"I'd like to have the money to spend," went on Rose. "Oh, my dear! What would you spend so much money for?" asked Aunt Jo. "I'd buy a lot of circus balloons," answered Rose. "I know a store, about two blocks down the street, that sells 'em. And I want some." "Oh, well, if you only want money for a toy balloon I'll give you that," said her mother. "May I have one, too?" asked Vi. "And me?" added Margy. "And me?" said Mun Bun. "What is it?" He always wanted what the others had, whether or not he knew what it was. "Let's all get one!" exclaimed Russ, who seemed to have an idea. "Let's all get a balloon, and then we can tie strings to 'em and see which one goes the highest." "We can have a race!" suggested Laddie. "That's right!" agreed Russ. "We'll have a race." Thinking this would be harmless fun for the children, Mrs. Bunker gave them money enough so each one could buy a good ten-cent toy balloon, for Rose wanted that kind. "The tenners are bigger than the fivers," she said, "and they go higher and last longer." With shouts of glee and laughter the six little Bunkers went down the street to get the toy balloons. It was not far, and their mother knew they would not get lost. "I'm afraid the children aren't having as much fun here at my house in Boston as they had at Grandma Bell's," said Aunt Jo, as the youngsters went down the street after the balloons. "Oh, they are indeed!" said Mother Bunker. "They always have a good time, wherever they go. Don't worry about them." "If the weather keeps nice we'll go down to Nantasket Beach some day," said Aunt Jo. "I think they'll like it there. It is a seaside resort." "They'll be sure to," said Mrs. Bunker. "I do wish we could find the person who owned that sixty-five dollars. I have an idea it must be the savings of some poor woman, or rather, from the letter, money some one sent her. It must be hard for her to lose it, but we can't seem to find to whom it belongs." "Perhaps we shall, some day," said Aunt Jo. And they were to, in a very strange way, as you shall hear in due time. Down the street ran the six little Bunkers, to get the toy balloons. They saw them in the store window--red, green and blue ones, and they picked out different colors. "Don't they look pretty?" cried Vi, as they marched back with the blown-up rubber bags floating in the air over their heads. As yet the balloons had only short strings on them, and Rose, to make sure the toys of Mun Bun and Margy would not get away, tied the strings to their wrists. "They look like big plums or apples," said Laddie. "Maybe I could think up a riddle about the balloons." "Well, you can be thinking about it when we have a race to see which one goes highest in the air," said Russ. "When we get to Aunt Jo's house, we'll get string and let the balloons sail away up."