“As I say,” went on Mr. Hurd, “I know only what some one told me.  It was another man who works for Mr. Barker.  He said a red-haired lumberman came one day last week, and Mr. Barker hired him.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a tramp, for regular lumbermen wouldn’t be down here this time of year.  They’d be up in the woods.  But, boys, you tell your father to go have a look at this red-haired man over at Mr. Barker’s place.”

“We’ll tell him,” said Russ.  “And thank you.”

“Gid-dap!” called Mr. Hurd to his horse, and down the road it went, the carriage soon being out of sight.  Zip, the dog harnessed to the cart which Russ and Laddie had helped make, still lay in the shade.  He was taking a good rest.

“Oh, wouldn’t it be fine if this is the lumberman daddy wants, and he could get back his papers?” said Laddie.

“Very fine,” agreed Russ.  “We’d better go back and tell him right away.  Maybe he’ll take us to Mr. Barker’s place with him!”

“Oh, maybe!” cried Laddie.  “Let’s hurry home.”

But you can not always tell what is going to happen in this world.  If, just then, a white rabbit had not scooted out of the bushes and run through the woods right in front of Zip, perhaps this part of the story would never have been written.  It is certain that if there had been no rabbit to chase, Zip wouldn’t have run as fast as he did.  For he ran very fast.

And, just as I told you, it was because the white rabbit popped out of the bushes right in front of the dog.

“Bow-wow!” barked Zip, as he saw the bunny.  “Bow-wow!” and that meant:  “I guess I’d better chase you!”

And that’s what Zip did.  Up he sprang from the grass, and after the white rabbit he ran.  The dog started off so quickly that Russ and Laddie were almost thrown out of the cart.  If they had not held to the sides of the box very hard they would have fallen out.  As it was they were jerked and tossed about as Zip ran after the rabbit.

“Oh, what’s the matter?” asked Laddie, who had not seen the bunny.  “Did a bee sting Zip?” This had happened once, and the dog had run around yelping and barking, no one knowing what was the matter with him for a while.

“No, I don’t believe it was a bee,” answered Russ.  “It was a rabbit.  Whoa, Zip!  Whoa!” called the little boy, pulling on the leather lines.

But Zip did not stop.  Very few dogs would, when once they had started to run after a rabbit.

[Illustration:  “BOW-WOW!” BARKED ZIP, AND ON HE RAN, FASTER AND FASTER.

Six Little Bunkers at Grandma Bell’s]

“Bow-wow!  Bow-wow!” barked Zip, and on he ran, faster and faster.  He seemed to enjoy it very much.

It was a good thing the woods were not of the roughest kind just at this place, for otherwise the dog-cart would have been smashed to pieces.  As it was it bumped and swayed from side to side, and Laddie and Russ had all they could do to keep from bouncing out.