caught under the flooring of the old wagon house
yesterday," answered Randy.

"I thought you put them in a cage and drowned them in the brook."

"I was going to do that, but then I changed my mind and put 'em in a
couple of boxes. I thought maybe I might have a chance to train
'em--just like those mice we once saw in a show."

"Where did you put those boxes?" demanded Andy, quickly.

"I--I--didn't know exactly what to do with 'em, so--I--I--put 'em on
the shelf in the pantry downstairs," faltered the twin.

"Great catfish, Randy! you've got us into a fine mess!" broke in Fred.

"Coming right on top of that trouble with the water-hose!" added Jack,
ruefully.

After that there was a moment of silence, the four cousins gazing at
each other uncertainly. Then Randy drew a long breath.

"Well, I'm going downstairs to see what's doing," he declared. "If I've
got to suffer for this, I might as well see the fun."

"I'm going down, too," responded his twin, and side by side they ran
down the stairs, with Jack and Fred close at their heels.

Perhaps it was poetic justice that Randy, who had been the cause of
this commotion, should suffer the worst for it. Hardly had he put his
foot in the lower hallway of the farmhouse when a mouse, scampering
from a nearby doorway, made directly for him. The boy made a wild jump
to step on the rodent, missed his footing, and came down flat on his
back. He landed directly at the foot of the stairs, and his brother,
being unable to stop, fell on top of him.

"Hi! Get off of me!" gasped the unfortunate youth. "What do you want to
do--crack my head open?"

"Next time you go down, give a fellow warning," retorted his brother,
scrambling to his feet; and then the two boys, with Jack and Fred,
entered the sitting-room, doing this just as their fathers came in from
the direction of the kitchen and just when old Uncle Randolph made his
unfortunate attack on the fish-globe.

"Hello! look at the fish on the floor," exclaimed Jack. "What's the
matter, Grandfather? Did the mice upset the globe?"

"No. I did that, trying to hit one of the pesky creatures," explained
old Uncle Randolph. "We must kill them some way or they'll get all over
the house, and then none of us will have any peace."

"I wouldn't care for a piece of mouse, anyway," remarked Andy, but in
such a low tone that none of the older folks heard him.

"Everybody get a stick and go at those mice," commanded Dick Rover, and
looke