As for Tad, he brushed off some of the dry, rotten wood that clung to his clothes, and then he stood looking at the four little Bunkers, at the farm boy, and at the dog. The dog went up, smelled of Tad's legs, and, seeming to count him as a friend, stopped barking.
"How'd you get in there?" asked Russ.
"I crawled in to rest and sleep," was the answer. "I'd been walking nearly all night, except I got a ride on a milk wagon part of the way."
"What made you run away from Mr. Brown's?" asked Rose.
"Oh, I was in a hurry to get—I just wanted to get away, and I didn't want to wait all night till you folks started in the morning," was the hesitating answer. "I was afraid maybe your auto wouldn't work, and I was in a hurry. So I started off by myself."
"Didn't you go to bed?" asked Rose.
"No," answered Tad.
Just then Daddy Bunker, who had finished his talk with the farmer, while Captain Ben was oiling the automobile spring, called:
"Come, children! We must be moving!"
"Look! We found Tad!" cried Laddie.