ie, let's
try to get up that hill. But it's awful hard work."

"Yes, it's hard," agreed Freddie; "but we've done lots harder things
than that." You see, Freddie was trying to keep up his little sister's
courage.

Once more the two little twins tried to climb the hill of shifting sand,
but they could get up only a little way before slipping back. They did
not get hurt--the sand was too soft and slippery for that, but they were
tired and hot, and, oh! so thirsty.

"I'm not goin' to climb any more!" finally said Flossie. "I'm tired! I'm
goin' to stay here until mamma or papa or Nan or Bert comes for us."

"Maybe they won't come," Freddie said.

"Yes, they will," declared Flossie, shaking her head. "They allers comes
when we're lost and we're losted now."

"Yes, I guess so," agreed Freddie. "I wonder where we are anyhow,
Flossie?"

"Why, in a big hole," she said. "Oh, Freddie!" she suddenly cried,
"maybe we can get out the other way if we can't climb up."

"Which other way?" asked her brother.

"Out there," and in the light that came down the hole through which the
twins had fallen Freddie could see his sister pointing to what seemed
another dim light, far away at the end of the big hole. For Flossie and
Freddie had fallen into a big hole--there was no doubt of that. Though
it was pretty dark all about them, there was enough light for them to
see that they were in a cavern.

"Maybe it's a cave, like the one we went into from the lake when we
found the boat," said Flossie, after thinking it over a bit, "and if we
can't get out one end we can the other."

"Maybe!" cried Freddie eagerly. "Anyway, we can't get up that hill of
sand," and he pointed to the one down which they had slid. "Come on,
we'll walk toward the other light."

Far away, through what seemed a long lane of blackness, there was a dim
light, like some big star, and toward this, hoping it would lead to a
hole through which they could get out, the children walked.

As they neared it the light grew brighter, and they were beginning to
feel that their troubles were over when suddenly they both came to a
stop.

For, at the same time, they had heard a queer noise. It came from the
darkness just ahead of them and was such a funny sound that Flossie put
both her arms around Freddie, not so much to take care of him as that
she wanted him to take care of her.

"Did--did you hear that?" she whispered.

Freddie nodded his head, and then, remembering tha