“How does this thing work?” he called to his sister, through the wooden sides. “How’d you get in?”
“I ran in when the door was open. I ran in before I knew what it was,” answered Janet. “Then the door dropped shut. I guess I must have jiggled something.”
“I guess you did,” answered Ted. “Now I wonder if I can get this door open! I’ve got to pry it up with a long stick if I can find one.”
Luckily, the Curlytop lad discovered just what was needed—a long tree branch, sharp on one end, like a wedge. This wedge he put under the edge of the sliding door and pried it up. As the door raised a little, Ted, holding it in that position with one hand on the long stick, while Janet helped from the inside, thrust a stone beneath the door. There was a crack wide enough for Janet to thrust out her hand.
“But I can’t crawl out through that crack,” she said.
“I know it,” answered her brother. “I’ll lift it up higher.”
This he did, a foot or so at a time, putting more stones and finally upright sticks beneath the wooden slide, until it was raised high enough for Janet to crawl out.
“Oh, I’m so glad you came!” she cried to her brother.
“So’m I,” he said. “But what made you go in there?”
“I didn’t know it was a trap,” explained the little girl. “I saw some red flowers and I ran to pick them and before I knew it I was in the box, and I must have jiggled something for the door fell shut behind me and I couldn’t get out.”