"Never mind! You couldn't help it," said Harry kindly. "The old hen oughtn't to have laid her eggs in here, and they wouldn't have been smashed. Hens like to steal away, and lay their eggs in hay." "Oh, but you do look _so_ funny!" cried Nan, then she laughed in spite of her worry about lost Freddie. "He--he looks like a cake before it's baked!" giggled Mabel. They all laughed heartily at Tom's sorry plight. "Please lend me a handkerchief, somebody," he begged. "I can't reach in my pocket to get mine, and there's some egg running in my eye." "I'll wipe it for you," offered Bert, laughing so heartily that he could hardly stand up. "Hark! What's that?" suddenly asked Nan. They all stopped laughing at once. From somewhere down in the hay, near the smashed nest of eggs, came a voice, asking: "What's the matter? Isn't anybody going to find me?" "It's Freddie!" cried Nan. "Freddie!" shouted Bert. "Where are you?" "Oh, Freddie is found! Freddie isn't lost any more!" exclaimed Flossie, jumping up and down in delight. And then, from a little nest in the hay, crawled Freddie himself, rubbing his eyes, and pulling wisps from his tousled hair. "Have you been there all the while?" asked Harry. "I--I guess so," answered Freddie, as if he hardly knew himself. "Well, then, why didn't you answer us?" asked Nan. "We were so frightened about you, Freddie. Why didn't you answer when we called?" "I--I guess I was asleep," he said. "I didn't hear you until you all began to laugh. Then I woke up." And that was what had happened. Freddie had found a good hiding place in a hole in the hay, and, while waiting for Harry to come and look for him, the little chap had dozed off, it was so warm and cozy in his hay-nest. And he had slept all through the search made for him, not hearing the calls. But when Tom rolled into the hen's nest, and the others laughed so heartily at him, that awakened the sleeping "little fat fireman." "My! But you gave us a fright!" said Nan. "But it's all right now, dear," and she helped Freddie pull the hay out of his hair. "I guess we've had enough of this game," suggested Harry. "Let's do something else." "I'm hungry," announced Freddie. "Can't we play an eating game?" "I think so," said Bert. "Dinah and Martha were starting to bake cookies before we came out to the barn, and they ought to be done now. Let's go in." Into the house, through the rain, tramped the children, and soon, eating cookies, they were telling about Freddie going to sleep in the hay, and Tom trying to make an omelet of himself in the hen's nest. "Well, this certainly was a nice day, even if it did rain," said Nan, as they were ready to go to bed that night. "I wonder what we can do to-morrow?" "I know," answered Bert. "Harry and I have a fine plan." "Oh, tell me what it is," begged his sister. "It's a secret," he laughed as he went upstairs. After breakfast next morning Nan, who did not get up very early, looked for Harry and her brother.