Laddie, Russ and Violet had fun fishing, and caught enough for Bill Johnson to cook for supper.
"Come on!" called Laddie to Russ that evening, after they had played for a while out near the barn. "Let's go over and get a drink out of the spring."
"All right," agreed Russ. "Maybe we can see what makes it dry up."
"Maybe a bad Indian does it," suggested Laddie. "If I saw him do it I'd lasso him."
"So would I—only they won't let us have lassos any more."
"Well, maybe they would if they knew we could catch an Indian," went on Laddie hopefully. "Come on, anyhow." Then off they started toward the spring.
"Oh, look!" exclaimed Russ, who had run on ahead. "The water's all gone again!"
"It is?" cried Laddie. "Oh, we'd better go and tell Uncle Fred! Let me see!"
He hurried to his brother's side. Surely enough, there was hardly a pailful of water in the bottom of the spring. And the stream that trickled in through the rocks at the back had stopped.
"Do you s'pose the bad men are taking any more of Uncle Fred's cattle?" asked Laddie. "He said they did that when the spring went dry."