But Russ had also seen the truck and, knowing there would be little left of the doll if one of the heavy wheels went over her, he ran a little faster and darted directly in front of the big lumbering, thundering automobile. “Russ! Russ! Be careful!” called his mother. “Look out there, youngster!” yelled the man who was driving the truck. On came the heavy automobile, bearing down on Russ who was now in the middle of the street, stooping over to pick up Esmeralda. CHAPTER II A LOAD OF FLOWERS Three of the six little Bunkers—Rose, Margy and Violet—stood grouped around their mother, looking with anxious eyes toward Russ, who had made up his mind that he was going to get Vi’s doll and snatch it out of danger before the big truck reached it. But, in doing this, Russ was also in danger himself. “Russ! Russ! Come back!” cried his mother, darting forward. “It’s going to run right over him!” screamed Margy. “He’ll be smashed!” and Violet covered her eyes with her hands. “Let the old doll go!” shouted Rose. But Russ did not heed. Straight across the street, directly in front of the truck he ran, and toward Vi’s doll Esmeralda that was lying in the highway, where she had been dropped by the stray dog. The man driving the big truck, after giving one call of warning, had ceased, and was now doing his best either to steer out of the way, so he would not run over Russ, or else to put on the brakes. This last was not so easy to do as the street just there was down hill and the truck was a heavy one. Russ reached the doll before the truck got to it. The Bunker boy picked up Vi’s plaything and started to run out of danger, but he slipped on a stone and down he fell in the dust of the road. “Oh! Oh!” cried his mother. “Oh, Russ!” Russ was down, but, as he said afterward, he was not “out.” He rolled to one side, out of the way of the thundering big wheels of the truck. A moment later he was on his feet, dirty and dusty, but holding proudly aloft the doll he had rescued. By this time the man had brought his truck to a stop, a little distance from the place where Russ had fallen and where the doll had been lying. “That was a narrow escape for you, youngster!” exclaimed the man rather sternly. “You ought not to do things like that!” “I didn’t want Vi’s doll run over,” explained Russ, as his mother and sisters hurried toward him. And while Russ is brushing the dust from his clothing and while Vi is looking over her doll, to make sure it is all right, I shall take a moment to let you know who the Bunkers are. And I shall also speak of the other books in this series telling about them. I think it is much better to read about people after you know who they are and what they have done. The first book introducing the children is called “Six Little Bunkers at Grandma Bell’s.” At the opening of that story you find the Bunkers living in Pineville, a Pennsylvania town.