"Is it the firemen then?"
"Good gracious!" cried Uncle Toby, opening the automobile door wider, so that a swirl of snow drifted in. "What in the world is the matter? Why do you want the firemen and policemen, Aunt Sallie?"
"Oh, thank goodness! It's you, is it, Uncle Toby?"
"Yes! Yes!" was the quick answer. "You stay in the car a moment, children," said Mr. Bardeen, as he got out on the side of the steering wheel. "Something must have happened. I'll see what it is."
Just then the crowd, which stood partly in the street and partly in the yard of Uncle Toby's house, but up at the farther end, away from the driveway, gave a shout.
"There he goes!" cried several voices.
"What can have happened?" exclaimed Janet, greatly excited.
"It's a fire, I guess," said Ted. "Aunt Sallie was asking for the firemen."
"And she asked for the policemen, too," said Tom. "Maybe it's a burglar up on the roof."
"That's right!" chimed in Harry, the new boy. "And maybe he's trying to go down the chimney."