"Here! Quit that!" cried Laddie. "Let me alone! Stop pulling me out of bed!"
"Gracious, what a queer night!" thought Rose, as she sat up in bed. The storm had ended and it was very quiet except for the shouts of Laddie. He kept on calling:
"Let me alone! Oh, there you go! Now I'm out of bed!"
There was a thud, and the whole house seemed to shake.
CHAPTER IX
IN THE DITCH
Rose jumped out of bed, brushing aside the little River girl who had stolen so silently into her room, and hurried out into the hall, where a night light burned. As she hastened out, Rose gave a hasty glance at Violet. Her little sister had not awakened.
There was a patter of bare feet behind Rose, and she knew that Bess was following. As she went after Rose into the hall Bess exclaimed:
"Oh, there he goes! There he goes! He's gone and done it again!"
At the same time there was a confusion of voices in several rooms, and some one called: