ils off your hand,"
answered Tom. "Keep away from the corn-sheller."

It was later that same afternoon when Rose, who had been out to the barn
with Russ and Laddie, came running back, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Oh, Mother! Come quick!" she cried, "Come quick!"

"What's the matter?" asked Mrs. Bunker.

"Oh, it's my doll!" answered Rose. "Laddie and Russ are shucking off all
her buttons! Come quick!"

CHAPTER XV

LADDIE'S QUEER RIDE

When Rose, with tears streaming from her eyes, came running to her mother,
Mrs. Bunker felt sorry for her little girl; but she was just a little
puzzled to understand what was wrong. "Shucking off all her buttons"
certainly sounded queer.

"What is it, Rose?" she asked. "What are Russ and Laddie doing?"

"They're shucking all the buttons off my doll."

"Shucking the buttons off your doll?"

"Yes. In the corn shucker, where Tom shucks the ears of corn for the
chickens."

Mrs. Bunker didn't yet quite know what Rose meant, for the mother of the
six little children had not been out to the corn crib, and did not know
what was there.

"It's my middle-sized doll," explained Rose. "Please come and take her
away from Russ and Laddie 'fore they shuck off all her buttons. Don't you
know--she's got yellow shoe buttons on her dress--rows of 'em down the
front and in the back. It's my messenger girl doll."

Mrs. Bunker followed Rose out to the corn crib. She began to understand
what had happened. Among the many dolls Rose had was one she called her
"messenger girl" doll It was about a foot tall, and the doll wore a blue
dress, in color something like the suits worn by the telegraph messenger
boys in the cities. To make the doll's dress more like a uniform, Rose had
sewed on the back and front several rows of yellow shoe buttons, which she
had cut from old tan shoes at home. The doll really had on her dress more
buttons than she needed, but as some messenger and elevator boys in hotels
and apartment houses have the same, I suppose Rose had a right to decorate
her doll that way if she liked.

"How did it happen?" asked Mrs. Bunker, as she followed her little girl
out to the corn crib.

"It was after we saw Tom shuck some corn to feed the chickens--he showed
us how he did it," Rose answered.

"But what did Russ and Laddie do?"

"Oh, they went in and looked at the corn shucker. But they didn't put
their hands in and turn the wheel, 'cause Tom said if they did that their
fi