you. You see
I live at the poorhouse, having no relations to take care of me, and no
place to live. But in the summer I hire out to the farmers around here
that want me, and work to earn a little spare change.

"This year Mr. Bixby hired me. At first I liked the work. I had to do a
few chores, milk the cow and take the milk to the few families that
bought it. But the other day he did something I didn't like and so
to-day after I found the hole in the cow stable that leads to this cave,
I ran away."

"What did he do to you?" asked Bunny. "Did he beat you?"

"No, he stuck pins and needles in me."

"Stuck pins into you?" cried Sue. "How horrid! I never heard of such a
thing! How did you get them out?"

"That was the funny part of it," said the boy. "They weren't real pins.
He'd make me take hold of some shiny brass knobs, and then pins and
needles would shoot all over me. Then, all of a sudden, he'd pull 'em
out and I wouldn't feel 'em until he did it again."

"That was funny," said Bunny Brown, thinking very hard. "Could you see
the needles?"

"No, but I could feel 'em, and that was enough. I got away as soon as I
could, when he wasn't looking, and I made for the hole I'd found in the
cow shed. But from there I got into the cave, and I thought I was lost,
for I couldn't find my way back and I didn't know what to do when I saw
your light. And then I didn't know whether to go and meet you or hide in
the dark."

"Well, it's a good thing you came on," said Sue, "'cause we were getting
scared ourselves, weren't we Bunny?"

"Oh no, not much. I wasn't scared."

"But I was," admitted Sue. "And I think Splash was too, for he was sort
of whining in his throat."

"Well, we're all right now," said Bunny. "But what are you going to do,
Tom? Are you going back to Mr. Bixby?"

"I certainly am not! I've had enough pins and needles stuck in me,
though you can't see 'em now," and he glanced down at his long, red
hands. "I'm going to run away--that is, if I can find my way out of this
cave."

"Oh, we can show you the way _out_ all right," said Bunny. "But where
are you going to run to."

"I don't know," said the boy slowly.

"You can run to our camp," put in Sue, "and we'll never tell Mr. Bixby
you are there."

"That's right!" cried Bunny. "And maybe you can show us how he stuck
pins and needles into you, so we could do it to ourselves."

"I don't believe I could," said Tom, with a shake of his tousled head.
"But I'l