l, to see if he can pull us when we make
a dog-cart," explained Russ.

"Please, Grandma, may we?" asked Laddie. "And may we have the two old baby
carriage wheels out in the barn?"

"Yes, certainly," his grandmother said. "But I don't know where there are
any more wheels. You'll have to get along with two."

"Well, we could do that," Russ said. "But four would be better. Oh,
Laddie! We'll have a lot of fun making the dog-cart!"

"That's what we will!" said the smaller boy.

CHAPTER XXI

RUSS HEARS NEWS

When Daddy Bunker heard about the plan of Russ and Laddie to make a
dog-cart, he at first thought the boys could not do it.

"How are you going to harness Zip to the cart?" he asked.

"Oh, we can do it," declared Russ. "We can make a harness out of pieces of
rope and some straps in the barn. And we can get a box and put some wheels
on it for a cart. It'll be easy."

"But maybe Zip won't let himself be hitched up," said Daddy Bunker. He
wanted the boys to have fun while at Grandma Bell's, but he did not want
them to go to a lot of work making something, and then be disappointed if
it did not work.

"Oh, I guess Zip won't mind being harnessed," said Grandma Bell. "Once we
had a man working for us who had a small boy. This boy--his name was
Bobbie--made a little cart and used to drive Zip hitched to it, and the
dog pulled Bobbie all around very nicely."

"Did he? Hurray! Then he'll pull us!" shouted Laddie.

As soon as Russ and Laddie got back to Grandma Bell's house they began to
look for things of which to make the dog-cart and the harness. Two wheels
were all they could find, but Daddy Bunker thought they would answer very
nicely.

"I'll help you make the harness," said Tom Hardy. "I guess there are
enough odd straps around the barn to make a harness for two dogs."

Russ and Laddie were glad to hear Tom say this. They felt that making the
harness would be the hardest part of the work. The cart would be easier;
at least so they hoped.

From the grocery store, down at the "Four Corners," where Grandma Bell
traded, the boys, the next day, got a fine large soap box. It was quite
strong, too.

"And it's got to be strong if you boys are going to ride around behind
that dog Zip!" said the storekeeper. "He's a goer, Zip is! A goer!"

Tom helped the boys fasten the old baby carriage wheels to the box, and
also helped them make a pair of shafts, just like those in between which a
horse trots, only, of