"I—I—didn't do anything!" Rose answered. "But my doll turned into a live baby!"
"Oh!" exclaimed Mrs. Bunker. "You have—you have——"
And just then, down at the other end of the car, a woman's voice cried:
"Oh, my baby! My baby! Where is my baby? This is only a doll!"
At once the car was a scene of great confusion. Mr. Bunker ran to where Rose and her mother sat, Rose still holding the live baby. The other little Bunkers wondered what had happened.
At the other end of the car a woman rushed frantically along, holding out a doll.
"Look! Look!" she cried. "Somebody took my dear baby and left this doll! Oh, conductor, stop the train!"
Daddy Bunker seemed to be the first to understand what had happened. He hurried to Rose, and tenderly lifted up the little baby, which was now crying hard. Perhaps it knew that something had happened, or perhaps it was hungry.
"Here is your baby, madam," said Mr. Bunker to the woman. "And I guess you have my little girl's doll. It's just a mix-up—just a great, big mistake. Here is your baby!"
The woman, whose face showed delight now instead of fear and worry, clasped her baby in her arms, first handing the doll to Mr. Bunker.