Then there was Norah O'Grady, the good-natured cook, and Jerry Simms, an old soldier who could tell fine stories about the time he fought in battle. Of course Norah and Jerry were not real Bunkers—that is, they were not members of the family. But they had been in the home of our friends so long that the children began to think of these two kind servants as almost some of their own relatives.
There were enough other relatives in the Bunker family, too. There was Grandma Bell, and the first book of this series is named "Six Little Bunkers at Grandma Bell's." After some glorious days at their grandmother's, the six little Bunkers went to Aunt Jo's, next to Cousin Tom's, after that to Grandpa Ford's, and then they went out West to a ranch. The story of their trip there, and what they did, is set down in the volume just before this one. It is called "Six Little Bunkers at Uncle Fred's," and Russ, Rose, and the others had not long returned from this enjoyable visit before they began a new series of adventures.
The first of them I have already started to relate to you. It is about the fire, or at least the smoke, in the attic where they had been playing steamboat.
"Russ!" exclaimed Rose, as she made her way through the smoke-filled room to the stairs, leading Mun Bun and Margy, while her oldest brother followed with Vi and Laddie, "oh, Russ!" went on Rose, "you didn't start any fire in the make-believe boiler of the pretend steamboat, did you?"
"Course—course not!" answered Russ, somewhat choking over the words, for some smoke got down his throat. "I never play with matches!"
"Well, there's a fire somewhere!" declared Rose.
"Maybe it's across the street," suggested Russ, "and the smoke just blew in the windows." But, even as he spoke, he looked over his shoulder and saw smoke pouring out of a place in the attic chimney where some bricks were broken loose and large cracks showed.
"It's our chimney that's on fire, all right," said Russ to himself. "It's the first fire we ever had. I want to see the engines work and squirt water!"
Down the attic stairs to the second floor went the six little Bunkers. There was very little smoke on the second floor, and as Russ and Rose were leading the four smaller ones toward the head of the stairs they were met by their mother and Norah rushing up, each of them out of breath and much excited.
"Oh, children! are you all right?" gasped Mrs. Bunker. "I have been so frightened. You're all right, aren't you? Not hurt or burned?"