CHAPTER XIX
DOWN IN THE WELL
Russ went out of the kitchen and looked all around the house for his brother Laddie. He did not see the little fellow, but, on the side steps he saw some white grains of sugar, and Russ could follow them a little way. The trail led down across the brook and toward the meadow.
"He went this way," Russ thought to himself, "and he had the sugar with him. Maybe he's going out to the woods to feed the birds. Or maybe he's going to have a play party with Rose and the others. I'll find 'em and have some fun myself."
But Laddie was not with the other little Bunkers, for Russ saw Rose, Vi, Margy and Mun Bun playing under one of the trees.
"Hi, Rose!" called Russ. "Have you found Laddie?"
"No," Rose answered, "I didn't look for him."
"I saw him," said Tom, the hired man. "He went over that way," and he pointed across the brook.
"Do you mean over to Strawberry Hill?" asked Russ, for so they had come to call the place where the wild red berries grew.
"Well, yes, I s'pose you might say towards Strawberry Hill," replied Tom.