horse. There was a little door in the peak of the second story, to which
the hay could be hoisted up from the wagon on the ground below. The hay
was hoisted by a rope running around a wheel, or pulley, and this rope
and pulley were still in place, though they had not been used in some
time.

Into the rather dark loft of the barn went Russ and Laddie. They had
climbed up the ladder, as they had done oftentimes before.

"It's dark!" Laddie exclaimed.

"I'll make it light," announced Russ.

He opened the little door in the front of the barn, and then he and
Laddie could look down to the ground below. Russ loosened the pulley
rope and let one end fall to the ground.

"That's how we'll make our balloon," he said. "We'll fasten the rope to
the clothes basket, and pull it up like a balloon. Won't that be fun?"

"Lots of fun!" agreed Laddie.

It was about half an hour after this that, as Mother Bunker was
beginning to think about supper, she heard, from the direction of the
barn, a shrill yell for help.

"Oh, I can't get him down! I can't get him down!" was the cry.

"Dear me! Something else has happened!" cried Mother Bunker. "Come on,
Norah. We must see what it is!"