"Well, it fell down; so of course, it burned down."
"The flames went up," repeated Vi, quite as determinedly. "And the wood went with 'em—with the flames and smoke. So the cabin burned up."
What might have been the result of this discussion it would be hard to say had not the twins both felt so keenly their disappointment. Russ had gone to the fire and brought Mammy June out of the cabin and brought her up here to the big house! To tell the truth, Russ was so excited when he got back that in telling of the adventure he gave the younger children to understand that he had done it all himself. Daddy Bunker and Mr. Armatage did not appear much in his story.
"Russ is always doing the big things," sighed Laddie. "It's just like a riddle——"
"What is?" almost snapped Vi, for she was just as disappointed as her twin brother.
"Why, Russ getting the best of everything. Why is it?" muttered Laddie, kicking a pebble before him in the path.
"If that's a riddle, I can't answer it," said Vi.
"It isn't any worse to ask riddles than it is to ask questions—so now."
The twins were not always in accord, of course; but they were seldom so near to a quarrel as upon this morning. Perhaps, for one thing, the day before, they had rather over-done and possibly had over-eaten. They were on the verge of doing something that the Bunker children seldom did—quarreling. Fortunately something suddenly attracted Laddie's attention and he stopped kicking the pebble and pointed down the yard in front of them.
"Oh, Vi! See that cunning thing! What is it?"