"He isn't here," said Sue. "Did you stay in this tent all the while, Ben?"
"No, Sue. I ran across the field when I saw that man looking at me, after I made my big jump. I ran over to the woods and hid. Then, when it got dark, I crept back and hid under the hay stack. A little while ago, when I saw Bunker and the other boys drive away with the big tent, I came back here. I'm awfully hungry!"
"We'll get you something to eat," said Sue. "Won't we, Bunny?"
"Sure we will. But come on up to the house, Ben. That man isn't there, and we won't let him hurt you. What's it all about, anyhow?"
"I guess I'll have to tell your folks my secret," Ben answered.
"Oh, have you a secret, too?" asked Sue, clapping her hands. "How nice!"
"No, it isn't very nice," said Ben. "But I guess I will go and ask your grandmother for something to eat. I'm terribly hungry!"
Holding the hands of Bunny Brown and his sister Sue, Ben, the strange boy, who had been so queerly found under the straw in the tent, walked toward grandpa's house.
"Well land sakes! Where'd you come from?" asked Grandma Brown, as she saw him. "And such a looking sight! You look as if you'd slept in a barn all night!"
"I did—almost," said Ben, smiling.