ss? _Must_ you pull
my hair off to get me out?"

Mun Bun was bawling all by himself, but near by. He seemed to be quite
as immovable as Vi. And perhaps Russ would have been unable to get out
either of the unfortunates by himself.

Just then there came a shout of encouragement from outside, and the
rapid pounding of feet. The door below burst open and Daddy Bunker's
welcome voice cried out:

"Here I am, children! Here I am--and Captain Ben, too! Where are you
all?"

In the dusky kitchen it was easy enough to count the three little
Bunkers who remained there. But Daddy Bunker was heartily concerned over
the absent ones.

"Where are Russ and Vi and Mun Bun?" cried Daddy Bunker.

"They're upstairs--under that old thunder stroke," gasped Margy. "But I
guess they're not all dead-ed yet."

"I guess not!" exclaimed Captain Ben, who was a very vigorous young man,
being both a soldier and a sailor. "They are all very much alive."

That was proved by the concerted yells of the three in the attic. Both
men hurried to mount the stairs. The dust had settled to some degree by
this time, and they could see the struggling forms. Russ had almost got
Vi loose, and he had not pulled out her hair in doing so.

Daddy Bunker saw that Mun Bun was only caught by his clothing. Captain
Ben took Vi from Russ and Daddy Bunker released Mun Bun. Then they all
came hurriedly down the stairs.

Mun Bun was still weeping wildly. Laddie looked at him in amazement.

"Why--why," he said, "you're a riddle, Mun Bun."

"I'm not!" sobbed the littlest Bunker.

"Yes, you are," said Laddie. "This is the riddle: Why is Mun Bun like a
sprinkling cart?"

"That is too easy!" laughed Captain Ben, setting Vi down on the floor.
"It's because Mun Bun scatters water so easily out of his eyes."

They all laughed at that--even Mun Bun himself, only he hiccoughed too.
It did not take much to make the children laugh when the danger was
over.

"Why did the old thunder stroke have to do that?" asked Vi. "Why did it
pin me down across my legs?"

Daddy Bunker hurried them all out of the old house. He was afraid it
might fall altogether.

"And then where should we be?" he asked. "I couldn't go away out West to
Cowboy Jack's and leave my little Bunkers under that old house, could
I?"

At this Russ and Rose immediately began to be excited--only for a reason
very different from the effects of the storm. They looked at each other
quite knowingly. _That_ was wh