at Mun Bun had.

But no such good luck as this happened. The balloons sailed clear of the
trees and went on and on and up and up, becoming smaller and smaller.

"Oh, my poor, dear Lily!" sobbed Rose, and she was really crying now.
"My dear, darling Lily!"

"Why, what is the matter, my dear?" asked Aunt Jo, who came along, just
then. "Has anything happened? Did Alexis hurt you?" for she saw the big
dog standing near Rose, and thought perhaps, in his play, he might have
scratched the little girl.

"No, it wasn't the fault of Alexis," said Rose, "though he did bump into
me and make me let go of the string. But I ought never to have taken the
balloons."

"The balloons?" asked Aunt Jo, not exactly understanding at first.

"Yes," said Rose. "They're gone. I made an airship of 'em for my doll,
and--there she goes!"

She pointed up into the air. Aunt Jo saw the toy balloons, tied to the
handle of the basket, and they were getting smaller and smaller.

"Oh, my dear little girl!" said she. "And you have taken all the
balloons! That's too bad!"

And Rose cried harder than ever. Really she had not done just right, but
of course she had not meant to spoil the fun of her brothers and
sisters, and lose their toys. But she had.

Pretty soon Russ, Laddie and the others came from having watched William
get the automobile ready.

"Where are our balloons?" demanded Laddie, not seeing them tied to the
fence.

"They're gone," said Aunt Jo softly, as she put her arms around Rose.

"Gone?" cried Russ. "Where? Did they bust?"

"I made an airship of 'em," confessed Rose, "and let go the cord when
Alexis bumped me, and--and there they go!" and she pointed to the sky.

Well, you can easily imagine that the five little Bunkers felt quite bad
at losing their balloons. Margy and Mun Bun cried, being the smallest.
Vi looked as if she wanted to, and so did Laddie. But Laddie felt he was
too big, and Vi didn't want to do anything her twin brother didn't do;
especially crying.

Russ swallowed what seemed to be a lump in his throat, and then,
learning that his sister's doll had been carried off in the "airship"
and seeing how bad Rose felt, and noticing the tears on her cheeks, he
said:

"Oh, well, maybe the balloons would have busted anyhow. I don't care
'cause you lost mine, Rose."

"I don't either," said Laddie bravely.

Then Vi said the same thing. Wasn't that good of them? I think so.

Of course Margy and Mun Bun, being litt