creature back into the basket.

There were six of the Bunker children. I might have told you that at the
start, but I was so excited about Mun Bun falling off the pier that I
forgot about it. Anyhow now you have time to count them.

There was Russ, aged eight years; Rose, a year younger; and then came
Laddie and Violet, who was called Vi for short.

Laddie and Vi were twins. They were six years old and both had curly
hair and gray eyes.

You could tell them apart, even if they were twins, for one was a girl
and the other was a boy. But there was another way, for Vi was always
asking questions and Laddie was very fond of making up queer little
riddles. So in case you forget who is which, that will help you to know.

Then came Margy, or Margaret, who was five years old. She had dark hair
and eyes, and next to her was the one I have already told you about--Mun
Bun. He was four years old.

While the six little Bunkers were gathered around the basket, in which
the big crab Mun Bun had caught was crawling about, Daddy Bunker and his
wife were reading the letters Russ had handed them.

"Then we'll have to go back home at once," Mrs. Bunker said.

"Yes, I think so," agreed her husband. "We were going at the end of the
week, anyhow, but, since getting this letter, I think we had better
start at once, or by to-morrow, anyhow."

"Oh, are we going home?" cried Rose.

"Yes, dear. Daddy thinks we had better. He just had a letter---- Be
careful, Mun Bun! Do you want to fall in again?" she cried, for the
little fellow, still wet from his first bath, had nearly slipped off the
edge of the pier once more, as he jumped back when the big crab again
climbed to the top of the peach basket.

"Come! I must take you up to the house and get dry clothes on you," said
Mun Bun's mother to him. "Then we must begin to pack and get ready to go
home. Our visit to Cousin Tom is at an end."

"Oh, dear!" cried the six little Bunkers.

But children, especially as young as they were, are seldom unhappy for
very long over anything.

"We can have a lot of fun at home," said Russ to Rose.

"Oh, yes, so we can. It won't be like the seashore, but we can have
fun!"

There was much excitement in Cousin Tom'