"I never saw a man wearing earrings before," said Vi soberly. "And he acts awfully funny, doesn't he?"
The little girl began to feel a bit afraid of the strange man. She stopped walking ahead and pulled back on her brother's hand.
"I guess he doesn't mean any harm," said Laddie doubtfully.
But drawn away by Vi, he stepped with her off the ties into the path between the east-and west-bound tracks. The flagman stopped running, but still gestured to the children. And just then, quite startling in the twins' ears, sounded the long drawn shriek of a locomotive whistle.
Laddie and Vi glanced behind them. Around the curve, out of the railroad cut in which their adventure had begun, was coming a big locomotive drawing a long passenger train. The man with the earrings reached Vi and Laddie the very next moment.
"Look-a da train!" he cried. "You bambinoes want-a get run over—yes?"
"We're not Bambinoes, Mister," said Laddie. "We're Bunkers."
Vi could not quench her usual curiosity, although the man seemed so strange in her eyes. She asked:
"Why do you wear rings in your ears? Please, why do you wear 'em?"