Midge and Molly worked away with a will. Unheeding their pretty
summer frocks, and, indeed, there was little use now for care in
that direction, they brought water from the brook, hauled it up
the dumbwaiter, and filled several good-sized receptacles with
steeping pennyroyal flowers.

Their work finished, they were anxious to start for home at once
and begin a search for the bottles, but Stella begged them to stay
a little longer until she should have finished the design she was
making.

So Midge and Molly wandered out on the veranda, and amused
themselves by jerking the rope ladder up and down. By a clever
mechanical contrivance the ladder went up and down something on
the principle of an automatic shade roller. It was great fun to
roll it up and feel a certain security in the thought that nobody
could get into "Breezy Inn" unless they saw fit to let down the
ladder. Not that anybody ever wanted to, but it was fun to think
so, and, moreover, the rolling ladder was most useful in the
playing of certain games, where an unlucky princess was imprisoned
in a castle tower.

But somehow, as they were idly jerking the ladder up and down, an
accident happened. Something snapped at the top, and with a little
cracking sound, the whole ladder broke loose from its fastenings
and fell to the ground.

"Oh, Midget!" cried Molly, aghast, "whatever shall we do now? We
can't get down, and we'll have to stay here until somebody happens