note: project gutenberg also has an html version of this file which includes the original illustrations. see 20134-h.htm or 20134-h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/2/0/1/3/20134/20134-h/20134-h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/2/0/1/3/20134/20134-h.zip) bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove by laura lee hope author of the bunny brown series, the bobbsey twins series, the outdoor girls series, the six little bunkers series, the make-believe series, etc. illustrated [illustration: mrs. slater and sue watch bunny and harry bring in the box. _bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove._ _frontispiece_--(_page 210_)] new york grosset & dunlap publishers made in the united states of america * * * * * books by laura lee hope 12mo. cloth. illustrated. the bunny brown series bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove the bobbsey twins series the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a houseboat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home the bobbsey twins in a great city the bobbsey twins on blueberry island the bobbsey twins on the deep blue sea the bobbsey twins in washington the bobbsey twins in the great west the six little bunkers series (six titles) the make-believe series (seven titles) the outdoor girls series (ten titles) grosset & dunlap publishers new york * * * * * copyright, 1920, by grosset & dunlap bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove contents chapter page i. the big dog 1 ii. in the carpenter shop 12 iii. the diamond ring 23 iv. daddy brings news 38 v. adrift 47 vi. the strange dog 59 vii. the sleep-walker 68 viii. a collision 78 ix. the merry goat 89 x. in the storm 103 xi. where is bunny? 114 xii. christmas tree cove 121 xiii. a crash 133 xiv. in the dark 140 xv. bunny's toe 152 xvi. overboard 161 xvii. the new boy 170 xviii. held fast 178 xix. another storm 187 xx. the floating box 198 xxi. mr. ravenwood 205 xxii. the surprising letter 213 xxiii. "that's the dog!" 221 xxiv. in the boat 228 xxv. what stopped the engine 238 bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove chapter i the big dog "come on, bunny, let's just have one more teeter-tauter!" cried sue, dancing around on the grass of the yard. "just one more!" and she raced over toward a board, put across a sawhorse, swaying up and down as though inviting children to have a seesaw. "we can't teeter-tauter any more, sue," objected bunny brown. "we have to go to the store for mother." "yes, i know we have to go; but we can go after we've had another seesaw just the same, can't we?" bunny brown, who was carrying by the leather handle a black handbag his mother had given him, looked first at his sister and then at the board on the sawhorse, gently moving up and down in the summer breeze. "come on!" cried sue again, "and this time she danced off toward the swaying board, singing as she did so: "teeter-tauter bread and water, first your son and then your daughter." bunny brown stood still for a moment, looking back toward the house, out of which he and sue had come a little while before. "mother told us to go to the store," said bunny slowly. "yes, and we're going. i'll go with you in a minute--just as soon as i have a seesaw," said sue. "and, besides, mother didn't say we were _not_ to. if she had told us _not_ to teeter-tauter i wouldn't do it, of course. but she didn't, bunny! you know she didn't!" "no, that's so; she didn't," agreed bunny. "well, i'll play it with you a little while." "that's nice," laughed sue. "'cause it isn't any fun teetering and tautering all by yourself. you stay down on the ground all the while, lessen you jump yourself up, and then you don't stay--you just bump." "yes," agreed bunny. "i've been bumped lots of times all alone." he was getting on the end of the seesaw, opposite that on which sue had taken her place, when the little girl noticed that her brother still carried the small, black bag. mother brown called it a pocketbook, but it would have taken a larger pocket than she ever had to hold the bag. it was, however, a sort of large purse, and she had given it to bunny brown and his sister sue a little while before to carry to the store. "put that on the bench," called sue, when she saw that her brother had the purse, holding it by the leather handle. "you can't teeter-tauter and hold on with that in your hand." there was a bench not far away from the seesaw--a bench under a shady tree--and mrs. brown often sat there with the children on warm summer afternoons and told them stories or read to them from a book. "yes, i guess i can teeter better if i don't have this," agreed bunny. "hold on, sue, i'm going to get off." "all right, i'm ready," his sister answered. you know if you get off a seesaw without telling the boy or girl on the other end what you are going to do, somebody is going to be bumped hard. bunny brown didn't want that. sue put her fat, chubby little legs down on the ground and held herself up, while bunny ran across the grass and laid the pocketbook on the bench. i suppose i had better call it, as mrs. brown did, a pocketbook, and then we shall not get mixed up. but, as i said before, you couldn't really put it in a pocket. "seesaw, margery daw!" sang sue, as bunny came back to play with her. "now we'll have some fun!" and the children did. up and down they went on the board their father had sent up from his boat dock for them to play with. he had also sent up the sawhorse. a sawhorse, you know, is made of wood, and, though it has legs, it can't run. it's just a sort of thin bench, and a seesaw board can easily be put across it. bunny brown and his sister sue were gaily swaying up and down on the seesaw, and, for the time, they had forgotten all about the fact that their mother had sent them to the store to pay a bill, and also to get some groceries. they had not meant to stay so long, but you know how it is when you get to seesawing. "it's just the finest fun ever!" cried sue. "i'm sorry for boys and girls that ain't got any seesaws," said her brother. "oh, i guess a lot of boys and girls have 'em, bunny. daddy said so, once." "did he? i didn't hear him." up and down, up and down went the children, laughing and having a splendid time. sue felt so happy she began to sing a little song and bunny joined in. it was the old ditty of the cow that jumped over the moon. "we'd better go now, sue!" called bunny, after a while. "we can seesaw when we get back." "oh, just five more times up and down!" pleaded the little girl, shaking her curls and fairly laughing out of her eyes. "just five more!" "all right!" agreed bunny. "just five--that's all!" again the board swayed up and down, and when sue was just sorrowfully counting the last of the five, shouting and laughter were heard in the street in front of the brown house. "oh, there's mary watson and sadie west!" cried sue. "yes, and charlie star and harry bentley!" added bunny. "come on in and have a lot of fun!" he called, as two boys and two girls came past the gate. "we can take turns seesawing." "that'll be fun!" said charlie. "can't we get another board and make another seesaw?" asked harry. "we can't all get on that one. it'll break." "i guess we can find another board," said bunny. "i'll go and ask my mother." "no!" said sue quickly. "you'd better not, bunny!" "why?" asked her brother, in surprise. "'cause if you go in now mother will know we didn't go to the store, and she might not like it. we'd better go now and let charlie and harry and sadie and mary have the teeter-tauter until we come back," suggested sue. "it'll hold four, our board will, but not six." bunny brown thought this over a minute. "yes, i guess we had better do that," he said. then, speaking to his playmates, he added: "we have to go to the store, charlie, sue and i. you can play on the seesaw until we come back. and then, maybe, we can find another board, and make two teeters." "i have a board over in my yard. i'll get that," offered charlie, "if we can get another sawhorse." "we'll look when we come back," suggested sue. "come on, bunny." sue got off the seesaw, as did her brother, and their places were taken by charlie, harry, mary and sadie. though sue was a little younger than bunny, she often led him when there was something to do, either in work or play. and just now there was work to do. it was not hard work, only going to the store for their mother with the pocketbook to pay a bill at the grocer's and get some things for supper. and it was work bunny brown and his sister sue liked, for often when they went to the grocer's he gave each a sweet cracker to eat on the way home. bunny, followed by sue, started for the bench where the pocketbook had been left. but, before they reached it, and all of a sudden, a big yellow dog bounced into the yard from the street. it leaped the fence and stood for a moment looking at the children. "oh, what a dandy dog!" cried charlie. "is that your dog, splash, come back?" asked harry, for bunny and his sister had once owned a dog of that name. splash had run away or been stolen in the winter and had never come back. "no, that isn't splash," said bunny. "he's a nice dog, though. here, boy!" he called. the dog, that had come to a stop, turned suddenly on hearing himself spoken to. he gave one bound over toward the bench, and a moment later caught in his mouth the leather handle of mrs. brown's black pocketbook and darted away. over the fence he jumped, out into the street, so quickly that the children could hardly follow him with their eyes. but it was only an instant that bunny brown remained still, watching the dog. then he gave a cry: "oh, sue! the dog has mother's pocketbook and the money! come on! we've got to get it away from him!" "oh, yes!" echoed sue. bunny ran out of the yard and into the street, following the dog. sue followed her brother. the four other children, being on the seesaw, could not move so quickly, and by the time they did get off the board, taking turns carefully, so no one would get bounced, bunny brown and his sister sue were out of sight, down the street and around a corner, chasing after the dog that had snatched up their mother's pocketbook. "we've got to get him!" cried bunny, looking back at his sister. "come on!" "i am a-comin' on!" she panted, half out of breath. the big yellow dog was in plain sight, bounding along and still holding in his mouth, as bunny could see, the dangling pocketbook. suddenly the animal turned into some building, and was at once out of sight. "where'd he go?" asked sue. "into mr. foswick's carpenter shop," her brother answered. "i saw him go in. we can get him easy now." on they ran, bunny brown and his sister sue. a few seconds later they stood in front of the open door of a carpenter shop built near the sidewalk. within they could see piles of lumber and boards and heaps of sawdust and shavings. the dog was not in sight, but bunny and sue knew he must be somewhere in the shop. they scurried through the piles of sawdust and shavings toward the back of the shop, looking eagerly on all sides for a sight of the dog. "where is he?" asked sue. "oh, bunny, if that pocketbook and the money are lost!" "we'll find it!" exclaimed bunny. "we'll make the dog give it back!" as he spoke there was a noise at the door by which the children had entered the carpenter shop. the door was quickly slammed shut, and a key was turned. then a harsh voice cried: "now i've got you! you sha'n't play tricks on me any more! i've got you locked up now!" chapter ii in the carpenter shop bunny brown and his sister sue were so surprised at hearing that harsh voice, and at hearing the door slammed shut and locked behind them, that they just stood and looked at each other in the carpenter shop. they forgot, for the moment, all about the big yellow dog and the pocketbook he had carried away. then bunny managed to find his voice and he cried: "who was that, sue?" "i--i guess it was mr. foswick," she answered. "i'm almost sure it was." "yes," agreed bunny, "i guess it was. but what did he want to lock us in for? we didn't do anything. we just came in to get mother's pocketbook and the grocery money away from the dog." "i p'sume he made a mistake," said sue. "he must have thought we were the bad boys that tease him. i saw some of 'em come in once and scatter the sawdust all over. and i heard mr. foswick say he'd fix 'em if he caught 'em. he must have thought we was them," she added, letting her english get badly tangled in her excitement. "i guess so," agreed bunny. "well, we'll tell him we aren't. come on, sue!" giving up, for the time being, their search in the carpenter shop for the strange, big yellow dog, bunny and sue walked back toward the front door, which had been slammed shut. and while they are seeking to make mr. foswick understand that he had made a mistake, and had punished the wrong children, i shall have a moment or two to tell my new readers something about the characters whose adventures i hope to relate to you in this story. the town of bellemere, which was on the seacoast and near a small river, was the home of bunny brown and his sister sue. their father, walter brown, was in the boat and fish business, owning a wharf, where he had his office. men and boys worked for him, and one big boy, bunker blue, was a great friend of bunny and his sister. in the brown home was also uncle tad, an old soldier. in the first book of this series, called "bunny brown and his sister sue," i told you many of the things that happened to the children. after that they went to grandpa's farm, and played circus, and there are books about both those happy times. next the children paid a visit to aunt lu's city home, and from there they went to camp rest-a-while. in the big woods bunny and sue had many adventures, and they had so much fun on their auto tour that i could hardly get it all in one book. when mr. brown bought a shetland pony for the children they were delighted, and they had as much fun with it as they did in giving a show. that is the name of the book just before the present one you are reading--"bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show." in that volume you may learn how a stranded company of players came to bellemere, and what happened. bunny and sue, as well as some of their playmates, were actors and actresses in the show, and splash, the dog, did a trick also. but splash had run away, or been taken away, during the winter that had just passed, and bunny and sue no longer had a dog. perhaps they thought they might induce the big one that had jumped into the yard to come and live with them, after they had taken the pocketbook away from him. he was not quite the same sort of dog as splash, but he seemed very nice. bunny and sue kept hoping splash would return or be brought back, but, up to the time this story opens, that had not come about. the show the two brown children gave was talked about for a long time in bellemere. of course, bunny and sue had had help in giving it, and the show was also a means of helping others. now winter had passed, spring had come and gone, and it was early summer. bunny and sue had been playing in the yard before going to the store for their mother when the strange dog had sprung over the fence, snatched up the pocketbook, and had run off with it, darting into the carpenter shop. "i don't see anything of him," said sue, as she and bunny made their way amid the piles of boards and lumber and over piles of sawdust and shavings toward the door. "you don't see anything of who?" asked bunny. "mr. foswick or the big dog?" "the dog," answered sue. "i couldn't see mr. foswick, 'cause he's outside. he shut the door on us." "yes," agreed bunny, "so he did. well, maybe we can open it." but, alas! when bunny and sue tried the door they found it locked tight. bunny had been afraid of that, for he thought he had heard a key turned in the lock. but he had not wanted to say anything to sue until he made sure. rattle and pull at the door as the children did, and turn the knob, which they also did several times, the door remained shut. "we--we're locked in!" said sue in a sort of gasping voice, looking at bunny. "yes," agreed her brother, and he tried to speak cheerfully, for he was a year older than sue, and, besides, boys oughtn't to be frightened as easily as girls, bunny thought. "but i guess we can get out," bunny went on. "mr. foswick thinks we're some of the bad boys that bother him. we'll just yell and tell him we aren't." "all right--you yell," suggested sue. so bunny shouted as loudly as he could: "mr. foswick! we didn't do anything! we didn't scatter your sawdust! you locked us in by mistake! let us out, please!" then he waited and listened, and so did sue. there was no answer. "i guess you didn't yell loud enough," said sue. "try again, bunny." bunny did so. once more he shouted through the closed door, or at least at the closed door. he shouted loudly, hoping the carpenter would hear him and open the door. "mr. foswick! we didn't do anything!" yelled bunny brown. still there was silence. no one came to let the children out. "i guess we'd better both yell," suggested sue. "you can shout louder than i can, bunny, but it isn't loud enough. we've both got to yell." "yes, i better guess we had," agreed the small boy. standing close to one another near the door, they lifted their voices in a shout, saying: "mr. foswick! mr. foswick! _we--didn't--do--anything!_" they called this several times, but no answer came to them. "i guess he's gone away," said sue, after a bit. "yes, i guess so," agreed bunny. "well, we've got to get out by ourselves, then." "how can we?" his sister wanted to know. "the door's locked, and we can't break it down. it's a big door, bunny." "yes, i know it is," he answered. "but there's windows. i'll open a window and we can get out of one of them. they aren't high from the ground. we got out of a window once when bunker blue, by mistake, locked us in the shed on the dock, and we can get out a window now." "oh, i hope we can!" cried sue. "and can we get the dog out of the window, too, bunny?" "the dog!" exclaimed bunny, forgetting for the moment about the animal. "oh, i guess we won't have to get him out. he isn't here." "but he ran in here," insisted sue. "we saw him come into this carpenter shop." "yes," agreed bunny. "but he isn't here now. if he was we'd see him or hear him." "maybe he's hiding," suggested sue. "maybe he's afraid 'cause he took mother's pocketbook and the money in it, and he's hiding in the sawdust or shavings." "maybe," bunny admitted. "well, i'll call to him to come out. he only took the pocketbook in fun, i guess. here, splash, come on out! we won't hurt you!" he cried, moving back toward the center of the shop and away from the locked front door. "come on, splash!" "his name isn't splash!" objected sue. "this isn't our nice dog splash that ran away, and i wish he'd come back." "i know he isn't splash," agreed bunny. "but it might be. and splash is a dog's name, and if this dog hears me call it he may come out. come on, old fellow!" he called again coaxingly. but no dog crawled out from under the shavings, sawdust, or piles of boards. "where can he be?" asked sue. "i guess he ran out the back door," suggested bunny. "then maybe we can get out there, too!" cried the little girl, and she and her brother, with the same thought, ran to the rear of the shop. "here is the door," said bunny, as he pointed it out. it was a large affair that slid back from the middle of the wall to one corner. it was tight shut. "and it's locked, too," cried sue, pointing to a big padlock. to make sure, her brother tried the padlock. sure enough, it was locked, and the key was nowhere in sight. "i can slide the door a little bit," said bunny, and by hard work he managed to move it about an inch. this allowed a little of the breeze to come into the carpenter shop but that was all. "we can't get out through that crack," protested sue, pouting. "nobody could. oh, dear! i don't see why this old carpenter shop has got to have all the doors locked." "hum, that's funny!" said bunny brown. "how do you s'pose that dog got out with both doors locked?" asked sue of her brother. bunny paused to think. then an idea came to him. "he must have jumped out a window, that dog did," he said. "there must be a window open, and he got out that way. and that's how we can get out, sue. we'll crawl out a window just like that dog jumped out. now we're all right. mr. foswick locked us in his carpenter shop by mistake, but we can get out a window." "oh, yes!" agreed sue, and she felt happier now. but again came disappointment. when the children made the rounds of the shop, looking on both sides, they not only saw that not a window was open, but when bunny tried to raise one he could not. "are they stuck?" asked sue. "no," replied bunny. "they're nailed shut! every window in this shop is nailed shut, sue, and the doors are both locked!" "oh!" exclaimed sue in a faint voice, and she looked at her brother in a way he felt sure meant she was going to cry. chapter iii the diamond ring whistling as cheerfully as he could, bunny brown glanced all around the carpenter shop. "are you whistling for the dog?" asked sue. "no, not zactly," bunny answered. "i'm just whistlin' for myself. i'm going to do something." "what?" asked sue. she knew that whenever bunny was making anything, such as a boat out of a piece of wood or a sidewalk scooter from an old roller skate, he always whistled. the more he worked the louder he whistled. "what are you going to make now?" asked sue. "oh, i'm not going zactly to _make_ anything," bunny explained. "i'm just going to _do_ something. i'm going to open one of these windows so we can get out, same as the dog did." "but he didn't get out of a window," objected sue. "how could he, if they were nailed shut before we came in? and they must 'a' been, 'cause we didn't hear mr. foswick hammering." "yes, i guess the windows have been nailed shut maybe a long time," agreed bunny. "but, anyhow, the dog got out and we can get out." "but how could he get out if both doors are locked and the windows nailed shut?" sue wanted to know. bunny could not answer that. besides, he had other things to look after. he wanted to get himself and his sister out of the carpenter shop before sue began to cry. bunny didn't like crying girls, even his sister, though he felt sorry for them. "i can take a hammer and pull the nails out of a window where it's nailed shut, and then i can raise it and we can crawl out," explained bunny to his sister. "there's sure to be a hammer in a carpenter shop." there were, several of them, lying around on the benches and sawhorses that seemed to fill the place. there were other tools, also; sharp chisels and planes, but bunny and sue knew enough not to touch these. the children might have been cut if they had handled the sharp tools. mr. brown kept sharp tools at his dock for mending old boats and making new ones, so bunny and his sister knew something about carpentry. "i guess this hammer will be a good one," said bunny, picking up one with a claw on the end for pulling out nails. he had often seen bunker blue at the boat dock use just such a hammer as this. bunny climbed up on a workbench near a window which, as he could look out and see, was only a short distance from the ground. if that window could be opened, the little boy and his sister could easily drop out and not be hurt in the least. "can you get it open?" asked sue anxiously, as she watched bunny climb upon the dusty carpenter bench. "oh, sure!" he answered. "we'll be out in a little while now; and then we can go and hunt that big dog that has our mother's pocketbook." "and the money, too," added sue. "we've got to get the money and go to the store, bunny." "yes, that's right," he agreed. with the hammer in his hand, he began looking over the window. he wanted to see where the heads of the nails were sticking out, so he could slip the claw of the hammer under them and pull them out by prying on the handle. bunny had not only pulled out nails himself before this, but he had watched his father and bunker blue do it. bunny brown also knew how windows were nailed shut. once the browns owned a little cottage on an island in the river. they sometimes spent their summer vacations in the cottage, and in the fall, when winter was approaching and the cottage was to be closed, the windows were nailed shut from the inside. once bunny had helped his father nail the windows shut, and once he had helped pull the nails out the next summer when the cottage was to be opened. so bunny was now looking for the heads of nails in the window of mr. foswick's carpenter shop. the first window he looked at was so tightly nailed, with all the heads driven so far into the wood, that bunny could get the claw of the hammer under none of them. he made his way along the bench to the next window. this window was nearer the street. "can you open that one?" asked sue. "yes, i guess so!" exclaimed bunny. the little boy saw a nail head sticking out. he slipped the claw of the hammer under it and pressed hard on the handle. whether bunny had not put the claw far enough under the nail, or whether the head was so small that the claw slipped off, neither of the children knew. but what happened was that bunny's hand slipped, the hammer also slipped away from his grasp, and the next moment, with a crash and tinkle of glass, the hammer broke through the window and fell outside. "oh, bunny! are you hurt?" cried sue, for once she had seen her mother cut her hand trying to open a window that stuck. "no, i'm not hurt," answered her brother. "but the hammer's gone out." "you can get another. there's lots here," said sue. "but i can't fix the window," said bunny, rather sadly. "it's all busted!" "it wasn't your fault!" said sue stormily. "mr. foswick ought never to have locked us in, and then you wouldn't have to try to unnail a window to get out! it's his fault!" "maybe it is," said bunny, leaning forward to look out of the broken window. "don't try to crawl out!" exclaimed sue. "you might get cut!" "i'm not going to," said bunny. "i was just seeing how far it was and where the hammer went. it's on the grass, and it isn't far out of the window at all. if we could only crawl out----" "and get all cut on the glass? i guess not!" cried sue. "oh, bunny!" she suddenly exclaimed. "look! there goes mr. reinberg, who keeps the drygoods store. call to him through the broken window, and he'll get us out!" through the window, which he had broken with the hammer, bunny had a glimpse of the street. as sue had said, the drygoods merchant was just then passing. "hi!" suddenly called bunny. "let us out, please! help us out, mr. reinberg!" the merchant looked up, down, and sideways. he could not at first tell where the voice was coming from. "who are you and where are you?" he demanded. "i'm bunny brown, and my sister sue is with me," came the answer from the little boy. "and we're locked in mr. foswick's carpenter shop." "oh, now i see you!" said the drygoods store man, glancing toward bunny, who could be seen through the window. "so you're locked in, are you? how did it happen?" "mr. foswick locked us in," said bunny. "he did! what for?" "oh, i guess he thought we were bad boys. but sue isn't a boy; she's a girl," explained bunny. "if you could only open a door, or pull the nails out of one of the windows, we could get out. i was trying to pull out a nail and i broke the glass." "well, i don't believe i can get you out either way," said mr. reinberg, and bunny and sue felt much disappointed. "i haven't a key to the door, and i can't reach in and pull out the nails," went on the drygoods merchant, as he came down the side alley and talked to bunny through the hole in the glass. "but i'll go over to mr. foswick's house, which isn't far away, and get him to come and let you out," went on mr. reinberg. "i'll go right away, bunny. don't be afraid." "thank you; we're not," bunny answered, as cheerfully as he could. after the man had gone away it seemed more lonely in the old carpenter shop than ever to bunny brown and his sister sue. they walked away from the window and sue sat down on a bench. "do you suppose he'll be long?" she asked. "maybe not--mr. foswick doesn't live far." to amuse himself and his sister bunny picked up a handful of nails and laid out a long railroad track. then he got a big bolt and pretended that was a locomotive and shoved it along the track. "where does the train run to?" asked the little girl. "new york, chicago and--and camp rest-a-while," said bunny--the last name being that of a place where they had once had a delightful vacation. he and sue did not have long to wait. soon along came the old carpenter and mr. reinberg. "dear me! i didn't know i'd locked bunny and sue in," said mr. foswick, as he opened the front door, unlocking it with a big key. "i thought it was some of those pesky boys. they run in when i have the door open, and when i'm away in the back part of the shop, and busy, they scatter the shavings and sawdust all about. "they came in once this afternoon," said mr. foswick, "and i made up my mind if they did it again i'd teach 'em a lesson. so i locked my back door, and i went into the alley near my front door. i knew all the windows were nailed shut. "then, when i was in the alley, i heard somebody run into my shop, and, quick as i could, i ran out, pulled the door shut, and locked 'em in. i supposed it was some of those pesky boys, and i was going to keep 'em locked up until i could go get their fathers and tell 'em how they pester me. i didn't have a notion, bunny, that it was you and sue, or i'd never have done such a thing--never!" mr. brown often hired mr. foswick to do carpentry, and the rather crabbed and cross old man did not want to offend a good customer. "i'm very sorry about this thing i did, bunny and sue," went on mr. foswick. "i'd no idea it was you i'd locked up. i supposed it was those pesky boys. both doors were locked--i made sure of that--and the windows were nailed shut. i keep 'em shut so nobody can get in at night." "bunny tried to open one of the windows with a hammer," said sue. "and i--i guess i broke it--i mean the window," said bunny. "i didn't mean to." "oh, broke a window, did you?" exclaimed mr. foswick, and he seemed surprised. "if they hadn't broken the glass i might not have heard them calling," said the drygoods merchant. "oh, well, i guess you couldn't help it; and a broken window won't cost much to fix," said the old carpenter. "i'm sorry you had all that trouble, and i'm glad you're neither of you cut. tell your pa and ma i'm real sorry." "we will," promised bunny. and then, after bunny and sue had started home on the run, for it was getting late and toward supper time, sue suddenly thought of something. she turned back. "oh, bunny!" she cried. "we forgot to ask mr. foswick about the dog!" "so we did! the dog that has mother's pocketbook. maybe he saw him run out of the carpenter shop, and noticed which way he went. let's go back and ask him." back they turned, to find mr. foswick nailing a board over the broken pane of glass. "well, you haven't come back to stay the rest of the night, have you?" asked the old carpenter, smiling at them over his dusty spectacles. "no, sir. we came back about the dog," said bunny. "we were chasing a strange dog that had mother's pocketbook, and he ran in here. that's why we came in," the boy explained, and he told how they had been playing with the seesaw when the strange animal jumped into the brown yard. "did you see him come out of your shop?" asked sue. "'cause he wasn't in there when we were." "no, i didn't see any dog," said mr. foswick. "but there are some holes at the back where he could have crawled out. that's what he must have done. he didn't come out the front door. but we'll take a look." it did not take the carpenter and the children long to search through the shop and make sure there was no dog there. as mr. foswick had said, there were several holes in the back wall of his shop, out of which a dog might have crawled. "what can we do?" asked sue, looking at her brother after the unsuccessful search. "we've got to go home and tell mother," said bunny. "then we can maybe find the dog and the pocketbook somewhere else. it isn't here." "no, i don't see anything of it," remarked mr. foswick, looking around his little shop. "you'd better go and tell your folks. they may be worried about you. and tell 'em i'm sorry for locking you in." bunny and sue hurried home. they found mrs. brown looking up and down the street for them. the other children had gone away. "where have you been?" asked mother brown. "it is very late for little people to be out alone. and where is my pocketbook and the groceries i sent you for? where is my pocketbook?" she looked at bunny and then at his sister, noting their empty hands. "a big dog ran off with your pocketbook, mother," explained bunny. "he jumped into the yard and picked it up off the bench when sue was teeter-tautering with me. then he ran into mr. foswick's shop, and we ran after him, and we got locked in, and i broke a window, and we couldn't find the dog nor your pocketbook." "nor the money, either," added sue. "there was money in the pocketbook, wasn't there, mother?" mrs. brown did not answer that question at once. "do you mean to say a strange dog ran off with the pocketbook and everything in it?" she asked bunny. "yes, mother," he answered. "oh, dear!" exclaimed mrs. brown in a faint voice, and she sank with white face into a chair. mr. brown, who had just come in, sprang to his wife's side. "oh, don't take on so!" he exclaimed. "the loss of the pocketbook isn't much. was there a great amount of money in it?" "a five-dollar bill," his wife answered. "oh, well, we shall not worry over that if we never find it," he went on. "and you can get another purse." daddy brown was smiling. "but you don't understand!" cried mother brown. "just before i sent the children to the store i was doing something in the kitchen. i took off the beautiful diamond engagement ring you gave me, and put it in the pocketbook. i meant to take it out in a moment, but mrs. newton came over, and i forgot it. then i slipped a five-dollar bill in the purse and gave it to the children to go to the store. oh, dear! what shall i do?" mr. brown looked serious. "are you sure the diamond ring was in the pocketbook?" he asked. "yes," replied his wife, and there were tears in her eyes. "the dog ran away with the five-dollar bill, the pocketbook and my beautiful diamond ring! oh, what shall i do? what a terrible loss!" chapter iv daddy brings news bunny brown and his sister sue did not know what to do or what to say when they saw how bad their mother felt. there were tears in her eyes as she looked at the finger which had held the diamond ring. the little boy and girl well knew the "sparkler," as they sometimes called it. daddy had given it to mother before their wedding, and mrs. brown prized it very much. "it was very careless of me to put my lovely ring in the pocketbook, and then to forget all about it and let you children take it to the store," said mother brown. "but are you sure you did put it in the pocketbook?" asked mr. brown again. "you may have done that, my dear, and then have taken it out again and carried the diamond ring into the house before bunny and sue went to the store. try to think." and he sat down beside his wife while the little boy and his sister looked on wonderingly. "i know i left the ring in the pocketbook," replied mrs. brown, wiping her eyes on her handkerchief. "i didn't think of it until a little while ago, and then i thought bunny and sue would bring it back with the change from the five-dollar bill. the ring was inside the middle part of the pocketbook, and they wouldn't have to open that to get at the money. oh, children, did a dog really run away with the pocketbook?" "yes, he really did," said bunny. "and he run into the carpenter shop, and we ran after him, and mr. foswick locked us in, and he was sorry, and bunny broke a window, and he was sorry, too," explained sue, almost in one long breath. "well, that's quite a story," said mr. brown. "let's hear it all over again." so bunny and sue told all that had happened, from the time they had been teetering until they were let out of the carpenter shop after mr. reinberg had heard them calling through the broken window. "oh, what shall i do?" asked mrs. brown once more, when the story was finished. "there is only one thing to do," said mr. brown. "i'll go back to the carpenter shop, and mr. foswick and i will look for the pocketbook. the dog probably dropped it among the shavings." "let us come, too," said bunny. "we can show you where the dog ran in the front door that was open." "i think i can see that place all right myself," answered mr. brown. "you children get your supper. i'll be back in a little while." it was not a very joyful supper for bunny brown and his sister sue. every once in a while they would see tears in their mother's eyes, and they could not help but feel it was partly their fault that the diamond ring was lost. for if bunny and sue had gone to the store as soon as their mother had told them to go, and had not stopped to play on the seesaw, and had not put the pocketbook down on the bench where the dog so easily reached it, all this trouble would not have come upon their mother. mrs. brown must have known that bunny and sue were thinking this, for she very kindly said to them: "now, don't worry, my dears. perhaps daddy will find the pocketbook, and the money and ring safely in it. i know you wanted to play, and that is why you did not go to the store at once. but never mind. mother should not have left the ring in the pocketbook. it is largely mother's own fault. anyway, daddy will come back with the ring." but daddy brown did not. bunny and sue had finished their supper, mrs. brown taking only a cup of tea, when their father came in. it needed only a look at his face to show that he had found nothing. "wasn't it there?" his wife asked, as he sat up to the table, though, to tell the truth, he did not feel much like eating. he felt bad because his wife was so unhappy about her lost diamond ring. "mr. foswick and i searched the carpenter shop as well as we could," said mr. brown. "it was rather dark in there, and we could not see much. but we found no pocketbook." "did you find the dog?" asked sue eagerly. "no, he had run out," said mr. brown. "we saw where he had scattered the sawdust and shavings, though. was it a dog you ever saw before, bunny?" "no, daddy," answered the little boy. "he was a big, strange, new dog. i wish we had him, 'cause we haven't any dog, now that splash has run away." "i guess this dog has run away, also," said mr. brown. "there wasn't a trace of him; nor of the pocketbook, either. but mr. foswick and i are going to look in the shop again to-morrow by daylight. it may be the dog dropped the pocketbook, and it got kicked under a pile of sawdust or shavings." "did you see the place where i broke the window with the hammer?" asked bunny. "yes, the window was still broken," answered his father, who began to eat his supper. it was not at all a cheerful evening in the brown home. never before had bunny and sue felt so unhappy--at least, they could not remember such a time. they did not feel like playing as they generally did, though it was a warm early summer night, and lovely to be out of doors. "never mind, dears," said mrs. brown, when she was putting them to bed. "perhaps we shall find the ring to-morrow." "and the money, too," added bunny. "five dollars is a lot to lose." "maybe the dog ate it," suggested sue. "how could he?" asked her brother. "well, didn't splash once chew up my picture-book? he ate one of the paper leaves that had on it about bo peep and her sheep," said sue. "a five-dollar bill is paper, and so was my mother goose book, and splash ate that." "no, i don't believe the dog ate the money," said mrs. brown. "it is probably still in the pocketbook with my ring wherever the dog dropped it. i should not mind the loss of the money if i could only get back my lovely diamond ring. but go to sleep, dears. to-morrow we may have good news." and so bunny and sue went to sleep. they were up early the next morning, but not so early as mr. brown, who, their mother said, had gone to the carpenter shop to help mr. foswick look among the sawdust and shavings. after a while bunny and sue went out in the yard to play with some of the boys and girls who lived near by. and to them bunny and his sister told the story of what the strange dog had done. "i am sure i saw that big yellow dog," cried lulu dare, one of the girls. "it was down near bradley's livery stable." "oh, maybe he's down by the livery stable now!" exclaimed bunny. "let us go and see," added his sister sue. "no, i don't think the dog is there now," said lulu. "he wasn't standing still. he was running along." "did he have anything in his mouth?" "only his tongue and that was hanging out at first. then he stopped to get a drink at that box where mr. bradley waters his horses, and then his tongue didn't hang out any more." "say, did that dog have a spot on his left leg?" asked one of the boys. "yes--a long, up-and-down spot." "then he wasn't the dog who took the pocketbook. that old dog belongs at the hotel and he never comes up this way at all." "let us make sure," said bunny; and a little later all of the boys and girls visited the hotel. one of the boys was a nephew of the proprietor so they had little trouble in getting the man's attention. "no, my dog wouldn't do such a thing," said the hotel man. "he hasn't been up your way. it must have been some other dog." and then the boys and girls went home. a little later bunny went into the house to get some cookies, and then he asked his mother if his father had come back with the ring. "no, he telephoned that he and mr. foswick went all over the shop, but they could not find the pocketbook," she said. "the dog must have carried it farther off." "oh, dear!" sighed bunny brown. "what are you going to do, mother?" "i don't know just what daddy is going to do," she answered. "he said he would talk it over when he came home to lunch. but don't worry. run out and play. here are your cookies." bunny wanted to help his mother, but he soon forgot all about the ring, the pocketbook, and the five dollars in the jolly times he and sue and their playmates had in the yard. soon after the twelve o'clock whistles blew, bunny saw his father coming along the street on his way home to lunch. "oh, daddy! did you find mother's ring?" called the little boy, as he ran to meet his father. "no, not yet," was the answer. "but i have some good news for all of you." "oh, maybe he's found splash or the other dog!" cried sue, as she, also, ran to meet her father. chapter v adrift the faces of bunny and sue shone with delight as they hurried along, one on one side and one on the other of their father, each having hold of a hand. mr. brown, too, was more joyful than he had been the night before when the story of the lost ring had been told. "did you find splash?" asked sue, as she tripped along. "no, i am sorry to say i did not," replied mr. brown. "i guess you will have to give splash up as lost. though he may run back again some day as suddenly as he ran off." "and didn't you find the other dog--the one that took mother's ring in the pocketbook?" asked bunny. his father shook his head. "there was no sign of the other dog, either," mr. brown answered. "he must have been a stray dog that just ran through the town. a sort of tramp dog, i fancy." "then there isn't any good news," remarked bunny, and he grew a little sad and unhappy again. "yes, there is good news; though it isn't about mother's ring," said mr. brown. "nor about a dog?" asked sue. "no, it isn't about a dog, either," her father said. "come along, and we'll tell mother. perhaps it will cheer her up." mrs. brown looked sharply at her husband when he entered the house with the two children. she wanted to see if she could tell, by his face, whether he had any better word than that which he had telephoned after his visit to the carpenter shop. "no," he said, in answer to her look, "we didn't find the pocketbook. but mr. foswick is going to have a regular house-cleaning in his shop. he is going to get the sawdust and shavings out of the way, and then we can make a better search." "i hope he will be careful when he takes them out," said mrs. brown. "my pocketbook was not very large, and it might easily be thrown away in a shovelful of shavings or sawdust." "he will be very careful," her husband promised. "he is very sorry he locked bunny and sue in his shop, very sorry indeed." "oh, we didn't mind!" exclaimed bunny. "we were scared a little, at first, but not much. only i broke the window." "mr. foswick didn't seem to mind that much," went on mr. brown. "the 'pesky' boys, as he calls them, certainly do bother him a lot by running in the open front door when he is busy in the back of his shop. they scatter the sawdust and shavings all about." "maybe some of those boys ran in and took my pocketbook and ring," suggested mrs. brown. "oh, no," explained bunny. "we ran right in after the dog, and there were no big boys around. we didn't see the dog run out, but mr. foswick said there were holes in the back of his shop and he could get out that way." "yes," agreed mr. brown, "he could. and he may have done so. we are going to look around in the back of the shop as soon as the inside is cleaned out." "i do hope he will be careful," murmured mrs. brown. "why, the dog won't bite him!" exclaimed bunny. "he ran away, that dog did!" "oh, i mean i hope mr. foswick will be careful about looking in the shavings and sawdust for my pocketbook," said mother brown. "i will send bunker blue over to help him look," promised mr. brown. "bunker is a very careful lad." "but what story are you going to tell us, daddy?" asked sue, as she climbed up in her father's lap. "a story! this time of day?" exclaimed mrs. brown, in surprise. "she means the news," said mr. brown. "i have some for you, and i hope you will think it is good, though it isn't about your lost diamond ring. did you children ever hear of christmas tree cove?" he asked. "christmas tree cove!" exclaimed bunny. "oh, i know where that is! it's up the river back of the bay. is the dog there, daddy?" "oh, no!" laughed his father. "can't you think of anything but dogs, bunny boy? well, as long as you know where christmas tree cove is, how would you like to go there to spend the summer?" as he spoke he looked at his wife. "do you really mean it?" she inquired, her face brightening. "oh, won't that be fun!" cried bunny and sue together, almost like twins, though bunny was a year older than his sister. "well, i hope you will have some fun there," said their father. "now let's have lunch, and while we are eating i can tell you all about it." "is this the news you meant, daddy?" asked bunny. "yes," was the answer. christmas tree cove, as i may as well explain to you, was a sort of bay, or wide place, in turtle river, which ran into sandport bay. the town of bellemere, where bunny and his sister lived, was partly on sandport bay and partly on the ocean. the bay extended back of the town, and if one sailed up the bay or went up in a motor boat one would come, after a while, to turtle river. i suppose it was called that because it had so many turtles in it, and sometimes bunny and sue had caught them. christmas tree cove was so named because on the banks of it were many evergreen trees, called christmas trees by the children, and also by some of the grown folk. and the cove had in it a few little islands. it was a place where camping parties sometimes went, and often there were picnics held there. "what is going on at christmas tree cove that you should want to take us there?" asked mrs. brown, as she passed her husband some sliced peaches. "i have been trying to think of a nice place where you and the children might spend the summer," he answered, "and when i heard that captain ross had his motor boat _fairy_ to hire for trips, i thought it would be just the chance for us. "there is a bungalow at christmas tree cove i can hire for the summer, and, if you want to go, we can all pile on board the _fairy_ and make the trip." "would you come, too?" asked bunny. "yes, i would be with you part of the time," said mr. brown. "of course i should also have to be at my dock down here in bellemere part of the time to look after business, but i could come up and down. christmas tree cove is not far away, and there are boats going up and down the river and the bay each week. so, if you think you will like it, we will spend the summer in a bungalow at christmas tree cove." "oh, we'll just love it!" cried sue, dancing around and clapping her fat hands. "will you like it, mother?" asked bunny. "even if you don't find your diamond ring?" "yes, my dear, i think i shall like it there," said mrs. brown, with a smile. "though, of course, i want to find my diamond ring that the dog carried away. i hope bunker blue finds it in the shavings or the sawdust of mr. foswick's shop before we go." "i hope so, too," said bunny. "then it's decided. we shall go to christmas tree cove," said mr. brown. "i am sure you will have a nice summer. i'll tell captain ross that we will hire his boat for the trip and the voyage back." "is he the funny captain ross who is always cracking jokes or asking riddles?" mrs. brown asked. "yes, that's captain dick ross," her husband replied. "he's very jolly, and i'm sure the children will like him. in fact, they may see him and his boat this afternoon if they wish." "how?" asked bunny eagerly. and sue waited for the answer. "he is down at my dock, with his boat _fairy_," was the answer. "he is having some repairs made to it. the boat is a sailing boat with a motor in it, so it can travel both ways. if you like, bunny and sue, you may come down to the dock with me and see cap'n dick!" "oh! oh!" exclaimed the children in delight, and they hurried through their meal that they might go with their father. on the way to the boat and the fish dock, where mr. brown carried on his business, the children and their father stopped at mr. foswick's carpenter shop to ask if anything had been found. "no, not yet," answered the old man, looking at bunny and sue through his spectacles all dim and dusty with wood dust. "but i haven't got all the sawdust and shavings out yet. i hope to find your wife's ring." "so do i," said mr. brown. "she feels quite bad over the loss, and i'm afraid she will not have a happy summer even at christmas tree cove." "it is too bad," agreed mr. foswick. "well, when bunker blue comes this afternoon, he and i will go all over the place. you haven't seen anything of the dog since, have you?" he asked. "no," answered bunny, while sue shook her head. "i'll send bunker blue back as soon as i get to the dock," promised mr. brown, and then he and the children went on. tied up at the end of the wharf was the boat _fairy_, of which jolly mr. ross was captain. "may we go on board?" asked bunny, as they ran down the pier while their father was telling bunker blue to make a good search in the sawdust and shavings for the pocketbook containing the diamond ring. "yes," answered mr. brown. "i think captain ross is on board himself, puttering away in the cabin." but he was not, though that did not matter to bunny and sue. they knew a great deal about boats, having lived near water all their lives and their father having been in the boat business for years. "come on!" called bunny to his sister, and they easily jumped from the dock to the deck of the _fairy_. no one was on board, it seemed, and bunny and sue enjoyed themselves by running about. they thought what fun it would be to make the trip to christmas tree cove in such a craft. "let's make-believe i'm the captain and you're the cook," said bunny to his sister after a while. "i'll go down in the cabin, and you must bring me my dinner, and we'll pretend there's a storm." "all right," agreed sue, and then began this little game, one of many with which the children amused themselves. "now, you know, i'm a reg'lar captain," said bunny, putting on his most important manner. "so you must serve me real nice." "real captains have uniforms," said sue. "you ought to have a uniform--and if i am to be the cook i ought to have a big white apron." "i'll look for a uniform," said bunny, and after hunting around a bit found a storm coat and a rubber hat. "i'll put these on." the coat was much too big for him and so was the hat. but he did not mind this. then sue hunted around and at last found a white apron a good deal soiled. "oh, i don't like that," she pouted. "it's not a bit clean. good cooks always have real clean aprons." "there is a clean towel--you pin that on for an apron," suggested bunny. and then he did the pinning himself. they were both down in the cabin, and bunny was making believe he was very hungry and he was asking sue to bring him some more "plum duff" when the little girl gave a sudden cry. "what's the matter?" asked bunny, as he sat at captain ross's cabin table. "we're moving!" cried sue. "the _fairy_ is moving away! she isn't fast to the wharf any more!" with a cry, bunny scrambled up on deck. surely enough, the boat was adrift and he and sue were alone on board! chapter vi the strange dog sue followed her brother bunny up on the deck of the _fairy_. they were quite a distance out from the dock now, and were drifting farther and farther each minute, for the tide was running out. sandport bay connected with the ocean, and twice every day there is a great movement of the water in the ocean, called the tide. the tides make the water high twice each twenty-four hours, and then the tides get low, or run out. the moon and sun are thought to cause the tides, as you will learn when you get a little older and have to study about such things. and the tide, after having run up into sandport bay, was now running out, or ebbing, and in some way it was taking the _fairy_ with it, floating the boat along as the rain water in the gutter floats chips along. "how do you s'pose we got loose?" asked sue. "i don't know, lessen the rope came unhitched," bunny answered. "but if cap'n ross tied his boat to the dock, i don't see how it could come unhitched." bunny was enough of a sailor to know that no boat captain ever tied such a knot as could easily come loose. and yet this is what seemed to have happened. for when bunny and sue ran to the side of the _fairy_ to look over, they saw, trailing in the water, the long rope, or cable, by which the boat had been made fast to the dock. as bunny had said, it had come "unhitched." the children did not know how this had happened. but there they were, alone on rather a large sailing boat, which also had a gasolene motor, like that in a motor boat, to make it travel when there was no wind to blow on the sails. and each moment they were being carried by the tide farther and farther away from their father's dock. bunny and sue looked across the water toward the wharf whereon mr. brown had his office. they could not see their father, nor any one else. the dock was deserted. "what are we going to do?" asked sue; and there was a catch in her voice, as though she was frightened; and she was. "well," said bunny slowly, "i guess maybe we'd better call." "call!" exclaimed sue. "what for?" "so daddy or cap'n ross will hear us and come and get us." "how are they going to come and get us?" asked sue. "they can't swim that far." "oh, yes, they could!" declared bunny. "but i don't s'pose they'll have to swim. they can come and get us in a boat." "oh, yes!" cried sue, more joyfully. "so they can. and i wish they would. let's call, bunny!" [illustration: bunny and sue shouted for help. _bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove._ _page 61_] together the two children raised their voices in a shout. they were healthy and strong and had excellent voices. and, as sound carries a long distance over open water, the shouts of bunny and sue were heard on mr. brown's dock. as it happened, the children's father was in the office talking with captain ross about the coming trip to christmas tree cove when they heard the cries of distress. "that's bunny and sue!" exclaimed mr. brown, leaping from his chair. "gracious sakes alive! i hope they haven't fallen overboard!" shouted captain ross. "i think they know enough not to do that," mr. brown answered. he ran out on the wharf, followed by the captain and some of the men who worked for mr. brown. there they saw the _fairy_ drifting out into the bay, and they could see the figures of bunny and sue at the boat rail. "stay there! we'll send a boat for you!" called mr. brown, making a sort of trumpet of his hands. "stay on board! you'll be all right." bunny and sue heard him and felt better. they had no notion, of course, of jumping overboard and trying to swim to shore. they knew they were safe on the _fairy_ while it was in the rather quiet water of sandport bay. out on the rough ocean it would be a different matter, though they had sailed on the open sea with their father and mother, of course in a larger boat. "how are we going to get 'em back?" asked one of mr. brown's men. "oh, we'll do that easily enough," was the answer. "bring around the big motor boat. we'll have to tow the _fairy_ back here. i don't see how she ever got adrift," went on mr. brown. "i'm sure neither bunny nor sue loosened the cable." "i'm positive they didn't," said captain ross. "it must have been that greenhorn cabin boy i had. i hired him yesterday, and let him go this morning because he didn't know one end of a rope from the other. i told him to make the _fairy_ fast to your dock while i came up here to talk to you. but he must have tied a grannie's or a landlubber's knot, and she pulled loose. i'm glad i'm rid of that boy!" "yes," agreed mr. brown, "a boy who doesn't know enough to tie a safe knot isn't of much use around boats. but there's no great harm done. she isn't drifting fast, and the motor boat will soon pick her up." "i'll go along with you," offered captain ross, and soon he and mr. brown, with one of the dock men, were racing after the drifting _fairy_. on deck bunny brown and his sister sue watched the rescue. "it's just like being shipwrecked, isn't it, bunny?" suggested sue, as they sat down on deck to wait. "yes. it's fun when you know daddy is coming," said the little boy. in a short time the motor boat reached the drifting _fairy_. mr. brown and captain ross went on board, and you can just imagine how glad bunny and sue were to see them. "guess you'll have to tow us back," said captain ross to mr. brown. "the motor of my boat needs fixing. that's one reason why i tied up at your dock. there isn't enough wind to blow us back against the tide that's running out now." "my motor boat will tow you back all right," said mr. brown. and while this was being done bunny and sue sat on the deck of the _fairy_ with their father and captain ross. "well, you had quite an adventure, didn't you?" laughed captain ross, taking sue up on his knees. "and it reminds me of a riddle. when is a boat not a boat?" "when is a boat not a boat?" repeated bunny. "why, a boat is always a boat, cap'n ross, lessen you mean it's like a house 'cause people sometimes live in it." "no, i don't mean that," chuckled captain ross. "i'll ask you again. when is a boat not a boat? can you guess?" bunny and sue shook their heads sideways to say "no." "do you give up?" asked captain ross. bunny and sue shook their heads up and down to say "yes." "when is a boat not a boat?" asked the captain again. "when she's a _drift_, of course, like this one of mine was! ho! ho!" and he laughed heartily. "you see a boat's not a boat when she's adrift--a sort of snow _drift_! ha! ha! that's a riddle," and he laughed so heartily that sue slipped from his lap. bunny and sue laughed also, and they liked captain ross. "here we are now, all shipshape and bristol fashion!" went on the captain as the motor boat towed the _fairy_ back to the wharf. this time captain ross tied the rope himself to make sure it would not come loose again. "may we stay on the boat?" asked bunny, as his father started back up to his office with captain ross. "yes, you may play on board until it's time to go home to supper," promised mr. brown. "but don't fall overboard and don't go adrift again." "no, we won't!" said bunny. "if you do i'll never tell you any more riddles," laughed captain ross. "oh, what fun we'll have when the boat goes to christmas tree cove and takes us there!" shouted sue, as she and bunny played about the deck. the children had almost forgotten about their mother's lost ring and pocketbook, to say nothing of the five-dollar bill. but that afternoon, when they were going home with their father, they saw something that brought the loss back to their minds. they were walking along the street with daddy brown when, all of a sudden, bunny cried: "there he is! there! there!" "who?" asked his father. "that big dog that took mother's pocketbook in his mouth and bounced away with it!" was the answer. "there he goes!" bunny pointed out a large, yellowish-brown dog just running around the corner of the next street. then bunny pulled his hand from his father's and raced after the strange animal. "i'll make him show me where mother's ring and pocketbook are!" cried bunny as he ran down the street. chapter vii the sleep-walker so quickly did bunny brown pull away from his father to run after the strange dog that mr. brown had no chance to call to the little boy to be careful. sue, however, who had hold of her father's other hand, seemed anxious. "maybe the dog will bite bunny!" exclaimed the little girl. "sometimes splash used to growl if you took a bone away from him, and maybe this dog will growl if bunny takes the pocketbook away from him." "that might happen if the dog had mother's pocketbook," replied mr. brown. "but i didn't see him have it, and i don't believe bunny knows, for sure, whether or not this is the same dog." "maybe if he hasn't the pocketbook in his mouth he has it hid somewhere, and he's going to dig it up just as splash used to dig up the bones he hid," went on sue. "let's go and look, daddy!" this was just what mr. brown wanted to do--to see what happened to bunny, who had turned the corner running after the strange dog. so, taking a firmer hold of sue's hand, daddy started to run. when they turned the corner they could see the chubby legs of bunny working to and fro as he ran along some distance ahead of them. ahead of him the big, yellow dog was also racing along and bunny could be heard calling: "stop! hold on there! come back with my mother's pocketbook and her diamond ring!" several persons in the street were attracted by the shouts of the boy and his race after the dog. "there'll be more excitement here in a little while than i want," thought mr. brown. "people will think there has been a theft, and they will join in the chase. then the dog may get excited and bite some one. i must catch bunny and stop him from shouting." now sue could not, of course, run as fast as could her father, and, though her legs worked to and fro in her very best style, bunny was getting far ahead of them. "i'll have to pick you up and carry you, sue," said her father. and, stooping, he caught her up in his arms. it was easier for him to run fast this way, and he knew he would soon catch up to bunny. as for the small boy, he was still chasing the dog. and the dog seemed to know he was being chased, for he ran on, looking back now and then, but never stopping. "what's the matter, mr. brown?" asked a man who knew the fish dealer, as he saw sue's father hurrying down the street, carrying her and racing after bunny. "has anything happened?" "oh, not much," was the answer. "my boy is trying to catch that strange dog, and i don't want him to--the dog might bite him." "that's so," said the man. "stop, bunny! stop!" cried mr. brown, getting within calling distance of his little son. "don't run after the dog any more!" "but i want to get mother's pocketbook and ring," sue's brother answered, as he slowed up and looked back. "that dog hasn't it," went on mr. brown. "he has nothing in his mouth, and----" "oh, he has something in his mouth. it's red and i can see it sticking out!" interrupted sue eagerly. "maybe it's mother's pocketbook, bunny." "it's his tongue!" declared bunny. "it's the dog's red tongue you see. mother's pocketbook was black." "well, this dog hasn't it, at any rate," went on mr. brown with a smile, as he put sue down on the sidewalk beside bunny, with whom he had now caught up. "and even if this were the same dog, we could not make him understand that we wanted him to take us to the place where he dropped the purse." "i'm sure it's the same dog," insisted bunny. "but he's gone now, anyhow." this was true. just as bunny stopped after his father called to him the dog ran into an alley between two buildings, and though mr. brown, again holding his two children by the hands, looked in, there was no sight of the animal. "yes, he's gone," agreed mr. brown. "you scared him, chasing after him like that, you did," went on sue to her brother. "didn't he, daddy?" she asked her father. "i guess the dog didn't need much scaring," said mr. brown. "are you sure he's the same one, bunny?" of this bunny was quite positive, though sue was not so much so. the animal looked like the one that had snatched the pocketbook off the bench and had run into mr. foswick's carpenter shop with it. but that was as far as sue could go. the crowd which had started to gather when it saw the chase, now began to separate when it found there was to be no more excitement, and mr. brown took a short cut through the back streets home with bunny and sue. "we had a lot of adventures, mother!" said bunny, when they reached the house. "we got adrift on a boat, and we had a tow back, and i saw the dog that had your pocketbook, and i chased him and--and----" "and i know a riddle about when is a snowdrift like a boat," broke in sue, not wanting bunny to receive all the attention. "gracious!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "what does all this mean?" she asked her husband. "did you really get back my pocketbook? oh, if my ring has been found----" "i'm sorry to say it hasn't," her husband said. "bunny did think he saw the dog that took it, but i very much doubt that." "and what's that about being adrift?" "they were on the _fairy_, and she floated out a little way from the dock." "that's rather dangerous," said mother brown. "if such things are going to happen it will not be safe for us to go to christmas tree cove." "oh, can't we go?" cried bunny and sue, thinking their mother was going to call off the trip. "there was no danger," their father said, and he explained how it had happened. "it was not the fault of bunny and sue," he added. "the boat might have drifted off with any one on board." "but it is strange if that dog should still be around here, after running off with my pocketbook," went on mrs. brown. "i am not at all sure it was the same dog," her husband said. "though bunny may have thought it looked the same. but did you have any report from mr. foswick or bunker blue about their search in the carpenter shop for the pocketbook?" he asked his wife. "yes," she answered. "bunker blue and mr. foswick looked carefully. they swept out the shop, which hasn't happened in over a year, i imagine; but all they found was an old pair of spectacles mr. foswick lost six months back. bunker was here a little while ago, and said there was no use of searching any further. he went back to the dock, as you told him to." "it's too bad," said mr. brown. "still, it can't be helped, and it shall not spoil our trip to christmas tree cove. can you be ready to start day after to-morrow?" he asked his wife. "i think so," she answered. "how many of us are going?" "the children, of course, and you and uncle tad; and i'll send bunker along to help when i am not there." "oh, aren't you going, daddy?" asked bunny. "yes, i'll start with you," mr. brown promised. "but i can't always be with you. i shall have to spend part of each week here at my boat and fish dock. but bunker will be with you all summer, and so will uncle tad." "i'm glad he's going!" exclaimed bunny. "he'll be lots of fun!" "so will captain ross!" added sue. "he can ask awful funny riddles." during supper the plans for the summer vacation at christmas tree cove were talked over, the children becoming more and more jolly and excited as they thought of the fun ahead of them. after the meal bunny and sue went out in the yard to play. george watson, harry bentley and charlie star had a race with bunny, while mary watson, sadie west and helen newton brought their jumping ropes and the four little girls had a great game. of course bunny and sue told about the coming trip and, naturally, all the other children wished they could go. "maybe we can come up on a picnic and see you," said harry. "oh, i hope you can!" exclaimed sue. mr. and mrs. brown sat on the porch in the evening glow, watching the children at play and talking over what it would be necessary to take on the little voyage which would start aboard the _fairy_. every once in a while mrs. brown would give a sigh. "are you thinking of your lost pocketbook?" her husband asked. "i am thinking more of my lovely engagement ring," she answered. "it is too bad," he agreed. "but never mind. perhaps it may be found." "no, i am afraid it never will be," she went on. "you had better come into the house now," she called to bunny and sue. "it is getting late, and you'll have plenty to do to-morrow to get ready for the trip to christmas tree cove." bunny and sue said good-night to their playmates, and were soon ready for bed. their father and mother sat up a little later. they were about to retire when a noise on the stairs caused them to look out into the hall. there was bunny, in his blue pajamas, coming down the stairs. his eyes were wide open, but they had a funny look in them. "i know where it is!" he said. "that dog has it on his tail." "what?" asked mr. brown. "what do you mean, bunny? what has the dog on his tail?" "mother's diamond ring," was the answer. "i'm going to get it. the dog is asleep on the shavings in the carpenter shop." bunny came down a few more stairs, and his mother, looking at him, exclaimed: "he's walking in his sleep!" chapter viii a collision mr. brown caught the little boy up in his arms. somehow, bunny seemed much smaller in his pajamas. "wake up, bunny! wake up!" his father said, gently shaking him. "what's the matter?" "i've got to find it. i know where it is--on the end of the dog's tail. and sue----" bunny stopped suddenly. a change came over his face, and a different look flashed into his eyes. "what--what's the matter? what am i down here for?" he asked wonderingly. and then his parents knew he was fully awake. "you have been walking in your sleep, dear," said his mother. "that's something you haven't done for a long time. the day had too much excitement in it for you. are you all right now?" and she patted his cheeks as he nestled in his father's arms. "oh, yes. i'm all right now," bunny said. "i had a funny dream. i thought the dog came to me and said the diamond ring was on the end of his tail, and i was going to get one of mr. foswick's hammers and knock it off. the dog was on a bed of shavings in the carpenter shop and--and----" "yes, and then you got out of bed and walked in your sleep," finished his father, with a laugh. "i must see if sue is all right." she was. in her little bed she was slumbering peacefully, and bunny was soon back with his head on the pillow. "poor little dears!" said their mother, as the lights were put out and the house locked for the night. "they are thinking too hard about the lost ring. i mustn't let them see that i care so much, or it will spoil their summer at christmas tree cove." "yes, forget your loss if you can," suggested her husband. there was much to do the next day--so much that only once in a while did bunny and sue think of the strange dog that had run away with their mother's pocketbook and diamond ring. bunker blue was busy, also, and so was uncle tad, helping to get ready for the trip. bunny and sue wanted to help pack, but their mother said they could best help by running on errands. one of these took them to the carpenter shop of mr. foswick for a piece of wood bunker wanted to nail across certain shutters in the house, which was to be closed for the summer. "well, have you come to take another look for the ring?" asked the carpenter. "it isn't here. bunker blue and i looked all over." "i don't see what that dog could have done with it," said bunny, as he glanced around the newly-swept shop. "he surely came in here with the pocketbook." "yes, i saw the dog running around my yard," admitted the carpenter. "but i didn't see him have anything. well, it's one of those things that never will be found, i s'pose. here's the wood you want, and i'll not lock you in this time," and he smiled at bunny and sue as he thought of what had happened the other night. another errand took the children down to their father's dock, and there they saw bunker blue and captain ross working aboard the _fairy_. "i'm getting her in good shape for you, messmates!" called the jolly sailor. "and it reminds me of a riddle. do you see that barrel of water there?" he asked, pointing to one on deck. "yes, i see it," admitted bunny. "well, here's a riddle about it," went on the captain. "that barrel, we'll say, weighs ten pounds when it is empty. now, what could i fill it with so it would weigh only seven pounds?" "why, captain ross, if that barrel weighs _ten_ pounds when it hasn't got anything in it, you couldn't fill it with anything to make it weigh _seven_ pounds. it would weigh _more_ than ten pounds if you filled it with anything." "oh, no, it wouldn't!" the sailor said. "if i filled it full of holes, boring 'em in with one of mr. foswick's augers, then the barrel wouldn't weigh so much, would it? i'd cut a lot of wood out of the sides when i made the holes. ha! ha!" bunny thought it over for a minute. then he laughed. "that's a pretty good riddle," he said. "i'm glad you like it," went on captain ross. "after this, when anybody asks what you can fill a barrel or a box with to make it weigh less, just tell 'em to fill it full of holes! ha! ha!" and he clapped his big hand down on his bigger leg and laughed heartily. bunny and sue laughed also, and they knew they were going to have a jolly time on the trip to christmas tree cove with captain ross to sail the _fairy_, or, if there was no wind, to send the craft through the water by her gasolene engine. this engine bunker blue was working on to mend, as it had been broken just before the two bunker children went adrift from their father's dock. "will it be ready to sail to-morrow?" asked bunny, as he watched bunker hammering away at the motor. "oh, yes," was the answer. "there isn't much the matter with her. we'll be able to pull out in the morning." and by hard work everything was finished that night on board the _fairy_. uncle tad, the jolly old soldier, announced that he had his "knapsack" packed and enough "rations" to last him for a week, anyhow. as they were to make an early morning start, bunny and sue had said good-bye to their boy and girl friends the evening before. as they walked past mr. foswick's carpenter shop with uncle tad, who went down the street with them at the last minute to buy something mrs. brown wanted, the children looked at the wood-working place. "wouldn't it be funny if that dog should be hiding around here?" asked sue of her brother. "yes," he agreed, "it would be. but i don't see him." "i guess if he is here he's hiding," sue went on. "maybe there's a hole under the floor of the shop and he's there, just as once at grandpa's farm in the country we found where a hen had her nest under the floor in the barn. and it had eggs in it!" "dogs don't make nests like hens," said bunny. "oh, i know that!" retorted sue. "but maybe this dog hid the pocketbook under the boards in the shop floor." "i hardly think so," put in uncle tad. "he probably dropped that pocketbook in the street, and either some one picked it up and kept it, or else it was dropped down a sewer." "but if anybody found it, wouldn't we have got it back?" asked bunny. "daddy put an advertisement in the paper." "maybe we would and maybe we wouldn't," said uncle tad. "anyhow, it's gone." bright and early the next morning bunny brown and his sister sue went aboard the _fairy_, which was tied at their father's dock. the brown home had been shut up, the things that were needed had been put on board the boat, mrs. brown was keeping an eye on the children to see that they did not stray away, and uncle tad was stowing away the baggage in the cabin. soon mr. brown, bunker blue, and captain ross would come on board and the voyage would start. the _fairy_ was large enough for the whole family, as well as the "crew," to sleep on board. the crew generally was made up of captain ross and a man and a boy. but this time mr. brown was going to take the place of the man, and bunker blue would be the "boy," so that it was more of a family party. mr. brown had known captain ross for many years, and the children felt as though he were as nearly related to them as was uncle tad. "all aboard!" called the captain, as he came down the wharf from mr. brown's office, accompanied by mr. brown and bunker blue. "are you all aboard?" and he smiled at bunny and sue. "yes, we're here," bunny answered. "isn't he funny, mother?" whispered sue. "he can look right at us, and yet he wants to know if we're here!" "it's just his joking way," said mrs. brown. "i've got another good riddle for you, youngsters," called captain ross, as he made his way along the deck. "what kind of tree would scare a cat?" "there wouldn't any tree scare a cat," declared bunny. "i've seen a cat climb up a tree lots of times. cats aren't scared of trees!" "well, wouldn't a dogwood tree scare a cat?" chuckled the sailor. "ha! ha! i'm sure it would. i don't believe you could get a cat to climb a _dog_wood tree!" he went on. "that _is_ a funny riddle!" declared bunny. "i'm going to tell it to charlie star when we come back from christmas tree cove." "we'd better get there first," went on captain ross, still chuckling at his riddle. "cast off, bunker blue!" bunker loosed the ropes that held the _fairy_ to the wharf, and the boat slowly drifted away. "oh, we've really started!" cried sue, as she saw the open water between the rail and the string-piece of the wharf. "we'll go faster than this!" exclaimed bunny. "wait till bunker blue starts the motor." as there was not enough wind to allow the sails to be used, it was needful to start the motor, and soon it was chugging away, sending the _fairy_ swiftly along through the water. bunny and sue were delighted with the trip. they sat in camp-chairs on deck and watched the different sights. they expected to cruise about on the boat for perhaps three days before going to the cove. they could sleep in the little bunks with which the boat was provided. "it's a funny way to go to bed," said sue, after looking at the bunks for the tenth time. "well, i guess you can sleep here just as well as at home," answered her brother. "you'd better not walk in your sleep, bunny, 'cause you might walk overboard." "i ain't going to walk in my sleep any more," answered bunny. "i told daddy i wasn't." "maybe you can't help it." "yes, i can. you wait and see." it was toward the close of the afternoon, and bunny and sue were beginning to wonder how much longer it would be before supper was ready, when, as they stood near bunker, who was steering, the children saw a canoe with two young men and two young women in it being slowly paddled across the bay. "they'd better watch where they're going," said bunker blue. "they seem to be aiming to cross our bows, and if they do---look out there!" he suddenly cried, as the canoe turned. "do you want to be run down?" the next moment there was a collision. the _fairy_ struck the small boat, upsetting it and spilling into the water the two young men and the young women. "oh! oh!" cried sue. "we've run over 'em!" chapter ix the merry goat bunny brown, who had been sitting near his sister sue on the deck of the _fairy_, had jumped to his feet and run to the rail, or side of the boat, as the little girl cried out that their craft had run over the canoe. that was really what had happened. the two young men and the young women in the canoe had got in the way of the motor boat, and had been struck. "man overboard!" yelled bunny. he had often enough heard that cry on his father's boat and on the pier, for more than once boys or men had fallen off into the water. sometimes on warm summer days the boys pushed each other off, just for fun. and often, at such times, the cry would be raised: "man overboard!" bunny knew what that meant. it meant that somebody ought to jump to the rescue or throw into the water something the person who had fallen in could grab. there were, on his father's dock, a number of life buoys--round rings of cork covered with canvas and having a long rope attached to them. and there were some of these same things on the deck of the _fairy_. "man overboard!" cried bunny again, and, running to the nearest life ring, he took it off the hook and sent it spinning into the water. bunny knew that the end of the rope was fast to the rail, so the buoy would not be lost. bunker blue also acted quickly. near the wheel by which the _fairy_ was steered was a wire, which, when pulled, shut off the motor down in the hold of the craft. bunker blue pulled this wire, and the boat began to slow up. then bunker leaped to the side of the _fairy_ near bunny, and bunker caught up another life ring and tossed it over the rail. as bunny and sue leaned over to catch sight of the four people in the water, captain ross and daddy brown came hurrying up on deck from the little cabin, where they had been talking with mrs. brown. "what's the matter?" cried captain ross. "did we hit anything, bunker?" "yes, a canoe with four people in it. we ran 'em down. they crossed right in front of our bows! i'll get 'em!" the next minute bunker peeled off his coat, slipped from his feet the loose, rubber-soled shoes he wore, and leaped over the rail. "oh! oh!" gasped sue. "he's going to save 'em!" cried bunny. "i wish i could jump in and----" "don't dare try that, bunny brown!" cried his mother, who heard what he started to say, and she put a hand on his shoulder to hold him. "they're all right," reported mr. brown, looking over the side of the boat. "all four of them can swim, and the young men have given the young ladies the life rings. they don't seem to be much frightened. bunker is swimming for the canoe. i guess they'll be all right." "yes, it looks so," said captain ross, also taking a look over the side. "though the canoe may be stove in so it'll leak. mighty foolish of 'em to try to cross in front of our bows! i expect we'll have to take 'em all on board here." "oh, yes, we must!" cried mrs. brown. "but what shall we do about dry clothes for them? possibly i can let the young ladies have some of my extra dresses, but the young men----" "oh, i guess we can fit 'em out," broke in captain ross. "it's warm, and they won't want much. first thing to do is to get 'em on board i reckon. how about you?" he called down to the struggling people in the water. "need any more help?" "we're all right," answered one of the young men. "but will you take us aboard? the canoe's smashed!" "sure, we'll take you on board," answered the captain. and then, as bunny and sue watched, they saw their father and captain ross help pull up to the deck of the _fairy_ first the two young women, dripping wet. they looked very much bedraggled, but they were laughing and did not seem to mind what had happened. next the two young men scrambled up, pulling themselves by means of the ropes from the life buoys. and last of all came bunker blue. he had the rope of the smashed and overturned canoe in one hand and was towing it along as he swam slowly. it was not easy work to drag the canoe through the water, submerged as it was, but bunker did it, fastening the canoe rope to the rail of the _fairy_. then he scrambled up on deck, shook the water from his face and hair, and said: "i'll get a boat hook and fish up the paddles. they're floating around down there." "oh, don't bother," urged one of the young ladies. "it was all my fault. i steered the canoe right in your way. we ran into you--you didn't run into us." "well, i'm glad you feel that way about it," said captain ross, while bunny and sue watched the little puddles and streams of water dripping from the recent occupants of the canoe and from bunker blue. "is the canoe worth saving?" asked mr. brown, as he looked down to where it now floated at the side of the _fairy_, held fast by the line bunker had brought on board. "i don't think so," said one of the young men. "it was an old one, and now the side is stove in. let it go. it will drift ashore anyhow, and we can get it later if we want to. you might save the paddles if you can. i'll help," he offered. "i'll help," offered the other young man, and while these two, with bunker, sought to save the paddles with boat hooks, the broken canoe was cast loose from the _fairy_ and allowed to drift off. "if you'll come down to the cabin with me," said mrs. brown to the young ladies, "i'll see if i can lend you some other clothes while yours are drying." "oh, don't bother!" said one of the young ladies. "it was all just fun. we had on old clothes, for we half expected to be upset before we got back." but mrs. brown insisted on making them change, and so she led them down into the cabin. uncle tad helped in the work of recovering the paddles, and then he suggested that the two young men might also like to take off their wet things. "oh, not at all," said one. "we're used to being wet. and we'll soon dry, anyhow. it was very decent of you to jump in after us," he said to bunker. "as it happens, we can all swim pretty well, and it isn't the first time we've been upset. but i was afraid one of the girls might have been hurt. as it is, we're all right." "and mighty lucky you are to be that way," commented captain ross. "i'm glad it was no worse. now where do you want to be set ashore?" "we're staying at that hotel," said mr. watson, for such was the name of one of the young men. he pointed to a large seaside resort on the shore not far away. "well, we'll head for the dock," decided the captain, and soon the _fairy_ was moving along again, the floating paddles having been recovered. the young ladies soon came on deck, wearing some garments belonging to mrs. brown. they were laughing and joking at the upset. the young men refused to change, saying it was not worth while. "it's too bad you lost your canoe," said bunny, as he and his sister listened to the talk of the rescued party. "oh, it was only an old one i owned," said mr. watson. "it isn't a great loss. i'm afraid you girls had some things sunk, though," he added. "there wasn't much time to save anything." "i lost my pocketbook," said one of the young women, who was called mildred by her companions. "there was only about a dollar in it, though," she added. "my mother lost her pocketbook, and it had five dollars and her diamond ring in it," put in sue. "did you? do you mean to-day?" asked the other young lady, who had been addressed as grace. "oh, no. it was some time ago," explained mrs. brown. "a dog took it," volunteered bunny. "and he ran into a carpenter shop, and we ran after him--sue and i did--and we got locked in and i busted a window and----" "he's going into all the details!" laughed mr. brown. but the young men and the young women were so interested in what the children said that they had to hear the whole story. "i'm sure i hope you get your engagement ring back," said mildred to mrs. brown, and the young lady looked at her own hand, on which sparkled a diamond. perhaps it was her engagement ring. "it is too much to hope for," replied mrs. brown. "i am trying not to think of it." "did you see me throw the life buoy to you?" asked bunny, changing the subject. "i'm afraid i didn't," answered grace with a laugh. "and my eyes were too full of water," added mildred. "well, anyhow, i threw one in to you," went on bunny. "and i yelled when i saw you get run over," added sue, just as if that, too, had helped. "i'm sure you did all you could," declared mr. watson. "and it was all our own fault that we got in your way. but no one is hurt, and we're little the worse for our adventure." the _fairy_ slowly headed toward the dock near the big summer hotel, which was one of a number at a well-known resort on the bay. some other boats had come up after having seen the canoe run down, but when it was found no help was needed, they sheered off again. "how can we return your things to you?" asked the young ladies of mrs. brown, as they prepared to go ashore when the boat tied up at the dock. "there is no special hurry," was the answer. "we are going to christmas tree cove for the summer. you can send them there." "i have a better plan," said mr. brown. "why should we not stay here over night? we can tie up at this dock and go ashore for an evening of enjoyment. that will give the young ladies a chance to get into other dry clothes and give you back yours," he said to his wife. "oh, yes! let's stay!" cried bunny. "we can have a lot of fun on shore!" "and there's a merry-go-round!" added sue. "i can see it!" she pointed to one of the popular summer attractions set up near the hotel on the beach. "very well, we'll stay," said mother brown; and so it was arranged. the four young people went ashore, the young ladies in borrowed clothes, and the men, in their own damp garments, carrying the paddles. they attracted some little attention from the crowd on the dock. it was very evident what had happened. but as canoe upsets are very common at shore resorts in the summer, no one took it very seriously, especially as no one was drowned or hurt. "we'll send back your things in the morning," called mildred and grace to mrs. brown, as they went up to the hotel. "you'll find us right here," said captain ross. "i'm mighty glad it was no worse," he said to his friends on the _fairy_. "i should hate to have your summer outing spoiled by an accident, even if it was the fault of those in the canoe. but it reminds me of a riddle. see if you can guess it, bunny and sue. what goes under the water and over the water and never touches the water?" "a fish!" guessed bunny. "a fish is always in the water," cried sue, laughing. "oh, so it is," said her brother. "say it again," begged sue. the jolly captain did so, and when bunny and sue gave up, after several wrong guesses, the seaman said: "a man walking over a bridge with a pail of water on his head. he goes _over_ the water, and he's _under_ the water in the pail, and yet he doesn't touch the water." "oh, that's a good riddle!" laughed bunny. "i'm going to fool bunker on that." "if the water pail upset and spilled on him then the water would touch him," said sue, after a moment of thought. "and if he fell in the water he'd be wet." "yes, but you aren't supposed to do that in riddles," returned captain ross. after supper on the _fairy_, uncle tad took the two children on shore, bunny and sue having secured their mother's permission to ride on the merry-go-round. it was a big affair, playing jolly tunes, and the animals were large and gaily painted. bunny and sue had a number of rides, always begging for "just one more," until uncle tad finally said: "no, that's enough! you'll be ill if you whirl around any more. come, we'll walk around and look at things, and then we'll go back to the boat." he led them around to see the other attractions at the little park near the big hotel. somehow or other, bunny wandered away from uncle tad and sue while sue and the old soldier were looking at a man blowing colored glass into birds, feathers, balloons and other fantastic shapes. but finally uncle tad said: "come, sue, we must be going now. where's bunny?" "he was here a minute ago," answered bunny's sister. she looked around. they were on a plaza, or open space, at one end of which stood the musical merry-go-round. at the other end was a drive where little ponies and carts could be hired for short rides. as sue and uncle tad looked, there suddenly dashed from this place a large, white goat. and on the back of the goat was bunny brown, clinging fast! "oh, look! look!" cried sue. "it's a merry-go-round goat! it's a merry goat, and bunny's having a ride on his back!" as she spoke the animal dashed straight for the whirling carousel, and bunny's face, showing some fright, was turned toward his uncle and his sister. chapter x in the storm before sue and uncle tad could do anything, even if they had known what to do, something very queer happened. the goat, on whose back bunny was riding, jumped up on the big, circular platform of the merry-go-round. it was on this platform that the wooden animals, birds, and fishes were built, and where, also, were the broad wooden seats for older folk, who did not like to get on the back of a lion or a camel and be twirled around. the platform was broad, for boys and girls had to step up on it to make their way to whatever animal they wanted to sit on, and the men who collected the tickets also had to walk around on this wooden platform while the machine was in motion. and it was in motion when the live goat jumped on it. there was plenty of room for "billy" on the merry-go-round, though why he jumped up on it i cannot say. you can hardly ever tell why a goat does things, anyhow. [illustration: the goat leaped upon the moving merry-go-round. _bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove._ _page 104_] right up on the moving merry-go-round leaped the goat, with bunny clinging to the long hair of his back. the goat slid along until he came up beside a lion, on whose back a frowsy young person was riding. "oh, my!" cried this girl, "one of the wooden animals has come to life." she screamed and would have fallen from the lion, sue thought, but for the fact that a young man was standing beside her. he had come around to collect her ticket and when he heard her scream and saw her sway back and forth he grasped her. "sit still!" advised the ticket-taker. "but look! look!" cried the girl. "one of the wooden animals has come to life! oh, i'm so afraid! and look! he has a little boy on his back!" the goat on which bunny was riding was quite large, really as big as one of the wooden goats of the merry-go-round, and, as the make-believe creatures were painted to resemble the real animals as nearly as possible, the sight was a surprising one. "nonsense!" exclaimed the young man ticket-taker. "it isn't one of the wooden animals! it's a real goat from the ones over by the ponies. he's alive, of course." the frowsy girl giggled. "and i'm alive, too!" added bunny, his hands wound in the goat's long hair. "but i didn't want to ride the goat up here!" "oh, bunny! bunny!" shouted sue from the outer edge of the merry-go-round, which she and uncle tad had now reached. "look out, bunny, or you'll fall off!" there was a laugh from the crowd of evening pleasure-seekers that had gathered at the shore resort. "i am holding on!" cried bunny. "whoa now, goat!" he called. "stop the machine!" exclaimed uncle tad. "all right; we'll stop it," said the ticket-taker, who still held to the frowsy young person on the back of the lion. the goat seemed quiet enough now. after it had jumped up on the moving platform, with bunny on its back, the animal just stood there, looking around. perhaps it felt quite at home with the wooden horses, the ostriches, lions, tigers, camels, and other creatures so gaily painted and with pieces of looking glass stuck all over them. slowly the merry-go-round came to a stop, and the ticket-taker, letting go of the girl, who had not fallen from the back of the lion, hurried to bunny's side. "i'll lift you off," he said. "thank you," answered bunny. a moment later he was walking over to join sue and uncle tad, while a man stepped from the crowd and took charge of the goat, which he led to the edge of the platform. the goat leaped down and off as bunny had done. "i hope my goat didn't hurt you when he ran away with you," said the man, walking up to bunny, sue, and uncle tad and leading the horned creature. "oh, no, he didn't hurt me," bunny answered. "but i didn't think he'd run away with me just 'cause i got on his back." "he isn't used to having boys and girls on his back unless he wears a saddle," the man explained. "did you jump on the goat's back, bunny?" asked uncle tad. "well, i didn't exactly _jump_ on," replied the little boy. "i was leaning over, looking at him, and i sort of wanted to see how it would feel to get on his back. and i did, and then he ran up on the merry-go-round with me. but i held on so i wouldn't fall." "it's a good thing you did!" declared sue. "how did it happen?" asked uncle tad. "all i know about it is this," said the man who owned the goat. "i have a few of these billies and nannies for children that don't want a ponyback ride. but i was getting the goats ready to put in the stable for the night, and i'd taken off the saddles. i had my back turned, and the first i knew i heard a shout. i turned and saw this boy on nero's back, heading for the merry-go-round. i followed as fast as i could. nero is a gentle goat, but i couldn't tell what he'd do when he got mixed up with the wooden animals," he finished. "no," said uncle tad, "that's so. you did wrong, bunny, to get on the goat's back without asking permission." "i--i didn't mean to," said the little boy. "when you and sue were looking at the glass-blower i went over to look at the ponies and the goats. and i just sort of leaned over this goat, and, first i remember, i was on his back and he ran away with me." "there's no harm done," said the goat's owner, as the people in the crowd smiled and laughed at what had happened. "come over in the morning and i'll let you have a regular ride on a saddle--you and your sister," he added as he looked at sue. "thank you," she answered. "i'll come if mother will let me." "i guess we have to go on to christmas tree cove in the morning," announced bunny. "anyhow, i'm much obliged for this ride," he said. "nero's a good goat," and he patted the head of the animal. "yes, he's a good goat," agreed the owner. then he took his horned steed back to the pony stand, the merry-go-round started off again with the loud music, and uncle tad took bunny and sue back to the _fairy_. of course there was considerable talk and some laughter on board the boat when the story was told of bunny's goat ride. his mother, laughing, told him never to do such a thing again, and, of course, bunny said he wouldn't. "did you like that ride?" questioned sue, when they were getting ready to go to bed. "i did and i didn't," was bunny's answer. "i got on the goat so sudden-like i didn't have time to make up my mind about it. he was an awful quick goat, nero was." "i guess most goats are quick. once i saw a goat go after a man who was pasting up bills on a board. my, but that man had to run to get out of the way!" "maybe the goat wanted his bills or his paste," said bunny. "i once heard that goats love to eat billboard paper just for the paste on it." "maybe so." bright and early the next morning bunker blue arose and began to wash down the decks of the boat. as he was splashing the water around in his bare feet with his trousers rolled up, a young man with a bundle under his arm came down to the dock. "here are the dresses and things mrs. brown lent to the young ladies," said the young man. "they are very much obliged. i brought them early, for i thought maybe you'd want to get an early start." "yes, i believe we are going to leave soon," answered bunker. "but i don't like the looks of the weather," he added. "it seems to me we are going to have a storm. if you get another canoe and paddle out in it," he said, "i wouldn't go too far from shore." "thank you, i'll be careful," was the answer. bunny and sue awakened and got ready for breakfast, and bunker told about the visit of the young man. then the children went out on deck to look at the sea and sky. i say the "sea," though really it was all part of sandport bay, and not exactly the open ocean, though it was a very large body of water. "do you think it's going to rain, bunker?" asked sue. "i think it's going to rain and blow, too," answered the fish and boat boy, who had learned to read the weather signs. "but the _fairy_ is able to stand it, i think. how are you after your goat ride, bunny?" "oh, i feel fine!" declared the little boy. "but i want to get to christmas tree cove before long." "so do i," added sue. "i'm going to make a little bungalow there for my dolls." "and i'm going to make one to camp in," declared her brother. they started off right after breakfast, and as bunny and sue played around on the deck they could see their father and captain ross talking together and looking up at the sky every now and then. "we'll keep near shore," they heard the captain say. "then if the storm breaks we can tie up." but, though the clouds scudded across the sky all day, the storm did not break. it was black and lowering when evening came, but, after another look all around, bunny heard the captain say to their father and mother: "we may as well keep on. it may blow over, and if we tie up over night it will take us just so much longer to get there. i'd better keep on, don't you think?" "yes," said mr. brown, "keep on." so the _fairy_ kept on through the waters of the bay. bunny and sue, after being allowed out on deck to watch the distant twinkling lights of other vessels, were put to bed in their bunks, and mrs. brown fastened some broad canvas straps up in front of their berths. "what are they for?" asked sue, as she kissed her mother good night. "so you won't fall out if the boat rolls and rocks too much in the storm," was the answer. "oh, i like to be out in a storm!" exclaimed bunny. "i do if it's not too hard a storm," said sue. "i think this will be only a small one," replied mrs. brown, but as she went out on deck and felt the strong wind and noticed how high the waves were she felt a trifle uneasy. some hours later bunny and sue were each awakened about the same time by feeling themselves being tossed about in their berths. bunny was flung up against the canvas straps his mother had fastened, and at first he did not know what was happening. then he heard sue ask: "what's the matter?" "don't be afraid," said bunny. "it's only the storm, i guess. oh, feel that!" he cried, and as he spoke the _fairy_ seemed to be trying to stand on her "head." chapter xi where is bunny? sue brown did not know quite what to do. as she cuddled up in the little berth aboard the _fairy_, she felt herself being tossed over toward the edge. at first she was afraid she would be thrown out on the cabin floor, but the strips of canvas her mother had fastened in place stopped the little girl from having a fall, just as they had stopped bunny. sue looked up at the tiny electric light, operated by a storage battery. captain ross had put it there so the children would not be in the dark if they awakened in the night and needed something. "bunny! bunny!" exclaimed sue, "i don't like a storm on a boat at night!" before bunny could answer his sister the door of the little stateroom where they were was opened and mother brown looked in. she was dressed, and her head, face and hair were wet as though she had been out in the storm. and she really had, for a moment. "so you're awake, children," she said. "the storm is a bad one, and we are heading for a quiet cove where we will soon be sheltered and more quiet." "can't i get up, mother, and dress?" asked bunny. "maybe we'll have to get off the _fairy_ and into the rowboat, and i want my clothes on." "yes, you may get up and dress," said mrs. brown. "but there is no danger that we shall have to take to the small boat. it is just a severe summer storm, with much wind and rain, but not much else." "does it thunder and lightning?" asked sue. "no; or you would have heard it and seen it before this," her mother said. "here, sue, i'll take you over in my room and you may dress there. bunny, can you manage by yourself?" "yes, mother," he answered. mrs. brown carried sue in her arms to the room across the main cabin. it was not easy work with the boat pitching and tossing as it was, but finally the affair was managed, and sue had her clothes put on. bunny dressed himself, though not without some difficulty, for when he tried to stand on his right foot to put his left shoe on he slid across the little room and against the opposite wall. but he was not hurt. soon all of them except captain ross were in the main cabin. in answer to a question about the sailor, mr. brown said: "he's out steering the boat. he wants to bring her safe into clam cove, he says, and then we'll anchor for the night. but he thought it best for us all to be dressed. the storm is worse than any of us thought it would be." after the first feeling had worn off of being suddenly awakened in the night, bunny and sue did not mind it much. they sat around, looking a little anxiously at their father or mother as the boat plunged and rolled, but when they saw how calm their father, mother, uncle tad and bunker blue were, the children took heart also. "here are some cookies," said their mother, bringing out a bag from a locker. "i'd give you some milk to drink, only it would spill the way the boat is rocking." "yes," said mr. brown, with a smile, "there'd be as much milk on the floor, i imagine, as the children would drink." the storm grew worse instead of less, but captain ross was a good seaman, and in about an hour he brought the _fairy_ into a sheltered harbor known as clam cove, because of the number of clams that were dug there. "now we'll ride easier," said bunker blue. "i'll go up and help get the anchor over," he added. soon bunny brown and his sister sue heard sounds on deck which told of the big anchor being put over the side, and then the boat came to rest. she still pitched and tossed a little, but not nearly as much as before. the wind still blew and the rain came down in pelting drops. but the craft was water-tight and it was, as bunker blue said, "as dry as a bone" inside. "you children can go back to your berths now," said mother brown, when the cookies had all been eaten. "i don't believe you'll be tossed out now." "all right," assented bunny and sue, for they were beginning to feel sleepy in spite of the excitement of having been awakened by the storm. and soon, save for the uneasy motion of the storm, which was not felt much in clam cove, there was once again calm aboard the _fairy_. in the morning, though the wind was still high, the rain had stopped. the outer bay, though, was a mass of big waves, and after one look at them captain ross said: "i think we'd better stay here until it quiets down. we could navigate, but there's no special hurry." "no," agreed mr. brown, "there isn't. we are not due at christmas tree cove at any special time, so we'll take it easy." "then we can watch the clam boats," said bunny. "i like to watch them." the clam boats were of two kinds, large rowing craft in which one or two men went out and with a long-handled rake pulled clams up from the bottom of the cove. the other boats were sailing craft. they would start at one side of clam cove, spread their sails in a certain way, and drift across the stretch of water. over the side of the boat were tossed big rakes with long, iron teeth. these rakes, fastened to ropes attached to the boat, dragged over the bottom of the cove much as the fishermen in the small boats dragged their rakes. of course the sailboats could use much larger rakes and cover a wider part of the cove. now and then the men on board the sailboats would haul up the rakes, which were shaped something like a man's hand is when half closed and all the fingers and the thumb are spread out. the clams were dumped on deck, afterward to be washed and sorted. the sight was not new to any of the browns, and of course bunker, uncle tad, and captain ross had often taken part in clam raking. but bunny and sue never tired of watching it. now they sat on deck, as much out of the wind as possible, and looked at the drifting boats and at the clammers in their dorries. the storm was passing. gradually the wind was dying out and the waves were getting smaller. "i think we can start again by this afternoon," said mr. brown, coming up on deck following a short nap in the cabin. he had felt sleepy after dinner. "yes, we can leave before evening if you say so," replied captain ross. "how are you enjoying it?" he asked sue. "let's see, i know a riddle about a clam, if i can think of it. let me see now, i wonder----" "where's bunny?" asked mrs. brown, coming up on the deck at that moment. "wasn't he with you?" asked her husband. "no, he didn't come down. i asked bunker some time ago about him, and bunker said he was on deck with sue. but he isn't. where is bunny?" chapter xii christmas tree cove when a family is making a trip on a boat and one of the children becomes lost, or is missing, there is always more worry than if the same thing happened on land. for the first thing a father and a mother think of when on a boat and they do not see their children or know where they are, is that the missing child has fallen into the lake, river or ocean--whatever the body of water may be. so when mrs. brown came up on the deck of the _fairy_ and did not see bunny, who she had thought was with sue, she asked at once where he was. and when mr. brown heard his wife say that bunny had not come to the cabin he, too, began to wonder where the little boy was. "where did bunny go, sue?" asked mother brown. "wasn't he sitting here with you?" "yes, he was here a little while ago," answered sue. "and then i was watching two of the sailboats to see if they would bump together, and i didn't look at bunny. when i did look he was gone, but i thought he was downstairs." "he isn't," said mrs. brown, "and he isn't here on deck. oh, if he----" she did not finish what she was going to say, but quickly ran to the side of the boat and looked down into the water, as if she might see bunny paddling around there. the _fairy_ was still anchored in clam cove, waiting for the storm to blow out. "is bunny in swimming?" asked sue. "what's the matter?" asked captain ross, who was up "for'ard," as he called it, meaning the front of the boat. he and bunker blue were mending one of the sails. "anything wrong, mrs. brown?" asked the jolly old sailor. "i can't find bunny," she answered. "he was here with sue a moment ago. oh, i'm afraid bunny----" "now, don't think that anything has happened!" interrupted mr. brown. "he's probably hiding somewhere." "bunny wouldn't do that," declared his mother. "no, we weren't playing hide and go seek," said sue. "then he must be downstairs in one of the cabins, or he is asleep in his berth," said mr. brown. "i'll look." "i'll help," offered uncle tad, who, himself, had been taking a nap in his berth. "i suppose he must be down below if he isn't up here," said mrs. brown, hoping this was true. "i want to look, too." sue was beginning to be a bit frightened now, and she started to follow the others below, while captain ross and bunker blue, seeing how worried mr. and mrs. brown were, dropped the sail on which they were working and decided to join in the search. it did not take them long to make a search of the boat below decks. no bunny was to be found. he was not in his own bunk, nor in that of any one else, nor was he in the small room where the gasolene motor was built, though bunny liked to go there to watch the whirring wheels when the motor was in motion. "where can he be?" exclaimed mrs. brown. then, suddenly, sue gave a joyful cry and clapped her hands. "i think i know where he is!" exclaimed the little girl. "i just happened to think about it. come on!" wonderingly they followed her. sue ran to the stern of the _fairy_, where the steering wheel was placed. here was a small rowboat turned bottomside up. it was kept for the purpose of going to and from shore when the larger craft was anchored out in the bay. going close to this overturned boat sue leaned down so she could look under it. the two ends of the boat, being higher than the middle, raised it slightly from the deck, leaving a sort of long, narrow slot. and sue called into this slot: "bunny! are you there? answer me. are you there?" for an instant there was no reply, and mrs. brown, who had begun to think she should have looked there first, was about to conclude that, after all, it was a wrong guess, when suddenly a voice answered: "yes; here i am." the boat tilted to one side and out from beneath it came rolling bunny brown. he seemed sleepy, and his clothes were mussed while his hair was rumpled. and there was a queer look on his face. "why, bunny! bunny brown, what possessed you to crawl under that boat and go to sleep?" asked his mother. "you have frightened us! we thought perhaps you had fallen overboard." "no," said bunny slowly, shaking his head, "i didn't." "we see you didn't," said his father, a bit sternly. "but why did you hide under the boat?" "i wasn't hiding," answered bunny. "and if i had fallen overboard into the water you would have heard me yell," he went on, speaking slowly. "i suppose so," agreed mr. brown. "but if you weren't hiding under that boat, what were you doing?" "i was--i was thinking," answered bunny sheepishly. "thinking!" exclaimed his mother. "yes, about the dog that took your pocketbook," went on the little boy. "i wanted to be in a quiet place where i could think about him and maybe guess where he was so i could make him give back your diamond ring, mother. so i crawled under the boat. it was nice and warm there, and the wind didn't blow on me, and i was thinking and i was thinking, and----" "and then you fell asleep, didn't you?" asked uncle tad, as they all stood around bunny on deck. "yes, i guess i did," was the answer. "and i didn't dream about the dog, either." "did you think of any way to find him?" asked captain ross. "no," answered bunny, "i didn't. but i wish i could." "oh, you mustn't think any more about that dog," said his mother, with a smile, as she patted the little boy's tousled head. "i'll manage to get along without my diamond ring, though i would like to have it back." "well, i couldn't think," complained bunny, with a sigh. "i guess maybe i was too sleepy." "better not hide yourself away again," cautioned his father. "you must be extra careful aboard a boat so your mother will not have to worry, or this trip to christmas tree cove will not be any pleasure to her." "when shall we get there--to the place where the christmas trees are, daddy?" asked sue. "oh, to-morrow, i guess," answered captain ross. "i'll land you up there, and then i'll cruise back. and i'll come after you, to bring you home, whenever you want me," he added to mr. brown. "we're going to stay all summer," said bunny. "wouldn't it be funny if we could find that big dog and your pocketbook at the cove, mother?" he asked. "oh, that could never happen!" declared sue. so the lost bunny was found, and then it was nearly time to get supper. the wind had all died out now, and it was so calm in the cove that captain ross decided to start the boat without further delay. "we can tie up wherever you want to over night, or we can anchor out in the bay, or keep on going," he said to his passengers. "i think we'd better keep on going," said mrs. brown. "i shall worry less about bunny and sue when they are lost if it happens on dry land. i'll know then that they haven't fallen overboard." "we could fall in off shore, just the same as off a boat," suggested bunny. "not quite so easily. and you must be careful when you get to the bungalow in christmas tree cove," said daddy brown. "the bungalow is right on the shore, but the water is shallow for a long distance out," he went on. "oh, i'm not going to fall in!" declared bunny. "then we'll start and travel all night," said captain ross. "speaking of falling into the water," he said, with a jolly laugh, "can you tell me the answer to this riddle, bunny or sue? why should you tie a cake of soap around your neck when you go in swimming?" "i never tied a cake of soap around my neck," said the little girl. "i like to play the cake of soap is a boat in the bathtub," remarked bunny. "it's lots of fun." "but this is a riddle," went on the seaman. "why should you tie a cake of soap around your neck if you go in swimming in deep water?" "it can't be for you to eat if you get hungry," said bunny, "can it, captain ross?" "of course not!" cried his sister. "how could you eat a cake of _soap_?" "you could if it was a chocolate cake," returned the little boy. "but that isn't the answer to the riddle. please tell us, captain," he begged, as bunker blue began to pull up the anchor. "when you go swimming in deep water and get carried too far out, if you have a cake of soap tied around your neck it might wash you ashore! ha! ha! ha!" laughed the jolly old sailor. "do you see, bunny--sue? if you had a cake of soap on your neck it could _wash you ashore_. soap washes, you know." "that's a pretty good riddle," said uncle tad, while the two children laughed. "i must remember that to tell my old friend joe jamison when i get back to bellemere. a cake of soap washes you ashore! ha! ha!" "oh, i know a lot of better ones than that," said captain ross. "only i can't think of 'em just now. well, all clear, bunker?" he called. "yes, sir," was the answer. "then start the motor." and soon the _fairy_ was under way again. supper was served as the boat slipped through the blue water of the big bay. it was a calm, quiet, peaceful night, quite different from the one of the storm, and bunny and sue did not have to be strapped in their bunks. they slept well, and when they came on deck in the morning they looked over toward shore. "oh, what a lot of santa claus trees!" cried sue. "look, bunny!" "that's christmas tree cove up there," said captain ross, pointing to the evergreens where they were thickest. "we'll soon be there." "and, oh, what fun we'll have!" cried bunny. "i'm going to dig clams and catch crabs, and we'll have a clambake on shore, sue." "and my dolls can come to it, can't they?" asked the little girl. "i brought some of my dolls with me, but they're packed up," she added. "oh, yes, your dolls can come to the clambake," agreed bunny. "will there be any other boys up at christmas tree cove to play with?" he asked his father. "or girls?" sue wanted to know. "yes. it is quite a summer resort," was the answer. "i fancy you will have plenty of playmates." "i had better be getting things ready to go ashore, i suppose," said mrs. brown. "yes," answered her husband. "i'll help you." they were just going down into the cabin, and bunny and sue were on deck, looking at the distant green trees, when there was a sudden shock, a bump, and the boat keeled far over to one side. it seemed as if the _fairy_ had struck something in the water. "oh, we're going to sink!" cried sue. chapter xiii a crash bunker blue, who was at the steering wheel of the _fairy_, heard the dull noise, felt the shock, and saw the boat tip over to one side. instantly he pulled the wire which shut off the motor, and then he turned the steering wheel over, trying to make the boat come upright again. this the craft did, though sue kept on calling: "we're going to sink!" soon the boat was resting quietly in the water, on a "level keel," as a sailor would say, and floating slowly along. "now we're all right, sue!" said bunny. "stop your yelling! we're not going to sink!" "how do you know?" she asked. "we bumped into something, and maybe there's a hole, and the water's coming in, and----" just then mr. and mrs. brown came running up on deck, followed by uncle tad and captain ross. the old seaman, with an anxious look around, called to bunker blue. "what happened? did some one run into us?" "felt more as if we ran into something," bunker answered. "but i didn't see so much as a canoe." "we struck something under water, of that i'm sure," said captain ross. "we'd better take a look. we're near shore, anyhow, and it won't take long to row over if we have to," he added. "but we surely did hit something." "maybe it was a whale," suggested sue. "whales don't come up in the bay. they're too big and fat," declared bunny. "well, maybe then it was a shark," the little girl went on. "they're not so fat." captain ross and mr. brown hurried below deck again, but presently came up, and the seaman said: "we can't find anything wrong below--no leak or anything. we may have hit a big, submerged log or piece of a wreck. start the motor again, bunker, and we'll see if that's all right." the gasolene engine was not damaged, but something else was wrong. as soon as the machinery started there was a trembling and throbbing throughout the whole boat, but she did not move ahead. "i see what the matter is!" said captain ross. "the propeller is broken. it hit something." "oh, can't we go to christmas tree cove?" asked sue. "we'll get there somehow," answered captain ross. "but the propeller is surely broken." and so it proved. the propeller, you know, is something like an electric fan. it whirls around underwater and pushes the boat ahead. the propeller on the _fairy_ had struck a floating log and had been broken, as they found out later. "if we can't go by means of the engine we can sail," remarked captain ross, when it was found that the boat would not move an inch, no matter how fast the motor whirled around. "hoist the sail, bunker. we'll get bunny brown and his sister sue to christmas tree cove yet! hoist the sail!" "oh, it's lots of fun to sail!" cried bunny. "i like it better than motoring!" added sue, who was no longer yelling. soon the white sail was hoisted, and, as the wind blew, the _fairy_ slipped easily along through the water. there was no "jiggle" now, as bunny called it, for the motor was not running like a sewing machine down in the hold of the boat. nearer and nearer the boat approached the shore. the clumps of green trees became more plain. soon little houses and bungalows could be seen. then the children saw a long dock extending out into the water. "that's where we tie up," said captain ross. "i think the wind will hold until we get there." "it's too bad you had such bad luck bringing us here," said mrs. brown. "i'm sorry, captain, that your boat is broken." "oh, a smashed propeller isn't anything," he answered, with a laugh. "i was going to get a new one, anyhow. i'll just land you folks and then i'll sail back to bellemere and have my boat fixed." "and then you can come back and get us," said sue; "but not for a long, long time, 'cause bunny and i are going to stay at christmas tree cove and have fun." "that's what we are!" said bunny brown. slowly the boat swept up to the dock. then the sail was lowered, and she was tied fast. next began the work of unloading the things the browns had brought with them to keep house all summer in the little bungalow, which was not far from the dock. mr. brown, uncle tad, captain ross and bunker blue unloaded the things, and mr. brown hired a man to cart them to the bungalow. bunny and sue said good-bye to captain ross, who, with the help of a man whom he could hire at christmas tree cove, would sail his boat back later that day. then the children, with their mother, walked up a little hill to the little house where they hoped to spend many happy days. "oh, isn't it pretty!" exclaimed sue, as she strolled up the path, bordered with clam shells. "it's awful nice here." "i hope you will like it," said mrs. madden, the woman who had been engaged by mr. brown to open the bungalow and sweep it out in readiness for the family. "i live near here, and we like it very much," she added, as she held the door open for mrs. brown and the children. "can you catch any fish?" asked bunny, looking down toward the water and the dock where his father and the others were lifting things out from the boat. "oh, yes, there's fine fishing and clamming and crabbing," said mrs. madden. "my boy and girl will show you the best places." "that will be nice," said mrs. brown. "now we'll have a look at the place." neither mother brown nor the children had yet seen the bungalow which mr. brown had engaged for them. they went inside, and while mrs. madden was showing mrs. brown about the house bunny and sue ran off by themselves to see what they could find. mrs. madden was just pointing out to mrs. brown what a pleasant place the dining-room was, giving a view of the bay, when suddenly a great crash sounded throughout the house. it was followed by silence, and then sue's voice rang out, saying: "oh, mother! come quick! bunny's in! bunny's in!" chapter xiv in the dark mrs. brown, who had been looking at the beautiful view of christmas tree cove from the window of the bungalow dining-room, turned to mrs. madden when sue's cry rang out. "something has happened to those children!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "where are they calling from? i must go to them." "that cry sounded as if it came from the pantry," answered the other woman. "it's just through that door," and she pointed. as mother brown started for the place sue called again: "please come quick! bunny's in and he can't get out!" "what can't he get out of?" asked mrs. brown. mother brown pushed open the door leading into the pantry, and there she saw a strange sight. sue was standing beside bunny and trying to pull him out of a barrel in which he was doubled up in a funny way, almost as a clown in a circus sometimes doubles himself up to slide through a keg. only bunny was not sliding through. he was doubled up and stuck in the barrel. "he's in," explained sue, "and i can't get him out." "and i can't get out either!" added bunny. "i'm stuck!" "are you hurt?" asked his mother. "no, not 'zactly," he replied. "'cept it sort of pinches me." mrs. brown did not stop to ask how it had happened. she took hold of bunny on one side, and mrs. madden took hold of him on the other. then, while sue helped them hold down on the barrel, they pulled up on the little fellow and soon had him out. luckily the edge of the barrel was smooth and without any nails, so that bunny was not scratched nor were his clothes torn. "now tell me about it," said his mother, as she set him on the floor and led him and sue out of the small pantry. "well, i--i was climbing up on the barrel to see if there was anything to eat on the shelves," explained bunny brown. "and some boards were on the barrel. i stepped on them, but they slipped; and then----" "and then bunny slipped!" broke in sue. "i saw him slip, but i couldn't stop him." "and then i went right on down into the barrel," resumed bunny. "and i was stuck there, and sue hollored like anything, and--well, i didn't find a single thing to eat," he ended. "no, i didn't order any food for you, as i didn't know just what you'd want," explained mrs. madden. "if you're hungry," she said to the children, "you can come over to my cottage--it isn't far--and i can give you some bread and milk." "oh, i am hungry!" said bunny. "so'm i," added sue. "i couldn't think of troubling you," put in mrs. brown. "we have some things on the boat, and----" "i've just baked some cookies," went on mrs. madden, who lived at christmas tree cove all the year around. "i'm sure the children would like them. my boy and girl, who are about the same age as yours, like my cookies very much;" and she smiled at bunny and sue. "oh, mother," began bunny, "couldn't we----" "let me take them over and give them a little lunch while you are getting things to rights," urged the kind woman to mrs. brown. "it will be no trouble at all, and rose and jimmie will be glad to see them." "are they your children?" asked bunny. "yes, dear. and they'll be glad if you'll play with them." "very well, they may go. and thank you very much for the invitation," said mrs. brown. "it will be better to have them out of the way when the men are bringing in the trunks and things. but i hope they will give you no trouble. don't fall into any more barrels, bunny!" "i won't," promised the little boy. "i wouldn't 'a' fallen in this one if the boards hadn't slipped." "it's the flour barrel," explained mrs. madden. "the family that was here last year used to have a regular cover for the barrel, but one of the boys took the cover to make a boat of, and after that they put some loose boards back on." "i'll have mr. brown make a new cover for the barrel," said mrs. brown. "but that doesn't mean, bunny, that you may climb on it again," she added. "oh, i won't," he agreed. "i was just climbing up to see if there was anything to eat on the pantry shelves. but i won't have to do that if you're going to give us some cookies," he added, looking at mrs. madden. "yes, i'm going to give you some cookies," she laughed. "come along. i'll bring them back safely," she added. so, while mr. brown, captain ross, bunker blue and uncle tad carried the things up to the bungalow from the boat and dock, bunny and sue followed mrs. madden to her cottage not far from the bungalow. mr. madden was a clammer and fisherman, and his wife did some work for the summer colonists. bunny and sue saw a little boy and girl of about their own ages looking at them as they neared the cottage. "here are some new playmates for you, jimmie and rose," said their mother. "they are hungry, too." "and my brother bunny fell in a barrel when he was looking for something to eat on the pantry shelves," explained sue. "did it hurt you?" jimmie madden wanted to know. "no; it was fun," laughed bunny brown, and then he told of that adventure. mrs. madden brought out some glasses of milk, slices of bread and jam, and also a plateful of cookies, at the sight of which the eyes of bunny and sue opened wide with delight. then followed a pleasant little play party on the shady porch of the cottage. rose and jimmie told of the fun to be had at christmas tree cove--how there were shallow wading places, deeper pools for bathing, and little nooks where one could fish. "can you go out in a boat?" asked jimmie of bunny. "yes, if somebody bigger goes with us," bunny answered. "we can get my uncle tad to take us out." "sometimes rose and i go out with my father when he's fishing or digging clams," said the christmas tree cove lad. "i can dig clams at low tide." "i've done that, too," said bunny. "we live on sandport bay." the four children talked and played until it was time for bunny and sue to run back to the bungalow. they found that all the things had been brought up from the boat and that captain ross had sailed away again. the bungalow was furnished, and mrs. brown had only to bring such things as knives and forks for the table, linen for the beds, and the clothes they were to wear. a grocer and a butcher had called while bunny and sue were at the madden cottage, and now supper was being prepared by bunker blue and uncle tad, each of them being almost as good a cook as was mrs. brown. mrs. brown and her husband were busy making up the beds for the night, and as bunny and sue came racing in, almost as hungry as though they had not been given a lunch by mrs. madden, their mother called to them: "get washed for supper now, children." a little later they were sitting down to their first meal in the bungalow at christmas tree cove. "do you think you are going to like it here?" asked daddy brown. "it's dandy!" exclaimed bunny, being careful not to talk with his mouth too full of bread and butter. "and jimmie is a nice boy." "i like rose, too," said sue. after supper the children ran over to the cottage to play again, and before bedtime they walked along the sandy beach with their father and mother. but pretty soon it was noticed that bunny and sue were not saying much, and their walk was becoming slow. "time for little sailors to turn in!" said mother brown, and soon bunny and sue were slumbering in little white beds in the bungalow. the rest of the family, except bunker blue, sat up rather late, talking over the events of the past few days. they had enjoyed the trip to christmas tree cove, all except the storm. "i know we'll have a lovely summer," said mrs. brown, as she and her husband went to bed. when they were passing bunny's room a dog barked in the distance. the little fellow seemed to hear it, for he sat up in bed and cried: "there! there he is! there's the dog that has your ring, mother! i'm going to get it!" "he's talking in his sleep again," whispered mr. brown. "yes," agreed his wife in a low voice. "the loss of the pocketbook seems to get on his mind. go to sleep, bunny," she murmured to him, going into his room, and pressing his head down on the pillow. then he turned over and went off to slumberland again. the next day and the many that followed were full of joy for bunny brown and his sister sue. they played with rose and jimmie, they waded in the water, they sailed little boats, and they made houses in the sand. often, as they sat on the beach, bunny would look back toward the thick green clumps of evergreen trees which gave the place its name. "couldn't we go and take a walk in them?" he asked jimmie one day. "yes," was the answer. "only you want to be careful." "why?" asked bunny. "'cause the woods are awful thick. you can't see your way very well, and once rose and i got lost." "oh, we wouldn't go in very far," said bunny. "some day i'm going into those woods." two or three days after that, when he and sue had played in the sand until they were tired, bunny said: "let's go to the woods!" "all right!" agreed sue. "shall we get jimmie and rose?" "no, let's go by ourselves," said her brother. "i want to see if we can find our way all by ourselves." and so, not telling their father or mother or uncle tad or bunker blue anything about it, off the two children started. it was pleasant, shady and cool in the evergreen woods of christmas tree cove. on the ground were brown pine needles and the shorter ones from the spruces and the hemlocks. here and there the sun shone down through the thick branches, but not too much. it was like being in a green bower. on and on wandered bunny and sue, thinking what a nice place it was. they found pine cones and odd stones, with, here and there, a bright flower. all of a sudden sue looked around. "bunny, it's getting dark," she said. "i can't see the sun any more. i guess it's night, and we'd better go back home." "i don't believe it's night," said the little boy. "i guess the trees are so thick we can't see the sun. but we can go home. i'm getting hungry, anyhow. come on." they turned about to go back, and walked on for some time. sue took hold of bunny's hand. "it's getting terrible dark," she said. "where's home, bunny?" the little boy looked around. "i--i guess it isn't far," he said. "but it is dark, sue. i wish i had a flashlight. next time i'm going to bring one. but we'll soon be home." however, they were not. it rapidly grew darker, and at last bunny brown knew what had happened. "we're lost, and it's going to be a dark night," he said, holding more tightly to sue's hand. "we're lost in the christmas trees!" he added, and his sister gave a little cry and held tightly to him. chapter xv bunny's toe for some little time bunny brown and his sister sue stood among the christmas trees, as they called the evergreens that lined the shore of the cove. the night seemed to get darker and darker. it was really only dusk, and it was much lighter out on the open beach than it was under the trees. but the trouble was that bunny and sue were in among the evergreens and they thought it later than it really was. "oh, bunny, what are we going to do?" asked his sister after a while, during which she had held tightly to his hand and looked about. bunny was looking around also, trying to think what was the best thing to do. he was older than his sister, and he felt that he must take care of her and not frighten her. "i--i guess we'd better walk along, sue," said bunny at last. "but maybe then we'll get lost more," sue suggested. "we can't be lost any more than we are," declared bunny. "we can't see our bungalow and we don't know where it is and--and, well, we'd better walk on." bunny looked at his sister. he saw her lips beginning to tremble, dark as it was under the trees. and when sue's lips quivered in that way bunny knew what it meant. "sue, are you going to cry?" he asked, coming to a stop after they had walked on a little way. "are you going to cry--real?" "i--i was, bunny," she answered. "don't you want me to?" "no, i don't!" he said, very decidedly. "it's of no use to cry, 'cause you can't find your house that way, and it makes your nose hurt. don't cry, sue." "all right, i won't," bravely agreed the little girl. "i won't cry real, i'll just cry make-believe." and then and there some tears rolled out of her eyes, down her cheeks, and dropped on the ground. sue also "sniffled" a little, and she seemed to be holding back gasping, choking sounds in her throat. bunny looked at her in some surprise. he saw the salty tears on her cheeks. "that's awful like real crying, sue," he said. "well, it isn't. it's only _make-believe_, like--like the crying we saw the lady do in the mov-movin' pictures!" exclaimed sue, choking back what was really a real sob. "i'm only making believe," she went on. "but if we don't stop being lost pretty soon, bunny, maybe i'll have to cry real." "well," answered the little boy, with a sigh, as he took a firmer hold of sue's hand, "maybe you will." [illustration: bunny and sue get lost in the woods. _bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove._ _page 154_] then the children walked on together, making their way through the dark christmas woods. they really did not know where they were going. it was some time since bunny had glimpsed a sight of the bungalow. all at once, as they walked along, they heard the distant bark of a dog. at once sue stood still and pulled her brother to a stop also. "bunny! did you hear that?" she asked. "yes," he replied, "i did. it's nothing but a dog, and he's a good way off, 'cause his bark was real little." "but, bunny! maybe it's the dog that took mother's pocketbook and ring," sue went on. "if it is we ought to chase him!" she was forgetting her fear of being lost now in the excitement over hearing the dog bark and in thinking he might be the one that had caused the loss of the diamond ring. "listen!" whispered bunny. he and sue stood in the fast-darkening woods and to their ears the bark of the dog sounded fainter now. "he's going away," announced bunny. "anyhow, i don't s'pose he was the same dog. that dog never could get away up here. it must be some other one." "well, maybe it is," agreed sue. "oh, bunny, when are we going to get home?" she asked, and this time it sounded very much as though she were going to cry in earnest. "i guess we'll be home pretty soon now," said bunny hopefully. "let's walk over this way;" and he pointed to a new path that crossed the one they had been walking along for some time. sue was very willing to leave it to bunny, and she walked along beside her brother, never once letting go his hand. all at once the children heard a rustling in the leaves of the bushes that grew amid the trees. they could hear little sticks being broken, as though some one were stepping on them. "oh, bunny!" exclaimed sue, shrinking close to her brother, "maybe it is the dog coming after us!" "it couldn't be," said bunny quickly. "if it was the dog he'd bark, wouldn't he?" "i guess he would," sue answered. "but we--we'd, better look out, bunny." "i'll get a stick," offered the little boy, "and if it's a bad dog i'll----" he was interrupted by a cry from sue--a joyful cry. "oh, bunny," shouted the little girl, "it isn't a dog at all! it's bunker blue! here he is! did you come for us, bunker?" she asked, as mr. brown's boat boy came brushing his way through the shrubbery. "yes, i've been looking for you," answered bunker. "your mother was getting worried, but rose and jimmie madden said they'd seen you come up into these woods, and i thought i'd find you here." "oh, i'm so glad you did, bunker!" cried sue, catching hold of one of his hands. "we were lost--bunny and i were--and we heard a dog bark; and maybe he was the one that took my mother's pocketbook. did you hear him, bunker?" "yes, i heard him, sue," he said, with a smile at the children who were no longer lost. "but it isn't the same dog, i'm pretty sure. that pocketbook and ring are gone forever, i guess. now come on home." "do you know the way?" asked sue, as bunny took hold of bunker's other hand. "oh, yes. and it isn't far to the bungalow," answered the fish boy. "you couldn't see it on account of the thick trees." and, surely enough, in a little while he led them out on the path to the beach and they were soon at the bungalow again. "you must not go off into these woods alone again," said mrs. brown. "they are thicker and darker than the woods at home, bunny, and it is easier for you to get lost in them. don't go to them alone again." "no'm, i won't," promised the little fellow. "but wouldn't it have been fine, mother, if we could have found the dog that took your diamond ring?" "yes, bunny, it would be lovely," said mrs. brown. "but i'm afraid that will never happen." there were so many things to do to have fun at christmas tree cove that bunny brown and his sister sue hardly knew what to play at first. each day brought new joys. they could build houses on the sand, paddle or bathe in the cool, shallow water, sail tiny boats which uncle tad made for them, or take walks with their mother. daddy brown stayed for several days at the cove, and then he had to go back to bellemere to his dock and boat business. but he said he would come to the cove again as soon as he could. uncle tad and bunker stayed at the bungalow to help mrs. brown, and bunker often took bunny and sue out in a rowboat on the quiet waters of the cove. one day mrs. brown took some sewing, packed a small basket of lunch, and said to the children: "now, bunny and sue, we will have a little picnic all by ourselves. bunker and uncle tad are going fishing, so we will go down to the beach and stay all the afternoon. we will eat our lunch there, and while i sit and sew you children can play around." bunny and sue thought this would be fun, and soon they started off. it was a beautiful day, sunny but not too hot, and soon mrs. brown was busy with her needle while sue and her brother played on the sand. mother brown was trying to thread a very fine needle, which seemed to have closed its eye and gone to sleep, when suddenly sue came running up to her so fast that she almost overturned the sun umbrella which mrs. brown had raised to make a shade. "oh, mother! mother!" gasped sue, so out of breath that she could hardly speak. "oh, mother! come quick!" "what's the matter?" asked mrs. brown, getting quickly to her feet. "oh, it's bunny's toe! it's bunny's toe!" was all sue said, and, catching hold of her mother's hand, she pulled her down toward the water. chapter xvi overboard mrs. brown was used to seeing things happen to bunny and sue. they were lively children, getting into mischief fully as often as other tots of their same age did, and it was not unusual to have one of them hurt slightly. so when sue ran up to her mother and began to cry out about bunny's toe, mrs. brown looked down the beach where she had left the two children playing. there she saw bunny dancing around on one foot in a shallow pool of water, left there when the tide went out. and as he danced on one foot bunny held the other up in the air, and he was crying something which his mother could not hear. "sue," asked mrs. brown, as she hurried down the slope leading to the beach proper, "did bunny step on a broken bottle and cut his toe?" "no, mother, it isn't that," answered the little girl. "i don't know just what it is. i was making a little house on the sand, and bunny was wading in the water. all of a sudden he yelled, and told me to go and get you 'cause there was something the matter with his toe." "he probably cut himself," said mrs. brown, and she began to search in her pocket for an extra handkerchief. it would not be the first time bunny or sue had suffered a cut foot because of stepping on a sharp shell or a piece of glass while in wading. but when mrs. brown and sue reached the edge of the little pool in which bunny was hopping about on one foot, holding himself up by leaning on a piece of driftwood he had picked up and was using as a crutch, his mother saw what the matter was. "take it off my toe! take it off my toe!" cried bunny. "it's a big, pinching crab," said mrs. brown. "oh, bunny, i'm so sorry! come out of the water and i'll make it let go of you. come out!" by this time sue, also, had seen the cause of the trouble. a big crab had been caught when the tide went down, and was in the pool of water, which, surrounded by sand, was like a little lake. bunny must have stepped on the creature when wading. it had nipped the big toe of his left foot, and was holding on, though bunny had raised his foot out of the water as far as he could. "come here, bunny. i'll get him off for you," his mother called. "i can't come! how am i going to walk on one foot?" and bunny howled, for the crab was pinching hard. "can't you skip, as we do when we play hopscotch?" asked sue. "maybe," her brother answered. he was about to try it, and his mother was just going to tell him that a better way would be to dip his foot back in the water when the crab might swim away, when the pinching creature decided to let go anyhow. it loosened its claws and dropped with a splash into the puddle of water. "oh, he's gone! he let go my toe!" cried bunny, and then he ran up the sandy shore as fast as he could go. "let me see where he pinched you," said mrs. brown, when bunny had reached her side. "is it bleeding?" "yes, i guess it is! and maybe he pinched my whole toe off," said bunny, almost ready to cry. he held up his bare foot, and his mother looked at the toe. it was quite red, but the skin was not broken and there was no blood. "is it--is it off?" asked bunny, his voice trembling. "no, you silly boy, it isn't even bleeding," laughed his mother. "well, it--it felt as if it was off," said bunny. "i don't like crabs." "no, they aren't very pleasant when they nip you," agreed his mother. "but this one took such a big pinch and his claw was so much over your toe nail that he really did very little damage. you'd better not wade in that pool any more." "i won't," decided bunny. he sat down and softly rubbed his toe where the crab had pinched him. as mrs. brown had said, there was no blood, though it does not take much of a nip from even a small crab to break the skin and cause a bleeding. and sometimes the pinch of a crab, where it does draw blood, becomes very sore. however, bunny was well out of this adventure, and when he had got over his fright his mother took him and sue up under the shady umbrella and gave them some lunch. "but i don't want any more crabs to bite me," said bunny. the remainder of the day was spent in happy fashion, though bunny waded in no more pools. "i'm glad the crab didn't pinch me," said sue, as she wiggled her toes in the soft sand. "'cause my foot's littler than bunny's," she went on, holding it near his, "and maybe that crab would have taken hold of two of my toes, and bitten them all off." "oh, i think that wouldn't have happened," said mrs. brown. "a crab doesn't really want to nip children just for fun. they'll get away from you if they can; but if they think you are going to hurt them they'll open their claws and pinch. bunny must have stepped on the one that took hold of his toe." "maybe i did," said bunny. "i stepped on something, and i thought it was a clam shell, but it wiggled out from under my foot and then my toe was grabbed." when bunny and sue went back to the bungalow that night they saw bunker blue busy at work on a small boat at the dock, which was at the end of the walk leading down from "bark lodge," as their place was named, for it was made of logs with the bark on. "what are you doing, bunker?" sue called to him. "i got bit by a crab!" announced bunny, not giving the fish boy time to answer. "he held on to my toe and i lifted him right out of the water, same as we catch crabs on a string and fishhead." "is that so?" asked bunker, and he went on hammering away at the boat. it was another craft than the one mr. brown had hired for the use of his family. "what are you making?" bunny wanted to know, satisfied, now that he had told the story of the crab. "oh, i'm making a little sailboat," answered bunker. "a man on the other side of the cove, where your uncle tad and i were fishing to-day, sold me this boat cheap, and i'm going to rig up a sail for it. i don't want to row around all summer, so i'm going to sail." "oh, can we go with you?" asked sue. "i can help you sail, can't i, bunker?" questioned bunny. "yes, if your mother lets you," was the answer. after supper uncle tad helped bunker put the sail on the boat. it was not a very large boat nor did it have a very large sail, but the fish boy said it would do for cruising about the cove. "may we sail with him, mother?" asked bunny the next day, when bunker announced that the boat was ready for a trial. "is it safe?" asked mrs. brown of the tall lad. "i think so," he answered. "i'll give it a tryout by myself first, though." bunny and sue watched bunker blue sailing to and fro in christmas tree cove, and finally he headed back for the dock. "i'll take bunny and sue out now if you'll let them come with me," said bunker to mrs. brown, who, with the children, was watching the trial of the new sailboat. "very well. but be careful and don't go too far!" cautioned the children's mother. delighted by the prospect of a ride before the wind around the cove, bunny and sue got into the boat. there was just about room enough for three. bunker had rigged up a rudder on the boat and there was a small centerboard in the middle to keep the craft from tipping over in a hard blow. "all aboard!" cried bunny, pretending to help sue to her place. "all aboard!" answered bunker, as he pulled over the tiller and let the boat swing out from the dock. then for some time the children sailed about the cove, while mrs. brown watched them from the bank. mr. brown was to come up to the cove that night on the evening train, to stay for several days. as mrs. brown was watching, she saw something dark slide suddenly over the side of the sailboat, and at the same time she heard sue's screams and saw bunker let go the sail and make a grab for an object in the water. "bunny has fallen overboard!" cried his mother, springing to her feet and running down to the dock. "uncle tad, come quickly! bunny has fallen overboard!" chapter xvii the new boy uncle tad, who was mending a broken fishing rod just outside the bungalow, heard mrs. brown's cry and saw her running down to the dock. he also looked across the cove and saw the sailboat in which he knew bunny and sue had gone for a ride with bunker blue. and then uncle tad guessed what had happened. "man overboard!" he cried, though of course bunny was only a little boy. but that is what is always said when anybody--man, woman, or child--falls into the water. "man overboard!" uncle tad raced down to the dock and saw mrs. brown trying to loosen the rope that held to the pier the boat mr. brown had hired for the summer. "let me do it," said uncle tad, who knew considerable about boats from having lived so long with the browns. just then a voice behind mrs. brown cried: "he's got him out! bunker blue has got him out!" and there, on the pier, stood jimmie madden with his sister rose. he pointed across to the now motionless sailboat. uncle tad and mrs. brown had not looked at it for the last few seconds, as they were busy trying to get ready the other boat to go to the rescue. but, looking now, they saw bunker blue lift bunny brown from the water. and a moment later bunker's voice rang out as he called: "you don't need to come! bunny is all right! i'll soon bring him to shore!" "oh, i'm so glad!" exclaimed mrs. brown, and she dropped the rope she had been trying to loosen, while uncle tad, who had knelt down on the pier to do the same thing, stood up. as jimmie had said and uncle tad and mother brown had seen, bunker had pulled bunny from the water, and a little later the sail was filled with wind and was bringing the boat to the dock. bunny and sue could be seen sitting safely in it, and bunny did not appear much the worse from having fallen overboard, though, of course, he was soaking wet. "i saw him fall in," explained jimmie madden. "then i ran over here." "and i ran over, too," said his sister rose. "i could 'a' jumped in and got him out if he'd been near shore. i can swim," went on jimmie, who was a regular seashore boy and quite at home in the water. "i can swim, too," went on rose. "i'm glad neither of you had to jump in after bunny," said mrs. brown, as the boat neared the dock. "i wonder how bunny happened to fall overboard." this was explained when the wet, dripping little chap was helped out of the boat to which bunker had fitted a sail. "he saw something floating in the water," said bunker, "and he reached for it, though i told him not to, as i was going about. but he did, and he lost his balance, and in he went." "but bunker got him right out again!" sue made haste to say. "it wasn't bunker's fault," added bunny. "he told me not to lean over." "then you should have minded," said his mother. "it was very wrong of you, bunny, to do that. i told you to mind bunker when you went out with him. now, as a punishment, you may not go sailing again this week." and though bunny cried and said he would never disobey again, he was punished just as his mother said he must be. sue was allowed to go for a sail, while bunny had to stay on shore. "you must be made to understand that you have done wrong," his mother said. there was really very little danger, for the water in the cove was not deep, and bunker was such a good swimmer that he, very likely, could have managed to get out both bunny brown and his sister sue if they had fallen in together. after his days of punishment, however, bunny was allowed to go sailing again, and bunker even let him steer a little, which made bunny very happy. "some day i am going to learn all about steering," declared bunny to sue, "and then i'll be able to take out a boat all alone." "you be careful, bunny brown, or maybe the boat will sail off with you," warned sue, earnestly. "and it might sail 'way off to--to boston, or--or china--or--or mexico." "it couldn't sail that far. i wouldn't let it." "it might run away with you." "boats can't run--they sail. you ought to know that." "it could sail away ever so far, if it wanted to, bunny brown. an' if it sailed 'way off to--to china, how ever would you get back?" "i'd sail back." "how could you if you didn't know the way?" "i'd ask some--some chinaman. i know how to talk to 'em. i can talk to that chinaman who has the laundry near the school." "huh! he ain't a real chinaman--he's an american chinaman. i mean a real chinaman chinaman--that can't talk like we do." "i'd find a way--just you wait and see," said bunny confidently. the summer days passed pleasantly at christmas tree cove. mr. brown found it possible to come up more often than he had expected, and he and his wife, with the children, uncle tad and bunker blue, went on excursions on land and water. often when her husband would arrive at the bungalow, coming up from his dock office at bellemere, mrs. brown would ask: "did you hear anything about the strange dog or my lost pocketbook and ring?" and her husband would shake his head and answer: "there is no news. i saw mr. foswick, the carpenter. he said he keeps looking around his shop, thinking he may find the things the dog dropped, but they have not been discovered yet." then mrs. brown would be sad for a little while as she thought of her lovely diamond engagement ring, but she did not let bunny or sue see that she was unhappy. one afternoon it was very hot at christmas tree cove. the sun's rays beat down and there was scarcely any breeze. "come on, kiddies!" called mother brown to bunny and sue. "we will put on our bathing suits and go down to the water. if there is any cool place this hot day it is there." of course bunny and sue were delighted with this. they never tired of bathing, and soon they were splashing about in the cove. they were not the only ones, for many of the neighboring cottagers and bungalow residents took advantage of the water to cool off. "be careful and don't go out too far!" called mrs. brown to bunny and sue, as she went up on the beach to talk to some friends, leaving the children in the water. "the tide is coming in." "we'll be careful!" promised bunny. "here, sue, give me your hand and we'll wade out to the float." the float was made of some planks fastened to empty barrels, and it was a fine place to play. as sue and bunny were wading out they noticed a boy whom they had not seen before wading beside them. "hello!" said bunny, in friendly spirit. "did you just come?" "yes. we came to the hotel last night," was the answer. "i never was at the ocean before. we're going to stay all through august." "this isn't the ocean," said bunny. "it's just christmas tree cove. the ocean is lots bigger." "i'd like to see it," said the new boy. "look out!" suddenly called sue. "here comes a big wave!" she had just time to take a tighter hold of bunny and turn, but the new boy did not seem to know much about bathing or waves. he stood waiting, and, an instant later he was knocked down and his head went under water. chapter xviii held fast the first that mrs. brown knew of what was happening was when a woman near her screamed. then this woman hurried down the sands to the edge of the water in which bunny, sue, and a number of other children were bathing. mrs. brown had been talking to several women of the summer bungalow colony near bark lodge, and one of these ladies had just remarked that a new family had come to the hotel. "it is mr. and mrs. jonas slater," mrs. brown was told. "they have a little boy named harry, about as old as your bunny." and just as mrs. blaney, who was telling this to mrs. brown, finished, mrs. brown heard a woman scream and saw her run down to the water. "that's mrs. slater now," said mrs. blaney. "i wonder what the matter is." "her little boy was just knocked down by a big wave," said another woman who had been sitting on the sand talking to mrs. brown. "perhaps we had better go and help her." it was harry slater, the new boy to whom bunny had been talking, who had been knocked down and rolled over by the big wave. his mother, sitting on the beach, had seen what had taken place. then she had screamed and had hurried down the sands. but, as it happened, bunny brown was nearer at hand to give the needed help. he and sue were used to the big waves, which came in christmas tree cove only when one of the large excursion steamers stopped at a nearby dock. the propeller of the steamer sent the waves rushing inshore almost like the surf of the larger ocean outside. "oh, the wave knocked him down!" cried sue, who had seen the mass of water coming, and had held to bunny while they turned a little and jumped so they did not fall. "look, bunny, he's down in the water!" "i know!" exclaimed bunny! "i see him! i'll get him up!" bunny and sue had lived so long in bellemere near the water that, young as they were, they knew the thing to do when people fall into or down in the water is to get them out as soon as possible, in order that they may not be smothered. so, as soon as he had made sure that sue was all right, bunny leaned down, and, catching hold of harry slater, the new boy, who was floundering around under water, lifted him up. it was easy for bunny to do this, as a body in water weighs less than outside. thus bunny easily lifted harry up and held him on his feet, while the new boy choked and gasped to get his breath. by this time his mother was at the edge of the water, where the waves broke on the sand, and she was just going to go in, all dressed as she was, for she did not wear a bathing suit. "harry," cried mrs. slater, "mother is coming!" "there isn't any need, lady!" said duncan porter, the life-saver who was always on duty during the bathing hour. "i'll bring him in to you. but, anyhow, bunny has him safe." the guard, who had been on another part of the beach, had run up when he heard mrs. slater scream, and now he waded out and brought harry to shore in his arms. the new boy was more frightened than hurt, and was soon all right again, though he coughed a little because of the water he had swallowed. "oh, harry slater, you were nearly drowned!" cried some of the other children. "oh, he wasn't in much danger," said the life guard. "i'd have had him out in another second or two. but, as it was, bunny brown got him out of the water all right." "how can i thank you?" said harry's mother, as she gave bunny a hug, all wet as he was, for he and sue, with many other children, had followed the life-saver to shore when he carried the choking, gasping new boy. "oh, it wasn't anything much!" protested bunny, who did not like a fuss being made over him. "the big wave just knocked him down, and i picked him up." "he's a brave and clever little boy!" said several ladies on the beach, and if bunny had not been so tanned and sunburned he might have blushed. "it was a big wave knocked him down," said sue. "one of the steamer waves. you have to look out for 'em! i saw him go down and i yelled." "you were both very watchful of harry," said mrs. slater. "your mother should be proud of you children." "there's my mother now," said bunny, pointing to mrs. brown, who had come down with a number of other women. thus it was that bunny, sue and the new boy became acquainted and mrs. slater also formed a friendship for mrs. brown. soon the excitement had passed and the children were in bathing again, while their mothers either bathed, too, or sat on the beach and talked. bunny and sue liked harry, and you may be sure the new boy was very thankful to bunny brown for pulling him up out of the water. "do they have bigger waves in the ocean than the one that knocked me down?" asked harry, when the three children were once more having a good time in the bathing pool. "oh, i guess they do!" cried sue. "he should see some of the big waves, shouldn't he, bunny?" "well, i'd like to see 'em," said harry, with a laugh. "but i wouldn't want to be knocked down by 'em--not if they were bigger than the wave that hit me." "the waves in the ocean are ever so much bigger," went on bunny. "and in a storm they're twice as big." "we were in a storm coming here," explained sue. "we were on a boat and it rocked like anything, didn't it, bunny?" "yes, it rocked a lot," he agreed. "come on," he called to his sister. "let's go over and dig clams." "where can you dig clams?" asked harry eagerly. anything about the seashore interested him, as it was his first summer at the beach. "they get hard clams away out in the cove," explained bunny. "but soft clams grow over there where the tide is out." "clams don't grow," declared sue. "they aren't like apples." "yes, clams do grow," declared bunny. "else how could a little clam get to be a big one. they grow over there, in that place where there isn't any water," went on bunny. "and when the tide is out we dig for 'em." "i was up on my grandpa's farm once, and i helped dig for potatoes in the ground," said harry. "but i never dug for clams. i'd like to." "we'll show you how," offered bunny. "mother lets us dig soft clams, and she makes chowder of 'em. come on, we'll go over and dig clams." harry was very glad of this chance for fun, and when mrs. brown had said her two children might go, and when mrs. slater had also consented to let her boy accompany his two new playmates, they set off. "there isn't any water on the flats when the tide is out," said mrs. brown. "bunny and sue often go there to dig clams, and we can see them from here." soft clams are not like hard clams. the shell is a sort of bluish black and is quite thin, so it is easily crushed. the soft clam is long and thin, instead of being almost round, like a hard clam. a soft clam lives down in the mud or sand under water. within his shell the soft clam has a long tube, which seems as if made of rubber, for it can be stretched out greatly, or made so small as to fit inside the shell. when the tide covered the low flats at one part of christmas tree cove the soft clams could not be found. but when the tide went out it left bare a large space of sand and sticky mud, or muck. then was the time to dig soft clams. bunny and sue knew how to do it. they used a little shovel, though a regular clammer uses a short-handled hoe, digging the wet earth away much as a farmer digs away the earth from a hill of potatoes. down under the surface the clams are found. "here's a good place to dig," said bunny, as he led sue and harry through little pools of water to the clam flats. "sue, you hold the basket and harry and i will dig." "well, this time i will, 'cause harry's new," answered sue. "but after this i'll dig, too." bunny had brought two shovels, and, giving the new boy one, sue's brother used the other. he dug a hole in the mucky, black sand, and harry did likewise. "when you see something that looks like a black stone pick it up," advised bunny. "'cause that's a clam." the two boys dug away for some time, and at last harry cried: "i got one!" "yes, that's a soft clam, and a nice big one," declared bunny. "and i've got one myself!" soon the two little boys had found a number of clams, which they put in the basket sue held. bunny was just digging out an extra large one when, all of a sudden, sue cried: "bunny, i'm stuck! i can't get my feet up! oh, oh!" "maybe a big clam has hold of her," said harry. "what'll we do, bunny?" chapter xix another storm the two boys stopped their clam-digging and stood staring at sue, who was holding the basket of shellfish and looking at her brother and harry. "i'm stuck fast!" cried sue again. "i can't lift up either of my legs, bunny! what shall i do?" "is it a clam that has hold of you?" asked harry. "clams don't grab hold of you like crabs," declared bunny. "once a crab got hold of my toe, and it pinched like anything." "maybe it's a crab, then," said harry. "this isn't a crab or a clam," said sue. "but my feet are all tight in the mud, and i can't lift 'em out! look!" she struggled hard, trying first to lift one foot and then the other. but she only swayed in a little pool of water that collected around her bare legs. "oh, i know what the matter is!" exclaimed bunny, as he looked again at his sister. "it's like getting into a muck hole in the swamp. there's a lot of soft sand and muck here on the flats, and you've stepped into one of the holes, sue." "shall i--shall i sink down through the hole all the way to--to china?" asked the little girl, and it looked as if she might be going to cry, as she had the time she and bunny were lost in the christmas tree woods. "we'll get you up," said bunny. "come on, harry. you take hold of sue on one side and i'll take hold of her on the other. then maybe she can lift up her own legs." the boys went toward her. "take the basket of clams," directed sue. "i don't want to spill 'em!" she handed bunny the basket of soft clams which the two boys had dug, and bunny set it on top of the pile of dirt that had been piled up as he and harry dug holes to get at the shellfish. then the two boys stood, one on either side of sue, so she could put her hands on their shoulders. "maybe we'll get stuck in the mud, too," suggested harry. "oh, i guess not," said bunny. "anyhow, if we do, it'll be fun." seeing bunny and harry about to help her, sue felt better. she gave up the notion of crying, and began to pull up, first on one foot and then on the other. at first it seemed that neither one would move, so sticky was the mud and muck. but at last sue felt one giving, and she cried: "oh, i'm getting loose! i'm getting loose, bunny!" "pull harder!" directed her brother. "pull as hard as you can!" just about this time mrs. brown, who was sitting on the sand under the sun umbrella talking to mrs. slater, happened to look over toward the children who had gone clam-digging. she saw bunny and harry standing close to sue, and she knew, by the way the children were acting, that something had happened. then mrs. slater, too, looked toward the three children. "is harry in trouble again?" asked his mother. "no, this time it seems to be sue," said mrs. brown. "i think she is stuck in the mud." "is that serious?" asked mrs. slater, for she had not been to the seashore enough to know anything about clam-digging. "oh, there is no danger," said mrs. brown. "they may get very muddy. but they have on their bathing suits, and can easily wash. however, we might walk over as near as we can go, so they may see us." "very well," agreed mrs. slater. "i don't want harry frightened again to-day." but she need not have worried. the children were laughing as sue used the two boys like a pair of crutches to help her lift her feet from the muck. soon she had pulled loose, and she held one foot out so she could see it. "oh, look!" cried the little girl. "there's so much mud on my foot i can't see my toes wiggle!" and this was really so. "it looks as if you had a black shoe on," added bunny. "come on now, you'd better step away from here if you don't want to get stuck again, sue." "and i'm getting stuck myself!" exclaimed harry, as he felt one foot sinking. "is it all like this on the clam flats?" "no," answered bunny, "only in some places. it was all right where you and i stood." by this time mrs. brown and mrs. slater had reached the edge of the clam flats, and they saw that the three children were all right. harry and bunny again started to dig for the shellfish and sue held the basket for them. but she took care to stand on a big flat stone, so there was no more danger of sinking down. "mother!" cried harry, when he saw mrs. slater with mrs. brown, "digging clams is lots of fun, and sue got stuck in the mud." "so we saw," his mother answered. "the seashore is a funny place. you don't seem to know what will happen on land or in the water." "oh, it is all right when you get used to it," said mrs. brown, laughing. "have you enough clams, bunny?" "not quite," he answered. "i like lots of 'em in my chowder." "well, you may dig a few more. we'll sit here and wait for you," said his mother, and, finding a place on shore where a clump of trees gave a little shade, she and mrs. slater sat down. bunny, sue, and harry kept on digging, sue finally insisting on taking a turn with the shovel. "i'm coming to the seashore every year," declared harry, as he dug out an extra large clam. "i guess my dog would like it here, too. he's fond of water." "where is your dog?" asked bunny. "i didn't see you have any." "we didn't bring him with us 'cause he's lost," said harry, leaning on his shovel. "he's an awful nice dog, too. we were going to bring him here with us, but one day, when we were out in the automobile, he jumped out and ran away and we never saw him again." "we had a dog splash, and he ran away, too," said sue. "my dog would carry things in his mouth," went on harry. "he used to carry our paper, and sometimes he would take things you didn't want him to, and carry them away." "oh, bunny!" suddenly exclaimed sue, "that's just what the big yellow dog did. he took mother's pocketbook when we didn't want him to and carried it away. maybe this is the same dog!" "what kind of a dog was yours?" asked bunny of his new friend. "he was a big yellow one," was the answer. "but he was never here in this place, 'cause we were never here ourselves before this summer. so he couldn't have taken your mother's pocketbook." "but the pocketbook wasn't taken from here," said bunny. "it was where we live--in bellemere. and it was a big, yellow dog! could your dog run fast?" he asked harry. "oh, yes, terribly fast. but what's that about your mother's pocketbook?" bunny and sue told the story by turns, how they had seen the dog running away with the pocketbook containing the five-dollar bill and their mother's diamond ring. "and he ran into a carpenter shop, and we ran in after him, and mr. foswick locked us in, and bunny broke a window, and we had a terrible time!" explained sue. "i don't believe that was my dog," said harry. "but sandy--that was my dog's name--would carry away lots of things in his mouth. i wish i had him back. my father said he'd give a lot of money to find him--a reward, you know." "and i guess my father would give a reward if he could get back my mother's diamond ring," added sue. "but he can't. bunker blue says it's gone forever." "children! children!" called mrs. brown from the shore. "i think we had better go now. it is getting late and it looks as if we might have another storm. come along. you have clams enough." "yes, i guess we have," said bunny, looking in the basket. the children started for the mainland, stopping in a little pool to wash the mud off themselves and also to cleanse their shovels. bunny "sozzled" the basket of clams in the water to wash them, and when mrs. brown explained how she made them into chowder mrs. slater remarked: "i wish they served that at the hotel." "won't you and harry come over and have supper with us this evening?" asked mrs. brown. "we'll give you some of the chowder then." "oh, yes, mother, please do!" begged harry, and mrs. slater consented. "i'll tell you more about my lost dog when i come over to-night," called harry to bunny and sue, as they parted. that evening mrs. slater and her son harry were guests of the browns at supper, at which was served the chowder made from the clams dug by the children that afternoon. "it is delicious!" said mrs. slater, as she was helped to a second plateful. "i like it lots!" declared harry. "i guess sandy would, too, if he was here." "what's this about your dog being lost?" asked mr. brown, for he had heard the children talking about it. "we did lose a very valuable animal," explained mrs. slater. "we were out automobiling one day, and in driving through a place called bellemere, on sandport bay----" "bellemere!" cried bunny brown. "why, that's where we live!" "that's where our dog was lost," said mrs. slater, smiling at him. "for some reason he leaped out of the auto and went bounding away down the street. my husband stopped and tried to get him back, but he would not come. and he has been lost ever since. harry misses him very much." "what day was it that your dog ran away?" asked mr. brown, with a look at his wife. "why, it was--let me see," answered mrs. slater slowly. "it was on----" her words were interrupted by a loud crash of thunder that shook the bungalow, and all the electric lights suddenly went out. "oh!" cried bunny, sue, and harry, all at the same time. "i presume we're in for another storm," said mr. brown. "sit still until i light some candles. often the electric lights go out in a severe thunderstorm." as mr. brown arose to strike a match another loud clap of thunder pealed out. chapter xx the floating box the electric light service in christmas tree cove was uncertain in storms, and mr. brown always kept a supply of candles on hand, as well as some kerosene lamps. soon there was plenty of light in the room, and as supper was about over when the storm broke the family and their two visitors went into the sitting-room of the bungalow. "i don't like storms," said harry, and he kept close to his mother. "there isn't any danger," remarked mr. brown. "the lightning hardly ever strikes near the ocean or the bay. i think it may hit out far from shore. but no houses have ever been struck up here." "i guess the christmas trees keep it away," said bunny. "perhaps," laughed his mother. "it isn't bad, now that the worst outburst is over. come, harry, tell us about your lost dog. we have lost one, too." so, while the thunder boomed and the lightning flashed, mrs. slater and harry told about their dog sandy. "and so he left us in bellemere, and we haven't seen him since," finished harry's mother. "how strange!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "he left you the same day the strange dog ran into our yard, where bunny and sue were playing seesaw, and grabbed up my pocketbook. i wonder if, by any chance, it could be the same animal in both cases." "this dog was a big, yellow one," said bunny, and he described the animal that had caused him and sue so much trouble. "sandy was yellow in color," remarked mrs. slater. "but i would not call him a very large dog." "perhaps the dog that took my wife's pocketbook and diamond ring seemed larger to bunny and sue than he really was," said mr. brown. "he rushed into the yard and out again so quickly that he may have looked extra big." "it would be very strange if it should turn out to be our dog who made so much trouble over your pocketbook," went on harry's mother. "sandy did have a bad habit of running off with things. we tried to break him of it. and, now that i recall it, he took one of my gloves when he leaped out of the auto that day." "the big, yellow dog that came into our yard and took my mother's pocketbook didn't have any gloves on," explained sue. "no, he wouldn't be likely to have any on," agreed mrs. slater. "but he might have carried one in his mouth." "i didn't see it," said bunny, shaking his head. "but he took the pocketbook in his mouth and ran away." they talked over the dog matter for some time, and then, as the storm seemed to be growing worse again, mrs. slater began to think it was time for her and harry to go back to the hotel. a closed automobile was called from the village, and in that the lady and her son prepared to go to their hotel. it was then about eight o'clock in the evening. "mr. slater has advertised for our lost dog," his wife said, as she was departing. "if we ever find him, bunny and sue can look at sandy and make sure whether or not he is the dog that ran into their yard. though, of course, that will not bring back your ring, i am sorry to say," she added. the storm kept up all night and part of the next day. it rained hard and the wind blew, though the thunder and lightning were soon over. it settled into what the cove dwellers called a "nor'easter," and it was not at all pleasant. bunny and sue could not go out to play, but uncle tad and bunker blue amused the children indoors. mr. brown had to go back to bellemere, but he went on the train, as the bay was so rough the boat did not run, and captain ross had not returned with the _fairy_. "i wish harry could come over and play with us," said bunny on the second day of the storm, as he stood with his nose pressed against the window. "it will be clear to-morrow," said bunker blue, who had come in from a trip to the store. "the wind is working around and the sun will be out to-morrow." bunny and sue certainly hoped so, and when they arose the next morning the first thing they did was to run to the window and look out anxiously. bunker's prophecy had come true. the sun was shining and the wind was no longer blowing, though the water in the bay was still rough. "let's go down to the beach!" cried bunny, as soon as breakfast was over. "maybe we'll find a lot of things washed up on shore." this was not unusual, for the storms along the coast, even in summer, sometimes caused wrecks, and parts of them were often washed up on the beach. "yes, let's," agreed sue. a little later bunny and sue were running down to the sandy shore, and there they saw their new friend harry, who was walking along with his mother. "wasn't it a terrible storm?" called mrs. slater, when she saw the two brown children. "i never remember a worse one!" "yes, it was bad," agreed bunny. "it was worse than when we were on the _fairy_. did you see anything washed up?" he asked. "not yet," replied harry. "what do you find after a storm?" "oh, lots of things," answered bunny. "once i saw a whale washed up on shore. he was awful big." "i wish i could see a whale washed up," said harry longingly. he looked across the tumbling waters of christmas tree cove, as though he might catch sight of some monster of the sea. but there was nothing in view just then. the three children, with mrs. slater, walked along a little farther. suddenly sue, who was a short distance ahead, gave a delighted cry. "what is it?" asked bunny. "a cocoanut?" once a ship laden with cocoanuts had been wrecked and the shore strewn with the nuts. "is it a whale?" asked harry. "it's a big box," answered sue, pointing. "look, it's floating out there, and i guess it's coming to shore right here." the others looked toward the object at which sue pointed and saw, bobbing up and down in the waves, what appeared to be a large chest. the wind and tide were fast bringing it up to where they stood on the beach. chapter xxi mr. ravenwood bunny brown and his sister sue stood with harry slater and his mother on the beach and watched the wind and the tide bringing nearer and nearer to shore the floating box. as it came into plainer view, the children could see that it was no ordinary refuse of the sea, like a broken orange or lemon box, some of which floated ashore at bellemere. "that's a nice, good box," said bunny, as he watched it bobbing up and down on the waves. "it's a box just like mr. foswick, the carpenter, makes." "and it isn't broken, either," added sue. usually the boxes she and her brother found on the beach were empty and smashed. "maybe it has something in it," suggested harry. "oh, wouldn't it be funny if my dog was in it!" he cried. "how could your dog be in it, dear?" asked his mother. "sandy was lost on shore. how could he be out in the ocean?" "well, maybe, after he jumped out of our auto he went on a boat and maybe the boat sank and he got in this box, like a little boat, and now he's coming back to me," explained harry. "oh, no, you mustn't hope for any such good luck as that," said his mother, with a smile. "if sandy were in that box you would hear him barking. and, besides, that box seems to be tightly nailed or screwed shut. we'll soon see what's in it, for it is coming ashore," she added. "maybe it's sandy," insisted harry. "i don't think there's any dog in it," sue remarked. "but maybe there's pirates' gold." "maybe," assented bunny. "what's pirates' gold?" asked harry. "it's gold the robber pirates take off ships," explained bunny. "and they put it in boxes, and then they bring it on shore and bury it in the sand, and then they make a map in red ink so they won't forget where they buried the box, and then they go off and get more gold, the pirates do." "what makes 'em bury the gold they already have?" asked harry. "so nobody can find it," explained bunny. bunny and sue liked to hear tales of the sea. bunker blue had told them some, and i am afraid they were not altogether true, however interesting they were. "but that can't be a pirates' box," said sue, "'cause i don't see any pirates, and they wouldn't send a box to shore all by itself." "no," agreed bunny, "i guess they wouldn't, 'cause a box couldn't bury itself in the sand. but i think there's something in this box." "it does seem so," said mrs. slater, who was now quite as interested as were the children. "look," she went on. "it is going to come ashore at that little point. let's walk out on it, and we can pull it up on the sand." a little tongue of land extended out into the water near the spot where they were standing, and soon bunny, his sister, and harry and mrs. slater were out on the very tip of it, waiting for the box to be washed ashore. the tide was rising, and the waves were still rather high on account of the storm. nearer and nearer the box came, but when it was almost at the point of land it seemed about to be washed away, farther up the coast. "oh, it is going past us!" exclaimed mrs. slater. "i can wade in and get it!" said bunny. "i'll take off my shoes and stockings and get it," and, sitting down, he began to do this. "i don't want to take off my shoes. you can get it without me, bunny," remarked sue. "may i wade in, mother?" asked harry. "it isn't deep," said bunny, as mrs. slater hesitated. "and we won't have to wade out very far." "all right," agreed harry's mother, with a smile. "you two boys may wade in, and sue and i will watch you. but maybe the box will be too heavy for you." "oh, no!" exclaimed bunny, as harry began taking off his shoes and stockings. "things in the water move easy. i can push or pull a big boat all alone, if it's in the water, but i can't if it's on land. and the box isn't very big." "i wonder what's in it," said sue, as her brother and harry prepared to wade out. "maybe it's a lot of dolls from china." "what makes you think it might be that?" asked mrs. slater, as she put the boys' shoes and stockings up on the sand. "once some chinese dolls came ashore at bellemere," said sue. "i got one, but her eyes were washed out. i always had to make believe she was asleep." "how did they happen to come ashore?" asked mrs. slater. "a ship that was coming from china got wrecked," explained sue, "and the boxes with the dolls in washed up on shore. but i guess this isn't a doll box," she added. "it doesn't look so," said harry's mother. "it seems to be a very heavy case, such as machinery comes in, but of course there can't be machinery in it, or it would sink." "and there can't be a dog in it, or he'd smother," added sue, "'cause the cover is nailed on tight." the box was near the point of land now, and bunny and harry were wading out to get it. mrs. slater and sue could see that the box was a square one, about three feet long, and as many high and wide. and there was a cover on it. "catch hold now!" cried bunny to harry, and the two boys took hold of the sides of the box and easily guided it up to the beach. it soon grounded in the shallow water, but it was so heavy that when bunny and harry had got it to the shore of the point of land they could move it no farther. "it's nailed tight shut all around," bunny said, as he looked on all four sides. "ain't there a cover that you can put back like on a trunk?" sue wanted to know. "no, there ain't," answered harry, "for if there was the hinges would show--they always do." "oh, what do you think can really be in it?" cried sue, dancing around in excitement. "maybe it's a boat chest of some sort," suggested bunny, who had heard captain ross speak of such things. "from china?" "oh, i guess it couldn't come from as far away as that." "course it couldn't," declared harry. "children, i think we have made quite a find," said mrs. slater, as she looked carefully at the box. "i wonder to whom it belongs." "there's a name printed on it over here," said bunny, pointing to the side of the box turned away from shore. "what does it say?" asked mrs. slater, for she could not look without stepping into the water. "there's an f and an r and an a and an n and a k," said bunny slowly. "that spells frank," said mrs. slater. "what else is there?" bunny spelled out the rest of the name, and also an address. "well, then it would seem this box belongs to a mr. frank ravenwood of sea gate," said harry's mother. "is there anything else on that side, bunny?" "no'm," he answered. "frank ravenwood, of sea gate," went on mrs. slater. "where is sea gate, bunny?" "it's on the coast, just down below where we live," was the answer. "then we can write and tell mr. ravenwood of sea gate that we have his box that was washed ashore," went on harry's mother. "but we must get it higher up on the beach or it will wash away again. i wonder----" but she suddenly stopped, for sue gave a cry of alarm and pointed toward shore. "oh, look!" exclaimed the little girl. "look!" chapter xxii the surprising letter mrs. slater was so interested in looking at the strange box which had been washed up on shore, and was thinking so deeply about the name of frank ravenwood which bunny spelled for her that, for the moment, she did not quite understand what sue meant. "what is it, sue?" she asked the little girl, for sue kept on pointing toward something behind mrs. slater. "the tide!" exclaimed bunny's sister. "the tide's coming up and it's washing over the sand and we're on an island! we can't get back lessen we wade!" mrs. slater gave a startled cry, and looked toward where sue pointed. surely enough, while they had been watching the box and while bunny and harry had been getting it to shore the tide had risen and now covered part of the strip of sand on which they had all walked out. as sue said, it was an island, and the only way to get to shore was to wade. "i'm going to take off my shoes and stockings!" cried the little girl, hopping up on the box and beginning to loosen her laces. "you'd better take off your shoes, too, mrs. slater. if you don't you'll get your feet wet when you have to wade to shore. course you haven't got your mother here to scold you if you get your shoes wet, but maybe your husband mightn't like it," went on sue. "you can wade same as i can." "we don't have to take off our shoes and stockings, 'cause we have 'em off already," said bunny. "harry and i can wade." "it looks as if i'd have to do that," said harry's mother. "i wonder if the water is very deep," she went on, as she looked at the water which had covered the shore end of the little tongue of land. "no, it isn't deep!" declared bunny, and he waded out into it. "but it keeps on getting deeper when the tide comes up. you'd better take your shoes and stockings off now, mrs. slater, else maybe it'll be away up over your head soon." "i shouldn't want that to happen," she said, with a laugh. "i believe i shall have to do as you children have done, and go barefoot," and she glanced at sue, who, by this time, had off her shoes and stockings. harry's mother looked at the stretch of water separating the little party from the mainland. as bunny had said, it would get deeper the higher the tide rose, though, of course, it would not go over mrs. slater's head. she sat down on the box, as sue had done, and was just beginning to take off her shoes when a voice called to them. "wait a minute! i'm coming to get you!" was what they all heard, and, looking up, bunny brown saw bunker blue rowing along in his sailboat. the sail, however, was not up now. "oh, bunker, come and get us!" cried sue. "we're caught by the tide, and----" "and we found a box and maybe it has pirate gold in it!" sang out bunny. "look, bunker!" and the little boy pointed to the box on the sand. it was still partly in the water. "i see," answered bunker blue. "i noticed that you'd been caught by the tide, so i came in the boat to get you. wait there, mrs. slater," he went on. "there's no need of getting your feet wet." in a little while bunker rowed up to the place where the box rested and where bunny, sue, and the others stood around it, the three children barefooted. the little tongue, or peninsula, of land, was now an island, rapidly growing smaller in size as the tide rose. "get in the boat and i'll row you to shore," said bunker, as he grounded his craft in the sand. "have we got to leave the box here?" asked bunny. "no, i'll come back and get that after i land you," said the fish boy. so they all got into the boat, and it did not take bunker blue long to row them to shore. then he went back, and, after a little hard work, he managed to get the box into his boat. "i'll row this box down to the dock," called bunker to those on shore. "you walk along the beach until you meet me. then we can see what's in it." this was done, and soon uncle tad and mrs. brown were down on the little pier of christmas tree cove, looking at the box and wondering what could be in it. "it's heavy, whatever it is," said uncle tad. "pirate gold is always heavy, i guess," said bunny. "oh, it couldn't be gold!" declared bunker blue. "if it was gold in the box i never could have lifted it." "let's open it!" suggested sue. "no, we must not do that," said mrs. brown. "when your father comes home to-night i'll have him write to this mr. frank ravenwood of sea gate. in the letter daddy can explain how the box was found, and mr. ravenwood can come here and get it if he wishes to. until then, bunker, you had better take it up to the woodshed, where it will be safe from harm." uncle tad and bunker put the box on a wheelbarrow, and it was soon stored in the woodshed back of the bungalow. for some time bunny, sue and harry wondered what could be in it, but, after a while, the children ran off to play in the sand, and to wade and paddle in the water. "let's build a big sand fort," suggested bunny. "oh, no, make it a doll house," cried sue. "all right, a doll house," said harry, who was beginning to like sue as much as he did bunny. so they built a wonderful doll house of sand, with four rooms and an elegant driveway. but just as it was completed the whole thing caved in. "my! ain't i glad none of my dolls were in that," declared sue. mr. brown came up to his summer home that night, and, after looking at the box, wrote a letter to mr. ravenwood, telling how it had been found. this letter was mailed to sea gate, and then followed a time of waiting. in the letter mr. brown had told how bunny, sue, and harry slater had found the box. "i wonder when we'll get an answer," remarked bunny several times in the next two days. "if the box is at all valuable mr. ravenwood ought to answer daddy's letter very soon," said mrs. brown. "i don't see how the box got into the bay and floated all the way up here from sea gate. it is quite a distance." three days after the strange find, when bunny, sue, and harry were playing with rose and jimmie madden near the bungalow one afternoon, uncle tad came up from the village with the mail. "here's a letter from mr. ravenwood, children!" said the old soldier. "oh, goody!" exclaimed sue. "did he say his box had pirate gold in?" asked bunny. "i don't know. i didn't open the letter," answered uncle tad. but mrs. brown soon read the note and, as she did so, a look of surprise came over her face. "yes, that is mr. ravenwood's box," said bunny's mother. "he is coming here to-morrow in his motor boat to get it. but here is something else very strange. i'll read it to you," she went on. then she read: "'thank you, very much, for saving my valuable box. i see a little boy named harry slater helped in saving it. i wonder if he is any relation to a mr. thomas slater who has been advertising for a lost yellow dog. i have found such a dog, and i am going to bring him to christmas tree cove in my motor boat when i come after my box. if this is the lost dog that is being advertised for, harry may have him back.'" "oh, i wonder if that is my dog!" exclaimed harry. "and if it is, i wonder if he can tell us where he left mother's pocketbook," said bunny brown. chapter xxiii "that's the dog!" when daddy brown came up to christmas tree cove from his dock in bellemere that evening he, of course, was told about the letter from mr. ravenwood. "i am glad that we can give him back his box," said bunny's father. "but what is this about a dog?" "you know we had a big dog named sandy, of whom we were very fond," said mrs. slater, who, with harry, was paying a call after supper on the browns. "as i have told bunny and sue, one day, when we were out in our auto looking for a place to spend the summer, sandy leaped out and ran away. we did all we could to get him back, but he disappeared, and we had to go on without him, much to harry's sorrow. "the place where sandy leaped from the auto and ran away was bellemere, and we were quite surprised when we got here to find that you people lived there," went on mrs. slater, nodding at mrs. brown and her family. "and maybe it was sandy who ran in the yard and took the pocketbook when sue and i were having a seesaw out in the barn," suggested bunny. "of course it is possible," admitted mr. brown, when there had been more talk and it was discovered that the sandy dog was lost the very same day that mrs. brown's pocketbook was picked up off the bench and carried away by a strange yellow animal that then ran into mr. foswick's carpenter shop. "yes, sandy could very easily have run down the street on which your house is located," said harry's mother. "as i told the children, he had a habit of taking things in his mouth and running away with them. and he might have picked up the pocketbook. of course it seems a very strange thing to have happened, but it is possible." "how did mr. ravenwood get the dog which he says in his letter he has?" asked mr. brown, while bunny and the others listened carefully. "it is not certain this is our dog," went on mrs. slater. "we shall know that when he comes here after his box. i see how it may have happened. after sandy disappeared my husband put advertisements about him in many seashore papers. he asked that word of finding of the dog be sent to him at his city office or to me here at christmas tree cove. the advertisements spoke of how fond harry was of sandy. i hope harry is not disappointed, and that this will prove to be his dog. and i hope your wife will find her pocketbook and diamond ring." "oh, she will now!" exclaimed harry. "that is too much," said bunny's mother. "i have given up hope of ever seeing my beautiful ring again. even if it was your dog that ran in and picked up the pocketbook, he must have dropped it in some out-of-the-way place, and there is no telling where it is." "no, unfortunately, sandy can not talk," said mrs. slater. "but he can sit up on his hind legs and beg!" exclaimed harry. "oh, i do hope i get him back!" "so do i!" echoed bunny and sue. the next day was such an anxious one for the children, who were waiting for the appearance of mr. ravenwood in his motor boat with the dog he had found, that mrs. brown finally said: "come, kiddies, we'll go for a little picnic down on the beach." "may harry come?" asked bunny, for harry was over at the bungalow playing with bunny and sue. "yes. and we'll invite harry's mother and bunker blue and uncle tad," said mrs. brown. "we'll spend the afternoon on the beach. it will make the time pass more quickly." indeed the time did seem to drag for bunny, sue, and harry. they did not know just what time to expect mr. ravenwood in his boat, to claim his box and to bring the strange dog. every now and again the children would ask: "when do you think he'll come?" then, at last, mrs. brown had decided on the picnic as a means of keeping them quiet. picnics were often held at christmas tree cove, and could be quickly got up. all that was necessary to do was to put up a lunch and go down to one of the many nice places on the beach. harry was sent over to the hotel to ask his mother if he might go, and also to invite her to be one of the party, and soon mrs. slater was on her way back to bark lodge with her little son. "it is very nice of you, mrs. brown, to ask us," said mrs. slater. "i shall have just as much fun as the children," replied the mother of bunny and sue brown. uncle tad and bunker blue were also delighted to go, and bunny wanted to take his shovel and dig for soft clams and have a clambake on the beach. "not now, dear," said his mother. "it is quite a lot of work, and you get so muddy digging clams. after a while, when daddy can be with us, we may have a big bake on the beach some night." "and maybe mr. ravenwood will come!" exclaimed sue. "maybe he will," agreed her mother. a little later they were all seated on the sands, the older folk in the shade of some sun umbrellas that bunker blue and uncle tad put up, while bunny, sue, and harry played out in the sunshine. they were tanned as brown as autumn leaves and no longer sunburned. the children dug holes in the sand, made miniature cities and railroads, built tunnels which caved in, and finally started to make a cabin of driftwood. uncle tad and bunker blue were helping at this, and they planned to make a regular thatched roof of seaweed. the little shack on the sand was half done when the puffing of a motor boat was heard near shore and a voice hailed the little party. "can you tell me where christmas tree cove is?" asked a young man in the boat. "it is right here," answered mrs. brown, waving her hand toward the groups of evergreens on the shore. bunny, sue, and harry looked at the man in the boat, and then at something else. and the something else was a big, yellow dog that stood on one of the seats. at the sight of this animal mrs. slater stood up and harry cried: "there's sandy! that's my sandy all right!" instantly, at the sound of the little boy's voice, the dog gave a loud bark and leaped into the bay to swim to shore. he reached the sand and ran at full speed toward the party of picnickers. as he ran, bunny brown cried: "that's the dog! that's the dog that took my mother's pocketbook and diamond ring!" chapter xxiv in the boat nearer and nearer to the picnic party on the beach raced the big, yellow dog. he was barking in delight and his tail was wagging from side to side. "he'll get us wet!" exclaimed mrs. slater. "down, sandy! down!" she commanded. instantly the dog stopped and began to shake himself vigorously, sending the water in a shower from his shaggy coat. "oh, he minded you! he's your dog all right, isn't he?" cried bunny. "yes, he's my sandy," answered harry. "he always minds sometimes." at the sound of his young master's voice the dog, with another joyful bark, again leaped forward. he had stopped to get rid of as much of the water as possible, but a moment later he was jumping and tumbling about harry and mrs. slater, while the little boy, caring not at all about the dog's damp coat, was hugging his pet. "oh, sandy! sandy! i'm so glad you came back!" cried harry. "is it really your dog?" asked mrs. brown of her friend. "yes," answered mrs. slater. "oh, do be quiet, you crazy animal," she said, as he leaped up and tried to put his tongue on her face. "he wants to kiss you," said sue. then the dog turned to sue, and he really did "kiss" her, for sue was sitting down and the dog easily reached her tanned cheeks with his red tongue. "be careful," warned mrs. brown. "oh, sandy is gentle and loves children," said harry's mother. "but i fancy that young man in the boat wants some explanation," she went on. "though, since we have told him this is christmas tree cove, he must have guessed that we are the people to whom the dog belongs." the man in the boat had stopped his engine, and the craft was now grounded in the sand not far from where the picnic was being held. a four-pronged anchor was tossed out to prevent the motor boat from drifting away, and then the young man came up the beach. he was smiling pleasantly, and as he took off his cap and bowed to the ladies he said: "davy jones seems to have found out where he belongs all right. i presume this is harry slater," he went on, looking at the boy around whom the dog was leaping. "yes," answered mrs. slater. "and this is mr. ravenwood?" "yes," was the reply. "i called the dog davy jones, for he seemed to love the sea, and i didn't know what his right name was. he is evidently yours." "sandy belongs to us," returned mrs. slater. "it is all rather a strange story from the time sandy ran away from us until we found your box and learned that you had our dog. but there is a stranger part to it still, it seems, if what bunny and sue think proves to be true." "what is that?" asked mr. ravenwood. then he was told about the missing pocketbook and ring. "are you sure, children, that this is the same dog that ran into the yard that day and made off with my pocketbook?" asked mrs. brown of bunny and sue. "oh, yes!" declared bunny. "he runs just the same, and he barks just the same, and he looks just the same." sue agreed with this, and when mrs. slater told again what a habit sandy had of carrying things off in his mouth it was decided that this was the animal that had caused bunny and sue so much trouble, including the locking in at mr. foswick's carpenter shop. "how did you get sandy?" asked mrs. slater of mr. ravenwood. "he came to me," was the answer. "i am a sort of carpenter myself," he went on. "i make things of wood, called patterns. they are for the use of foundries in casting objects in metal. the box you found is full of wooden patterns, and that is why it floated away up here after i lost it." "how did you lose it?" asked sue. "and isn't there _any_ pirate gold in the box?" asked bunny, much disappointed. "no, not a bit of pirate gold, or any other kind," laughed mr. ravenwood. "i wish there might be some real, good gold in it, but such things don't happen outside of books, i'm afraid," he added. "perhaps i had better tell you the whole story," he suggested. "i should like to hear it," said mrs. brown. "that is, unless you want to go up to our woodshed and make sure it is your box we have found." "no," was the reply. "i am pretty certain, from your description of it and from the fact that it has my name on it, that it is mine. now i will tell you how davy jones, as i called him, or sandy, as you call him, came to me. "i was in my motor boat one day at a dock in bellemere, getting some wood to take to my shop in sea gate to make into patterns. i was just about to start off when this big, yellow dog came running along the pier. he jumped into my boat and made himself at home. i tried to make him go ashore, but he wouldn't. as i had no time to get out myself and tie him up, i took him with me back to sea gate. he proved to be very friendly, and though i was sure he was a valuable animal and that some one would want him back, i had no time then to make inquiries. i just kept him and took him home with me." "did he have a pocketbook when he jumped into your boat?" asked bunny. "no, i don't believe he did," answered mr. ravenwood. "he had nothing in his mouth that i recall; though, to tell you the truth, my back was turned when he leaped aboard." "he couldn't have had my pocketbook," said mrs. brown. "if this is the same dog that was in our yard, and he seems to be, he either dropped my purse in the carpenter shop or else in some other place which we shall never know. the shop has been searched, but where else to look no one knows." "well, as i said," went on mr. ravenwood, "sandy came aboard my boat and i kept him. it was not until the other day that i noticed an advertisement about him, and then i knew what to do with him. that was the day after i lost my box." "how did you lose that?" asked uncle tad. "i lost it overboard out of my boat in the fierce storm of the other night," was the answer. "i had packed the box full of wooden patterns, put it in my boat, and i had lettered my name and address on it in readiness for sending it away by express. i was also going to put the name of the place where the box was to go, but i was called away just then to the telephone at the dock in sea gate, and when i came back i was thinking so much about something else that i forgot all about putting the other name on the box. i started out in my boat to take the box across the bay to the express office, and i was caught in the storm. i was nearly capsized and had to put back to shore, the box tipping overboard and floating off. i was glad enough to let it go and get safely back myself." "and did sandy go overboard, too?" asked harry, his arms about his dog's neck. "no, i had left sandy on shore," answered mr. ravenwood. "though he always wanted to go with me; didn't you, old fellow?" he asked, and the dog wagged his tail to show how happy he was. "well, that's about all there is to my story," said mr. ravenwood. "after the storm was over i set out in search of my box of patterns, for i knew they would float, but i could not find them. sandy went with me on these trips. then i got mr. brown's letter, telling me that the box with my name on was here in christmas tree cove, and, at the same time, i noticed the advertisement in one of the papers about the lost dog. "i connected the two names, and then i thought the best thing to do was to bring sandy here and see if he belonged to you folks. and i am glad to know that he does," he went on. "and now, if i may get my box and pay any expenses there may be attached to it----" "there aren't any expenses," interrupted mrs. brown, with a smile. "the box is in our shed, and you are welcome to it at any time. but won't you have lunch with us? the children were so anxious for you to come that i thought this would make the time pass more quickly. we did not dream of your coming to us here." "i'm glad i did," said the young man, as he took a sandwich which sue passed him. then there was a happy time on the beach, different parts of the strange stories being told over and over again. sandy seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself, and he eagerly ate the pieces of bread and meat the children tossed to him. at last, however, the time came to go home. mr. brown was expected up from bellemere and mr. ravenwood said he would wait over and meet him. "we can all get in my boat, and ride to the dock," proposed the young pattern-maker. "oh, that will be fun!" cried bunny. "come on!" the lunch baskets were gathered up, and as they went down the beach to mr. ravenwood's boat sue put her arms around sandy's neck, looked into the brown eyes of the dog, and said very seriously: "can't you tell what you did with my mother's pocketbook and diamond ring?" sandy only wagged his tail, gave a little bark, and raced off after harry and bunny, who were getting into the boat. "all aboard!" called mr. ravenwood, as he helped in mrs. brown and mrs. slater. "all aboard!" "i'll push off and you can start the engine," offered bunker blue. "i'm used to it and i can hop on after she gets started." "all right," said mr. ravenwood, and he went back to the stern of the craft where the gasolene motor was placed under a cover made of wood, to keep out the rain and the salty spray. bunker pushed the bow of the boat free from the sand and then leaped on board himself. "start her up!" he cried to mr. ravenwood. chapter xxv what stopped the engine with a chug-chug the motor boat started down along the sandy shore of christmas tree cove. the children sat up in front, at the bow, as it is called, and harry's recently recovered dog was with them, being petted first by one and then the other of the three little friends. mrs. brown and mrs. slater sat behind the children, and in the back, or stern, near the engine, were mr. ravenwood and uncle tad and bunker blue. "which dock shall i steer for?" asked mr. ravenwood, as the boat moved out from shore. "right there," and uncle tad pointed to the one nearest bark lodge. "it certainly is strange how things happen in this world," said uncle tad, as he and mr. ravenwood were talking about the finding of the floating box and the recovery of sandy. "if we could only find the lost pocketbook and the diamond ring now, i would say it might be almost like a fairy story." "yes," agreed mr. ravenwood, "it certainly might be called that." he was listening to the noise of the engine as he sat with one hand on the steering wheel. "what's the matter?" asked bunker blue. "anything wrong?" "the motor sounds rather strange," answered the pattern-maker. "i was just wondering----" he did not finish the sentence before the engine suddenly stopped with a sort of wheeze and groan which showed something was wrong. "something's caught in the flywheel," declared bunker blue. "that's what it sounds like to me," added uncle tad. "we'll have a look," stated mr. ravenwood, as he shut off the gasolene supply and opened the electric switch. then he proceeded to lift the wooden covering of the engine. "what's the matter?" asked bunny brown, looking back. "the engine has stopped," his mother told him. "what made it?" sue wanted to know. "that's what mr. ravenwood is trying to find out," said uncle tad. idly the boat floated on the water while mr. ravenwood looked in the covering case and around the flywheel. "there's something jammed down under the flywheel, between it and the keel of the boat," he said. "i can just feel it. seems to be a bit of rag or cotton waste that i use to wipe off the oil and grease from my hands and to polish the machinery. wait, i can get it out," he went on, as he thrust his arm down deeper. "i have my hand on it, but it is jammed in pretty tight and----" he gave a grunt and a pull, and then up came his arm, and in his hand he held something black, which dripped with water and oil. "there it is," said the young man. "it must have been in the pit for some time to get so soaked as that. i don't remember dropping anything in there. in fact, i'm very careful, for there isn't much room between the rim of the flywheel and the keel, and even a small bit of waste will stop the wheel, just as this did." "is it waste?" asked uncle tad. "no, it doesn't seem to be," was mr. ravenwood's answer. "why--why----" he went on in surprise, as he laid the object down on top of the engine cover and examined it. "why, it's an old leather pocketbook!" "a pocketbook!" cried bunny brown and his sister sue, and they looked at one another with startled eyes. "yes, that's what it is--an old pocketbook," went on mr. ravenwood. "how in the world it ever came here i can't imagine, unless----" "is it really a pocketbook?" asked mrs. brown in a strange voice, and her face was slightly pale as she turned to look at what had been taken out from under the engine. "let me see it." "don't touch it!" cautioned mr. ravenwood. "it's soaked with oil and grease." "what is in it--if anything?" went on bunny's mother, in that same strange voice. "i'll look," offered mr. ravenwood. "my hands can't get much more oily." while the others eagerly watched, he opened the object, which really was a water and oil-soaked pocketbook, and he thrust his fingers down in the different compartments. "seems to have a little money in," he said, as he took out some nickles and pennies, and laid them on the cover. "here's a--well, i declare, it's a five-dollar bill!" he said, as he opened a piece of paper. "it's covered with oil and grease, but it can be washed clean and will be as good as ever." "a five-dollar bill!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "oh, is there--is there anything else in the pocketbook? if there is, it must be----" mr. ravenwood thrust his fingers into another section. a strange look came over his face as he drew out and held up in the sunlight something that gleamed and glinted and sparkled. "a diamond ring!" he cried. "oh, it's my mother's! it's my mother's!" shouted bunny brown. "give it to her!" mr. ravenwood wiped the diamond ring on a clean bit of white waste, and then handed it to mrs. brown. "yes, it is mine. it's my diamond engagement ring that was in the pocketbook the dog took away! oh, how glad i am!" she said, and there were tears in her eyes as she slipped the ring on her finger. "of all the remarkable happenings!" exclaimed mrs. slater. "just like a fairy story!" laughed sue. "did sandy drop the pocketbook in the boat?" asked bunny. "i think that must be how it happened," answered mr. ravenwood, as he looked in the purse for anything more that it might contain; but there was nothing. "do you want it saved?" he asked mrs. brown. "no, it was an old pocketbook and you might as well toss it overboard," she answered. "i have all i wanted out of it--my diamond ring." "well, we got the money back, too," said bunny. "can you really wash a five-dollar bill?" he asked. "oh, yes," uncle tad assured him. "i'll wash this and iron it and make it look like new." and this he did a little later. the old pocketbook was tossed overboard. it sank in a circle of rainbow colors, caused by the oil on it, and as the boat started off again mrs. brown looked joyfully at her diamond ring so strangely recovered. "i see how it must have happened," said mr. ravenwood, as they landed at the dock. "sandy must have had the pocketbook in his mouth when he leaped aboard my boat, but i didn't notice it, as my back was turned. he must have dropped it inside the engine box, which was open, and it has been there ever since. to-day it worked its way under the wheel and stopped the machinery, or i might not have found it until i laid the boat up for the winter, when i always take the engine out to clean it." "i think that is how it really did happen," said mrs. slater. "sandy, you were a bad dog to take the pocketbook!" and she shook her finger at him. sandy hung his head for a moment, but he was soon wagging his tail joyfully as bunny, sue, and harry petted him. and so mrs. brown's pocketbook and diamond ring, so strangely taken away, were found again. sandy did not drop the purse in the carpenter shop, as was supposed. he carried it out again in his mouth, and kept it until he leaped aboard the boat, when he dropped it. mr. ravenwood looked at the box in the woodshed, declaring it to be the one that had been lost overboard in the storm. "so each one has his own again," said the young pattern-maker. "i have my box, harry has his dog, and mrs. brown has her diamond ring." there was much rejoicing, as you may imagine, and when daddy brown came up that night he had to hear the whole story over and over again. mr. ravenwood departed that evening, taking his box with him and promising to call and see the browns in bellemere when they returned home. but the joyous days at christmas tree cove were not yet over. many happy times followed, and bunny brown and his sister sue were in the midst of them. they had some adventures, also, but every one agreed that the one of the lost and found diamond ring and dog was the most remarkable. and now, for a time, we shall take leave of our little friends, perhaps to meet them again in new scenes. * * * * * _this isn't all!_ would you like to know what became of the good friends you have made in this book? would you like to read other stories continuing their adventures and experiences, or other books quite as entertaining by the same author? on the _reverse side_ of the wrapper which comes with this book, you will find a wonderful list of stories which you can buy at the same store where you got this book. _don't throw away the wrapper_ _use it as a handy catalog of the books you want some day to have. but in case you do mislay it, write to the publishers for a complete catalog._ the bunny brown series by laura lee hope author of the popular "bobbsey twins" books, etc. durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding. each volume complete in itself. these stories are eagerly welcomed by the little folks from about five to ten years of age. their eyes fairly dance with delight at the lively doings of inquisitive little bunny brown and his cunning, trustful sister sue. bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at camp-rest-a-while bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove bunny brown and his sister sue in the sunny south bunny brown and his sister sue keeping store bunny brown and his sister sue and their trick dog bunny brown and his sister sue at a sugar camp bunny brown and his sister sue on the rolling ocean bunny brown and his sister sue on jack frost island bunny brown and his sister sue at shore acres bunny brown and his sister sue at berry hill grosset & dunlap, _publishers_, new york the bobbsey twins books for little men and women by laura lee hope author of "the bunny brown series," etc. durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding. every volume complete in itself. these books for boys and girls between the ages of three and ten stand among children and their parents of this generation where the books of louisa may alcott stood in former days. the haps and mishaps of this inimitable pair of twins, their many adventures and experiences are a source of keen delight to imaginative children. the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a houseboat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home the bobbsey twins in a great city the bobbsey twins on blueberry island the bobbsey twins on the deep blue sea the bobbsey twins in the great west the bobbsey twins at cedar camp the bobbsey twins at the county fair the bobbsey twins camping out the bobbsey twins and baby may the bobbsey twins keeping house the bobbsey twins at cloverbank the bobbsey twins at cherry corners the bobbsey twins and their schoolmates the bobbsey twins treasure hunting the bobbsey twins at spruce lake grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york six little bunkers series by laura lee hope author of the bobbsey twins books, the bunny brown series, the blythe girls books, etc. durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding. every volume complete in itself. delightful stories for little boys and girls which sprung into immediate popularity. to know the six little bunkers is to take them at once to your heart, they are so intensely human, so full of fun and cute sayings. each story has a little plot of its own--one that can be easily followed--and all are written in miss hope's most entertaining manner. clean, wholesome volumes which ought to be on the bookshelf of every child in the land. six little bunkers at grandma bell's six little bunkers at aunt jo's six little bunkers at cousin tom's six little bunkers at grandpa ford's six little bunkers at uncle fred's six little bunkers at captain ben's six little bunkers at cowboy jack's six little bunkers at mammy june's six little bunkers at farmer joel's six little bunkers at miller ned's six little bunkers at indian john's six little bunkers at happy jim's six little bunkers at skipper bob's grosset & dunlap, _publishers_, new york the honey bunch books by helen louise thorndyke individual colored wrappers and text illustrations drawn by walter s. rogers honey bunch is a dainty, thoughtful little girl, and to know her is to take her to your heart at once. little girls everywhere will want to discover what interesting experiences she is having wherever she goes. honey bunch: just a little girl honey bunch: her first visit to the city honey bunch: her first days on the farm honey bunch: her first visit to the seashore honey bunch: her first little garden honey bunch: her first days in camp honey bunch: her first auto tour honey bunch: her first trip on the ocean honey bunch: her first trip west honey bunch: her first summer on an island grosset & dunlap, _publishers_, new york carolyn wells books attractively bound. illustrated. colored wrappers. the marjorie books marjorie is a happy little girl of twelve, up to mischief, but full of goodness and sincerity. in her and her friends every girl reader will see much of her own love of fun, play and adventure. marjorie's vacation marjorie's busy days marjorie's new friend marjorie in command marjorie's maytime marjorie at seacote the two little women series introducing dorinda fayre--a pretty blonde, sweet, serious, timid and a little slow, and dorothy rose--a sparkling brunette, quick, elf-like, high tempered, full of mischief and always getting into scrapes. two little women two little women and treasure house two little women on a holiday the dick and dolly books dick and dolly are brother and sister, and their games, their pranks, their joys and sorrows, are told in a manner which makes the stories "really true" to young readers. dick and dolly dick and dolly's adventures grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york * * * * * transcriber's note: obvious punctuation errors have been repaired. note: project gutenberg also has an html version of this file which includes the original illustrations. see 20309-h.htm or 20309-h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/2/0/3/0/20309/20309-h/20309-h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/2/0/3/0/20309/20309-h.zip) bunny brown and his sister sue in the sunny south by laura lee hope author of the bunny brown series, the bobbsey twins series, the outdoor girls series, the six little bunkers series, the make-believe stories, etc. illustrated by walter s. rodgers new york grosset & dunlap publishers made in the united states of america * * * * * books by laura lee hope 12mo. cloth. illustrated. the bunny brown series bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue at camp-rest-a-while bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove bunny brown and his sister sue in the sunny south the bobbsey twins series the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a houseboat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home the bobbsey twins in a great city the bobbsey twins on blueberry island the bobbsey twins on the deep blue sea the bobbsey twins in washington the bobbsey twins in the great west the bobbsey twins at cedar camp the six little bunkers series the make-believe stories the outdoor girls series * * * * * grosset & dunlap publishers new york copyright, 1921, by grosset & dunlap bunny brown and his sister sue in the sunny south [illustration: with delight and wonder, the children picked oranges. _frontispiece_--(_page 203_) _bunny brown and his sister sue in the sunny south._] contents chapter page i the snow man 1 ii bunny's trick 10 iii orange blossoms 19 iv a runaway 31 v out of a dustpan 43 vi off for georgia 50 vii the plantation 60 viii among the cotton pickers 73 ix gathering peanuts 84 x on to florida 93 xi the poor cat 104 xii a strange ride 115 xiii nutty, the tramp 123 xiv a queer picnic 134 xv left alone 144 xvi the jolly switchman 154 xvii a worried mother 164 xviii the trick dog 171 xix a happy reunion 180 xx at orange beach 191 xxi golden apples 198 xxii the raft 207 xxiii on the island 216 xxiv the alligators 225 xxv mr. bunn 234 bunny brown and his sister sue in the sunny south chapter i the snow man "oh, bunny! what you making such a big nose for?" "so i can hit it easier, sue, when i peg snowballs at it." bunny brown and his sister sue were in the backyard of their home, making a big man of snow. there had been quite a storm the day before, and many white flakes had fallen. as soon as the storm stopped and the weather grew warm enough, mrs. brown let bunny and sue go out to play. and of course one of the first things they did, after running about in the clean white snow, making "tracks," was to start a snow man. bunny was working away at the face of the white chap when sue asked him about the big nose he was making. "what'd you say you were going to do, bunny?" asked sue, who was digging away in the snow about where the man's legs would be when he was finished. "i said--" replied her brother, as he pressed some snow in his red-mittened hand, getting ready to plaster it on the man's funny face--"i said i was making his nose big so i could hit it easier with a snowball." "oh, bunny!" cried sue, "are you going to throw snowballs at our nice snow man?" "of course!" replied bunny. "that's what we're making him for! i'm going to put a hat on him, too. course a hat's easier to hit than a nose, 'specially a tall hat like the one i'm going to make. you can throw at the hat if you want to and i'll throw at the nose." "oh, bunny!" exclaimed sue, and from her voice you might have thought bunny had said he was going to throw a snowball at wango, the pet monkey of mr. jed winkler, an animal of which bunny brown and his sister sue were very fond. "bunny, don't hurt him!" "pooh! you don't s'pose a snow man can feel, do you?" asked bunny, turning to look at his sister. he had just begun to understand why it was that sue did not want him to throw snowballs at the big white fellow when he was finished. "well, maybe he can't feel," said sue, for she was really too old to have such a little child's belief. at least she felt she was too old to confess to such a feeling. "but what's the fun of making a nice snow man and then hitting him all over with snowballs? i'm not going to throw at his tall hat, even if you make one. why can't you throw balls at something else, bunny, like a tree or a telegraph pole?" "'cause i can peg at them any time," bunny answered, with a laugh. "it's more fun to throw snowballs at a snow man and make believe he's real. he can't chase you then." "well, i'm not going to throw anything at our nice snow man," decided sue, digging away with her little shovel to carve out the legs. "you don't have to," said bunny, fairly enough. "i'll do it all, sue." "well," said his sister, with a shake of her head, "you can throw at your part of the snow man, if you like, but you can't throw at my part!" "which--which is your part?" asked bunny, and he spoke as though greatly surprised. "the legs," answered sue. "i wish you wouldn't throw any snowballs at the legs, bunny brown." "all right, i won't," he promised kindly. for bunny was a year older than his sister, and, at most times, was kind and good to her. "you can throw at your own part as much as you like," went on sue, "but i'm not going to have my part spoiled." "all right," her brother agreed again. "i'll throw at his nose and high hat--after i make it--and i won't touch his legs." this seemed to satisfy sue, and for some time the children played in the yard, where the big snow man was being made. he was as large as sue and bunny could build him. first they had rolled a snowball around the yard, and, as the snow was soft and packed well, the ball grew larger and larger. then, when it was about the size bunny thought was right, it was left at the place where the man was to stand. "now we have to roll another ball," bunny had said. "what for?" asked sue, who, though she had often seen snow men, had perhaps forgotten just how they were made. "this second ball is for his stomach," bunny said. "what good is a stomach?" asked sue. "he can't eat." "he could maybe eat icicles if he wanted to," bunny had answered. "anyhow, the second snowball has to go on top of the bottom one and make the body. then you cut legs out of the bottom snowball. you can cut the legs, 'cause i'm taller 'n you and i can reach up and make the face." sue was digging away with her little shovel at the bottom snowball to make the man's legs, and bunny was just finishing the big nose when, suddenly, a snowball came sailing into the brown yard and fell with a thud between bunny and his sister. they both started, and bunny cried: "did you throw that, sue? if you did you mustn't, for 'tisn't time to start throwing yet!" "ha! ha!" laughed a voice around the corner of the brown home, and down the path came running charlie star, one of bunny's playmates, followed by helen newton, a little girl with whom sue was very fond of playing. it was charlie who had laughed. "i threw the snowball," he said. "but i only did it to make you jump. i wasn't trying to hit you, bunny and sue." "all right," replied bunny. "want to help make the snow man?" "sure!" answered charlie. "oh, what fun!" added helen. "may i help?" "you may help me make the legs," replied sue. "bunny says he's going to throw snowballs at his part--that's the head," she explained. "that'll be fun!" decided charlie star. "come on, let's hurry up and get it finished and then we'll see who's the best shot." "i've got to get a hat made first," bunny stated. "it'll be a lot more fun pegging at a tall hat." "if you could get a real one--one of the shiny black kind--it would be dandy," said charlie. "well, i can make one just as good of snow," bunny said. "come on, charlie!" together the four children played around the snow man, who was slowly coming to look more and more like himself. "oh, isn't he a big fellow!" cried helen, walking off a little way to get a better view. "wait till i make his hat," suggested bunny. "then he'll look bigger, and we can hit him easier, charlie." "sure, bunny!" "all but his legs!" cried sue. "you mustn't hit his legs, bunny brown. they're my part." "no, we won't hit the legs," agreed bunny. "charlie, you look for some pieces of coal for the eyes. i'm going to roll another snowball to make the tall hat." bunny walked over toward the side of his house to find some snow that had not been trampled on, so he would have a good place to start to roll the ball that could be cut into the shape of a tall hat. sue and helen had about finished work on the snow man's legs, and charlie had fitted in two chunks of black coal for eyes. "shall i put some of the red paper on for ears?" asked charlie, as he was about to make the mouth. "snow men don't have red ears!" laughed helen. "my ears get red when they're cold," said sue. "we'll make the ears out of snow," called bunny, who was rolling the snowball near the house. "i forgot about them. but i guess we don't need 'em, anyhow." all of a sudden, as bunny was bending over to give the hat snowball a final roll, which would make it about the right size, a queer noise sounded. it seemed to come from the roof of the brown house. charlie, sue, and helen looked up. they saw, sliding down the sloping roof of the house, a big mass of snow, like a great drift. it was just above bunny's head, and the other children could see that it would slide right down on top of him. "look out, bunny!" screamed sue. her brother glanced up from the ball he was rolling. "look out for the slide from the roof!" shouted charlie. bunny started to run, but it was too late. in another second down came the big mass of snow with a rush, covering bunny brown from sight! chapter ii bunny's trick for a moment after the rush and fall of the snow from the roof, the mass of white flakes coming down with a swish and a thud, there was silence. sue, helen, and charlie were so frightened and surprised that they did not know what to do. then, after two or three seconds, sue seemed to find her voice, and she exclaimed: "where's bunny?" "he--he's gone!" gasped helen. but charlie understood. "bunny's covered up under that snow!" he cried. "we've got to dig him out. you'd better run in and tell your mother, sue!" this was something sue understood. mother was the one to tell in times of trouble, especially when daddy wasn't there. "oh, mother! mother!" cried sue, running toward the house, "bunny is under the snow--a big pile of it!" "and we must dig him out!" screamed helen, remembering what charlie had said. charlie, while the girls ran screaming toward the house, leaped toward the pile of snow that had slid from the roof and began digging in it with his hands. and while bunny is under the snow heap, from which he doubtless hoped soon to be rescued, i will take just a moment or two to tell my new readers something about bunny brown and his sister sue. those were the names of the children. their father, mr. walter brown, kept a boat and fish dock in the town of bellemere on sandport bay, near the ocean. helping mr. brown at the dock was bunker blue, a big, strong boy, very fond of bunny and sue. the first book of the series is called "bunny brown and his sister sue," and in that you may read of the many adventures the children had together, and with their friends, who, besides charlie and helen, were george and mary watson, harry bentley, sadie west, and a number of other children. in the town of bellemere were other persons, more or less friendly to bunny and sue. i have mentioned jed winkler, an old sailor who owned a monkey named wango. his sister, miss euphemia, was not as fond of monkeys or children as was her brother. uncle tad was an old soldier, who lived in the brown home. he was really an uncle to mr. brown, but bunny and sue claimed him as their own. in a distant city lived aunt lu, whom the children had once visited. bunny brown and his sister sue had many adventures besides those told of in the first book. they went to grandpa's farm, they played circus, they visited at aunt lu's city home, they camped in the woods at "camp rest-a-while," journeyed to the big woods, took an auto tour, had rides on a shetland pony, gave a show in the town hall, and just before this story opens they had been to christmas tree cove, where they took part in many strange happenings and solved a queer mystery. they had been back from christmas tree cove for some time, and now winter had set in. then came the big storm, the making of the snow man and the slide of snow from the roof, covering bunny brown from sight. "oh, mother! mother! come and get bunny out," cried sue, as she raced toward the house. "and bring a shovel!" added helen, glancing back to see where charlie was trying to get to the bottom of the pile by using his hands. "what's the matter?" asked mrs. brown, as she came to the door in answer to the cries of the two girls. "oh, bunny--bunny--a--a--" then sue had to stop, for she was breathless. "he's under the snow!" cried helen, able to finish the sad news sue had started. mrs. brown, who had been sewing in the house, had heard the slide of snow from the roof, and had also heard the thud it made as it landed in the yard. now she understood what sue and helen meant. bunny, somehow or other, was under that snowslide. "oh, uncle tad!" cried mrs. brown. "come quick! bunny is under a snowslide from the roof! we'll have to get him out!" mrs. brown hurried from the house, followed by the two little girls. but helen paused long enough to shout: "bring a shovel! that's what charlie said!" "is charlie under the snow, too?" asked mrs. brown, as she hurried around the corner of the house. "no'm. but he's digging with his hands," helen answered. "i guess the shovels bunny and sue were making the snow man with are too small to dig with." this was so, and mrs. brown was thinking of turning back into the house to get the large shovel when she saw uncle tad coming with it. "i'll soon dig him out," said the old soldier, as he began to work with the shovel. "poor bunny!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "i can't even see him." "the snow came down from on top," explained charlie. "it went right over his head and everything!" "i hope he isn't hurt," said mrs. brown, picking up one of the small shovels the children had been using and beginning to help uncle tad dig. "i guess it won't hurt him much," charlie said. "the snow's soft. once i was in a snow house and the roof fell in on me and i was all covered up, but i wasn't hurt." "that's good," remarked mrs. brown. "we're digging you out, bunny," she called. "i don't guess he can hear you," said helen, when no answer came from beneath the snow. "i couldn't hear when i was in the snow house," said charlie. "my ears were all stopped up." "we'll soon have him out," declared uncle tad, tossing aside big shovelfuls of the damp snow. "it's a deep pile, though." there were now three of them digging away at the pile of snow which hid bunny brown from sight. of course uncle tad was doing the most work, as his shovel was so large. pile after pile he tossed aside, and he was fast getting to the bottom, when, all of a sudden there was a cracking sound, and the handle of uncle tad's shovel broke in the middle. "oh, dear!" cried the old soldier. "this is too bad!" "and we haven't another large shovel!" said mrs. brown. "walter took our second one down to the dock with him this morning!" "well, perhaps i can make this do," said uncle tad. "though i can't work as fast as i could if the handle wasn't broken." "sue, and helen, run next door and see if you can borrow a large snow shovel," called mrs. brown. "don't stop to tell them what it's for, or bunny may smother." "oh, no'm, i guess he won't," charlie said, as he dug away with the little shovel that sue had been using. "when i was under the snow i could breathe all i wanted to." mrs. brown said she was glad to hear this, but, for all that, she dug as fast as she could with the other small shovel, and uncle tad, using the one with the broken handle, did the best he could. helen and sue hurried next door to see if they could borrow a broad wooden shovel, but before they returned uncle tad had managed to dig down through the pile of snow until he reached the ground and the side of the house foundation--the upper part of the cellar wall. "why, bunny isn't here!" cried uncle tad, in great surprise. "isn't he?" asked the little boy's mother, looking over uncle tad's shoulder down into the hole in the snow pile. "there isn't a sign of him," went on the soldier. "are you sure you saw him get covered from sight here?" he asked charlie. "it was right here," answered bunny's chum. "he was rolling a snowball to make a hat for the man when down the snow slid off the roof. it covered bunny and the snowball he was rolling." "oh, we must hurry!" exclaimed mrs. brown, now growing very anxious. "he surely will be smothered, under the snow all this while!" she began to dig again with the small shovel, and uncle tad was doing his best with the broken one when sue and helen, coming around the corner with a large shovel which they had borrowed next door, gave a sudden cry. "what is it?" asked mrs. brown. "there's bunny now!" exclaimed sue. "look!" they all looked, and, surely enough, bunny was coming up the outside steps of the cellar. he walked up as if nothing had happened. "bunny brown! what trick is this?" exclaimed his mother. "what made you pretend to be buried under all that snow and give us such a fright for, when you weren't there at all?" "but i was there, mother," bunny said. "i was under the snow." "then how did you get out?" uncle tad asked. "it surely looks like a trick, bunny brown." chapter iii orange blossoms bunny brown walked from the cellarway over to where his mother, uncle tad, his sister, and his playmates stood. uncle tad and mother brown looked rather reproachfully at the little boy. they really thought he had played a joke on them, or at least that he had caused the other children to do so, sending them to cry that he was buried under the snow. but sue, charlie, and helen knew that bunny had really been covered from sight under the snow. they knew there was no trick about it, though they did not know how it was bunny appeared as if coming out of the cellar when he should have been under the snow. "i didn't play any trick, mother. really i didn't," said bunny earnestly. he had played tricks in times past, but his mother knew he always told the truth. "were you really under that pile of snow?" asked the old soldier. "yes, uncle tad, i was," bunny answered. "the snow came down off the roof and covered me all up." "then why didn't i find you there when i dug all the way down to the ground and the cellar wall?" asked uncle tad. "because," answered bunny, with a queer little smile on his rosy face, "when the snow piled on top of me, and knocked me down, i was right close by a cellar window. first i didn't know what to do. then i saw the window, and i pushed on it, and it opened. "i went through the window into the cellar. there was a box under the window inside the cellar, and i got on that and then i jumped off down to the floor. "first i couldn't see anything, 'cause it was so dark there, but i could after a while, and i come out by the door." "oh, bunny!" exclaimed his mother. "we never thought of the cellar windows! of course i see how it could happen," she said to uncle tad. "the pile of snow does cover a window." she pointed toward one end of the big pile under which bunny had been hidden. this end did, indeed, cover one of the low cellar windows, and when the snow was shoveled away it could be seen where the little boy had scrambled through. "say, it was lucky the cellar window wasn't fastened," said charlie. "it surely was!" agreed bunny. "i was glad when it opened." "i didn't know we had left any of them unbolted," mrs. brown said. "we'll fasten it now. but don't get under any more snowslides, bunny." "now we can finish making our snow man!" bunny said, as his mother and uncle turned to go into the house. "yes, i guess there's no more danger of snow sliding off the roof," remarked uncle tad. "all that could fall has slid off." "don't forget to take mr. snyder's shovel back," mother brown called to the children. they promised to return it, and then began an hour of fun with the snow man. bunny finished making the tall white hat, and then he and charlie threw snowballs at it and at the nose of the snow man until he was so battered and plastered that he did not look at all like himself. sue and helen threw a few snowballs at the legs of the man, but they soon tired of this, for charlie and bunny grew so excited with their sport that there was not much chance for the girls. "let's go and slide downhill," proposed sue. "that'll be fun," agreed helen. so, taking their sleds, the girls went to a little hill not far away, where, meeting mary watson and sadie west, they had good times riding down the snowy slope. "well, he doesn't look much like a snow man now," laughed charlie star, after many balls had been thrown at the white image. "no; his face is all gone," bunny agreed. "what'll we do now?" "let's go over on the hill," proposed charlie. "it's getting so warm that maybe the snow won't last much longer, and we don't want to miss the fun." "it is getting warmer," bunny agreed. "the wind's coming from the south," he added as he looked at the weather vane on the barn and saw that it was pointed to the south. "i guess they don't ever have snow down south; do they, charlie?" "they don't where my aunt lives," charlie answered. "she's down in florida--away down in the end, near key west. she sends me letters sometimes, and she says they never have snow there. she has all the oranges she wants, too!" "i'd like to live there!" bunny said, smacking his lips. "i love oranges. but i'd like a little snow once in a while, wouldn't you, charlie?" "oh, yes! you couldn't have any fun in winter without snow." "i'd like to see such a place--just once, anyhow," went on bunny brown. and he little knew how soon he was to get his desire. the two boys, having pelted the snow man all they wished, got their sleds and soon joined sue and the other girls on the hill. there they had races, and coasted down in as many different ways as they could think of. finally bunny cried: "let's make a bob, charlie!" "no, you mustn't do that!" exclaimed sue. "who said so?" demanded bunny. "daddy," sue answered. "he said i wasn't to make any bobs on the hill." "well, he didn't tell me not to," declared her brother. "i guess he meant you," answered sue. "you'd better not make a bob, bunny brown! you might get hurt!" making a bob, it might be explained, meant that two or three boys and sometimes the older girls would lie flat on their sleds. then one coaster would take hold of the rear of the sled in front of him, and twine his feet around the front runners of the sled behind him. in this way half a dozen boys or girls could lock themselves and their sleds together and go down the hill that way. there was danger in it because sometimes the hands or legs of some one in the middle would lose their grip, and the "bob" would come apart. then sleds would crash together, and often the children were hurt. sue's father had told her never to do this, for he had more than once seen children hurt at this game. whether he had told bunny not to make a bob i do not know. i think if bunny had been forbidden this fun he would not have taken part in it. but perhaps he forgot. anyhow, he and charlie and some of the other lads stretched out on their sleds, making a bob as i have told you it was done, and down the hill they coasted. all went well for some distance, and then suddenly harry bentley, who was in the middle, lost his hold of bunny's sled. "hold on to me! hold on to me!" cried bunny, as he saw that he was slipping sideways. "i can't!" harry answered. a few seconds later the bob came apart, some boys rolling off their sleds and others coasting down backwards or sideways. bunny went on by himself for some little distance, and then, all of a sudden, the two last boys, who were still locked together, crashed right into the side of bunny's sled, knocking him off and coasting on right over him! "oh! oh!" cried sue, who saw what had happened. "look at bunny!" for a moment it seemed that her brother must be severely hurt, but when some of the older boys ran to pick him up, bunny arose by himself. on his face was a spot of blood. "oh, you're hurt!" cried charlie star. bunny put his hand to his nose. it was bleeding, and at first he was frightened. but he did not cry. "i--i don't care!" he said bravely. "i've had nose-bleed before. it don't hurt much!" "hold some snow on it," advised one boy. "that'll stop the bleeding." bunny did this, but as the cold snow hurt worse than the pain of his bumped nose, he soon tossed the red ball away. "come on, i'll take you home," said jack denson, one of the older boys. "don't cry, sue," he said, as bunny's sister began to whimper. "he's all right." jack was very kind, wiping the blood off bunny's face at times with a handkerchief, so that when the brown home was almost reached the bleeding had nearly stopped. sue, who had been very much frightened at first, was growing calmer, and bunny was feeling better. as they neared their house they saw their father coming home from his work at the boat and fish dock. "there's my father," bunny said. "oh, then you'll be all right," remarked jack. "i'll skip back then, for i've got to go to the store for my mother." mr. brown stood at the gate waiting for his two children, who came along dragging their sleds. "why, bunny! what's the matter?" asked mr. brown, when he saw the blood on his son's face. "he played bob; and didn't you tell him not to?" broke out sue. "an' the bob busted and he got bumped into and he was run over and he was under a drift and he crawled through the cellar window an' uncle tad couldn't find him an'--an'--everything!" gasped sue, now quite out of breath. "my, you're telling all the bad news at once!" laughed her father, for he saw that bunny was not seriously hurt and he knew that sometimes accidents will happen on coasting hills. mr. brown had a box under his arm. it was a box that had come through the mail, as bunny and sue could see by the stamps. it looked very interesting and mysterious, this box did, and the children regarded it curiously as they walked up the path to the front door of the house with their father. "didn't you tell bunny never to make a bob?" asked sue, as daddy brown took his key from his pocket to open the door. "i don't know that i did," was the answer. "still if it is dangerous to make bobs i wish neither you nor bunny to do it." "oh, it's lots of fun," bunny said. "and my nose doesn't hurt much now. what's in the box, daddy?" he asked. "i'll show you in a minute," mr. brown promised. "it is something very nice." "candy?" cried sue, who had more than one "sweet tooth," i think. "no, not candy," her father teased. "you'll soon see." he went into the house with the children, and as soon as mrs. brown saw bunny she knew what had happened; at least she knew his nose had bled. "did you have a tumble?" she asked. "he was in a bob and it broke and he was run over!" cried sue, who seemed anxious to do all the telling. "well, i'm glad it was no worse," said mother brown. "what's this?" she asked, as her husband handed her the box. "for me?" "yes," he answered. "orange blossoms." "orange blossoms! how lovely!" cried the children's mother. "where from?" "florida. mr. halliday sent them. he's down there on an orange farm, and i may have to go down myself." "down where?" cried bunny. "south," answered his father. "to florida where the orange blossoms grow?" asked sue eagerly, as her mother was opening the box. "well, we may get to florida. but first i shall have to go to georgia," answered mr. brown. "oh, take us!" cried bunny and sue. "please take us!" "we'll see," said mr. brown, with a look at his wife. "we'll talk it over after supper. let's look at the orange blossoms now." while mother brown was opening the box there came a noise at the side door as though some one were trying to break it open by pounding on it. chapter iv a runaway bunny brown and his sister sue, who were standing on their tiptoes to look at the orange blossoms in the box, turned quickly and glanced at the door as the pounding sounded again. "i wonder who that can be," said mother brown, pausing with the box cover in her hand. "i'll go and see," offered mr. brown. "it's queer they didn't go to the front door." "maybe it's somebody from the post-office come to take our orange blossoms away," suggested bunny. "what would they do that for?" sue wanted to know. "'cause," answered bunny, "maybe the orange blossoms came to the wrong place and have to go to somebody else, like that letter one day." he was speaking of a time when the letter carrier left a wrong missive at mr. brown's home, and came later to get it. "oh, these are daddy's orange blossoms all right!" said mrs. brown, as she looked at the address on the box. "they came to him at his office on the dock." "then who can it be?" asked bunny, as the knock sounded again. there came the sound of a bark as mr. brown opened the door, and next the children heard their father exclaim: "well, you poor half-frozen fellow! come in and get warm! go on away, dog!" exclaimed mr. brown. "let wango alone!" "oh, it's wango!" cried sue, running to the door. "mr. winkler's monkey!" added bunny. "did he bring him over to play with us?" "no, wango seems to have come by himself," answered mr. brown, and as soon as the door was opened wider in scrambled the monkey, a stick of wood in one paw probably being what he had been pounding on the door with. from the light of the lamp, which streamed out on the side porch, the children could see a big black dog that, very likely, had been chasing and barking at poor wango. "go on away, dog!" cried mr. brown, and, stooping, he gathered up a handful of snow from a corner of the side porch and threw it at the barking animal, which then ran away. meanwhile wango, the pet monkey that was a great favorite with bunny and sue, came shivering into the room to get warm. "oh, you poor thing!" cried sue. "i'll get you my coat to put on! you're all shivery!" she started for the hall to get her garment, while bunny petted the wet head of the long-tailed animal. "no, sue! don't take your coat," called her mother. "you'll get it covered with monkey hairs. wrap a floor rug around wango if you like." "i'll do that!" cried bunny, taking a small carpet rug up from the floor. this he draped around wango's shoulders, and the cold, shivering monkey seemed to like it. "well, wango, what made you come out this kind of weather?" asked mr. brown, coming back to the table on which was standing the box of orange blossoms. "maybe mr. winkler left the window open and he got out," said sue. "don't monkeys like cold, daddy?" asked bunny. "no, they come from warm, tropical countries," answered his father. "they cannot stand the cold." "florida is warm, isn't it, daddy?" asked sue, as she helped wrap the rug about wango. "oh, yes, florida, especially the southern part where oranges grow, is quite warm," mr. brown answered. "there is no snow there." "then maybe we can find some monkeys when we go down!" sue said. "won't that be nice, bunny? we'll each have a monkey of our own." "i'm going to teach mine to do circus tricks!" cried bunny. "hold on! hold on!" laughed mr. brown. "in the first place, there aren't any monkeys in florida--at least none running around wild as there are in the south american jungles. and in the second place, what makes you children so sure you are going to florida?" "you said you'd take us!" replied bunny. "i said i'd _see_," remarked his father. "anyway, i have to go on business to georgia, not florida, though your mother and i may take a trip to the orange country later on." "but if you went you'd take us, wouldn't you?" pleaded sue. "oh, of course he would! don't tease the children so!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "and what are we going to do with wango?" she asked, for the monkey seemed quite contented now that he was in a warm, light room with his two special friends, bunny and sue. "i think jed will be after him as soon as he finds his monkey is missing," said mr. brown. "but let's get those orange blossoms in water, to freshen them up. mr. halliday said he would send me some packed in damp moss, so they would keep pretty well, but he told me to put them in a bathtub full of water as soon as i got them and they would freshen up." "these seem quite fresh now," remarked mother brown, as she lifted from the box, lined with moss, the fragrant orange blossoms. their perfume filled the whole room, and even wango sniffed in delight, at least so bunny said. the children were allowed to look at the beautiful waxlike white blossoms, with their glossy green leaves, and then mother brown carried them upstairs to immerse them in the bathtub full of water. when they had freshened up they would be put in vases. "oh, i'd just love to see orange blossoms growing on a tree!" sighed sue, as she drew in a deep breath of the fragrance. "i'd rather see oranges and eat 'em!" exclaimed bunny. "can i pick oranges off a tree?" he asked his father. "well, yes. i suppose i might as well say i'll take you and then you'll stop teasing," said mr. brown laughingly, as his wife came back, having left the orange blossoms upstairs. "we'll all go to florida!" "when?" cried bunny and sue, eagerly. "in about a week, i think," their father answered. "i shall have to go to georgia then, and after i get through my business there we can run down to florida for a few weeks." there came a knock on the door just then, and when it was opened there stood the old sailor, jed winkler. "is my monkey here?" he asked. "yes, i see he is," he added, as he caught sight of his pet near bunny and sue. "come here, you rascal!" he went on, pretending to be cross. "what did you want to run away for?" "is that what he did?" asked bunny. "yes," answered mr. winkler, as he came in. "my sister opened the windows to-day when she was sweeping or dusting or doing something like that, and she must have forgotten to lock one. wango found it and got out. i didn't miss him until a little while ago. i hope he hasn't been into any mischief." "oh, no," answered mr. brown. "it looks as though a strange dog might have chased him after he left your house. we heard a pounding on our door a few minutes ago, and when i opened it wango rushed in. "there was a big, strange dog near the porch, but i drove it away. your monkey had a stick in his hand. he probably picked it up to hit the dog with, and he used it to pound on our door." "he pounded hard, too," said sue. "wango pounded very hard." "hope he didn't hurt the door," said the old sailor. "oh, i think not," mr. brown answered. "but he was cold and shivery, so the children wrapped him up." "well, i'm much obliged," said mr. winkler. "come along home, wango!" he called, and the monkey leaped into his master's arms, dropping the stick, which he no longer needed. "what's that nice smell?" asked mr. winkler, as he started for home. "did somebody break a bottle of perfume?" "it's orange blossoms," explained bunny. "and we're going to florida and pick oranges," added sue. "but there aren't any monkeys there." "then that's the place where my sister ought to go," laughed the old man. "she hates monkeys, and i think sometimes she leaves the windows open or unlocked on purpose so wango'll get lost. but i wouldn't want to tell her that," he went on. for miss winkler was of rather a sour disposition, not at all as jolly and happy as her brother. when the old sailor and his pet had gone and supper was over, bunny and sue sat near their father and mother, talking happily about the coming trip to the sunny south where the orange blossoms grow. the flowers had been brought downstairs and filled the rooms with fragrance. "you'll be sure to take us now, won't you, daddy?" asked bunny, as he and sue started for bed a little later. "oh, yes, we shall all go south," promised mr. brown. "but you can't make snow men or go coasting there, bunny." "picking oranges will be more fun," decided the little boy. he and sue had happy dreams that night, and there were no visions of alligators mingled with those of orange flowers. in the night it snowed, so the next day there was more of the white flaky substance on the ground. "this'll make good sleighing," said uncle tad at the breakfast table. "you children want to come for a ride with me?" did they? you should have heard bunny brown and his sister sue exclaim in delight at this! "where are you going?" asked mrs. brown, as uncle tad went out to harness the horse to the small sleigh. "walter wanted me to go to the railroad depot and get some freight that came in for him," answered the old soldier. "there are some small boxes of things he needs for his motor boat. there'll be plenty of room for the youngsters." "all right--take them along," said mrs. brown. and a little later bunny and sue were in the sleigh with uncle tad. "whoa there now! steady, prince!" called the soldier to the horse, for the animal seemed rather more frisky than usual. "what makes him go so fast?" asked bunny, for he could tell that uncle tad was having hard work to hold in the horse. "oh, he hasn't been out for two or three days and he feels frisky," the soldier answered. "but i guess i can manage him all right. sit tight, you two!" there were many other sleighs and cutters out around bellemere, and the air was filled with the jingle of merry bells. bunny and sue saw many of their friends and waved to them. "i guess all the boys and girls'll wish they were us when we go to florida, won't they?" asked sue of bunny. "i guess they will!" he declared. they were nearing the railroad now, on their way to the freight depot to get the boxes for mr. brown. there were several tracks to cross before the depot could be reached. suddenly, as the sleigh containing bunny and sue was about to cross the rails, a distant locomotive gave a loud whistle. prince gave a jump and, a moment later, began to trot very fast. "whoa! whoa there! steady, prince!" cried uncle tad, taking a firm hold of the reins. but prince did not settle down. instead he ran the faster, and straight for the tracks. and as the whistle of the locomotive sounded louder, bunny and sue knew a train was coming! "oh, uncle tad!" cried sue, clinging to bunny. "keep quiet, children!" begged the old soldier. "i guess we'll be all right!" "is he running away?" asked bunny. "i'm afraid he is," answered uncle tad. "but i'll pull him down in a minute. sit tight and hold fast!" chapter v out of a dustpan prince was certainly a frisky horse that morning. in spite of all uncle tad could do by pulling on the reins and calling soothingly to the animal, he raced with the sleigh over the railroad tracks. and the train was coming nearer and nearer. bunny and sue well knew what would happen if it hit them. "whoa there, prince! be a good horse!" called uncle tad. he pulled harder on the reins, and when he saw that unless turned, the animal might dash across the tracks right in front of the rushing train, the old soldier gave such a pull that he swung the head of the runaway horse around and guided him alongside of the tracks instead of across them. "look out, uncle tad! you're going into a big drift!" cried bunny. "that's just where i want to go!" said the soldier. "if i head prince into the drift he can't run any more." and this is just what uncle tad did. by a hard pull on the reins he swung the horse to one side, and not any too soon, either. for as prince dragged the sled along the tracks and into a big drift that was almost as high as the head of the animal himself, the train dashed by--the train with the locomotive that had whistled and set prince to running away. "whoa, there now! quiet! steady, old fellow!" called uncle tad soothingly, as prince saw the big drift in front of him and seemed to know that he could neither go through it nor jump over it, especially when harnessed to the sleigh. [illustration: with a whizz and a roar the train sped past. _bunny brown and his sister sue in the sunny south._ _page 44_] with a whizz and a roar the train sped past bunny and sue in the sleigh. they were quite near it, being alongside the tracks. prince stamped and reared a little, but he seemed to have gotten over his first fright, and was more like himself. usually he was not skittish nor afraid of trains or engines. but not having been out of the stable for some time and having had no exercise, he was, like many other horses, ready to run away at the first loud noise. but uncle tad had pulled him down to a walk and guided him into the snowdrift just in time. "my, that train was going fast!" exclaimed sue, as it roared on its way. "if it had hit us it would--it would have busted us all to pieces, wouldn't it, uncle tad?" asked bunny, who, being a little older than his sister, knew more about the danger they had been in. "yes, indeed!" exclaimed the soldier, as he again spoke soothingly to prince. "getting in the way of railroad trains is dangerous. but we're all right now." "then let's go on," begged sue. "i don't like it here. let's get daddy's boxes and go for a nice ride where there aren't any trains, uncle tad." "all right, we will," promised the old gentleman. but as he looked up and down the track, to make sure all was clear, he heard the whistle of another engine and the roar of an approaching train. "we'll wait until this one goes past," he said, little guessing what a strange thing was to happen. prince pranced a little as he heard another locomotive coming toward him, but he did not try to run away again nor jump through the snowdrift. with a roar the second train approached, gliding swiftly past bunny, sue, and uncle tad seated in the sleigh alongside of the tracks. and as the children watched for the last car they saw the rear door of it open, and a colored porter, with his white jacket on, stood on the platform. it was a chair car, and the porter had evidently been doing some sweeping, for he held in his hands a dustpan. this dustpan he had taken to the back door to empty, and, just as his car came near the sleigh in the snowdrift, the porter threw the dust, dirt, and other things from the pan into the air. the train was going so fast that it made quite a breeze, and this wind carried the stuff from the dustpan into the very faces of uncle tad and sue. bunny, being on the outside of the seat, did not get any dust in his face. "oh!" cried sue, as she felt the swirling wind and dust. "that porter certainly was a careless fellow!" exclaimed uncle tad. "that dust nearly blinded me!" the old soldier held the reins in one hand, for prince seemed ready to bolt again, and with the other hand uncle tad wiped the dust from the porter's pan out of his eyes. bunny had a glimpse of torn papers and other refuse from the car falling into the snowdrift near the sleigh. "i guess he didn't mean to do it, uncle tad," the little boy said. "he wasn't looking this way when he emptied that dustpan." "i wish he had been!" exclaimed the old soldier. "did you get a lot of dust in your eyes, sue?" "yes," answered the little girl. "but it's most gone now." "how about you, bunny?" asked uncle tad. "oh, i'm all right," sue's brother answered. "look, uncle tad, there are some papers the porter threw out, too," and he pointed to the heap of refuse on the snow. "all trash, i suppose," said the soldier. "people in parlor cars throw on the floor things they don't want, and the porter has to sweep it up. well, we'll get along now." "wait a minute, uncle tad!" cried bunny, as the soldier was about to swing prince around to go on to the freight depot. "eh? what's that, bunny? what's the matter?" asked uncle tad. "there's a nice green and gold piece of paper down there," bunny answered. "maybe it's some good." "no, i don't believe so, else the porter wouldn't have thrown it out," uncle tad answered, as he looked at the train now a mile or more away down the track. "maybe it's some good," bunny insisted. "please let me get it, uncle tad. maybe it's some old railroad ticket and sue and i can play conductor on the train when we go to florida." "well, all right, get it if you want to," agreed the old soldier. "whoa, prince! whoa!" he steadied the horse while bunny got down out of the sled, and ran to the scattered refuse from the porter's dustpan. bunny picked up the paper. it was printed in green and gold, as he had said, and was not torn as were the other scraps of paper that had come from the chair car. "look, uncle tad!" called bunny, holding up what he had found. "is this a railroad ticket?" the old soldier put on his glasses and looked carefully at the paper. "why, bunny boy!" he exclaimed, "you've found something worth a lot of money--a whole lot of money. i must put this away in my pocket and show it to your father. whoa there! steady, prince! bunny has just found, what may be worth a lot of money!" chapter vi off for georgia uncle tad slipped into his coat pocket the paper printed in green and gold that bunny had picked up from the refuse tossed out by the pullman car porter. then the old soldier turned prince around so the horse could pull the sleigh out of the drift. "how much money did i find, uncle tad?" asked bunny. "well, i don't know just how much it may amount to," was the answer. "'tisn't exactly money, you understand. that paper, bunny, is what is called a certificate, or something like that, and it's for some stock in an oil well made out to bearer, as nearly as i can tell." "can i have some of the money to spend?" bunny asked. "i want to get some candy for sue and me." "you can't exactly _spend_ this money," said the old soldier. "in the first place, it isn't yours, bunny. you just found it, you know, and finding isn't always keeping. this oil stock certificate must belong to some one on the train. they very likely dropped it in the car, and when the colored porter was cleaning up he swept it into his dustpan and never noticed it when he threw the dirt in our faces. that certificate may be worth a lot of money, but it would have to be sold before you could get cash for it, and, besides, it isn't yours." "whose is it?" bunny wanted to know. "i found it, didn't i?" "yes, but we must try to learn to whom it belongs, and give it back," uncle tad went on. "they may give a reward for it, and then you would have real money." bunny could not understand this, nor could sue. if you found a thing why couldn't you keep it? the little boy wondered. also when something looked so much like money, as this gold and green paper looked like nice new bills from the bank, why couldn't some of it be spent for candy? bunny and sue wondered about this. but when prince was driven across the tracks to the freight depot, and when bunny brown and his sister sue were given some pennies by uncle tad and allowed to go to a near-by store while the boxes of motor boat parts were being loaded into the sleigh, the two children forgot all about the oil stock paper. they were more interested in getting the kind of candy they wanted. "wouldn't it be nice, bunny," said sue, as she chewed a red gumdrop, "if you'd get a lot of money so we could spend it in florida?" "course it would be nice," her brother agreed. "but where shall i get a lot of money?" and he bit the end off a stick of cocoanut candy. "you might get it from that stiff thing you found," went on sue. "but i don't think it's very stiff. i saw uncle tad bend it when he put it in his pocket." "oh, you mean that stiff cut," laughed bunny, as he remembered the paper he had picked up in the snow. "isn't it a funny name, sue--_stiff cut_? i s'pose somebody cut the paper. but it isn't very stiff if you can bend it." of course bunny and sue did not get the name just right, but then, as they didn't understand about certificates and oil stock, there is no use in worrying over the matter. uncle tad and the freight man finished putting into the sleigh the different boxes for daddy brown's motor boat in which bunker blue often went out after fish in the summer, sometimes taking bunny and sue with him. by this time the two children came back from the candy store and got in the sleigh. "well, did you find any more valuable papers, bunny?" asked uncle tad, with a joking laugh as he started prince down the road. "nope, i didn't," answered the little boy. "but maybe i'll find some in florida." "you're going to the state of georgia first, i heard your father say," remarked the old soldier. "are there any oranges in georgia?" asked sue. "or alligators?" bunny wanted to know, for he had heard that there were plenty of the big, scaly and long-tailed creatures in florida. "i don't know much about georgia," answered uncle tad, "except i've heard that peaches grow there. but, of course, you won't find any of them now, as it isn't summer." "isn't georgia nice and warm in winter, like florida?" asked sue. "and can't we get some orange blossoms there?" "i don't believe you'll find any oranges in georgia," answered uncle tad, "and it isn't as warm as the southern part of florida, though of course florida and georgia, being close together, are a good deal alike. they grow lots of cotton in georgia, and peanuts." "peanuts!" cried bunny, in delight. "oh, i'm glad! peanuts are most as good as oranges, aren't they, sue?" "yes," agreed the little girl. "but it would be nice if we had peanuts _and_ oranges. 'cause then when we got thirsty from eating peanuts off a tree we could go and pick an orange off another tree and suck the juice, and we wouldn't be thirsty any more, would we, uncle tad?" "no, i presume not," answered the old soldier, with a laugh. "but peanuts don't grow on trees, sue." "they don't?" cried the little girl. "why not? hickory nuts do." "i don't know why, but they don't," said uncle tad. "peanuts grow on vines, under the ground. in some places down south peanuts are called 'goobers.'" "what a funny name!" said bunny. "we'll have some fun in georgia when we get there." "yes, you two seem to have fun wherever you go, like the lady with rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, so she had music 'wherever she goes,'" said uncle tad. prince had now quieted down, and he drew the sled along without trying to run away. a little later bunny and sue reached home, and mrs. brown was quite excited when she heard how near they had been to the rushing train. bunny and sue told about the porter and his dustpan, and uncle tad took from his pocket the green and gold oil stock certificate. "we'll show it to daddy when he comes home," said mrs. brown. "he will know what to do with it." but though mr. brown telephoned to the railroad office, telling about the finding of the valuable paper, which was thought to be worth much money, the owner of it could not be found. after several days, during which bunny and sue had more fun in the snow, mr. brown told his wife that the railroad people had not even yet been able to find the person who owned the oil stock paper. "it must have been dropped by some one who was riding in that pullman car," said mr. brown. "perhaps he dropped it and didn't know it until he got off the train. then he may have thought he lost it somewhere else, and so didn't come back to the railroad office." "can't you find out who owns it by writing to the oil company?" mrs. brown asked. "i could if the certificate were made out in somebody's name," her husband answered. "but it is made out to 'bearer'--that is, anybody who holds it can get the permanent certificates. this is a temporary one." "could bunny or sue?" "yes, and if this isn't claimed and we can't find to whom it belongs, they can sell it and get the money. but the owner may write to the oil company, even though his name isn't on the paper. in that way i may find out to whom it belongs. i'll write to the oil company myself in a few days." but mr. brown had so much to do, getting ready to leave for the sunny south with bunny and sue that, for a time, he forgot about the oil stock certificate. as for bunny and sue, they talked so much about their coming trip to the south, mentioning oranges, peanuts, and alligators--it was bunny who spoke of the last, you may be sure--that all their little boy and girl friends were interested. "i wish you'd send me back some oranges, sue," begged mary watson. "and some orange blossoms, too. then i could put them on one of my dolls and pretend to have a wedding." "i'll send you lots of oranges and blossoms," promised sue. "and will you send me some peanuts from georgia?" asked sadie west. "lots of 'em!" promised sue. at last the day came when the start was to be made. bunny brown and his sister sue thought it never would arrive, but finally it did, and after trunks and valises had been packed the party started for the station. the weather was cold, more snow had fallen, and it seemed that another storm would soon come. "but in a little while we'll be where they never have any snow," said daddy brown. the last good-byes were called back and forth. bunny and sue took their places in the parlor car--the same kind of car as that from which the porter had tossed the oil stock certificate--and the train began to move. they were at last off for georgia and from there would go to florida--two states of the sunny south. as the train began to roll more rapidly out of the station there came the sound of some excitement from the narrow passageway at one end--the passage where the porter keeps his towels and soap. "oh, there goes dickie!" cried a woman's voice. "oh, dickie, come back! you'll be hurt, i know you will! oh, porter! don't let dickie jump off and be killed!" "no'm, i won't," answered the colored man. "ah'll get yo' dickie fo' you!" "maybe it's a little child!" exclaimed mrs. brown to her husband. "you'd better go and help her, walter! that porter is so slow! go and save dickie!" chapter vii the plantation mr. brown knew how he and his wife would worry if anything should happen to bunny or sue, so, with this thought in mind, he hurried to the end of the car to do what he could in the rescue of dickie. mrs. brown stayed with the two children, but she was so anxious to help the woman who had called out about dickie that she made up her mind to go to the aid of her husband as soon as bunny and sue were settled in their seats. as for mr. brown, as he hastened toward that end of the parlor car where some one was begging the porter not to let dickie be harmed, he saw the woman who was so excited. she was a large woman, wearing a wide-brimmed hat trimmed with many ostrich feathers which nodded and swayed as she moved about. "oh, dickie! dickie! where did you go?" this woman cried, clasping her hands. "why didn't you stay with me? now you'll be killed, i'm sure you will! or else you'll jump off the train and be left behind! oh, porter, close the door so dickie can't get off!" "yes'm. de do' am done closed!" said the colored man. "ah'll git yo' dickie fo' you ef you-all jest waits a minute!" "perhaps i can help," suggested mr. brown, coming up at that moment, and looking about in the narrow passageway and in the men's smoking room for a sight of some little child who might have wandered away from his mother. "oh, if you only can get him!" exclaimed the large woman with the big hat. "i had him in my arms, but he jumped out--" "jumped out of your arms!" exclaimed mr. brown. "i should think he would have been hurt." "oh, no, he often does that," said the woman. "he always lands on his feet." "what a strange child!" thought mr. brown. "he must be training for a circus performer." "he jumped out of my arms and ran in there," went on the woman, and she pointed to the smoking room, which, just then, was empty. it was a room containing several leather chairs, a leather settee across one end, and a wash basin in one corner. "ah'll git him in jest a minute," said the porter, who was putting some clean towels in a rack over the basin. "he must be under the long seat." "i'll bring him out," offered mr. brown, getting down on his hands and knees to look under the long leather seat at one end of the smoking compartment. he remembered a time when sue had thus crawled under a sofa at home and what a time he had to get her to come out. "oh, dickie, why did you do it?" wailed the woman. "are you sure he didn't fall off the train?" she asked. "no'm," answered the porter. "nobody, man, woman or chile, got off dish yeah car after it started. i shet de do' too quick for dat! but i didn't see anybody come in heah!" "this is where he came," said the woman, following mr. brown into the smoking room. "oh, i do hope he is under the seat." by this time the father of bunny brown and his sister sue was able to see under the leather seat. but, to his surprise, he saw no little boy or girl there. all he caught sight of was a white poodle dog, cowering back in the corner. "there's no dickie here--only a dog," said mr. brown. "that's dickie!" cried the woman. "oh, dear dickie! are you there? i was afraid my precious was lost forever! oh, dickie, come out!" mr. brown was so surprised that he did not know what to say. he had thought he was coming to the rescue of a little child, and it had turned out to be--a dog! and while mr. brown loved animals, he was a little angry to think that anybody would make as much fuss over a poodle that had crawled under a couch as would be made over a missing little boy or girl. still mr. brown was too polite to say all that he felt, and so he reached his hand under the long seat, and tried to get hold of the dog's fuzzy coat. the dog growled and barked, and snapped at mr. brown's hand. "does he bite?" the children's father asked the woman. "not very hard," she answered. "hum!" mused mr. brown, as he drew back and arose. "perhaps you'd better coax him out," he said, for he had no desire to be bitten even by a little dog, as sometimes their teeth inflict a poisonous wound. "oh, dickie! you wouldn't bite the nice, kind man, would you?" the lady exclaimed, stooping down and trying to peer under the seat. "ah'll put on mah gloves an' git him," offered the porter, who perhaps felt that the woman might give him a large tip. and, of course, mr. brown was very willing to let the colored man have any reward there might be. putting on a pair of heavy gloves he used when he did rough work in cleaning the pullman car, the porter reached under the seat and dragged forth the growling, snapping little white poodle. by this time mrs. brown, hearing the loud talking out in the smoking room, thought something serious had happened. she hastened to that end of the car, followed by bunny and sue, who did not want to be left behind. they arrived in time to see the porter handing the woman her pet. "oh, dickie!" exclaimed the wearer of the big hat, as she clasped the poodle in her arms, "oo bad 'ittle snookums!" "where's the child?" asked mrs. brown. in answer mr. brown pointed to the dog, and his wife understood. "oh, isn't he nice!" exclaimed sue. "may i see him?" asked bunny. "in a little while," the woman answered. "dickie is so fussed up now his 'ittle heart is beating too hard! i must cuddle him!" she turned and walked into the next car for, it seemed, she had got into the wrong one, or, rather, her dog had leaped from her arms and had gone into the one in which the browns had seats and the woman had followed her pet. "come in and see me when i get 'ittle dickie quiet," said the woman, but even bunny and sue, much as they loved pets, did not like the silly fuss this woman made over her dog. so they did not go into the other car. mr. brown turned and went with his wife and children up to the middle of the car, where they had their seats. as they left, the porter, with a queer grin which showed his white teeth, said: "golly, she suah did make a fuss ober dat dog!" "yes," agreed mr. brown with a laugh, "she did!" "he was a nice little dog," observed sue, "but i like a big dog better--you can have more fun with it." "sure!" agreed bunny. "and poodles are so snappy." "i'm glad you didn't pull him out, walter," mrs. brown said. "i'd be anxious if he had bitten you." "i didn't give him the chance," her husband said. "well, now that dickie is safe we can settle down." and so the travelers made themselves as comfortable as possible, for they had rather a long trip ahead of them. they would be on the train all night and a large part of the next day. "i'm glad that woman with the dog isn't in our car," said mrs. brown to her husband, when bunny and sue were contentedly looking from the windows. "she probably makes a fuss over the animal all the while." "yes, it's just as well for us she isn't here," agreed the children's father. "though if it were the kind of dog they could play with it would make the time pass more quickly for bunny and sue." "oh, i think they'll manage to keep themselves amused," said their mother. "they like traveling." bunny and sue certainly did, and it was a pleasure for them to look from the windows at the scenery. no very remarkable adventures happened on the journey to georgia. to be sure, sue did fall out of the berth once, and her mother had to pick her up. but the little girl scarcely awakened, and as the carpet on the floor of the sleeping car was soft and thick she was not hurt in the least. bunny had a little accident, too. during the day he went to the end of the car to get sue a drink, taking a folding silver cup his mother carried in her handbag. but when the little boy was half way down the aisle the train gave a swing around a curve, bunny almost fell, and the cup closed, spilling the water all over him. however, it was not a great deal, and as the car was warm no harm resulted. bunny himself laughed at the happening, and insisted on going back and filling the cup for sue. this time he brought it to her nearly full of water. and so, with looking out of the windows, reading some of their best-loved books which they had brought with them, eating and sleeping, the time passed most happily for bunny brown and his sister sue. as mile after mile was reeled off by the train, the children began to notice a difference in the scenery. the weather was cold, and there was much snow on the ground when they left bellemere, and the snow continued to cover the ground for some distance. but as the train went farther and farther south the snow seemed to disappear--melting away until, when the children looked from the windows of their car toward the end of their journey, they saw green leaves on the trees. "oh, are we down south now, daddy?" called sue. "yes, we are in the southern part of georgia," was the answer. "we have left winter behind us. in a little while, especially when we get into florida, you will be in the sunny south." "oh, what fun we'll have!" cried sue. "where are the oranges?" demanded bunny. "i don't see any," and he looked at the trees. "oranges don't grow in georgia, at least not in the open," said mr. brown. "some may be raised in hothouses, but to grow them in the open air warmer weather than georgia has in winter is needed. we shall have to wait until we get to florida to gather oranges." "what about peanuts?" asked bunny. "oh, i think i can promise you plenty of peanuts," answered his father. "and shall we see cotton growing?" asked mrs. brown. "i have always wanted to see a cotton field, with the darkies singing and picking the white, fluffy stuff." "there is plenty of cotton in georgia," her husband answered, "but there may be none where we are going. however, i hope you will have your wish. if we can't have oranges we may have peanuts and cotton." "we'll not eat the cotton though, shall we, daddy?" asked sue. "you won't have to unless you want to," he laughed in answer. a little later, when mr. and mrs. brown had got together their baggage, for they were near their destination, bunny, who was looking from the window, suddenly called: "oh, look! here they are, picking cotton!" sue rushed to her window and mrs. brown turned to gaze out on the scene. as bunny had said, the train was then passing through a cotton section, and in the fields on either side of the track a number of colored men, women, and children were picking the big white clumps of cotton from the bushes which grew in long, straight rows. it was a late crop. "oh, it's a cotton plantation!" cried mrs. brown. "i'm glad, for i've always wanted to see one." as they looked out at the sight, which was a new one to bunny and sue, the train began to slow up. in a very few moments they could see painted in very large letters on the end of the station the word "seedville." "this is our station," announced daddy brown. "oh, we're going to get out right near the cotton plantation!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "i'm glad! why didn't you tell us we were going to be so near where they pick cotton?" she asked her husband. "i didn't really know it myself," he said. "mr. morton, whom i am going to see, said he owned cotton land, but i did not know it was a plantation. however, we'll get out here." and bunny and sue were wild with delight at the new adventures which might be in store for them. chapter viii among the cotton pickers when the train reached the station of seedville the cotton fields with the colored pickers were out of sight around a bend in the road. but bunny and sue were glad they were going to stop not far away from this new and interesting sight. as the brown family alighted from the train at the small station, a gentleman with a broad-brimmed hat, under which his pleasant smiling face could be seen, came forward. "hello, jim!" called mr. brown. "well, here we are!" "so i see, and i'm glad of it!" mr. morton answered. then he was introduced to mrs. brown and the children. mr. morton was the man daddy brown had come to georgia to see on business. later mr. brown would have to visit mr. halliday at orange beach, florida. "give me your checks and i'll look after your baggage," went on the southerner. "i have my auto right behind the station, and it's only a short ride over to my place." "have you any peanuts?" asked sue. "yes, i grow a few," answered mr. morton. "course you don't have any oranges?" bunny added, feeling pretty sure, from what his father had said, there would be none; but still he could not help hoping. "no, i'm sorry to say i haven't any orange grove," mr. morton replied, smiling. "is that your cotton field we passed?" asked mrs. brown, pointing back toward the scene through which they had come a little while before. "that's part of my plantation, yes," answered the southerner. "it's quite interesting if you haven't seen it as often as i have." a little later the family was riding toward mr. morton's home, where the browns were to stay while daddy and mr. morton finished their business, which would take about a week. mrs. morton welcomed the family, and bunny and sue were delighted to find that there were two children, a boy and a girl, not much older than they were--sam and grace morton. "oh, now we can have a lot of fun!" cried bunny, when he saw these playmates. "will you show me how to pick cotton?" he asked sam. "sure," was the answer. "i help pick it myself, sometimes." "and will you show me how to dig peanuts?" asked sue of grace. "you don't have to do much digging," answered the little southern girl, laughing. "you just pull up the vines and the peanuts stick to 'em, same as potatoes do. course you sometimes have to dig out some that don't come up on the vine." while mr. and mrs. brown and mr. and mrs. morton were talking together, the children were allowed to go to one of the near-by cotton fields. cotton, as you know, grows on low bushes, which are planted in long rows, so the pickers may easily walk between them. in some countries the cotton bushes, or plants, last from one year to the next, but in georgia most of the cotton grows from new bushes each year. the seeds are planted in the spring, but the picking is not finished until sometimes late in what is the winter season of the north. of course in some parts of georgia there are frosts which kill the bushes, and in these parts of the state the cotton must be picked earlier than in the southern part, where the browns were. so, though there was cold weather and snow in bellemere, there were warm, blue skies in georgia, and the colored men, women and children were out in the fields picking the cotton. as bunny brown and his sister sue, with sam and grace, reached the field of cotton, they could hear the darkies singing. some one would start a tune, and then others would join in. "it's jolly!" laughed bunny, as they stopped to listen to a funny song about a mule. "yes, the darkies always seem to be happy," said sam. the children from the north watched as the colored pickers pulled off the great, fluffy balls of white, stuffing them into bags or baskets which were later taken from the field on two-wheeled mule carts. "what are all those brown things in the cotton?" asked sue, as she looked at a fluffy clump on a near-by bush. "seeds," answered grace. "the cotton clump, or boll, is full of seeds, and these have to be taken out before the cotton is baled up for the mill." "oh, i 'member about that!" cried bunny. "we learned it in school. a man named eli whitney made a machine for taking seeds out of the cotton." "that's right," admitted sam. "i'll take you to the gin, as it is called, where the seeds are taken from the cotton and the white stuff is pressed into bales. you ought to see the big presses! it squeezes the cotton all up!" "i hope it doesn't squeeze us!" laughed sue. "i'll keep you back out of danger," promised grace. the children walked through the cotton field of the plantation and were greeted by broad grins and smiles on the part of the colored folk. there seemed to be more children than grown people working in the field, and sam said it was sometimes hard to get old pickers, so children had to be used. the darkies did not work very fast, and often, as bunny and his sister walked along with their new friends, the hands would stop working to look at the children. this, with their habit of stopping to sing every now and then, slowed up the cotton picking. "i'd like to go to the mill and see the cotton pressed into bales," said bunny after a while. "all right, we'll go," said sam. "you've seen about all there is to see here." as they turned away sue suddenly called: "hark!" they all listened, and grace said: "that's one of their banjos! they bring them to the field and play and dance." "oh, let's see that!" cried sue. "it'll be more fun than going to the cotton factory!" bunny, too, wanted to listen to the music, so they turned aside into a part of the field where most of the cotton had been picked from the bushes. the darkies, who had finished this part of their work, were celebrating after a fashion. some boards had been laid down, and an awning placed over them to make a place where bags of cotton were tied up to be taken to the gin. gathered around this platform were a number of negro men, women and children. one of the men had an old banjo, and though the instrument seemed battered and broken, he managed to get some lively music from it. "golly, dat suah mek me want to shuffle mah feet!" exclaimed one bright-eyed colored lad. "why doan you shuffle 'em den, rastus?" some one called. "show de white folks how you kin cut de pigeon wing!" "oh, landy, banjo music suah am sweet!" cried an old white-wooled colored woman, with a jolly laugh. then the man with the banjo "cut loose," as one of his friends called it, and played such a lively tune that even bunny and sue said they felt like dancing. but they wanted to see what the cotton pickers did, and so they watched. out on the wooden platform shuffled rastus, and the way he kicked up, turned cartwheels, stood on his hands and danced around made bunny and sue laugh in delight. others of the pickers, men and women, girls and boys, danced, and then along came the driver of one of the mule carts who had a mouth organ. he added this music to that of the banjo, until quite a crowd had collected. "my goodness!" exclaimed a voice behind bunny and sue when there came a lull in the fun. "cotton picking can't be such very hard work after all!" the children turned around to see their mother and mrs. morton, who had come to the field. "oh, the darkies have to have their fun, and if we didn't let them we wouldn't get as much work done as now takes place," said the wife of the cotton planter. "life is rather slow and easy down here." indeed it seemed so. after more banjo and mouth organ music, the pickers gradually went to another part of the field, and bunny and sue, with the two morton children, were allowed to go to the place where the loose cotton was pressed into big bales. cotton, as you have doubtless noticed, is very light and fluffy. a pound of it, loose, takes up much room, and it is to save room that it is pressed into bales, or bundles. each one weighs about five hundred pounds, and the bales are somewhat larger than a barrel, though of square shape and not round. but if the cotton were allowed to fluff out, it would take up four or five times this room. guided by sam and grace, bunny and his sister were taken to the cotton gin and baling place. first the seeds must be taken out of the cotton. to do this the fluffy mass, as it is taken from the bags or baskets in which it is carted from the field, is fed into a machine. the machine is like a big clothes wringer, but the rolls, instead of being made of smooth rubber, are rough, and covered with sharp iron teeth. as the cotton passes between these toothed rollers they tear it apart, loosening the seeds, which drop down while the cleaned cotton goes to the other side of the machine ready to be baled. the cotton seeds are used for many things, being sometimes fed to cattle in the form of meal, or from them oil may be squeezed which is almost as good to eat as olive oil. "i want to see the cotton pushed into bales," said bunny, and his southern friends led the way into the factory. there were white wisps of cotton all about, clinging to the walls and ceiling of the pressing room, as well as to the colored men who were working there. bunny and sue did not understand much about the machinery. but they could see how the cotton was put into a sort of iron box. a big plunger then pressed down what might be called the "lid" of the box. this squeezed the big, fluffy mass of cotton into a bale, and iron straps, or wires, were put around the outside of the burlap bagging that kept the cotton clean. sue was standing with sam and grace, watching the cotton being pressed into bales, when suddenly behind them came a noise as of something falling, and a voice cried: "oh, dear!" "that's bunny!" exclaimed sue, turning around. she did not see her brother, but she saw some men gathered around a big heap of cotton on the floor of the gin. and, not seeing bunny, his sister sue had the most dreadful scare. "oh, bunny's in a cotton press! he's being put into one of the bales!" she cried. "oh, bunny! bunny!" and she broke away from the holding hand of grace and rushed toward the heap of cotton on the floor, which was tumbling about in the queerest fashion. chapter ix gathering peanuts sam and grace morton were somewhat older than bunny brown and his sister sue, and they knew more about cotton gins. so when sue cried that bunny was being pressed into one of the white bales neither sam nor grace thought this could be so. for they had been standing near the big press all the while, and they would have seen if bunny had fallen in. but the little boy was not in sight, and something must have happened to him, or why did he cry out as he had? sue had certainly heard bunny's voice. "bunny! bunny! where are you?" shouted sue, as she broke away from the morton children. "who yo' all lookin' fo'?" asked a big colored man, who had been rolling bales of cotton about the floor. "my--my bro-brother!" stammered sue, almost ready to cry. "he's in a bale of cotton!" "oh, nopey! nopey, he ain't, li'l girl!" said the kind colored man. "i done see dat li'l boy jest a minute ago. he was climbin' up on a basket ob loose cotton, an' he done pulled it over on top ob him! he's under dat pile right yeah!" and he pointed to the mass of white, fluffy stuff on the floor. "i see what happened!" exclaimed sam, hurrying over with his sister to sue, who stood near the pile of cotton. "bunny's all right. you can't get hurt when loose cotton falls on you," and he laughed. "is--is bu-bunny under there?" asked sue. there was no need for any one to answer her, for a moment later out from under the fluffy pile crawled bunny himself. lumps of cotton clung to him all over, and his clothes were covered, but he was not in the least harmed. "i--i was under there!" gasped the little fellow. "you don't need to tell us that!" laughed sam. "we can see for ourselves. you sure have been under the cotton." "what happened to you, bunny?" his sister asked, happy, now that nothing had occurred to harm her brother. "i saw a big basket of loose cotton," he explained, "and i wanted to see how heavy it was and to find out if i could lift it. i pushed on it, and it fell over on top of me. then i yelled." "we heard you," said grace. "and i thought you were being pressed in a bale," added sue. "i'm glad i wasn't," remarked bunny, as he noticed how very hard the press squeezed the loose cotton. the colored workers picked up the fluffy stuff bunny had spilled from the big basket, which he had pulled over on him. he had been hidden from sight in the white mass that had toppled out on the floor. "it was just like the time when i was under the snowdrift, only it wasn't so cold," bunny said, telling about his accident afterward. "and it was awfully ticklish!" "better that than a cotton press," his mother said. "you must be careful around the gin, children." "it's all right to go to the peanut fields though, isn't it, mother?" asked sue. she had been eager, ever since hearing that peanuts grew in georgia, to see how they clung to the ends of the vines, like little potatoes. "yes, i think visiting the peanuts will be all right, if you don't eat too many," mrs. brown said. "they won't want to eat too many," said sam morton. "when the peanuts come out of the ground they are raw, and they have to be roasted before they are good to eat. they won't eat too many." "can't we roast some?" sue wanted to know, and her mother promised that this would be done. when the children came away from mr. morton's cotton press and gin, after the little happening to bunny, the visitors could hear the darkies singing there, as they had sung in the fields. most of mr. morton's peanut crop had been gathered, as it was almost the close of the season, but some late vines were growing in one of the fields, and this was visited by the children a day or so after their arrival in seedville. bunny brown and sue had been rather disappointed when they heard that peanuts did not grow on trees, as did chestnuts and hickory nuts, but they soon forgot this when sam told them something about this crop, by which his father made money. "we don't call 'em peanuts down here," sam said. "what do you call 'em?" asked bunny. "ground nuts and sometimes goobers," answered the southern boy. "over in england, my father says, they call 'em monkey nuts." "what for?" bunny wanted to know. "i s'pose it's because the first peanuts came from africa, and there are so many monkeys in africa," answered sam. "i wish there was a monkey here!" exclaimed sue. "i'd like to see him eat peanuts--i mean goobers!" she added, with a laugh at the funny word. "there's a monkey near our house at home," explained bunny. "we could send wango some peanuts, couldn't we, sue?" he asked. "oh, yes, let's!" cried the little girl. "well, come on first and pick some, or dig 'em, which is what you'll have to do," suggested sam. what had not been gathered of mr. morton's peanut crop was growing in a field not far from the plantation buildings. there were no darkies gathering the goobers, as it was more important now to pick the cotton. "pull up one of the vines," suggested sam to the children from the north. you can imagine how delighted bunny and sue were when they pulled up by the roots one of the vines and saw, dangling on the end, some of the peanuts they knew so well. "oh, wouldn't mrs. redden like it here?" cried bunny, as he pulled off some of the peanuts. "who's she?" asked grace. "she keeps a peanut and candy store where we live," explained sue. "and she sells lots of peanuts. if she was here she could get all she wanted." "but she'd have to roast them, or get them roasted," said sam. "about the only things unroasted peanuts are good for is to make peanut oil and to feed to horses. we'll take some to the house and roast them. we have a little roaster in the kitchen." "and can we make some peanut molasses candy?" asked bunny. "don't you have molasses down here?" "oh, yes, plenty of molasses," said grace. "we don't raise any sugar cane, which molasses come from, but they do farther south. we'll make some peanut candy." the prospect of this delighted bunny and sue almost as much as did the gathering of the nuts. the children from the north looked curiously at the "goobers" they had pulled up on the vine. as sam had said, they were not at all good to eat, needing to be dried and roasted before they would be enjoyable. for several days bunny and sue enjoyed themselves on the southern plantation. one day mr. morton took them over a grove where a friend of his was growing pecans. these were nuts which grew on trees, and bunny and sue were allowed to gather and eat as many as they wished, for these nuts did not need to be baked or roasted before being eaten. there were busy times on the cotton plantation. much work yet remained to finish, and one day, after his business with mr. morton was almost at an end, daddy brown went with his wife and bunny and sue to watch the gathering of cotton by the negroes. up to now he had not had much time to see this. "what are they all so jolly about?" he asked mr. morton, as they walked through the field, the bushes of which were now almost stripped of their white tufts. "oh, they expect to finish work to-night and they're going to have a jubilee dance later on," was the answer. "you must come to it, for it will be great fun for the children." "oh, yes, they must see that," said mother brown. indeed the darkies were much more musical than on the occasion of the first visit of bunny and sue. several banjos were playing and also a mouth organ here and there, while snatches of songs could be heard all about the field. suddenly, over in the place where a number of pickers had gathered to empty their baskets into the big bin, whence the cotton was carted to the gin, there arose a great shouting. "whoa now! whoa dere, sambo! steady now!" called a man's voice. then there was the shrill shrieking of women and girls, and a moment later a big mule hitched to a cart rushed toward bunny, sue and their friends, and on the mule's back, clinging for dear life, was a little colored boy, frightened almost out of his wits. "oh, look out, bunny! sue! look out for the runaway!" cried mrs. brown. chapter x on to florida the clatter of the mule's hoofs, the rattle of the cart, and the yells of the little colored boy on the animal's back made plenty of excitement in the roadway of the cotton field. but besides all this there were the calls of mrs. brown, the shouts and yells of the frightened colored men, women and children, and the screams of bunny brown and his sister sue. "good lan' ob massy!" exclaimed one big, fat, colored woman, as she dropped her basket of cotton and rushed for a place of safety. "dat frisky li'l nigger suah will be splatter-dashed ef he fall offen dat mule's back!" and indeed it did look bad for the small colored boy. "over here, sue! come to me, bunny!" cried mrs. brown. "walter," she called to her husband, "look out for sam and grace," for the morton children were with their friends from the north. mr. brown, with a quick motion, pulled sam and grace out of danger as the runaway mule, hauling the load of cotton, came nearer. "maybe sam and i can stop him, mother!" cried bunny. "indeed and you'll do nothing of the sort!" exclaimed mrs. brown, hurrying the children behind a row of cotton plants. "hi! hi! hi!" was all the little colored boy on the back of the runaway mule could shout. "hi! hi!" "oh, can't some one save him?" cried mrs. brown. "i'll try," answered her husband, who, having seen to it that sam and grace were safe with bunny and sue, started out to try to head off the mule. at the same time the shrieks of the colored women had called from a distant part of the field several strong colored men, and one of these ran toward the mule about the same time that mr. brown did. but there was no need of any one getting worried. before the mule could be caught he stopped, and stopped so suddenly that the colored boy was pitched off the animal's back. down to the ground the dusky-skinned child slipped, but, luckily enough, there was a pile of cotton here, and it was on top of the fluffy stuff that he landed. there he sat, a splotch of black in a heap of white, and he presented such a funny picture that sue and her brother burst out laughing. so did sam and grace. and then jim, the colored boy, finding that he was not hurt, opened his mouth and shrieked in delight. some of the colored men came up and took charge of the mule, which they led back to the shed whence he had run away. and one of the fat black women waddled toward jim on the heap of cotton. "look yeah, yo' li'l hunk ob sticky black 'lasses!" she cried. "whut fo' you want to git on dat mule's back an' scare yo' po' mammy 'most into a conniption fit? whut fo' you do dat, jim st. clair breckinridge? whut fo', huh?" "ah didn't go fo' to do it, 'deed an' ah didn't, mammy!" said jim, as he arose. "ah wuz jest leanin' ober to knock a fly often dat mule's back an' ah slipped an' fell on him. den he started up, an' ah couldn't nohow git offen him!" and this, it appeared, was how it had happened. the little colored boy was playing around the shed where the darkies emptied their baskets of cotton into a bin. there it was piled into the cart to be taken to the gin. the boy had climbed up on a pile of boxes to make himself higher, and in this position had seen a fly on the mule's back. or at least that is what jim said. at any rate, whether he tried to do the mule a kindness, or whether he really intended to use the boxes as a stepping block to get up and take a ride, jim got on the animal's back, and this so alarmed the mule that it started off, causing much excitement. but no real harm had resulted, and no one was hurt, for the fluffy cotton was even softer to fall on than a pile of hay. jim was taken in charge by his mother and made to help pick cotton the rest of the day. bunny and sue liked it so much on the plantation, watching the cotton-pickers and occasionally pulling up a few peanuts for themselves, that i think they would have been willing to spend the rest of the winter in that part of the sunny south. "but my business here is almost finished," said mr. brown to his family one evening as they sat in mr. morton's pleasant home. "we will soon go on to florida." "and eat oranges!" added sue, for she had often been thinking of that juicy fruit. "and catch alligators!" exclaimed bunny. the chance of at least seeing some of these scaly creatures seemed to give bunny pleasure. "oh, my!" exclaimed his mother. "now look here!" she went on, as she thought of what might happen. "i don't want you two tots going off by yourselves trying to catch alligators! mind that!" and she shook a warning finger at them. in the evening, while the older folks were talking in the sitting room and the children were playing games, bunny heard his father say: "there's the oil stock certificate bunny found, mr. morton." "oh, yes, your wife was telling us about that," remarked the cotton planter. "let me see it." bunny looked up in time to see his father show mr. morton a stiff, crinkly green and gold paper, which the little boy well remembered. "didn't you yet find out to whom that oil stock belongs?" asked mrs. brown of her husband, while bunny entertained sam and grace by telling them in a low voice how, while they were in the sleigh that day with uncle tad, the porter of the pullman car had tossed the valuable paper out in a pan of dirt. "no, so far i haven't found the owner," mr. brown answered. "i brought the certificate with me, for i thought perhaps the oil company might have been notified by the loser. but they write me that no one has yet notified them of the loss. so i'll have to hold the stock a while longer. it is quite valuable, the oil company says, and i must take good care of it." he put the temporary certificate back in his pocket, and bunny and his sister, after telling about the runaway, went on playing games with sam and grace. "well," said mr. brown at last, after he and mr. morton had looked over several business books and papers, "i think we'll be traveling on to florida in a few days." "we shall miss having you here," mrs. morton said. "i'm sure it has done the children good." "yes," agreed mrs. brown. "they never before saw cotton or peanuts growing, and they have learned something." "i want to learn about oranges!" exclaimed sue. "and maybe i could grow up to be an alligator hunter," added bunny. "i hope not that!" his mother exclaimed, laughing. "and i think it is almost time for you children to go to bed." but just then there came a knock on the door and the colored servant, having answered it, came back to say that the plantation hands were having a sort of jubilee among themselves and had sent to know if the "white folks" didn't want to see the fun. "oh, yes," said mr. morton, as he heard this message. "i was telling you that at the end of the cotton-picking season the darkies have a great time among themselves, playing and singing songs. they make hoe cakes and if they can get a 'possum they roast that with sweet potatoes. let's go down for a little while." "can we come?" cried all four children, almost in one voice. "yes, let them come!" said mr. morton. it was not really very late, though it was dark. but once bunny and sue, with sam and grace were outside, they saw, down in the direction of the darkies' cabins, some flickering lights which told of bonfires and torches. "it looks just like a picture," said mrs. brown, as she walked along with her husband. they could hear the strumming of banjos, the blowing of mouth organs, and the singing of the colored folk, whose full, soft voices made most pleasant tunes. [illustration: bunny and sue were delighted with the "jubilee." _bunny brown and his sister sue in the sunny south._ _page 101_] bunny and sue were delighted with the "jubilee," as it was called. of course sam and grace had seen it before, but they always enjoyed it. there was dancing, too, and some of the capers cut by the men and boys were very funny. "what's hoe cake?" asked bunny, remembering that mr. morton had spoken of this. "in the old days, before the war, it was a cornmeal cake baked on the clean blade of a field hoe," was the answer. "but now they are generally made in a pan or skillet, i think. a hoe cake is a sort of johnnie cake up north." "here comes mammy jackson with some now," said mrs. morton, as a fat, jolly-looking colored woman approached the visitors with a large tray. "white folks come to visit an' we got to treat 'em quality like!" chuckled the old negress. "here you is, li'l white folks," and she presented the tray to bunny and sue. it was laden with all sorts of good things that the darkies like to eat, but as some of the food was rather rich, especially for eating just before going to bed, mrs. brown looked at what bunny and sue took, allowing them only a little of each dainty. it was all clean and well cooked, and bunny and sue thought they had never before tasted anything so good. they did not get any 'possum meat, and perhaps they would not have liked that. it takes a real southerner to care for that dainty. after the eating, the singing, playing and dancing went on more wild and noisy than before, but bunny and sue were not allowed to stay up very late. and so, rather wishing they might remain longer, they were led away, and a little while afterwards were snug in bed, listening to the faint and far-off sounds of the colored jubilee. two days later mr. brown, having finished his business in georgia, started with his family for orange beach, florida. "we had a lovely time here!" said sue to grace, as they parted. "most fun i ever had in my life!" added bunny. but then as he said that about nearly every place he had visited, i am beginning to think he had a very happy disposition. "don't eat too many oranges!" grace called to sue, as the southern children watched their little guests climb aboard the train that was to take them to florida. "i won't," sue promised. "and don't let an alligator catch you!" begged sam of bunny. "i'll catch _them_!" declared the little fellow. "good-by! good-by!" was echoed back and forth. then the train pulled out of the small station of seedville, and once more bunny brown and his sister sue were on their journey. and many things were to happen before they reached home again. chapter xi the poor cat bunny brown and his sister sue were now going farther down into the sunny south. they had left far behind the bleak and cold of the north where there was ice and snow when they had come away. in georgia they had found soft winds and balmy skies, but now, as they were headed into florida, they were to find it even warmer. orange beach, where mr. brown expected to meet mr. halliday and attend to some business, was in the southern part of florida, somewhat inland from the ocean and on a river which bunny, at least, hoped would be filled with alligators. as for sue, all she hoped for was to gather oranges and orange blossoms. both children, in a way, were to have their wishes gratified. as the train went farther south, the scenery grew more and more green, for bunny and sue were getting into the land where there is never any snow or ice, and only occasionally a little frost, which all orange growers dread. sometimes, to keep a frost from hurting the orange trees, great bonfires are built in the groves and kept going all night. "oh, look what a funny tree!" cried sue, as the train was passing through a swampy bit of forest. "it looks as if it had whiskers!" "oh, isn't it funny!" echoed bunny. "what is it, daddy?" daddy brown leaned toward the car window and looked out. several trees were now seen, each one festooned with what sue had called "whiskers." "that is spanish moss, also called long moss," explained mr. brown. "it is common in florida and other parts of the south, especially in trees that grow in the swamps, or everglades." "what are the everglades?" bunny wanted to know. "are they like alligators?" "oh, no!" laughed his mother. "about all you think of, bunny, is alligators." "i don't; do i, mother?" asked sue. "i keep thinking of oranges!" mr. and mrs. brown laughed at this, and mr. brown, after explaining how the spanish moss grew on trees, sometimes hanging down like the gray beard of a very old man, told the children about the everglades. "the everglades are the great swamps in the southern part of florida," mr. brown said. "the land there is very low in some places, and the sea water covers it at times. the everglades are lonely places, part forest and partly covered with tall grass." "alligators, too?" asked bunny, with wide-open eyes. "yes, i think alligators are there," mr. brown said. "but no oranges," he added, before sue could ask that question. "it is too swampy to raise oranges, though now an effort is being made to drain the swampy everglades and make them of some use. we aren't going to that part of florida, however; at least not on this journey." there was so much of interest to see on this trip to the sunny south, and so much to ask questions about, that bunny and sue thought the journey one of the most delightful they had ever taken. while mr. brown looked over some business papers, among which bunny had a glimpse of the valuable oil certificate, and while mrs. brown read a magazine, the children looked from the windows of their car at the scenes and landscapes that flitted past so rapidly. "we're going to change cars in a little while," said mr. brown to his wife and children, as he put his papers back in his pocket. "are we at orange beach?" bunny asked, ready to start out and hunt alligators at a moment's notice if need be. "oh, no," his father answered. "orange beach is another day's travel. but this is as far as this railroad runs and we have to get off and take another train. the place where we will get off is only a small station in a little town, but there is a man there i want to see on business." "will you stay there long?" asked mrs. brown. "no, only a few hours, while waiting for the next train to take us on to orange beach. you will have time to get something to eat--you and the children, while i see mr. parker. the name of the place is clayton, and it is the next station," said mr. brown, looking at a timetable he carried. bunny and sue were delighted to ride in railroad trains and look out at the scenery, but they were also glad to get out once in a while, to "stretch their legs," as bunny said. in fact, the children were always glad of a change, and now that they heard they were to alight from one train, get lunch in clayton, and proceed in another car they welcomed whatever might happen during that time. "clayton! clay-ton!" called the trainman, as the cars began to go more slowly when the brakes were put on, and bunny and sue, with their father and mother, began to gather up their hand baggage in readiness to alight. clayton was a small town in florida, and except that everything was as green and sunny as it would have been in bellemere in the middle of summer, the village was not very different from many country towns of the north. yes, there was a difference, too. there were a large number of colored people about--children and men and women--and many of the animals seen drawing carts and wagons were mules instead of horses. one or two small automobiles were to be noticed, but there was not such a busy scene as would have been noticed in a northern town. "now," said mr. brown to his wife, when she and the children were gathered about him on the station platform, "i think this will be the best plan. you and the children get lunch in that restaurant over there, while i go uptown and see mr. parker. by the time you finish your lunch and i get back, you will not have long to wait for the train that will take us to orange beach. it comes in here at this station." "but where will you get lunch?" asked mrs. brown. "with mr. parker," was the answer. "i can eat and talk business at the same time, and get through sooner. that looks like a nice enough little restaurant over there. i hope they will have something you and the children can eat." "i am not very hungry," mrs. brown said. "we ate so many good things at mrs. morton's that i must have gained several pounds." "i'm hungry!" exclaimed bunny, anxious lest there be no lunch. "so'm i!" echoed his sister. "i guess there'll be enough for you," his father said, with a laugh. "take them over, mother, while i see if i can hire one of these easy-going colored boys to drive me uptown." there were one or two ramshackle old carriages with bony horses harnessed to them standing about the station, and in one of these mr. brown was soon on his way up the street toward the main part of the village. "come on, children. we'll see what there is for lunch," mrs. brown said. she led the way over to the small restaurant near the railroad. she found that it was clean and neat, something of which she had been a little doubtful from the outside. a white man kept the restaurant, but he said he had an old colored "mammy" for a cook, and then mrs. brown knew she and the children would get something good to eat. they had chicken and waffles, as well as other good things, and in spite of the fact that she had said she was not hungry, mrs. brown managed to eat a good lunch. as for bunny brown and his sister sue, i really am ashamed to tell you how much they ate and how many things they passed their plates for "more." but traveling always makes children hungry, doesn't it? "may we walk up and down the street a little while?" asked bunny of his mother, as she went back to the station with him and sue after lunch. "we want to see things while we're waiting for daddy." "yes, but don't go far away," mrs. brown answered, as she took her seat on the bench in the shade. "i don't know just what time the train for orange beach is due." bunny and sue promised not to stray away, and then, hand in hand, while their father was off uptown on business and while their mother was dozing sleepily on the station bench, the children wandered along the street which extended beside the railroad tracks. on the rails were a number of freight cars, several of the kind called "box," because they look like big boxes on wheels. bunny and sue crossed the street and walked along the string of boxcars, looking into those the doors of which were open. "i wouldn't like to ride in one of those cars," said sue to bunny. "they aren't nice, and they have no windows in to see out of." "and no seats, either," bunny added. "they're only for freight, anyhow." "what's freight?" asked sue. "oh, it's different things they put in cars," bunny answered. "it's boxes and barrels and bales of cotton, i guess, for i heard mr. morton say he had to pay a lot of freight money to have his cotton taken away." "is that freight?" asked sue, pointing to some broken boxes on the ground near a boxcar, the door of which stood open. "i guess it was once, maybe," bunny answered. "those boxes come in a freight car, but they took the stuff out. let's go and see if there's anything left in the freight car." forgetting that they had promised their mother not to go far away, bunny and sue wandered down the track and soon stood beside a car out of which some empty boxes and barrels had been thrown. and as they neared the car they heard, coming from within it, the mewing of a cat. "oh, there's a pussy!" cried sue, who heard it first. "where?" asked bunny. "in that freight car, i think," his sister went on. "oh, there it is!" she cried, pointing. bunny looked in time to see a small cat peering from the door of the car. the door was about four feet from the ground, and the little pussy seemed to think this was too far to jump down. "poor little pussy!" said sue kindly. "i guess it's hungry and lonesome, bunny! let's get it and take it to mother." "all right," bunny agreed. "but we'll have to get up on a box or barrel to reach it." neither bunny nor sue was tall enough to lift the poor cat down from the open door of the freight car. and it did seem to be the kind of cat one would call "poor," for it was very thin, and was crying as if hungry or perhaps lonesome. "maybe it's been shut up in the car a long time," sue said. "we'll get it down and feed it," said bunny, pulling a box from the pile over toward the freight car, so he could climb up through the wide, sliding door. chapter xii a strange ride "let me help you!" begged sue, when she saw what her brother was doing. "i'll help you move the box." bunny brown was glad to have his sister's help, and the two children half carried, half dragged the empty packing box over to the freight car. "oh, it's gone!" cried sue in disappointed tones, as bunny shoved the box under the wide, open door. "what's gone?" asked the little boy. "the poor, hungry pussy! it ran away and now we can't feed it!" "hum!" exclaimed bunny, who was also disappointed. "i guess--" "oh, there it is!" suddenly cried sue, pointing, as the little cat--for it was only half grown--thrust his head around the edge of the door. "keep still now, pussy, and we'll get you," begged sue, as if the cat knew what she was saying. the cat certainly heard, and perhaps it did understand something of what the children were trying to do, for they spoke very kindly. and let me tell you that dogs and cats can easily tell the difference between kind and cross speaking. while the little pussy looked down from the door of the freight car at the two children, bunny managed to scramble up on top of the wooden box. from there he could easily get inside the car. he did not think he would have to do this, however, and he did not want to, for the inside of the car looked very dark and "scary." bunny could not see to either end, for the car was rather long. but as the little boy climbed up on the box and reached out his hand to grasp the kitten, the little cat, with a sad "mew!" backed farther inside the big car. "come on, pussy!" called bunny gently. "i won't hurt you!" "we'll give you some nice milk," added sue, standing on the ground near the box. "let bunny get you!" but this the strange cat did not want to do. back into the car it ran, just as you have very often, i suppose, seen a strange cat or dog run away from you, until it made sure you were going to be kind. by this time bunny had leaned far enough inside the car to be able to notice that it was not quite so black and "scary" as he had at first thought. he could see each end easily now, and in one far corner was the little cat, rubbing up against the sides of the car, as if it wanted to be petted, but was afraid to let the children do it. "i guess i'll have to go in after it," said bunny. "all right," agreed sue. "i'll come and help you," and she scrambled up on the box just as bunny drew his legs up over the edge of the car and went inside. mrs. brown, from her place on the station platform, could look down the tracks and see the line of freight cars which extended alongside the street. she had seen bunny and sue walking in this direction, but she did not imagine they would get inside a car. if she had seen bunny scrambling in after the cat she would have run down to make him come out. but she did not see this, for she had closed her eyes and was dozing a little in the warm air of the sunny south. nor did mrs. brown see sue climb up on the box after her brother. as soon as bunny went inside the car to get the cat sue followed, and there the two children were, inside the big boxcar, while pussy was mewing sadly at one end, wanting to be petted and fed, but just a little afraid. "we'll get it now," said bunny, as he saw sue in the car with him. "you go one side and i'll go the other. then we'll catch it and take it to mother." "maybe it'll scratch me," suggested sue, for she had been scratched by pet kittens more than once. "no, i don't think it will," said bunny. "come up easy, so you won't scare it." walking a little way apart down the length of the freight car, in which they could now see very well, bunny brown and his sister sue approached the pussy. they held out their hands and hissed through their lips, for they thought cats liked that sound. if it had been a little dog in the freight car the children would have whistled, and the dog, very likely, would have run to them, wagging its tail. if bunny and sue had whistled they might have frightened the little pussy, so they just made soft sounds through their lips, and walked toward the small cat. but when bunny and his sister did this the pussy ran and hid as far back as it could in one end of the car, as if afraid. "oh, we won't hurt you!" exclaimed sue. "we just want to get you and take you out so we can feed you," explained bunny. but the pussy did not seem to understand. "you go one way and i'll go the other," suggested bunny. "we can catch it between us." "like we did chickens at grandpa's farm once," agreed the little girl. she remembered how she and her brother had once thus closed in on some hens and a rooster that had got out of the chicken yard. "that'll be a good way," bunny said. but when they tried it, he coming in toward the pussy from the right and sue from the left, the little cat just scampered between the children with a "mew!" and there it was at the other end of the car! "oh, it's playing tag!" laughed sue. "i guess it is," agreed bunny. "come on, little cat!" called the boy. "we have to go home pretty soon. we can't stay here all the afternoon." "oh, bunny, how funny!" laughed sue. "we aren't going _home_!" "well, we're going on to florida, and that'll be home for a while," said the little fellow. "anyhow we've got to be going pretty soon or mother will be looking for us. come on now, we'll try again." once more they walked carefully toward the other end of the freight car, whither the pussy had gone. but again the furry animal dashed between bunny and his sister, keeping out of reach of their eager hands. "i don't b'lieve it wants us to catch him," said sue. "i don't b'lieve so, either," agreed bunny. but they did not give up trying, though the more they raced after the little pussy the livelier that animal seemed to become, until bunny and sue were getting quite tired. then, suddenly, when they were in one end of the car trying to corner the lively little cat, there came a jar and a jolt to the car. "what's that?" asked sue, a bit frightened. "something bumped into us," bunny answered. "i guess maybe it was the engine." then, as the children felt another bump, which shook the whole car and them also, and as they heard a banging noise and the tooting of a whistle, bunny exclaimed: "oh, an engine is hitching on our car! we're going to have a ride!" before sue could say anything the car suddenly became dark, for the sliding door on the side, by which bunny and his sister had entered, slid shut with another bang. "oh, bunny!" cried sue, this time in great fright. "we're shut in here!" "yes," agreed bunny, trying hard to be brave and not cry as he felt sue was going to do. "i guess we are!" "oh, bunny!" exclaimed his sister, "what'll we do?" bunny did not know just what to answer. "mew!" cried the little kitten, somewhere in the dark car. in fact, it was so dark that neither bunny nor sue could see the other, and they could not tell where pussy was. there came another bang and rattle, a loud noise, and then bunny brown and his sister sue felt the car rolling away. a locomotive was pulling it, giving the children a strange ride. chapter xiii nutty, the tramp bunny and sue were so surprised when they found that they were being hauled away in the closed and dark freight car that for a time after their first startled cries they said nothing. they remained standing hand in hand in the middle of the dark, empty space, swaying to and fro as the train bumped over the uneven rails. "oh, bunny!" gasped sue in a little whisper, "where do you s'pose we're going?" "i don't know," he answered. "but it's somewhere. we're having a ride, anyhow." this was true enough. they were moving along quite swiftly now, but not nearly so smoothly or so comfortably as when they had ridden in the parlor car or the sleeping car. "will mother and daddy come?" asked sue, her voice a bit shaky because she was half crying. "i--i don't guess they will," her brother answered. "daddy is uptown, seeing a man, and mother was on the station bench when we crawled in this car to get the cat." "oh!" exclaimed sue, and then she tried to peer through the gloom to see bunny. at first, after the door had slid shut, she could only dimly see where her brother stood, even though she had hold of his hand. but now, as her eyes became used to the darkness, she could make out that bunny was standing close beside her. what had happened was this. the children had climbed into an empty freight car that was standing on a siding, as the extra tracks around a railroad station are called. the freight had been taken from the car some days before, and, being empty, it was needed to be loaded again. a switch engine, which was "picking up empties," as the railroad men call it, had backed down the track and had been fastened to several cars in addition to the one containing bunny brown and his sister sue. the railroad men, of course, did not know that the children were in the car. and they knew nothing about the pussy cat. they supposed the freight car was empty. the freight engine, in backing down the track to be coupled, or fastened, to the cars, had banged into them rather hard. this hard bang had slid shut the sliding door, making bunny, sue, and the cat prisoners. "oh!" suddenly exclaimed sue after a period of silence. "what's the matter?" asked bunny, for, having hold of his sister's hand, he could feel her jump. "something rubbed up against my legs," she answered. "it's the cat!" exclaimed bunny. "oh!" cried sue again, and this time there was happiness in her voice. she leaned down and felt around her legs. her hand touched a warm, furry back. "it is pussy!" she cried. "and kitty let me pick him up! oh, bunny, it's purring like anything!" sue exclaimed. "i guess it's lonesome, too, and maybe don't like to ride in a freight car, so it's getting tame," bunny said. and perhaps this did explain it. "i can pick him up!" cried sue in delight. and, a moment later, she had the pussy in her arms. surely enough the little fluffy fellow was no longer afraid of the children. it wanted to be near them for company, and it snuggled down in sue's arms, while bunny reached over in the dark and softly stroked the animal. all this while the freight car was being hauled farther and farther away from the railroad station. "i'm going to sit down," said sue, and she did, taking her place on the floor of the car with her legs stretched out, making a lap for the cat. bunny, whose eyes were also becoming used to the dark, could see what sue was doing, and he sat down beside her, reaching over now and then and petting pussy. the little cat seemed quite content now, and if it was hungry it did not cry. "maybe i could open the door so we could get out," suggested bunny, after a bit. "you couldn't get off this car while it was moving, even if you could open the door," sue stated. "don't you 'member mother said we should never get on a trolley car when it was moving, or get off?" "yes," admitted bunny. "i 'member that. but i'm not going to get off till the car stops. only i'll see if i can get the door open, so we'll be all ready to get off when it does stop." with this in mind bunny arose from his place on the floor of the swaying freight car beside sue and the kitten in her lap, and tried to make his way over to where some cracks of light showed around the door. there were two sliding doors to the car, one by which the children had entered, and another opposite. but this last showed no light around the edges, and bunny rightly guessed that this one was fastened more tightly than the one that had slid shut. it was one thing for bunny to say he would open the door, but it was quite another thing to do it. for by this time the engine was puffing away down the track at good speed, and the little fellow soon found that it was very hard to walk across the empty freight car. it swayed from side to side, much more so than an ordinary railroad coach, and a great deal more than a pullman car. but if it was difficult for him to walk in a regular passenger car, it was much harder in the swaying freight car. and when he tried to make his way to the door he was nearly thrown off his feet. "oh, bunny, look out! you'll be hurt! what are you going to do?" asked sue, for she could see her brother fairly well now. "i'm going to open that door!" grunted bunny. the reason he grunted was because he sat down suddenly. he had been swayed right off his feet. "you can't do it!" sue said. "don't get hurt, bunny!" "i won't," he answered. "but we've got to get out of this car, and i've got to get that door open! i know what i can do," he went on. "if i can't walk over i can crawl. i did that when i was a baby." bunny brown was a smart and brave little fellow, and, as he said, when he found he could not walk upright, because the car swayed so, he made up his mind to crawl. and crawl he did, across the rough, splintery floor of the old car. once he stuck a sliver into the palm of his hand. he cried "ouch!" but the rumble of the wheels was so loud that sue did not hear him, and bunny was glad of it. he stopped, pulled the splinter from his hand, and then bravely went on again, crawling over the swaying car. at last he reached the door, and as there were projections on the side, by which he could hold himself, bunny managed to stand up. "now i'm going to open the door, sue!" he called to his sister. "and when the train stops we can get off and go back to mother and daddy." "yes, i guess we'd better do that," sue answered. "they'll get worried about us." holding to a wooden brace on the side of the car with one hand, bunny tried to push back the heavy, sliding door with the other. it went a few inches, letting more light inside the car, but there the door stuck. and it was, perhaps, a good thing that it did. for if the door had opened suddenly the little boy might have been pitched out, for the train of empty freight cars was now moving swiftly. bunny pulled and tugged so hard that he fairly grunted. "what's the matter?" asked sue, hearing him. "i--i can't get this door--open!" gasped her brother. "oh, well, never mind," she said. "maybe some of the trainmen will come along and let us out." "how can they come along when the train is moving?" bunny wanted to know. "didn't you ever see 'em run along on top of the freight cars?" asked sue. "yes. but this door is on the _side_--not on _top_," her brother answered. "i've got to get it open if we want to get out!" he pulled and tugged again, but it was of no use. the door had opened a little way, making a crack through which bunny could see the sunny fields, the trees, the telegraph poles, and the fences gliding past. but the crack was all too small for him or sue to squeeze through. "i guess we'll have to wait," bunny said at length, as he crawled back to the side of his sister. "you can hold pussy a little while," she said to him. bunny was very glad to do this, and the little cat snuggled down on his legs, while he gently stroked the soft fur. on and on rumbled the freight train, clicking and clacking over the rails, and making a roaring sound when it crossed a bridge. suddenly, above the other creaking, jolting sounds another noise sounded. it was like a groan. "what's that?" asked sue, reaching over and grasping bunny by the arm. she could see him plainly now, because the door was open a wider crack. "what's what?" asked bunny, who had been trying to make the pussy stand up on its hind legs. "that noise," went on sue. "didn't you hear it?" both children listened, and above the noise made by the clacking wheels they did hear a groan! or was it a grunt? "oh!" cried sue, almost crawling into bunny's lap. "what is it?" "i don't know," the little boy answered, and he was beginning to feel as frightened as was sue. again a noise, somewhere between a grunt and a groan, sounded through the car, and the children also heard a movement. bunny glanced in the direction of it, and saw what at first he had taken to be a bundle of rags moving in one dark corner. "who's there?" boldly cried bunny, holding sue's hand. "why, i'm here," was the answer. "i'm nutty, the tramp. who are you? my, i've had a fine sleep!" the voice went on, and it was rather a jolly, good-natured voice bunny thought. "such a fine sleep as i've had!" there was the sound of grunting, yawning, and stretching. then the voice cried in surprise: "why, we're moving!" "yes," answered bunny, wondering who in the world nutty, the tramp, might be. "the train is going!" "well, well! and to think i slept through it!" bunny and sue could see the ragged bundle in the corner getting up. it came toward them, and in the light that came through the crack in the freight car door the children saw that their fellow traveler was a very ragged man--a regular tramp in fact. on his part nutty, as he called himself, stared with surprised eyes at bunny brown and his sister sue. "two kids!" cried the tramp. "bless my ragged gloves! two kids!" chapter xiv a queer picnic bunny and sue did not know just what to make of this ragged tramp who was traveling in the freight car with them. it was not, of course, the first time they had seen a tramp--they were plentiful enough around bellemere at times, and often they had come begging for food at the back door of the brown house. bunny and sue had often seen their mother feed the poor men, and some of them were quite jolly, and joked about their bad luck. this tramp, "nutty," he had called himself, was one of the jolly kind, the two children decided. nutty now came from the corner where he had been sleeping and stood in the light that came through the door bunny had slid back a little way. "what in the world are you doing here?" asked nutty, as he again stretched out his arms, showing the rags and patches of his torn coat. "we came in to get the kitten," answered sue. "what, my kitten? my toddle?" cried the tramp. "you wouldn't take little toddle away from me, would you?" "oh, is that your kitten?" asked bunny brown. "we didn't know. we thought it was a stray pussy that had got up in the freight car and couldn't get out. we climbed up in to take it to our mother so it could have some milk, and then the train started." "oh, ho! so that's how it happened?" asked nutty. "i wondered how you two kids got here. i knew you couldn't be tramps. but toddle is my kitten all right. i call him toddle because that's about all he can do in the way of a walk. he toddles on his four little legs," and nutty laughed, which made bunny and sue feel better. "yes, toddle is my kitten," the queer tramp went on. "i picked him up the other day in the fields. i guess he was lost--a tramp like myself. i put him in my pocket--it's got some holes in it, but none of them quite big enough for toddle to fall through--and i've kept him ever since. he was with me when i crawled into this car to go to sleep." "were you in this car when we got in after the cat?" asked bunny. "we didn't see you." "for a good reason," the tramp answered. "i didn't want any one to see me. the railroad men don't like us tramps, and when they find us in the cars they put us out. i crawled away back in the darkest corner i could find and curled up. i must have looked like a bundle of rags." "you did," bunny answered. "that's what i thought you were." "it's the safest way to look when a railroad man is searching for you," nutty answered, with a laugh. "well, i'm on my way again," he added. "the engine must have backed down, coupled on to the freight cars, and hauled them off while i slept. where are you children going?" "we--we don't know," answered bunny brown, and then he and sue felt a wave of lonesomeness coming over them. they wanted their father and mother, and the children knew they were being carried farther and farther away from their parents as the train jolted along. they knew daddy and mother would be much frightened, too. "where is your mother?" asked nutty, the tramp. "she was sitting on a bench at the station when we climbed into the car to get the kitten," explained sue. "she didn't see us," added her brother. "and where is your father?" nutty wanted to know. "he's up in the village seeing a man," said bunny. "we're going to florida to get alligators--" "and oranges!" broke in sue. "yes, and oranges," admitted bunny. "and we stopped off here to change trains and get something to eat." "hum!" mused nutty. "speaking of something to eat, where's toddle? that kitten must be hungry." "here it is!" exclaimed sue, stooping down and picking up the little cat which was purring around her legs. "come on, toddle, i'll give you some milk," said nutty, holding out his hands for his pet. "oh, have you got milk here?" eagerly asked bunny. "well, i've a little in a bottle that i have been saving for toddle," the tramp answered. "but if you are thirsty i can give you a drink of water. i've got some nice, clean water in a bottle." "i'm thirsty," said sue, in a low voice. "and i'm hungry!" exclaimed bunny brown. "but i don't s'pose you have anything to eat, have you?" he asked, hopefully. "ha! that's just what i have!" exclaimed the tramp. "if you'll come with me, back to my corner where i left my things, we'll have a little picnic. i don't want to make a light so near this crack in the door. some railroad men at the stations we pass might see us, and then i'd be arrested." "what for?" bunny wanted to know. "oh, for being a tramp!" laughed the ragged man. "but come to my corner and we'll light up." "how can you make a light?" sue asked, for she did not exactly like the looks of the dark corner. "i have some ends of candles," answered nutty. "come, we'll have a little picnic--i'll invite you kids and toddle to the feast!" bunny and his sister wondered what the tramp could give them to eat, but they were both hungry and thirsty, though it was not so very long since lunch. so, with the tramp carrying toddle, the children followed to the corner where bunny had first seen what he thought was a bundle of rags. "stand still a minute now, kiddies," said nutty kindly, as bunny and sue reached the dark corner. "i'll make a light." he put toddle down on the floor, and the end of a candle, stuck on top of an old tomato can, soon made the place fairly light. on the floor in the corner were some tin boxes and a few bottles, one of which held a little milk, as the children could see. the other seemed to have water in it, but what was in the tin boxes the little boy and girl could only guess. "we'll feed toddle first," said nutty. "he's so little, and he doesn't know how to wait. here you are, pussy!" he called, and then into a tin box, that once had held sardines, nutty poured some milk from the bottle. eagerly the little cat lapped it up, while bunny and sue watched in the flickering light of the candle. "well, now i guess he feels better," the tramp remarked, as toddle began to clean his face with his red tongue, using his paws for a washrag. "do you kiddies like nuts?" the ragged man asked. "do you mean peanuts?" asked sue. "those and pecans," went on the tramp. "i've got lots of nut meats. that's why they call me nutty--because i eat so many nuts. but they are good and make a fine meal. besides, they don't cost anything, for the nut growers don't mind if i take a few nuts. sometimes i do a little work for them, but mostly i'm a tramp. anyhow, that's all i've got for you to eat now--plenty of nuts. we'll have a picnic on them." it surely was a strange scene! bunny brown and his sister sue in that freight car with nutty, the tramp, and toddle, the kitten, a flickering candle giving light as the ragged man set out his store of nuts. that is what the tin boxes held--a goodly store of nut meats. "i crack 'em with stones and pick 'em out in my spare time," said nutty, as he opened the tin boxes. "i have plenty of spare time," he added, with a laugh. "now, children, i haven't any chairs to invite you to sit on, but i guess it will be safer on the floor. the car rocks so. sit down and eat. nutty provides the nuts!" "could i please have a drink?" asked sue. "oh, yes! i forgot about that!" exclaimed nutty. "nuts make you thirsty, too. well, i filled my bottle of water at the railroad tank just before i got into this car, so it's fresh. i'll give you a drink." from a large bottle he poured water into a battered tin cup which was among his possessions. "it's clean," said nutty, as he passed the cup to sue. "your mother would not be afraid to let you drink it. i'm a ragged tramp, but i keep clean." and indeed the water in the cup was clean and fresh, and sue drank eagerly, as did bunny. then, their thirst satisfied for a time, the children sat down to the strange picnic. they called it at the time and afterward--the "freight car picnic." nutty was kind and good to the children, though he was a ragged tramp, and after their first feeling of fright was over, bunny and sue had quite a jolly time. and when you are hungry nuts make a very good meal. in fact, nuts are a form of food. squirrels and other animals can live on nothing but nuts and fruits, and though growing boys and girls need more than this, they could live for some time on nuts alone. "i'm a great nut eater," explained nutty, as he helped bunny to more pecans from the tin box. "i tramp around this part of the south, and gather nuts wherever i can. that's why the other tramps call me nutty. when i was young i used to eat a lot of meat and potatoes with bread and butter. but now i eat nuts." "did you ever eat cake?" asked sue, as she munched some brown peanuts, for nutty had roasted peanuts among his store. "cake? i haven't heard that word for years!" laughed nutty. "i don't believe i'd know a piece of cake if i saw it hopping up the road to meet me. nuts are about all i need, now i'm getting old. have some more!" he did have a lot of nuts, and bunny and sue had good appetites for them. toddle, the pussy, nestled in sue's lap and purred. and the freight train rumbled on and on. where were bunny and sue going? chapter xv left alone some thought of where the train might be taking them must have come into the minds of bunny and sue for, after they had eaten as many of the nuts as they wanted and had had another drink of water from nutty's bottle, bunny asked the tramp: "do you know where we are going, mr. nutty?" "why, no, i can't exactly say i do," answered the old tramp, with a smile on his face. bunny and sue could see him smile, for the candle gave a good light. "where do you want to go?" he asked. "i want to go to my mother and daddy," answered sue. "i want to go with them to florida so i can pick oranges." "and i want to see alligators," added bunny. "do you think daddy and mother will come along on the next train?" he asked. nutty, the tramp, shook his head. "i don't know what to think about you children," he said. "it's plain to me that your mother doesn't know where you are, or your father, either. and by this time your mother must be worried because you haven't come back to her where she's waiting on the station platform. about how long ago was it you climbed into the freight car to get my kitten?" "about an hour," answered bunny, after a little thought. "oh, it was five hours," said sue, who did not have so good an idea of time as had her brother. "it was maybe six hours and i want my mother!" she seemed on the verge of tears, and nutty, understanding this, quickly said: "let's give toddle some more milk!" "oh, let me feed him!" begged sue. and as she poured some milk from the bottle into the sardine tin and watched pussy lap it up, the little girl forgot her tears. "when do you think the train will stop?" asked bunny, after he had watched sue feed the little kitten. "oh, pretty soon now, i guess," answered the old man. "are you getting tired?" "a little," bunny answered. "i don't like this car." "i don't, either!" joined in sue. "it hasn't any nice seats, and there isn't any carpet on the floor." "and you can't look out any windows," added her brother. "no," agreed nutty, with a laugh. "freight cars aren't very good places from which to see scenery when you travel. but i'm glad there aren't any windows. if there were the railroad men could look in and see us, and then they'd put me off." "what for?" bunny wanted to know. "well, because i'm a tramp, for one thing. and because i haven't any ticket for another. i'm sort of stealing a ride, you know, and the railroad men don't like that. if they saw me they'd put me off." without saying anything bunny arose and started across the swaying car toward the partly opened door--the door which showed a crack of light, though the crack was not big enough to let bunny or sue squeeze through. "where are you going, bunny?" asked nutty. "i'm going to stand by this door," answered the little boy, "and maybe a railroad man will see me and put me off. that's what i want to do--i want to get off this train!" "yes," said nutty, in a kind voice, "i suppose that is what you want to do--get off. and you ought to be sent back to your mother. i wish i could help you. but i'm afraid." "what you 'fraid of?" asked sue, petting toddle. "well, i'm afraid of what the railroad men, and maybe a policeman, might do to me if they found me in here with you two children," went on the tramp. "they'd think i was trying to kidnap you, and they might send me to jail." "we could tell them you were good to us," said bunny. "and that you gave us nuts and water to eat." "and i'd tell the men about how you took care of the pussy," said sue. "yes, i know you would be kind," the old man remarked. "but, for all that, the railroad men might think i was a bad man and arrest me. you'd better come away from that door, bunny. you might fall out. and besides, i'd rather a railroad man wouldn't see you--just yet." "but can't we ever go back to our mother and daddy?" asked bunny, as he walked over and sat down beside his sister and nutty. "oh, yes, i'm just trying to think of a way to help you," the old tramp answered. "let me think a minute." bunny and sue had often heard their mother say this, and they knew she wanted to be quiet and not have them talk when she was trying to make up her mind about something they had asked her. thinking nutty would want the same silence, bunny and sue talked only in whispers while nutty was "thinking." at last nutty said: "i think i have it now. this train ought to stop pretty soon at a water tank to give the engine a drink. when it does then you children can get off." "that'll be nice!" exclaimed sue. "will our mother be there?" bunny wanted to know. "well, yes, maybe," answered nutty, though, really, he did not think so. still it might be that mrs. brown had seen the children climb into the freight car, and she may have had a glimpse of the engine backing down, coupling to the string of cars and starting off with them. from the station agent mrs. brown could find out where the freight train would first stop, and, by taking a fast express train, she could arrive ahead of the freight. so it was possible for her to be waiting to greet bunny and sue when they got off the freight. but, for all that, nutty did not believe this. he just said it to make bunny and sue feel better. and while this was not just right and honest, nutty, who was only a poor tramp, probably did not know any better. "i wish the train would stop pretty soon," sighed sue. "i'm getting tired and i want my mother. but you have been good," she quickly said. "and i like toddle." "and the nuts were dandy!" exclaimed bunny. "i'm glad i had plenty," said the old man. "now," he went on, "you children sit here quietly with toddle, and i'll go to that door and look out. when i see a place where i think the train's going to stop i'll call you. but don't come until i do, and keep well back away from the crack in the door, so no train men will see you." bunny and sue did not want to get their friend in trouble, so moved back into the corner, taking the kitten with them. the little animal seemed to like sue very much, and purred contentedly in her lap. nutty arose and walked over to the partly opened door of the freight car. bunny and sue, seated in a distant corner, could not see the tramp very well, but, if they could have watched him they would have seen nutty opening the door wider, inch by inch. it had slid shut, as i have told you, when the engine suddenly pulled the freight car along, and though a small crack remained open bunny was not strong enough to slide the door all the way back and make the opening wider. but nutty, being stronger, had no trouble in making the door slide. the old tramp had made up his mind to run away from the children. he was really afraid of being arrested and having it said that he had tried to kidnap them, and as he knew he had no such idea he did not care to be punished for something he had not done. so he had made up his mind to jump off the train when it slowed up, leaving bunny and sue alone. and that is why he sent the children to the dark corner, so they could not see him open the door. he thought if they saw him they would want to follow. "if i can get away," said nutty to himself, "i'll tell some of the railroad men that i saw two kids in one of the empty cars, and the railroad men will look after them. but i don't want them to find _me_ here." slowly and carefully nutty slid back the door, inch by inch, in order to make the crack wide enough for him to jump out when the train slowed up. he glanced toward the dark corner where bunny and sue were sitting, playing with the cat. the candle was still burning, but the children were some distance from it. "i'll have to leave all my things behind," thought nutty, as he got the door open as wide as he needed. "i'll leave 'em my store of nuts and the water to drink. i'll have to leave toddle, too." the thought of leaving behind his little kitten made the old tramp feel rather sad. but he knew that if he picked toddle up and gathered together his tin boxes and the bottles bunny and sue would guess that he intended to go away from them. "i'll just leave everything--even the pussy," thought nutty. "i can easily get more nuts and bottles of water. i'll jump off as soon as the train slows up a little more. i don't want to be arrested as a kidnapper." watching his chance, and noticing that the train was moving quite slowly now, nutty thrust himself half way out of the crack. he glanced toward bunny and sue. they were trying to make the kitten stand up on his hind legs, and did not see the tramp. "this is my chance!" thought the ragged man, with a last, kind look toward the children. "i'm sorry to leave you all alone," he went on, "but it's better so. and i'll send help to you if i can." a moment later he jumped from the moving freight car and landed on the ground, running along a little way, and then darting into some bushes beside the track so no railroad men would see him. "there! i'm safe!" thought nutty. "bunny and sue will be all right, too, i hope!" and the little boy and girl, left alone in the freight car, were being carried farther and farther away, for the train did not stop. as soon as nutty had leaped off it started up again. chapter xvi the jolly switchman for some time bunny brown and his sister sue did not know that they had been left alone. they were playing with the kitten and they supposed their tramp friend nutty was looking out of the partly opened door, watching for a chance to get them off the train. it was not until sue grew tired of setting toddle up on his hind legs, only to have the kitten slump over in a heap, that she looked up and saw the door opened wider and nutty gone. "oh, bunny!" cried sue. "look!" bunny, who was taking some more nuts from one of the tin boxes the tramp had left in the corner, glanced at his sister. "what's the matter?" he asked. "nutty is gone!" exclaimed sue. "oh, bunny! i guess he fell out of the door! it's open wider! oh, poor nutty has falled out!" bunny made his way to the crack, and, holding to the edge of the door, he looked out. he could see that it was late afternoon, and as the sun was setting bunny knew it would soon be night. he began to wish, more than ever, that he and sue were with their father and mother. "do you see him?" asked sue, after bunny had had time to look up and down the railroad. "no," was the answer. "nutty isn't here. i guess he fell all the way out." sue scrambled to her feet to walk over and stand beside bunny. she was tired of the dark car and of not being able to look from a window. that was half the fun of traveling--looking from windows. sue was half way across the car on her way to join bunny when the train went around a curve, and so sudden it was that the freight car swayed and jolted, and sue lost her balance. down she sat on the floor, rather hard. she was not hurt, but she was surprised and she lost her breath for the moment. if bunny had not held tightly to the edge of the door he might have been tossed out. "i guess i'd better not stand there," bunny said, as he thought of what might have happened if he had been tossed out. he could not have got back in again when the train was moving, and sue would have been left all alone. "come and stay with me," begged sue, giving up the idea of going to the partly opened door. "we'll have to light another candle pretty soon, 'cause this one is 'most gone." this was true. the candle-end which nutty had lighted was burned almost to the bottom of the tin can to which it was fastened by some of the melted grease. "maybe there are more candles," suggested bunny. "let's look." nutty, as has been said, had left all his things behind him in a corner of the freight car. delving in among the old bags, in which he always carried his "baggage," the children found some more nuts. there was so much of this food that they would not be hungry for another day at least, and there was another bottle of water. "but there's no more milk for pussy," said sue. "well, he's got a little left in his bottle," bunny answered. "and he can have some of our water." "water isn't good to eat--it's only good to drink," declared sue. "maybe toddle will eat nuts," suggested her brother. but when they put some down in front of the cat it only smelled of them, played with them by knocking them about with its paw, and rubbed up against sue. "oh, well, maybe he won't be hungry," bunny said. night was now coming on, and bunny and sue were alone in the freight car--that is, except for toddle, and while the children loved the kitten he was not as much company as a big dog would have been. on and on rumbled the train. where they were now bunny and sue had not the least idea. bunny was still looking among nutty's things for another candle-end to light when the first one should burn out, which seemed likely to happen very soon, when the children suddenly became aware that the train was slowing up. "oh, maybe it's going to stop!" exclaimed sue. and then, just as the candle burned down and went out in a splutter of grease, leaving the car in darkness, the train came to a slow stop, with a creaking and squealing of brakes. "oh, bunny! bunny!" cried sue, "now we can get off." "yes," said bunny, "i guess we can." it was easy to cross the car now, for it was not moving. bunny hurried to the door which nutty had left open, and the little boy looked out. in the early evening twilight he and sue could see a patch of woods and some fields. they did not know what the place was. the freight car in which they had ridden had stopped along the way at a place where a high bank was close to the track. from the freight car to the bank was only a few feet--a distance that bunny and sue could easily jump. "i'll go first!" offered bunny, and he leaped to the ground. "i'm coming!" cried sue, as she followed her brother, landing beside him with a thud. and then bunny gave a little cry of surprise. "why!" he exclaimed. "you--you brought toddle with you!" "course i did!" answered sue. "think i'd leave that little pussy behind in the car all alone?" "no," agreed bunny. "i guess it's good you brought him." "what made the train stop?" asked sue, as she snuggled the kitten down in her arms and stood beside bunny. "did nutty make it stop, and is mother or daddy here?" "i don't know," bunny answered, looking up and down the track. "i don't b'lieve mother is here--or father either," he went on. "and i don't see nutty." "but what made the train stop?" sue asked again. "the engine is getting a drink of water," bunny answered, pointing down the track to a water tower, opposite which the engine had stopped. a man was standing on the pile of coal in the tender, or back part of the engine, and from the wayside tank a big iron pipe had been pulled over the opening in the tank tender. through this pipe a stream of water was flowing. bunny and sue both knew, of course, that the engine did not exactly "drink" water. but they had been told this when quite young and they still said it just in fun. their father had told them that water was put in an engine just as water was put in the tea kettle--to boil and make steam. "that's what the train stopped for," bunny went on; "so the engine could get some water. and i'm glad it stopped, so we could get off. i was tired of riding in that old car." "so was i," sue agreed. "it's lots nicer out here. but, bunny," she said, "it's going to be night--how are we going to get back?" and she hugged toddle closer to her. bunny, too, was beginning to wonder about this. he could see that it was getting dark. he looked down the track, and the engine whistled twice. this meant that it was going to start off again and pull the train. the man on the pile of coal in the tender pushed back the iron water pipe, and then the freight car wheels began to squeak and turn. as bunny and sue stood beside the track the train started to move, and soon it was pulling away, leaving the two children alone. it was a rather desolate place, with fields on one side and a patch of woods on the other. but as the train clacked on down the track, out of sight, bunny caught a view of a small shanty, or little house, near the water tank. and as he pointed this out to sue a man came from the little brown house and looked up and down. "oh, there's somebody," sue cried, almost dropping the kitten in her excitement. "maybe he can tell us how to get back to mother, bunny brown!" "maybe he can," the little boy agreed. "let's go and ask him." "do you know who he is?" sue asked. "i guess he's the switchman, and he tends to the water tower," bunny answered. at home they knew a switchman who lived in a little shanty just like this. he lowered and raised gates as trains came and went. but there were no gates here in this lonely place. but bunny and sue knew this person was a switchman, and as he saw them coming down the track he stared in wonder at the children. "well, what are you two little ones doing here?" asked the jolly switchman as he greeted bunny and sue. his smile was jolly, his voice was jolly, and he seemed quite a jolly person all over. "where did you come from?" he asked. "off that train," answered bunny. "what? that freight train?" asked the switchman, who was also the water-tender. he had charge of the pump that filled the tank alongside of the track. "yes, we were on that freight train," bunny answered, "and we jumped off when it stopped." "well, of all things!" cried the jolly switchman. "and was the cat with you, too?" he wanted to know. "yes," answered sue. "this was nutty's cat." "what, nutty, the tramp?" cried the switchman. "did he have you two tots?" bunny shook his head. "nutty was very good to us," answered the little boy. "he was in the car when we crawled in to get the pussy, but we didn't know it. then the train started up and we couldn't get off. nutty jumped off a while ago, 'cause he was afraid he'd be arrested. but we couldn't jump off until just now." "my! my! that's quite a story!" cried the jolly switchman. "you had better come home with me, and my wife will give you something to eat. you two children must be lost! come, i'll take you to my wife." "does she live there?" asked sue, pointing to the shanty. the jolly switchman burst into a loud laugh. chapter xvii a worried mother while bunny brown and his sister sue were traveling in the freight car with the pussy and with nutty, the tramp, mrs. brown was left alone on the station platform, where she had sat down to rest after lunch and to wait for her husband. mr. brown had some business to attend to uptown, and he had to see not one man, as he thought at first, but several. mrs. brown watched bunny and sue walk down the street alongside of the freight tracks, but she did not see the children cross to look into the open car. then mrs. brown went to sleep, or, if she did not exactly go to sleep, she closed her eyes, so she saw nothing of what went on. mrs. brown was suddenly awakened from her mid-day doze on the railroad station bench by hearing a loud banging noise. the noise was caused when the engine backed down the track, bumped into the train of freight cars and was coupled to them. then the engine started off, pulling the cars with it. "my, i thought that was a clap of thunder!" said mrs. brown, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "i'm glad it isn't," she went on, as she saw the warm, southern sun shining. "where did bunny and sue go?" she asked herself, speaking aloud, as she arose from the bench. then she heard some voices of children on the other side of the station, and, thinking her two might be there, she walked around to the farther platform. but there were only some colored boys playing with their marbles and tops. "dear me!" exclaimed mrs. brown, "i hope those two haven't wandered away. i hope they haven't gone toward the town, thinking they can find their father. i must look for them." she went back to the place where she had been sitting on the bench and looked down the street where she had last seen bunny and sue. but the children were not there. and the freight train was almost out of sight now down the track. "perhaps they are in talking to the station agent," thought mother brown. "surely they wouldn't wander away without telling me." but as this was between the time for trains the office of the station agent was closed. he had gone home and would not be back until it was time for the arrival of the train mr. brown intended taking, to go on to orange beach. the door of the office was locked and the glass ticket window was closed. inside the office could be heard the clicking of the telegraph sounders, and this, with the voices of the colored boys playing with their tops, were the only noises to be heard. "where can bunny and sue have gone?" exclaimed mrs. brown, getting more and more worried. "they must have wandered off. if there had been an accident on the track, i'd see something of it." she was glad there was no sign of a train having hurt any little boy or girl. in fact, except for the freight train having pulled away, there had been no other trains moving around the station since the browns had arrived. "i'll go ask those colored boys if they have seen bunny and sue," said mrs. brown to herself. she walked around the corner of the station, and was just in time to see one little colored boy trip another, sending him sprawling in the dust. "heah, yo' li'l sinnah!" cried the boy who had sent the other sprawling. "what fo' yo' tuck mah top!" "ah didn't tek yo' top, sam!" answered the other, as he arose from the dust. "yes, yo' did!" declared the other. "now yo' go on 'way from heah or ah'll cuff yo' ears!" in answer the other colored boy, the one who had been tripped, rushed at his enemy and struck him with clenched fist. in an instant the other hit back, and soon there was a lively fight. the colored boys fell down and rolled over and over in the dust. "here! here! you boys mustn't fight!" cried mrs. brown, hastening toward them and trying to pull off the one on top, who was pounding the bottom lad with his fists. "stop it!" "you best let 'em alone, lady," said an older colored boy, with a grin. "dem two am always fightin', but dey don't do no harm nohow!" "but it isn't nice to fight," said the mother of bunny and sue. "get up, please, i want to ask you boys something." hearing this, and seeing that mrs. brown was well dressed and was a "white lady of quality" carrying a pocketbook out of which pennies might be handed, the fighting boys stopped. the top one got off the other, and both stood up, dusting off their ragged clothes. neither seemed much hurt, and both were broadly grinning. "you mustn't fight!" declared mrs. brown. "oh, we was only in fun, lady," laughed the one who had first tripped the other. "have you seen a little boy and girl?" went on mrs. brown. "white chilluns?" asked one of the black boys. "co'se she done mean white chilluns!" exclaimed another. "i done seen 'em get offen de train!" "have you seen them since?" asked mrs. brown. "we had lunch, and my husband went uptown. i sat down on the bench, and bunny and sue walked down the street. i haven't seen them since, and they aren't in sight. do you know where they are?" none of the colored boys did, it appeared, though hearing that two white children were missing there were soon eager volunteers to search for them. out and around the station scattered the colored boys, mrs. brown having said she would give fifty cents to the one first bringing news of bunny and sue. "oh, golly! i'se gwine to earn dat money, suah!" cried one lad. but though the boys looked up and down the different streets, and though some even went into near-by stores, not a trace of bunny or sue could they find. and for a good reason--because bunny and sue were traveling far away in the freight car with nutty, the tramp. mrs. brown became more and more worried as nearly an hour passed and bunny and sue were not found. the station agent came back, for it was nearly time for the other train to arrive. but he could tell nothing of the missing children. "i must find my husband!" mrs. brown exclaimed, and she was just starting uptown when mr. brown came riding to the station in an automobile. one of the business men, on whom he had called, had brought him back in the car. "oh, walter," cried mrs. brown, "bunny and sue are lost! i can't find them anywhere! what shall we do?" chapter xviii the trick dog we left bunny and sue brown standing beside the track with the jolly switchman, who laughed at the little girl's question as to whether his wife lived in the small brown shanty. "my wife live in that little shanty?" he cried, his face all wrinkled with smiles like a last year's apple. "why, that shack is hardly big enough for me, and when my dog comes to see me he has to stick his tail outside if he wants to wag it!" "oh, have you a dog?" cried bunny. "that i have, and a fine dog he is, too. he's at home with my wife now, in the cottage. but i'll soon take you there. my, my! but you're little children to have come alone in a freight car." "we weren't alone," explained sue. "nutty was with us." "oh, yes, i know that queer tramp," said the water-tank switchman with another laugh. "there's no harm in him, though some of the trainmen put him off when they find him stealing a ride." "this is his cat," went on sue, showing the pussy. "will your dog bite it?" "oh, no, indeed!" exclaimed the switchman. "my dog likes cats. in fact, my wife has a cat and i have a dog, and the two animals get along very nicely together. but come along--let's see--what shall i call you?" he asked. "i'm bunny and this is my sister sue," answered the little boy. "our last name is brown." "hum! that's funny!" laughed the jolly switchman. "my last name is black, though i'm a white man." "what's your dog's name?" asked bunny, as he and his sister trudged along with the switchman, one on either side of him, sue carrying nutty's pussy cat. "his name is bruno," was the answer. "he's a good dog and likes children. but i'm thinking your mother and father will be worried about you. night's coming on. they can hardly get here after you before to-morrow, and i don't believe they know where to look for you. did they see you get into the freight car and come away?" "no," said bunny. "daddy wasn't there and mother was asleep." "if i knew where your mother was i could go into town and send her a telegram, i suppose," went on the switchman. "what station was it you got off at?" but bunny and sue had either forgotten or they had never heard it. it was all the same as far as telling the switchman was concerned. he did not know how to reach mrs. brown and she did not know where to come to get bunny and sue. "i guess you'll have to stay with me all night," said the railroad man. "lucky i've got a spare bed. my wife will be glad to see you, for she doesn't see much white company. there's lots of colored folks in the village, though." "do you live in a village?" asked bunny. "yes, it's a little town about half a mile away over the hill. i leave there every morning and come to the shanty by the water tank to stay until dark. then i go home as i'm doing now. sometimes my dog comes to keep me company, but he didn't come to-day." "i hope he doesn't bother my kittie," said sue. she was beginning to think of nutty's cat as hers now. "oh, bruno loves cats!" declared the switchman. he led the children up a hill and away from the railroad. looking down the road from the top of the hill bunny and sue could see through the gathering twilight a small village. "here's my house," said the switchman a little later, as he turned into a path that led through a yard and up to a white cottage. a dog ran out, barking. "down, bruno! down!" cried the switchman, who had said his name was black. "these are friends, and you must be good to them and to the pussy." bruno sniffed around the legs of bunny and sue, and he sniffed toward the cat, though he could not put his nose on her because sue held her new pet high in her arms. then bruno wagged his tail to show that he would be friends. "hello, mrs. black!" called the switchman in a jolly voice to his wife, who just then came to the side door to look out. "i've brought you company for supper!" "company!" cried mrs. black, in surprise. "yes, two children and a cat!" laughed her husband. "guess we'll have to put 'em up over night!" quickly he told of the ride of bunny and sue in the freight car, and mrs. black came out, followed by a large maltese cat, and soon made the brown children welcome. "of course they shall have supper and stay all night," she said in kind tones which matched the jolly ones of her husband. "and i'll give your pussy some milk, sue," she added. "thank you," replied sue. "and do you think my mother will be here after supper?" she asked. mrs. black did not answer the little girl's question, but talked about the cat. she did not want to tell sue that it would be almost impossible for mrs. brown to get there before the next day. the freight car had not been a very clean place, and if you can get dirty and grimy traveling in a regular passenger coach, you can imagine how much more grimy bunny and sue got on their trip. "come in and wash," went on mrs. black, while her husband tossed sticks for bruno to race after and bring back to him. it was almost too dark for the children to see the sticks as they were thrown, but the dog seemed to know where to find them. bunny and sue washed in a basin, there being no bathroom in the humble cottage of the switchman. as for mr. black, his hands and face got so dirty from working around the pumping engine that he had to scrub himself out back of the woodshed in a tin basin. "i like to splash a lot of water when i wash," he said. "and i need lots of room. i can't wash in the house." "i should say not!" laughed his wife, as she got some clean towels for bunny and sue. "you'd spoil all the wall paper!" mr. black looked a very different person when his face and hands were clean and his hair nicely combed. bunny and sue also felt better after getting off some of the grime of their trip. a little later they all sat down to the supper table. there was plenty to eat, and enough left over for bruno, the dog, and for waffles, the big cat. toddle also had supper. "we call our cat waffles because he is so fond of waffles," explained mrs. black. "what are waffles?" asked bunny. "oh, they're a sort of pancake, but baked on an iron that makes them full of little squares," said the switchman's wife. "i'll make you some to-morrow." "maybe my pussy will like waffles," suggested sue. "maybe," answered the switchman's wife. "now, any time you children want to go to bed let me know. you must be tired and sleepy." bunny and sue, however, were wide enough awake for the present. it was new and strange, this stopping at the cottage of a switchman whom they had never before seen. but they were beginning to feel at home. of course they were lonesome for their father and mother, and bunny was afraid sue would cry in the night. but for the time being the two children were so interested in being at a new place that they did not worry much. not half as much as mr. and mrs. brown, back at the station, worried about the children. "bruno," suddenly called mr. black, "go see if my paper has come!" with a short bark, the dog, having finished eating, ran out of the room. in a few minutes he came walking back on his hind feet with the folded evening paper in his mouth. "oh, look!" cried bunny. "he's a trick dog, isn't he?" squealed sue. "well, yes, i have taught him a few tricks," the switchman answered. "i'll show you what else he can do. bruno, play soldier!" he called. mr. black got a broom from a corner, and as bruno stood upright on his hind legs the switchman put the broom over the dog's shoulder and under one paw. [illustration: bruno marched around the room. _bunny brown and his sister sue in the sunny south._ _page 179_] "march!" cried mr. black, and while he hummed a tune bruno marched around the room, with the broom for a gun. "oh, that's a dandy trick!" cried bunny. "can he do any more?" "yes," answered mr. black. "he'll go for the milk. here's the bucket. i'll put the money in it and he'll carry it down the street to the house where we get our milk and bring back the full bucket. come, bruno!" he called. "get the milk!" with a bark, the trick dog dropped the broom and sprang to do this new trick. chapter xix a happy reunion mr. black took the pail his wife gave him, and in the bottom, wrapped in a piece of clean paper, he put some money. then the cover was put on the pail and the handle was slipped into bruno's mouth. "milk, bruno!" called the switchman again, and he opened the door and out ran the dog. "will he go for it all alone?" asked bunny. "yes," answered the switchman. "and he'll bring it back without spilling a drop--that is, unless some other dog chases him or unless some bad boys throw stones at him and make him run. just wait a few minutes and you'll see bruno coming back with the milk." "take the children out on the porch where it's cooler," said mrs. black. "i'll clear away the supper things." "can i help?" asked sue, for she was used to helping her mother at home. "oh, no, thank you, dear," mrs. black answered. "you go out and see bruno do his tricks. he is quite a clever dog." bunny and sue certainly thought so when a little later, as they sat on the porch with mr. black, they saw the dog come along with the handle of the milk pail in his mouth. "he walks carefully so he won't spill it, doesn't he?" asked sue. "yes, he is a very good dog," the switchman answered. "i don't remember of his spilling the milk more than once or twice. he did it the first time when he was just learning, and again it happened when another dog chased him when bruno was almost home with the bucket." "do the people that sell milk know bruno is going to come for it?" sue asked, as mrs. black came out of the kitchen and took the pail from bruno, who stood carefully holding it. he had not spilled a drop. "yes, we get our milk at mr. hasting's place," answered the switchman. "he keeps a cow, and they watch for bruno every night." "can he do any more tricks?" asked bunny. he and his sister were so interested in the dog that they forgot about being far from their daddy and mother. "yes, he can dance when i play the mouth organ," answered mr. black. "oh!" exclaimed sue. "we heard the darkies on the cotton plantation play the mouth organ and banjo and we saw 'em dance!" she went on. "well, i don't claim that my dog can dance as well as a plantation darky," laughed the switchman. "but bruno does pretty well. i'll get my mouth organ." bruno barked and leaped about when he saw his master come out with the mouth organ, and no sooner had the first few notes been blown than the dog, without being told, stood up on his hind legs and pranced around. he almost kept time to the music, and for a dog, he danced very well. "oh, i wish we had a dog like that!" sighed bunny, when the dancing animal, wagging his tail, came to mr. black to be petted after the switchman stopped playing the mouth organ. "maybe i can teach nutty's cat to dance," sue said. "i'm afraid not," said mr. black. "it is very hard to teach cats to do tricks. i've tried more than once, but i never had any luck. but bruno is one of the smartest dogs i ever saw." the children thought so, too, and after bruno had done a few more tricks, such as turning somersaults, and lying down and rolling over, mrs. black came to say she thought it time for bunny and sue to go to bed. "i only have one spare room," said the switchman's wife. "that has a large bed in it big enough for both of you. don't you want to go to sleep now?" bunny looked at sue and sue whispered something to her brother. "what is it?" asked mrs. black, seeing that something was "in the wind," as she remarked afterward. "sue says we can't go to bed without saying our prayers," replied bunny, "and mother isn't here--and--" he faltered a moment, and it sounded as if he might be going to cry. there was a trace of tears, too, in sue's eyes, and mrs. black, guessing that the children were beginning to feel lonesome and homesick, laughed and said: "bless your hearts! i can hear you say your prayers as well as your mother could. i used to have children of my own, but they are grown up now. when they were your size i heard them say their prayers every night. and i've got some night dresses for you, too!" "you have?" exclaimed bunny. he wondered where mrs. black could get those, when she had no small children of her own. "i have," said mrs. black. "while you were on the porch, watching bruno do tricks, i went next door and borrowed two clean night dresses for you. they have five children at mr. sweeney's." "then if we can say our prayers and have night gowns, let's go to bed," proposed sue. "mother will come and get us in the morning," she went on. "yes, mother will come to-morrow," said mrs. black gently. soon bunny and sue were falling asleep in the big, clean bed, and they did not have to fall very far to get to slumberland, either, for they were so tired they could hardly hold their eyes open to get undressed. "i wonder if their mother will come in the morning?" asked mrs. black of her husband, as she came out of the spare bedroom and softly closed the door. "well, if she doesn't i have thought of a way to get word to her and the father, too," the switchman said. "how?" asked his wife. "in the morning i'll have mr. sweeney telephone to the ticket agent at the railroad station here. the agent can tell the main office." "oh, yes," agreed mrs. black. "and then word can be telegraphed all up and down the line, and whatever station it was these children got into the freight car, there mrs. brown will be waiting and she'll get the word." "that's it," mr. black said. but before he could put his kind plan into operation mr. and mrs. brown had already started a movement of their own looking to the finding of the lost children. mr. brown was very much surprised and not a little frightened when he met his wife on the station platform, where they had alighted to change cars, and was told that bunny and sue were missing. "where did you last see them?" asked mr. brown. "down by the line of freight cars," mrs. brown answered. and then she thought of something that she had not thought of before. "why," she exclaimed, "the freight cars are gone! i remember now that the noise the engine made when it coupled on woke me from my doze. oh, do you think bunny and sue are on the freight train?" "i'm beginning to think so," answered mr. brown. "you say the colored boys couldn't find them around here, there has been no accident and neither bunny nor sue came up to the village after me. they must be in one of the freight cars and are being hauled away." "but how could they get into one of those high cars?" asked his wife. "oh, bunny can do almost anything, and sue isn't far behind him. probably he found a box to stand on." "suppose we take a look," suggested mr. parker, the gentleman who had brought mr. brown to the station in the automobile. the three of them walked down the tracks where the freight cars had stood before being hauled away. "there's a box!" exclaimed mr. brown, pointing to one near the track. "it's just about high enough for a person to get from it into an open boxcar." "and here are the marks of their feet!" cried mrs. brown, pointing to the very footprints of bunny brown and his sister sue, made by the children in the soft dirt between the tracks. "oh, they are in that train! how shall we get them?" she cried. "well, now that we know this much, it will be an easy matter to telegraph on ahead and have the train searched," said mr. parker. "i'll go and see the train dispatcher here." it was now getting late, and soon the train arrived on which the brown family should have made the remainder of their trip to florida. but of course daddy and mother would not travel on until they had found bunny and sue. so they let the train go, and went to the ticket office to find the name of the first station where the freight train might stop, in order that a telegram could be sent to have it searched. it was quite dark when the telegram had been sent, and mr. and mrs. brown were invited to stay at the home of mr. parker for supper, and to remain there all night, if necessary. there were some hours of anxious waiting, and at last a telegram came back to mr. brown saying that the train crew of the freight had looked into every empty car, but the children had not been found. in one car, however, were some empty nut boxes and pieces of candles. "that's the car they were in!" declared mr. parker. "but where are they now?" asked the distracted mother. "oh, where are bunny and sue?" "they must have got out when the train stopped," said daddy brown. "then the thing to do," went on mr. parker, "is to find out the names of all the stations and water tanks where stops, were made, and telegraph there." so after some work the railroad people found out the different regular stops the freight train had made, but at none of these places were there any traces of bunny or sue. "then a water tank stop is our only hope," mr. parker said. "some of the tanks are in lonely places, and if the children got out there they would be taken in charge by the pumpman or switchman. he would have no way of telegraphing back. we shall have to wait until morning." you can imagine that mrs. brown did not sleep much that night. she did not sleep as well as did bunny and sue. but in the morning a telegram, sent by mr. black through mr. sweeney, was received, telling just where the missing children were. "they're found!" cried daddy brown, as he came upstairs to his wife's room, waving the telegram over his head. "they're all right!" and a little later he and his wife were on the first train going to the village where bunny and sue had been so kindly cared for all night. "oh, momsie!" cried sue, as she rushed into the dear arms. "oh, momsie!" "well, bunny boy, you had quite an adventure!" said his father, as he clasped the little chap close to him. chapter xx at orange beach the happy reunion had taken place on the platform of the little railroad station just outside the village where mr. black, the switchman, lived. as soon as telegrams had been sent and received, mr. black took bunny and sue to the station to wait for the arrival of the train carrying their father and mother to them. coming in a passenger car, and not on a freight train in which the children had ridden, mr. and mrs. brown soon arrived at the place. and then you can imagine how happy every one was. "but whatever possessed you two children to climb into a freight car and let yourselves be carried away?" asked mrs. brown, as she hugged bunny, while mr. brown took sue in his arms. "we wanted to get the kitten, mother," sue explained. "and he's at mrs. black's now, and please can't we take him with us to florida?" "it's nutty's cat," objected bunny. "but he ran away and left him," went on sue. "please, mother, can't we take toddle with us?" "who is nutty?" asked mr. brown. then, by turns, the children told the whole story, which included how they had met the queer old tramp in the boxcar. "and you ought to see bruno do tricks!" cried bunny, when it came his turn to tell something. "who is bruno, another tramp?" asked mrs. brown. "he's a dog!" exclaimed bunny. "and you ought to see him dance!" "you children seem to have had a better time than your mother or i had," said mr. brown, after he had thanked the kind switchman for the care he and his wife had given bunny and sue. "we were certainly worried about you." mr. and mrs. brown paid a little visit to mrs. black to thank her, and then it was time for the travelers to resume their journey to orange beach, where they expected to spend some time with mr. halliday, with whom daddy brown had business to talk over. "can't we take toddle?" begged sue again, as she held nutty's little cat in her arms. "no, my dear," answered her mother. "we could not take him to florida with us." "i'll keep him here with my dog and cat," offered mrs. black. "and when i see nutty, as i often do," added the switchman, "i'll tell him where he can get his cat again." "well, i s'pose he will want toddle," sighed sue. so the pussy was left behind. once more bunny brown and his sister sue were on the train traveling. this time they were in a sleeping car, in which, at night, beds were made from the seats. "this is better than riding in a freight car, isn't it?" asked sue's mother. "yes," answered the little girl, turning away from the window, out of which she was looking at the scenery. "but we had a pretty good time with nutty; didn't we, bunny?" "yes, we did," answered the little boy. "and the nuts were good." there was still for the party an all night ride before the brown family would arrive at orange beach, which was in the southwestern part of florida. "do the orange trees grow right near the ocean, mother?" asked bunny, when they had been talking for some time about the place to which they were going. "not exactly," his father answered. "i believe oranges do not grow so well too close to salt water. at any rate mr. halliday's orange grove is inland a few miles. it is on the banks of a river, but the river flows into the ocean, or rather, into the gulf of mexico, which is part of the ocean." "can we go swimming?" sue wanted to know. "you can't if there's any alligators there," bunny said. "anyhow, you can't go in the water till i catch all the alligators." "if there's alligators i'm not going in," declared sue. "oh, i don't believe there will be any," mrs. brown said, with a laugh. and so with talk and laughter over what they might find at orange beach, the time passed until it was time to go to bed. the colored porter made up the clean, white beds, and bunny and sue were glad enough to get in theirs when the time came. they had slept pretty well at mrs. black's home, but they were still tired from their bumping, jolting journey in the rough freight car. so soundly did bunny and sue sleep that even when there was a little accident they did not awaken. during the night the train on which they rode had a little collision with an empty freight car which was standing on a side track. the freight car was smashed, but hardly any damage was done to the passenger train, except that the passengers were awakened by being jolted. that is, all but bunny and sue. they slept through it. "is any one hurt?" asked mr. brown, as soon as quiet was restored and it was found that the express train could go on. "a couple of tramps who were sleeping in the empty freight car were hurt," the conductor said. "we've sent them to the hospital." "oh! tramps!" exclaimed mrs. brown, who heard the talk. "i hope one of them wasn't nutty, who was so kind to the children, even though he did jump off and leave them alone. i hope nutty wasn't hurt!" "nutty could hardly have got so far south as this since he left the children," mr. brown said. "i don't believe he was one of the tramps hurt in this collision." next morning, when bunny and sue awakened, they were told of the collision in the night, but nothing was said to them of the two tramps who were hurt for fear they might think one was nutty. but neither was. there was enough else to take the attention of the little boy and girl, for they were now in the real south, and they began to notice palm trees for the first time. "they look just like pictures of cocoanut trees!" exclaimed bunny, gazing from the car window. "wouldn't nutty be glad if he was here and could gather cocoanuts!" cried sue. "can we pick cocoanuts, daddy?" "i hardly think so, where we are going," mr. brown answered. "i think oranges will be enough for you to pick for a while." "that and catching alligators," added bunny, who never seemed to stop thinking of these scaly creatures, which sue did not like at all. on and on went the train, and the children were just about getting tired of so much travel when they saw their father and mother beginning to gather up the hand baggage. "are we there?" asked bunny excitedly. "almost," his father answered. a little later a trainman called: "orange beach! orange beach!" "hurray! we're here!" cried bunny. "and i'm going to pick orange blossoms!" echoed sue. chapter xxi golden apples orange beach, where mr. halliday owned many fruit groves, was the name of a small village. it was almost as small a town as the one in which mr. black, the switchman, lived. but bunny and sue liked small places. they had seen enough of cities, having passed through many on their railroad journey. alighting from the train, the brown family found mr. halliday waiting for them in his motor car, daddy brown having telegraphed to tell the time of their arrival. "well, you got here at last, i see!" the orange grower exclaimed, as he came up to welcome his guests. "if bunny and sue could have had their way perhaps we wouldn't have come," said mrs. brown, with a smile. "why not?" asked mr. halliday, with a smile. "oh, they went for a ride on a freight train," laughed their mother, and then she told of the adventure. "i guess they have had enough nuts for a time," the fruit grower said, at the end of the little story. "i'll try them on oranges." "may i pick some for myself?" sue asked eagerly. "all you want!" was the answer. "we have a big crop this year." "and will you please show me where to catch alligators?" asked bunny brown. "oh ho! so that's what you came here for, is it?" exclaimed mr. halliday, with a wink at mr. brown. "well, i'm sorry to say we are all out of alligators!" "aren't there any?" inquired bunny, in disappointed tones. "not right around here," went on the orange grower. "but there are some farther down squaw river. i'll take you down some day and show them to you." "hurray!" cried bunny brown. "my grove and house are a few miles from here," the orange grower said. "you'll soon be there, and i hope you'll have lots of fun." bunny brown and his sister sue felt sure that they would. they liked the sunny south very much, as a change from the cold northland where they had been coasting a few days before. everything was lovely and green in florida now, though it was the middle of what is called winter in the north. trees and bushes glowed in soft green tints, and had been washed clean in a recent rain. as the automobile bearing the brown family and their host along a pleasant road chugged on and on, sue suddenly exclaimed: "what's that nice smell?" "i hear it, too--i mean i smell it!" said bunny. "those are orange blossoms you smell," said mr. halliday. "in some of my groves you will find both blossoms and fruit. we get so used to the sweet smell that we don't notice it, but i suppose a stranger, coming in from another place, finds it very nice." "i just love it!" exclaimed sue, taking long deep breaths. "so do i!" added bunny, sniffing hard. they had left the small village behind some time before, and were now on a pleasant country road, lined with trees on either side. the road twisted and turned, and in about an hour, after making a sudden turn in the highway, mr. halliday called out: "there's my place!" bunny and sue looked and saw a white house, surrounded by a few barns and other outbuildings set in a green landscape. all about were rows of green trees, and the sweet smell of the orange blossoms was stronger than ever. "oh, look at the golden apples!" cried sue, pointing to some trees quite near the road. "those golden apples, as you call them," said mr. halliday, "are yellow oranges. i'll stop and let you pick some." it was the first time the brown children had ever seen the wonderful fruit growing, and they were delighted when mr. halliday stopped the car and they were allowed to get out. then they saw that in between the rows of trees were men picking the oranges. some of the men were up on high stepladders, so they might reach the top branches of the trees. other men stood on the ground, from which they could easily reach up to the low limbs and pull off the ripe fruit. the men had big cloth bags slung over their shoulders or tied around their waists, and as fast as they picked the "golden apples," as sue called them, they were dropped into the bags. when the bags were filled the men took them to empty boxes, placed here and there amid the trees, and placed the oranges into them. other men took the boxes away as fast as they were filled, leaving more empty ones in their places. "do you ship the fruit right from here?" asked mrs. brown. "first it has to be sorted, graded, as we call it," mr. halliday answered. "then it is carefully packed and sent up north." bunny and sue had been standing quietly to one side, listening to the talk of their parents and mr. halliday and watching the men pick the fruit. the grove owner now turned to the children and said: "go ahead! pick as many as you like. here, these are the best and ripest," and he led them to a tree, the lower branches of which were easily within the reach of bunny and sue. with delight and wonder showing on their faces, the children picked their first oranges and ate them there in the grove, while the wind brought to them the sweet smell of distant blossoms. "oh, how good!" murmured sue, as she finished her fruit. "best i ever ate," declared bunny. "try some," said mr. halliday to mr. and mrs. brown. "you will find oranges picked ripe from a tree taste very different from those you get up north." "i should say so!" exclaimed mother brown. "they are delicious." "guess we didn't make any mistake coming to florida," laughed mr. brown, as he, too, ate not one, but two ripe oranges. "well, let's go on to the house," suggested mr. halliday, as he walked back toward the road where the automobile had been left standing. "my wife will be eager to see you, and the orange groves aren't going to run away as nutty, the tramp, did," and the southerner laughed at the remembrance of the story of the travels of bunny brown and his sister sue. mrs. halliday made her guests welcome, and when she and mrs. brown were chatting over a cup of tea, and while daddy brown and mr. halliday were talking business, bunny and sue changed into some of their every-day clothes and asked if they might walk around and see things. "yes," their mother told them. "only don't get into mischief." "and keep away from the river," added their father, for the stream which went by the name of squaw river was not far from the house. "can't we just stand on the bank and look for alligators?" asked bunny. "yes, let them," mr. halliday advised. "the river is not as big nor deep as it sounds. in fact up here it is only a shallow creek, though down below it widens and deepens. and there aren't any alligators in it." "well, anyhow, we can look," said bunny, hoping against hope that there would be some of the scaly lizards in the water. so, having been cautioned not to fall in, a promise the children readily gave, bunny and sue started off down through an orange grove near the house to go to squaw river. they paused only a little while to watch the men picking oranges, and then hastened on. soon they were at the edge of a slow-moving stream which flowed this way and that between banks of overhanging palm trees, some of which were festooned with spanish moss that hung down in clusters like the ragged beard of a very old man. it was very quiet and still beside the river. it was shady and cool, too, after the hot sun of the open places and the orange groves, and bunny and sue rather liked it. bunny picked up a stone and tossed it into the river. it fell with a splash. "what you doing?" sue wanted to know. "maybe i can scare up an alligator," bunny answered. "mr. halliday said there wasn't any," sue responded. bunny tossed in another stone, and hardly had it sunk beneath the surface than sue grasped her brother's arm, and, pointing to the river, whispered: "look! there's an alligator!" something like the long, black snout, as bunny remembered once to have seen it on an alligator in a zoological park tank, rose into view. and there was a swirl of the water as though the reptile had switched its tail. "oh!" exclaimed sue. "it's an alligator! i'm going to run!" chapter xxii the raft bunny brown wanted to be called a brave little boy, so when he heard his sister say she was going to run because she thought he had scared up an alligator in the river by throwing stones, bunny thought it was time to show his bravery. "don't be afraid!" he called to sue, catching her by the hand before she had time to run very far. "i won't let him hurt you!" "how are you going to stop him?" sue asked. "i--i'll bang him on the nose with a stick," bunny said, and he let go of sue's hand as he turned around to search for the proper kind of club with which to beat an alligator. as he did this sue looked once more toward the river. then she gave a cry of delight. "oh, bunny!" she exclaimed, "it isn't an alligator at all!" "what is it?" "it's just an old black log floating down," sue answered. and that is what it was. either the stones bunny had thrown or some swirl of the current had loosed from the mud where it was held on the bottom of squaw river the long black log which was shaped like the snout of an alligator. floating half in and half out of the muddy water as it did, the log looked exactly like one of the big, scaly reptiles. "this is no good!" declared bunny, who was rather disappointed at not having a chance to do some hunting. "i'd like to see a real, live alligator." "well, i wouldn't--not until mother and daddy are with me," remarked sue. she was no longer afraid and took turns with her brother throwing stones at the floating log. "let's go down a little farther where the river is wider, and maybe we'll see some alligators," suggested bunny. "all right," agreed sue. "but i'm going to run if i see any." she need not have been worried, however, for not an alligator did they see, though bunny threw many stones into the muddy water. nor did they see another log shaped so nearly like one of the reptiles. but the children had a good time wandering around among the palm trees and smelling the orange blossoms. they could hardly believe that about a week before they were wearing mittens and playing in the snow. "we'd better go back now," sue said, after a while. "mother will be looking for us." "let's go just a little farther," proposed bunny. "i'd like to see a little alligator. you wouldn't be afraid of a baby 'gator, would you, sue?" "not if it was a little baby one, i don't guess i would," she answered. so she followed bunny down the bank of the slow-flowing river, where it widened out and grew deeper. and in a place where the bank curved in, making a still pool, or "eddy," as it is called, bunny saw something which was the cause of quite an adventure which came to him and sue a few days later. bunny caught sight of some boards and logs piled together on shore, and no sooner had he seen them than he exclaimed: "oh, sue! i know what we can do." "what?" she asked. "we can make a raft and go sailing down the river. here's a lot of boards and logs, and i can easy make a raft. bunker blue showed me how, and you and i have been in daddy's boats lots of times. let's make a raft!" "not now," replied sue, holding back as bunny ran forward. "it's time we went back. mother told us not to stay too long." "well, i'll just look at the boards and see if i could make a raft of 'em, and then i'll go back with you," bunny said. on this promise sue waited, and after looking at the tangled pile of boards, which seemed to have been left on shore by a flood of high water, the little fellow went back to where he had left his sister. "it'll make a dandy raft!" bunny reported. "to-morrow we'll make it and go sailing down the river." however, this was not to be, for the next day mr. and mrs. brown were taken by mr. halliday on an excursion to a distant orange grove, and bunny and sue went along. "we'll make the raft to-morrow," bunny said. but for one reason or another this fun had to be put off, and it was not until they had been at orange beach nearly a week that bunny got the chance he wanted. during this time the brown family had very much enjoyed their stay in florida. the weather was lovely, and there was much that was new to visit. while there was not the variety in an orange grove that there was on the cotton and peanut plantation, still there was much work to be done. the children saw how the oranges, when brought in from the trees, were sorted over, the best being packed for one class of trade, and those that were not so good for another. the golden yellow fruit was wrapped in tissue paper and then the thin wooden crates were packed full, to be shipped north. sometimes bunny and sue were allowed to ride to the railroad freight depot on the load of oranges, and this trip they liked very much. one night, just before a strange adventure that happened to bunny and sue, the children were in the sitting room with their parents and mr. and mrs. halliday. it was almost bedtime for bunny and sue. "did you ever hear anything more about that oil stock bunny found?" asked mrs. brown of her husband. "no, not a word," he answered. "the oil company wrote me that they had no notice from any one of the loss of a certificate. they advised me to hold it until some one claimed it." "if you ever get any money--or a reward for it--bunny must have the cash put in a bank for him, to keep until he grows up," said mother brown. "yes," agreed daddy. "and i think bunny ought to share the reward with sue. she was with him when the certificate was found." "uncle tad ought to have some, too!" exclaimed bunny, rousing up when he heard this talk. "he gave us the ride in the sleigh." "yes, i think uncle tad ought to have his share of the reward--if we ever get any," agreed mr. brown. "and if some one doesn't soon claim the oil stock i shall sell it and put the money in the bank." "what's all this--about oil stock?" asked mr. halliday. then daddy brown told how the valuable green and gold paper had been thrown out of the pullman car by the porter in his pan filled with dust. after breakfast the next morning bunny called sue out on the side porch and showed his sister a cloth bag partly filled with pieces of bread, crackers and some chunks of dried cake. "this is our lunch," bunny said to sue. "what lunch?" asked the little girl. "to take on the raft," bunny went on. "i found the things in the pantry. they're stale, so i guess mrs. halliday won't mind if we take 'em. and i picked up this little orange bag. you carry that and i'll get the sharp stick." "what sharp stick?" asked sue, as she accepted the bag of dried bread and cake bunny held out. "the sharp stick i'm going to jab at alligators if any chase us," he answered. sue dropped the bag of "lunch." "no, sir!" she exclaimed. "i'm not going on that raft with you if you're going to hunt alligators, so there, bunny brown!" "all right, then i won't hunt any," agreed bunny, who did not want to go voyaging alone. "but if any come after us you'll want me to jab 'em with a sharp stick and drive 'em away, won't you, sue?" "yes--yes, i guess i will," she answered. "but you mustn't hunt 'em on purpose." this bunny promised not to do, and then he went on to tell sue what his plans were. "daddy is going riding with mr. halliday," said the little fellow, "and i heard mother say she and mrs. halliday were going to make orange shortcake to-day, so they won't want us around. we can go down and make the raft and have a sail. won't that be fun?" "it will be if the alligators don't come," agreed sue. "i don't b'lieve any will come," bunny answered, though in his heart he hoped they would, so he could scare them away with the sharp stick. so sue took up the bag of lunch and bunny ran and got the sharp stick where he had hidden it under the porch. bunny also had a hammer and some nails he had taken from the shop where mr. halliday's men put together the orange crates. "we'll make a big raft and sail away off," bunny said, as he and sue, telling their mother nothing about their plans, went down to the river. they found the pile of boards and small logs in the same place they had first seen them, and bunny, with sue's help, began to make a raft. chapter xxiii on the island the two children had been around boats enough to know more about water craft than most boys and girls of their age. bunny's father, owning a boat and fish dock, where sue and her brother often played, had taught the youngsters something about how boats are steered. a raft, as bunny knew, was the simplest and safest form of a boat. he also knew that a raft was only a lot of logs and boards fastened together. on it one could float or push down a little river or across a pond. "this is nice smooth water, isn't it?" asked sue, as she looked out over squaw river which, as has been said, was a sluggish stream. it hardly seemed to flow at all. "yes, it's nice here," bunny said. "we won't go very fast. there aren't any waves like in the ocean or our bay." bunny and sue had often been out with their father, uncle tad, or bunker blue on sandport bay at home, and sometimes on the real ocean when it was not too rough. so squaw river seemed very small and smooth to them. it was harder work than bunny had thought it would be to make the raft, but he had right at hand everything he needed, from boards and small logs to hammer and nails. the hammer and nails he had brought with him. putting the cloth bag of lunch in a safe place on the bank, bunny began work. he laid some logs down on the sandy shore as close to the water as he could. on top of the logs he placed boards, and these he nailed on, so they would not float away. on top of the first layer of boards he placed others, crossing them to and fro, as he had once seen his father and uncle tad making a float near the dock. the float was like a raft, only it was anchored in the bay and used for getting in and out of the fishing boats. "how far you going to sail on the raft, bunny?" asked sue, as she helped her brother lay in place the boards to be nailed. sue did none of the nailing. she tried it once, but she hit her fingers and thumb instead of the nail, and she threw the hammer aside. "oh, we'll sail down until we get hungry, and then we'll go on an island like the pirates and eat our lunch," bunny answered. by "sail" he meant pushing the raft along with a pole he had brought from the orange grove. "s'posin' there isn't any island?" asked sue. "oh, i guess there is one," bunny said, looking at the raft to see if it needed any more boards to make it strong enough. "anyhow, if we don't find an island we can go on shore. course an island would be more fun, but we can have a good time anyhow." "to be sure we can!" laughed sue. "we've had lots of fun since we've come down south, haven't we, bunny?" "yes!" answered the little boy. he was too busy to talk much, for he was thinking of the best plan to get his raft into the water. for the boards and logs, now nailed together, must be shoved from the shore into the river, else there could be no wonderful voyage down-stream to the "pirate island." bunny had often seen his father move heavy boards from the shore into the waters of the bay by means of rollers. rollers are round pieces of wood, like the rolling pin in mother's kitchen. rollers placed under a boat make it easy to launch into the water. if you have ever seen men moving a house from one street to another you may have noticed that they used rollers. or they may have slid the house along on big beams which were made slippery with grease or soap. "i'll roll my raft into the water," said bunny. "and i'll help!" offered sue, for she knew what rolling a boat into the water meant--she had often seen her father do it. getting the raft into squaw river was not quite as hard as putting the craft together. by using a long pole bunny managed to raise up one edge of his nailed-together boards and logs, and under it sue slipped a round roller, which was a short piece of round tree trunk. then when bunny raised up the other side of the raft his sister slipped under it another roller. "now she'll slide!" cried bunny, as he had often heard his father or bunker blue say. with his long pole bunny now pried up on the rear of the raft. at first it did not move, and bunny began to be afraid he and sue would not, after all, have a voyage down the river. but at last it slid a little bit, and then more and more, until finally it was rolling along quite rapidly. as the bank sloped down to the river like a little hill, bunny hardly had to push or pry at all now, and a minute later the raft was floating in the water. it would have floated away, but bunny had tied a rope to one edge, and the other end of the rope he had fastened to a tree stump on shore, so the raft was "made fast," as a sailor would say. bunny had been around his father's dock enough to know that when one puts a boat into the water one must make it fast or it will be lost. "isn't our raft nice, bunny?" exclaimed sue, as she saw it floating in the water. "yes," bunny agreed, "we'll have lots of fun! wait till i get the lunch and we'll start." "i want a pole so i can help push," said sue. "all right. you bring the bag of lunch and i'll get you a pole," promised bunny. soon the two children were on the raft, each one thrusting with a pole on the bottom of the river, which was not very deep, and so shoving themselves along. in the middle of the raft was the bag of lunch--the dried bread, pieces of cake and a very much flattened piece of pie that bunny had found on the pantry shelf. "oh, this is lots of fun!" exclaimed sue, as they floated along. "yep!" agreed bunny, shoving hard on his pole. "i'm glad we came to florida." it was very pleasant on this part of squaw river, where it ran through the orange groves of mr. halliday. on either side were growing palms and other trees, some of which met overhead in a green arch, making it very shady. only for this the sun would have been very warm--quite different from the sun in bellemere, where there was now snow on the ground. "our snow man wouldn't last very long down here, would he, bunny?" asked sue, as she began to feel quite warm from poling the raft. "nope! a snow house wouldn't either," bunny answered. "but i like it here." "so do i," said sue. "there's lots of birds, too." there were. bunny and sue could hear them flitting through the tree branches overhead, and could listen to their songs. sometimes birds with brilliant feathers flashed into view, disappearing in the thick, leafy trees on either side of the river. bunny had made his raft rather strong and heavy, so that it floated well up out of the water. in fact, the top part was quite dry, and if the children had worn shoes and stockings they would have been perfectly safe. but bunny knew that, sooner or later, water generally washes over the top of a raft, for one side or the other is likely to tip down. so he and sue were barefooted. they had left their shoes and stockings on shore at the spot where they had launched the raft. it did not matter now whether the water washed over the top of their craft or not. on and on, down the river floated the two children. for a time nothing happened. it was as calm and peaceful as even mrs. brown could have wished. but bunny and sue wanted something to happen, and pretty soon bunny said: "let's eat!" "oh, yes, let's!" agreed sue, always willing to do what bunny did. "we'll make believe it's dinner time," bunny went on, "and we'll let the raft float." there was enough current in the river to carry the raft gently down, and bunny and sue were in no hurry. bunny had thought the time would come when he and his sister might want to sit down on their raft, and to keep them up out of the water he had put two empty orange crates on the craft. these made fine seats, and on one the lunch bag had been placed. laying their pushing poles down on top of the raft, in the middle, bunny and sue sat down on the orange crates and began to eat what they had brought with them. it did not matter that the cake and the bread were stale. to the children the food tasted as good as anything they had ever eaten at a party. as they ate and floated along, the raft swung this way and that, sometimes turning completely around, so, at times, the children were going backward down the stream. it was at one of these times that they felt a sudden bump and jar--almost like the time when the engine had hitched itself to the freight car. "oh!" cried sue. "what's that?" bunny turned, gave one look and cried: "hurray! we're here!" "where?" sue asked. "on the pirate island! come on! all ashore!" chapter xxiv the alligators bunny and sue had, indeed, landed on an island in squaw river. or if they had not exactly landed as yet, they were soon going to. for their raft, floating downstream, had, as sue expressed it, "bunked" on the shore of a patch of land in the middle of the stream, forming an island. as you learned in school, an island is a "body of land entirely surrounded by water." that's what the place was where bunny and sue had come. water was all around the little patch of land, on which grew several trees. "all ashore!" cried bunny again, as he had often heard his father or bunker blue call when the fishing boats reached the dock. "all ashore!" "are we going to stay here long?" asked sue, as she got up and brushed the crumbs of bread and cake from her lap. "yes," bunny answered, "we'll stay here all day and all night. we'll make believe we're regular pirates!" "oh, we can't stay all _night_!" objected sue. "well, we'll stay all day, anyhow," bunny said. "and we'll go home when it gets dark, and to-morrow we'll come back and stay all night." "that'll be fun," agreed sue. "now we'll go on the island." as yet the children were not off the raft. their make-believe boat had grounded on one of the sandy stretches that marked the shore of the island, and there it stayed. bunny took the mooring rope and made it fast to a tree stump on shore. he did not want the raft to float away as, more than once, some of his father's boats had floated off from the dock. then bunny and sue, taking the bag of lunch with them, went on shore--that is on the island. it was a pleasant place, with trees and bushes to make shade, and with birds to sing to them. "there doesn't anybody live here, i guess," sue said, as they walked about, looking on every side. "nobody ever lives on an island 'cepting pirates," bunny said; "and we're them." "maybe there are other pirates here," suggested sue. "if there are we'll fight 'em!" bunny said. "oh!" exclaimed his sister, "mother wouldn't like to have us fight." "only make-believe," explained bunny. "oh, make-believe is all right," sue agreed. carrying their bag of lunch, the children wandered here and there over the island. it was larger than they at first supposed, and bunny was glad of this. it was very still and quiet there, the ripple of the water, the wind in the trees, and the birds making the only sounds. "i guess daddy and mother are away off, aren't they?" asked sue, after a while. "miles and miles," bunny answered. "aren't you glad, sue?" "ye--yes, i--i guess so," she answered, and her voice sounded so strange that bunny was afraid his sister might be going to cry. this would never do! a crying pirate! never! bunny must think of a way so his sister would not be lonesome. that was the trouble now, he decided--she was getting lonesome because it was so still and quiet on the island, far away from the orange groves. the little boy ran back to the raft and brought off the sharp stick he had placed there at the start of the voyage. "what's that for?" asked sue. "for alligators," answered her brother. "i've got to have a sharp stick to drive the alligators away, you know." "oh, bunny!" gasped sue, moving closer to him, "are there alligators here--on our island?" "i don't know," he answered. "i'm going to look for some." "you're going to look for alligators?" cried sue in surprise. "sure!" bunny answered. "so they won't crawl up behind our backs and bite us when we're eating some more lunch." "oh!" exclaimed sue. "well, i'll help you look for some then, so we can drive 'em away!" that was one thing bunny liked about sue. after you had told her about a thing she was always ready to join in with you. and she was pretty brave after all. "shall i get you a sharp stick, too?" asked bunny of his sister. "then you can help drive the alligators away." "no, i don't guess i want to," she answered. "i'll just help you look for 'em and help you drive 'em away." "all right," said bunny brown. so he and sue began walking along the edge of the island, looking for alligators. they were in their bare feet, but the wet sand was smooth to walk on. sue, however, made up her mind as soon as she saw an alligator to run back as far as she could. she did not want one to nip her bare toes, she decided. if she had had on shoes it might be different. for a time no alligators were seen, though bunny looked eagerly for them. i can not say that sue looked as eagerly as did her brother. perhaps she wished that no alligators would be found. but, all of a sudden, as they were walking along sue grasped bunny by the arm and exclaimed: "look!" "where?" whispered bunny, for he was filled with excitement. "right over by that stone!" and sue pointed ahead a little way and down the island shore. "isn't that an alligator?" she asked. bunny looked long and carefully. then he showed much disappointment as he answered: "no, that isn't an alligator, sue. it's just an old floating log, like the one we pegged stones at the other day. it isn't an alligator at all." she was glad of it, but she did not say so. "it looked like an alligator, anyhow," she remarked. "yes," agreed bunny, as he tossed a stone near the black object, hitting it and thus making sure it was not alive. "it did look like an alligator. but we'll find some--come on." however, this did not seem to be a very good day for alligators, and the children had reached the most distant end of the island without seeing any when suddenly sue, who had wandered a little ahead of her brother, called out: "look, there's another island!" and, surely enough, there was a smaller one a short distance from the larger one on which the children had first landed. "come on! we'll go there!" cried bunny. "maybe there's alligators there!" he hurried down to the strip of water that separated the two islands. then he began to roll up his trousers as far above his knees as he could. "what you going to do?" asked sue. "i'm going to wade over to that other island," bunny answered. "maybe the water's deep," suggested his sister. "well, if it is i won't go," bunny replied. "but i don't guess it is." "and maybe there's alligators in the water," went on sue. bunny paused and looked at the strip between the two islands, one large, on which they then were, the other smaller. nothing seemed to be in the strip of water. "i guess it's all right," said bunny brown, as he finished rolling up his trousers. into the water he waded, and as sue did not want to be left behind she followed, holding up her dress and skirt to keep them dry. she hurried over the strip of water, which was quite shallow, only coming to the knees of the children. "now maybe we'll find some alligators here," bunny said hopefully, as he started along the shore of the second island, sue following. again sue hoped bunny would not have any luck finding the scaly creatures, but she did not say so. "how long you going to stay here, bunny?" asked sue, when they had walked almost around the small island. "i'm getting hungry again." "well, we'll go back pretty soon and eat the rest of the lunch," agreed bunny. "but i wish--" he suddenly stopped what he was saying and looked sharply ahead. sue looked also, and what she saw made her rush to the side of her brother, cling to his arm and cry: "there they are! there are the alligators!" "yes!" exclaimed bunny. "they're sure enough alligators!" there could be no mistake about it this time. crawling up out of the river to the shore of the small island were a number of the long-tailed, scaly creatures with the big snouts. and as one of the alligators crawled up he opened his mouth, showing rows of sharp teeth. "oh, i don't want to stay here!" cried sue, in alarm. bunny brown grasped more firmly his sharp stick. "don't be afraid!" he said. "i won't let the alligators hurt you!" chapter xxv mr. bunn sue brown thought a great deal of her brother bunny, and she knew he was brave and good to her. but whether he could save her from the alligators she was not quite so certain. "oh, bunny, bunny! where you going?" cried sue, as she felt her brother pull away from her. "i'm going down there to drive those alligators away with my sharp stick!" he answered. "oh, bunny, don't!" begged sue. "there's such a lot of 'em!" bunny began to think this himself. as he and his sister watched, they saw more alligators crawling up out of the water to the warm sunny bank of the little island. "there's hundreds of 'em!" cried sue. more and more alligators kept coming out of the water. some were large--fully fifteen feet long perhaps, with big, sharp claws, a long, rough tail, and such big mouths! others of the alligators were small, but there were no babies among them. the sun shone warm on the mud and sand shores of the little island and that is why the alligators climbed out there. alligators spend about half their time under water, getting things to eat, but when the sun shines hot they like to bask in it. that is what the scaly creatures were now doing. "let's don't hurt alligators," begged sue of her brother. "let's go back to our own island." bunny looked at the big, glistening, black creatures, as they crawled over one another, sometimes giving flips with their tails and opening their mouths. and though bunny was a brave little chap he knew it would never do for him to go anywhere near the alligators. as it was, he and his sister were some distance back from the shore, up near the center of the little island. the alligators did not seem to have noticed them. "all right," bunny answered. "i won't hurt any of the alligators. we'll go home and i'll tell daddy and mr. halliday and they can come and hunt them." "that'll be better," sue said, with a sigh of relief. for a little while longer the two children remained looking at the great water lizards. then they started for the place where they had waded from one island to the other. but when they reached this place, sue keeping hold of her brother's hand all the way, they saw a new trouble. "oh, look!" cried sue, pointing. "we can't get away, bunny! the wading place is full of alligators!" and so it was! while the children had been at the center of the little island, the alligators had crawled up out of the river, and many were now sunning themselves on the sand near the ford. one or two were even on the end of the larger island. and as bunny and sue watched, they saw some swimming around in the shallow water through which the children had waded a little while before. "we--we can't get back across!" sue cried. "no," agreed bunny. "i don't b'lieve we can. not in our bare feet." clearly it would have been dangerous to go in among those alligators. even bunny, brave as he was, would not dare to do this. "oh, how are we going to get home?" wailed sue. bunny did not know what to answer. "i want mother!" sobbed sue. this time she was really crying. bunny felt he must do something. he dropped the pointed stick he had intended to use on the alligators and, putting his arm around sue, said: "don't cry! i'll holler for help and somebody will hear us and come and get us." "will they?" asked sue. "sure!" bunny answered. "come on, we'll both call!" the children united their voices in loud calls of: "help! help! help!" for a moment there was no answer. some of the alligators seemed alarmed by the noise and scrambled back into the river. but others of the big, scaly creatures seemed to be crawling up toward bunny brown and his sister sue. "oh, help! help!" screamed the little girl, and bunny joined his voice with hers. then, to their delight, they heard a call in answer. "what's the matter? who are you? where are you?" asked a man, who, as yet, neither bunny nor sue could see. "we're on the island! the alligators are after us!" bunny answered. "don't be afraid! i'll be with you in a minute. they're my alligators and they got out of the pens," the man went on. this time bunny and sue knew where his voice came from. they looked down the stream and saw an elderly man, with white hair and a pleasant face, rowing toward them in a boat. "oh, take us away! take us away!" begged sue. "i will," the man said. "how in the world did you children ever get here, anyhow? but don't be afraid. the 'gators won't hurt you. they'll all jump into the river!" and, surely enough, no sooner had the man pulled his boat close to the island, so that the keel grated on the sand, than, with great splashes, the alligators all plunged into the river. "what made 'em go away?" asked sue, as she and bunny went down to the shore. "oh, alligators are timid," said the man, with a laugh. "did they scare you? well, if you had only run at them or thrown something at them, they would all have crawled into the water. but who are you, anyhow?" "i'm bunny brown and this is my sister, sue," said the little fellow. "well, i'm mr. bunn," was the man's reply, and he smiled at the children. "i raise alligators a few miles down the river. some of 'em got away last night, and i've rowed up here to see if i could find 'em. i did." "but they all got away!" exclaimed bunny, for now not one of the scaly creatures was in sight. "oh, i'll get 'em again," said mr. bunn. "they won't go very much farther up squaw river. it's too shallow. they'll soon turn and swim down, and they can't get past my place for i have a net stretched across the river to hold 'em back. well, i'm glad i have found my 'gators. i was afraid some one had taken them. now shall i put you children in my boat and row you home? where do you live?" "we're staying at mr. halliday's," bunny answered. "oh, at orange beach. yes, i know him and i know his place. you're quite a way from there. how'd you get here?" "on a raft," bunny replied. "it's over on that other island," and he pointed to the larger one. "our shoes and stockings are away back near the orange trees," said sue. "oh," laughed mr. bunn. "well, i'll let you come in my boat without any shoes or stockings on. get aboard!" a little later he was rowing the children up the river. sue was no longer afraid, even though she could see some alligators swimming around in the water. she felt safe in the big boat, and so did bunny. "what do you keep 'gators for?" asked bunny, when the boat was near the place where he and sue had started out in the raft, some hours before. "for their hides," answered mr. bunn. "i sell the hides, and pocketbooks and valises are made from them. but i guess there are your folks looking for you," and he nodded toward shore. and there, on the bank stood daddy and mother brown and mr. halliday, looking anxiously up and down the stream. daddy brown had the children's shoes and stockings in his hand. "oh, bunny! where have you been?" cried his mother. "we went down on a raft, and we landed on a pirate island, and then we got on an alligator island," bunny explained. "alligators!" cried daddy brown. "some of mine got away," explained mr. bunn. and then he told how he had found bunny and sue. "well, you had quite an adventure!" exclaimed the orange grower. "i knew mr. bunn had 'gators on his place, but i never thought any of 'em would get away and come up here." "well, i'm glad we saw some," said bunny. mr. brown thanked mr. bunn for having saved bunny and sue, and as it was near meal time the alligator farmer was invited to stay to supper. washed and combed, with clean clothes on, bunny and sue sat at the table and related their adventures, while mr. bunn told about raising alligators. "do you make much money?" asked mr. brown. "well, yes, some years i do," was the answer. "but i'd like to make an extra lot this year. i've had some bad luck." "do you mean your alligators getting away?" asked mr. brown. "no, though that's bad enough," mr. bunn replied. "but i was up north a few weeks ago on business, and i lost a valuable paper belonging to my nephew. it was for some stock in an oil well, and was made out to 'bearer.' if it had had his name on it i might have got it back. but as it is, i guess it's gone forever. he gave me the stock certificate to keep for him, but i guess i'm not very good at keeping things. i haven't told my nephew about it yet, but when he finds out i have lost his oil stock temporary certificate he'll be angry with me, i'm afraid." bunny brown and his sister sue looked at one another curiously. daddy brown went over to a desk where he and mr. halliday had been looking at some papers before they missed the children. "did you lose that certificate in a parlor car up near bellemere, mr. bunn?" asked the children's father, as he took a green and gold piece of paper from an envelope. "well, i remember going through a place called bellemere," was the answer. "but where i lost the paper i don't know. i may have dropped it from my pocket in the parlor car, or somewhere else. anyhow, i lost it, and i don't suppose i'll ever see my nephew's certificate again. he'll be angry with me." "oh, no, i guess he won't," said mr. brown with a smile. "what company was that stock in?" "the great bonanza," was mr. bunn's answer. "then here it is back again," said mr. brown, and he gave to the alligator farmer the paper bunny had picked out of the snow some weeks before. then the whole story was told, and you can imagine how glad and surprised mr. bunn was. he had never expected to see his nephew's property again, and he had not told about the loss nor notified the oil company, for fear his nephew would hear of it and be angry. "i was just going to let it go and say nothing," said mr. bunn. "i thought i could make enough extra on my alligators to pay my nephew back for the loss. but now i don't have to! i'm so glad i met you children!" he added. "but for that i would never have this back," and he put into his pocket the green and gold certificate. he wanted to give mr. brown a reward for the children, but their mother said rescuing them from the alligators was reward enough. "but they were my own 'gators, and, really, bunny and sue were in no great danger," said mr. bunn. "they could have scared the 'gators away." but mr. brown would accept no reward, though later mr. bunn did send bunny and sue a tiny live alligator for a pet, and they kept it for some time, for it grew quite tame and would eat bits of meat from their fingers--at least from bunny's, for sue never learned to like their scaly pet. meanwhile mr. bunn had gone back down the river to his alligator farm. he said he would get his men together and capture the big lizards that had got away. bunny and sue had many more days of fun in the sunny south, and they ate all the oranges they wanted. but what bunny talked about most when he and sue reached their northern home was the adventure with the alligators on the little island. before they went home, however, bunny and sue went to mr. bunn's queer "farm," and saw hundreds of alligators where they were kept in pens. most of those that broke away had been captured again. mr. bunn's nephew came down to help his uncle, and was given his oil stock certificate, never knowing how nearly it had been lost. "well, we must soon think of going back north again," said mr. brown one day, as he saw bunny and sue playing out under the orange trees. "oh, not just yet!" begged the children. "we want to have a little more fun!" and so, while bunny brown and his sister sue are having fun, we will take leave of them. the end * * * * * the bunny brown series by laura lee hope author of the popular "bobbsey twins" books, etc. durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding. every volume complete in itself. these stories by the author of the "bobbsey twins" books are eagerly welcomed by the little folks from about five to ten years of age. their eyes fairly dance with delight at the lively doings of inquisitive little bunny brown and his cunning, trustful sister sue. bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove bunny brown and his sister sue in the sunny south bunny brown and his sister sue keeping store bunny brown and his sister sue and their trick dog bunny brown and his sister sue at a sugar camp grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york the bobbsey twins books for little men and women by laura lee hope author of "the bunny brown series," etc. durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding. every volume complete in itself. these books for boys and girls between the ages of three and ten stands among children and their parents of this generation where the books of louisa may alcott stood in former days. the haps and mishaps of this inimitable pair of twins, their many adventures and experiences are a source of keen delight to imaginative children everywhere. the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a houseboat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home the bobbsey twins in a great city the bobbsey twins on blueberry island the bobbsey twins on the deep blue sea the bobbsey twins in the great west the bobbsey twins at cedar camp the bobbsey twins at the county fair the bobbsey twins camping out the bobbsey twins and baby may grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york the honey bunch books by helen louise thorndyke individual colored wrappers and text illustrations drawn by walter s. rogers a new line of fascinating tales for little girls. honey bunch is a dainty, thoughtful little girl, and to know her is to take her to your heart at once. honey bunch: just a little girl happy days at home, helping mamma and the washerlady. and honey bunch helped the house painters too--or thought she did. honey bunch: her first visit to the city what wonderful sights honey bunch saw when she went to visit her cousins in new york! and she got lost in a big hotel and wandered into a men's convention! honey bunch: her first days on the farm can you remember how the farm looked the first time you visited it? how big the cows and horses were, and what a roomy place to play in the barn proved to be? honey bunch: her first visit to the seashore honey bunch soon got used to the big waves and thought playing in the sand great fun. and she visited a merry-go-round, and took part in a seaside pageant. honey bunch: her first little garden it was great sport to dig and to plant with one's own little garden tools. but best of all was when honey bunch won a prize at the flower show. honey bunch: her first days in camp it was a great adventure for honey bunch when she journeyed to camp snapdragon. it was wonderful to watch the men erect the tent, and more wonderful to live in it and have good times on the shore and in the water. grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york six little bunkers series by laura lee hope author of the bobbsey twins books, the bunny brown series, the make-believe series, etc. durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding. every volume complete in itself. delightful stories for little boys and girls which sprung into immediate popularity. to know the six little bunkers is to take them at once to your heart, they are so intensely human, so full of fun and cute sayings. each story has a little plot of its own--one that can be easily followed--and all are written in miss hope's most entertaining manner. clean, wholesome volumes which ought to be on the bookshelf of every child in the land. six little bunkers at grandma bell's six little bunkers at aunt jo's six little bunkers at cousin tom's six little bunkers at grandpa ford's six little bunkers at uncle fred's six little bunkers at captain ben's six little bunkers at cowboy jack's six little bunkers at mammy june's six little bunkers at farmer joel's six little bunkers at miller ned's grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york the outdoor girls series by laura lee hope author of the "bobbsey twins," "bunny brown" series, etc. uniform style of binding. individual colored wrappers. every volume complete in itself. these tales take in the various adventures participated in by several bright, up-to-date girls who love outdoor life. the outdoor girls of deepdale; or, camping and tramping for fun and health. the outdoor girls at rainbow lake; or, the stirring cruise of the motor boat gem. the outdoor girls in a motor car; or, the haunted mansion of shadow valley. the outdoor girls in a winter camp; or, glorious days on skates and ice boats. the outdoor girls in florida; or, wintering in the sunny south. the outdoor girls at ocean view; or, the box that was found in the sand. the outdoor girls on pine island; or, a cave and what it contained. the outdoor girls in army service; or, doing their bit for uncle sam. the outdoor girls at the hostess house; or, doing their best for the soldiers. the outdoor girls at bluff point; or, a wreck and a rescue. the outdoor girls at wild rose lodge; or, the hermit of moonlight falls. the outdoor girls in the saddle; or, the girl miner of gold run. the outdoor girls around the campfire; or, the old maid of the mountains. the outdoor girls on cape cod; or, sally ann of lighthouse rock. grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york the flyaways stories by alice dale hardy author of the riddle club books individual colored jackets and colored illustrations by walter s. rogers a splendid new line of interesting tales for the little ones, introducing many of the well known characters of fairyland in a series of novel adventures. the flyaways are a happy family and every little girl and boy will want to know all about them. the flyaways and cinderella how the flyaways went to visit cinderella only to find that cinderella's prince had been carried off by the three robbers, rumbo, hibo and jobo. "i'll rescue him!" cried pa flyaway and then set out for the stronghold of the robbers. a splendid continuation of the original story of cinderella. the flyaways and little red riding hood on their way to visit little red riding hood the flyaways fell in with tommy tucker and the old woman who lived in a shoe. they told tommy about the magic button on red riding hood's cloak. how the wicked wolf stole the magic button and how the wolves plotted to eat up little red riding hood and all her family, and how the flyaways and king cole sent the wolves flying, makes a story no children will want to miss. the flyaways and goldilocks the flyaways wanted to see not only goldilocks but also the three bears and they took a remarkable journey through the air to do so. tommy even rode on a rocket and met the monstrous blue frog. when they arrived at goldilocks' house they found that the three bears had been there before them and mussed everything up, much to goldilocks' despair. "we must drive those bears out of the country!" said pa flyaway. then they journeyed underground to the yellow palace, and oh! so many things happened after that! grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york * * * * * transcriber's notes: obvious punctuation errors repaired. page 177, "out" changed to "our". (called our cat) advertisement for the flyaways and goldilocks, "goldilock's" changed to "goldilocks'" twice. (at goldilocks' house) (to goldilocks' despair) bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm by laura lee hope author of the bunny brown series, the bobbsey twins series, the outdoor girls series, etc. illustrated by florence england nosworthy new york grosset & dunlap publishers made in the united states of america books by laura lee hope =the bunny brown series= bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while =the bobbsey twins series= for little men and women the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a houseboat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home =the outdoor girls series= the outdoor girls of deepdale the outdoor girls at rainbow lake the outdoor girls in a motor car the outdoor girls in a winter camp the outdoor girls in florida the outdoor girls at ocean view the outdoor girls on pine island =grosset & dunlap= =publishers new york= copyright, 1916, by grosset & dunlap _bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm_ [illustration: the pail went right over the turkey's head. _frontispiece_ (_page 130._) _bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm._] contents chapter page i. a letter from grandpa 1 ii. the runaway monkey 10 iii. the big automobile 21 iv. a queer slide 30 v. off to grandpa's farm 42 vi. just like gypsies 51 vii. the woodland camp 62 viii. a night scare 70 ix. the lost horse 80 x. at grandpa's farm 89 xi. in the garden 98 xii. bunny's waterfall 108 xiii. the turkey gobbler 117 xiv. lost in the woods 129 xv. the old hermit 141 xvi. looking for the horses 150 xvii. in the storm 159 xviii. the picnic 169 xix. the tramps 179 xx. the missing cake 187 xxi. bunny's big idea 198 xxii. off to the circus 210 xxiii. the gypsies 219 xxiv. bunny and sue are sad 230 xxv. grandpa's horses 239 bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm chapter i a letter from grandpa "bunny! bunny brown! where are you?" bunny's mother stood on the front porch, looking first in the yard, then up and down the street in front of the house. but she did not see her little boy. "sue! sue, dear! where are you, and where is bunny?" again mrs. brown called. this time she had an answer. "here i am, mother. on the side porch." a little girl, with brown eyes, came around the corner of the house. by one arm she carried a doll, and the doll was "leaking" sawdust on the porch. mrs. brown smiled when she saw this. "why, sue, my dear!" she exclaimed. "what is the matter with your doll? she is 'bleeding' sawdust, as you used to call it." "oh, well, mother, this is just my old doll," sue answered. "it's the one i let bunny take to play punch and judy show with, and he hit her with a stick, and made her sawdust come out. did you want me, mother?" "yes, sue, and i want bunny, too. where is he?" "he was here a little while ago," the brown-eyed girl answered. "but oh, mother! you're all dressed up. where are you going? can't i go with you?" "yes. that is what i called you for. and i want bunny, too. have you seen him?" "no, mother. but shall i go in and wash my face, if i'm going with you? where are we going?" "just down to the store, and then i'm going to stop in the post-office and see if there are any letters for us. yes, run in and wash your face and hands. your dress is clean enough. i'll look for bunny." mrs. brown walked out to the front gate, and again called: "bunny! bunny brown! where are you?" no one answered, but a nice old man, limping a little, and leaning on a stick, came around from the back yard. he looked like a soldier, and he had been in the war, many years ago. "oh, uncle tad!" mrs. brown asked, "have you seen bunny?" the nice old man laughed. "yes, i've seen him," he replied. "he went off down the street in his express wagon. that dog, splash, was pulling him." "i hope he hasn't gone too far," observed mrs. brown. "when bunny gets to riding with his dog he doesn't think how far away he goes." "i'll see if i can find him for you," offered uncle tad, with another laugh. "that bunny brown is surely a great boy," he murmured, as he limped off down the street. he did not have far to go, nor did mrs. brown have long to wait, for, in about a minute, a barking was heard. then came a rattle of wheels on the sidewalk, and a boy's voice called out: "gid-dap, splash! gid-dap! go fast now! go as fast as you can! hurrah! that's the way to do it!" up dashed a small express wagon, drawn by a big, fine shaggy dog, that seemed to be having almost as much fun as was the blue-eyed, curly-haired boy who rode in the cart. "oh, bunny! bunny! don't go so fast!" cried his mother. "you'll spill out and hurt yourself! don't go so fast!" "have to go fast, mother!" said bunny brown. "we have to go fast; don't we, splash?" the dog barked, but he slowed up, for uncle tad held out his hand to pat the big fellow, and splash dearly loved uncle tad. "we're a fire engine, and we're going to a fire," bunny brown explained. "fire engines always have to go fast; don't they, splash? old miss hollyhock's house is on fire, and we're going to put it out. "only make-believe, of course!" cried bunny quickly, for he saw that his mother looked a bit frightened when she heard him speak of a fire. "we're just pretending there's a blaze. here we go! got to put out the fire! see, i've got a can of water all ready for it!" bunny turned to show his mother and uncle tad where, in the back of his express wagon, he had set the garden sprinkling-can full of water. just as bunny did that splash, his big dog, started to run. bunny fell over backward off the seat, out fell the sprinkling-can full of water, splashing all over uncle tad's feet. then bunny himself fell out of the wagon, but he landed on some soft grass at the edge of the sidewalk, so he was not in the least hurt. splash ran on a little way, pulling the empty wagon, but bunny, jumping to his feet, called out: "whoa, splash!" and the dog stopped. for a few seconds they all stood there, uncle tad looking down at his wet feet, bunny looking rather surprised at having fallen over backward, and mrs. brown hardly knowing whether to laugh or scold. as for splash he just stood still, his long red tongue hanging out of his mouth, while his breath came fast. for it was a hot day, and he had been running with bunny. "oh dear, bunny!" said mrs. brown at last, "see what you've done! you've made uncle tad all wet!" "i didn't do it, mother. it was splash," said the little boy. "he started before i was ready. i--i'm sorry, uncle tad. will it hurt your rheumatism?" "no, i guess not, bunny boy. it's a hot day, and a little water won't do me any harm. but it's all spilled now, and how are you going to put out the fire?" "oh, i guess we'll make believe the fire's out," said bunny. "i was going to stop playing, anyhow. where are you going, mother?" he asked, for he saw that his mother was dressed as she usually was when she went down town. "i am going to the store," she said, "and i was looking for you and sue to go with me. sue is getting washed." "if that water had splashed on bunny, instead of on me, he would have been washed too!" said uncle tad with a laugh. "oh, mother! i'll go and wash myself right away!" bunny cried. going down town with their mother was a treat that he and sue liked very much. "may splash come, too?" bunny asked. "not this time, dear. now hurry. i'll wait for you on the porch." "and i guess i'd better go and put on dry shoes," said uncle tad. "i didn't know i was going to be the make-believe fire, and get put out, bunny." bunny laughed. then he drove splash into the yard, put away the sprinkling-can, unhitched the dog from the express wagon, and put the wagon in the barn, where it was kept. splash went off by himself to lie down and rest in the shade, while bunny hurried into the house to wash his hands and face. soon he and sue were walking down the village street with their mother. as the children passed a little toy and candy shop, kept by mrs. redden, bunny looked in the window, and said: "oh, mother! she's got a new kind of candy in there!" "so she has!" cried sue, pressing her little nose flat against the glass. mrs. brown smiled. "perhaps we may stop and get some on our way back," she said. "we haven't time for candy now. i want to see if we have any letters in the post-office." a little later they passed a house, in the side yard of which was a lady, weeding the flower garden. "good-morning, miss winkler!" called mrs. brown. "oh, good-morning!" was the answer. "won't you come in?" "no, thank you. we haven't time now." "oh, mother, do go in!" begged bunny. "sue and i want to see wango!" wango was a little pet monkey, which mr. winkler, an old sailor, had brought home with him from one of his many ocean voyages. the monkey did a number of tricks, and bunny and sue liked him very much, and often petted him. "no, dears. we can't stop to see wango now. some other time," mrs. brown said. and so she and the children went on to the stores. when they reached the post-office, mrs. brown found three letters in her box. she opened one, and read it, she called to bunny and sue: "oh, my dears! i have good news for you. here is a letter from grandpa brown, who lives away out in the country, on a farm. he wants us to come and stay all summer with him!" "oh, goodie!" cried sue, clapping her fat little hands. "may we go, mother?" asked bunny. "oh, let's go to grandpa's farm!" "perhaps we may go," said mrs. brown. "we'll keep right on down to papa's office now, and ask him." chapter ii the runaway monkey mr. brown, who was the father of bunny brown and his sister sue, was in the boat business in the seaside village of bellemere. mr. brown rented fishing, sailing and motor boats to those who wanted them, and he had his office on the dock, which was built out into sandport bay. "oh, mother! do you think daddy will let us go to grandpa's farm?" asked bunny, as he and his sister sue walked along the street, on their way to their father's office, after having gotten the letter from grandpa brown. "please ask him to let us go," begged sue. "yes, i think he will," said mrs. brown. the children clapped their hands in joy. once, some years before, they had gone to their grandfather's farm in the country, and they remembered what fun they had had. now they were older, and they were sure they would have many more good times. "well, well!" cried daddy brown, as he saw his wife and the two children come into his office on the dock. "what brings you all down here? do you want some fish, or is bunny looking for another big lobster claw, so he can put it on his nose and play mr. punch?" "no, i don't want any lobster claws now, papa," bunny said. "but can we go to grandpa's farm in the country?" mr. brown looked at his wife. "what has happened now?" he asked. he was almost sure that something had happened, because bunny and sue looked so excited. "oh!" cried the little girl, "bunny went to a fire, and he was upset, and splash spilled the water all over uncle tad, and we got a letter, and----" sue had to stop. she had talked so fast she was all out of breath. mr. brown laughed. "what is it all about?" he asked his wife. mrs. brown told him how bunny had been playing fire engine in his express wagon, with the dog, and about the upset, when the water was spilled on uncle tad. "but what we came to see you about, daddy," she went on, "is this letter from father." grandpa brown was mr. brown's father, you see, and mr. brown and his wife always spoke of the children's grandpa as "father." "father wants us to bring the children, and spend the summer on the farm," went on mrs. brown. "i think it would be nice, if we could go." "oh, let us, daddy!" cried bunny and sue. mr. brown looked thoughtful. "well," he said slowly, "i suppose we could go. i could have the business here looked after all right, and i guess i need a little rest myself. yes, i think we'll go," he said. "it will take me about a week to get ready. you may write to father that we'll come," he said to mrs. brown. "was there anything else in his letter?" "well, yes," and mrs. brown spoke slowly. "it's some bad news----" "bad news!" bunny interrupted. "can't we go to the farm?" "it isn't that," mrs. brown said quickly. "it's about grandpa's horses. it seems," she said to her husband, while bunny and sue listened with all their might, "that there was some gypsies camping near the farm." "did the gypsies--did they take grandpa away?" asked sue, for she had often heard of gypsies taking persons off with them. but, really, this hardly ever happens. "no, dear. the gypsies didn't take grandpa, but they took his best team of horses," answered her mother. "that's what he says in his letter. some of the gypsies' horses were taken sick, and they could not pull the gypsy wagons, when they wanted to move their camp. some of the gypsy men borrowed grandpa's team and said they would pay him for the use of it a little while, until they could pull their wagons to a new place." "and did father let them take his horses?" asked daddy brown. "yes. he says in his letter that he wishes, now, he had not. for, though the gypsies promised to bring the horses back, they did not do so." "oh, did the gypsies keep grandpa's horses?" asked bunny. "yes. that's what he says." "then we can't go to the farm!" and bunny looked very sorry. "why can't we go? what have the horses to do with it?" asked bunny's mother. "because, if he hasn't any horses, grandpa can't come to the station for us, and drive us out to the farm." "oh, well, i guess he has more than one team. though he says it was his best one the gypsies borrowed, and did not bring back," said mrs. brown to her husband. "it will be quite a loss to father, and he was so proud of that team of horses!" "yes," answered mr. brown, "it's too bad!" "oh, dear!" sighed sue. "aunt lu lost her diamond ring, and now grandpa has lost his horses. but maybe you can find them, bunny, just as you found aunt lu's diamond ring!" "huh! aunt lu's ring was in my lobster claw! how could a team of horses get in a lobster claw?" asked bunny, with a laugh. "oh, i don't mean that!" said sue. "but maybe you could find the horses in the woods, same as you found the ring in the claw." "maybe!" agreed bunny. "but when can we go to the farm?" "next week, perhaps," answered his mother. "it depends on your father." "yes, we can go next week," mr. brown said. "even if grandpa brown doesn't get his horses back from the gypsies?" asked bunny. "yes, i think we can manage to reach the farm without grandpa's horses. i have a new plan for going out there--something we have never done before," and daddy brown nodded at his wife, and smiled. "oh, what is it?" bunny asked eagerly. "it's a secret," said his father. "i'll tell you after a while." the children begged and teased to know what it was, but mr. brown only laughed, and said they would have to wait. then mrs. brown took bunny and sue home, and on the way the brother and sister talked of nothing but what fun they would have on grandpa's farm, and of how sorry they were about the gypsies having borrowed the horses, and keeping them, instead of bringing them back, as they should have done. "but maybe you'll find them," said sue. "i hope so, anyhow. i'll help you look, bunny." "i hope so, too," replied bunny. "we did find aunt lu's diamond ring, when she thought she never would." i will tell you a little about that, though, if you like, you may read of it in the first volume of this series, which is named: "bunny brown and his sister sue." in that i told how the brown family lived in the seaside town of bellemere, on sandport bay. bunny, who was six years old, and sue, who was five, were great chums and playmates. they were together nearly all the while, and often got into trouble; though of course they had fun, and good times also. their aunt lu came to visit them from new york, and the first night she was at the brown house she lost her diamond ring, when she was helping mrs. brown make a salad from a big lobster that was brought ashore in one of mr. brown's boats. a lobster is a sort of fish only it has legs and claws to pinch with. aunt lu felt sorry about losing her ring, and bunny and sue promised to help her find it. they looked, but, for a long time, could not discover it. finally bunny found it in the queerest way. besides finding aunt lu's diamond ring, bunny brown and his sister sue did many other things, which are told of in the first book. they had good fun with their friends charlie star, harry bentley, mary and george watson, and sadie west and helen newton, children of about their own age. bunny and sue got locked in an empty house, and thought they would have to stay there all night, but they did not. they went on a trolley ride, and got lost, and wandered into a moving picture show, and up on the stage, where they made everybody laugh. bunny brown was always thinking of new things to do, and sue was always ready to help him do them. the children were not naughty, but they did get into trouble and out again more easily than any tots of whom i ever heard. they had many friends, and everybody in town knew and liked them. "and now we're going to have more good fun!" said bunny, on the afternoon of the day when grandpa brown's letter came. "oh, i just love it on the farm." "we can play in the hay, and go after the cows, and hunt eggs," said sue. "but you mustn't fall into any hen's nest, as you did once in our barn, and get your dress all egg," said bunny. "i won't," promised sue. "oh, bunny, i can hardly wait!" and she jumped up and down, she was so excited and happy. "neither can i," said her brother. "i'll tell you what let's do!" "what?" asked sue. "let's go down to mrs. redden's and get a lollypop. we have our penny, and mother said we could each spend one this afternoon." "all right," sue replied. "and then shall we go in and see wango, the monkey?" "i guess so. but we'd better eat our lollypops first, or he'll beg them away from us." wango was very fond of candy, and if the children stood in front of him, eating any, he would beg so hard for some, and hold out his little paws in such a sad way, that they could not help sharing their treat with him. wango was sometimes kept in a big cage, but he was also often allowed to be outside, on the porch, with a chain fastened to his collar, and then snapped to a ring in the porch post. bunny brown and his sister sue bought their lollypops at mrs. redden's store, and then went on to mr. winkler's house, to see the monkey. mr. winkler, the old sailor, lived with his sister, miss winkler. the sister did not like her brother's monkey very much. "shall we tell miss winkler about going to grandpa's farm?" asked sue, as she and bunny walked along the street, hand in hand, eating their candy. "yes, and we'll tell her about the gypsies taking grandpa's horses. maybe she might see them, and tell the bad men to give them back." "maybe," agreed sue. "is your lollypop good, bunny?" "awful good. is yours?" "yep." the two children walked on, and soon were within sight of mrs. winkler's house. "there's wango, tied on the porch," cried bunny. "i see him," answered sue. "and oh, bunny! listen! i hear music!" "oh, it's a hand-organ!" bunny exclaimed. "oh, see, he has a monkey!" sue cried, pointing to a little furry creature on top of the music box. wango saw the strange monkey at the same time. wango jumped up, and ran toward the organ grinder as far as the chain would let him. then mr. winkler's monkey chattered and screamed loudly. all at once the italian stopped playing, for his own monkey suddenly jumped down to the sidewalk, gave a hard pull on the string that was about his neck, broke loose and ran away, far off down the street, while wango chattered louder than ever. chapter iii the big automobile "bunny! bunny! look! look! the hand-organ man's monkey has run away!" cried sue. "yes!" answered bunny. "let's run after him! maybe we can catch him, and the man will let us play the organ!" that was all bunny brown and his sister sue thought about--doing whatever they happened to think of first, and this time it was racing after the runaway monkey. for the hand-organ man's monkey was really running away. he was frightened at wango, i think, for wango was larger than he, though wango was quite gentle, even if he did make lots of trouble, such as upsetting the jars in mrs. redden's candy store. "here! come back! come back!" cried the italian to his monkey, speaking in what sounded to bunny and sue very queer talk. but then the italian could speak his own language well, even if he could not talk the kind bunny and sue used. "we'll get your monkey for you, mr. organ-man!" cried bunny. "come on, sue!" "well, don't run so fast--i can't keep up to you!" called the little girl. "wait for me, bunny!" bunny turned and clasped sue's hand in his own. he did not want to leave his little sister behind. each child still held a half-eaten lollypop. the hand-organ man set down his music box, and he, too, raced down the street after his runaway monkey. of course the man could run faster than could bunny and sue. all this while wango was jumping about on the porch, chattering and squealing. he tried to break the chain that was fast to the collar around his neck, but it was too strong for his efforts. once, after mr. winkler had fastened his pet out of doors, wango broke away, and hid in mrs. redden's candy shop. and, oh! how he did smash the candy jars, and what a lot of lollypops he took! but his master, mr. winkler, the old sailor, paid for them, so it was all right. then mr. winkler put a stronger chain on wango. and that is why the pet monkey could not now get away. but he tried very hard, for he wanted to run away also, i think, and have a good time with his friend, the hand-organ monkey. only the hand-organ monkey seemed to be afraid of wango. "but he didn't need to be," bunny said, as he trotted on with sue, "for wango wouldn't hurt him." "of course not!" said sue, "any more than our dog splash would have hurt the little yellow dog he ran after one day." i have told you about that in the first book, how splash ran away with bunny and sue, hurrying down the street to make friends with a little yellow dog, that once had had a tin can tied to his tail. and, also in the first book, i told you how bunny and sue got their dog splash. bunny and sue were carried away in a boat, and landed on an island in the river. there sue fell in, and the big dog pulled her out. as no one came for the dog the browns kept him, and bunny and sue named him "splash," because, as sue said, "he splashed into the water to pull me out." on ran the hand-organ man after his monkey, and on ran bunny brown and his sister sue after the hand-organ man. but wango had to stay behind. he made so much noise, though, with his chattering and screaming, to say nothing of rattling the chain, that miss winkler came running out. she was making a cake, and her hands were all covered with flour, while there was a white spot on the end of her nose. "oh, what is the matter? what is the matter?" she cried. "the hand-organ man's monkey ran away because wango scared him," said bunny, "and we are running after him." "after wango?" miss winkler wanted to know. "no! after the hand-organ monkey," answered bunny. "come on, sue!" they turned the corner, and there, half way down the street, they saw the hand-organ man standing under a tree. "oh, maybe the monkey is up the tree!" cried bunny. "yes, ma monk--he up-a de tree!" said the italian, in his funny way. "he no comea down! jacko! jacko!" he called. "comea down--pleasa!" but, though the hand-organ man held up his arms, and begged his monkey to come down, the little furry creature would not come. he sat perched on a high limb, looking with his bright eyes at bunny, sue and the man. several boys and girls, as well as some men, came over to see what was going on. "i'll climb the tree and get him," offered george watson. "better not. monkeys can bite and scratch," said mr. gordon, who kept the grocery store. "what happened to him, bunny?" bunny told him how wango had frightened the organ monkey. "maybe if you play, mr. italian man, he'll come down!" exclaimed sue, after a bit. "ha! that's a good idea!" said mr. reinberg, who sold drygoods in bellemere. "go get your hand organ, mr. italian." "sure. me maka de nicea de music!" agreed the man. "maybe jacko comea down den!" off he ran to get his organ, which he had left on the grass in front of miss winkler's house. but, even when the organ was played, the monkey up in the tree would not come down. he chattered, and climbed farther up. "oh, i know what let's do!" suddenly cried bunny brown. "what?" asked his sister sue. "let's give him our lollypops--that is, what we have left of 'em. wango likes lollypops, you know, and this monkey ought to like 'em just as well. i'll give him mine," and bunny looked at his half-eaten candy. "and he can have mine, too!" exclaimed sue. "better let the hand-organ man give him the candy," said mr. gordon. "the monkey will know him better. i guess it's a good idea, though--offering him the lollypops." "much-a thank-a you!" said the italian, smiling, as he took the pieces of candy on the sticks, which the children gave him. he held them up to jacko, and said something in italian. the monkey chattered, just as if he were talking back, and then he began slowly climbing down the tree. "oh, bunny! he's coming! he's coming!" cried sue. "he much-a like-a de candy!" said the italian organ-grinder, who was now smiling. "come on, jacko! come on!" the runaway monkey did not seem so much afraid now, or perhaps he was very hungry for the candy. anyhow down he came, until he could jump to his master's shoulder. then he put one little hairy paw around the italian's neck, and, with the other, held the lollypops, which he at once began to eat. "say, that's the time you and sue did it, bunny!" cried mr. gordon. "it was a good trick. but the monkey will eat all your candy." "oh, i don't mind," bunny said. but he did care, just a little, and so did sue. however the italian was so glad to get his monkey back that he gave bunny and sue each a penny, so they could buy new lollypops. then the organ-man fastened the string on the monkey's collar again, and started off up the street. "let's follow him," said sue to bunny. "maybe the monkey will run away again, and we can help get him out of a tree." "no, we'd better go home," bunny said. "mother may be looking for us." so home they went, and just in time, for mrs. brown was about to ask uncle tad to look for the children. every day, for the next week, bunny brown and his sister sue would ask when they could start for grandpa's farm. and their mother would say: "pretty soon now. daddy hasn't his surprise quite ready." "oh, why can't you tell us?" begged sue. "because, then it wouldn't be any surprise," said mrs. brown, with a laugh. bunny and sue had some good times while they were waiting, but they were anxious to have fun on the farm. and, one morning, soon after breakfast, they went out in the yard to play, and saw a strange sight. into the drive rumbled a big automobile, almost like a large moving van. bunny and sue ran out of the way. the big automobile came to a stop. the man on the front seat jumped down, and, going around to the back, opened the doors. bunny and sue peeped inside the van. "oh, look, look, bunny!" cried sue. "it's just like a play-house inside. it's got beds, and a table and even a stove! oh, what is it all for?" "my, what a big, queer auto!" said bunny. "and it's even got windows in it. why we could camp out in it! is it ours?" he asked the man. chapter iv a queer slide bunny brown and his sister sue stood looking at the queer, big automobile. they had seen some like it once before passing through the town, loaded with tables, chairs, a piano and other things, when someone was moving. but this automobile was different. inside, as the children could see, were four small beds--"bunks" they were called, as bunny knew, for that was what a bed was called on a ship, or big boat. and a bunk was like a shelf, sticking out from the side of the wall. besides the bunks, inside the big automobile van, there were chairs, a table, and a cupboard, in which, through the glass doors, could be seen dishes. "oh, bunny!" cried sue. "we're going to eat! we're going to eat! i see the dishes. we're going to eat in this auto!" "yes, and we must be going to cook, too," said bunny. "i see an oil stove, and some pots and pans. that is we are going to eat if this is our auto," he went on, looking again at the man who had steered it into the yard of the brown house. "is it ours?" bunny asked. "well, your father told me to bring it up here, and leave it, so i guess it must be yours, or his," and the man smiled at bunny and sue. "oh, goodie!" cried the little girl, dancing up and down for joy. "it's our auto! it's our auto!" "fine!" exclaimed bunny, with eyes that sparkled almost as brightly as did aunt lu's diamond ring, which was found in the lobster claw. "and are we going to have a long ride in it?" bunny asked. "well, as to that, i don't know," answered the man. "your father told me to bring the auto up here and leave it. he'll be home pretty soon, i guess, and tell you all about it. i'll be going now." the man had put the brakes on, so the wheels could not turn, and thus let the automobile run away. now he waved his hand in good-bye to the children and walked off. bunny and sue raced into the house. "oh, mother!" cried sue. "oh, mother!" cried bunny. then both together they fairly shouted: "come on out and look at the big auto!" mrs. brown smiled, and went out with the children. she did not seem as much surprised as they had been. "what's it for, mother?" asked bunny. "the man said papa sent it up. are we going to take a long ride in it?" "well, i think so, bunny." "but if we go riding in this how can we go to grandpa's farm?" sue wanted to know. "you had better wait until your father comes home, and he'll tell you all about it," her mother replied. "may we go inside and look at it?" asked bunny. "yes, come along," and mrs. brown led the way up the little pair of steps that were fastened at the back of the big automobile. once inside bunny and sue thought they had never seen such a fine place. it was just like a little house of two rooms, one room being shut off from the other by heavy curtains. the first room they went into was where they would eat and cook, and, when the table was cleared off, they could sit around it and read, or play games. there was a hanging lamp over the table. there were two windows in this room, with nice, white curtains draped over them. and along the sides of the room were cupboards, and little places where dishes, pans and other things could be put away. there was even a clock on the wall, to tell the time. in the next room, as bunny and sue could see through the curtains, which were pulled back, were four beds, two little ones, bunny's and sue's, and two larger beds, or bunks, for mr. and mrs. brown. in this room were also two boxes, or chests. "that is where we shall keep our clothes when we are traveling," said mother brown. there was a lamp in this room, and windows, with pretty, flowered silk curtains over them. "then we are really going to travel in this auto?" asked bunny eagerly. "yes," answered his mother with a smile. "but i thought we were going to grandpa's!" remarked sue. she did not know what it all meant. "well, i think this is papa's secret," went on her mother, "and you will have to wait until he comes home when he can tell you all about it." bunny and sue shook their heads. they did not know what it all meant, but they thought the automobile was fine, and they could hardly wait for the time to come when they should travel and live in it. "it's just like a sleeping car on the railroad train," said sue. "it's better!" bunny cried. "you can eat in it too. once i ate on a train, but my milk all spilled in my lap when i tried to drink out of my glass." bunny and sue had once traveled all night on the railroad, and had slept in a bed on the car, and had also eaten in the dining coach, so they knew something about it. for some time the two children looked about inside the queer, big automobile that was made into a little house, and then they climbed down the steps again. "and it's real, too. it isn't make-believe!" said bunny, as if that were the best part of it. "shall we have real things to eat?" asked sue. "oh, i think so," her mother told the little girl. "i--i feel hungry now," observed bunny, with a sigh. "well, run to the house and get some cookies," his mother said. "then you and sue may go off and play for a while. but don't go too far. it will make the time pass more quickly, and when you come back daddy will be here, and will tell you all about the big automobile." "come on, sue!" cried bunny. "we'll have some fun." soon the children, a cookie in each hand, were racing about the yard, playing with splash, the big dog. splash liked cookies, too, and i think he had almost as much of bunny's and sue's as did the children themselves. mrs. brown had gone into the house, and bunny and sue were left in the yard. they soon grew tired of playing with splash, and, as the dog himself was rather hot, he went to lie down in the shade. "i know what let's do!" said bunny, after a bit. "what?" asked sue, who was always ready to go where her brother led. "what can we do, bunny, to have some fun?" "we'll go over to the pond and catch frogs," answered bunny. "i'll get my net, and you can take a tin can to keep 'em in." "but we won't hurt the frogs; will we bunny?" "no. we'll just catch 'em, and let 'em go again, to watch 'em hop. come on!" bunny had made himself a little net out of a bean pole, with a bent wire, in the shape of a hoop, and some mosquito netting pinned over it. not far away from the brown house was a pond where there were many frogs and tadpoles, which are little frogs before they have any legs. the pond was in a hollow place, where the clay had been dug out to make bricks, for near bellemere was a large brick factory. the water rained into the pond, and stayed there for some time, as it could not run out or soak down through the clay. bunny and sue were allowed to go to the clay-pond because it was not deep, and not far away. but mrs. brown always told them to be careful not to slip down in the wet and sticky clay or muddy water. so now, with the net and the tin can to catch frogs, away the two children started. they had not been frog-hunting since aunt lu went back to new york. "there ought to be lots of frogs now," said bunny. "yes," agreed sue. "i hear them singing every night." "frogs don't sing!" her brother said. "yes they do too!" "no they don't!" "then what do they do?" sue wanted to know. "they croak!" said bunny. "frogs can't sing, they just croak." "well, they can hop then!" sue was sure of that. "'cause the ones george watson let loose at our party hopped." "oh, yes, frogs can hop," bunny knew that well enough. "all 'ceptin' pollywoggles," went on sue. "they jest wiggle." "that's right," said her brother. "pollywogs can't hop, 'cause they've got no legs. come on." the two children were soon at the frog pond. they could hear the frogs croaking, or "singing," whichever you call it, and with his net bunny was soon scooping around in the water, to catch some of the hopping, swimming creatures. "oh, i've got a big one!" the little boy suddenly cried, as he lifted the net into the air. "where's your can, sue?" "here it is, bunny!" sue held up an old tomato can, with the cover off, while her brother turned his net upside down over it. some black mud and water splashed from bunny's net, some splattering on sue's dress. she looked eagerly into the can. "there isn't any frog at all, bunny!" she exclaimed, much disappointed. "no frog?" shouted bunny. "of course there is!" with a stick he poked in the mud on the bottom of the can. no frog was there. "well, he must have hopped out," he said. "maybe you didn't have one, bunny." "yes i did. but he got away. he was a big one, too. but i'll get another." a little later bunny did catch two frogs, though they were small ones. he put them in sue's can. she looked at them for a while and then asked: "oh, bunny, oughtn't i to put some water in the can, so the frogs can swim? they won't like us if we don't let them swim." "well, put a little water in," said bunny. with the frogs in the can, sue dipped it into the pond, at the water's edge. then she gave a sorrowful cry. "oh, bunny! the frogs hopped out! they got away!" "oh, dear!" the little boy said. "what made you let 'em go?" "i didn't. they wented themselves! they swimmed right out!" "oh, well, never mind. i can get more." bunny was real nice and cheerful about it; wasn't he? some boys would have made a fuss if their sister let their frogs go, but bunny brown was different. soon he caught four more frogs, and this time he helped sue put water in the can, scooping it up with his hands. so the frogs did not get out. but catching frogs gets tiresome after a while, and, after a bit, bunny and sue were ready to stop. they looked about for something else to do. not far from the pond was a high bank of clay, partly dug away. it was like a little hill, and sloped down to the edge of the pond. "oh, sue, i know what let's do!" cried bunny. "what?" "let's go up to the top of the clay-hill and roll stones down into the water." "all right--let's!" sue set down her can of frogs, and bunny laid aside his net. the clay-hill was too slippery to climb, so the children went around to the side, on a part where the grass grew. soon bunny and sue stood at the top of the hill. it was not very high, nor very steep, and at the top were a number of stones. "we'll roll 'em down, and watch 'em splash in the water," said bunny. down the slippery clay slide the children rolled the stones, watching them splash into the little pond at the bottom of the hill. all of a sudden, as sue rolled one stone, larger than any of the others she had yet played with, she gave a cry. "oh, bunny! bunny! i'm slipping! i'm falling!" she called. bunny gave a jump toward sue, hoping he could catch her. but he, too, slipped on the smooth clay at the top of the hill. and the next second bunny and sue went sliding down. right down the clay-hill toward the shallow pond at the bottom they slid, like jack and jill, who went up the hill, after a pail of water, and then tumbled down. chapter v off to grandpa's farm "bunny! bunny!" cried sue, as she slid along. "oh, bunny! i can't stop!" "i--i can't, either," answered her brother. "but don't be afraid! you won't get hurt, sue!" "no, but, bunny, if i go into the water i'll get all--all wet!" "well, i'll get wet too, and then mamma will know it was an accident. say, we're sliding fast, sue! aren't we?" bunny brown and his sister sue were certainly sliding fast. the clay-hill was wet with rain that had come down in the night, and the clay was as slippery as glass. the little boy and girl dug their heels in, or they tried to, but the clay was hard, as well as slippery. down and down they went, faster and faster. sue tried to dig her fingers into the clay, but she could not, any more than bunny, neither of them could stick the heels of their shoes in. on and on they slid, faster and faster. "oh, dear!" cried sue. "i wish our dog splash were here!" "he couldn't stop us!" replied bunny. "he'd slide too, same as we're sliding." "well--well, anyhow!" said sue, almost ready to cry, "he--he could pull me out when i fall in the water--an'--an' i'm goin' to fall in, bunny! i know i am! i'm goin' to fall in! oh, dear!" "never mind, sue. i'll fall in with you, and i'll pull you out. it isn't deep." "no, but it's aw--awful muddy, bunny!" bunny did not have time to answer. he only had time to yell: "look out, sue! here we go in!" and--"splash!" in went bunny brown and his sister sue. right in the shallow pond of muddy water they slid, sitting down. it did not hurt them, for the clay was soft and smooth where the water covered it. but, though the two children were not hurt--oh, so dirty and muddy as they were! they had made such a hard splash into the puddle that the water was sprinkled all over them, like a shower from a fountain. for a moment, after sliding in, and coming to a stop, bunny and sue looked at one another, not saying a word. "well," said bunny, after a bit, with a long breath, "you didn't get hurt; did you, sue?" "no, not hurt, bunny--but--but look at my--my dress!" sue's lips quivered, and her eyes filled with tears. "don't care," said bunny kindly. "i'm all mud, too." "le--let's go home," sue went on. "i must get a clean dress. and i don't want any more frogs, bunny." "i guess i don't, either. we'll let 'em go." bunny tried to get up from where he was sitting in the puddle of muddy water and clay, but it was so slippery that, almost as soon as he stood on his feet, he went down again. "oh! oh!" cried sue. "you're splashing me more, bunny!" "i--i couldn't help it," he said. he looked at sue and laughed. "what are you laughin' at?" she asked. "at you. you do look so funny! there's a lump of clay right on the end of your nose!" "oh, is there?" sue reached for her pocket handkerchief to wipe off the mud, for she did not like a dirty face. but she found that her pocket was under water, and of course her handkerchief was wet through. "lend me yours, bunny," she begged. and bunny, who had his handkerchief in his waist pocket, up above the wetness, wiped the clay from his sister's nose. then, by being careful, he managed to stand up. he helped sue to her feet, and the children waded to shore. the water was not more than a few inches deep, but it was very muddy. bunny and sue emptied the frogs out of the can. the little green fellows seemed glad to hop back into the pond again. then the two children started for home. "oh my goodness me! what has happened to you?" cried their mother when she saw them coming through the gate. "we--we fell in," said sue. "no, we slid in," bunny said. "oh, dear! well, however it happened, you are perfect sights!" gasped mrs. brown. "i never saw such children!" bunny and sue told how it had happened--their sudden slide down the clay-hill--and, as they had not meant to get in the mud puddle, mrs. brown did not scold very much. it was an accident. "but you must be more careful next time," she said. "we will," promised bunny. he was always ready to promise. "anyhow," said sue. "if we're going to grandpa's we can't go to play near the frog pond any more." "that's so," agreed bunny. "or even if we go for a ride in the big automobile. we won't get muddy any more, mother." mrs. brown and the cook took the muddy clothes off the children, and then bunny and sue each had a fine bath in the clean, white tub. soon they were as nice and neat as ever. "now don't go away from the house," said their mother. "stay in the yard and play. it will soon be time for your father to come home to supper, and then----" "then he'll tell us about the big automobile!" cried bunny. "and about the secret!" said sue. sue played with her dolls, while bunny spun a musical top his aunt lu had sent him from new york, and, almost before they knew it, the children heard some one at the front gate ask: "well, how do you like it?" "oh, daddy!" they cried, and they raced down the walk to meet their father. "what's it for?" "is it for us?" "are we to live in it?" "when are we going to grandpa's farm?" "can we take the auto with us?" bunny and sue asked so many questions of their father, and they asked them so fast, that he could not answer them. he could only laugh. then, catching sue up in one arm, and bunny in the other, mr. brown carried them into the house. "well, mother," he asked his wife, "how do you like it?" "i think it's fine," said mrs. brown. "and do you think you could live in it, and sleep in it, for three or four days on a trip to grandpa's farm?" "why, yes, i think it would be very nice." "oh, daddy! are we going to grandpa's in the big auto?" asked bunny. "yes, i think we shall." "and is that the secret?" sue asked. "it is," her father answered. "i'll tell you about it. this automobile is an old moving van. i bought it from a man, and i thought it would be nice if it could be fixed up like a gypsy wagon, so we could travel in it, and eat and sleep in it. i had it made into a sort of little house, you see, with beds, a table, chairs and an oil stove. i thought we would take a little vacation in it this summer. "then, after grandpa sent us the invitation to spend the summer at his farm, i thought how nice it would be if we could go there in our big auto, instead of in the train. would you like that?" he asked bunny and sue. "oh, of course," bunny replied. sue clapped her hands and nodded her head. she liked it, too. "well, then, that's what we'll do," mr. brown went on. "we will make the trip to grandpa's in the big auto. we'll live in it just as the gypsies live in their wagons, that are drawn by horses, and we can camp out if we want to." "but we won't take anybody's horses, and not bring 'em back, the way the gypsies did to grandpa," said bunny. "will we?" "oh, no, of course not!" echoed sue. "well, then, if it's all settled, we'll have supper, and talk more about our trip afterward," said mr. brown. that night, when the table was cleared, the little family gathered about it talked about what fun they would have. "can i steer?" bunny wanted to know. "oh, no. i'm going to let bunker blue do that," his father said. bunker was a big, strong young man, with red hair, who helped mr. brown in the boat business. bunny and sue could hardly sleep that night, thinking of the fun they were going to have in the big automobile, and on grandpa's farm. the next morning they helped their mother get ready to start. bed clothes were put on the four bunks, the oil lamps and the stove were filled, and things to eat were put in the cupboard. on the way they could stop at stores along the road, and buy more things, when they were hungry. very soon all was in readiness. two days later, the house having been locked up for the summer, bunny brown and his sister sue, with their father and their mother, took their places in the little house that was made inside the big automobile. bunker blue was out on the front seat to steer, and make the automobile go. "are you all ready?" asked bunker of mr. brown. "all ready, bunker. you may start now!" "chug! chug!" went the automobile, and away it rolled, out of the yard and into the street. "hurrah!" cried bunny brown. "we're off for grandpa's farm!" chapter vi just like gypsies away down the road rumbled the big automobile, which was just like a little house on wheels. bunny brown and his sister sue sat, one at each window, on cute little chairs, and looked out. "oh, isn't this fun?" cried sue. "the best fun we ever had," agreed bunny. "it was more fun than when we were shipwrecked on the island; 'member?" "yes. when we played robinson crusoe," went on sue, "and we couldn't find mr. friday because it was thursday," and she laughed. "and you fell in," added bunny. "and splash pulled me out!" "oh, father!" suddenly cried bunny, as sue mentioned the name of the pet dog, "couldn't we take splash with us?" "well, i don't know," said mr. brown slowly. "you know we weren't going to take him down on the farm, because grandpa has a dog. but i guess, if you want splash very much, we have room for him. what do you say, mother?" and he looked at mrs. brown. "oh, let the children have their pet," said mother brown. "fine!" shouted bunny. "we'll stop at mr. west's and get him," said mr. brown. when the brown family decided to go away, they had not planned to take splash with them, and he was left at the home of sadie west, a little girl with whom sue played. sadie said she would take good care of splash. but now bunny and sue wanted him with them. so the big automobile was steered down toward the west home, and a little later, splash was barking joyously inside the little room, and trying to kiss, with his red tongue, bunny, sue and mr. and mrs. brown, all at the same time. "oh, i'm so glad we're going to take you!" cried sue, hugging her pet. half of splash belonged to sue, and half to bunny. they made believe to divide the dog down the middle, lengthwise, so each would have part of the tail, which always wagged so joyfully when splash saw either of the children. once again the automobile--a little house on wheels--set off. "good-bye!" called sadie west to sue, waving her hand. "good-bye!" echoed bunny and his sister. down the main street of the village they went, many of mr. brown's friends stopping to wave their hands or hats to him. such an automobile, fitted up inside so a family could live in it, was seldom seen in bellemere. "there's charlie star!" called bunny, as he saw a boy on the street. "yes, and there's helen newton," added sue. "oh, i wish they were going with us!" "we haven't room, my dear," said her mother, for sometimes sue would invite her friends to stay to dinner or to supper without knowing whether her mother thought it best. "besides," went on mrs. brown, "you will find many playmates, and enough to do, on grandpa's farm." "yes, i guess we will," said bunny. "i'm going fishing." "and i'm going to pick flowers," sue said. "i don't like fishing, 'cause the worms on your hook are so squiggily." mr. and mrs. brown sat in easy chairs in the little dining room of the automobile. it was also the sitting room, when the table was not set. and it was the kitchen when the cooking was being done on the oil stove, so you see it was three rooms in one. beyond the dividing curtains was the bed room, with the four bunks against the wall. there were windows in that room, but the brown family seemed to like best sitting in the one nearest the back doors of the automobile. "it's just like being in a railroad train," said bunny, as he looked out of the window, and waved to harry bentley, one of his friends, whom he saw, just then, on the steps in front of harry's house. "yes," said sue. "it's like a train, 'ceptin' it jiggles you more," for the street was a bit rough, and the car bumped unevenly along, and swayed from side to side. "it will run more smoothly when we get out on the soft, dirt country road," mr. brown said. a little later they had passed out of the village. on the front seat bunker blue steered the machine, and made it go faster or slower, just as he needed to. inside splash walked about, feeling a little strange at first, perhaps. but he saw bunny and sue, and mr. and mrs. brown, so of course he knew it was all right, and that he was one of the family. "mother, i'm hungry," said sue. "could i have something to eat?" "maybe a jam tart," added bunny. "the kind aunt lu used to make, with the jam squashing up through the three little holes on top." "yes, i have made some of them," mrs. brown said. "i'll give you some. you must be hungry, as we had an early breakfast." mrs. brown knew how to make jam tarts just like those aunt lu used to bake. a little cupboard was opened, and a plate of the nice tarts set on the table for the children. "oh!" murmured sue. "ah!" said bunny. "and would you like a glass of cool milk?" asked mrs. brown. "but how can we have cool milk, on a hot day, when we have no ice?" asked bunny. "oh, but we have ice!" said mrs. brown, laughing. "see, daddy had a little ice box put in, and i keep the butter, milk and other things that need to be cool, in there." and, surely enough, in one corner of the dining-sitting-room and kitchen was a little icebox, out of which mrs. brown took a bottle of milk. so bunny and sue were having a nice little lunch, which tasted all the better because they were eating it as they rumbled along in the automobile-house-on-wheels. splash looked on hungrily, until mr. brown tossed him a dog biscuit. sadie west had bought some for him, thinking she was going to keep the dog, but she had put the biscuits in the automobile when bunny and sue came for their pet. mile after mile, along the road, rumbled the big automobile van, like a circus wagon. bunny and sue sometimes sat near the back doors, looking out, or else they climbed up on boxes near the side windows. mr. and mrs. brown sat and talked, and laughed at the funny things the children said. out on the front seat bunker blue held the steering wheel. "could i ride outside, with him?" asked bunny, after a while. "i want to ride outside, daddy!" "no, indeed, little man," answered his father. "you might get bounced off, and hurt. this auto isn't like mr. reinberg's, in which you once had a ride. it would not be safe for you or sue to ride outside." "but i want to talk to bunker," persisted the little boy. "well, i think i can manage that," mr. brown went on. "there is a window in the front part of the auto, right close to the back of bunker's seat. i'll open that window, and you can talk to him through it. go into the bed room." bunny and sue walked into the front part of the automobile, through the hanging curtains. and, surely enough, when mr. brown opened a window he had had cut in the front of the van, there was bunker's smiling face looking in. he saw bunny and sue, and laughed. "oh, bunker! isn't this lovely?" asked sue. "well, it's better than rowing a boat full of fish, anyhow, sue." "and we had something to eat," went on bunny. "are you hungry, bunker?" "well, no, not real hungry. i had some chewing gum a while ago." "i can give you a sandwich, bunker, if you'd like it," said mrs. brown, looking out of the window, over the heads of bunny and sue. "chewing gum isn't good to eat." "oh, i didn't swaller it," said the red-haired young man. "but i'm not hungry. i'll wait until dinner. i couldn't eat and steer this big auto at the same time. i'll wait." "it will soon be time for dinner," said mrs. brown. on went the car, and at noon it came to a stop in the road, near a shady bit of woods. "here's where we'll eat," said mrs. brown. "shall we set the table inside, or out on the grass?" "out on the grass!" cried bunny. "then, we'll be just like gypsies at a picnic." so mr. brown lifted the table out of the automobile, and he and bunny and sue helped put on the dishes and the knives and forks. mrs. brown cooked the dinner on the oil stove. there were meat and potatoes and green peas, besides tomato soup, which bunny liked very much. there was milk for the children, and tea for the older folk, and they sat on chairs, under the trees, and ate what bunny said was the best dinner he had ever had. sue liked it too, and so did bunker blue. then, after a little rest, they went on again. oh, i forgot to say that of course splash had his dinner, also. he ate the scraps of meat, and the bread and potatoes left over when all the others had finished. he liked his dinner very much. on rumbled the big automobile over the country roads. many persons who passed it--some in other cars, and some in carriages--turned to look at the funny house-on-wheels. perhaps they wished they had one like it. "and are we going to sleep in it to-night?" asked sue, when the sun began to go down. "yes," answered her mother. "i'll make up your little beds just as i do at home." "but i can't sleep if it jiggles and squiggles so much, mother!" "we'll not travel at night," said mr. brown. "we'll find a nice place beside the road, run the auto under the trees, and stay there until morning. then the auto won't jiggle you, sue." "all right, daddy. that's nice!" just before dusk they stopped for supper. this was just as much enjoyed as was the dinner. mrs. brown made lemonade, when bunker found a spring of cold water. just as supper was over, and they were sitting about the table, which was out on the ground near the back of the automobile, mrs. brown pointed to some smoke that was to be seen coming up through the trees, not far away. "that looks like some one camping over there," she said to her husband. "maybe it is. there are several bands of gypsies around here," he said. "it may be some of them." bunny brown and his sister sue looked at one another. they were both thinking of the same thing. could these be the gypsies who had taken grandpa's horses? the smoke rose higher and higher through the trees, as mr. and mrs. brown, with the help of bunker, began to wash the supper dishes. bunny and sue walked a little distance away from the car, toward the smoke. "don't go too far!" their mother called to them. "we won't," answered bunny. chapter vii the woodland camp the two children walked slowly down the road, at the side of which, under some big willow trees, the automobile was drawn up for the night, which would soon come. mrs. brown was busy making up the beds. one for bunker blue was to be made on the ground, right under the automobile itself. an extra cot had been brought along for him, but it was folded up in the automobile. mr. brown was busy looking over the machinery of the engine, or motor, that made the automobile go. he wanted to be sure it had not broken, so they would be able to go on again in the morning, and finally get to grandpa's farm. "where are you going, bunker?" called bunny, as he and sue saw the big, red-haired boy start down the road with a pail on his arm. "i'm going for water," bunker replied. "why, we have some in the ice box," cried sue, for she had had a glass a little while before. "you can drink that water, bunker." "oh, _i_ don't want a drink, sue. it's the automobile that wants one," bunker answered. "how funny!" laughed sue. "automobiles can't drink." "oh, yes, they can," replied bunker. "i have to pour water in ours so the engine won't get too hot. it doesn't exactly drink it, but it needs it to cool itself off. that's why i'm going for water now." "i'll come with you," offered bunny. and of course where bunny went, sue went too. so the brother and sister were soon walking with bunker down to the spring. there he filled the pail with water, and, coming back with it, he poured it into what is called the radiator of the automobile--the place where the water itself is kept cool so it will cool the hot engine. "there!" exclaimed bunker, when he had finished. "now the auto has had a good drink, and it can go to sleep when it wants to." "oh, do autos go to sleep?" sue wanted to know. "well, they stay nice and quiet all night," her father told her. "at least i hope ours will, and that is almost the same as going to sleep. now, mother, have we everything ready for the night?" "i think so," said mrs. brown. "bunker, if you'll get out your cot, i'll make it for you, and then you can slide it under the automobile." "oh, thank you, mrs. brown," replied the big boy, "but i can make my own bunk. i'm used to it." mrs. brown looked through the ice box, and in the cupboard. she wanted to see if she had everything she needed for breakfast. and, as soon as she opened the ice box she exclaimed: "there! the milk! we won't have any for the children. there's only a little bit left. where can we get any?" mr. brown came back from having looked at the engine, which he found was all right. "milk?" he said. "why, there's a farmhouse a little way over on that road," and he pointed to it. "i guess we could get milk over there." "then we'll have to do it. bunker--no--you're making up your bed; aren't you? you can't go. you and i will go for the milk," she said to her husband. "and take bunny and sue with us?" "no, i think not. they seem to be having a good time and they'll be all right here with bunker until we come back. there might be cross dogs at the farmhouse, and it may be too far for them to walk. you stay here, bunny and sue," she went on, "while daddy and i go for some fresh milk. don't go far away now." "no'm," promised bunny again. he and sue saw many things to look at near the place where the automobile had stopped for the night. there were some flowers and ferns growing in the grass and sue made a nice bouquet. then bunny found a place where he could break off long, willow branches from a tree, and he had fun playing he was the ring-master in a circus, cracking the willow whip, and making the make-believe horses jump over "pretend" elephants. sue looked up from her flower gathering, and said to her brother: "oh, bunny! look what a lot of smoke!" she pointed to where the smoke had been seen before, curling up through the trees of the woods. "it is a lot of smoke," said bunny. "maybe the trees are on fire! let's go and look!" bunny did not stop to think that if the woods were on fire it was not a very good place for him and his sister to go. but the trouble was with bunny brown, that he did what he wanted to do first, and thought about it afterward. "if i had my fire engine here i could put out the fire," said bunny. but his fire engine was only a toy, and though it did squirt water when he turned the handle, it only sprayed out a little--about a tin cup full. so i guess it could not have put out a very big fire. "we'll go to see what it is," decided sue. she was always willing to go where bunny led her. bunny looked back toward the automobile. bunker blue was not to be seen. he was under the big van fixing up his cot for the night, that would soon be turning everything dark. down a side road bunny could see his father and mother, going to the farmhouse for the milk. "we'll just walk a little way and look at the fire," said bunny. "mother or father won't care about that. and maybe we'll have to tell 'em there is a fire, so they can telephone for the engines." "there aren't any telephones here in the woods," said sue. "well, then they can holler for the engines," bunny remarked. he did not care much about that part--he wanted to see the fire. "come on!" he called to his sister. and so the two tots started toward the place where they could see the smoke curling up over the trees. if bunker blue had seen the children, he would have called to them to come back. so would their father and mother. but mr. and mrs. brown were hurrying toward the farmhouse, and bunker was under the automobile. and just then he had struck his head on a piece of wood, and his head hurt so that bunker had to rub it. and tears came into his eyes, though he did not exactly cry; but the tears did not let him see very good. that is why he did not see the children set out toward the fire. so bunny and sue walked on toward the woods. the woods were darker than the road, and reaching the edge of the trees, sue hung back. "i don't want to go in," she whispered. "i'se afraid." "oh, don't be afraid," answered bunny. "i won't let anything hurt you. where's splash? he won't let any one hurt you, either." but the big dog was, just then, racing over the fields after a bird he thought he could catch. so no one saw bunny brown and his sister sue, as they went into the woods. they could see the smoke of the fire much more plainly now. and then, all of a sudden, they came to a place in the woods where there was a camp. there were white tents, and a number of wagons, with looking glass on the sides, were standing near some horses which were eating grass. and, in and about the tents and wagons, in the woodland camp, were a number of dark-colored men, women and children. they looked like indians, but sue knew who they were as soon as she saw the gay wagons. "oh, bunny!" sue whispered. "they're gypsies! maybe they have grandpa's horses. this is a gypsy camp, bunny!" chapter viii a night scare perhaps if sue had not spoken of grandpa's lost horses bunny might not have wanted to keep on toward the gypsy camp. but when his sister spoke the little boy seemed to become brave, all at once. "that's so, sue!" he whispered to her, as he took hold of her hand, so she would not be frightened. "maybe grandpa's horses are here. these folks are gypsies, sure enough." "just like the pictures in the books," added sue, also whispering. she and bunny could see where several gypsy women and children were standing about the fire, over which were pots, from which steam came. the gypsies were cooking their supper. the men gypsies stood near the horses and wagons, talking. some of the men were smoking, and they all seemed to be having an easy time. "shall we go up and ask 'em if they have grandpa's horses?" bunny inquired of sue. "yes," she said. "but you won't let the gypsies take me, will you?" "nope," said bunny. he and sue had often heard their little playmates talk about gypsies taking children away, but i do not believe this ever happens. the gypsies have children of their own--children who like to live and travel in the queer wagons--and why should the gypsies take other children who might be a trouble to them, and cry to come home? still bunny and sue thought the gypsies might take them away in one of the wagons, with the shining looking glasses on the sides, or that they might be kept in one of the tents. but the two children wanted to find out about grandpa's horses, so they kept on. by this time some of the gypsy women had seen the two tots. one woman, who wore a bright handkerchief on her head, came up to bunny and sue and asked: "where are you going? where do you live? aren't you lost?" "no'm," said bunny, while sue sort of slid around behind him. "we're not lost. our automobile is over there," and bunny pointed to the road. "we just came to see if you had our grandpa's horses." the gypsy woman seemed surprised, and called to one of the men, who came up, smoking a pipe. "we are gypsies, too," said sue bravely. perhaps she thought if she said that she would not be taken away. or maybe she thought that would be the best way of finding the lost horses. "you are gypsies!" exclaimed the woman, smiling. bunny thought it was queer she could speak just as he did. but most gypsies, in this country, can talk our talk. "we're going to grandpa's in a big automobile," said bunny, to explain what sue meant, "and it's got beds in, and a table and a stove, just like your wagons," and he waved his hand toward the queer carts in which the gypsies traveled from camp to camp. "you are funny little gypsies," laughed the woman. "but what is this about grandpa's horses?" "maybe their grandfather has horses to sell--or trade," suggested the gypsy man. "where does he live, little chap?" "oh, a good way off," answered bunny, hardly at all afraid now. "but he hasn't any horses, 'cause he let some gypsies take his horses to pull their wagons, and they didn't bring 'em back. so my grandpa has no horses, but i thought maybe you had 'em." some other gypsies, who had gathered around to hear what was being said, laughed at this. then the man spoke. "we have some horses," he said, "but they are not your grandfather's, little chap. but i think you had better run home, or run back to where ever your automobile is. your mother may be looking for you." bunny and sue had not thought of that. "i--i guess we had better go home," said sue. "yes," agreed bunny. "if grandpa's horses aren't here we had better go back." "do you know the way?" asked the gypsy woman. "if you are afraid i will go with you, if you tell me where your automobile is." "i--i guess we can find it--thank you," said bunny. he was not sure that he could, for it was almost dark now, and the gypsy fire looked bright and cheerful. but bunny did not want to walk along through the woods with the gypsy woman. she might, after all, take him and his sister. "come on, sue," said bunny to the little girl, and they turned back on the path by which they had come. "good-bye!" called the gypsy woman after them. "come again and see us, and i will tell your fortunes." "all right," answered bunny, waving his hand. "what's a fortune?" asked sue, when they had walked on a little way. "it means what's going to happen to you." "well, lots happened to us, bunny. i slid down the clay-bank hill and so did you; and once i sat in a hen's nest and broke the eggs." "that isn't a fortune," said bunny. "that's just bad luck! but let's run, sue. it's getting awful dark, and maybe we can't find the automobile. let's run!" bunny set off, fairly dragging sue after him. but she called out: "oh, bunny! i can't run! my legs is too tired! let's go back, and get the gypsy woman to take us." "no," said bunny. "i can find our auto all right." he kept on. he went more slowly, though, so sue would not get tired. at first bunny managed to keep to the path through the woods--the path that led from the main road, on which their automobile was standing. but, in a little while, bunny found himself walking into a patch of bushes. "oh! oh!" cried sue, as the bushes scratched her face. "where are you going, bunny?" bunny did not answer, for he did not know himself. he was off the path. "oh, dear!" cried sue. "let's go back to the gypsy camp, bunny!" "no, i'll find the way," he said. "i'll find our automobile." just then there was a rustling in the bushes, and in the dried leaves under them, and sue, somewhat frightened, exclaimed: "oh, bunny! what was that?" once again bunny did not answer for a moment for he did not know what the noise was. but he did not have to speak, for, a second later, there came a loud bark. "oh, it's a dog!" cried sue. "maybe it's one of the gypsy dogs come after us!" a dog did rush up to bunny and sue, but it was a good, friendly dog, and seemed very glad to see them. it jumped about bunny, and, no sooner had the little boy put his hands on the shaggy back of the frisking animal, than bunny cried out: "why it's splash! it's our dog splash!" "oh, how glad i am!" laughed sue. "now we're all right. oh, you dear old splash!" she put her arms about the neck of splash, and he seemed as glad to meet bunny and sue as they were to see him. then a voice called from the darkness: "bunny! sue! where are you?" "oh, it's daddy!" bunny cried. "oh you children!" another voice said. "it's mother!" shouted bunny. "here we are!" he added. "we went to the gypsy camp to look for grandpa's horses, but we're coming back now. we didn't find the horses, but splash found us." the next minute mr. and mrs. brown were beside bunny and sue, while splash frisked about and barked, as though he had done it all. "oh, bunny and sue!" said mrs. brown. "you shouldn't have gone away. you should have stayed with bunker. he was quite frightened about you, and so were we." "but you're not scared now; are you mother?" asked bunny. "'cause we're not lost any more." "but i'm tired and sleepy," said sue. "i want to go to bed." "yes, i guess bed is the best place for all of us," said mr. brown. "now, bunny--sue--you must not go away like this again. you might have been lost in the woods all night." "the gypsies would have brought us home," observed bunny. "one gypsy lady wanted to, but i thought i could get home myself. and i almost did," he added. "tell me about the gypsies," said mrs. brown, as she looked off through the woods, where a faint glow of the camp fire could be seen. bunny and sue told of their little adventure. they were sorry they did not find grandpa's horses for him. "i guess the gypsies who have them are far away from here," remarked mr. brown. a light was seen flickering through the trees, along the path, and a voice called: "where are you?" "it's bunker blue," said mother brown. "i told him to come after us with a lantern." soon bunker came up. "did you find 'em?" he asked eagerly. "yes," mr. brown answered. "they're all right." and, a little later, they were all safely at the big automobile. bunny and sue had some bread, with the milk their father and mother had bought at the farmhouse. then they were undressed and tucked in the little bunks. bunker went to sleep in his cot, under the van, and splash curled up on the grass near him. and, after seeing that everything was snug for the night, mr. and mrs. brown went to bed also. their first day's travel was over. every one had been sleeping soundly for some time, and bunny was dreaming that he had found grandpa's horses, and was riding down a slippery hill on one of them, when, all of a sudden, in the middle of the night there came a loud yell: "let me alone! get away from here!" "that's bunker blue!" bunny heard his father say. bunny sat up, hardly awake. sue also sat up in her bunk. then splash began barking under the automobile, where bunker was sleeping. only bunker was not sleeping now, for he was wide awake, and he called out again: "quit, i say! oh, mr. brown! mr. brown! somebody's trying to upset the auto!" "oh mamma!" wailed sue. bunny did not know what to do. "wait a minute! i'm coming!" called mr. brown, as he jumped out of bed. chapter ix the lost horse "what is it?" cried bunny brown. "what's the matter?" "is it a gypsy after bunker blue?" asked his sister sue. mrs. brown pulled aside the light curtains that hung in front of the children's bunks. "don't be frightened," she said. "it isn't anything. perhaps bunker is dreaming, and talking in his sleep. daddy will make it all right." "is splash barking in his sleep?" sue wanted to know. mother brown laughed, and bunny and sue felt better after that. once more bunker blue called out: "hey! quit, will you? stop it! ouch! i'm being tickled! oh!" bunny brown and his sister sue laughed again. they could not help it, for it seemed so funny--bunker blue being tickled in his sleep. by this time mr. brown had lighted a lantern, slipped on a bath robe, put some slippers on his feet and was going down the back, outside steps of the van. these steps, you remember, folded up, out of the way, when the automobile was traveling. "what is it, bunker? what's the matter?" bunny and sue heard their father ask. "why--why, i don't know what it is," answered the red-haired lad who steered the automobile. "but it's some big animal after me. he poked his head right into my cot, and he struck me with something sharp. maybe he tried to bite me." mr. brown flashed his lantern under the automobile where bunker was sleeping. only, of course, as i told you, bunker was not asleep now. nor was splash, for the dog was running about and barking. "why, this is funny," said mr. brown. "i don't see anything, bunker. are you sure you didn't dream it all?" "dream it? no, sir! i felt it!" just then there came a loud "moo! moo! moo!" bunny brown and his sister sue knew right away what that was. "a cow!" they both cried. "it's only a cow!" their father, outside, looking under the automobile where bunker blue had his cot, heard them. "yes, it is a cow," he said, and his lantern flashed on a big, brown cow. there she stood, a little way back from the automobile, looking at mr. brown and splash, and blinking her eyes at the lantern. she could not see bunker under the automobile. "yes, it was the cow that scared you, bunker," said mr. brown. "she must have been tied to a stake, in some pasture, but she pulled herself loose, and came over to see you." "well i didn't want to see her!" exclaimed bunker, poking his head out from beneath the van. "she can just go right back where she came from." "and i guess she wanted to get some of the long, sweet grass that grows under your cot," went on mr. brown. "that's why she came." and that was what had happened. the cow had pulled up the stake to which she was fastened, and had wandered from her pasture, down the road, to where bunker was asleep under the automobile. the cow had not meant to wake him up, but as she reached for the grass her horns must have poked bunker as he slept on his cot. that was what made him cry out. mr. brown took hold of the cow's rope, and led her far enough off to keep her from bothering bunker again that night. then mr. brown tied the rope to a fence, and came back to tell bunny, sue and their mother all about it. "well, i'm glad it wasn't gypsies," said sue, as she curled up in her bunk again, to go to sleep. "pooh!" cried bunny. "gypsies don't have horns like cows!" they were soon quiet again, though splash did growl once in a while, as he heard the cow moving about, a little way off. but at last even splash went to sleep, and so did bunker. nothing more bothered them, and it was broad daylight, and the sun was shining, when bunny brown and the others opened their eyes again. "breakfast! breakfast!" cried mother brown. "bunny! sue! wash for breakfast!" there was a wash basin and stand in one corner of the automobile bed-room, and though it was quite different from the big bath room at home, bunny and sue washed their faces and hands very nicely, and thought what fun it was. while they were doing this, mother brown was cooking the breakfast on the oil stove, and daddy brown, and bunker blue were setting the table out under the trees. splash was not doing anything except looking hungry. "where's the cow?" asked bunny, as he came down the automobile steps. "did she give us any milk for our breakfast?" sue wanted to know. "no," answered her father. "the farmer who owned her came to get her a little while ago. he said she often strayed away from her field in the night. he might have given us some milk, if he had had a pail, but we have plenty in our ice box. now then--breakfast!" and what a fine breakfast it was! eaten at the table, out of doors, under the willow tree. there were oranges, oatmeal and big glasses of cool milk, with soft-boiled eggs. daddy and mother brown bought the eggs at the farmhouse the night before, when they went for the milk. splash, too, had his breakfast, and then he went roaming off over the fields, perhaps looking for another dog with which to have a game of tag--or whatever game it is that dogs play. "are you going to see the gypsies this morning?" asked bunny. he seemed very much interested in the strange folk who went about the country, living in their gay wagons. "no, i think we'll travel on to grandpa's farm," his father answered. "we won't go to see the gypsies. they aren't the ones who took grandpa's horses." a little later the automobile started, bunker blue sitting on the front seat to steer. mr. brown sat with him, to tell him the right road to take, so they would not be lost. mrs. brown, with bunny and sue, sat inside the automobile, near the windows, which were opened to let in the breeze, as the day was quite hot. it was lovely traveling this way. they did not go as fast as they might, for mr. brown wanted bunker to go carefully. then, too, there was no hurry. it was such fun, traveling in this new way, that bunny and sue would not have minded if they could have kept it up all summer. they stopped, that noon, near a little brook to eat their dinner. it was not far from a small town, and bunker walked in and came back with some ice cream. after dinner they went on again, and, as it looked as though it might rain that night, mr. brown said they would stop near the next village, so, in case the storm was a bad one, they could go to a hotel to sleep. "but the rain won't come in the auto," said bunny. "no, but it might wet bunker if he sleeps outside, under it," his mother said. "let bunker sleep in the dining room," suggested bunny. "well, we can do that, if it rains too hard for him to sleep out of doors," mrs. brown agreed, with a laugh. the automobile was stopped in a grove of trees, not far from the town, and, when mrs. brown was getting supper, bunny and sue, with their dog, splash, walked down the road. "don't go too far," their mother called after them. "it might rain any time." "we'll be back soon," answered the little boy. he and sue walked on, not thinking they were going far. the clouds did not seem so dark now, and the children thought that perhaps, after all, it might not rain. all at once sue, who had gone on a little ahead of bunny, called out: "oh, look! a horse! it's a horse, bunny, and nobody's with him! maybe it's one of grandpa's!" "maybe it is!" bunny agreed. "it's lost, anyhow. i'll catch him, and we'll keep him. we'll take him to our auto, and fetch him to grandpa. he'll be real glad." bunny was not afraid of horses, especially one as kind and gentle as this one looked to be. bunny had often fed grass to the grocer's horse, when it stopped in front of their house, and once the grocer's boy had held bunny on the back of the horse, and had given him a ride. so now, as bunny walked up to this horse, which was coming slowly along the road, the little fellow was not in the least afraid. "whoa, horsie!" he called, and the horse stood still. "oh, i know it's grandpa's horse!" cried sue, clapping her hands "grandpa's horses always stand still when you say 'whoa!' and that's what this one did. oh, bunny! aren't you glad?" chapter x at grandpa's farm bunny brown walked right up to the horse. around the animal's neck was a long rope, that dangled to the ground. bunny took hold of this rope, and called: "gid-dap! come on!" that was what he had heard the grocery boy call to his horse, and it was what bunny said to his dog splash, when he wanted splash to run with the express wagon, to which he was sometimes harnessed. splash, who had run on ahead of bunny and sue, now came trotting back. he did not seem surprised to see bunny with a horse. to splash, everything bunny did was all right. the dog barked at the horse once or twice, but that was only his way of speaking, i suppose, and the horse lowered his head, and put his nose close to the dog. "oh, now they're friends!" cried sue, clapping her hands. "but don't let him bite you, bunny." "let who bite me?" "that horse." "horses don't bite," said bunny. "they just eat hay and grass and oats. anyhow his head's too high up. he can't reach me to bite me." bunny now started back down the road towards the automobile, leading the horse by the rope. sue followed, but she did not like to go so near the horse as her brother went. sue was just a little bit afraid. "isn't it good we found one of grandpa's horses," sue cried. "i wish i could find the other one, bunny." "maybe you will, to-morrow. we'll take this one to the auto, and then we can look for the second one." "how'd you s'pose he came to be on the road?" "i don't know," bunny answered. "maybe he got away from the gypsies." "oh, i hope grandpa's other horse gets away," sue cried. "and i hope i find it. but i'll let you lead it for me, bunny. 'cause it might step on me." "i'll lead it. i'm not afraid," said the little boy. this horse did not seem to mind in the least being led along by bunny. it walked slowly, and splash followed behind. perhaps the dog thought he, too, was helping drive the horse along, and, for all i know, he may have been. dogs drive sheep, and i should think they could drive horses too; shouldn't you? pretty soon bunny and sue, with the horse they had found, came within sight of the big automobile, around a turn of the road. they saw their mother and father looking down the highway. "we thought you had run away again," called mrs. brown. "oh, no!" answered bunny, as if he and sue never did such a thing as that. and really, they never, at any time, exactly intended to run away. it was always an accident! "well, come along to supper!" mr. brown said. "we're glad you're home." then mrs. brown happened to notice the horse that bunny was leading. "oh my goodness me!" she cried. "that horse! is it chasing you, bunny--sue!" "no'm!" answered bunny, quite proudly. "i'm leading it. we found it. it's a lost horse. it's one of grandpa's! we'll take it home to him!" for a moment mr. brown did not speak. mrs. brown did not know what to say, either. she just stood there, looking at bunny and sue. then mr. brown began to laugh. "well, what will you youngsters do next?" he cried. "why, you're as bad as the gypsies, taking horses that don't belong to you!" "but we found this one, daddy!" said bunny. "he was all alone on the road, and when i told him to whoa he whoaed." "just like grandpa's horses," explained sue. "so i took him," went on bunny. "he's one of grandpa's horses, and to-morrow sue and i are going to find the other one." mr. brown laughed harder than ever. "oh, do take that horse away from bunny!" begged mrs. brown. "he may run away, or bite the children, or do something! take him away!" "why, he's an awful nice horse," bunny said. "he didn't step on us, or run away, or do anything. and splash likes him, and so do i and sue. we're going to take him to grandpa." "bunny is lucky," said sue. "he found aunt lu's diamond ring, and now he has found one of grandpa's horses; haven't you, bunny?" "yep. but i guess the horse is hungry, daddy. shall i tie him to the automobile where he can get some grass?" "no indeed!" cried mr. brown. "if we tie the horse to our auto he may run off with it. i'll just tie him to the fence, as i did the cow, and when the man who owns him comes along he can take him away." "take him away!" cried bunny. "why, it's grandpa's horse!" "oh, no, son!" said mr. brown kindly. "i don't like to make you feel bad, but this isn't grandpa's horse. it belongs to some one around here, and it probably strayed away, just as the cow did last night. some one will be along after it soon, so i'll tie it to the fence." "oh, dear!" sighed sue, as her father fastened the horse. "i thought it was grandpa's, and he'd be so glad; didn't you, bunny?" "yes, but never mind. maybe we can find another horse, to-morrow, that _will_ be grandpa's. anyhow i'm hungry now." it did not take much to make bunny think of something new. "i'm hungry, too," said sue. "we'll look for another horse to-morrow." the one they had found straying down the road was now eating grass near the fence. he did not seem to mind where he was. splash lay down near him, as though to watch, so he would not stray off again. "shall we eat outside?" asked mr. brown of his wife, "or do you think it will rain?" "i think not. we'll have an early supper. and unless it rains too hard we won't go to the village hotel. we'll stay here." "and let bunker put his cot in the dining room," added mr. brown, "if it's too wet under the auto." "oh, i don't mind the rain," said bunker, who was washing the potatoes for supper. the little table was set out under a tree, and there supper was eaten. it was almost over when a man came along the road. "good evening!" he called, and he looked surprised to see the big automobile, and the little supper party. "good evening. have you folks seen a stray horse? one of mine ran away----" then he saw the one bunny had found, which mr. brown had tied to the fence. "why, there's my horse now!" the man cried. "how'd it get here?" "i found it," said bunny. "i thought it was my grandpa's, but it isn't, daddy says. is it yours?" "why, yes, little man, it is. and i'm glad you found him. he might have gone off a good way if you hadn't stopped him." then bunny told how he had led the horse along the road, and mr. brown explained why it was he and his family were traveling in the big automobile to grandpa's farm. "if you'll send over to my place," promised the farmer, as he led his horse away, "i'll give you some peaches and pears." "thank you," answered mr. brown. "we'll be glad to get them." and, after supper, bunker blue went over, coming back with a nice basket of fruit. "so it's a good thing, bunny, that you found the horse after all," said his mother, "even if it wasn't grandpa's." bunny thought so too, as he looked at the nice peaches and pears which the farmer had sent over. it did rain that night, but not very hard, and bunker, instead of coming into the automobile to sleep, hung some canvas curtains around his cot under the car, and slept there. he said he liked to be out in the rain, and he had often been on one of mr. brown's boats, all night, out on the bay in a storm. it was bright and clear in the morning, and, after a good breakfast, they started off again. bunny and sue, looking from the windows of the automobile, hoped to see some other horses, which might really be grandpa's missing ones, but they were disappointed. nothing much happened for the rest of the trip, which lasted another day. if mr. brown had wished to hurry he could have gone to grandpa's in two days, but he took his time. on the afternoon of the third day bunker blue steered the big machine down a little hill. at the foot was a big white house, with a red barn back of it. "there's grandpa's!" called mr. brown. "yes, and there is grandpa himself standing at the gate to meet us!" mrs. brown said. "wave your hands to him, bunny and sue!" the children did, from the windows of the automobile. then bunker steered it up the driveway. bunny and sue jumped out. "hello, grandpa!" cried bunny. "hello, grandma!" laughed sue. and, a second later, they were being hugged by the dear old couple, while mr. and mrs. brown got out of the automobile more slowly. "oh, grandpa, did you find your horses the gypsies took?" bunny asked. "no," answered grandpa brown. "i guess i'll never see 'em again! and it was my best team, too!" and he shook his head sadly. chapter xi in the garden bunny brown and his sister sue walked up the path to the house with grandpa brown. sue had hold of one of grandpa's hands, and bunny the other. behind them came father and mother, with grandma brown. "are you glad to see us, grandpa?" asked sue. "glad to see you? well i should say i am!" cried grandpa. "i thought you would never get here. and what a fine big auto you came in!" "it's a moving van," bunny explained. "you put pianos and chairs and tables in it, and you take them to the new house, when you move. only we didn't move our things--we moved just ourselves." "we had lots of fun!" cried sue. "it certainly is a nice way to travel," said grandpa brown. "better than with a horse and wagon, or even the steam cars." "yes," agreed bunny. "we're awful sorry about your horses, grandpa. we saw some gypsies, and we asked them if they had your team, but they said they hadn't." "no. i guess the gypsies that took my horses, to use for a little while, but forgetting to bring them back, are far enough away from here now," said grandpa brown. "i'd like to get my team back, though. they cost a lot of money." "we almost had a horse; didn't we, sue?" asked bunny, as he told of the one they had found walking along the road. "yes, we almost had a horse; and we did have a cow, bunny." grandpa brown laughed when they told him how the cow had put her head under the automobile, where bunker blue was sleeping, and had tickled him in the ribs. "well, well!" laughed grandpa brown. "that was funny! but now you're here, and i guess you're hungry; aren't you? mother, these children are hungry!" cried grandpa brown to his wife, though bunny and sue had not said so. but probably grandpa brown knew that boys and girls are almost always hungry. "well, come right in," was grandma brown's invitation, "and i'll get you all something to eat." bunker blue had run the automobile up to the big red barn. the doors were open, and in the automobile went on the barn floor. the barn was large enough to take in a load of hay, and the automobile was not quite so high as that. soon bunny and sue, with their father and mother, were seated at the table, eating a little lunch, and mr. and mrs. brown talked about the trip, and grandpa brown told more about his lost horses. "you see it was this way," said grandpa brown. "the gypsies were camped not far from here. they had been around here some time, and they had done no harm, as far as i could see. then, one day, a gypsy man came over and wanted to buy horses from me. "but i needed my teams, and so i wouldn't sell him any horses. then he wanted to borrow my two horses to pull some of their wagons, for they were going to a new camp. he said two of his horses had died. "i wanted to help the gypsies, for some of them are good, so i let the man take my best team of horses. he said he would bring them back the next day. but he never did. i hunted all over, and i had the police look, too, but we never could find the gypsies, or my horses. it's too bad!" and once more grandpa brown shook his head. "i found aunt lu's diamond ring," said bunny, "and maybe i'll find your horses, grandpa." "well, i wish you would, little man, but i'm afraid you can't. they're gone!" "haven't you any horses left?" asked sue. "'cause if you haven't i'll give you all the money in my bank, and you can buy some new ones." "bless her little heart!" cried grandma, giving sue a hug. "oh, i have some horses left," grandpa brown said, "and i'll take you out to the barn and show them to you. but my best ones are with the gypsies." "well, maybe we'll find 'em!" said bunny. but even sue, who nearly always thought what bunny said was just right, shook her little head. the two children, when they had finished the meal, started out of doors. "where are you going?" asked mother brown. "out to the barn, to see the horses," bunny answered. "better get on your old clothes," their mother advised. "you and sue might want to slide down the hay, and sit in a hen's nest again, and old clothes are best for that." "yes, i guess so," laughed sue, as she thought of what had once happened to her. a little later, wearing their play clothes, which would not be harmed, even if they rolled in the dirt, bunny and sue set out for the barn to see what they could find. bunny knew his way about grandpa's farm, for he was older than sue, and he remembered having been there once before. "oh, here's a horse, sue!" he cried, as he went into the barn. looking over the edge of the manger, or box where his hay and oats were put, was a brown horse. he sniffed at the children, and whinnied, as if glad to see them. when a horse whinnies it is just as if he laughs. "hullo!" said bunny, and, liking horses, and not being afraid, he went up and patted this one on the nose. "come on, sue, rub him." "no, bunny, i'm afraid!" "oh, he won't hurt you." "well, i--i can't reach!" "i'll get you a box to stand on, sue." bunny looked around, and found a box. he was putting it in front of the stall of the brown horse, stooping over to get it just right, when he felt some one pulling on his coat. "don't do that, sue!" cried bunny. "i'm not doing anything," she answered. "yes you are, too! you're pulling my coat, and i can't fix the box." "oh, bunny brown! i am not!" and sue stood right in front of her brother so he could see that she was not touching him. and, just then, bunny's coat was pulled again. certainly, this time it was not sue. "why--why--what is it?" asked bunny. "oh, bunny! it's a goat! a goat is pulling your coat!" sue cried. "a goat!" "yes, look! he has hold of you now!" bunny turned around quickly as he felt his coat being pulled again. "ho! that's a sheep--not a goat!" he cried. and indeed it was an old sheep, or, rather, a ram, with queer, curling horns. and the ram had reached over a low door of the stall, next to the brown horse, and was pulling bunny's coat. "i thought it was a goat," said sue. "and i thought you were pulling my coat," laughed bunny, "so we're even. hello, sheep!" he called. "what do you want?" "ba-a-a-a-a-a!" bleated the ram. "maybe he's hungry," said sue. "then we'll go and pull some grass for him, and we'll pull some for the horse, too," cried bunny. out into the field, back of the barn, went bunny brown and his sister sue. they pulled up big handfuls of the sweet, green grass. at least it was sweet to horses, sheep and cows, though it would not taste sweet to you boys and girls. then back into the barn went the children. and the horse and ram seemed very glad to get the grass. three times bunny and sue ran out and got more grass. and every time bunny would feed the horse any grass, the ram would reach over and pull on his coat. "i guess the sheep wants you to love him instead of the horsie," said sue. "i'll pat the sheep, bunny. i'm not afraid of him." so sue rubbed the ram's black nose. he seemed glad to see her, and put out his red tongue to lick her hands. "oh, it feels so funny!" laughed sue. "it tickles me and feels almost as squiggily as when you pick up a worm. come on out and play, bunny." they went out in the garden, and there they saw one of grandpa brown's hired men stooping down between the rows of onions. "are you picking them?" asked bunny. "are you picking the onions?" "no, little man. i'm pulling up the weeds." "i'll help you," offered bunny, and, stooping over, he began to pull up some tall, round green stalks. "don't! oh, don't do that!" cried the man. "why?" asked bunny, and sue, who had started to do as her brother was doing, looked up, wondering what was wrong. "why, you're pulling up the onions!" said the man. "we want _them_ to grow." "oh!" said bunny. he looked, but he could not tell which were the weeds and which the onions. "is this a weed?" asked sue, and she pulled up something green. "it smells like a weed! oh, i don't like the smell!" and she made a funny face, as she brought her hands near her nose. "that's an onion," the hired man said. "i guess you had better run in from the garden, and let me do the weeding. when you get older you can tell which are weeds and which are onions." "i'm never going to eat onions, anyhow!" sue said, making another funny face, with her nose all wrinkled. "i don't like onions, either," bunny said. "they have an awful funny smell; haven't they, mister?" "well, some folks think so," and the hired man went on with his weeding while the children ran away. but they did not go to the house. instead they walked farther on through the garden, until they came to some rows of boxes. "oh, look at the cute play-houses!" cried sue. "let's look at them, bunny." "all right," answered her brother. they went up to one of the houses. a queer sort of buzzing sound came from it. "let's look inside," said bunny. "all right," agreed sue. "there's a lot of flies in front, bunny," and she pointed to them. as bunny was about to lift off the top of one of the boxes, he heard the hired man, from the onion patch, calling: "get away! run away from there or you'll be stung! run! run!" chapter xii bunny's waterfall bunny brown and his sister sue, at first, did not know what the hired man meant. they did not see why they could not stay and play with the queer little boxes, which, as sue said, were just like doll houses. she was even going back to the farmhouse and get one of her dolls, for she had brought three or four with her in the big automobile. but now the hired man was running toward bunny and sue. he had stopped weeding the onions. "run away! run away!" he cried again, waving his arms at the children. "run away! hurry!" "what for?" asked bunny. bunny was always good at asking questions. "why should we run?" bunny asked. before the man could answer sue cried out: "oh, bunny! look at the flies! they're buzzing all around me. i don't like them. come on!" at the same time a number of the "flies," as sue called them, began buzzing around bunny's head. he waved his hands to drive them off. "don't do that! keep your arms still and come away!" cried the hired man. "if you don't run away you'll be badly stung!" by this time he was close to bunny and sue. he caught the little boy up in one arm, and sue in the other, and ran with them away from the little "play houses." then, when they were some distance from the buzzing insects the man put the children down. "never go there again," he said. "why?" asked bunny. "why mustn't we go near the flies?" "because those are not flies, they are bees. they may sting you, and hurt you very much. you must keep away from them!" "but don't bees give you honey?" asked sue. "yes, little lady, they do, but if you go near their hives they think you are going to take their honey. they don't like that, so they sting folks to drive them away." "we didn't know they was bee hives," said sue, looking up to see if any of the bees were still buzzing around her. "we thought they were play-houses," said bunny, "and i was going to take the top off one, and look inside." "it's a good thing you didn't," said the man. "now remember--keep away from the bees." "but how does grandpa get the honey out without being stung?" bunny wanted to know. "he blows smoke on them, from a smoking-machine," said the hired man. "the smoke quiets the bees, and then they don't sting. of course your grandpa leaves the bees some honey for themselves. they have to have some to eat when it is winter, and when there are no flowers." "do flowers make honey?" asked sue. "the bees suck honey from the flowers," the hired man told the children. "now run away, and don't ever again play in that part of the garden where the bees are." "we won't," promised bunny and sue. "oh my goodness!" exclaimed grandpa brown when bunny and sue told him what had happened. "i forgot to speak about the bees. you see i didn't have any when you were here before, and now i should have told you to keep away from them. i'm glad the hired man saw you in time, or you might have been badly stung." "does it hurt to be stung?" bunny wanted to know. "indeed it does!" his father told him. "it's worse than fifty mosquito bites made into one. so keep away from the bees." bunny and sue were sure they would. they told about having fed the horse, and how the old ram pulled bunny by the coat. the next day bunny and sue started in to have all sorts of good times on grandpa brown's farm. early in the morning they got up and had breakfast. then, wearing their old clothes, so they could romp and roll as they liked, they began the day. first they went with grandma brown to feed the chickens. mother brown also went with them. and how the hens and roosters flocked about grandma when she scattered the feed! "and now we'll gather the eggs," she said, as she tossed down the last grains of corn. "oh, i know how to hunt eggs!" cried sue. "i hunted some once for mrs. gordon, who lives next door to us." "she sat in the nest!" laughed bunny. "well, i hope you don't do that here," said sue's mother, smiling. sue had no such bad luck. indeed it was easy to hunt the eggs on grandpa's farm, for the hens were all kept in houses and yards, with wire fences about them so they could not fly away and hide their nests. the eggs were all in cute little boxes, and all grandma had to do was to lift up the cover, and take the eggs out. bunny and sue helped put the eggs in baskets, but they did not carry them for fear they would spill and break them--break the eggs, not the baskets, i mean. for if you break a basket you can fix it, but if you break an egg, no one can mend it--you have to eat it. after the eggs were gathered they all went to pick strawberries. that is grandma and mother brown and bunny and sue did. papa brown, with grandpa and bunker blue, went over to look at some colts, or little horses, in a field, or pasture, far from the house. "oh, i wish i could see the ponies," said sue. bunny wished so too. "the next time you may," his father said. "we'll have fun getting strawberries," said grandma brown, and the children did. they picked the big, red, sweet berries, putting them in baskets. they would have some of them for dinner, with cream and sugar. "and for supper i'll make a strawberry short-cake," promised grandma brown. bunny and sue thought it was great fun to pick the berries. of course they ate almost as many as they put in the baskets, but that was all right, and just what grandma expected. "strawberries were made for children to eat," she said with a smile. "now see, i'll show you how to string them on a piece of grass, to keep them from crushing." with a little pointed stick grandma brown would make a tiny hole through a strawberry. then through the hole she would put a long thin grass. in this way she strung the berries on the grass stem just as you string glass beads on a string. then when bunny and sue had a string of strawberries, they could sit in the shade, and pull them off, eating them one by one. "oh, what fun this is!" said sue, when she could eat no more. her hands and face were red with the juice of the strawberries. "yes," said bunny, "grandpa's farm is the nicest place in the whole world, i think." and how good the strawberries tasted at the table, when sugar was sprinkled over them, and covered with rich, yellow cream, from one of grandpa's cows. and with some of grandma's bread, covered with the golden-yellow butter---oh dear! i'll just have to stop writing about it, i'll want to go to grandpa brown's farm myself, and have some strawberries. and if i do that i'll never get this book finished, i know. anyhow, i'll just say that bunny and sue thought they had never tasted anything so good as those strawberries. and then the short-cake at supper that night! there i go again! well, anyhow, it was the nicest cake you can imagine. "aren't you glad we came here, sue?" asked bunny, when he had been given a second, and very small, piece of the strawberry short-cake. "oh, aren't i just, though!" sighed sue. the sun was shining brightly when bunny brown and his sister sue awakened the next morning, and went down to breakfast. "what can we do to-day, bunny?" asked sue. she always waited to see what bunny was going to do before she began her play. "oh, i think we'll go over by the brook," he said. "fishing?" "no, sue. not fishing. mother won't let me have a regular fish hook. she's afraid i'll get it stuck in my hands. and you can't catch any fish on a bent-pin hook. so we won't go fishing." "i'm glad!" sue exclaimed, "'cause worms, for bait, is so squiggily in your hands." over to the brook went the two children. their mother had said they might play near it, if they did not get wet, and they had on their old clothes. at first, after reaching the bank of the little brook, which rippled over green, mossy stones, bunny and sue had fun just tossing in bits of wood and bark, making believe they were boats. then bunny thought of something. "oh, sue!" he cried. "i'm going to make a waterfall!" "what's that?" asked his sister. "well, you put some mud and sticks and stones in the brook, all the way across. that makes a deep place, for the water can't run away. and, after a while, the water runs over the pile of mud and stones, and makes a waterfall. will you help me build one?" "yes," said sue. "then take off your shoes and stockings, 'cause we got to wade in the mud and water. and roll up your sleeves. we'll build a big waterfall." chapter xiii the turkey gobbler bunny brown had seen some of the older boys, near his house, build a sort of wall across a brook, so that the water was held back, making a little pond. and then, when the pond was full, the water ran over the top of the mud wall, and down on the other side. that was why it was called a "waterfall." "now i'll put some stones down first," bunny explained to sue. "you get some pieces of grass, with the dirt on the roots, and put them on top of the stones. that's good to hold the water back." "shall i get wood, too?" asked sue. "no. wood will only float away on top of the water," bunny said. "we have to have something that will sink, like stones and dirt." the two children were soon making the waterfall. they splashed about in the mud and water, but they did not mind. for they had taken off their shoes and stockings, though their mother had not said they could do so. "but she wouldn't want us to go into the water with our shoes and stockings on would she, sue?" asked bunny. "no, i guess not." "so we'll have to take them off." that was all there was to do. the children rolled up their sleeves, for they had to reach down in the mud to get the stones and clumps of grass to make the waterfall. pretty soon bunny and sue had built such a high wall of stones, mud and grass across the little brook, that no more water ran down the little stream. the water had gathered into a sort of pond, that was getting larger all the while, as it rose behind the stones. "oh, now it's running over!" cried sue. "yes, now it's a waterfall!" the water was trickling over the edge of the top of the wall. in a moment it ran down in quite a stream on the other side. "if i only had a water-wheel the water would make it go around," said bunny. "can't you make one?" sue wanted to know. she was always anxious to see something new and different. "i guess water-wheels are hard to make," bunny said. "but i'll ask bunker blue when we go home." bunker blue had also stayed on grandpa's farm. he helped with the work, and he said he liked it almost as much as going out in boats, or helping catch fish. but as they did not have a water-wheel, and as bunny could not make one there, the children had what fun they could. they floated sticks, and bits of bark from the trees, on the little pond that was made at the waterfall, and they watched the tiny "boats," sucked over the edge of the fall by the current. the fall was about a foot high, about as far as from bunny's knee down to his toes. "if we had a real boat we could go for a ride on the pond," said sue, for the water back of the fall looked like a little pond now, though of course it was not large enough for any boat bigger than a make-believe one. "maybe i could make a boat," bunny answered. he began looking in the woods on either side of the brook for some boards, of which to make a boat, but of course he could not find any. "i could make a raft, like robinson crusoe did, if i could get some big pieces of trees," bunny said to his sister. he tried to pull down to the water's edge some big tree branches that had been broken off in a storm, but he was not strong enough. "maybe we could fish in our pond," suggested sue, when she saw that her brother could not build a raft, on which to go sailing. "we haven't anything to fish with," replied bunny. "and, anyhow, i guess there wouldn't be any fish. they won't come where you play in the water. they're scared to come. but, oh, sue! i know what we can do!" "what?" "we can go wading in the water. it's real nice and deep, now." "yes," said sue, as she looked at the pond of water back of the fall. "it's deep, bunny." "oh, come on!" cried bunny. "i'll go in first, sue, and show you how deep it is!" bunny rolled up his little trousers as far above his knees as they would go. then, taking a stick, to poke in the water ahead of him, to make sure it was not too deep, he started to wade. "oh, sue!" he cried. "this is fun! come on in!" "i'm afraid i'll get my dress wet, bunny." "oh, come on!" bunny cried. "this is fun! it's just like----" bunny suddenly stopped speaking, and a queer look came over his face. "oh, sue! sue!" he cried. "i'm sinking down in the mud! i--i can't pull my feet loose! oh dear! help me out, sue!" but sue was not going to step into that deep-looking water. for if bunny was stuck fast she would be stuck, too. "i--i'm afraid, bunny," she called to him. "but i have to get out, sue! i can't get out if you don't help me!" bunny tried to raise first one leg, and then the other. both were held fast in the sticky mud under the water. he almost fell over, he tried so hard to pull loose his feet. "oh, look, out!" cried sue, as she saw her brother nearly fall. "oh, sue! sue!" and bunny was almost crying. "what am i going to do? will i have to stay here forever?" sue didn't know just what to answer. but finally she said: "wait, bunny. i'll get a long stick, and let you take hold of one end of it. i'll keep hold of the other end, and i'll stay here and pull you out." "all right! but hurry up! i'm sinking down deeper all the while." sue looked about on the bank of the stream, until she found a long, thin branch from a tree, where it had blown to the ground. she held one end of this branch out to her brother, and he took hold of it. "now i'll pull you out!" cried sue, as she held her end of the branch in both her hands. but instead of sue pulling bunny, it was bunny who pulled sue, as he was stronger than she was. "oh, look out, bunny! look out!" cried the little girl. "i'll fall in!" "yes," said bunny, as he stopped pulling on the stick sue held, "i guess you will. but oh, sue! you'll have to help me! i'm sinking down more and more." and bunny was. the water was nearly up to his trousers now. he was sinking down deeper in the mud. "i'll go and tell papa and mamma!" sue cried, as she threw down the tree branch, and ran through the woods. "they'll know how to get you out." away ran sue, but she did not go far before she met bunker blue. "well!" he cried. "i was just wondering where you were. your mother sent me to look for you. where's bunny, sue?" "oh, he's sinking down in the mud!" "sinking down in the mud? why, what do you mean?" "oh, hurry, bunker blue! bunny made a waterfall, and then he went wading in it, and he can't get his feet out, and he 'most pulled me in and he's scared and so am i and--and----" but poor sue could say no more. "well, well!" cried bunker. "i don't know what it's all about, but show me where bunny is." he took hold of sue's hand, and hurried back with her, and pretty soon bunker saw bunny in the middle of the little pond. bunker did not stop to take off his shoes and stockings. wading in, with his shoes on, bunker reached bunny, who was just about to cry. in his strong arms bunker lifted bunny up out of the mud and water and waded with him to dry land. "there! now you're all right," he said. "what did you do that for, bunny?" "well, we--we wanted to make a waterfall, and then we couldn't go sailing on it in a boat, or on a raft, so i thought i'd go wading. i did wade, but i got stuck in the mud." "i should say you did!" replied bunker, looking at bunny's bare, muddy feet and legs, and at his own dripping shoes and trousers. "you sure did get stuck in the mud! it is better to keep out of these ditches, and little brooks. the bottom is almost always soft mud, and you'll sink away down in it. now go over there, where the bottom is sandy. you won't sink there. and you can wash the mud off your legs. i'll have to wash, too, i guess." bunker showed bunny a shallow place in the brook where there was no danger of sinking in the mud, and soon the little fellow was quite clean. his trousers were wet on the bottoms, but the sun and wind would soon dry them. bunny and sue were telling bunker how they had built the waterfall, when they heard a rustling in the bushes, and a noise as if some one, or something, were coming nearer. "i guess it's our dog, splash," said bunny. "no, splash was asleep in the barn when i came to look for you," said bunker. and then, through the trees, came a man. "hello, children!" he cried. "oh, ho! so this is the trouble; eh?" he went on. "i wondered why no water was running down into my chicken yard, and i came to see what had stopped up my brook. it's your waterfall!" "ye--yes, i made it." bunny said, wondering whether he had done something wrong. "and he got stuck in the mud," added sue. she always wanted to tell everything. "yes this mud is pretty sticky," remarked the man. "but if you are done playing waterfall i guess i'll just take it away. you see it stops the water from coming down the brook--that is, it stops nearly all of it. and i need the water." with a long stick the man began poking away the mud and stones bunny and sue had piled up to make the waterfall. "this little brook goes right through my chicken yard," the man explained, "and the chickens like to drink the water. when i saw, a while ago, that there was only a little coming down, not enough for the hens and roosters to drink, i thought something had happened. and it was you children who did it all," and the man smiled. "well, i know you want to have fun, but please don't stop up my brook any more; will you?" he asked. "no, sir," answered bunny. he had had enough of waterfalls, for a while at least. then he and sue went back to grandpa's. "oh, bunny, bunny!" was all his mother said when she heard what had happened. "what will you and sue do next?" "i don't know, mother," bunny answered. two days after that, bunny and sue, nicely washed and combed, with sue wearing her new red dress, started for the next farmhouse to play with a little boy and girl who lived in it. they went across the fields. sue stopped to pick some flowers, while bunny went on ahead. pretty soon he heard his little sister calling: "oh, bunny! bunny! come quick! he's after me!" bunny turned, thinking it might be a goat running after his sister, as one had done, though it did not hurt sue. but this time it was no goat. bunny saw a big bird, with his wings dragging along on the ground, his feathers all puffed up, and with what looked like a red tassel hanging dangling, dangling down over his beak, strutting toward sue. "oh, bunny! bunny! what is it?" sue cried. "take him away!" "it's a big turkey gobbler!" said bunny. "i'll drive him away for you, sue! don't be afraid." "gobble--obble--obble!" cried the turkey, but of course bunny brown and his sister sue did not know what the gobbler was saying. "oh, take him away, bunny! take him away!" cried the little girl, dancing up and down, her red dress fluttering in the wind. chapter xiv lost in the woods bunny brown did not just know how he was going to drive the angry turkey gobbler away from his sister sue. he did not stop to think of that, but, like the brave little fellow he was, he ran toward sue, ready to do something. the gobbler was closer to sue now. "i've got to drive him away! i've got to drive him away!" said bunny to himself, over and over again. "oh, bunny! bunny!" cried sue. "take him away! take him away!" this would have been hard for bunny to do, for the gobbler was a very big one, and bunny could never in the world have lifted him. "i wish my dog splash were here!" thought bunny. "he'd make that old gobbler run!" but splash was not there. he had run off down the road with another dog, just before bunny brown and his sister sue set off together. "gobble-obble-obble!" cried the turkey. he spread out his wings wider than ever, and the red thing that hung down over his "nose," as sue called his beak, seemed to stand up straight, he was so angry. "oh, bunny!" and sue was screaming now. "help me, bunny!" and then, all at once, bunny thought of something. in his hand he carried a tin pail, which he and sue had hoped to fill with wild strawberries on their way back from playing with the children in the next house. raising this pail over his head, bunny threw it as straight as he could at the gobbler. and, to bunny's surprise, the pail went right over the turkey's head. it caught by the wire handle around the gobbler's neck, and hung in such a way that the gobbler could no longer see sue and her red dress. and i think the little girl's red dress made the gobbler more angry than he would otherwise have been. gobblers don't like red, for some reason or other. "gobble-obble-obble!" called the big turkey. oh, but he must have been surprised! he did not know what to do. he just danced around and around, trying to shake the pail off his neck. if he had only lowered his head, as he did when picking up corn, the pail would have slid off. but the gobbler did not think of that. perhaps he still thought he could find sue, and pick her legs with his sharp beak because she wore a red dress that he did not like. and it was such a pretty red dress, too, and sue looked so nice in it. "gobble-obble-obble!" went the turkey, louder than ever. "oh, bunny! bunny!" cried sue, as she ran toward her brother. "what did you do to him?" "i--i tried to hit him with the pail, to make him let you alone," said bunny, "but the pail went on his neck. wasn't i a good shot, sue?" "yes," she said. "and now let's run before he comes after us again. run, bunny, run!" "but i--i want my pail!" bunny said, holding back. "the turkey has my pail, and we can't get any strawberries." but though sue was younger than bunny she knew it would never do to try and take the pail away from the turkey now. "you can't get it, bunny," she said. "if you take it away from him he'll bite you. 'sides, when he has it on him that way it's just like the blinkers on a horse. he can't see us. come on." what sue said was true. the turkey could not see the children as long as the pail was on his neck in that way. "when he drops it off we can come back and get it--maybe when he has gone to bed, bunny," said sue. "turkeys go to bed early; don't they?" "maybe," answered her brother. he knew chickens went to bed, or to "roost" as it is called, quite early, and a turkey, after all, was like a big chicken, or rooster. "well, when he goes to bed we'll come and get the pail," said sue. "only we can't get any strawberries then, 'cause it'll be dark." "all right," agreed bunny, as he hurried across the field with sue. "we'll let him have the pail for a while." it seemed the only thing to do, as the turkey was waltzing, dancing and strutting about, with the pail still on his neck, making his funny noise. "gobble-obble-obble!" he did not try to find sue, and her red dress, or even bunny now. probably the gobbler was trying to get the pail off his head. and, just as bunny and sue reached the fence, and crawled through, to the road, where the gobbler could not get them, the big turkey did manage to get rid of the pail. he put his head down, and the pail handle slipped over his neck. then, with a loud gobble, he ran toward bunny and sue. but they were safe on the other side of the fence by this time. "oh, bunny, i'm so glad!" said sue. "it's a good thing you had that pail with you!" "well, if i couldn't throw that at him i could throw a stone," said bunny. but i think the pail was just the very best thing the little boy could have thrown at the gobbler. besides, it did not hurt him, as a stone might have done. looking back, to see where the pail lay, bunny went on with sue to the house where they were to spend the afternoon. they found their little friends waiting for them, and, after telling about the turkey, the children had fine fun. "that was mr. north's turkey," said gladys parker, one of the little girls. "he's real mean, that turkey is, and chases everybody." "well, he chased me," said sue, "only bunny made him stop." "i'm glad you did," said ethel burke. "maybe he'll be a better gobbler after this." the children played many games, they had fun in the swing, and mrs. parker gave them all some milk and cookies for lunch. when it came time for bunny and sue to go home they went past the field where the gobbler had been. he was not there now, as the children found, after looking carefully about. maybe he had gone to bed, for it was about time for the chickens to go to roost. turkeys like to roost in trees, you know, and not in a coop, as chickens do. and perhaps the big gobbler was, even then, perched up in some tree, with his head under his wing. and, for all i know, perhaps he was dreaming of a little girl in a red dress, and a boy who threw a pail over a turkey's head. that is if gobblers do dream. "oh, there's the pail!" cried bunny, as he saw the shining tin in the middle of the field. "i'm going to get it, sue." and bunny did. it was too late, then, to pick any of the wild strawberries, but bunny and sue knew they could come some other time. they reached home safely, and told about the gobbler. "my!" exclaimed grandma brown. "but that was quite an adventure, bunny and sue!" "oh, we have lots of them," said bunny. "don't we, sue?" "yes, bunny. but i don't like turkey adventures." the next day the two children went after wild strawberries. grandpa brown told them of a place, not far from the house, on a little hill, where many berries grew. "and you won't have to go near the turkey to get there, either," he said. "though i see you haven't your red dress on, sue, so even if the gobbler did see you, i don't believe he would chase you this time." "i only wear my red dress when i go visiting," said sue. "but i'm not going to visit turkey gobblers any more." bunny and sue found many berries on the hill their grandpa had told them about, and soon their pail was half full. a little way off were some woods, but before one came to the place where the trees grew thick, with green moss beneath them, there was a field, and in this field bunny saw some bushes with deep, purple berries growing on them. "oh, sue!" he cried. "let's pick some raspberries! there's lots on those bushes, and grandma can make raspberry jam, and put it in tarts, like aunt lu did. let's pick raspberries! we've got enough strawberries!" "all right," answered sue, for she was always ready to do what bunny wanted her to. the two children were soon in the field, picking the purple raspberries. they walked on and on, from one bush to another, and by the time their pail was full, with the raspberries on top of the strawberries, they were close to the woods. "let's go in and rest in the shade," sue said. "i'm awful tired and hot, bunny." "all right, we'll go in," and in they went. it was nice and cool beneath the trees, and the children found a spring of water where they had a drink, for they were thirsty. "and i'm hungry, too," said sue, after a bit. "bunny, do you s'pose we could eat some of the berries? we can pick more before we go home." "yes, we'll eat some, sue." seated on the green moss, in the shade of a tree, bunny and sue ate the berries, getting their faces and hands stained red and purple. "but we can wash in the spring before we go home," sue said, "so it will be all right." "yes," agreed bunny. after resting a while the children washed at the spring, and took another drink. then they saw a big frog hopping along. he must have been having a bath in the spring, which was almost as large as a washtub. "let's see if we can catch that frog!" cried bunny. "we won't hurt him, though." so he and sue followed the frog. but the frog was a good jumper, and led the children quite a chase. and then, just when bunny thought he was going to put his hands on him, the big green fellow found another spring, and into that he went with a splash, grunting as he did so: "ker-ugh! ker-ung!" "oh, he's gone!" cried sue, quite sadly. "never mind," replied bunny. "we'll find another." but they did not, though they waited around the second spring for some time. "i guess we'd better go home," said bunny. "yes," agreed sue, looking around at the trees on every side of them. the children started, but going home was not as easy as it seemed. they walked on and on, and soon sue began to get tired. "aren't we at the place where we picked the berries?" she asked, after a bit. "almost," answered bunny. but though he looked and looked through the trees he could not see the field and the little hill that was not far from grandpa brown's house. the children went on a little farther, until, all at once, bunny stumbled over a stone and fell. the pail flew from his hand, and the berries spilled all over the ground. "oh, dear!" cried sue. then she added quickly: "but i'll help you pick them up, bunny." bunny sat up and rubbed his knee. he wrinkled up his nose in a funny way. "does it hurt?" asked sue. "my leg does, a little, but not my nose," bunny said. and then he laughed. the children picked up the scattered berries. their pail was only half full now, for they could not find all the berries that had spilled. "we'll have to pick a lot more," remarked sue. "yes," said bunny. "we will when we find the bushes." on they went again. but it seemed that they would never get out of the woods. after a while bunny stopped, sat down on a log and said: "sue, i know what's the matter!" "what?" asked the little girl. "does your leg hurt? is that what's the matter?" "no," answered bunny. "the matter is--we're lost. that's why we can't find the berry-bushes. we're lost, sue!" chapter xv the old hermit bunny brown and his sister sue had been lost before, several times. maybe that is why sue was not so frightened now, when bunny spoke as he did. as for the little boy, he seemed more tired than worried. "yes, sue," he said again. "i guess we're lost. i've looked all over, and i can't see the hill where we picked the strawberries, nor the field where we got the raspberries." "i can't either," said sue. "and i wish we had some berries, bunny." "why?" "'cause i'm hungry right now again." "well, you can eat these, sue. i don't want 'em." bunny brown was hungry himself, and he did want some of the berries very much. but there were, now, only a few left in the pail, and bunny remembered that his mother had said to him that he must always look after sue when she went walking with him. and the best way he could look after her, this time, he thought, like the brave little fellow he tried to be, was to give her all the berries. "are you sure you don't want 'em, bunny?" asked his sister. "sure!" he said. "anyhow, we'll find more when i get hungry." "all right," and sue began eating the berries. she was very hungry. after a while bunny said: "now i'm going to look for the field again. if we find the field we can find the hill, and then we'll be almost home." "all right," replied sue, putting the last of the berries into her mouth. "do i have to wash again, bunny?" she asked, as she looked at her stained hands. her mouth was stained, too, but she could not see that. "i don't know where the spring of water is," bunny said, "so i don't see how you can wash." "all right." sue did not much mind. she was not very fond of washing in cold spring water, anyhow. once more the children went on. but though they followed many paths through the woods they did not get on the one that led out and to the field and hill. "oh, dear!" said sue, in a sad little voice. "what's the matter?" asked bunny, stopping and turning around, for he had walked on ahead. "i'm so tired, bunny!" "well, we'll rest a while." they sat down on a log, bunny looking through the trees, here and there, thinking he might see some path that led out of the woods. but he saw none. "are you rested now, sue?" he asked, after a while. "a little," she answered. "i can walk some more." so they went on again. it was getting late afternoon now, for the children had not started to pick berries until after dinner. the sun was going down, and of course it was darker in the woods, with all the trees around, than it was out in the open fields. bunny brown and his sister sue were surely lost in the woods, and they did not know how to get home. as i have told you, this was not the first time this had happened to them, and they were not as frightened as they had been other times. but still it was no fun. through the woods were many paths. some had been made by cows, or horses, perhaps, while others were those taken by persons who walked among the trees. but there were no persons now in the woods; that is bunny and sue could see none. all at once bunny gave a yell. "hoo-oo! hoo-oo! hoo-oo!" he cried, as loudly as he could. "oh!" cried sue. "what's the matter, bunny? did a snake bite you; or a mud turtle?" "nope. i was just hollerin' so some one would hear me." "what for?" sue wanted to know. "so they would come and take us out of the woods." "oh," and sue laughed then. "i'll holler too," she said. so she did. then bunny called again, and he and sue called together, as loudly as they could. but no one answered them. all they could hear was an echo--the sound of their own voices coming back to them, "bouncing" like a rubber ball. they had heard that before, so they knew what an echo was. but an echo only repeats the same things that are said. it does not help to find the way out of the woods, and bunny and sue were still lost. they went on farther, but they did not know whether they were going toward home, or away from it. sue, in spite of brave little bunny, was beginning to get frightened now. tears came into her eyes, though they did not fall. "i--i'm so tired, bunny," she said. "i want to go home!" "so do i, sue. but we've got to get on the right path, and i can't find it." "let's try this one," said the little girl, as they came to a place where there were two paths through the woods. one went off toward the left side, and the other to the right. "i'll take one path," said bunny, "and you can take the other, sue." "oh, no!" "why not?" "'cause then we'd both be lost." "well, we're both lost now." "yes," said sue, "i know. but now we're both lost together, but if we were lost all alone i'd be scareder than i am now. don't go away, bunny." "i won't. but which path shall we take?" sue thought for a minute. then she tried a little game that the children sometimes played. shutting her eyes, sue pointed her fat little hand first at one path, and then the other, while she said: "my-mother-told-me-to-take-this-one!" and she moved her hand back and forth, pointing first at one path and then at the other. when she said the last word--"one"--her hand was pointing at the left hand path. "we'll take this one, bunny," she said. "all right, sue. maybe this one will take us home." so they walked on and on. but sue's guess had not been a very good one, even though she had played her queer little game. she and bunny were deeper in the woods than ever. "oh, dear!" cried the little girl. "i've just got to sit down, bunny. my legs is so tired!" "mine is too," bunny said, too weary to speak more properly. "we'll both rest, sue, and then we'll holler some more." "and what will we do if nobody comes to get us?" "we'll go back and take the other path, sue. maybe we came on the wrong one." "maybe we did." sue was glad to have the other path to think about. perhaps that might be the one that would lead them home. she and bunny sat on a log to rest, and then, once more, bunny gave a loud shout. "hello! hello!" he cried. "we're lost! somebody come and find us!" sue joined in, crying in her shrill little voice. but, for a while, no one answered. "well, we'll go back and take the other path," said bunny. he was getting very hungry, and he wished he would come to another place where strawberries or raspberries grew. before starting back, however, bunny gave one more shout. "hello! hello!" he cried. to the surprise of himself and sue there was an answer. "hello! hello!" bunny and sue looked at one another. "did--did you hear that?" asked bunny in a whisper. "yes," answered sue. "it was the echo!" but, as they waited the call came again. "hello! hello! who are you? where are you? what do you want?" "that wasn't any echo," said bunny, "'cause we didn't speak. it's somebody after us, sue." "oh, i'm so glad!" "so'm i!" there was a crackling of the bushes, and through the trees came walking an old man, with long, white hair and a beard. he had a kind face, and bunny and sue liked him at once. "oh, did you come for us?" asked bunny. "well, no, not exactly," the man answered with a smile. "i heard you calling, though. what is the matter?" "we're lost," replied sue. "will you please take us home?" "i would if i knew where your home was, little girl." "do you live in the woods?" bunny asked. the man looked as though his home might be in some hollow tree, or woodland cave. "yes, boy, i live here." "all alone?" asked sue, looking around. "all alone, yes, little girl. i'm a sort of hermit, i suppose. at least folks call me that, and hermits always live alone, you know." the man smiled very kindly at the children. "well, mr. hermit," said sue, "please take us home, and give me and bunny something to eat. we're awful hungry." chapter xvi looking for the horses once again the hermit smiled at the children. "i can give you something to eat," he said, "for i have that, though i do live in the woods. but i do not know whether i can take you to your home. where do you live?" "we live in bellemere, near the ocean," said sue. the hermit shook his gray head. "that is very far from here," he said. "i do not believe i could find the place. i have not been out of these woods for many years, except to go to the village. but how did you get so far from home?" "oh, we came to see our grandpa," explained bunny. "and what is his name?" "grandpa brown!" exclaimed sue. "and he's awful nice. grandma brown is nice, too, and she gives us cookies and milk. can you give us cookies and milk, mr. hermit?" "well, i can give you some milk," answered the old man of the woods. "but i have no cookies. i have bread, though." "bread and milk is good," said bunny with a sigh. he was hungry enough to be glad of even some bread, without the milk. but he was glad the hermit had milk. "where is your house?" asked sue. "it isn't what you would call a house," said the old man. "it is a sort of log cabin. i built most of it myself. but it is over there through the trees," and he pointed behind him. "i can't see it," said sue, standing up and looking through the trees. "it's there just the same," and the hermit smiled again. "please take us there, give us some bread and milk, and then take us to grandpa brown's house," said sue. "we're staying there, and so is our papa and mamma." "and so is bunker blue," put in bunny. "do you know bunker blue, mr. hermit?" "no, i can't say that i do," and the old man shook his head. "but i know your grandfather, mr. brown. i can take you to his farm, though it is quite a way off. you must have wandered far." "we were picking berries, and we got lost," bunny explained. "but we don't mind now, if you'll give us some bread and milk, and take us to grandpa's." "well, i can do that for you," and the old man smiled again at the two children. "come," he said, and he held out a hand to each of them. bunny and sue toddled along. they were quite happy now. they did not stop to think that their parents and their grandparents might be worried, for it was quite late. bunny and sue did not often worry. they just let things happen the way they would. "here's my house," said the hermit, after he had gone along a winding path. he pointed to a log cabin amid the trees. "oh, that's nice!" exclaimed bunny. "it's like a play-house!" cried sue. "don't you wish we had that, bunny?" "yes, i do. but we couldn't have it; could we?" and he looked up into the face of the hermit. "no, i'm afraid not, little boy. i need it to live in, and to keep the rain and snow from me." "oh, do you stay here in the winter?" asked sue, surprised. "yes." "isn't it cold?" "sometimes. but i have a fireplace, and i pile on logs, and make a hot fire. then i am warm." "i'd like it here in winter," said bunny. "do you slide down hill, mr. hermit?" "no, i'm too old for that, little boy. but come in now, and i'll give you something to eat. then i'll take you home. i'll try and get you there before dark, so your folks won't be worried. they may be out hunting for you now." "they always look for us when we get lost," said sue. "but we didn't know we were going to get lost this time," added bunny. the hermit set out two plates, with some slices of bread on them. then from down in his spring, where he kept it cool, he brought a pail of milk. soon bunny and sue were eating a nice little supper. it was lighter in the log cabin than it had been in the woods, for the trees were cut down around the hermit's home. "oh, bunny!" exclaimed sue, as she drank the last of her milk. "oh, bunny, we forgot to look for them!" "look for what?" bunny wanted to know, as he crumbled some more bread into his bowl of milk. "what did we forget to look for, sue?" "grandpa's horses. the gypsies took them and didn't bring them back," she explained, so the hermit would know what she and bunny were talking about. "the gypsies took your grandpa's horses, little girl?" "yes. they borrowed them, grandpa says, but they didn't bring them back. i guess maybe the gypsies got lost, bunny, and that's why they didn't bring the horses back. but we looked all over, and we couldn't find them, mr. hermit." "i almost found one," said bunny. "it was a horse walking along the road. but it wasn't grandpa's." "and a cow tickled bunker blue in the ribs, when he was sleeping under our automobile," sue explained. "i mean bunker was sleeping, not the cow. the cow was eating grass, she was, and her horns tickled bunker." the hermit shook his head. "you are queer children," he said. "but tell me about your grandpa's horses." between them, one telling part, and the other helping, bunny and sue told the story of the gypsies taking grandpa brown's best team of horses. "and we've looked, and looked, but we can't find them," said sue. "once bunny found aunt lu's diamond ring that was lost. it was in the lobster claw all the while, and we didn't know it." "but we forgot to look for the horses to-day," said bunny. "you didn't see them; did you, mr. hermit?" "well, now, i don't know about that," said the old man who lived all alone in the woods. "come to think of it i did see a camp of gypsies in the woods, not far from here, the other day. i was out taking a walk, as i often do, and, down in a little valley i saw something shining." "oh, i know what it was!" cried bunny, his eyes bright with eagerness. "what was it?" asked the hermit. "you saw the looking glasses, on the gypsy wagons, shining in the sun." "that was it, little man. but how did you know?" "'cause sue and i saw it too, once. it was when we came in the big automobile. we went to the gypsy camp, and we 'most got lost then. but mamma and papa and our dog, splash, found us." "what a queer name for a dog," said the hermit. "we called him that 'cause he splashed into the water and pulled me out when i fell in, the time bunny and me were shipwrecked," said sue. "we got shipwrecked on an island." "like robinson crusoe," added the little boy. "but we couldn't find mr. friday," said sue. "you could be mr. friday, if we ever played robinson crusoe; couldn't he, bunny?" sue asked. "you look like the pictures of robinson in the book. you could be him, and bunny could be friday--that would be better. would you like to, mr. hermit?" "well, i don't know, my dear. i guess my play-days and make-believe days are over." "you are just like robinson crusoe," sue went on. "it's better to be him, 'cause mr. friday is black. you'd have to black up. i did, with black mud, and i was washing it off when i fell in and splash pulled me out." "you can tell me about that another time," said the old man. "i think, now, i had better start home with you. and, on the way, we will look in the valley for the gypsies. perhaps they are there yet." "and maybe they have grandpa's horses!" cried bunny. "oh, wouldn't that be good sue, if we could find them?" "it would be just lovely!" "well, it's possible these may be the same gypsies," said the old man, "though they may not be, and they may not have your grandpa's horses. but we'll look, anyhow." so they set out to look for the missing horses. bunny and sue were not lost any more, for they felt sure the hermit would take them home to grandpa's house. chapter xvii in the storm "say, mr. hermit," said bunny, as he and his sister sue walked along with the nice, but strange man, who lived in the log cabin in the woods, "is it far to where grandpa's horses are, mr. hermit?" "well, little man, i'm not sure we can find your grandfather's horses," said the aged man with a smile at the two children. "all i know is that i saw some gypsies camped over in the valley. it may be that they are the ones your grandfather is looking for. would you know the horses if you saw them?" "i would!" exclaimed sue. "one of 'em has an awful nice long tail." the hermit laughed. "i fear that wouldn't be a very good way of telling your grandfather's horses from any others," said the old man. "many horses have long tails. but if there are some gypsies camping in the valley you can tell your folks, and your grandfather can come and see if they have his horses." "is it very far?" asked bunny again. he was not as tired as before he had eaten the bread and milk, but still he did not want to walk any more than he had to. sue, also, looked weary. "oh, no, it isn't far," the hermit said. "it's only a little way to the valley, but it is quite a long way to your grandfather's house. i don't know whether you can walk it or not." "i'm tired," said sue. "i want to ride." "i'm sorry i haven't anything to give you a ride on," returned the old man. "i can carry you, though, little girl, if your brother can walk." "i can walk!" said bunny. his fat little legs were tired, but he was not going to say so. "all right. then i'll carry your sister." "piggy-back?" sue asked. "will you give me a piggy-back? that's the way my papa carries me." "yes, i'll take you pickaback," said the hermit, and he almost whispered. bunny, who was looking at him, was sure he saw tears in the old man's eyes. or was it a drop of rain? for there were clouds in the sky now, and it seemed as if it was going to storm. the old man looked around. he saw a flat stump not far away, and up on this he lifted sue. "now you can get up on my back from there," he said, "and i will carry you so you won't be tired any more, little girl." "that's good," murmured sue, rather sleepily, as she cuddled her head down on the hermit's shoulder. "you know how to make a nice piggy-back," she went on. "did you ever ride your little girl this way?" "yes," said the old man. "once i had a little girl, just like you, and i used to ride her this way." "where is your little girl?" sue asked. "she is up--there," and the old man pointed to the sky. this time bunny was sure the hermit had tears in his eyes. but, a little later bunny was not quite sure, for he felt a drop of something wet on his own cheek. "why, it's raining!" he exclaimed. "it's raining water!" "so it is, i do believe!" said the hermit. he stopped, still holding sue on his back, and lifted up his face. he felt several drops from the clouds, and then there came a pattering on the leaves of the trees. it was getting quite dark now. there were many clouds in the sky, and, every now and then, a flash of lightning could be seen. off in the west there was a rumble of thunder. "oh!" cried sue. "i want to go home. i don't want to be out in the storm." "i like the rain," said bunny, "but i don't like the thunder and lightning; do you, mr. hermit?" "i don't mind them very much," answered the old man. "but if you are afraid i'll take you back to my cabin, and leave you there, while i go to your house and get them to come for you in a carriage." "i like to ride in a carriage," said sue, "though you gave me a nice piggy-back, too. but i like a carriage and horses." "well, then that's what i'll do. i think it is going to rain hard soon, and if i carried you through it you'd get wet. so we'll go back, and i'll see about the horse and carriage." "but can't we go and get grandpa's horses from the gypsies?" asked bunny. "i'm afraid not this time," answered the old man. "if the gypsies are in the valley they will stay all night, anyhow, and we can look for the horses in the morning, when it has stopped raining. we'll go back to my house now." by this time the rain was coming down quite hard. but, as they walked along under the trees, bunny and sue did not get very wet, nor did the hermit. sue was almost asleep, she was so tired, and bunny was glad they did not have to walk all the way back to grandpa's farm. it was nearly night, and bunny thought his father and mother, as well as the others, might be worrying about him and sue. but then the hermit would soon go and tell them that the children were safe in his log cabin. back through the woods they went. now it lightened very often, and it thundered so loudly that sue awakened on the back of the hermit, and began to cry. "i want to go home!" she sobbed. "i want my mamma!" "i'll get her as soon as i can," said the old man. "don't cry little girl. the thunder is only a big noise, like fourth of july, and the lightning is only a great big firefly--that is make-believe you know." "oh, yes, let's pretend that way!" cried bunny, for he was not as frightened at the storm as was sue. she stopped crying. sue always liked anything make-believe, even if it had to do with thunder and lightning. "and will you get a carriage and ride me and bunny home?" she asked. "yes," answered the hermit. "all right. then i won't be 'fraid." once more she cuddled her head down on the hermit's shoulder. in a little while they were back at his cabin. the aged man went in, and lighted a lamp, for it was quite dark. it was now raining hard, and the stormy wind was blowing the tree branches all about. "now you stay right here until i come back with your father, or grandfather," said the hermit, as he put on an old coat to go out in the rain. "aren't you got an umbrella?" asked sue. "i don't need one, little girl. umbrellas aren't much good in the woods. they catch on the trees. i'll be all right. i don't mind getting wet. now don't you go away. i can't take you with me, or i would, but you'll be all right here." "we're not afraid," said bunny bravely. "once we got locked in an empty house; didn't we, sue?" "yep. and we slided down the banister rail. it was fun." "well, i haven't any banister here for you to slide down," said the hermit. "but you may go to sleep if you like." he went out, shutting the door after him, first having put the lamp on a high shelf where it could not be knocked over, if bunny and sue happened to be playing about the cabin. but bunny and sue did not feel much like playing. they were not so frightened by the storm just now, but they were tired and sleepy. sue saw, in one corner of the room, a sort of bed, or bunk, with blankets and pillows spread out on it. "oh, bunny!" cried the little girl. "there's a bed just like those in our automobile. i'm going to sleep!" "all right," answered bunny. "you go to sleep, and i'll sit up and be on guard like the soldiers do in camp. i'll pretend i'm a soldier." "that will be fun!" exclaimed sue. she climbed up in the hermit's bed, and put her head down on the pillow. it was a nice, clean bunk, as clean as those her mother had made in the traveling automobile. bunny curled up in a chair near sue. his eyes were wide open, and he tried to feel just as he thought a soldier on guard would feel. his mother had read him stories about soldiers staying awake all night. bunny was not sure he could do this. "but i won't go to sleep until the hermit man comes back with papa, or grandpa brown," he thought. "then sue and i can go to sleep in the carriage." the rain came pattering down on the log cabin roof. bunny could not see the lightning now, because of the lamp which the hermit had lighted. but he could hear the thunder. it did not frighten him, though. sometimes, when it sounded very loud, the little boy pretended it was a big circus wagon rumbling over a bridge--the tank-wagon, with water in it, where the big hippopotamus splashed about. that circus wagon, bunny was sure, would make the most noise. so he "made-believe." sue was curled up on the bed. once she roused up enough to say: "bunny!" "yes, sue?" he answered. "what do you want?" "are you there, bunny?" she asked, sleepily. "yes, sue. i'm right here." he reached over and touched her hand. "what do you want, sue?" "i--i just wanted to know are you there," and with that sue turned over again, and soon was fast, fast asleep. several times bunny felt himself nodding. his head would bob down and his eyes slowly go shut. then he would rouse up, and say to himself: "soldiers mustn't sleep when they are guarding the camp! i'm a make-believe soldier, and i mustn't sleep!" then he would be wide awake for a little while. but soon his head would nod again. and finally bunny slept, just as sue was doing, only he was asleep in the chair, and she was in the hermit's bed. just how long he slept bunny did not know. but, all at once, he was awakened by a noise at the door. at first he thought it was the hermit, who had come back with his papa or mamma. but then, instead of a knock, a scratching sound was heard. then sue awoke, and heard it too. "scratch!" went something on the door. "oh, bunny, what is it?" asked sue, sitting up in bed. "what is it, bunny?" chapter xviii the picnic bunny brown did not answer his sister sue right away. he was listening to the queer scratching sound. he wanted to try and think what it was. "scratch! scratch! scratch!" it went. "oh, bunny!" cried sue, rolling over in the bunk, so she could easily slip over the edge, and be nearer to her brother. "it's something trying to get in." "yes," said bunny. "it does sound like that." "maybe--maybe it's a wolf, bunny!" bunny looked at the door and windows to make sure they were closed. "there aren't any wolves up here," he said, shaking his head. "how do you know?" sue asked. "'cause i asked grandpa brown if there were any bears, and he said there wasn't any--not a one. and wolves are always where bears are. so if there aren't any bears there aren't any wolves. sue." "maybe," said sue. "but what is it scratching at the door, bunny?" "i don't know, sue. i could open it and look out. shall i?" "no," she cried. "for, if you opened the door, it would come in. now it can't get in, or else it would. it can only scratch." bunny thought it would be best not to open the door. but what could that queer noise be? he wished he knew. again it sounded. "scratch! scratch! scratch!" and then, all at once there came a bark. both bunny and sue cried out at the same time: "a dog!" and bunny added: "oh, i guess it's splash! i'll let him in!" he ran to the door and opened it, for it was not locked. and, a second later, in bounded good old splash, the big dog. he was all wet with the rain, but oh! how glad he was to see bunny and sue! he barked, and jumped all over the cabin, getting the children wet from his dripping coat. but bunny and sue did not mind that. they were so glad to see splash. "and i--i thought you were a wolf!" laughed sue, putting her arms around the neck of splash. sue was wide awake now. "i wonder how he got here?" questioned bunny. "maybe he ran on ahead of the folks. they must be coming for us now." "i think splash just came by himself," said sue, and that was what had happened. bunny and sue listened, but they did not hear their father or mother or the hermit coming along. it was still raining, but the thunder and lightning had stopped. the children were glad of that. "splash just came off by himself and found us, just as he did lots of times before," said sue. "didn't you, doggie?" she asked. splash barked, and that might have meant "yes" or "no." bunny and sue did not know dog language, and i don't either, so i can't tell you. but, anyhow, splash was there, and bunny and sue were very glad. it was not at all lonesome in the hermit's cabin now. there was no clock, so bunny did not know how late it was, though he could have told time had there been a clock. after shaking some of the water from his shaggy coat, sending it in a shower over bunny and sue, and about the cabin, splash lay down on the rug, and seemed quite happy. he looked from bunny to sue, and then put his head out on his paws, as if to go to sleep. it was as if he said: "well, everything's all right now. i'm here with you. you can go to sleep just as i'm doing." but bunny and sue were not so sleepy now. they were glad splash had come, but they also wanted their papa and mamma, and their own little beds at grandpa's house. "i--i wish they would come for us," said sue, after at bit. "so do i," returned bunny. "it must be 'most morning." the children talked for a while. they did not feel very happy, though bunny tried to get sue to play some "make-believe" games. "i don't want to," she said. "i want to go home." all at once splash, who had been asleep, sprang up and began to bark loudly. "oh, dear!" cried sue, who had fallen into a little sleep. "what is it, bunny?" splash barked so loudly that bunny could not make his voice heard. the dog ran to the door, and scratched at it as he had done before. "he wants to go out," said sue. "it's somebody coming for us!" bunny cried. "i guess it's papa and mamma!" he opened the door. out bounded splash, barking joyously. then a voice cried: "bunny! sue! are you all right?" "yes, daddy!" cried bunny. "well, well! what a scare you gave us!" said another voice. "but we didn't mean to, grandpa!" called sue, for she heard her grandpa's voice. "is it--is it 'most morning?" bunny asked. "only a little after nine," answered his grandpa. "it isn't late." grandpa brown took sue in his arms, and papa brown carried bunny. splash ran along by himself. no one had to carry him. mr. brown thanked the hermit for his care of the children during the storm. and then, through the rain, that was falling gently now, bunny and sue were taken out to the carriage which was in the road, at the edge of the woods. a little later they were on their way to the farmhouse, splash running along beside the carriage. "can splash see his way in the dark?" sleepily asked bunny. "i think so," answered papa brown. "anyhow we haven't any room for him in the carriage. how did you get lost this time?" "it was the frog that made us," said bunny. "we chased after him, and we couldn't find the right path again. but the man found us." and oh! how glad mamma and grandma brown were to see the children when they came home! "don't you ever get lost again!" said mamma brown, as she undressed sue for bed. "no'm, we won't," promised the little girl, and bunny said the same thing. the family had become very much worried when bunny and sue did not come back from having gone for berries. supper time came, and no children. then grandpa brown, his hired men, mr. and mrs. brown, grandma brown, and even bunker blue, began to look for the lost ones. they did not find bunny and sue, of course, for they were far away with the kind hermit. then the storm came and the family at the farmhouse were more worried than ever. they did not know what to do, but everything was all right when the hermit came along through the storm, and said he had found the children. then grandpa brown hitched up a horse to a big carriage and he and papa brown, taking the hermit with them, went to the cabin. before that, though, splash had gone off by himself, and had found bunny and sue. then along came papa and grandpa brown, and that ended the little adventure. everything was all right. "he is a nice man--that hermit," said sue. "he gave me a piggy-back, and once he had a little girl of his own, but she is in the sky now." "yes, he is a good old man," said grandpa brown. "i know him, though he hardly ever comes to see me. he has lived in his cabin in the woods, all alone, for many years. once he had a wife and children, but they all died, and he became very sad. so he went to live by himself. he hardly ever speaks to any one, but he loves children. bunny and sue could not have been cared for by any one better than old mr. wright, the hermit." "and he knows where the gypsies are that have your horses, grandpa," said bunny. that was not just what the hermit had said, but it was as near as bunny could remember. grandpa brown shook his head. "i'm afraid i'll never see my horses again," he said. "but i'll ask mr. wright where the gypsies that he saw are camping. then i'll have a look for my horses." this grandpa brown did next day. he went over to the hermit's cabin, taking with him a nice basket of good things to eat, that grandma and mrs. brown had put up. "the children ate his bread and milk," said mother brown, "so we must give him something else in place of it." and i think mr. wright, the hermit, was very glad to get the basket of good things, for of course a man, living all alone in the woods, can not make pies, and jam tarts and cake as good as mothers and grandmothers can. the hermit showed grandpa brown the valley where the gypsies had been seen, with their wagons shining with looking glasses. but the queer gypsies were gone, though the ashes of their campfires showed where they had stopped. and of course there were no horses left behind. "they don't stay very long in one place," said grandpa brown. "if they had my horses, they took them away. i guess i'll never see them again." for several days, after getting lost, bunny and sue did not have any adventures. they played about the farmhouse, or in the barn, having much fun. once they went fishing with bunker blue. bunker did the fishing, and caught five or six, which grandma brown fried for supper. one morning, when bunny and sue came down stairs, after a good night's sleep, they saw their mother and grandmother busy in the kitchen putting cake and pies, sandwiches, pickles, knives, forks, spoons, and other things, in baskets. "what's that for?" asked bunny. "a picnic," answered his mother. "oh, are we going on a picnic?" asked sue, clapping her hands. "yes, off in the woods," her grandmother replied. "it is a sunday-school picnic, and grandpa and i go every year. this time we will take you with us." "oh, what fun we'll have!" cried bunny brown. "i just love a picnic; don't you, sue?" "awful much!" answered the little girl. chapter xix the tramps bunny brown and his sister sue watched their mother and grandmother put in the baskets the good things they were to eat on the picnic, which was to be held in a woodland grove about two miles away. "oh, what a big cake!" exclaimed sue, as she saw a cocoanut-custard cake being taken from the shelf by her mother. "do you like that kind?" asked grandma brown. "i just love it!" cried sue, standing on her tip-toes to look over the table. "so do i," added bunny. "yes, it is their favorite cake," said mother brown. "i always make it when they have a birthday, and on christmas and new year's day." "but i don't know where we're going to put it," said grandma brown. "it is a fine, big cake, but all the baskets are filled. if we crowd it in it will crush, and----" "oh, don't squash our cocoanut cake!" begged sue. "don't spoil it, mother!" "i'll not, my dear. perhaps we had better not take it along," she said to grandma brown. "we have enough to eat without it." "and we can eat it when we come home!" exclaimed bunny. "we'll be hungry then. i'm always hungry after a picnic; aren't you, sue?" "yes, bunny. but, mother, maybe we could take along some of the cake." "oh, we have enough without that," her grandmother told sue. "we'll save that until we get home. i'll put it in the pantry. now all the baskets are packed. get ready, children. grandpa will soon be here with the wagon, and we'll ride off to the picnic grounds. it's a lovely day." it was. the sun was shining down from the blue sky, and there was a nice, cool wind, so that it was not too hot. there had been a little rain the night before, and the roads were not dusty. it would be cool and fresh in the woods. no better day for a picnic could be wished for. bunny and sue were very happy. so was splash, the big dog, for he ran about, here and there, barking and wagging his tail. to look at him you would have thought that he had gotten up the whole picnic, all by himself. clean napkins were put over the lunch baskets. lemon juice had been squeezed into glass jars, with sugar, so that only water from a spring, or well, would have to be put in to make lemonade. bunny and sue were washed, combed and dressed, all ready for the picnic. they did not wear their best clothes, for they wanted to romp about and play in the woods. bunny said he was going to climb trees, and you can't do that if you wear your best clothes. "but if you climb a tree," remarked sue, "don't get your foot caught in one, as you did before, bunny, and have to have your shoe taken off." "i won't do that," promised the little boy. "i'll only climb easy trees." "i'm going to take two of my dolls," said sue. "then if i see a little girl that hasn't any, i can lend her one of mine, and we can play together." "that will be nice," said grandma brown. "here comes grandpa with the horses." grandpa brown drove up to the side door with a wagon that had three seats in it. he and papa brown would sit on the front one, where grandpa could drive the horses. bunny and sue were to sit on the middle seat, and on the last one grandma and mother brown would sit. "but what about bunker blue?" asked bunny. "isn't he coming, too?" for both bunny and sue liked the big red-haired boy very much, and he liked them. "oh, yes, bunker is coming," said mother brown. "he is going to sit on a box in back of the last seat, and hold the lunch baskets, so they won't bounce out of the wagon," explained grandpa brown. "and i'll hold 'em good and tight!" laughed bunker. "i won't let 'em go overboard." to go "overboard," means, of course, to fall out of a boat. now the wagon, in which bunny brown and the others rode to the picnic, was not a boat. but you see bunker blue was so used to being in and about boats that he always talked of them, speaking as sailors do. if anything is lost out of a boat, it goes "overboard," and that was what bunker was not going to let happen to the lunch baskets on the picnic trip. "for if the lunch goes overboard we'd go hungry," he said. "so i'll hold the baskets." "these horses can't go as fast as my nice team, that the gypsies took," said grandpa brown, when they were all ready to start. "well, we're in no hurry," said grandma brown. "the picnic will last all day." as grandpa drove out on the road bunny and sue saw many wagons, from other farms, coming along. it seemed that all who could were coming to the sunday-school picnic, which was held every year. in many of the farm-wagons were boys and girls. bunny and sue looked at them, wondering if any of the little folks would play with them. even if grandpa's second team of horses did not go very fast, they were soon at the picnic grounds, in a grove of trees, near a pretty little lake. grandpa put his wagon and horses under a shed, with many others. the baskets of lunch were left there in the shade, and while the older folk found some benches to sit on, and talk, bunny and sue, with other boys and girls, walked off through the woods to see what they could find. they found a pump, where they had a drink of water. then they tossed sticks into the lake, to make believe they were boats. there were also swings in the shade, and in these bunny and another boy had a fine time. sue said she did not care to swing just then. she had two dolls, one under each arm, and she walked about, looking for some little girl to whom she might lend one, so they could "play house" together. finally sue saw a little girl in a blue dress, who seemed to be all alone. this little girl stood by herself, watching the others play "ring-around the rosey." sue went up to her and said, kindly: "wouldn't you like to play dolls?" "yes--yes, i would, but i haven't any doll." "i'll let you take one of mine." sue held out her best doll to the little girl. it is always polite, you know, to give company, and your friends, the best that you have, instead of keeping it yourself, no matter how much you want it. "oh, what a lovely doll!" exclaimed the little girl, her eyes shining bright. "her name is ethel," said sue. "why, that's my name!" exclaimed the little girl in the blue dress. "did you know that?" "no," answered sue. "i didn't, but i'm glad it is your name. now we'll find a place to play house." sue found a spot where some vines grew over an old stump, making a sort of green tent, or leafy bower, like the one on the island where she and bunny had played robinson crusoe. in that ethel and sue had a fine time with the dolls. when it was time to eat the lunch from the baskets, bunny and sue asked if they could not take theirs, and eat it with some of the other children, who were going off by themselves. sue wanted to be with ethel, and bunny had found a boy named john, at one of the swings. he brought john to eat with him. "yes, you children may take your lunch off by yourselves," said mother brown. "i thought you would want to do that, so i put it up in a separate basket for you." bunker blue carried the lunch for bunny and sue to a nice place in the woods where a number of children were going to eat the good things their fathers and mothers had brought for them. the children had nearly finished eating, when, all at once, the bushes near where bunny was sitting were pushed to one side, and two rough-looking men, one large and one smaller, with ragged clothes, and red handkerchiefs tied around their necks in place of collars, stepped out. and then one of the tramps, for that is what the men were, made a grab for the lunch basket that was near bunny brown. chapter xx the missing cake the tramps had come through the bushes so quickly, and had made such a sudden grab for the lunch basket, that, for a second or two, bunny brown did not know what to do. neither did his sister sue. nor were the other children any better off. they just sat there, looking at the rough men, one of whom had bunny's basket, and was taking out what was left of the sandwiches, cake and other good things. "is there anything to eat in it?" asked the little tramp of the big one, who had bunny's basket. "yes, some," was the answer. "but there are more lunch baskets. grab one for yourself." of course that was not a nice way to talk--not very polite you know. but perhaps tramps are different from other folks. they get so hungry at times that they forget to be polite, i guess. the smaller tramp, for one was much bigger and taller than the other, looked around to see what he could find. he saw little john boland holding tightly to a basket. it still had some good things to eat in it, for john had not eaten all his lunch. "here, give me that!" cried the tramp. "no! no!" john exclaimed, and he turned to run away, for he did not like the tramps, any more than did bunny brown, or sue, or any of the others. but, as john turned, his foot caught in a root of a tree, and down he went, striking the ground quite hard. his lunch basket bounced out of his hand, and rolled to one side. "ha! that's what i want!" said the tramp. "i don't want you, little boy. all i want is something to eat." but john, i suppose, thought the tramps might take him away, as some people think gypsies will take children away (only they won't) and john began to cry. now it is a funny thing, but very often if one little boy or girl in a crowd of others begins to cry, why two or three more will do the same thing. and, no sooner had john begun to sob, than tillie simpson, nellie hadden, flo benson, tommie jones and harry kennedy all began to cry, too. about the only ones who were not crying were bunny brown and his sister sue, and sue had some tears all ready to let fall out of her eyes. but sue watched to see what bunny would do. she did not want him to call her a "cry-baby" afterward, though bunny hardly ever called his sister names, except maybe in fun. "you let us alone! let my basket alone! let john's basket alone! go on away from here!" the big tramp, who was eating what was left in bunny's basket, looked up and laughed. "you're a spunky little chap," he said, "but we're not going away until we get something to eat. we're hungry!" "that's what we are," said the small tramp, who had picked up the basket that had rolled from the hand of john. out of this the small tramp was eating pieces of cake and sandwiches as fast as he could. john, who had stopped crying now, sat up and looked on, his eyes wide open. "we haven't had anything to eat all day!" went on the big tramp, who was also eating fast. "we're terrible hungry! you children have had enough. we'll take the rest." "yes, and then maybe we'll take some of them," said the small tramp, blinking his eyes and looking around. of course he was only fooling, but the children did not know this, and some of the little girls screamed, and ran away. but bunny brown was not so frightened as were the others. he was older, and then, too, he felt that he must look after his sister. so he cried out again: "go on away from here, you--you bad tramps!" the tramps only laughed. then bunny brown thought of something. turning around he called, as loudly as he could: "here splash! come splash! come on old dog!" then bunny whistled. he had only just learned how, from bunker blue a few days before, and he could not whistle very loudly, but still he did very well for a small boy. "come splash! come on, old dog!" he cried, and he whistled once more. the tramps looked at one another. "he's callin' his dog," said the big one. "yes," said the little tramp, "we'd better go. come on. we've had enough to last us for awhile. we'll empty the baskets and run." the two roughly dressed men, with red handkerchiefs around their neck, in place of collars, quickly emptied into their pockets the sandwiches and cake that were left in some of the baskets which the children had dropped. they mixed the cake and bread and meat all up together; those tramps did. perhaps they were so hungry they did not mind. then off they ran through the bushes the way they had come. "oh, i'm so glad they're gone!" exclaimed sue. "so am i," said tommie jones. "if they hadn't gone your dog would have bit them, bunny brown; wouldn't he?" bunny brown laughed. "my dog isn't here," he said. "he isn't!" exclaimed tommie. "why, he called him, and whistled to him; didn't he?" he asked the others. "yep!" said flo benson. "he did." "that was only make-believe," explained bunny. "i thought maybe if i pretended splash was here the tramps would be afraid. tramps are always afraid of dogs. my papa said so. that's why i made believe to call splash. but he isn't here. we left him back on grandpa's farm with the hired man. mamma thought he might be in the way at the picnic, so we didn't bring him." "oh, that was a fine trick!" exclaimed sue. "i forgot splash wasn't here with us. i thought sure he'd come when you whistled, bunny." "so did the tramps, i guess," laughed bunny brown. "i'm glad i thought of it. and if splash had been here he would make the tramps go away, anyhow." "but they took all my lunch!" sobbed john. "and i fell down, and i bumped my nose and--and----" but that was all the trouble he could think of just then. "never mind," said sue, helping him to stand up, and brushing the dirt from his clothes. "you're not hurt very much, john, and you're not hungry; are you?" "no, but--but i fell down!" "well, never mind. the tramps are gone now. and they won't come back." but, just as sue said that some one was heard coming through the woods. the bushes shook, and some of the little girls cried out. "oh, there are the tramps again!" shouted john. but it was not. it was only bunker blue, who had come to find bunny brown and his sister sue. "well, how are you all?" bunker asked. "why, what's the matter?" he went on, for he saw that something had happened. "it was two bad tramps, with red handkerchiefs on their necks," said bunny brown. "but i made believe to whistle for splash, and they ran away." "they did?" cried bunker blue, much surprised. "yep. and next time i'm really going to bring splash to the picnic, and he can keep the tramps away." "maybe it would be a good idea," said bunker. "but it was a good thing you thought to pretend your dog was near by. a very good trick. i'll see if i can see anything of the bad men." bunker went through the bushes where the tramps had gone, but he saw nothing of them. they must have run a long way off. perhaps they were afraid bunny's dog, splash, would chase them. it was nearly time for the picnic to be over. the children had eaten as much as was good for them, even if they had not had all they wished, and i think most of them did have all they wanted. bunny and sue did, anyhow. bunny's basket, of course, was emptied by the tramps, as was that of john and some of the others. but the grown folks still had good things left in theirs, and toward evening, when it was time to start for home, the little folks who had not had enough were given a little more. "i didn't know there were tramps around here," said mother brown to grandpa, when he was backing the horses out of the shed, so bunny and the others could get into the wagon. "oh, yes, we have a few tramps in the summer," said grandpa brown. "they don't like to work, but they are always ready to eat. but probably we'll not be bothered with many. these two must have heard of the picnic, and come around to see what they could pick up." and now the picnic was over. the farmers began driving home. every one had had a fine time, and there had been no trouble except for the tramps. oh yes, there had been another little bit of trouble. a little boy named sammie perkins, in trying to catch a frog in a pond, leaned too far over and fell in. but a man pulled sammie out very quickly, and the little boy only got wet through. of course he cried, and was frightened. but his mother took off some of his clothes and dried them in the sun. so no great harm was done. and that was all that happened, except that every one had such a fine time that they said they wished there was a picnic every day. "but that would be too much!" said grandma brown. "you would soon get tired of it." the brown family drove home, getting there just as the sun was going down. splash, who had been chained up by the hired man, so he would not follow the wagon, was now let loose. and oh! how glad he was to see bunny brown and his sister sue! splash jumped about, barking and wagging his tail. he even tried to kiss bunny and sue with his red tongue. "oh, splash!" cried bunny. "i wish you had been to the picnic. then you could have run after the tramps!" "well, the tramps ran anyhow, so it was all right," said papa brown. "though the next time you see any rough men, bunny, you had better come and tell me, or your mother, and not try to drive them away all by yourself." "all right, i will, daddy. but we'll take splash to the next picnic anyhow. he was lonesome without us." and i think splash was. "well, now we'll have supper," said grandma brown. "that is if you children are hungry?" "oh, i am!" cried sue, and bunny said the same thing. the drive home had given them good appetites. but then children are very often hungry anyhow, even without picnics. "shall we have some of that nice cocoanut custard cake?" asked bunny. "yes," his grandmother told him. "i'll get it from the pantry." but when she went there, the cupboard was not exactly bare, like mother hubbard's, but something had happened. for grandma brown cried: "oh the cake! the lovely cake is gone! and so are a lot of my pies and crullers! oh, some one has been in my pantry!" chapter xxi bunny's big idea bunny brown ran to the pantry where his grandmother had gone. sue followed. the two children saw grandma brown looking at some empty shelves. on one shelf, before they had started for the picnic, had stood the big cocoanut-custard cake, that was too large to go in any of the baskets. that was why it had been left at home for supper. "oh, is it really gone?" asked bunny sadly. "it isn't here," said grandma brown. "could the hired man have taken it?" asked bunny's mother. "oh, no! he wouldn't do such a thing as that," replied grandma brown. "i left his dinner in the kitchen, as i always do when we go away. no, some one must have gotten in the house, while we were gone, and taken the cake, besides some of my pies and other things." "was it--was they burglars?" asked sue. she had often heard, at home, of burglars getting into houses and taking money and other things. "no, i don't believe it was burglars," said grandma brown. "but i see how they got in. i left the pantry window open, though the shutters were closed. they opened the shutters and climbed in. the shutters were tied with a string, and the string has been cut--see!" she showed bunny and sue, also mother brown, where the cut string hung dangling from the edge of one shutter. "they climbed in that window and took the cake," went on grandma brown. "oh, my lovely cake!" exclaimed sue. "and i wanted some for supper!" "so did i!" said bunny brown. "is there any other kind of cake, grandma?" "oh, yes, i can give you cookies. but i would like to know who it was got in my pantry. we don't generally trouble to lock our doors and windows around here in the day time," she went on, "for none of us was ever robbed before. but if this is going to happen i'll have to be more careful." she pushed open the shutters, which were partly closed, and looked out. then she called: "oh, here's a box they stepped on to get in the window. look, children, they brought a box from the barn, stepped up on it, and crawled in the window. and see! one of them dropped his handkerchief!" bunny and sue, looking under grandma brown's arms, one on each side of her, saw, down on the ground, a red handkerchief. at the sight of it bunny brown cried: "oh it was the tramps! it was the tramps that took our cake, grandma!" "how do you know, bunny?" "because the tramps that scared us had red handkerchiefs on their necks just like that one down there. i'm sure they were the same tramps, grandma." the two children, grandma and mother brown went outside, under the pantry window. there lay the red handkerchief on the ground, and it was twisted up in just the way a handkerchief would be twisted if it had been around any one's neck. "those tramps didn't get enough to eat out of our baskets," said bunny brown, "so they came here and took grandma's things. let's go after 'em! i'll get splash and----" bunny brown started to run after his dog, that had gone out to the barn with bunker blue. but his mother caught the little boy by the arm. "you had better stay right here," she said. "you are too small to go chasing off after tramps, even with splash. we'll let papa brown and grandpa find the bad men, if they are still here." daddy brown and grandpa came back from the barn, where they had been putting away the horses, and they were told of the missing cake, pies and crullers. then they looked at the red handkerchief, lying where one of the tramps must have dropped it. "yes, i should not be surprised if the same tramps who scared the children came here and took your things, mother," said papa brown. "they must have been frightened, and have run off in a hurry, to have dropped their handkerchief this way. we'll ask the hired man." but the hired man had been working in the garden, some distance away from the house, and he had seen nothing of any tramps. he had come in to his dinner, and he said he had looked in the pantry then, and had noticed that the big cake was all right. "then the tramps came here after dinner, and after they were at the picnic grounds," said grandpa brown. "i must look around. they may be hiding in my barn, and sometimes tramps smoke in the hay, and set it on fire. we'll look for them." but no tramps were found. "maybe they heard splash barking, and ran away in such a hurry that they dropped their handkerchief," said bunny. "maybe," agreed his mother. "well, it's better to have them take the crullers, the pie and the cake instead of a cow or a horse." "indeed it is!" said grandpa brown. "i don't want to lose any more horses." "i can bake you another cocoanut-custard cake, children," said grandma brown. "i'll make it to-morrow. to-night you will have to eat cookies with your milk." and the cookies were very good, as was everything grandma brown made, so bunny and sue were not hungry after all. that night grandpa brown went all around the house, to make sure that all the doors and windows were locked. "for we don't want any tramps coming here in the middle of the night, waking us up from our sleep," he said. and nothing happened. probably the tramps ran a good way off with the fine big cocoanut-custard cake. they must have had a good feast on that, and on the pies and crullers. for two or three days after the picnic bunny brown and his sister sue had good times at grandpa's farm. one day it rained, but the children played a part of the time in the barn, and the rest of the time in the big attic of grandpa's house. this attic had in it even more things, to have a good time with, than did the attic at bunny's home. there were big fur rugs that grandpa brown put in the sled when it was winter. there were strings of sleigh bells that jingled when they were touched. and there was a spinning wheel, like the one in mother brown's attic, only it was larger. then, too, there were piles of old clothes, old picture-papers, trunks with many strange things in them, and so many other things that bunny and sue did not get tired of playing all day long. but the attic was only nice to play in on rainy days. on days when the sun shone down hot on the roof it was too warm up there. so the next day, when the storm was over, bunny and sue looked for something else to do to have a good time. "come on, and we'll play ball," said bunny. he and sue did not exactly play ball the way big boys did. but bunny would throw the ball, and when sue had caught it she would toss it back. they went out behind the house to play this game. back and forth they tossed the ball, until sue missed it when bunny threw it to her. the ball rolled under a currant bush, but when sue ran to pick it up, the little girl suddenly stopped, and stood looking at the bush. "what's the matter?" asked bunny. "why don't you pick the ball up, and throw it to me, sue?" "i--i can't," she answered "why not?" "'cause a hen's got it." "a hen's got my ball?" asked bunny, much surprised. "yep," said sue, shaking her head up and down to make bunny understand. "the ball is right by the hen, and she's got her bill on it. i dassn't pick it up, 'cause she'll peck me." bunny ran to where sue stood. surely enough, the ball had rolled under the edge of the currant bush, close to where a big hen was all cuddled up in a heap. and the hen did have her bill on the ball with which the children had been playing. "why--why that hen is on a nest!" exclaimed bunny. "i guess grandma doesn't know there's a hen's nest out here. we'll go and tell her." "but aren't you going to take your ball?" asked sue. "maybe the hen will eat it if you don't." "hen's can't eat balls," said bunny. "the ball is too big for them to swaller." "well, anyhow, they could pick holes in it, and then we couldn't play with it any more." "that's so," agreed bunny. "i'll see if i can get it away from her." but when bunny crept under the currant bush, and reached for his ball, the hen made a funny clucking noise, ruffled up her feathers and looked so angry, that bunny was afraid. "maybe she's got little chickens in her nest," said sue. "if she has she'll peck you if you go close to her--grandma said so." "maybe she has," agreed bunny. "but i'll get a long stick and poke my ball out. then she can't peck me." but it was not easy to make the ball roll out of the way of the hen. the stick would slip off it when bunny reached for it, and whenever the stick came near the hen she would peck at it. once she almost knocked it from bunny's hand. and, all the while, the hen made that queer clucking noise, and fluffed up her feathers so that she looked twice as big as she really was. "oh, come away! come away!" begged sue. "she'll bite you, bunny!" bunny brown was a little afraid of the hen. and when he found he could not roll the ball out of her way he ran to the house, with sue, and told his mother and grandmother what had happened. "why, that must be the old gray hen, sitting on her nest that she went off and made by herself," said grandma brown. "i wondered where she was hiding, but i never thought to look under the currant bush. i'm glad you found her, bunny. i'll get your ball for you." the hen did not seem to mind when grandma brown went close to her. very carefully grandma reached for bunny's ball. then she gently lifted up one of the hen's wings, and showed the children the eggs under her feathers. "soon some little chickens will hatch out of the eggs," said grandma. "some of the shells are already cracked, and the chickies may be out to-morrow." "oh, i'll just love to see them!" cried sue. now that they had their ball again, bunny and sue could play once more. and the next day the little chickens did hatch. up to the house came the old mother hen with eleven little, fluffy, yellow balls, almost as round as bunny's ball, but of course not so big. "peep! peep!" went the little chickens, as they followed the hen-mother around. "cluck-cluck!" said the hen-mother. [illustration: "oh, aren't they cute!"--_page 208._ _bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm._] "oh, aren't they cute!" cried sue. every one thought they were, and i think the hen mother was very proud of them, for if any one went too near she would make a queer noise, and ruffle up her feathers, just as she had when bunny reached for his ball near her. it was two or three days after this that bunny brown and his sister sue awakened one morning, and saw something queer out on the side of grandpa's barn. "oh, look!" exclaimed sue, who saw it first. "what a big picture, bunny!" indeed it was a large one, brightly colored, showing elephants, lions, tigers and horses, all in a big ring. and there were men and ladies jumping from the top of a tent, into nets underneath. "oh, it's a circus picture!" cried bunny. "how did it get there, grandpa?" "a man came along early this morning, and pasted it up," said grandpa brown. bunny and sue ran out to look at the circus picture. it was a fine, big one, and the more they looked at it the more the children liked it. finally bunny said: "sue, i've got an idea! such a big idea!" "oh, what is it," asked sue. "what's an idea? is it good to eat?" bunny did not exactly know what an idea was, but he had heard his mother and father say that word. "sue!" exclaimed bunny in a sort of whisper, "if that circus is coming to town we'll go--you and me. we'll go to the circus!" "oh, bunny!" cried sue, clapping her hands. "that will be just fine! but how can we go?" chapter xxii off to the circus bunny brown thought for a minute. he and sue looked at the gay circus poster, and the more he looked at it the more he felt that he and his sister must go and see the big show in the white tent. "how can we go, bunny?" asked sue. bunny brown wrinkled up his forehead. he always did that when he was thinking hard, and now that the "big idea" had come to him he was thinking harder than ever. "first we'll have to find out where the circus is going to be," he said. "we'll ask grandpa. he'll know." "do you s'pose mother will let us go?" asked sue. "i don't know. we'll have to ask. first we'll find out where the show is going to be." bunny and sue stood a little while longer looking at the circus picture. as they turned this way and that, peering at the big elephant, the savage-looking lion, the striped tiger and the hippopotamus, with his mouth so widely open, bunker blue came along whistling. "maybe bunker knows!" cried sue. "knows what?" asked the red-haired lad, stopping near the two children. "what do you think i know?" "where the circus is going to be," replied bunny. "do you know where they'll put up the tent?" bunker squinted at the circus poster. "no, i don't know exactly where it will be," he said, "and it doesn't tell on that sign. but it says the circus is coming day after to-morrow. you could find out from your grandpa's hired man, though, where the tents will be. i guess they will put them up in the same place they had them last year, and the hired man was here then. he's worked for your grandpa a good many years. ask the hired man." "we will," bunny said. "are you thinking of going to the circus?" asked bunker. "we--we'd like to," answered sue softy. "and maybe we will," added her brother. "you're too little to go to a circus," said bunker blue, "and i don't believe any of the big folks are going. i'd like to go myself, but i don't believe i can." "well, we're going, anyhow," whispered bunny to sue, so bunker would not hear. "are you sure, bunny?" "sure we'll go!" he said. "just you leave it all to me." at dinner that day bunny and sue talked of nothing but the circus, and the big picture-poster on grandpa's barn. "it's the same show that was here last year," said the hired man. "i saw the fellow who pasted the picture on the barn, and he was the same one who was around last year." "and--and will the tent be in the same place?" asked bunny. "yes," said the hired man. "the circus always shows in the same place when it comes to town. they put the tents up by the baseball grounds, just outside of the town." bunny had found out what he wanted to know. if he and sue could get to town, all they would have to do would be to ask where the baseball grounds were. any one could tell them that, and then they would find the circus. but first bunny wanted to find out if his papa and mamma, or grandfather and grandmother, were going to the show. it would be so much easier for him and sue if they were. so bunny asked: "could we go to the circus, mother?" "oh, i hardly think so," answered mother brown. "i don't like a circus, and your father has to go to the city that day to look after his boat business. grandpa is too busy to go, and i'm sure grandma and i don't want to go." "no, indeed!" exclaimed grandma brown. "i always was afraid of wild animals, and i don't like a circus anyhow." "bunker blue could take us," said bunny. "no, dear. i'm sorry, but bunker is going to drive papa into town on that day, so he could not take you. you had a nice time at the picnic, and that ought to be enough for you. this is only a small circus, and i don't believe it would be nice for you to go," said mother brown. but bunny brown and his sister sue wanted very much to go to this circus, even if it was only a small one. "oh, bunny! we can't go!" said sue, with tears in her eyes, when she and bunny went out in the yard after dinner. "we can't go to the circus!" "maybe we can," insisted bunny. "but how can we? mother isn't going, nor father, nor grandma nor grandpa. how can we go?" "we can go by ourselves. it isn't very far in to town. not more than a mile. we can walk a mile, sue." "yes, but who will give us the money for tickets? do they sell tickets to the circus for pins, bunny? if they did maybe we could find enough pins in grandma's house, on the floor. nobody wants those pins. we could pick 'em up." "they don't sell real circus tickets for pins," explained bunny. "they sell them for money." "i've got five cents," said sue. "so have i. but that won't be enough. it's twenty-five cents for children. bunker read that on the circus poster." "oh, we'll never get that much money!" sighed sue. "maybe we will," bunny said. "how?" "well, i might carry water to the elephant, and the man might give me a ticket for that. bunker said he once got in the circus that way." "but, _i_ couldn't carry water to an elephant," objected sue. "i'd be afraid he'd bite me." "i'd carry it for you," kindly offered bunny. "i'm not afraid of an elephant. if you're kind to them they won't bite you." "but elephants is so big, they take an awful lot of water," sue went on. "they'd drink a whole tub full. you could never carry that much." "i'll try," said bunny. "i want to go to that circus!" "and so do i, bunny." "they didn't say we mustn't go," the little boy went on. "mother just said she and grandma couldn't take us. i don't think they'd mind if we went by ourselves." "maybe not, bunny. but, s'posin' they wouldn't let us in the tent?" "oh, i guess they will. you could carry some water for the ponies. you're not afraid of them; are you?" "no," said sue slowly. "i'm not 'fraid of ponies. i'll get them some water, bunny. but maybe they have all the water they want, and they won't let us in, no matter what we do." bunny thought that over for a minute. then he said: "we could do our punch and judy show for the circus man, sue. maybe he'd let us in if he saw that." "maybe. but, bunny, you haven't any lobster claw to put on your nose, to make you look like mr. punch." bunny sighed. "that's so," he said. "the lobster claw is broken. i guess we'll have to carry the water, sue. i'll get some for the elephant, and you can carry some for the ponies. then the circus man will give us tickets to the show. we'll go, anyhow." so bunny had it all planned out. neither he nor sue said anything to their father, mother or grandparents about what they were going to do. bunny was quite sure if they asked they would not be allowed to go, and he did not want to do anything he was told not to do. but he and sue had not really been forbidden to go to the circus, though of course mrs. brown had no idea the children were planning to see the show in the tent, with the wild animals, and the men and women jumping into nets. the rest of the day bunny and sue spent pretty much out near the barn, looking at the big circus poster, wondering if they would see all the animals in the picture. they spent part of the next day doing the same thing. mrs. brown was so busy helping grandma brown, and mr. brown was so busy getting ready for his trip to the city, that no one paid much attention to the children. "we'll start off early to-morrow morning," said bunny, the night before the circus was to come to town. "we'll take a lunch with us. i'll save some of my supper and some of my breakfast. we can take some bread and cake, and we've each got five cents, to get some pink lemonade with." "i want a circus balloon, too," said sue. "well, maybe a man will give you one," said bunny, hopefully. sue clapped her hands in joy. "i hope he gives me a red one!" she cried. early the next morning, right after breakfast, bunny brown and his sister sue went quietly from the house. they had wrapped some slices of bread, and some cookies, in pieces of newspaper, and this lunch they carried with them as they started off for the circus. no one saw them start, and down the road they went, hand in hand, off toward town. "oh, bunny!" cried sue, as she toddled along beside her brother. "isn't it just fine!" "wait till you see the circus!" said bunny, his eyes shining with delight. "we'll have lots of fun!" chapter xxiii the gypsies along the dusty road, on the way to town, walked bunny brown and his sister sue. hand in hand they toddled on, thinking of the fun they were going to have. they did not stop to think that they were running away to go to the circus, but that is just what they were doing. they had not asked their mother if they might go. they were pretty sure she would say they could not. bunny and sue did not mean to do wrong--they just did not think. they only wanted to have a good time. "do you s'pose we'll really see elephants, bunny?" asked sue. "'course we will!" "like in the picture?" "sure!" "with two tails, and his big teeth sticking out like lollypop handles, that wango put in his mouth? elephants like that?" "yes, sue. only an elephant hasn't two tails. one end is his tail, and the other is his trunk--his long nose that he breathes through, and squirts water in. i told you about it." "yes, i know, bunny. but i forgot. and are you going to give the elephant water to squirt in his trunk?" "maybe. but i hope he doesn't squirt it on me." "or on me," added sue. "i'm going to water the ponies. they haven't any trunks; have they bunny?" "no. oh, we'll have a good time, sue." "and will i get a red balloon?" "i don't know about that," bunny brown shook his head. the more he thought about the circus the harder it seemed to be to get inside the tent. suppose they wouldn't let him water the elephant? how was he going to get a ticket to the show, or one for sue? bunny was beginning to feel worried--that is he didn't know just what he was going to do. but he would not give up yet. there were many persons going into town that day. many of them were going to the circus, it seemed. some wagons and carriages had many children in with the grown folks. at first bunny and sue thought it fun to walk along by themselves. but, after a bit, sue began to get tired. it was hot and dusty, and the town was farther away than even bunny had thought. "oh, bunny!" sue cried at last. "i want to ride!" "but how can you?" asked the little boy. "if you had brought splash, and the express wagon, we could have a nice ride." "that's so," said bunny slowly. he had not thought of that. he stood in the road and looked back toward grandpa's house. just then there were no wagons or carriages in the road. but bunny saw a small cloud of dust coming toward him. faster and faster it came. then he heard a bark. "oh, bunny!" cried sue. "is that splash?" "i--i don't know," began bunny brown, but in another second he saw that it was their big, shaggy dog. "oh, it _is_ splash!" cried sue. "i'm so glad he came. now, if an elephant tries to bite us when you're watering it, bunny, splash will bite him." "elephants aren't afraid of dogs," said bunny. "but i'm glad you came, splash." "i wish he'd brought the express wagon, and i could ride," said sue, with a sigh. but that was too much to wish for. the two children had slipped away that morning without calling for splash to go with them. bunny thought if the dog came mother brown might see, and ask bunny and sue where they were going. and of course they would have to tell. but splash had come anyhow, and he could not be sent back. he barked happily, and was very glad to be with the children once more. he would never have stayed at home if he could have had his way about it. "well, come on," said bunny, after a bit. "we don't want to be late for the circus, sue." "no. i want to see everything. will they let splash in too, bunny?" "i guess so. they have trained dogs in circuses." "but splash isn't trained." "he can draw us in the express wagon," bunny reminded her. "yes," said sue. "and i wish we had it now. i'm awful tired." "but you can sit down when we get in the circus, after i water the elephant." that seemed to make it all right, and once more the children went on, hand in hand, splash now running on ahead, and sometimes trotting back. pretty soon a wagon, drawn by a white horse, and driven by a fat, good-natured-looking man came up from behind the children. the man looked down at bunny and sue, and cried out: "whoa!" he was talking to his horse, of course, and the horse stopped. so did bunny and sue. "want a ride?" asked the fat man, with a jolly laugh. bunny and sue wanted a ride very much, and they both said so. "get in," said the fat man. "or, wait a minute, and i'll lift you in. you're too small to get up by yourselves. is this your dog?" "yes," answered bunny. "and, please, could he ride, too? he gets tired running along." "yes, he can get in too. i've got plenty of room. up you go, doggie!" "his name is splash," said sue, as the fat man lifted first her and then bunny up into the wagon. "oh, splash; eh? that's a good name. well, up with you, splash!" splash, seeing that bunny and sue were in the wagon, leaped in himself. then off they went again. sue was happy now. "where are you tots going?" the fat man wanted to know. "to the circus," said bunny. "i'm going to water the elephant." "and i'm going to water the pony," added sue. the fat man laughed. he seemed to be doing that most of the time. "well, you're pretty small to be going to a circus alone," went on the fat man. "but i s'pose your folks will meet you there. don't get lost, that's all." "are you going to the circus?" asked bunny. "no indeed," laughed the fat man. "i haven't time. but i'm going close to the circus grounds, where the tents are. i'll let you off there." "thank you," said bunny. he was glad he and sue and splash would not have to walk, as he was also beginning to feel tired. "here you are, youngsters!" finally called the man, as the wagon went around a turn in the road. "there are the circus grounds. you can get out here and walk straight ahead. but don't get lost. where is your father, or mother, going to meet you?" bunny did not answer that question. for of course mother or father did not know that the two children had gone to the circus at all. bunny began to be a little worried. but the fat man did not ask any more questions. for, just then, a band began to play music, and the horse wanted to hurry away. so the fat man helped bunny and sue out of the wagon, and drove off with a wave of his big hand. splash jumped out himself. "now we'll go over and see the circus," said bunny. and oh! what a lot there was for him and sue to look at. there were big white tents, and from the poles were flags of all colors, fluttering in the wind. in another tent, the sides of which were raised up to let in the air, were many horses and ponies. in another tent there was a long table, on which were many dishes, and seated on benches, were men and women eating at the table. "oh look, bunny!" suddenly cried sue. "there's your elephant!" bunny looked, and saw a big elephant, pushing a large red wagon, by putting his head against it, while some men steered it. "are you going to water that elephant?" asked sue. "i--i don't know," replied bunny. now that he saw how very big an elephant was he began to think that, after all, perhaps he had better water just a pony, as sue was going to do. "when can we go in the circus, bunny?" asked sue, as she heard the band playing again. it was not time for the show to begin. in fact, the parade had not yet started, but bunny and sue did not know this. the circus was just getting ready to have the parade. "i want to go in and see the animals," went on sue. "have to get a ticket first," said bunny. "i'll ask a man to let me water a pony. i guess an elephant is too big." "and i'll water a pony, too, bunny." the elephant, pushing the big wagon, came close to where bunny and sue were standing. splash barked at the elephant, and ran back. so did bunny and sue. the elephant looked bigger than ever. a man carrying a long whip, came hurrying up to the tent where the horses and ponies were eating their hay. "please mister!" cried bunny. "i want to go to the circus! so does my sister. we'll water the ponies if you give us a ticket." the man looked at the two children. at first he looked cross, and then he smiled, just as the fat man had done. no one could look cross for very long at bunny brown and his sister sue. "you're too little to water ponies, or to go to circuses," said the man with the whip. "you had better go back home. i guess you're lost. i'll send a man to take you home." then he hurried off, cracking his whip. "oh, bunny!" cried sue. "did you hear what he said? he said he was going to send us home! and we won't see the circus. oh dear!" "yes, we _will_ see the circus!" cried bunny. "i'll ask another man! come on, sue. we'll stand in another place, and then he can't find us when he comes back." bunny went around to the other side of the horse-tent, followed by his sister and splash. it would be dreadful to be sent home now, just when the circus was ready to start. "we'll ask some one else to let us water the ponies, and then they'll give us tickets to get in," said bunny. "take hold of my hand, sue, and then you won't get lost." as the two children stood there they hardly knew what to do. all about them men were hurrying here and there, some leading horses or camels. bunny and sue could hear music in the big tent. and as they stood there, they saw two men coming along who did not look like those who belonged with the circus. the two men had gold rings in their ears, and the faces of the men were very dark. they had on coats with silver buttons, and wore red sashes around their waists. each man was leading a horse, but the horses were not like circus horses. "oh, bunny!" cried sue. "look--those are gypsies--like the ones we saw in the woods." "yes!" cried bunny. "and they have two horses. maybe those are grandpa's horses. oh, sue! s'pose they should be! maybe we've found 'em! maybe we've _found_ the gypsies who took grandpa's horses, and didn't bring 'em back." chapter xxiv bunny and sue are sad bunny and sue watched the two gypsy men closely. the children were sure the men were gypsies, for they looked just like those others the children had seen in the woods, when the two youngsters wandered away on the first night of their automobile trip. the two men, with their bright red sashes, and the gold rings in their ears, stood together. each one had hold of the halter of a horse he was leading. and the horses did not seem to be the kind that belonged in a circus, for they pranced about, and did not like to hear the music. nor did they like the sight of the elephants and camels, that were now walking about, getting ready for the parade. "do you s'pose they could be grandpa's horses?" asked sue, of her brother. "maybe," said bunny. "what did the gypsy men bring them here for?" sue wanted to know. "maybe they want to train them to be circus horses, or maybe they want to sell them," bunny answered. "we ought to go to tell grandpa," declared sue. "then he could come and get his team. he wants it awful much." "we can tell him after the circus," bunny said. "we want to see the show, sue." "yes, and i want a red balloon, or maybe a blue one. which goes up the highest, bunny?" for, just then a man walked past, with many balloons, blue, red, green and yellow, floating in the air. "oh, i guess they all go up the same, sue," said bunny. the little boy was thinking hard. suppose those should be his grandfather's horses that the gypsy men had? how could bunny get them? it seemed too hard for the little boy to do. then, too, bunny wanted to take sue in to see the circus. that was what they had come for. but how could he get in when he had no money? and, now that he had seen an elephant close by, he did not feel like carrying water to one of the big animals. suppose one of them should accidentally step on bunny brown? the little boy looked around for some one to whom he could speak. he wanted to ask about getting into the show, and he wanted to talk about his grandfather's horses and the gypsies. but every one seemed to be too busy to stop to speak to the two children, all alone on the circus grounds. watching the two gypsies, with the horses, bunny and sue saw the men talk to some of the circus people. the gypsies pointed to the horses several times, and bunny and sue felt sure that the men with the red sashes, and the gold rings in their ears, were trying either to sell the horses, or have them trained to become circus animals. "oh, look, bunny!" sue suddenly cried. "the circus is starting!" from one of the tents came a long line of elephants, camels and horses. on the backs of the animals were men and women who wore red, green, blue, yellow, pink and purple clothing, which sparkled in the sunshine as if covered with diamonds like the one in aunt lu's ring. [illustration: "that's the parade!" said bunny.--_page 233._ _bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm._] "that's the parade!" said bunny. "that isn't the circus. that's in the tent. oh, i wish i could find a man to give us a ticket, or some money, for watering the ponies!" bunny looked all around. but he saw no one whom he could ask. every one seemed to be looking at the parade which was to march through the streets of the town, and then back to the circus grounds. even the gypsy men, with the horses that bunny and sue thought might be those belonging to their grandfather, were watching the parade. "come on!" cried bunny. "we'll look at it, too. we can go to the circus later. come on, sue!" they found a good place where they could watch the start of the parade. they saw the horses, elephants and camels. they saw the cages of lions and tigers, and even bears. and they saw the big steam piano, playing its funny tooting tunes, rumbling along. the steam piano was the last thing in the parade. "now we'll go and see if we can find some one to let us in the show," said bunny, when the gay procession had passed. "but i'm hungry!" exclaimed sue. "i got five cents, bunny. can't i have some peanuts or--or pink lemonade?" "why--why, i guess so," said the little boy. "i got five cents, too. i'll tell you what we can do, sue. you buy five cents worth of peanuts, and give me half. i'll buy a glass of pink lemonade, and give you half. we can get two straws. you can drink half and i'll drink half." "all right, bunny. only you mustn't drink faster than i do, 'cause i'm awful thirsty." "i'll let you drink more than half then, sue." the children bought the peanuts and lemonade, and when they had finished drinking the red lemonade through two straws, and were chewing the peanuts, they saw one of the circus men, with a long whip, come up to the two gypsies with the horses. what was said bunny and sue could not hear, but they saw the circus man walk off, while the two gypsies, leading their horses, went after him. "oh, sue!" exclaimed bunny. "there go grandpa's horses!" "well, when we go home we can tell him they are here in the circus, and he can come after them, bunny. now i want to go in and see the animals." but bunny brown and his sister sue were not to go to the circus right away. just as bunny was going up to another circus man he saw, to ask him how he could get a ticket to the show, a voice cried: "well, if there aren't those brown children! and all alone, too! they must be lost! we must take them home!" bunny and sue looked up to see mr. and mrs. kendall, who lived on the farm next to grandpa brown's, standing near. "bunny brown! how did you get here?" asked mrs. kendall. "we walked," said bunny. "we're going to see the show." "a fat man gave us a ride, and splash, too," said sue, as she patted her dog's head. "bunny was going to water the elephant, but he's too big--i mean the elephant is too big. so we're going to water the ponies and then we're going in the circus." "bless your hearts!" cried mrs. kendall. "does your mother know you came here?" "well--er--maybe," said bunny. "but we didn't have time to tell her." "they ran away, that's what they did," said the farmer. "their folks will be wild about them. i'd better take them home." bunny brown and his sister sue felt sad when they heard this. "but we don't want to go home," said bunny. "we want to see the circus!" cried sue. "i know, my dear," explained mrs. kendall, kindly, "but your family don't know where you are, and they will worry and be frightened. we will take you home, and perhaps your folks will bring you back to see the circus. you can't go in alone, anyhow." sue's eyes filled with tears. bunny wanted to cry, but he did not like to. some one might see him. "and we--we found grandpa's horses, too," sue went on. "what's that?" cried mr. kendall. "you found the horses the gypsies took? where are they?" "they're gone now," said bunny, and he told what he and sue had seen. "oh, well, maybe they weren't the same gypsies, or the same horses at all," mrs. kendall said. "these children guess at lots of things," she told her husband. "yes," he answered. "but i'll just about have time to drive them home, and come back to see the circus myself." "i'll come with you," said his wife. "their mother is probably looking for them now. come, bunny, sue--you'll ride home with us." "then we can't see the circus!" cried sue, tears falling from her brown eyes. "maybe you can to-morrow," suggested mrs. kendall. "the circus will be here two days." "that's good!" said bunny. he and sue did not feel so sad now. but they were a little disappointed. mrs. kendall took them to where her husband's wagon was standing in the shade, with the horse eating oats from a bag. into the wagon the children were lifted. splash jumped up all by himself, and then they were driven back to grandpa's farm, leaving the circus, with its big white tents, the fluttering flags, the jolly music, the elephants, camels and horses far behind. "we'll tell grandpa about the gypsies and his horses," said bunny. "yes," said sue. "and then maybe he'll bring us back to the show." chapter xxv grandpa's horses "well, well! you children do the queerest things!" cried grandpa brown, when mr. and mrs. kendall drove up to the farmhouse with bunny brown and his sister sue in the wagon, splash standing up in the back, and barking as though he had done it all. "yes, you certainly do queer things! the idea of running off to a circus!" "we--we didn't run--we walked," corrected sue. "and we saw the elephants, but i didn't water any," said bunny. "oh, i was _so_ worried about you!" cried mrs. brown, as she put her arms around bunny and sue. "why did you do it?" "we--we wanted to see the circus," said bunny. "and oh! we saw grandpa's horses!" cried sue. "two gypsy mans had them!" every one looked surprised on hearing this. "what's that? what's that?" cried grandpa brown. "you saw my two horses that the gypsies borrowed, and didn't bring back?" "yes, we saw them," said bunny. "anyhow they _looked_ like your horses, 'cause they weren't circus horses." "what about this, mr. kendall?" asked grandpa brown of the kind farmer who had brought bunny and sue home. "i don't know anything about it," was the answer. "my wife and i went to the circus, and when we were standing around, waiting for the show to begin, we saw these tots there. they were all alone, so we knew something must be wrong. they told us they'd run away, and we brought them back. but i didn't see your horses, though i did see two gypsy men hanging around one of the tents." grandpa brown thought for a few seconds. then he said: "well, it might be that the gypsies came back with my team, and are trying to sell them to the circus. i guess i'd better go over and see about it." "you can ride back with us," said mr. kendall. "my wife and i are going right back to the circus." "oh, can't we go?" cried bunny. "please!" begged sue. "not this time, my dears," said mother brown. "but if all goes well, you shall go to-morrow, when daddy comes back. the circus will be here for two days." bunny and sue were glad to hear this. grandpa brown rode off with mr. and mrs. kendall; and bunny and sue were given a good dinner and put to sleep that afternoon, for they were tired, sleepy and hungry. it was late in the afternoon when bunny and sue awoke. they went out on the porch, and the first thing they saw was grandpa brown coming down the road, riding on one horse and leading another which trotted by the side of the first. "oh, look!" cried bunny. "grandpa did get his horses back from the gypsies!" "that's just what i did, little man!" cried grandpa brown, as he rode up the drive. "those were my horses you saw the gypsy men have, though of course you only guessed it." "are they really yours?" asked mother brown. "yes, the same ones the gypsies took. if it had not been for bunny and sue i might never have gotten them back." "i thought we'd find them!" cried bunny. "we found aunt lu's diamond ring, and now we have found grandpa's horses." "good luck!" cried sue, clapping her hands. and the horses did really belong to grandpa brown. he told how he got them back. "the gypsy man, who borrowed my team, just before you folks came to the farm," grandpa said to bunny, sue and mother brown, "that gypsy man really meant to bring my horses back, when he got through with them, but he was taken ill. then some of the bad gypsies in the tribe ran away with the team--they took them far off and kept them. "where they went i don't know, but to-day they came back, and, seeing the circus, the gypsies thought they could sell my horses, to do tricks, maybe, though i never trained them to do any more than pull a plow or wagon. "anyhow, when i got to the circus i found one of the circus men was just going to buy my horses from the gypsies. i told him the team was mine, and that the gypsies had no right to sell it to him. the gypsies ran away when they saw me, and the circus man gave me my horses. so i have them back. but if bunny and sue had not gone to the circus i never would have known about my horses." "and did you see the elephants?" asked sue. "no, i didn't have time to look at them," said her grandfather with a laugh. "i was too glad to get my horses back." "i--i wish we could go to the circus," begged bunny. "so you shall--to-morrow!" cried grandpa brown. "my goodness you certainly shall go! you must have a reward for finding my horses for me, so i'll take you and sue and everybody to the circus to-morrow. we'll all go and have a good time!" "will you take bunker blue?" asked bunny. "yes, bunker shall go." "and can i get a blue balloon?" sue wanted to know. "yes, or a red or green or yellow one." "and me, too?" asked bunny. "of course." "and can we have peanuts, and more pink lemonade, 'cause it was awful good, and can we feed the elephant, and--and----" sue had to stop, for she was all out of breath. "you can have the best time ever!" cried grandpa brown, giving her a hug and a kiss. "oh! oh! oh!" cried sue, and that was all she could say, she felt so happy. bunny was happy too, and, a little later, he and sue went out to the barn to see grandpa's team of horses the gypsies had taken, but which were now safe in their stalls. of course papa brown was surprised when he came to the farm the next day, and heard that bunny and sue had found grandpa's horses for him. "my, such children!" he cried. but i think he was proud of them just the same. "oh, bunker! we're going to the circus!" cried sue. "and you're going too!" "and so am i!" shouted bunny. "and maybe we'll get up a circus of our own, sue!" "oh, will we?" "maybe!" and what sort of show the two children gave you may read about in the next book of this series, which will be called: "bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus." in a big farm wagon, the children, mr. and mrs. brown, grandpa and grandma brown, and bunker blue went to the big circus on the baseball grounds. bunny and sue saw the elephants, the camels, the lions, and the tigers. and the children did not have to carry water to get in to see the show, for grandpa brown bought tickets for them. bunny and sue sat looking at the men and women turn somersaults in the air, and fall down safely into the big nets. they saw the races, when monkeys rode on the backs of ponies and dogs. they saw the cages of wild animals, and they fed the elephants peanuts by the bagfull. "oh, bunny! bunny!" cried sue when they came out, each carrying a toy balloon. "wasn't the circus wonderful!" "fine!" cried bunny brown. "but you just wait until we get up our circus! that will be better yet!" and we will all wait and see what happened. the end _this isn't all!_ would you like to know what became of the good friends you have made in this book? would you like to read other stories continuing their adventures and experiences, or other books quite as entertaining by the same author? on the _reverse side_ of the wrapper which comes with this book, you will find a wonderful list of stories which you can buy at the same store where you got this book. =_don't throw away the wrapper_= _use it as a handy catalog of the books you want some day to have. but in case you do mislay it, write to the publishers for a complete catalog._ the bunny brown series by laura lee hope author of the popular "bobbsey twins" books, etc. * * * * * =durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding. every volume complete in itself.= * * * * * these stories are eagerly welcomed by the little folks from about five to ten years of age. their eyes fairly dance with delight at the lively doings of inquisitive little bunny brown and his cunning, trustful sister sue. bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at camp-rest-a-while bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove bunny brown and his sister sue in the sunny south bunny brown and his sister sue keeping store bunny brown and his sister sue and their trick dog bunny brown and his sister sue at a sugar camp bunny brown and his sister sue on the rolling ocean bunny brown and his sister sue on jack frost island * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, _publishers_, new york= the bobbsey twins books for little men and women by laura lee hope author of "the bunny brown series," etc. * * * * * =durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding. every volume complete in itself.= * * * * * these books for boys and girls between the ages of three and ten stands among children and their parents of this generation where the books of louisa may alcott stood in former days. the haps and mishaps of this inimitable pair of twins, their many adventures and experiences are a source of keen delight to imaginative children everywhere. the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a houseboat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home the bobbsey twins in a great city the bobbsey twins on blueberry island the bobbsey twins on the deep blue sea the bobbsey twins in the great west the bobbsey twins at cedar camp the bobbsey twins at the county fair the bobbsey twins camping out the bobbsey twins and baby may the bobbsey twins keeping house the bobbsey twins at cloverbank * * * * * grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york six little bunkers series by laura lee hope author of the bobbsey twins books, the bunny brown series, the blythe girls books, etc. * * * * * =durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding. every volume complete in itself.= * * * * * delightful stories for little boys and girls which sprung into immediate popularity. to know the six little bunkers is to take them at once to your heart, they are so intensely human, so full of fun and cute sayings. each story has a little plot of its own--one that can be easily followed--and all are written in miss hope's most entertaining manner. clean, wholesome volumes which ought to be on the bookshelf of every child in the land. six little bunkers at grandma bell's six little bunkers at aunt jo's six little bunkers at cousin tom's six little bunkers at grandpa ford's six little bunkers at uncle fred's six little bunkers at captain ben's six little bunkers at cowboy jack's six little bunkers at mammy june's six little bunkers at farmer joel's six little bunkers at miller ned's six little bunkers at indian john's * * * * * grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york the honey bunch books by helen louise thorndyke * * * * * =individual colored wrappers and text illustrations drawn by= =walter s. rogers= * * * * * honey bunch is a dainty, thoughtful little girl, and to know her is to take her to your heart at once. little girls everywhere will want to discover what interesting experiences she is having wherever she goes. honey bunch: just a little girl honey bunch: her first visit to the city honey bunch: her first days on the farm. honey bunch: her first visit to the seashore honey bunch: her first little garden honey bunch: her first days in camp honey bunch: her first auto tour honey bunch: her first trip on the ocean * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, _publishers_, new york= the flyaways stories by alice dale hardy author of the riddle club books * * * * * =individual colored jackets and colored illustrations by= =walter s. rogers= * * * * * a splendid new line of interesting tales for the little ones, introducing many of the well known characters of fairyland in a series of novel adventures. the flyaways are a happy family and every little girl and boy will want to know all about them. the flyaways and cinderella how the flyaways went to visit cinderella only to find that cinderella's prince had been carried off by the three robbers, rumbo, hibo and jobo. "i'll rescue him!" cried pa flyaway and then set out for the stronghold of the robbers. a splendid continuation of the original story of cinderella. the flyaways and little red riding hood on their way to visit little red riding hood the flyaways fell in with tommy tucker and the old woman who lived in a shoe. they told tommy about the magic button on red riding hood's cloak. how the wicked wolf stole the magic button and how the wolves plotted to eat up little red riding hood and all her family, and how the flyaways and king cole sent the wolves flying, makes a story no children will want to miss. the flyaways and goldilocks the flyaways wanted to see not only goldilocks but also the three bears and they took a remarkable journey through the air to do so. tommy even rode on a rocket and met the monstrous blue frog. when they arrived at goldilocks' house they found that the three bears had been there before them and mussed everything up, much to goldilocks' despair. "we must drive those bears out of the country!" said pa flyaway. then they journeyed underground to the yellow palace, and oh! so many things happened after that! * * * * * grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york * * * * * transcriber's notes: obvious punctuation errors repaired. table of contents, "189" changed to "187." page 43, "aster" changed to "faster". (and faster.) page 190, "if" changed to "of". (of the little) page 212, "th" change to "the". (believe any of the) "bu" changed to "but". (myself, but i) page 230, "man" changed to "men". (the two men) note: project gutenberg also has an html version of this file which includes the original illustrations. see 20133-h.htm or 20133-h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/2/0/1/3/20133/20133-h/20133-h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/2/0/1/3/20133/20133-h.zip) bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home by laura lee hope author of the bunny brown series, the bobbsey twins series, the outdoor girls series etc. illustrated by florence england nosworthy new york grosset & dunlap publishers made in the united states of america * * * * * books by laura lee hope _12mo. cloth. illustrated._ the bunny brown series bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while the bobbsey twins series for little men and women the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a houseboat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home the outdoor girls series the outdoor girls of deepdale the outdoor girls at rainbow lake the outdoor girls in a motor car the outdoor girls in a winter camp the outdoor girls in florida the outdoor girls at ocean view the outdoor girls on pine island grosset & dunlap publishers new york * * * * * copyright, 1916, by grosset & dunlap _bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home._ [illustration: "this is where aunt lu lives" _frontispiece_ (_page 93._) _bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home._] contents chapter page i. a midnight alarm 1 ii. bunny and sue go out 14 iii. aunt lu's invitation 23 iv. on the grocery wagon 33 v. surprising old miss hollyhock 40 vi. off for new york 49 vii. on the train 58 viii. aunt lu's surprise 68 ix. the wrong house 80 x. in the dumb waiter 95 xi. a long ride 105 xii. bunny orders dinner 116 xiii. the stray dog 129 xiv. the ragged man 138 xv. bunny goes fishing 148 xvi. lost in new york 157 xvii. at the police station 166 xviii. home again 175 xix. bunny flies a kite 184 xx. the play party 193 xxi. the real party 202 xxii. in the park 211 xxiii. old aunt sallie 218 xxiv. wopsie's folks 228 xxv. a happy christmas 236 bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home chapter i a midnight alarm "bunny! bunny brown! sue, dear! aren't you going to get up?" mrs. brown stood in the hall, calling to her two sleeping children. the sun was shining brightly out of doors, but the little folks had not yet gotten out of bed. "my! but you are sleeping late this morning!" went on mrs. brown. "come, bunny! sue! it's time for breakfast!" there was a patter of bare feet in one room. then a little voice called. "oh, bunny! i'm up first. come on, we'll go and help grandma feed the chickens!" little sue brown tapped on the door of her brother's room. "get up, bunny!" she cried, laughing. "i'm up first; let's go and get the eggs." in the room where bunny brown slept could be heard a sort of grunting, stretching, yawning sound. that was the little boy waking up. he heard what his sister sue said. "ho! ho!" he laughed, as he rubbed his sleepy eyes: "go to get eggs with grandma! i guess you think we're back on grandpa's farm; don't you sue?" and he came to his door to look out into the hall, where his mother stood smiling at the two children. when bunny said that, sue looked at him in surprise. she rubbed her hand across her eyes once or twice, glanced around the hall, back into her room, and then at her mother. a queer look was on sue's face. "why--why!" she exclaimed. "oh, why, bunny brown! that's just what i did think! i thought we were back at grandpa's, and we're not at all--we're in our home; aren't we?" "of course!" laughed mrs. brown. "but you were sleeping so late that i thought i had better call you. aren't you ready to get up? the sun came up long ago, and he's now shining brightly." "did the sun have its breakfast, mother?" asked bunny. "yes, little man. he drank a lot of dew, off the flowers. that's all he ever takes. now you two get dressed, and come down and have your breakfast, so we can clear away the dishes. hurry now!" mrs. brown went down stairs, leaving bunny and sue to dress by themselves, for they were old enough for that now. "oh, bunny!" exclaimed the little girl, as she went back in her own room. "i really did think, when i first woke up, that we were back at grandpa brown's, and that we were going out to help grandma feed the hens." "do you wish we were, sue?" asked bunny. "oh, i don't know, bunny," said sue slowly. "i did like it at grandma's, and we had lots of fun playing circus. but i like it at home here, too." "so do i," said bunny, as he started to get dressed. the two children, with their father and mother, had come back, only the day before, from a long visit to grandpa brown's, in the country. i'll tell you about that a little later. so it is no wonder that sue, awakening from the first night's sleep in her own house, after the long stay in the country, should think she was back at grandpa's. "bunny, bunny!" called sue, after a bit. "what is it?" he asked. "will you button my dress for me?" "is it one of the kind that buttons up the back, sue?" "yes. if it buttoned in front i could do it myself. will you help me, just as you did once before, 'cause i'm hungry for breakfast!" "yep, i'll help you, sue. only i hope your dress isn't got a lot of buttons on, sue. i always get mixed up when you make me button that kind, for i have some buttons, or button-holes, left over every time." "this dress only has four buttons on it, bunny, an' they're big ones." "that's good!" cried the little fellow, and he had soon buttoned sue's dress for her. then the two children went down to breakfast. "what can we do now, bunny?" asked sue, as they arose from the table. "we want to have some fun." "yes," said bunny. "we do." that was about all he and sue thought of when they did not have to go to school. they were always looking for some way to have fun. and they found it, nearly always. for bunny brown was a bright, daring little chap, always ready to do something, and very often he got into mischief when looking for fun. nor was that the worst of it, for he took sue with him wherever he went, so she fell into mischief too. but she didn't mind. she was always as ready for fun as was bunny, and the two had many good times together--"the brown twins," some persons called them, though they were not, for bunny was a year older than sue, being six, while she was only a little over five, about "half-past five," as she used to say, while bunny was "growing on seven." "yes," said bunny slowly, as he went out on the shady porch with his sister sue, "we want to have some fun." "let's go down to the fish dock," said sue. "we haven't seen the boats for a long time. we didn't see any while we were at grandpa's." "course not," agreed bunny. "they don't have boats on a farm. but we had a nice ride on the duck pond, on the raft, sue." "yes, we did, bunny. but we got all wet and muddy." sue laughed as she remembered that, and so did bunny. "all right, we'll go down to the fish dock," agreed the little boy. their father, mr. walter brown, was in the boat business at bellemere, on sandport bay, near the ocean. mr. brown owned many boats, and fishermen hired some, to go away out on the ocean, and catch fish and lobsters. other men hired sail boats, row boats or gasoline motor boats to take rides in on the ocean or bay, and often bunny and sue would have boat trips, too. the children always liked to go down to the fish dock, and watch the boats of the fishermen come in, laden with what the men had caught in their nets. mr. brown had an office on the fish dock. "where are you two children going?" called mrs. brown after bunny and sue, as they went out the front gate. "down to daddy's dock," replied bunny. "well, be careful you don't fall in the water." "we won't," promised sue. "wait 'til i get my doll, bunny!" she called to her brother. she ran back into the house, and came out, in a little while, carrying a big doll. "i didn't take you to grandpa's with me," said sue, talking to the doll as though it were a real baby, "but i'll take you down to see the fish now. you like fish, don't you, dollie?" "she wouldn't like 'em if they bit her," said bunny. "i won't let 'em bite her!" retorted sue. at the fish dock bunny and sue saw a tall, good-natured, red-haired boy coming out of their father's office. "oh, bunker blue!" cried bunny. "are any fish boats coming in?" bunker blue was mr. brown's helper, and was very fond of bunny and sue. he had been to grandpa's farm, in the country, with them. "yes, one of the fish boats is coming in now," said bunker. "you can come with me and watch." bunny took hold of one of bunker's hands, and sue the other. they always did this when they went out on the dock, for the water was very deep on each side, and though the children could swim a little, they did not want to fall into such deep water; especially with all their clothes on. soon they were at the end of the dock. coming up to it was a sailing boat, that had been out to sea for fish. "did you get many?" called bunker to the captain. "yes, quite a few fish this time. want to come and look at them? bring the children!" "oh, can we go on the boat?" asked bunny eagerly. "i guess so," said bunker blue. he led the children carefully to the deck of the fish boat. bunny and sue looked down into a hole, through an opening in the deck. the hole was filled with fish, some of which were still flapping their tails, for they had only just been taken out of the nets. "oh-o-o-o! what a lot of fish!" exclaimed sue. she leaned over to see better, when, all at once, her doll slipped from her arms, and fell right down among the flapping fish. "oh, dear!" cried sue. "i'll get her for you!" cried bunny, and he was just going to jump down in among the fish, too, but bunker blue caught him by the arm. "you'll spoil all your clothes if you do that, little man!" bunker said. "but i want to get sue's doll!" bunny himself did not care anything about dolls; he would not play with them. but he loved his sister sue, and he knew that she was very fond of this doll, so he wanted to get it for her. that was why he was ready to jump down in the hold (as that part of the ship is called) among the flapping fish. "i'll get her for you," said bunker. with a long pole bunker fished up the doll. her dress was all wet, for there was water on the fish. "and oh! dear! she smells just like a fish herself!" cried sue, puckering up her nose in a funny way. "you can take off her dress and wash it," said bunny. "yes," said sue, "i can do that, and i will." she took off the doll's dress, and then looked for some place to wash it. "here, sue, give it to me," said the captain of the boat, for he knew bunny and sue very well indeed. "i'll soon have the dress clean for you." "how?" asked sue, as she gave it to captain tuttle. he tied the dress to a string, and then dipped it in the water, over the side of the boat. up and down in the water he lifted the doll's dress, pulling it up by the string. "that's how we sailors wash our clothes when we're in a hurry," said captain tuttle. "now when your doll's dress is dry, it will be nice and clean. you can hang it up here to dry, while you're watching us take out the fish." he fastened sue's doll's dress on a line over the cabin, and then he and his men took the fish out of the boat, and packed them in barrels in ice to send to the city. bunny and sue looked on, and thought it great fun. sometimes a big flat fish, called a flounder, would slip from one of the baskets, in which the men were putting them, and flop out on deck, almost sliding overboard. soon all the fish were out, and as sue's doll's dress was now dry, she and bunny started back home. "well, we had fun then, sue," said the little boy. "didn't we?" "yes," agreed his sister. "but what can we do this afternoon?" "oh, we'll go down to charlie star's house and have some fun. he's got a new swing and a hammock." "oh, that will be fine!" cried sue. the children had a good time playing with charlie that afternoon. others of their playmates came also, and bunny and sue told of the jolly fun they had had in the country, on grandpa's farm. after a while the sun, that had been shining brightly all day, began to get ready to go to bed, down back of the hills where the clouds would cover it up until morning. and it was time also, for bunny brown and his sister sue to go to bed. all the little folk of the town of bellemere were getting sleepy. how long bunny and sue slept they did not know. but bunny was dreaming he had turned into a fish, and was going to flop into the water, and sue was dreaming that she and her doll were having a fine ride in a motor boat, when both children were awakened by the loud ringing of a bell. "ding-dong! ding-dong! ding-dong!" went the bell. "is that our door bell?" asked sue of bunny, who slept in the room next to hers, the door being open between. "no, i guess it's a church bell," said bunny, half awake. then he and his sister heard their father moving around his room. "what is it, walter?" asked mrs. brown. "it's a midnight alarm," he answered. "i guess it must be a fire, though it's the church bell that's ringing. i can't see any blaze from my window, but it must be a fire, or why would they ring the bell?" "and why should they ring the church bell, when we have a fire bell?" asked mrs. brown. "i don't know," answered her husband. "i guess i'd better get up, and see what it is. i wouldn't want any of my boats to burn up." chapter ii bunny and sue go out bunny brown, in his little room, and sue brown, in hers, jumped out of bed and ran to the window. they could hear the ringing of the church bell more plainly now. "ding-dong! ding-dong!" it sounded through the silence of the night. it was not altogether dark, for there was a big, bright moon in the sky, and it was almost as light as a cloudy day. "can you see any blaze?" bunny and sue heard their mother ask their father. "no, not a thing. but it's funny that that bell should ring. i'm going out to see what it is." "i'll come with you," said mrs. brown. "i'll just put on my slippers, a bath robe and a cloak, and come along. it's so warm that i'll not get cold." "all right, come along," said mr. brown. "the children are asleep and they won't miss us." bunny and sue felt like laughing when they heard this. they were not asleep, but their father and mother did not know they were awake. pretty soon mr. and mrs. brown slipped quietly down the stairs and out of the house--out into the moonlit night. the church bell was still ringing loudly, and bunny and sue could hear the neighbors, in the houses on either side of them, talking about it. everyone wondered if there was a fire. "oh, bunny!" called sue in a whisper to her brother, when daddy and mother brown had gone out. "is you awake, bunny?" "yep, course i am! are you?" "yep. say, bunny, let's go to the fire; will you?" "yep. i'll just put on my bath robe and slippers." "an' i will too. we'll go and see what it is. daddy and mother won't care, and we can come home with them." now while bunny brown and his sister sue are getting ready to go out to see what that midnight alarm means, i'll tell you a little bit about the children, and the other books, of which this is one in a series. the first book was called "bunny brown and his sister sue." in that i told you that bunny and sue lived with their father and mother in bellemere, near the ocean. mr. brown was in the boat business, and he had a big boy, bunker blue, as well as other men and boys, to help him. but of them all bunny and sue liked bunker blue best. in the first book i told how bunny's and sue's aunt lu came from the city of new york to pay them a long visit, how she lost her diamond ring, and how bunny found it in the queerest way. in the second book, named "bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm," i told how the brown family went on a trip in a big automobile. it was a regular moving van of an automobile, and so large that bunny and sue, mr. and mrs. brown and bunker blue could eat and sleep in it. they camped out during the two or more days they were making the trip to grandpa's. and what fun the children had in the country! you may read in the book all about how they saw the gypsies, how they were frightened by tramps at the picnic, how they were lost, and what jolly times they had with their dog splash. then, too, bunny and sue helped find grandpa's horses, that the gypsies had taken away. so, altogether, the children had lots of fun on grandpa brown's farm. they even went to a circus, and this brings me to the third book, which is called: "bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus." and that is just what bunny and sue did. they got up a little circus of their own, and held it in grandpa's barn. then bunker blue, and some of the larger boys in the country, thought they would get up a show. they did, and held it in two tents. of course bunny and sue helped. a week or so after the circus bunny and sue, with bunker, and their father and mother (and of course their dog splash) came back from the country in the big automobile. bunny and sue had many friends in bellemere where they lived. not only were the boys and girls their friends, but also many grown folk, who liked the brown children very much indeed. there was mrs. redden, who kept the village candy store, and there was uncle tad, an old soldier, who lived in the brown house. bunny and sue liked them very much. then there was old jed winkler, a sailor, who lived with his sister, miss euphemia winkler, and a monkey. that's right! mr. winkler did have a pet monkey named wango, and he was very funny--i mean the monkey was funny. he was so gentle that bunny and sue often petted him, and gave him candy and peanuts to eat. wango did many queer tricks. but now i think i have told you enough about bunny and sue, as well as about their friends, so we will go back to the children. we left them getting ready to go out into the moonlight, you know, to see what the ringing of the church bell meant. "is you all ready, bunny?" called sue when she had put on her bath robe and slippers. "yep," he answered. "come on." hand in hand the children went softly down the front stairs, as their father and mother had done. mr. and mrs. brown were now out in the street, some distance away from the house. men and women from several other houses, near that of the brown family, were also out, wondering why the bell was ringing. "don't wake up uncle tad!" whispered bunny to sue, as they walked along so softly in their bath slippers. "no, i won't," answered the little girl. "and don't wake up mary, either. she might not let us go." "all right," whispered bunny. mary was the cook, but, as she slept up on the third floor, she would hardly hear the children going out. "shut the door easy," said bunny to sue, as they reached the front steps. "don't let it slam." they had found the door open, as mr. and mrs. brown had left it, and the two children, each taking hold of it, closed it softly after them. "now we're all right!" whispered bunny, as he started down the street on the run, for the bell was ringing louder than ever now, and bunny was anxious to see the fire, if there was one. he hoped it would not be one of his father's boats, or the office on the fish dock. "wait! wait for me!" cried sue to her brother. "i can't run so fast, bunny, 'cause i'll stumble over my bath robe. it's awful long!" "hold it up, just as i do," said bunny, turning around to look at his sister. "hold it up, and then your legs won't get tangled in it." sue pulled the robe up to her knees, and held it there. bunny was doing the same thing, the bare legs of the children showing white in the moonlight. bunny started off again. "wait! wait!" begged sue. "take hold of my hand, bunny." "i can't!" he answered. "i've got to hold up my robe, or i'll tumble and bump my nose. besides, how can i take hold of your hand when you haven't got any hand for me to take hold of?" that was true enough. sue was holding up her long robe with both hands. "if i had some string i could tie up our robes," said bunny, looking on the moonlit sidewalk, hoping he might find a piece. "but i hasn't got any," he said, "so i can't hold your hand, sue. but i'll go slow for you." he waited for his sister to catch up to him, and then the two children hurried on. they could go faster now, for their long bath robes did not dangle around their feet. down the street they hurried. the bell kept ringing and ringing, and bunny and sue could see and hear many other persons who had gotten up to see what it all meant, and who were now hurrying down the street. "oh, bunny!" said sue. "isn't it just nice out to-night?" "yes," he said. the night was warm, and the moon was bright. bunny brown and his sister sue did not think they were doing wrong to get up at midnight, and run down the street. "i--i wonder where mother is?" said sue, as they turned a corner. "we don't want to see her, or daddy either," answered bunny, keeping in the shadows, out of sight. "why not, bunny brown? why don't we want to see our papa or mamma?" "'cause they'll send us back to bed, and we want to see the fire." "oh! do you think there is a fire, bunny?" "i guess so, or the bell wouldn't ring. but we'll soon see it, sue, for we're almost at the church." chapter iii aunt lu's invitation. "ding-dong!" went the bell in the steeple. "ding-dong! ding-dong!" by this time many persons were out in the street. mr. gorden, the grocery man, who lived next door to the brown family, saw bunny and sue hurrying along. "hello!" he cried. "what are you two youngsters doing up at this hour of night?" "we--we came to see the fire," said bunny. "where is your pa and your ma?" asked mr. gordon. "they--they went on ahead," explained bunny. "oh, well, if they're with you i guess it's all right," the grocer said. of course mr. and mrs. brown were not with bunny and sue, and their parents didn't even know that the children were out of their beds. but mr. gordon thought bunny and sue were all right, for he hurried on, calling back over his shoulder: "i don't know where the fire is. i think it must be a mistake, for i don't see any bright light. good-night, bunny and sue!" "good-night!" called the children, and they followed on behind mr. gordon. now they were in front of the church. before it was quite a crowd of people, but bunny and sue seemed to be the only children. at first no one noticed them. everyone was anxious to know what the ringing of the bell meant. "where's the fire?" "who rang the alarm?" "why didn't they ring the fire bell instead of the church bell?" "who's ringing it, anyhow?" "and what a funny way to ring it!" those were some of the remarks and questions bunny and sue heard, as they stood in front of the church. "ding-dong!" the bell kept on ringing. "ding-dong!" "well, there's one thing sure," said mr. gordon. "there isn't any fire around here, or we'd see it." "then someone must be ringing the bell for fun," suggested another voice. "that's daddy," whispered sue to bunny. "hush!" bunny said, as he moved around behind mr. gordon. he did not want his father or his mother to see him just yet--not until he had found out what made the bell ring. "it must be some boys doing it just for fun," said another man. "then we ought to get the police after them!" exclaimed someone else. "the idea of waking folks up at this hour of the night by ringing a church bell! they ought to be spanked!" "ding-dong! ding-dong!" went the bell again. everyone looked up at the church steeple, trying to see who was ringing the bell. there was no fire--everyone was sure of that. then, all at once a man cried: "there he is! i see him! there's the boy who has been ringing the bell!" he pointed up to the steeple. climbing out of one of the little windows, near the top, could be seen something small and black. "it's a boy--a little boy!" cried mr. gordon. "oh, he'll fall!" gasped mrs. brown. "the poor little fellow! how will he ever get down?" indeed he was very high above the ground. but he did not seem to be afraid. "little tyke!" said a man. "he ought to be spanked for this! i wonder whose boy he is?" "i'm glad it isn't bunny or sue," said mrs. brown. "yes, they are safe at home in bed," answered mr. brown. and, all this while, mind you, bunny and sue were right there in the crowd, where they could hear their father and their mother talking. but mr. and mrs. brown did not see their children. "who are you, up there on that steeple?" cried mr. gordon. "whose boy are you, and what are you doing there?" there was no answer. "maybe it's ben hall, the circus boy," said sue, as she thought of the strange boy who had come to grandpa's farm. "no, it couldn't be!" said bunny. "it might," sue went on. "ben was a good climber, you know. he climbed up high in the barn, and jumped down in the hay, and he turned a somersault." "yes, but the church steeple is higher than the barn," said bunny. "that isn't ben hall. it's a little boy--not much bigger than i am." just then the moon, which had been behind a cloud, came out. the church steeple was well lighted up, and then everyone cried: "why, it isn't a boy at all! it's a monkey!" "a monkey has been ringing the bell!" "whose monkey is it?" someone asked. "why it's wango!" exclaimed bunny brown, out loud, before he thought. "it's mr. winkler's monkey, wango!" "and i know how to get him down!" chimed in sue. "just give him some peanuts, and he'll come down!" the children's voices rang out clearly in the silence of the night. everyone heard them, mr. and mrs. brown included. "why--why, that sounded just like bunny!" said mrs. brown. "and sue," added mr. brown. "bunny! sue!" he called. "are you here? where are you?" "we--we're here, daddy," said bunny, sliding out from behind mr. gordon. "and i'm here, too!" said sue. she let her bath robe fall down over her bare legs. "well i never!" cried mrs. brown. "i thought you were at home in bed!" "we--we heard the fire-bell, mother," said bunny, "and when you and daddy got up we got up, too." "but we didn't wake uncle tad nor mary," said sue. the crowd laughed, and mr. and mrs. brown had to smile. after all, bunny and sue had done nothing so very wrong. it was a warm, light night, and they were not far from home. besides, they were only following their father and mother, though of course they ought not to have done that. "well, well!" said mrs. brown. "i wonder what you children will do next?" "we--we don't know," answered sue, and everyone laughed again. "as long as there isn't any fire, we'd better get back home," said mr. brown. "come on, bunny and sue." "oh, please let us watch 'em get wango down," begged bunny. "did he really ring the bell?" "i guess he must have," said mr. gordon. "he's a great monkey for getting loose, and doing tricks. i don't see how we're going to get him down if he doesn't want to come, though. it's too high to climb after him." "if we had some peanuts or lollypops, he'd come down," said sue. "once he was up on a high candy shelf in mrs. redden's store, and he came down for peanuts." "well, we might try that," said the store-keeper. "but here comes mr. winkler himself. i guess he'll know how to manage wango." the old sailor, who had also been awakened by the ringing of the bell, came slowly down the street. he looked toward the church steeple in the moonlight, and saw his pet. "wango, you bad monkey! come right down here!" called mr. winkler. but wango only chattered, and stayed where he was. "how'd he get up there?" someone asked. "oh, he broke loose in the night, when we were all asleep, and jumped out of an open window," said mr. winkler. "i suppose he must have climbed up inside the church steeple, and, seeing the bell rope hanging down, he swung himself by it, as he does on a rope i have fixed for him at home. his swinging back and forth on the rope rang the bell. i don't really believe he meant to do it." and that was how it had happened, and how wango had made people think there was a fire in the middle of the night when there wasn't any fire at all. "wango, come down!" called mr. winkler. but the monkey would not come. "if you had some peanuts he'd come," said sue. "i have some peanuts, little sue," said mr. winkler, and he brought out a handful from his pocket. "here, wango, come and get these!" the old sailor called. wango chattered, and came scrambling down the church steeple. he liked peanuts very much, and he was soon perched on his master's shoulder eating the brown kernels, and throwing the shells to one side. "well, now that everything is over all right, we'll go back home," said mr. brown. "but the next time a bell rings at night, i don't want you children running out," he said. "we won't," promised bunny. "but it was so nice and warm, and moonlight, that we couldn't stay in, daddy." daddy brown laughed, and a little later he and his wife, with bunny and sue, were safe at home. they went in without awakening uncle tad or mary, the cook. the other people also went home. mr. winkler fastened wango so he could not get loose, and soon everyone was asleep again, even the bell-ringing monkey. in the morning bunny and sue went over to see the old sailor's pet. wango jumped around on his perch and chattered, for he liked the children. "i--i wish we'd had him in the circus at grandpa's farm," said bunny, as he watched wango do some of his tricks. "he would have made them all laugh." "yes," said sue. "wango is funny!" and she petted the little, brown animal. when bunny and sue reached home again, munching on some cookies miss winkler had given them, they found their mother reading a letter. "good news, children!" mother brown cried. "good news!" "oh, are we going back to grandpa's farm?" asked bunny. "no, not this time," said his mother. "this is a letter from aunt lu. she invites us to come to her home, in new york city, to spend the fall and winter. oh, it's just a lovely invitation from aunt lu!" chapter iv on the grocery wagon bunny brown and his sister sue began to dance up and down, and to clap their fat little hands. they always did this when they were happy over some pleasure that was coming. and surely it would be a pleasure to go to aunt lu's city home. "oh, mother, may we go?" cried bunny. "please say we can!" begged sue. "why, yes, i think we'll go," smiled mother brown. "i have been thinking for some time of paying aunt lu a visit, and, now that she asks us to come, i think we will go." "and will daddy come?" bunny wanted to know. "well, he can't come and stay as long as we shall stay, perhaps," said mrs. brown, "but he may be with us part of the time, as he was at grandpa's farm." "oh, goodie! what fun we'll have! oh, goodie! what fun we'll have!" sang sue, dancing around, holding her doll by one arm. "and we'll ride in street cars, and on the steam cars," said bunny, "and i'll see a policeman and a fireman and the fire engines, and we'll have ice cream cones, and--and----" but that was all the little boy could think of just then, and he had to stop to catch his breath, which had nearly got away from him, he had talked so fast. "there won't be any horses to ride, and we can't see the ducks and chickens," said sue, "like we did on grandpa's farm in the country, bunny." "no, but we can see lots of other things in the city. i know we'll have plenty of fun, sue." "yes, i guess we will. when are we going, mother?" "oh, in about a week, i think. i'll write and tell aunt lu we are coming." "she hasn't lost her diamond ring again; has she?" asked bunny. "no, i guess not. she doesn't say anything about it, if she has," answered mrs. brown. "'cause if she had lost it we'd help her find it," the little boy went on. "oh, sue! aren't you glad we're going?" "well, i just guess i am!" said sue, happily, singing again. she and bunny talked of nothing else all that day but of the visit to aunt lu, and at night, when they were going to bed, they made plans of what they would do when they got to aunt lu's city house in new york. "you'll come; won't you, daddy?" asked bunny, at breakfast the next morning, just before mr. brown was ready to start for his office at the fish dock. "well, yes, i guess i'll come down when it gets so cold here that the boats can't go out in the bay on account of the ice," said daddy. "oh, are we going to stay until winter?" asked sue. "yes, we shall stay over christmas," her mother answered. "will there be a place to slide down hill?" bunny wanted to know. "i'm afraid not, in new york city," mr. brown said. "but you can have other kinds of fun, bunny and sue." "oh, i can hardly wait for the time to come!" cried sue, as she once more danced around the room with her doll. "let's go out in the yard and play teeter-tauter," called bunny. "that will make the time pass quicker, sue." bunker blue had made for the children a seesaw from a long plank put over a wooden sawhorse. when bunny sat on one end of the plank, and sue on the other, they went first up and then down, "teeter-tauter, bread and water," as they sang when they played this game. soon the brother and sister were enjoying themselves this way, talking about what fun they would have at aunt lu's city home. then, all at once, bunny jumped off the seesaw, and of course sue came down with a bump. "oh, bunny brown!" she cried, "what did you do that for? why didn't you tell me you were goin' to get off, an' then i could stop myself from bumpin'." "i'm sorry," said bunny. "i didn't know i was going to jump till i did. did you get hurted?" "no, but i might have. and you knocked my doll out of my lap, and maybe she's hurted." "oh, you can't hurt a doll!" cried bunny. "pooh!" "yes you can, too!" "no you can't!" the children might have gone on talking in this unpleasant way for some time, only, just then, up the side drive came mr. gordon's grocery wagon, with tommie tobin, the grocery boy, on the seat driving the horse. "oh, he's got things in for us!" cried sue. "let's go an' see what they is, bunny. maybe it's cookies, and we can have one. i'm hungry, and it isn't near dinner time yet. it's only cookie time." the two children went over to the grocery wagon. tommie tobin jumped off the seat, and hurried into the brown kitchen with a basket of things. he did not see bunny and sue, as they were on the other side of the wagon. just then bunny had an idea. he often got ideas in his queer little head. "oh, sue!" he cried. "i know what let's do!" "what?" she asked. "let's get in the grocery wagon, and have a ride." "oh, bunny! all right. let's!" softly the children drew nearer the wagon. then sue thought of something. "but, bunny," she said, "tommie won't like it. maybe he won't let us ride." "oh, he'll like it all right," said bunny. "he gave charlie star a ride the other day. anyhow he won't know it." "who won't know it; charlie?" "no, tommie. we'll get in the wagon, and hide down between the boxes and baskets, while he's in our house. then he won't see us. come on, sue." "but it's so high up i can't get in, bunny." "oh, i'll help you. here, we can stand on this box, and then we can easy get up." bunny found a box beside the drive-way. he put it up near the back of the grocery wagon, and stood up on it. then he helped sue up on the box. "now you can get in," said the little boy. "i'll boost you, just like bunker blue boosts me when i climb trees. up you go, sue!" bunny raised sue up from the box. she put one leg over the tail-board of the wagon, and down inside she tumbled in the midst of the grocery packages, the boxes and baskets. "here i come!" cried bunny, and in he came tumbling. he fell between sue and a bag of potatoes. just then the children heard a joyous whistle. "now keep still--keep very still," whispered bunny to sue. "here comes tommie, and if he doesn't see us he'll drive off and give us a nice ride. keep still, sue." sue kept very still. so did bunny. tommie came out whistling. he tossed the empty basket into the back of the wagon, gave one jump up on to the seat, and cried: "giddap!" off trotted the horse with the wagon, taking sue and bunny for a ride, along with the groceries. chapter v surprising old miss hollyhock "aren't we having a fine ride, bunny?" "hush, sue! not so loud! he'll hear us!" whispered the little boy, as he and his sister cuddled down in among the boxes and baskets in the grocery wagon. "but it is a nice ride; isn't it?" "it sure is, sue." bunny laughed in a sort of whisper, so tommie, the boy who drove the wagon, would not hear him. and, so far, tommie had no idea that he was taking with him bunny and sue. the two children had no idea where they were going. they often did things like that, without thinking, and sometimes they were sorry afterward. but it had seemed all right to them to get into the wagon for a ride. "we won't go very far," bunny went on, in another whisper, after a bit. "we'll just ride around the block, and then get out." "will we have to walk home?" sue asked. "maybe tommie will drive us back," said bunny. "he's real good, you know." "i'd rather ride than walk," said sue. tommie was whistling away as loudly as he could, and this, with the rattle of the wagon, and the clatter of the horse's hoofs made so much noise that the whisperings of bunny and sue were not heard by the grocery boy. the horse began to trot slowly, and bunny and sue, peering out from the back of the wagon, saw that it was going to stop in front of charlie star's house. "what's he stopping for?" asked sue. "hush!" whispered bunny. "i guess tommie is going to leave some groceries here." bunny had guessed right. tommie reached back inside the wagon, and picked up a basket full of packages and bundles. the delivery boy did not notice bunny and sue, who crouched down low, so as to keep out of sight. then, still whistling, tommie ran up the walk with some groceries for mrs. star. in a little while tommie was back again, and once more the horse trotted off as the grocery boy called: "giddap there, prince!" prince was the name of the horse. "oh, this sure is a fine ride!" said sue, laughing and snuggling close up to bunny. "aren't you glad we came?" "yes," he answered, "but i hope he brings us back. we're a long way from home now, and it's pretty far to walk." "oh, i guess he'll take us," said sue. "anyhow we're having a good time, and so is my doll," and she looked at her toy which she had brought with her. the doll was now sound asleep on a pound of butter in one of the baskets, her feet resting on a bag of sugar, and one arm stretched over a box of crackers. "she won't get hungry, anyhow," said bunny with a laugh. "she doesn't eat when she's asleep," said sue. tommy stopped his grocery wagon several times, to leave boxes or baskets of good things at the different houses. finally he stopped in front of a house where lived mr. thompson, and here tommie had to wait a long time, for the thompson family was very large, and they bought a number of groceries. tommie used to write down in his book the different things mrs. thompson wanted to order, so he could bring them to her the next time he drove past. bunny and sue, cuddled down amid the boxes and baskets, did not like to stay still so long. they wanted to be riding. finally sue looked out of the back of the wagon and said: "oh, bunny, look! there's where old miss hollyhock lives," and she pointed to a shabby little house, where lived a poor old woman. "hollyhock" was not her name, but everyone called her that because she had so many of those old-fashioned flowers around her house. she was so poor that often she did not have much to eat, except what the neighbors gave her. mrs. brown often sent her things, and once bunny and sue sold lemonade, and gave the money they took in to old miss hollyhock. "yes, that's where she lives," said bunny. "and maybe she's hungry now," sue went on. "maybe she is," agreed bunny. "we could give her something to eat," suggested sue, after thinking a few seconds. "how?" bunny wanted to know. "look at all these groceries," sue said. "there's a lot here that tommie don't need. we could get out, and take a basket full in to old miss hollyhock." "oh, so we could!" bunny cried. "we'll do it. pick out the biggest basket you can find, sue." neither bunny brown nor his sister sue thought it would be wrong to take a basket of groceries from the wagon for poor old miss hollyhock. they did not stop to think that the groceries belonged to someone else. all they thought of was that the old lady might be hungry. "we'll take this basket," said sue. "it's got lots in." she pointed to one that held some bread, crackers, sugar, butter, potatoes, tea and coffee. all of these things were done up in paper bags, except the potatoes. bunny and sue could tell which was tea and which was coffee by the smell. and they had often gone to the store for their mother, so they knew how the grocer did up other things good to eat, in different sized bags or packages. "yes, that will be a nice basket to take to old miss hollyhock," agreed bunny. "but i don't think i can carry it, sue." "i'll help you," said the little girl. "anyhow, if we can't carry it all at once, we can take it in a little at a time." "we--we ought to have a box to step on when we get out, same as we had to get in," said bunny. "here's one," and sue pointed to an empty box in the wagon. bunny dragged it to the back of the wagon. the end, or "tail," board was down, so there was no trouble in dropping the box out of the wagon to the ground. then bunny could step on it and get out. he also helped sue down. but first they pulled the big basket of groceries close to the end of the wagon, where they could easily reach it. "now we'll surprise old miss hollyhock," said bunny. "won't it be nice!" exclaimed sue. they did not stop to think that they might also surprise someone else besides the poor old lady. looking toward the thompson house, to make sure tommie was not coming out, bunny and sue filled their little arms with bundles from the grocery basket, and started toward old miss hollyhock's cabin. they did not want tommie to see what they were doing. "'cause maybe he wouldn't want to give her so much," said bunny. "but mother will pay for it if we ask her to." "yes," said sue. together they went up to old miss hollyhock's door. then bunny thought of something else. "we'll give her a surprise," he whispered to sue. "we'll make believe it's valentine's day or hallowe'en, and we'll leave the things on her doorstep, and run away." "that will be nice," said sue. the children had to make three trips before they had all the groceries out of the basket and piled nicely on the front steps of old miss hollyhock's house. but at last it was all done, and bunny and sue climbed back in the wagon again. bunny even reached down and pulled up after him the box on which he and his sister had stepped when they got in and out. all this while tommie had not come out of the thompson house, so of course he had not seen what the children had done. soon after bunny and sue were safely snuggled down amid the boxes and baskets once more, the grocery boy came down the walk whistling. he threw an empty basket into the wagon, put in his pocket the book in which he had written down the order mrs. thompson had given him, and cried to prince: "giddap!" "and he giddapped as fast as anything!" said sue, in telling about it afterward. "he giddapped so fast that i tumbled over backward into a box of strawberries. but i didn't smash very many, and bunny and me ate 'em, so it didn't hurt much." on went the grocery horse, and pretty soon tommie, on the front seat, cried: "whoa!" the horse stopped in front of a big house where lived mr. jones. tommie looked back into the wagon. he did not see bunny and sue, for they had pulled a horse blanket over themselves to hide, since there were not so many boxes in the wagon now. "hello!" cried tommie in surprise. "where's that big basket of groceries for mr. jones? i surely put it in the wagon, but it's gone! this is queer!" bunny and sue, hiding under the blanket, wondered what would happen next. chapter vi off for new york "where is that basket of groceries for the jones house? where can it have gone to?" asked tommie aloud, as he looked back into his wagon. "i'm sure i put it in, and now--" he turned around on his seat, and stepped over into the back part of the wagon, among the boxes and baskets. he looked at them carefully, and finally he raised the horse blanket that was over bunny and sue. "why--why--what--what in the world are you doing here?" cried tommie, much surprised to see the two children hiding there. "we--we're having a ride," said sue. "where did you get in?" asked tommie. "when you stopped at our house," answered bunny. "and we've been riding with you ever since." "well, well!" cried tommie. "and to think i never knew it! you riding in with me all the while, and i never knew a thing about it! well, well!" he laughed, and bunny and sue laughed also. it was quite a joke. "you don't mind, do you, tommie?" asked bunny. "no, not a bit. i'm glad to have you." "and will you ride us home?" asked sue. "sure, yes, of course i will. but i've got to deliver the rest of my groceries first. and that makes me think--i've lost a big basket full that ought to go to mr. jones. i'm sure i put 'em in the wagon, but they're not here. you didn't see a big basket of groceries--butter, bread, tea, coffee and sugar--fall out, while you were riding in there, did you?" bunny and sue looked at one another. they were both thinking of the same thing. "that must have been the basket," said bunny slowly. "yes," agreed sue. "what basket?" asked tommie. "we--we gave a basket of groceries to old miss hollyhock," said bunny slowly. "it was while you were in mr. thompson's house. you know old miss hollyhock is awful poor, and we gave her the things to eat. we left 'em on her doorstep." "for a hallowe'en surprise," added sue, "or a valentine, though it isn't valentine's day yet, either." "so that's what happened; eh?" cried the grocery boy. "old miss hollyhock has the things i ought to leave for mrs. jones! well, well!" "is you mad?" asked sue, for there was a queer look on tommie's face. "no, not exactly mad, sue," said tommie slowly. "but i don't know what to do. i know you meant to be kind, and good to old miss hollyhock; but what am i to do about the things for mrs. jones? i can't very well go and take them away from old miss hollyhock, for she must think that some of her friends sent them, as they often do. it wouldn't do to take them away." "oh, no! you musn't take 'em away from her, after we gave 'em to her," said bunny. "that would make her feel bad." "and she feels bad now, 'cause she's poor," put in sue. "she's hungry, too, maybe." "yes, i guess she is," agreed tommie. "well, i don't know what to do. if i go back to the store to get more things for mrs. jones, mr. gordon will want to know what became of the basketful i had. and old miss hollyhock has them. well--" "oh, i know what to do!" cried bunny. "what?" asked tommie. "you go to my house," said the little boy, "and my mamma will give you money to buy more groceries for mrs. jones. then old miss hollyhock can keep the ones sue and me give her. won't that be all right?" "yes, i s'pose it will if your mother gives me the money," answered tommie slowly. "she won't have to give you the money," said sue. "we don't pay money for groceries anyhow; we charge 'em." "well, it's the same thing in the end," said tommie with a laugh. "but i guess the best i can do is to take you two youngsters home, and see what happens then. i'll tell mrs. jones i'll come later with her groceries." tommie ran up to the jones house, and was soon back on the wagon again. he drove quite fast to the home of bunny and sue. "oh, you children!" cried mrs. brown, when she heard what had happened--about bunny and sue riding in the grocery wagon, and giving the things away to old miss hollyhock that mrs. jones ought to have had. "you'll pay for the groceries, won't you, mother?" asked bunny. "yes, dear, i suppose so. i know you meant to be kind, but you should ask me before you do things like that. however, the food will be a great help to old miss hollyhock. i was going to send her some anyhow. "here, tommie, you give this note to mr. gordon, the grocer, and he will charge the things to me, and give you more for mrs. jones. i'm sorry you had all this trouble." "oh, i don't mind," and tommie was smiling now. "i'm glad bunny and sue had a nice ride." "and it makes you feel good to give things to people," said bunny. "i mean it makes you feel good inside." "like eating bread and jam when you're hungry," observed sue. "no, it isn't like that," said bunny. "'cause when your hungry, and you eat bread and jam it makes you feel good here," and he put his hand on his stomach. "but when you make somebody, like old miss hollyhock, a present it makes you feel good higher up," and he patted his little heart. "well, i'm glad to know you like to be kind," said mother brown. "but please don't run away and ride in any more grocery wagons, or something may happen so that you can't go on a visit to aunt lu's city home." "oh dear!" cried sue. "we wouldn't want that to happen! are we soon going, mother?" "pretty soon, i guess. i have some sewing to do first. i must make you some new dresses." the next week was a busy one in the brown house. there were clothes to get ready for bunny and sue, and as they had just come back from a long visit to grandpa's, in the country, some of their things needed much mending. for bunny and sue had played in the hay; they had romped around in the barn, and had run through the woods, and across the fields. but the summer vacation had done them good. they were strong and healthy, and as brown as little indian children. they could play all day long, come in, go to bed, and get up early the next morning, ready for more good times. one day the postman brought another letter from aunt lu. "i can hardly wait for bunny and sue to come to see me," said aunt lu. "i am sure they will have a fine time in the city, though it is different from the seashore where they live. bunny will not find any lobster claws here. and my home isn't in the country, either. there are no green fields to play in, though we can go to central park, or the bronx zoo." "what's a zoo?" asked bunny. "is it something good to eat?" "it's a game, like tag," guessed sue. "no," said mother brown. "aunt lu means the bronx zoã¶logical park, and she calls it zoo for short. that means a place where animals are kept." "wild animals?" asked bunny. "yes." "pooh! i know what a zoo is--it's a circus!" the little boy exclaimed. "well, it's partly like that," said his mother. "but that isn't all of aunt lu's letter." "what else does she say?" asked sue. "why, she writes that she has a surprise for you." "oh, what is it?" asked bunny. "tell us!" begged sue. "aunt lu doesn't say," said mrs. brown. "you will have to wait until you get to aunt lu's city home. then you'll find out what the surprise is." bunny and sue tried all that day to guess, but of course they could not tell whether they had guessed right or not. "oh dear!" sighed sue. "i wish it was time to go now." but the days soon passed, and, about a week later, mrs. brown, with bunny and sue, were at the railroad station, ready to take the train for new york. mr. brown could not go with them, though he said he would come later. he went to the station with them, however. "here comes the new york train," said mr. brown as a whistle sounded down the track. "now you're off for aunt lu's!" chapter vii on the train mr. brown helped his wife and the two children on to the train. then he had to hurry down the steps, for the engine was whistling, which meant that it was about to start off again. "and i don't want to be carried away with it, much as i would like to go," said daddy brown. "but i'll come to aunt lu's and see you before the winter is over, though now i must stay here, and look after my boat business, with bunker blue." "bring bunker with you when you come to new york," called bunny to his father, as the train slowly rolled out of the station. "all right, perhaps i will," answered mr. brown. bunny brown and his sister sue crowded up to the open car window to wave a last good-bye to their father, who stood on the depot platform. at last they could see him no longer, for the train was soon going fast, and was quickly far away. then the children settled down to enjoy their ride. "mother, can't i sit next to the window?" begged sue. "no, i want to!" cried bunny. the children did not often ride in the steam cars, and of course it was quite a treat for each of them to sit next to the window, where one could watch the trees, houses, fences and telegraph poles as they seemed to fly past. in fact bunny and sue both wanted the window so much that they quite forgot to be polite, as they nearly always were. "i'm going to be at the window," said sue. "no, i am!" cried bunny. "children, children!" said mrs. brown softly. "be nice now. i will let you each have a seat by yourself, then you may each sit by a window. you must not be so impatient about it." the car was not crowded, and there was plenty of room for bunny and sue to have each a seat by a window. mrs. brown also sat in a seat by herself behind the two little ones. she had seen that the windows were not raised high enough for bunny or sue to put out their heads. "and you must not put out your arms, or hands, either," she said. "you might be hit by a post or something, and be hurt. keep your hands and arms in." bunny and sue were quite happy now, for they loved to travel, as most children do. then, too, they were going to aunt lu's in the big city of new york, and would have lots of good times there. they had said good-bye to all their little friends, and to old miss hollyhock. the poor old lady had found the groceries on her doorstep, and she was very thankful for them. "i hope when you get old, and poor and hungry, you'll have some one to be kind to you," she had said to bunny and sue, when she found out it was to them she owed the good things. "oh, we're never going to be poor!" sue had said. "our papa will buy us things to eat. he buys us ice cream cones; don't he bunny?" "yes, dear, and i hope he will always be with you, to look after you," said old miss hollyhock. bunny and sue had also said good-bye to uncle tad, to mrs. redden who kept the candy store, and to mr. and miss winkler. nor did they forget to say good-bye to wango, the monkey. "we won't see any monkeys in the city," said sue. "yes we will," cried bunny. "we'll see 'em in the zoo. and they have hand-organ monkeys in cities, sue." "maybe they do," she said. and now, as the two children were riding in the train, they talked of what they saw from the windows, and also of the friends they had left behind in bellemere, not forgetting wango, the monkey. "mother, i want a drink of water," said sue, after a while. "i'm thirsty." "all right, i'll get you a drink," said mrs. brown. in her bag she had a little drinking cup, that closed up, "like an accordion," as bunny said. and, taking this out, mrs. brown walked to the end of the car where the water was kept in a tank, to get sue a drink. as the little girl was taking some from the cup the train gave a sudden swing to one side, and, the first thing sue knew, the water had splashed up in her face, and down over her dress. "oh--oh, mother!" gasped sue. "i--i didn't mean to do that." "no, you couldn't help it," said mrs. brown. "it was the train that made you do it. water won't hurt your dress." mrs. brown sat down, after wiping the drops off sue's skirt and face. she was beginning to read a book when bunny, who had been looking out of his window, called: "mother, i'm thirsty. i want a drink!" "oh, bunny dear! why didn't you tell me that when i was getting one for sue?" "'cause, mother, i wasn't thirsty then." mrs. brown smiled. then she once more went down to the end of the car and got bunny a drink. by this time the train had stopped at a station, so the car was not "jiggling" as sue called it. and bunny did not spill his cup of water. for some time after this the two children sat quietly in their seats. "i just saw a cow!" sue called back to her brother. "pooh!" he answered. "that's nothing. i just saw two horses in a field, and one was running." "well, a cow's better than a horse," insisted sue. "no it isn't!" bunny cried. "you can ride a horse, but you can't ride a cow." "well, a cow gives milk." bunny could not think of any answer for a minute, and then he said: "well, anyhow, two horses is better than one cow." even sue thought this might be so. she sat looking out of the window, watching the trees, houses, fences and telegraph poles, as they seemed to fly past. by and by a boy came through the car selling candy. "mother, i'm hungry!" said bunny. "so am i!" added sue. "i want some candy!" mrs. brown bought them some chocolates, for the ride was a long one, and they had eaten an early breakfast. the candy kept bunny and sue quiet for a while, and mrs. brown was shutting her eyes for a little sleep, when she heard some one behind her saying: "oh, children, i wouldn't do that!" quickly opening her eyes she saw bunny and sue crossing to the other side of the car, to take some empty seats there. a passenger behind mrs. brown, seeing that she was asleep, had spoken to the children. "oh, you musn't do that," said mrs. brown. "stay in the seats you had first." "we want to see what's on this side," said bunny. he had already climbed up into a vacant seat, and was near the window, when, all at once, a train rushed past on the other track, with a loud whistle, a clanging of the bell and puffing of the engine, that sent smoke and cinders into bunny's face. the little fellow jumped back quickly. "there!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "you see it is much nicer on the side where you were first. no trains pass on this side." so bunny and sue were glad enough to go back to the places they had at first. for some time they were quiet, looking out at the different stations as they stopped. at noon their mother gave them some chicken sandwiches from a basket of lunch she had put up. "why don't we go into the dining car, like we did once?" bunny wanted to know. "because there isn't any on this train," said mrs. brown. "but we will soon be at aunt lu's. now sit back in your seats, and rest yourselves." bunny and sue did for a while. then they looked for something else to do. the train boy came through with some picture books, and mrs. brown bought one each for bunny and sue. these kept them quiet for a little while, but the books were soon finished, even when bunny took sue's and gave her his, to change about. "you come back and sit in my seat, bunny," sue invited her brother after a while. "no, you come with me," said bunny. so sue got in with him, but she wanted to sit next to the window, and as bunny wanted that place himself, they were not satisfied, until sue went back in her own seat. about this time bunny looked up and saw a long cord stretched overhead in the car, like a clothes line. it hung down from the car ceiling, and ran over little brass wheels, or pulleys, like those on mr. brown's boats, only much smaller. "do you see that cord, sue?" asked bunny. "yes," answered the little girl. "what's it for?" "that's what holds the cars together," bunny said. "the cars are tied to the engine with that cord." of course this was not so, for it takes strong iron chains and bars to hold the railroad cars one to another, and to the engine. but bunny thought the cord, that blew a whistle in the engine, kept the train from coming apart. "is that what it's for?" asked sue. "it isn't a very big string for to hold a train." "oh, it's very strong," bunny said. "nobody could break it." "i--i guess daddy could break it," sue suggested. "no he couldn't!" "yes he could! daddy's awful strong!" "he couldn't break that cord!" declared bunny. "nobody could break it. if i could pull it down here, you could pull on it and see how strong it is. no one can break it." he reached up toward the whistle cord, but he was too short to get hold of it. "i know how you can get it," said sue. "how can i get it?" bunny asked. "hook it down with mother's parasol," answered sue. "oh, so i can!" cried bunny. he went back to the seat where his mother sat. mrs. brown had fallen asleep, and bunny got her parasol without awakening her. the little fellow raised the umbrella, and hooked the crook in the end of it over the whistle cord. he pulled down hard, and then--well, i guess i'll tell you in the next chapter what happened. chapter viii aunt lu's surprise when bunny brown pulled down on the whistle cord in the railroad car, a very strange thing happened. all at once there was a loud squeaking, grinding sound. the car shivered and shook and began to go slowly. it stopped so suddenly that bunny slid out of the smooth plush seat down to the floor. so did his sister sue. some of the other passengers had hard work to keep from sliding from their seats, and many of them jumped up and began calling: "what's the matter?" "what has happened?" "is there an accident?" for when a train stops suddenly, you know, if it is going along fast, it almost always means that something has happened, or that there is a cow, or something else, on the track, and that the engineer wants to stop, quickly, so as not to hit it. and that's what the other passengers thought now. mrs. brown was suddenly awakened from her sleep. she, too, had almost slid from her seat when the car stopped so suddenly. for the moment bunny pulled down on the cord, it blew a whistle in the cab, or little house of the engine, where the engineer sits. and when the engineer heard that whistle he knew it meant for him to stop as soon as he could. he could look down the track, and see that there was nothing on the rails that he could hit, but, hearing the whistle, he thought the conductor, or one of the brakemen, must have pulled the cord. perhaps the engineer thought some one had fallen off the train, as people sometimes fall off boats, and the engineer wanted to stop quickly so the passenger could be picked up. at any rate, he stopped very suddenly, and that was what made all the trouble. or, rather, bunny brown made all the trouble, though he did not mean to. "why, bunny!" cried his mother, as she straightened up in her seat. "where are you? where is sue? what has happened?" for, you know, bunny and sue had slid down to the floor of the car when the train came to such a sudden stop. "where are you, children?" called mrs. brown, anxiously. "i--i'm here, mother!" answered sue. "bunny pushed me off my seat!" "oh-o-o-o, sue brown! i did not!" cried the little fellow, getting up with the parasol still in his hand. "i did not!" "well, you made the train stop, and that knocked me out of my seat, and my doll was knocked down too, so there!" answered sue, and she seemed ready to cry. "bunny, what happened? what did you do?" asked his mother. "what are you doing with my parasol?" she asked. "i--i just reached up to pull down that rope with the crooked handle end," bunny answered, pointing to the whistle cord. "i wanted to show sue how strong it was, so i pulled on it." "oh ho!" exclaimed a fat man, a few seats ahead of bunny. "so that's what made the train stop; eh? i thought someone must have pulled the engineer's whistle cord to make him stop, but i didn't think it was a little boy like you." "oh, bunny!" exclaimed his mother, when she saw what had happened. "you shouldn't have done that. you musn't stop the train that way." "i--i didn't want to stop the train, mother!" the little boy answered. "i just wanted to show sue about the cord. i fell out of my seat, too," he added. "yes, nearly all of us did," said the fat man with a laugh. "well if you didn't mean to do it bunny, we'll forgive you i suppose," and he laughed in a jolly way. into the car came hurrying the conductor, with the gold bands on his cap, and the brakeman. they looked all around, and then straight at bunny who still held his mother's parasol. "who pulled the whistle cord?" asked the conductor. years ago there used to be a bell cord in the train, and a bell rang in the engineer's cab when the cord was pulled. but now an air whistle blows. "who pulled the cord?" asked the conductor. now bunny brown was a brave little chap, even when he knew he had done wrong. so he spoke up and said: "i--i pulled it, mr. conductor. i pulled the cord." "you did eh?" and the conductor smiled a little now. bunny looked so funny and so cute standing there, with the parasol, and sue looked so pretty, standing near him, holding her doll upside down, that no one could help at least smiling. some of the passengers were laughing. "and so you stopped my train; did you?" the conductor asked. "i--i guess so," bunny answered. "i was pulling down on the rope, to show my sister how strong it was." "oh, i see," the conductor went on. "then you didn't stop my train because you wanted to get off?" "oh, no!" cried bunny quickly. "i don't want to get off now. i want to go to new york. we're going to my aunt lu's house." "well, new york is quite a way off yet," laughed the conductor, "so i guess you had better stay with us. but please don't pull on the whistle cord again." "i won't," bunny promised. "but it is a strong rope, isn't it, mr. conductor? and it does hold the cars together; doesn't it?" "well, no, not exactly," the conductor answered, while the passengers laughed. "i'll show you what the cord does in a little while. but i'm glad nothing has happened. i thought there was an accident when the train stopped so quickly, so i ran through all the cars to find out. now we'll go on again." he reached up and pulled the car-cord twice. far up ahead, in the cab of the locomotive, a little whistle blew twice, and the engineer knew that meant for him to go ahead. it's just like that on a trolley car. one bell means to stop, and two bells to go ahead. "oh bunny! why did you do it?" asked his mother, as she took the parasol from him. "why--why, i didn't mean to stop the train," he said. mrs. brown thought there was not much need of scolding bunny, for he had not meant to do wrong. he promised never again to pull on a whistle cord in a train. now the cars were rolling on again, and, in a little while the conductor again came back to where mrs. brown was sitting. "now where's the little boy who stopped my train?" he asked with a smile. "i'm here," bunny answered, "and this is my sister sue." "well, i'm glad to meet you both again, i'm sure," and the conductor shook hands with bunny and kissed sue. "now, if you two would like it, i'll show you where you blew the whistle in the engine." "oh, will you take us in the engine?" asked bunny, who had always wanted to go in that funny little house on top of the locomotive's back. "yes, i'll take you in when we make the next stop," the conductor said. "we have to wait a few minutes to give the engine a drink of water, and i'll take you and your sister in the engine. that is if you say it's all right," and he turned around to look at mrs. brown. "oh, yes," bunny's mother answered. "they may go with you if they won't be a bother. i'm sorry my little boy made so much trouble about stopping the train." "oh, well, he didn't mean to, so we'll forget all about it. i'll come back and get you when we stop," he said. a little later the train slowed up. it did it so easily that no one fell out of his seat this time, and, pretty soon, back came the conductor to get bunny and sue. the engine had stopped near a big wooden tank filled with water, and some of this water was running through a big pipe into the tender of the engine. the tender is the place where the coal is kept for the locomotive fire. "hello, jim!" called the conductor to the engineer who was leaning out of the window of his little house. "here's the boy who stopped the train so suddenly a while back." "oh ho! is he?" asked the engineer. "well, he isn't a very big boy, to have stopped such a big train." "i--i didn't mean to," said bunny, and he and sue looked back, and saw that truly it was a long train. and the locomotive pulling it was a very big one. "well, you didn't do much damage," laughed the engineer. "i'm going to bring them up to see you," the conductor said. "that's right, let 'em come!" the engineer came out of his cab and took first bunny, and then sue, from the conductor, who lifted them up to the iron step near the boiler. a hot fire was burning under the engine to make steam, and bunny and sue looked at it in wonder. then the engineer took them up in his cab, and showed bunny where, on the ceiling, was the little air whistle--the one bunny had blown when he pulled the cord with the parasol. then the engineer showed the children the shiny handle that he pulled to make the engine go ahead, and another that made it go backward. then he showed a little brass handle. "this is the one i pulled on in a hurry when i heard you blow the whistle once," he said. "what handle is that?" asked the little boy. "that's the handle that puts on the air brakes," said the engineer. "and over here is the rope the fireman pulls when he wants to ring the bell. i'll let you ring it." "and me, too?" asked sue. "yes, you too!" laughed the engineer. first bunny pulled on the rope that was fast to the big bell on the top of the engine, near the smoke-stack where the puffing noise sounded. bunny could hardly make the bell ring, as it was very heavy, but finally he did make it sound: "ding-dong!" "now it's my turn!" cried sue. she could only make the bell ring once: "ding!" but she was just as well pleased. by this time the engine had taken enough water for its boiler, to last until it got to new york, and the conductor took bunny and sue back to their mother. they were quite excited and pleased over their visit to the locomotive, and told mrs. brown all about the strange sights they had seen. "but when will we be at aunt lu's?" asked bunny, as he looked out of the window. "oh, soon now," his mother answered. and, in about an hour, the brakeman put his head in through the door of their car, and called out: "new york! all change!" "change what, mother?" asked sue. "have we got to change our clothes? are we going to bed?" "no, dear. the man means we must change cars. we are at the end of our railroad trip." "but it's so dark," said bunny. "i thought it was time to go to bed." "it's the station that's dark," said mrs. brown. "part of it is underground, like a tunnel." indeed it was so dark in the train and the station that the car lamps were lighted. no wonder bunny and sue thought it time to go to bed. but when they got outside the sun was shining, though it was afternoon, and would soon be supper time. "oh, here you are! hello, bunny dear! hello, sue dear!" cried a jolly voice. "oh, aunt lu! oh, aunt lu!" cried bunny and sue as they clung to their aunt. "we're so glad to see you!" "and i'm glad to see you!" she cried, as she kissed her sister, mrs. brown. "now come on, and we'll soon be at my house." "but where's the surprise?" asked bunny. "yes, we want to see the surprise," said sue. "it's in my automobile," said aunt lu with a laugh. "come on, i'll show her to you." "is it--is it a _her_?" asked bunny. "yes, my dear. you'll soon see. come on!" aunt lu led the way to a fine, large automobile just outside the station. a man wearing a tall hat opened the door of the car, and looking inside bunny and sue saw a queer little colored girl, her kinky hair standing up in little pigtails all over her head. she smiled at bunny and sue, showing her white teeth. "there!" cried aunt lu. "what do you think of my surprise?" chapter ix the wrong house for a second or two bunny brown and his sister sue did not know what to say. they stood on the sidewalk, at the door of the automobile, which was one of the closed kind, staring at the little colored girl, with her kinky wisps of hair. "well, what do you think of wopsie?" asked aunt lu again. "don't you like my surprise, bunny--sue?" "is--is this the surprise?" asked bunny. "yes, this is wopsie. i'll tell you about her in a little while. get in now, and we'll soon be at my house." wopsie, the colored girl, smiled to show even more of her white teeth, and then she asked: "is yo' all de company?" "yes, this is the company i told you about, wopsie," said miss baker, which was aunt lu's name. "this is bunny," and she pointed to the little boy, "and this little girl is sue. they are going to be my company for a long time, i hope." wopsie gave a funny little bow, that sent her black topknots of hair bobbing all over her head, and said: "pleased to meet yo' all, company! pleased to meet yo'!" bunny and sue thought wopsie talked quite funnily, but they were too polite to say so. they looked at the little colored girl and smiled. and she smiled back at them. "home, george," said miss baker to one of the two men on the front seat of the automobile. the man touched his cap, and soon bunny, sue and their mother were being driven rapidly through the streets of new york in aunt lu's automobile. "it's almost as big as the one we went in to grandpa's, in the country," said bunny, as he looked around at the seats, and noticed the little electric lamp in the roof. "but you can't sleep in it or cook in it," said sue. "and there's no place for splash or bunker blue." "no," said bunny. "that's so." the children had had to leave splash, the dog, home with daddy brown, and of course bunker blue did not come to aunt lu's. "no, we can't sleep in my auto, nor eat, unless it is to eat candy, or cookies, or something like that," said aunt lu. "and i have some sweet crackers for the children, if you think it's all right for them to eat," said aunt lu to mother brown. "oh, yes. i guess it will be all right. they must be hungry, though they ate on the train." "and bunny stopped the train, too!" cried sue. "he pulled on the whistle cord, with mother's parasol, and we stopped so quick we slid out of our seats; didn't we, bunny?" "yep!" "my! that was quite an adventure," said aunt lu, laughing. "and we went in the choo-choo engine," went on sue. "i ringed the bell, i did, and so did bunny. was you ever in a train, wopsie?" sue asked the little colored girl. "yes'm, i was once." "wopsie came all the way up from down south," said aunt lu. "she is a little lost girl." "lost!" cried bunny and sue. they did not understand how any one could be lost when in a nice automobile with aunt lu. "yes'm, i'se losted!" said wopsie, shaking her kinky head, "an' i suttinly does wish dat i could find mah folks!" "i must tell you about her," said aunt lu. "wopsie, which is the name i call her, though her right name is sallie jefferson, was sent up north to live with her aunt here in new york. wopsie made the trip all alone. she was put on the train, at a little town somewhere in north carolina, or south carolina--she doesn't remember which--and sent up here." "all alone?" asked bunny. "yes, all alone. she had a tag, or piece of paper, pinned to her dress, with the name and house number of her aunt. but the paper was lost." "de paper was losted, and now i'se losted," said wopsie. "i'll tell them all about you, wopsie," said aunt lu. then she told bunny and sue how the little colored girl had reached new york all alone, not knowing where to go. "a kind lady, in the same station where you children just came in, looked after wopsie," said aunt lu. "this lady looks after all lost boys and girls, and she took wopsie to a nice place to stay all night. in the morning she tried to find wopsie's aunt, but could not. nor could wopsie tell her aunt's name, or where she lived. she was lost just as you and sue, bunny, sometimes get lost in the woods." "and how did you come to take her?" asked mother brown. "well, wopsie was sent to a society that looks after lost children," said aunt lu. "they tried to find her friends, either up here, in new york, or down south, but they could not. i belong to this society, and when i heard of wopsie i said i would take her and keep her in my house for a while. i can train her to become a lady's maid while i am waiting to find her folks." "are you trying to find them?" asked mrs. brown. "yes, i have written all over, and so has the society. we have asked the police to let us know if any one is asking for a little lost colored girl. but i have had her nearly a month now, and no one has claimed her." "yep. i suah am losted!" said wopsie, but she laughed as she said it, and did not seem to mind very much. "it's fun being losted like this," she said, as she patted the soft cushions of the automobile. "i likes it!" "and are you really going to keep her?" asked mrs. brown of her sister. "yes, until she gets a little older, or until i can find her folks. i think her father and mother must have died some time ago," said aunt lu in a whisper to mrs. brown. "she probably didn't have any _real_ folks down south, so whoever she was with sent her up here." "well, i'm glad you took care of her," said mrs. brown. "she looks like a nice clean little girl." "she is; and she is very kind and helpful. she is careful, too, and she will be a help with bunny and sue. wopsie has already learned her way around that part of new york near my apartment, and i can send her on errands. she can take bunny and sue out." while mrs. brown and aunt lu were talking together wopsie had given bunny and sue some sweet crackers from a box she took out from a pocket in the side of the automobile. aunt lu had told her to do so. so bunny and sue ate the crackers as they rode along, and wopsie sat near them. "don't you want a cracker?" asked bunny. "no, sah, thank you," answered the little colored girl. "i don't eat 'tween meals. miss baker say as how it ain't good for your intergestion." "what's in--indergaston?" asked sue. "huh! dat's a misery on yo' insides--a pain," said wopsie. "i t'ought everybody knowed dat!" bunny was silent a minute. "do you know how to stop a train by pulling on the whistle cord?" he asked. "no," said wopsie. "huh! i thought everybody knew that!" exclaimed bunny. then he laughed, as wopsie did. it was a little joke on her, when bunny answered her the way he did. the automobile came to a stop in front of a large building. bunny and sue looked up at it. "my! what a big house you live in, aunt lu!" said bunny. "oh, this isn't all mine!" laughed aunt lu. "there are many others who live in here. this is what is called an apartment house. i have my dining room, kitchen, bath room and other rooms, and other families in this building have the same thing. you see there isn't room in new york to build separate houses, such as you have in bellemere, so they make one big house, and divide it up on the inside, into a number of little houses, or apartments." bunny and sue thought that very strange. "but you haven't any yard to play in!" exclaimed bunny, as he and his sister got out of the automobile, and found that the front door of aunt lu's apartment was right on the sidewalk. "no, we don't have yards in the city, bunny. but we have a roof to go up on and play." "playing on a roof!" cried bunny. "i should think you'd fall off!" "oh, it has a high railing all around it. wopsie may take you up there after a bit. then you can see how it seems to play on a roof, instead of down on the ground. we have to do queer things in big cities." bunny brown and his sister sue certainly thought so. as they entered the apartment house the children found themselves in a wide hall, with marble floor and sides. there was a nice carpet over the marble floor and bright electric lights glowed from the ceiling. "right in here," said aunt lu, leading the children toward what seemed to be a little room with an iron door, like the iron gate to some park. a colored boy, with many brass buttons on his blue coat, stood at the door. "jes' yo' all wait an' see what gwine t' happen!" said wopsie. "why, what is going to happen?" asked bunny. "oh, ho! yo' all jes' wait!" exclaimed wopsie, laughing at her secret. "what is it? i don't want anything to happen!" cried sue hanging back. "oh, it isn't anything, dear. this is just the elevator," said aunt lu. "get in and you'll have a nice ride." "oh, i like a ride," sue said. in she stepped with bunny, her mother, aunt lu and wopsie. the colored boy, who was also smiling, and showing his white teeth as wopsie was doing, closed the iron door. then, all of a sudden, bunny and sue felt themselves shooting upward. "oh! oh!" cried bunny. "we're in a balloon! we're in a balloon! we're going up!" "just like a skyrocket on the fourth of july!" added sue. she was not afraid now. she was clapping her hands. up and up and up they went! "oh, what makes it?" asked bunny. "is it a balloon, aunt lu?" "no, dear, it's just the elevator. you see this big house is so high that you would get tired climbing the stairs up to my rooms, so we go up in the elevator. it lifts us up, and in england they call them 'lifts' on this account." "oh, i see!" bunny cried, as he looked up and saw that he was in a sort of square steel cage, going up what seemed to be a long tunnel; standing up instead of lying on the ground as a railroad tunnel lies. "i see! we're going up, just like a bucket of water comes up out of the well." "that's it!" said aunt lu. "and when we go down we go down just like the bucket going down in the well." "it's fun! i like it!" and sue clapped her hands. "i like the elevator!" "yes'm, it sho' am fun!" echoed wopsie. "wopsie would ride up and down all day if i'd let her," said aunt lu. "but here we are at my floor. now wasn't that better than climbing up ten flights of stairs, children?" "i guess it was!" cried bunny. "do you live up ten flights?" "yes, and there are some families who live higher than that." they stepped out of the elevator into a little hall, and soon they were in aunt lu's nice city apartment, or house, if you like that word better. "now, wopsie," said aunt lu, "you tell jane to make mrs. brown a nice cup of tea." "and can we go up on the roof?" asked bunny. "not right away--but after a while," said his aunt. "let's go out into the elevator again," suggested sue. "no, dear, not now," said mrs. brown. bunny and sue thought they had never been in such a nice place as aunt lu's city home. from the windows they could look down to the street, ten stories below. "it's a good way to fall," said bunny, in a whisper. "but you musn't lean out of the windows, and then you won't fall," his mother told him. the children were given their supper, and then wopsie took them up on the roof. this was higher yet. it was a flat roof, with a broad, high railing all around it so no one could fall off. and from it bunny and sue could look all over new york, and see the twinkling lights far off, for it was now getting on toward evening, though it was not yet dark. a little later wopsie took them down in the elevator again, to the street. there they saw other children walking up and down, some of them playing; some babies being wheeled in carriages, and many men and women walking past. "my! what a lot of people!" cried bunny. "is it always this way in a city, wopsie?" "yes'm," answered the little colored girl, who seemed to mix up "yes, ma'am," and "yes, sir." but what of it? she meant all right. "it's bin dis way eber sence i come t' new york," she went on. "allers a crowd laik dis. everybuddy hurryin' an' hurryin'." wopsie stood still a moment to speak to another colored girl, who came out of the next house, and bunny and sue walked on ahead. before they knew it they had turned a corner. down at the end of the street they saw a man playing a hand-piano, or hurdy-gurdy, as they are called. "oh, bunny!" cried sue. "let's go down and listen to the music." "all right," bunny agreed. "and maybe he has a monkey, like wango." hand in hand the two children ran on. they saw other children about the hurdy-gurdy. some of them were dancing. bunny and sue danced too. then the music-man wheeled his music machine away, and bunny and sue turned to go back. they walked on and on, and finally bunny, stopping in front of a big house said: "this is where aunt lu lives." "but where is wopsie?" asked sue. "why isn't she here?" "oh, maybe she went inside," replied bunny. "come on, we'll go in the elevator and have a ride." they went into the marble hall. it looked just like the one in aunt lu's apartment. and there was the same colored elevator boy in his queer little cage. bunny and sue went to the entrance. "where yo' want to go?" asked the elevator boy. "to aunt lu's," answered bunny. "what floor she done lib on?" the boy asked. "i--i don't know," bunny said. "i--i forgot the number." "what's her name?" "aunt lu," said sue. "no, i mean her last name?" "oh, it's baker," said bunny. "aunt lu baker." the colored elevator boy shook his head. "they don't no miss baker lib heah!" he said. "i done guess yo' chilluns done got in de wrong house!" chapter x in the dumb waiter bunny brown looked at his sister sue, and his sister sue looked at bunny brown. then they both looked at the colored elevator boy. he was smiling at them, so bunny and sue were not as frightened as they might otherwise have been. "isn't this where aunt lu lives?" asked bunny. "nope. not if her name's baker," answered the elevator lad. "we sure ain't got nobody named baker in heah!" (he meant "here.") "oh, bunny!" cried sue. "then we're losted again!" "where'd you come from?" asked the colored boy. "now don't git skeered, 'cause yo' all ain't losted very much i guess. maybe i kin find where yo' all belongs. what's de number of, de house where yo' auntie libs?" "i--i don't know," said bunny. he had not thought to ask the number of his aunt's house, nor had he looked to see what the number was over the door before he and sue came out. in the country no one ever had numbers on their houses, and bellemere was like the country in this way--no houses had numbers on them. "well, what street does your aunt done lib on?" asked the colored boy, in the funny way he talked. "i don't know that, either," said bunny. "huh! den yo' suah _am_ lost!" cried the elevator lad. "but don't yo' all git skeered!" he said quickly, as he saw tears coming in sue's brown eyes. "i guess yo' all ain't losted so very much, yet. maybe i kin find yo' aunt's house." "if you could find wopsie for us, she could take us there," said bunny. "find who?" "wopsie. she's a little girl that lives with my aunt, and--" but the elevator boy did not wait for bunny to finish. "wopsie!" he cried. "am she dat queer li'l colored gal, wif her hair all done up in rags?" "yes!" cried sue eagerly. "that's wopsie. we came out to walk with her, but we heard the hand-piano music, and we got lost." "do you know wopsie?" asked bunny. "i suah does!" cried the elevator boy. "she's a real nice li'l gal, an' we all likes her." "she's losted too," said bunny. "yes, i knows about dat!" replied the elevator boy. "we all knows 'bout wopsie. why she's jest down the street, and around the corner a few houses. now i know where yo' aunt lu libs. if you'd a' done said wopsie _fust_, i'd a knowed den, right off quick!" "can you take us home?" asked sue. "i suah can!" cried the kind colored boy. "jes yo' all wait a minute." he called to another colored boy to take care of his elevator, and then, holding one of bunny's and one of sue's hands, he went out into the street. around the corner he hurried, and, no sooner had he turned it, than up rushed wopsie herself. she made a grab for bunny and sue. "oh, mah goodness!" cried the little colored girl. "oh, mah goodness! i'se so skeered! i done t'ought i'd losted yo' all!" "no, wopsie," said bunny. "you didn't lost us. we losted ourselves. we heard music, and we went to look for a monkey." "but there wasn't any monkey," said sue, "and we got in the wrong house, where aunt lu didn't live." "but he brought us back. he knows you, wopsie," and bunny nodded toward the kind elevator boy. "i guess everybody around dish yeah place knows wopsie," said the boy, smiling. "will yo' all take dese chilluns home now?" he asked. "i suah will!" wopsie said. "mah goodness! i'se bin lookin' all ober fo' 'em! i didn't know where dey wented. come along now, an' yo' all musn't go 'way from wopsie no mo'!" "we won't!" promised bunny. he and sue were beginning to find out that it was easier to get lost in the city, even by going just around the corner, than it was in the country, when they went down a long road. for in the city the houses were so close together, and they all looked so much alike, that it was hard to tell one from the other. "but yo' all am all right now, honey lambs," said wopsie, who seemed to be very much older than bunny and sue, though really she was no more than three or four years older. "do we have to go in now?" asked bunny, as wopsie led him and sue down the street, having said good-bye to the kind elevator boy who had brought them part way home. "yes, i guess we'd better go in," said the little colored girl. "yo' ma might be worried about yo'. we'll go in. it's gittin' dark." the elevator quickly carried them up to aunt lu's floor. "oh, now i see the number!" cried bunny. "it's ten--i won't forget any more." "well, did you have a good time?" asked mother brown when bunny and sue came in, followed by wopsie. "we got losted!" exclaimed sue. "what! lost so soon?" cried aunt lu. "where was it?" "in a house just like this," broke in bunny. "and it had a lift elevator and a colored boy and everything. only he said you didn't live there, and you didn't, and i didn't know the number of your floor, or of your house, and we got losted!" "but i found them!" said wopsie, for she felt it might be a little bit her fault that bunny and sue had gotten away. but of course it was their own fault for running to hear the music. "you must be careful about getting lost," said aunt lu. "but of course, if ever you do, just ask a policeman. i'll give you each one of my cards, with my name and address on, and you can show that to the officer. he'll bring, or send, you home." sue and bunny were each given a card, and they put them away in their pockets, where they would have them the next time they went out on the street. for the next two or three days bunny brown and his sister sue did not go far away from aunt lu's house. wopsie took them up and down the block for a walk, but more often they were riding in aunt lu's automobile. and many wonderful sights did the children see in the big city of new york. they could hardly remember them, there were so many. bunny and sue grew to like wopsie very much. she was a kind, good girl, anxious to help, and do all she could, and she just loved the children. she was almost like a nurse girl for them, and mrs. brown did not have to worry when bunny and sue were with wopsie. "do you think you'll ever find her folks?" asked mrs. brown of aunt lu, when they were talking of the colored girl one day. "well, i'm sure i hope so," answered aunt lu, "though i like the poor little thing myself very much, and i would like to keep her with me. but i know she is lonesome for her own aunt whom she has not seen since she was a little baby. and i think the aunt must be worrying about lost wopsie. the police haven't been able to find any one who is looking for a little colored girl, to come up from down south. perhaps her aunt has moved away. anyhow i'll keep wopsie until i find her folks." sometimes bunny and sue thought that wopsie looked sad. perhaps she did, when she thought of how she was lost. but she had a good home with aunt lu, and after all, wopsie was quite happy, especially since bunny and sue had come. the two brown children thought riding in the elevator was great fun. often they would slip out by themselves and get henry, the colored boy, to carry them up and down. and he was very glad to do it, if he was not busy. one day bunny and sue went out into aunt lu's kitchen, where mary, the colored cook, was busy. she often gave the children cookies, or a piece of cake, just as mother brown did at home. this day, after they had eaten their cookies, bunny and sue heard a knocking in the kitchen. "somebody's at the door," called bunny. "no, chile! folks don't knock at de kitchen do' heah," said mary. "dey rings de bell." "but somebody's knocking," said bunny. "yes chile. i s'pects dat's de ice man knockin' on de dumb waiter t' tell me he's put on a piece ob ice," went on the cook. she opened a door in the kitchen wall, and bunny and sue saw what looked like a big box, in a sort of closet. in the box was a large piece of ice. "yep. dat's what it am. ice on de dumb waiter," said mary, as she took off the cold chunk and put it in the refrigerator. it was an extra piece gotten that day because she was going to make ice cream for dessert. "what's a dumb waiter?" asked bunny. "dis is," said mary, pointing to the box, back of the door in the wall. "it waits on me--it brings up de milk and de ice. it's jest a big box, and it goes up an' down on a rope dat runs ober a wheel." "i know--a pulley wheel," said bunny. "dat's it!" cried mary. "de box goes up an' down inside between de walls, and when de ice man, or de milk man puts anyt'ing on de waiter in de cellar, dey pulls on de rope and up it comes to me." "what makes them call it a dumb waiter?" asked sue. "'cause as how it can't talk, chile. anyt'ing dat can't talk is dumb, an' dis waiter, or lifter, can't talk. so it's dumb." bunny and sue looked at the dumb waiter for some time. mary showed them how it would go up or down on the rope, very easily. a little while after that, mary went to her room to put on a clean apron; bunny and sue were still in the kitchen. "sue," said bunny. "i know something we can do to have fun." "what?" asked the little girl. "play with the dumb waiter. it's just like a little elevator. now i'll get in, you close the door, and i'll ride down cellar. then when i ride up it will be your turn to ride down." "all right!" cried sue. "i'll do it. you go first, bunny." standing on a chair, bunny managed to crawl into the dumb waiter box, where the piece of ice had been. and then, all at once something happened. chapter xi a long ride "are you all ready, bunny?" asked sue, as she stood on the chair close to the little door of the dumb waiter, or elevator. "yep," bunny answered. sue closed the door, and then there was a squeaking sound inside the little closet where the waiter slid up and down. at the same time bunny's voice was heard crying: "oh, sue! i'm falling! i'm falling down!" sue did not know what to do. she tried to open the door, but it had shut with a spring catch when she pushed on it, and her small fingers were not strong enough to open it again. "oh dear!" cried the little girl. "oh dear! bunny! mother! aunt lu! mary! wopsie!" she called every name she could think of, and she would have called for her father, grandpa brown and even uncle tad, only she knew they were far away. "bunny! bunny!" sue called. "is you there? is you in there?" but bunny did not answer. and now sue could hear no noise from the dumb waiter, inside of which she had shut her brother. "bunny! bunny!" begged sue. "speak to me! where is you?" but no answer came. bunny was far off. i'll tell you, soon, where he was. sue got down off the chair, on which she stood to push shut the door, after bunny crawled inside the dumb waiter. the little girl ran out of the kitchen, calling to her mother, aunt lu and wopsie. the colored cook was the first one to answer. "what's the matter?" she called. "what hab happened, sue?" "oh, it's bunny! he's gone! he's gone!" sobbed sue. "gone? gone where?" mary asked. "down there!" and sue pointed to the dumb waiter door. mary ran across the kitchen, and opened the door. she looked down, and then she turned to sue and asked: "did he fall down, sue?" "no, he didn't fall down. but he got in the little box, where the ice was, and told me to shut the door. he was going to have a ride. it was going to be my turn when he came back. but there was a big bump, and bunny hollered, and he didn't come back, and oh dear! i guess he's losted again!" mrs. brown and aunt lu came hurrying into the kitchen. behind them was wopsie, her hair standing up more than ever, for she had just finished tying it in rags. "what's the matter?" asked mother brown and aunt lu at the same time. "oh, bunny's gone!" wailed sue. "he's in de dumb waiter," explained mary. "oh, did he fall?" cried aunt lu. "no'm, he jest got in to hab a ride, same as dat little boy who used to lib up stairs," mary explained. "we'll find him in de cellar all right, miss baker." "find who?" sue wanted to know. "yo' brudder!" said mary. "now don't yo' all git skairt. 'case little massa bunny am suah gwine t' be all right." "i'll go and get him!" cried aunt lu. "and i'll go with you," said mother brown. "oh, i'm coming too!" exclaimed sue. "no, you stay here, dear," said her mother. "you stay here with mary and wopsie." mrs. brown and her sister, who was the aunt of bunny and sue, went down in the big elevator to the basement or cellar of the apartment house. and there they saw a strange sight. bunny, whose clothes were all dusty, and whose hair was all topsy-turvy, was standing in front of the janitor, an iceman and a policeman. these three men were looking at the little boy who did not seem to know what to do or say. but he was not crying. he was too brave for that. "oh, bunny brown!" cried his mother. "why did you do it?" bunny did not answer, but the policeman spoke, and said: "is it all right, lady? does he belong here?" "oh, yes, he's my little boy," explained mrs. brown. "he rode down in the dumb waiter," aunt lu said. "you see he is visiting me, and he had never seen a dumb waiter before." "well, he came down in one all right," said the iceman. "it was like this," he explained to aunt lu. "after i sent up your piece of ice, miss baker, i stood here talking to the janitor. all at once we heard the dumb waiter come down with a bang, and then we heard someone in it yelling. i thought it was a sneak-thief, or a burglar, for you know they often rob houses by going up in dumb waiters. "so i spoke to the janitor about it, and we called in the policeman who was going past. we thought if it was a burglar we'd sure have him. but when we opened the door there was only this little chap." "i--i didn't mean to do it," said bunny, as he saw them all looking at him. "i just wanted to get a ride, and then sue was going to have one. but, as soon as i got in, the dumb waiter went down so quick i couldn't stop." "he sure did come down with a bump!" exclaimed the iceman. "i guess he was a little too heavy for it, or else the rope must have slipped. anyhow he's not hurt much, except he's a bit mussed up." "are you hurt, bunny?" his mother asked him. "no'm," he answered. "just bumped, that's all. i--i won't do it again." "no, you'd better not, because you might get hurt," said the policeman. "well," he added, "i might as well go along, for you have no burglars for me to arrest this day," and away he went. then the iceman went off, laughing, and mrs. brown and aunt lu took bunny up to their apartment in the elevator. "this is nicer than the dumb waiter," bunny said, as henry took them up. "i was all scrunched up in that, and i got a awful hard bump." mrs. brown sighed. "i'm sure i don't know what you will do next," she said. "you and sue never do the same thing twice, so there's no use in telling you to be careful." "oh, i won't get in any more dumb waiters," said bunny, with a shake of his head. "they're too small, and they're too bumpy." sue felt much better when she saw that bunny was all right, and mary gave each of the children a piece of cake, after which wopsie took them up to the roof, where an awning had been stretched to make shade, and there, high above the city streets, the two children had a sort of play-party. "i like it in the city; don't you, bunny?" asked sue. "yes, i think it's fine at aunt lu's house," returned bunny. "don't you like it here, wopsie?" "yes'm, i suah does. but i wishes as how i could find mah folks. it's awful nice heah, an' miss baker suah does treat me mighty fine, but i'd like to find mah own aunt." "and don't you know where she is?" asked bunny. "no'm, i don't 'member much about it all," said the colored girl, with a shake of her kinky head. "i lived down souf, an' i s'pects dey got tired ob me down dere. or else maybe dey didn't hab money 'nuff t' keep me. colored folks down souf is terrible poor. they ain't rich, laik yo' aunt lu." "aunt lu is terrible rich," said sue. "she's got a diamond ring." "i knows dat!" said wopsie. "an' it was losted, like we was," sue went on, "but bunny, he found it in a lobster claw. and we had a punch and judy show." "i'd laik dat!" exclaimed wopsie, her eyes sparkling. "maybe we could help you find your folks," said bunny. "we found aunt lu's diamond ring, and grandpa's horses, that the gypsies took; so maybe we could find your folks, wopsie." "i don't believe so," and the little colored girl shook her head. "yo' all sees it was dis heah way. somebody down souf, what was takin' care ob me, got tired, and shipped me up norf here. dey didn't come wif me deyse'ves, but dey puts a piece ob paper on me, same laik i was a trunk, or a satchel. "well, maybe it would a' bin all right, but dat piece ob paper come unpinned offen me, an' i got losted, same laik you'd lose a trunk. only miss lu found me, an' she's keepin' me, but she don't know who i belongs to, nohow." "and is your aunt up here?" asked bunny. "yes'm, she's somewheres in new york," and wopsie waved her hand over the big city, down on which sue and bunny could look from the roof of the apartment house. "well, maybe we can find her for you," said bunny. "we'll try; won't we, sue?" "course we will, bunny brown." just how he was going to do it bunny brown did not know. but he made up his mind that he would find wopsie's aunt for her. and two or three times after that, when he and sue happened to be out in the street, and saw any colored women, the children would ask them if they were looking for a little, lost colored girl named wopsie. but of course the colored women knew nothing about the little piccaninny. "well, we'll have to ask somebody else," bunny would say, after each time, when he had not found an aunt for wopsie. "we'll find her yet, sue." "yes," sue would answer, "we will!" from the windows of aunt lu's house bunny and sue could look down on the street and see many strange sights. oh! how many automobiles there were in new york! there were big ones, and little ones, but there were more of the small kind, with little red flags in front, than any other. "those are called taxicabs," aunt lu told bunny. "they are like the old cabs, drawn by horses. if a person wants to ride in a taxicab he just waves his hand to the men at the steering wheel." "and does he stop?" asked bunny. "yes," answered aunt lu. "the taxicab man stops." "and gives 'em a ride?" sue wanted to know. "yes, he takes them wherever they want to go." bunny and sue looked at each other. their eyes sparkled, and it is too bad aunt lu did not see them just then, or she might have said something that would have saved much trouble. but she was busy sewing, and she did not notice bunny and sue. the next day the two children slipped out into the hall, and went down to the street in the elevator. once out in the street bunny and sue watched until they saw, coming along, one of the little taxicabs, with the red flag up, which meant that no one was having a ride in it just then. "hi there!" called bunny, holding up his hand to the man at the steering wheel. "want a ride?" asked the man, as he swung his taxicab up to the curb. "yes," answered bunny. "my sister--sue and i--we want a ride." "where to?" asked the man, as he helped the children up inside the car. "oh, we want a nice, long ride," said bunny. "a nice, long ride; don't we, sue?" "yep," answered the little girl. chapter xii bunny orders dinner you may think it strange that the man on the taxicab automobile would so quickly help bunny brown and his sister up into his machine and give them a ride. and that, without asking for any money. but it was not at all strange in new york. there are many children in that big city, and often they go about by themselves, some who are no larger than bunny and sue. they get used to looking out for themselves, learn how to make their way about, and they often go in taxicabs alone. so the automobile man thought nothing of it when bunny said he wanted a ride. the automobile man just thought the children's father, or mother, had sent them out to go somewhere. "and so you want a long ride," repeated the automobile man, as he closed the door so bunny or sue would not fall out when he started. "how about central park? do you want to go there?" "do we want to go to central park, sue?" asked bunny. "is they elephants there, like a circus?" asked the little girl. "is they?" bunny asked of the automobile man. "yes, there are some animals in the park. not as many as up in the bronx zoo, but that's a little too far for me to go. i'll take you to central park if you say so." "please do," begged bunny. "we want to see the animals. we were in a circus once, sue and i were. our dog was a blue striped tiger, and we had a green painted calf, for a zebra." "that must have been some circus!" laughed the automobile man, as he got up on his seat, and took hold of the steering wheel. "well, here we go!" and away went the automobile, taking sue and bunny off to central park, and their mother and aunt lu didn't know a thing about it! "isn't this nice, sue?" asked bunny, when they had ridden on for a few blocks. "yes," answered sue. "i like it. but i wish we had our dog splash here with us, bunny." "yes, it would be fine!" bunny said. speaking of the circus had made sue think about splash, who was far away, at home in bellemere. the taxicab wound in and out among other cabs, horses and wagons of all sorts. now it would have to go slowly, through some crowded street, and again the children were moving swiftly, when there was room to speed. "he's a awful nice man to give us a ride like this," said bunny to sue. "yes; isn't he?" answered the little girl. "there's lots of people getting rides, bunny; see!" indeed there were many other taxicabs, and other automobiles on the streets of new york, but bunny and sue looked most often at the taxicabs like their own. "there must be a awful lot of nice men, like ours, in new york," bunny went on. and, mind you, neither he nor sue thought they would have to pay for their automobile ride. they just thought you got in one of the taxicabs, and rode as far as you liked, for nothing. pretty soon they were at central park. "now where shall i take you?" asked the man. "down by a elephant," spoke up sue. "are you sure your mother will let you go?" asked the taxicab man. he felt he must, in a way, look after the children. "oh, yes," said bunny. "mother would let us. she likes us to see animals. she lets us have a circus whenever we like." bunny and sue had on nice clothes, and the chauffeur knew they had come from a street where many rich persons lived, so he was sure if the children did not have with them the money to pay him, that their folks would settle his bill. "you can get out here, and walk along that path," he said, stopping his machine on a roadway. "then you can see the elephant, the lion and the tiger. i'll wait for you here." hand in hand, bunny and sue went to the place in central park where the animals are kept. it was not far from where the automobile had stopped, out on fifth avenue, new york, and bunny looked back, several times, as he and his sister went down the steps, to make sure he would know the place to find the automobile again, when he wanted to go home. "oh, there's a elephant!" cried sue, as, walking along, her hand in bunny's, she saw one of the big animals, just stuffing some hay into his mouth with his trunk. it was a warm day, and the elephant was out in the "back yard" of his cage. in the winter he was kept in the elephant house, where the people could look at him standing behind the heavy iron bars, but in summer he was allowed to go out of doors, though his yard had a fence of big iron bars all around it. "i wish we had some peanuts to give him," said sue. "well, i haven't any money," answered bunny. "anyhow, if i had, sue, i'd rather buy us each a lollypop. the elephant has hay to eat." "yes, i know," said sue. "but i like to see him pick up peanuts with his trunk." however, they had no money, so they could not feed peanuts to the elephant. some other children, though, had bought bags of the nuts, and these they tossed in to the big animal. there was a sign on his yard, which said no one must feed the animals, but no one stopped the children, so sue did see, after all, the elephant chewing the roasted nuts. for some time bunny and sue watched the elephants. there were two of them, and, after a while, a keeper came into the yard, and handed a large mouth organ to the biggest elephant. the wise creature held it in his trunk, and, to the surprise of sue and her brother, began to blow on the mouth organ, making music, though of course the elephant could not play a regular tune. "oh, isn't he smart, bunny!" cried sue. "he--he's a regular circus elephant!" bunny cried. "i like him!" the other children, who had come to central park, also enjoyed seeing the big elephant eat peanuts, and play a mouth organ. "i'd like to see some monkeys," said bunny, after a bit, when the elephant seemed to have gone to sleep standing up, for elephants do sleep that way. "the monkeys are over in that house," a boy told bunny, pointing to a brown building not far from the elephant's cage and yard. "oh, let's go!" cried sue. soon she and her brother were watching the monkeys do funny tricks, climb up the sides of their cage, eat peanuts and pull each other's tails and ears. bunny and sue spent some time in central park, looking at the different animals. there was one, almost as big as an elephant, only not so tall. he was called a hippopotamus, and he swam in a tank of water, next door to a pool in which lived some mud turtles and alligators. when the hippopotamus opened his mouth it looked big enough to hold a washtub. "oh!" cried sue, as she saw this. "i wouldn't like him to bite me, would you, bunny?" "no, i guess not!" said the little boy. but there was no danger that the hippopotamus would bite anyone, for he was behind big, strong, iron bars, and could not get out. there was also a baby hippopotamus, swimming around in a tank with the mother. bunny and sue saw many other animals in central park, and then, as he was getting hungry, and as he began to think his mother might be wondering where he was, bunny said to sue that they had better go back home. "all right," sue answered. "i'm tired, too." they went back to where they had left the automobile taxicab. "well, did you see enough?" the man asked them. "yes," bunny answered, "and now we want to go home, if you please." "all right," said the man. he knew just where to take bunny and sue, for he remembered where he had found them, right in front of aunt lu's house. so the two children did not get lost this time, though they had gone a good way from home. "thank you very much," said bunny as he and sue got out. the automobile man laughed, as bunny and sue started up the front steps, and then he called to them: "wait a minute, little ones, i must have some money for giving you a ride." "oh!" exclaimed bunny. "i--i thought you gave folks rides for nothing. wopsie said you did." "well, i don't know who wopsie is," said the cab man, "but i can't afford to ride anyone around for nothing. you'd better tell your mother that i must be paid." "oh, i'll tell her," said sue. "mother or aunt lu will pay you." "i'll come up with you i guess," said the automobile man, and he rode up in the elevator with bunny and sue. and you can guess how surprised mrs. brown and aunt lu were when the two children came in. "oh, where have you been?" cried mother brown. "we've been looking all over for you; up on the roof, down in the basement, out in the street--and wopsie was just going to ask the policeman on this block if he had seen you. where have you been?" "riding," answered bunny. "up in central park, to see a elephant," added sue. "and we had a good time," bunny went on. "and now the automobile man wants some money, and we haven't any so you must pay him, mother," said sue. "we--we thought we were riding for nothing," bunny explained. mrs. brown and aunt lu looked at the automobile man, who smiled, and told how the children had called to him, and asked him to give them a long ride. "which i did," he said. "i thought their folks had maybe sent them to get the air, as folks often do here, and--" "oh, it isn't your fault," said mrs. brown. "i'll pay you for the children's ride, of course. but oh, dear! bunny, you musn't do this again." "no'm, i won't," bunny said. "but we had a nice ride." mrs. brown gave the taxicab man some money, and thanked him for having taken good care of the children. then wopsie did not have to go to tell the policeman, for bunny and sue were safe home again. "i wonder what they'll do next?" said mrs. brown. "no one knows," answered aunt lu. but, for several days after this, bunny and sue did nothing to cause any trouble. they went with their aunt and mother to different places about new york in aunt lu's automobile, wopsie sometimes going with them. several times bunny or sue asked colored persons they met if they were looking for a little lost colored girl, but no one seemed to be. "never mind, wopsie," bunny would say. "some time we'll find your folks." "yes'm, i wishes as how yo' all would," wopsie would answer. bunny and sue liked it very much at aunt lu's city home. they had many good times. and that reminds me; i must tell you about the time bunny ordered a queer dinner for himself and sue. the children had been out with wopsie for a walk, and when they came back to aunt lu's house it was such a nice day that bunny and sue did not want to go in. "let us stay out a while, wopsie," bunny begged. "well, don't go 'way from in front, an' yo' all can stay," wopsie said. so bunny and sue sat on the side of the big stone steps, in front of aunt lu's house. they really did not intend to go away, but when they saw a fire engine dashing down the street, whistling and purring out black smoke, they just couldn't stand still. "let's go and see the fire!" cried bunny. "come on!" agreed sue. but it was only a little fire, after all, though quite a crowd gathered. it was upstairs in a store, and it was soon out. bunny and sue started back, for they had not come far. they were getting so they knew their way around pretty well now. as they passed a restaurant, or place to eat, they saw, in the window, a man baking griddle cakes on a gas stove. he would let the cakes brown on one side, toss them up in the air, making them turn a somersault, catch them on a flat spoon, and then they would brown on the other side. "oh bunny!" cried sue. "wouldn't you like some of those?" "i would," said bunny. "come on in and we'll have some. i'm hungry!" he and sue went into the restaurant, and sat down at one of the tables. a girl, with a big white apron on over her black dress, brought them each a glass of water and a napkin, and said: "well, children, what do you want?" "we want dinner," said bunny. "we're hungry, and we want some of those cakes the man in the window is baking." chapter xiii the stray dog the girl waitress in the restaurant smiled at bunny brown and his sister sue. they seemed too small to be going about, ordering meals for themselves, but then the girl knew that in new york people do not live as they do in other cities, or in the country. many new york persons never eat a meal at home, nor do their children. they go out to hotels, restaurants or boarding houses. and perhaps this girl thought bunny and sue might be the children of some family who had rooms near the restaurant, and who went out to their meals. so she just asked them: "are cakes the only things you want?" "oh, no, we'll want more than that," said bunny. "but we want the cakes first; don't we, sue?" "yep," sue answered. "i like pancakes. and i want some syrup on mine." "so do i!" cried bunny. "i'll bring you some maple syrup when i bring you the cakes," the girl said as, with a smile, she went up to the front of the restaurant to tell the white-capped cook in the window to bake a plate of cakes for each of the children. several other persons in the restaurant smiled at bunny and sue, as they sat there waiting for the cakes. they seemed such little tots to be all alone. but bunny and sue knew what they were doing. at least they thought they did, and they were not at all bashful. when the hot cakes were brought to them they spread on some butter, poured the maple syrup over their plates, out of the little silver pitchers, and began to eat. "they're awful good, aren't they, bunny?" asked sue, as she took up the last piece of her third cake. "yep," he answered. "i like 'em." "let's have some more," sue said. "no, let's have something else," said bunny. "i'm hot now." "oh, then we ought to have ice-cream," cried sue. "you know the other night, when aunt lu and mother were so warm, they had ice-cream." "then we'll have some," agreed bunny. "anything else?" asked the waitress girl, coming up to their table. [illustration: soon bunny and sue were eating the ice-cream _bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home._ _page 131._] "ice-cream, please--two plates," ordered bunny. soon he and sue were eating the cold dessert. as they were taking up the last spoonfuls they saw the waitress girl, at the next table carrying a large piece of red watermelon to a man. "oh, bunny!" cried sue. "i want some of that!" "so do i!" exclaimed bunny. "we'll have some." and so, after the ice-cream, they ordered watermelon. "do you think it will be good for you?" asked the waitress girl. "oh, yes, we like it," said bunny. that was all he thought of--just then. the ice-cream had been cold, and so was the watermelon, for it had been on the ice, and by the time they had finished that bunny and sue were quite chilled through. "now i'd like to be warm again," said sue. "let's have some more hot cakes, bunny." "all right," agreed her brother. he waved his hand to the waitress girl. "some more hot cakes!" ordered bunny. the girl laughed and said: "i guess you tots had better not eat any more. i'll call the manager, and ask him if he thinks it safe." a man, with a black moustache and red cheeks, came up to the table. "what is it?" he asked. the waitress girl explained. at the same time she put down on the table, by bunny's plate, two little cards, with some numbers on them, and some round holes punched near the numbers. "we want some hot cakes, 'cause the ice-cream and watermelon made us so cold," bunny said. "how much money have you?" asked the manager, who is the man who sees that everyone gets enough to eat, and then that they pay for it. "money?" cried bunny brown. "money?" "yes, you must have money to pay for what you eat," the man said. "i've five cents," explained sue. "my mother gave it to me for a toy balloon, but i didn't spend it yet." "i've four cents," said bunny, reaching into his pocket, and bringing out four pennies. "i had five cents," he explained, "but i spent a penny for a lollypop." he shoved the four pennies over toward the girl. sue began looking in her pocket for her five cent piece. "i'm afraid you won't have enough money," the manager said. "but if you tell me where you live, and give me the name of your father, i'll call him up on the telephone, and let him know you are here." "oh, our daddy's away off," said bunny. "but you can talk to aunt lu on the telephone. she's got one. my mother is with her. she'll buy some cakes for us." "what's your aunt's name?" the manager wanted to know. "aunt lu!" said sue. "aunt lu baker," added bunny. "all right. i'll call her up," said the man, smiling. "and i don't believe you had better eat any more griddle cakes. you might be made ill. give them some dry, sweet crackers, and a glass of milk," he said to the girl. "that won't hurt them." bunny and sue liked the crackers very much. they were eating away, having a fine time, when, all at once, into the restaurant came mrs. brown. "oh, mother!" cried bunny, as he saw her. "are you hungry too? sit down by us and eat! we had a fine meal, didn't we, sue?" "yep," answered the little girl. "the ice-cream and watermelon is awful good, mother!" "yes, i suppose it is," and mrs. brown could not help smiling. "but you musn't come in restaurants, and order meals like this, bunny brown, without having money to pay for them. it isn't right!" "i--i thought i had money enough," and bunny looked at his four pennies. the manager laughed. he had found aunt lu's name in the telephone book, and had talked to her, telling her about bunny and sue. and then, as the restaurant was just around the corner from aunt lu's house, mrs. brown had hurried there to get her children. she paid for what they had eaten, and took them back with her. the waitress girl smiled, so did the manager, and so did many persons in the restaurant, who had seen bunny and sue eating. "don't ever do anything like this again, bunny," said mrs. brown. "i won't," bunny promised. "but we went to the fire, and we were awful hungry; weren't we, sue?" "yes, we was. and the hot cakes was good." "oh dear!" sighed mrs. brown. "i wonder what it will be next." but even bunny brown and his sister sue did not know. for several weeks the two children stayed at aunt lu's city home. they had more good times, and often went with their mother or aunt lu to the moving pictures. then, too, there was much to see on the city streets, and bunny and sue never grew tired of looking at the strange sights. daddy brown wrote letters, saying he was so busy, looking after his boat business, that he could not come to see them for a long time. "does he say how splash, our dog, is?" asked bunny, when part of one of his father's letters had been read to him and sue. "yes, daddy says splash is all right, but lonesome," mrs. brown answered. "i wish we had splash here with us," sighed sue. "so do i," echoed her brother. after that, whenever they saw a dog out in the street, they looked anxiously at him, especially if he looked like splash. and one day, when bunny and sue had gone down to the corner of their street, to listen to another hurdy-gurdy hand-piano, they saw a big yellow dog running about, sniffing at some muddy water in a puddle in the sidewalk, as though he wanted a drink. "oh, look at that dog!" cried bunny to sue. "he's thirsty!" "he looks as nice as splash, only, of course, it isn't splash," sue said. "maybe we could take him," said bunny. "let's try. then we'll have a city dog and a country dog, too." sue was willing, and she and bunny walked up to the stray dog. "come here!" called bunny, just as he used to call to splash. the dog looked up. he seemed to like children, for he came straight to bunny and sue. "oh, he's got a nice collar on," said sue. "let's take him to aunt lu's, bunny, and give him a nice drink of water." "all right," agreed bunny. "we will." then, each with a hand on the dog's collar, bunny and sue walked along with the nice animal, whose red tongue hung out of his mouth, for the dog had been running, and was quite hot. chapter xiv the ragged man "come on, nice dog!" coaxed sue, for as the children came nearer to the house where aunt lu lived, the animal seemed to want to turn back and run away. "yes, don't be afraid," said bunny. "we'll give you something nice to eat, and some cold water." whether the dog understood what bunny and sue said to him, or whether he was thirsty and hungry and hoped to get something to eat, i do not know. some dogs seem to know everything you say to them, and certainly this one was very wise. so he walked on willingly with the two children. "do you think we can keep him?" asked sue. "i guess so," answered her brother. "he's my dog, 'cause i saw him first." "isn't he half mine?" sue wanted to know. "nope, he's _all_ mine!" and bunny took a firmer grasp on the dog's collar. "well, i don't care!" cried sue, stamping her foot, which she sometimes did when she was getting angry. "half of our dog splash at home is mine, and i don't see why i can't have half of this one." "nope, you can't!" cried bunny. he hardly ever acted this way toward his sister. generally he gave her half of everything. "i want all this dog," bunny said. "i'm going to train him to be a circus animal, and if a girl owns part of a dog she don't want him to run, or get muddy or anything like that." "oh, bunny brown!" cried sue. "i don't care if he does get muddy. i want him to be a circus dog, too. so please can't i have half of him? i'll take the tail end for my half, or the head end half or down the middle, just like we do with splash!" "well," and bunny seemed to be thinking about it. "maybe i'll let you have half of him, sue. but you've got to let me train your half the same as mine, to be a circus dog." "yes, bunny, i will. oh, isn't he a nice dog!" and she patted him on the head. the dog wagged his tail and seemed happy. into the apartment house hall walked the children, leading the stray dog they had found in the street. the elevator was not open, being on one of the upper floors, and bunny pushed the button that rang the bell, which told henry, the colored elevator boy, that someone was on the lower floor, waiting to be taken up. when henry came down in the queer iron cage that slid up and down, he looked first at bunny, then at sue, and then at the dog. "what yo' all want?" asked the colored boy, smiling and showing his big, white teeth. "we want to ride up to aunt lu's house," answered bunny. "we got a new dog, henry," said sue. henry shook his head. "i'll take you little folks up to yo' aunt's house," he said, "but i can't take up dat dawg." "why not?" asked bunny. "is he too heavy? 'cause if he is, henry, we'll go up with you first, and you can bring the dog up alone. we'll wait for him up stairs." once more the elevator boy shook his head. "no, sah! i can't do it!" he exclaimed. "is you afraid, henry?" asked sue, putting her head down on the dog's back. "is you afraid he'll bite you, henry? he won't. he's as nice a dog as splash is, the one we have at home. he won't bite, henry." "no, miss sue. i ain't askeered ob dat," said henry, with another smile. "but yo' all can't bring no dawgs in heah! it ain't allowed, nohow!" "you mean we can't bring a dog in the house?" asked bunny. "yes, sah!" henry exclaimed. "dat's it. de man what owns dis house done gib strict orders dat no dogs or cats or parrots can come in, an' i got t' keep 'em out. yo' all jest go up an' ast yo' aunt lu 'bout it." "shall we?" asked sue, as she looked down at the dog. "yes," said bunny. "but, of course, henry ought to know. but we've got to give this dog something to eat and drink, sue, 'cause we promised we would. so we'll just leave him down here, and go up and tell aunt lu. we can do that; can't we, henry?" bunny asked. "oh, yes, bunny. yo' all kin do dat i'll jest tie de dawg down here in de hall, an' yo' all kin go ast yo' aunt lu." the dog did not seem to mind being tied and left alone. henry fastened him with a cord, and the dog lay down on the cool marble floor, while the colored boy took the two children up in the elevator. "oh, bunny!" said sue, in a whisper, as they were waiting for their aunt's maid, or for wopsie, to open the door of the hall. "oh, bunny, i know what we could do." "what?" bunny wanted to know. sue looked around, and seeing that henry had gone down in his elevator, she said: "we could have walked our new dog up the stairs. we didn't need to bring him up in the elevator. then henry wouldn't have seen him." "yes, but he'd hear him when he barks. if they won't let us keep our new dog here we can take him to central park, sue." "what for, bunny?" "to put him in a cage until we go home. then we can take him with us to play with splash." "oh, maybe we could!" cried sue, clapping her hands. by this time wopsie had opened the door. "well, where yo' chilluns bin?" she asked. "yo' ma an' yo' aunt lu am gettin' worried 'bout yo'." "we found a dog!" cried bunny. "a real dog!" "and he's down stairs," said sue. "henry won't bring him up on the elevator, but it isn't 'cause henry's afraid. they won't let dogs live in here, he says. don't they, aunt lu?" "don't they what, sue?" asked miss baker, coming into the room just then. "dogs," answered bunny. "we found a nice dog, aunt lu, and we want to keep him, but henry won't let us," and he told all that had happened. "no, i am sorry," said aunt lu. "they don't allow any dogs, cats or parrots in this building. you see they think persons who have no pets would be bothered by those animals of the neighbors. i'm sorry, bunny and sue, but you can't have the dog. one is enough, anyhow, and you have splash." "yes, but he's away off home," said bunny. "never mind, dears. i'm sorry, but i haven't any place for a dog, or a cat or even a parrot." bunny and sue thought for a moment then bunny asked: "could you keep a monkey, aunt lu?" "gracious goodness, no!" cried his aunt. "i should hope not! a monkey would be worse than a dog, a cat or a parrot. i hope you don't think of bringing a monkey home, bunny." "oh, no'm. i was just wondering what we'd do if a hand-organ man gave us a monkey." mrs. brown and aunt lu laughed. "well, i hope a hand-organ man won't give you a monkey," said bunny's mother, "but, if one does, you'll have to say that you're much obliged, but that you can't keep it." "well," broke in sue, "can we give this dog something to eat and drink, aunt lu? we promised him some." "yes, you can do that. poor dog, he's probably a stray one, and will be glad of a meal. mary will get you some cold meat and a pail of water, and you can take it down to the poor dog. but don't invite him up here, bunny dear." the children were sorry they could not keep the dog they had found in the street, but perhaps it was better not to have him. they gave him the water and meat, standing with henry in the lower hall while the animal ate and drank. then the elevator boy loosened the string from the dog's collar. "run along now!" called henry, and the dog with a bark, and a wag of his tail, trotted off down the street. "he's happy, anyhow," remarked sue. "dogs is always happy when they wag their tails; aren't they bunny?" "i guess so. well, what will we do next?" that question was answered for bunny and sue when they went up stairs again. for wopsie was waiting to take them to a moving picture show not far away. there bunny and sue had a good time the rest of the afternoon. it was two or three days after this that, as bunny and sue were walking up and down on the sidewalk in front of aunt lu's house, waiting for wopsie to come down and go with them to another moving picture show, the two children saw, walking along, a very ragged man. and, as they watched him, they saw the poor man stoop over a can of ashes on the street, and take from it a piece of dried bread, which he began to eat as though very hungry indeed. "oh, bunny! look at that!" cried sue. "what is it?" asked the little boy. "that man! he's so hungry he took bread out of the ash can." "he must be terrible hungry," said bunny. "oh, sue, i know what we can do!" "what?" "we can get him something to eat," said bunny. "i heard aunt lu say she didn't know what she was going to do with all the meat left over from dinner. this man would like it, i'm sure. we can ask him up to aunt lu's rooms. she'll feed him." "all right," cried sue, always ready to do what bunny did. "we'll ask him. but we won't take him up in the elevator, sue," bunny went on. "why not?" "'cause maybe henry won't let him come up, same as he wouldn't let the dog we found. we'll walk up the stairs with the man." "it--it's awful far," said sue, with a sigh, as she thought of the ten flights. once she and bunny, just for fun, had walked up them. it took a long while. "well, i'll walk up with the ragged man," said bunny. "you can ride up in the elevator, sue, and tell aunt lu we're coming, so she can have something to eat all ready." "all right," agreed sue. "that will be nice!" then she and bunny started toward the ragged man who was poking about in the ash can with a long stick, as though looking for more pieces of bread. chapter xv bunny goes fishing "are you hungry, mr. man?" asked bunny, standing, with his sister sue, behind the ragged man. "are you hungry?" the man turned quickly, and seeing it was only two little children, he smiled. "yes, i am hungry," he said. "i guess you'd be hungry, too, if you hadn't had any breakfast, or dinner or supper, except what you picked out of the ashes." "my aunt lu will give you something to eat," said sue. "you're going to walk up stairs with bunny, so henry, the elevator boy, won't see you. you don't mind walking, do you?" "not if i get something to eat," and the man chewed on a piece of the dried bread. "oh, aunt lu will give you lots!" promised sue. "she's got plenty of meat left over from dinner, i heard her say so. but you can't go in the elevator. henry wouldn't let us take up a dog we found." "course you're not a dog," bunny explained quickly, "but they don't let dogs or cats or parrots, or i guess monkeys, up in this place, so maybe they wouldn't let you. but i don't know about that. only i'll walk up stairs with you, and get you something to eat." "and i'll go on ahead and tell aunt lu you're coming," said sue. "then henry won't see you in his elevator. go on, bunny." "come along," said the little fellow, holding out his hand to the ragged man. even though he was ragged he seemed clean. "oh, i guess i'd better not go up with you, little ones," the man said. "i'm not dressed nice enough to go in there," and he looked up at the fine, big apartment house in which lived aunt lu. "if there was a back door i'd go round to that," he said, "but they don't have back doors to city houses. i'm not used to being a tramp, and begging, either," he said. "but i've been sick, and i can't get any work, and i don't want to beg." "aunt lu likes to help people," said bunny, "and so does my mother. you come on up stairs with me and i'll get you something to eat. sue, you go in first, and get henry to take you up in the elevator. then henry won't see me and this man come in, and he can't stop us." "all right," agreed sue. so, while bunny stayed outside, with the ragged man, sue went into the hall, and rang the elevator bell. "hello!" exclaimed henry, as he opened the sliding door for sue. "where's bunny?" "oh, he's coming," sue said. "then i'll wait for him," said henry. "oh, no! you needn't!" sue exclaimed. "maybe he won't be in for a long time. i want to go up right away, to tell aunt lu she's going to have company." "company!" cried henry. "if company is comin', i'll wait and take 'em up." "no, please don't!" begged sue. "take me up right away, and then you can come down again." she did not want henry to wait there in the lower hall, with his elevator, and see bunny going up the stairs with the ragged man. sue wanted to get henry safely out of the way. "all right. i'll take you up," promised henry, and, a second later, sue was shooting upward in the elevator car. "come on now. we can get in without henry's seeing us!" called bunny to the ragged man. "it's a long walk, but sue and i did it once." "say, i'm much obliged to you," said the tramp, for that's what he was. "but maybe i'd better not go in. they might arrest me." "no they won't--not while i'm with you," bunny said. "i'll tell a policeman you're going up to my aunt lu's. she's got lots to eat." and so bunny and the ragged man began the long climb up the stairs, while sue rode in the elevator. she, of course, was the first to reach her aunt's rooms. wopsie let sue in. "oh, aunt lu!" cried sue. "the hungry, ragged man's coming. he ate bread out of the ash can, and he hasn't had any breakfast, dinner or supper. bunny's walking up stairs with him, so henry won't see him, 'cause henry, maybe, wouldn't let him ride in the elevator. but he's awful hungry, so please give him some of that meat!" for a moment aunt lu stared at sue, and so did mrs. brown. "bless my stars!" cried aunt lu, after a bit. "what does the child mean?" "it's the ragged man," sue explained. "bunny's bringing him up the stairs," and then the little girl told her aunt and mother all about it. "but, sue, dear! you musn't bring strange men in the house," said her mother. "oh, he was so hungry and ragged!" cried the little girl. "she meant all right," remarked aunt lu. "i dare say it is some poor tramp. there are many of them in new york. i'll give him something to eat. is bunny bringing him here?" "yes, aunt lu. bunny's walking up the stairs with him, so henry won't see him, and put him out, like he did our dog that we found." aunt lu and mother brown laughed at this, but sue did not mind. soon there came a ring at aunt lu's hall bell. she opened the door herself, and saw, standing there, bunny and the ragged man. "here he is!" bunny cried. "i got him up stairs all right, but he slipped on one step. i didn't let him fall, though, and henry didn't see us. he's hungry, aunt lu." the ragged man took off his ragged cap. "i'm sorry about this, lady," he said to aunt lu. "but the little boy would have it that i come up with him. he said you'd give me a meal, but i don't like to trouble you--" "oh, i'm glad to help you," said aunt lu. "wait a minute and i'll hand you out something to eat." "come on in!" said bunny, who did not see why the ragged man should be left standing in the hall. "no, little chap, i'll wait here," said the man. a few minutes later he was drinking a bowl of coffee mary, the colored cook, brought him, and he was given a bag of bread and meat, with a piece of cake. "it's mighty good of you, lady," said the ragged man, as he started to walk down the stairs again. "you can thank the children," said aunt lu with a smile, as she gave the man some money. "and you needn't walk down. i'll ring for the elevator for you." "oh, no'm, i'd rather walk. i'm stronger now i've had that coffee. i'll walk down. the elevator boy wouldn't want me in his car. i'll walk." down he started, not so hungry now, though as ragged as ever. and, too, aunt lu had given him money enough to last him for a few days, until he could find work to earn money for himself. "but, bunny and sue, please don't ask any more ragged men up without first coming to tell me," said aunt lu with a smile. "i like to be kind to all poor persons, but you see i live in a house with many other families, and some of them might not like to have tramps come up here. however, you meant all right, only come and tell me or your mother first, after this." "i will," promised bunny. "but he was awful hungry; wasn't he?" "i guess he was, and i'm glad we could help him. but now wopsie is ready to take you to the moving pictures. run along." bunny and sue had another good time at the pictures. they saw the play of cinderella, and liked it very much. after they came out they went to a drug store, and had ice-cream. one day aunt lu said to bunny and sue: "how would you like to go to the aquarium?" "what's that?" asked bunny. "is it like a moving picture show?" "well, it is moving, and it is a show," answered aunt lu, with a smile. "but it is not exactly pictures. it is a big building down at the end of new york city, in a place called battery park, and in the building are tanks and pools, where live fish are swimming around. there are also seals, alligators and turtles. would you like to go to see that?" bunny and sue thought they would, very much, and a little later, with their mother and aunt lu, they were in the aquarium. all around the building, which was in the shape of a circle, were glass tanks, in which big and little fish could be seen swimming about. in white tile-lined pools, in the middle of the floor, were larger fish, alligators, turtles and other things. bunny was delighted. "oh, if i could only catch some of these big fish," he said to sue. "but you can't!" "maybe i can," he said to her in a whisper. "i brought some pins with me, and some string. i'm going to try and catch a fish. come on over here." from his pocket bunny took a string and a pin. his mother and his aunt were looking down in the pool where some seals were swimming about. bunny, holding sue's hand, led her over to the other side of the aquarium where there was a pool containing some large fish, and some big turtles. "i'm going to fish here," said bunny brown. chapter xvi lost in new york bunny's sister sue did not think her brother was doing anything wrong. she had so often seen him do many things that other boys did not do that she thought whatever bunny did was all right. "how you going to catch fish?" she asked. "i'll show you," bunny answered. "but don't call mother or aunt lu. they want to stay looking at the seals. i've seen enough of them." but i think, though, that the real reason bunny did not want sue to call his mother, or his aunt, was because he was afraid they might stop him from trying to catch a fish. and that was what bunny brown was going to try to do. while sue watched, bunny bent a pin up in the shape of a hook. he and his sister had often fished with such hooks down in the brook near their house. bunny tied the bent pin to the end of a long string, and then he walked over toward the white, tile-lined pool. just at this time there was no one near this pool, for most of the visitors in the aquarium were watching the seals, as mrs. brown and aunt lu were doing. the seals, of whom there were three or four, seemed to be having a game of tag. they swam about very swiftly, and leaped half out of the water, splashing it all about, and even on the persons standing about the pool. but the men, women and children only laughed, and crowded up closer to look at the playing seals. "i want to see them," said sue, pointing to where the crowd stood, laughing. "wait until i catch a fish," pleaded bunny. "i'll soon have a fish, or a turtle or an alligator, sue." "i don't want any alligators," said the little girl. "they bite, and so does a turtle." "all right. i won't catch them," promised bunny. "i'll just catch a fish. then we'll go to look at the seals." "all right," agreed sue. she went with her little brother over to the other pool. they were the only ones there, because everyone else was so anxious to look at the seals. "now watch me catch a fish," bunny said. to the bent pin hook, on the end of the string, he tied a piece of rag. he had brought all these things with him, hoping he might get a chance to fish in the aquarium. "what's that rag?" sue wanted to know. "that's my bait," bunny answered. "you can't dig any worms in the city, 'cause there's all sidewalk. so i use this rag for bait." "i don't like worms, anyhow," said sue. "they is so--so squiggily. rags is nicer for bait. but will the fish eat rags, bunny?" "i guess so." the pool that bunny had picked out to fish in was in two parts. there was a wire screen across the middle, and on one side were the alligators and turtles--some large and some small, while on the other side of the wire were fish. it was these fish--or one of them at least--that bunny brown was going to try to catch. into the water he cast his bent pin hook, with the fluttering rag for bait. no one saw him, everyone else being at the seal-pool. sue watched her brother eagerly. she wanted him to hurry, and catch a fish, so they could go over where their mother and aunt lu were. but the fish in the pool did not seem to care for bunny's rag bait. perhaps they knew it was only a piece of cloth, and not a nice worm, or piece of meat, such as they would like to eat. anyhow, they just swam past it in the water. "hurry up, bunny, and catch a fish!" begged sue. "i want to go and look at the seals." "all right--i'll have a fish in a minute," bunny said, hopefully. but he did not. the fish would not bite. bunny wanted to catch something, and, all at once, he decided that if he could not get a fish he might get a turtle, or a small alligator. but he did not tell sue what he was going to do, for he knew she would not like it. she was afraid of alligators and turtles. bunny pulled his line from the fish-pool and tossed the pin-hook over into the turtle-pool. and then something happened, all at once! there was a rush through the water, as a big turtle saw the fluttering rag, and the next minute bunny was nearly pulled over the low railing into the pool. for the turtle had swallowed his bent pin hook. "oh, sue! i've got one! i've got one!" cried bunny, shouting out loud, he was so excited. "have you got a fish, bunny?" asked sue, who had walked a little way over toward the seal-pool. "no, i haven't got a fish, but i've got a turtle. but i won't let him hurt you, sue!" he called. "oh, i've got a big one! look, sue!" bunny was holding tightly to the string. he had wound it about his hands, and as the cord was a strong one, and as the turtle had swallowed the bent-pin hook on the other end, bunny was almost being pulled over into the tank full of water, where the alligators and other turtles were now swimming about, very much excited, because the turtle which bunny had caught was making such a fuss. "oh, i've got him! i've got him!" cried bunny, eagerly. "i rather think he has got _you_!" said a man, rushing up to bunny just in time to grab him. the little fellow's feet were being lifted off the floor and, in another few seconds, he himself was in danger of being pulled into the pool. for the cord was a strong one, and the turtle was one of the largest. "let go the string!" called the man who had hold of bunny. "let go the string!" bunny did so, and the turtle swam away with it. by this time mother brown and aunt lu, who had heard bunny's calls, had rushed over to him. others, too, left the seals, to see what was the excitement at the turtle and alligator pool. "oh, bunny! what have you done?" cried his mother. "i--i was catching a fish," bunny explained, as the man who had stopped him from being pulled into the pool, set the little fellow down. "i was catching a fish and--" "but you musn't catch any fish in _here_!" exclaimed one of the men in uniform, who was on guard in the aquarium. "you're not allowed to catch fish in here!" "it--it wasn't a fish," said bunny. "it was a turtle. i tried to get a fish, but i couldn't. but the turtle bit on the rag bait." "yes, turtles will do that," said the guard. "but you must never again try to fish in here. these fish are to look at, not to catch." "oh, i'm sure he didn't mean to do wrong," said the man who had saved bunny from getting wet in the pool. "i'll forgive him this time," the guard said, "but he must not do it again." "i won't," bunny promised. the turtle that had taken the pin hook was swimming about with the string dragging after it. one of the aquarium men, with a net, caught the turtle, and took the pin and string out of its mouth. "now let's go and look at the seals," said bunny, when the crowd, laughing at what the little boy had done, had moved away. "but you musn't try to catch any of them," his mother said. "i won't," promised bunny. watching the seals was fun, and bunny and sue had a good time there, until it was time to go out of the aquarium for dinner. the children had a nice meal, in a restaurant, and aunt lu said: "i think this afternoon we will take a little ride on the boat to coney island. you children can have an ocean bath there. it is getting on toward fall, i know, but it is all the nicer down at the beach, and there won't be such crowds there as in real hot weather." "oh, won't it be fun to paddle in the water again!" cried sue. "that's what it will!" said bunny brown. the place to take the boat for coney island was two or three blocks from the restaurant where they had eaten lunch. bunny and sue walked behind mother brown and aunt lu along the street to the boat-dock. "this is just like home," said bunny as he saw the water-front, with many boats tied up along the docks, just as they were at his father's pier at home. sue liked it, too. there were many things to see. in one window the children saw a number of monkeys, and birds with brightly colored feathers. "oh, let's stop and look at them!" cried sue. bunny was willing, so they stood looking in the window. mrs. brown and aunt lu, thinking the children were coming right along, walked on. and it was not until they were ready to cross the street that the mother and aunt missed the little ones. "why, where can they have gone?" cried mrs. brown, looking all around. "oh, they're just walking slowly, behind us," aunt lu said. "we'll go back and find them." she and her sister walked back, but they could not see bunny and sue. "oh, where are they?" cried mrs. brown. "my children are lost! lost in new york! oh dear!" chapter xvii at the police station bunny brown, and his sister sue, standing in front of the window where the monkeys and birds were, in cages, had forgotten all about mother brown and aunt lu. all the children thought of was watching the funny things the monkeys did, for there were three of the long-tailed animals in one cage, and they seemed to be playing tricks on one another. "oh, bunny!" said sue, "this must be where the hand-organ men get their monkeys." "maybe," bunny agreed. "but hand-organ monkeys have red caps on, and wear green coats, and these monkeys haven't anything on." "maybe they make caps and jackets for them from the birds' feathers," sue said. "maybe," agreed bunny. certainly the feathers of the birds were red and green, just the colors of the caps and jackets the monkeys wore. "i wonder if the man would give us a monkey?" sue said, as she pressed her little nose flat against the window glass, so she would miss nothing of what went on in the store. "maybe he would, or we could save up and buy one," bunny answered. "monkeys don't cost much i guess. 'cause hand-organ mens isn't very rich, and they always have one. i'd like a parrot, too," said sue. "yes, a parrot is better than a doll, for a parrot can talk." "a parrot is not better than a doll!" sue cried. "yes it is," said bunny. "it's alive, too, and a doll isn't." "well, i can make believe my doll is alive," said sue. "anyhow, bunny brown, you can't have a parrot or a monkey, 'cause henry, the elevator boy, won't let 'em come inside aunt lu's house." "that's so," bunny agreed. "well, anyhow, we can go in and ask how much they cost, and we can save up our money and buy one when we go home. we aren't always going to stay at aunt lu's. and our dog, splash, would like a monkey and a parrot." "yes," said sue, "he would. all right, we'll go in and ask how much they is." hand in hand, never thinking about their aunt and their mother, bunny and sue went into the animal store, in the window of which were the monkeys and the parrots. once inside, the children saw so many other things--chickens, ducks, goldfish, rabbits, squirrels, pigeons and dogs--that they were quite delighted. "why--why!" cried sue, "it's just like central park, bunny!" "almost!" said the little boy. "oh, sue. look at the squirrel on the merry-go-'round!" in a cage on the counter, behind which stood an old man, was a bushy-tailed squirrel, and he was going around and around in a sort of wire wheel. it was like a small merry-go-'round, except that it did not whirl in just the same way. "what do you want, children?" asked the old man who kept the animal store. "we--we'd like a monkey, if it doesn't cost too much," said bunny. "and a parrot, too. don't forget the parrot, bunny," whispered sue. "we want a parrot that can talk." "and how much is a parrot, too?" asked bunny. the old man smiled at the children. then he said: "well, parrots and monkeys cost more than you think. a parrot that can talk well costs about ten dollars!" bunny looked at sue and sue looked at bunny. they had never thought a parrot cost as much as that. bunny had thought about twenty-five cents, and sue about ten. "well," said bunny with a sigh, "i guess we can't get a parrot." "does one that can't talk cost as much as that?" sue wanted to know. "well, not quite, but almost, for they soon learn to talk, you know," answered the nice old man. "how much are monkeys?" asked bunny. it was almost as if he had gone into mrs. redden's store at home, and asked how much were lollypops. "well, monkeys cost more than parrots," said the old man. "oh, dear!" sighed bunny. "i--i guess we can't ever save up enough to get one." "no, i guess not," agreed sue. the old man smiled in such a nice way that bunny and sue felt sure he would be good and kind. he was almost like uncle tad. "where did you get all these animals?" asked bunny, as he and his sister looked around on the dogs, cats, monkeys, parrots, guinea pigs, pigeons and goldfish, that were on all sides of the store. "oh, i have had an animal store a long time," said the old man. "i buy the animals and birds in different places, and sell them to the boys and girls of new york who want them for pets." "we have a pet dog named splash," said bunny. "he's bigger than any dogs you have here." "yes, i don't keep big dogs," said the old man. "they take up too much room, and they eat too much. mostly, folks in new york want small dogs, because they live in small houses, or apartments." "my aunt lu can't have a dog or a parrot or a monkey in her house," said sue. "henry, the colored elevator boy, won't let her. bunny and me, we found a dog, and henry made us tie him down in the hall to feed him." "yes, i suppose so," said the old man. "and we found a ragged man," went on bunny, "and i had to lead him up stairs--ten flights--'cause henry maybe wouldn't let him ride in the elevator." "that was too bad," said the old animal store-keeper. "but where do you children live? is your home near here, and do your folks know you are trying to buy a monkey and a parrot?" then, for the first time since they had looked in the window of the animal store, bunny and sue thought of mother brown and aunt lu. they remembered they had started for the seashore. "oh, our mother and aunt are with us," said bunny. "we had our dinner, and we're going to coney island. i guess we'd better go, too, sue. maybe they're waiting for us." bunny and sue started out of the animal store, but, just then, one monkey pulled another monkey's tail, and the second one made such a chattering noise that the children turned around to see what it was. then the monkey whose tail was pulled, reached out his paw, through the wires of his cage, and caught hold of the tail of a green parrot. perhaps he thought the parrot was pulling his tail. "stop it! stop it!" screamed the parrot. "polly wants a cracker! oh, what a hot day! have some ice-cream! stop it! stop it! pop goes the weasel!" bunny and sue laughed, though they felt sorry that the monkey's and parrot's tails were being pulled. the animal-store man hurried over to the cages to stop the trouble, and bunny and sue stayed to watch. so it happened, when mother brown and aunt lu turned around, to find the missing children, bunny and sue were not in sight, being inside the store. so, of course, their mother and their aunt did not see them. "oh, where could they have gone?" cried mother brown. "perhaps they are just behind us," said aunt lu. "we'll find them all right." "but suppose they are lost?" "they can't be lost very long in new york," aunt lu said. "the police will find them. come, we'll walk back and look for them." but though mother brown and aunt lu walked right past the store, they never thought that bunny and sue were inside. "oh, dear!" cried aunt lu, "i don't see where they can be!" "nor i," said mrs. brown. "oh, if my children are lost!" "if they are we'll soon find them," asserted aunt lu, looking up and down the street, but not seeing bunny or sue. "here comes a policeman now," she went on. "we'll ask him." but, though the policeman had seen many children on the street, he was not sure he had seen bunny and sue. "however," he said, "the police station is not far from here. you had better go there and ask if they have any lost children. we pick up some every day, and maybe yours are there. go to the police station. you'll find 'em there." and to the police station went mother brown and aunt lu. they walked in toward a big, long desk, with a brass rail in front. behind the desk sat a man dressed like a soldier, with gold braid on his cap. "have you any lost children?" asked mother brown. "a few," answered the police officer behind the brass rail. "you can hear 'em crying." aunt lu and mother brown listened. surely enough, they heard several little children crying. "they're in the back room," said the officer. "i'll take you in, and you can pick yours out." chapter xviii home again mother brown and aunt lu went into the back room of the police station. around the room, at a table, sat many policemen, most of them with their coats off, for it was rather a warm day. these were the policemen who were waiting for something to happen--such as a fire, or some other trouble--before they went out to help boys and girls, or men and women. but, besides these policemen, there were some little children, three little boys, and two little girls, all rather ragged, all quite dirty, and at least one boy and one girl were crying. "oh, where did you get them all?" asked mother brown. "they are lost children," said the policeman who looked like a soldier, with the gold braid on his cap. "our officers find them on the street, and bring them here." "and how do their fathers and mothers find them?" asked aunt lu. "oh, they come here looking for them, the same as you two ladies are doing. the children are never lost very long. you see they're so little they can't tell where they live, or we'd send them home ourselves. are any of these the lost children you are looking for?" "oh, no! not one!" exclaimed mother brown. it took only one look to show her and aunt lu that bunny and sue were not among the lost children then in the police station. "well, i wish some of these were yours," returned the officer. "especially those two crying ones. they've cried ever since they came here." "boo-hoo!" cried two of the lost children. they seemed to be afraid, more than were the others. the others rather liked it. one boy was playing with a policeman's hat, while a little girl was trying to see if she was as tall as a policeman's long club. "will they stay here long?" asked aunt lu. "oh, no, not very long," said the officer. "their mothers will miss them soon, and come to look for them. so none of these are yours?" he asked. "no, but i wish they were," said mother brown. "oh, what has happened to bunny and sue?" she asked, and there were tears in her eyes. "they'll be all right," said the officer in the gold-laced cap. "maybe they haven't been found yet. as soon as a policeman on the street sees that your children are lost he'll bring them here. you can sit down and wait, if you like. your little ones may be brought in any minute now." but aunt lu and mother brown thought they would rather be out in the street, looking for bunny and sue, instead of staying in the police station, and waiting. "if you leave the names of your children," said the officer to mother brown, "we'll telephone to you as soon as they are found. that is if they can tell their names." "oh, bunny and sue can do that, and they can also tell where they live," said aunt lu. "oh, then they'll be all right," the officer said, with a laugh. "maybe they're home by this time. if they told a policeman where they lived he might even take them home, or send them home in a taxicab. we often do that," he said, for he could tell by looking at aunt lu and mother brown that the two ladies lived in a nice part of new york, maybe a long way from this police station. "oh, perhaps bunny and sue are home now, waiting for us!" said mother brown. "let's go and see!" "and if they're not, and if they are brought here, we'll telephone to you," the officer said, as he put the names of bunny and sue down on a piece of paper, and also aunt lu's telephone number. so mrs. brown and her sister left the police station, and, after another look in the street where they last had seen bunny and sue, hoping they might see them (but they did not), off they started for aunt lu's house. "maybe they are there now," said mother brown. but of course bunny brown and his sister sue were not. we know where they were, though their mother and aunt did not. the children were still in the animal store, laughing at the funny things the monkeys were doing. after a while, though, one monkey stopped pulling the other monkey's tail, and the other monkey stopped trying to pull the green feathers out of the parrot's tail, and it was quiet in the animal store, except for the cooing of the pigeons and the barking of the dogs. "so you don't think you want to buy a monkey or a parrot to-day, children?" asked the animal-man, with a smile. "no, thank you. we haven't the money," said bunny. "but i would like a monkey." "and i'd like a parrot," added sue. "but henry, the elevator boy, wouldn't let us keep 'em, so maybe it's just as well." "we can come down here when we want to see any animals," said bunny to his sister. "i like it better than central park." "so do i," said sue. "yes, come down as often as you like," the old man invited them. "are you going?" he asked, as he saw bunny and sue open the door. "yes, we're going to coney island with mother and aunt lu," bunny answered. he and sue stepped out into the street. they had forgotten all about their mother and their aunt until now, and they thought they would find them on the sidewalk, waiting. but, of course, we know what mother brown and aunt lu had done--gone to the police station, looking for the lost ones. so, when bunny and sue looked up and down the street, as they stood in front of the animal store, they did not see mrs. brown or aunt lu. "i--i wonder where they went?" said sue. "i don't know," answered bunny. "maybe they're lost!" sue looked a little frightened at this. the animal-man, seeing the children did not know what to do, came out to them. "can't you find your mother?" he asked. "no," answered bunny. "she--she's lost!" "i guess it's _you_ who are lost," said the animal-man. "but never mind. tell me where you live, and i'll have the police take you home." bunny and sue, when first they came to new york, had been told by their aunt lu that if they ever got lost not to be worried or frightened, for a policeman would take them home. so now, when they heard the animal-man speak about the police, they knew what to expect. "where do you live, children?" asked the gray-haired animal-man. "tell me where you live." but, strange to say, bunny and sue had each forgotten. some days past their aunt and mother had made them learn, by heart, the number and the street where aunt lu's house stood. but now, try as they did, neither bunny nor sue could remember it. watching the monkeys and parrots had made them forget, i suppose. "don't you know where you live?" asked the animal-man. bunny shook his head. so did sue. "our elevator boy is named henry," bunny said. the animal-man laughed. "i guess there are a good many elevator boys named henry, in new york," he said. "i'll just tell the police that i have two lost children here. they'll come and get you, and take you home. maybe your aunt and mother have already been at the police station looking for you." it took only a little while for the kind man to telephone to the same police station where aunt lu and mother brown had been. of course they were not there then. but soon a kind policeman came and took bunny and sue to the police station, leading them by the hand. bunny and sue thought it was fun, and persons in the street smiled at the sight. they knew two lost children had been found. "what are your names, little ones?" asked the policeman behind the big brass railing, when the two tots were led into the station house. "i'm bunny brown, and this is my sister sue," spoke up the little boy. "we're lost, and so is our mother and our aunt lu." "well, you won't be lost long," said the officer with a laugh. "your mother and aunt have been here looking for you, but they've gone home. i'll telephone them you are here, and they'll come and get you." and that's just what happened. bunny and sue sat in the back room, with the other lost children, though there were not so many now, for two of them--the crying ones--had been taken away by their mothers. and, pretty soon, along came aunt lu's big automobile, and in that bunny and sue were ready to be taken safely home. then aunt lu rode past the kind animal-man's place, and she and mother brown thanked him for his care of the children. "we couldn't have a monkey and a parrot, could we, mother?" asked bunny, as they left the animal store. "no, dear. i'm afraid not." "i didn't think we could," bunny went on. "but when we get back home, where henry, the elevator boy, can't see 'em, sue and i is going to have a monkey and a parrot." chapter xix bunny flies a kite mother brown and aunt lu laughed when bunny said this. bunny's and sue's mother and aunt were glad to have the children safely with them again. they were soon at aunt lu's home. "whatever made you two children go into that animal store?" asked mrs. brown. "aunt lu and i thought you were right behind us, going to take the boat for coney island. now we can't go." "we can go some other day," declared bunny. "you see we just stopped to look in the animal store window, mother, and then we thought we'd go in to see how much a monkey and a parrot cost." "but they cost ten dollars," said sue, "so we didn't get any." "i should hope not!" exclaimed aunt lu. the next day bunny and sue went to coney island with their aunt and their mother. this time aunt lu and mother brown kept close hold of the children's hands, so they were not lost. they very much enjoyed the sail down the bay, and they had lots of fun at coney island. of course bunny and sue were not like some children, who have never seen the grand, old ocean. bunny and sue lived near it at home, and had seen it ever since they were small children. but, to some, their visit to coney island gives the first sight of the sea, and it is a wonderful sight, with the big waves breaking on the sandy shore. but if bunny and sue were not so eager to see the ocean, they were glad to look at the other things on coney island. they rode on a merry-go-'round, slid down a long wooden hill, in a wooden boat, and splashed into the water; this was "shooting the chutes," of which you have heard. they even rode on a tame elephant, in a little house on the big animal's back. then they had popcorn and candy, and some lemonade, that, if it was not pink, such as they had at their little circus, was just as good. in fact bunny brown and his sister sue had a very good time at coney island. coming back on the boat was nice, too. there was a band playing music, and bunny and sue, and some other children, danced around. they reached home after dark, and bunny and sue were glad to go to bed. but bunny was not too sleepy to ask: "what are we going to do to-morrow, mother?" "oh, wait until to-morrow comes and see," she answered. "i hope you don't get lost again, though." but bunny and sue were not afraid of getting lost in new york, now. they knew the police would find them, and be kind to them. their mother and aunt lu had made them say, over and over again, the number of the house, and the name of the street where aunt lu lived. the children also had cards with the address on. but the day they went into the animal store they had left their cards at home. "what shall we do, bunny?" asked sue, the day after their trip to coney island. "i want to have some fun." "so do i," said bunny. having fun in the big city of new york was different from playing in the country, on grandpa's farm, or near the water in bellemere, as bunny and sue soon found. but they had many good times at aunt lu's, though they were different from those at home. one thing about being in the country, at grandpa's, or at their own home, was that bunny and sue could run out alone and look for fun. in new york they were only allowed to go on the street in front of aunt lu's house alone. of course if aunt lu, or mother brown, or even wopsie went with them, the children could go farther up or down the street. "let's see if we can go out and find wopsie's aunt to-day," said bunny to sue, after they had eaten breakfast. "all right," agreed the little girl. "where'll we look?" "oh, down in the street," said bunny. "we'll ask all the colored people we meet if they have lost a little girl. and we could ask at a police station, too, if we knew where there was one." "yes," said sue, "we might ask at the station where we was tooken, after we saw the monkeys and parrots in the animal store." "but we don't know where that police station is," bunny said. "i guess we'd just better ask in the street." bunny and sue were quite in earnest about finding little wopsie's aunt for her. for they wanted to make the little colored girl happy. and, strange as it may seem, bunny and sue had asked many colored persons they met, if they wanted a little lost colored girl. bunny and sue did not think this was at all strange, for they were used to doing, and saying, just what they pleased, as long as it was not wrong. of course some colored men and women did not know what to make of the queer questions bunny and sue asked, but others replied to them kindly, and said they were sorry, but that they had not lost any little colored girl. "but we'll find wopsie's aunt some time," said bunny, and sue thought they might. so now, having nothing else to do to "have fun," as they called it, bunny and sue started to go down to the street. "don't go away from in front of the house!" their mother called to them. "we won't," bunny promised. henry, the colored elevator boy, took them down in his car. "we're going to find wopsie's aunt," said bunny. "well, i hopes you do," replied henry. for, all this while, though aunt lu had tried her best, nothing could be found of any "folks" for the little colored girl. she still lived with aunt lu, helping keep the apartment in order, and looking after bunny and sue. down on the sidewalk went bunny and his sister. for some time they sat on the shady front steps, watching for a colored man or woman. but it was quite long before one came along. then it was a young colored man. up to him ran bunny. "is you looking for wopsie?" he asked. for the colored man was looking up at the numbers on the houses. "no, sah, little man. i'se lookin' fo' henry," was the answer. "he's a elevator boy, an' he done lib around yeah somewheres." "oh, he lives in here!" cried sue. "henry's our elevator boy. we'll show you!" she and bunny ran into the hall, calling: "henry! henry! here's your brother looking for you!" and so it was henry's brother. he worked as an elevator boy in another apartment house, and, as he had a few hours to spare, he had come to see henry. the two colored boys talked together, riding up and down in the sliding car, while bunny and sue went back to the street. "well, we didn't find anyone looking for wopsie," said bunny, "but we found someone looking for henry, and that's pretty near the same." "yes," said sue. "maybe we'll find wopsie's aunt to-morrow." but no more colored persons came along, and, after a while, bunny and sue grew tired of waiting. looking up in the air bunny suddenly gave a cry. "oh, sue! look!" he shouted. "there's a boy on the roof of that house across the street, flying a kite. i'm going to get a kite and fly it from our roof!" "do you think mother will let you?" asked sue. "i'm going to tell her about it!" bunny exclaimed. at first mrs. brown would not hear of bunny's flying a kite from the roof of the apartment house. but aunt lu said: "oh, the boys here often do it. that's the only place they have to fly kites in new york. there is a good breeze up on our roof, and it's safe. i don't know anything about a kite though, or how we could get bunny one." "you can buy 'em in a store," said the little boy. "there's a store just around the corner, and the kites cost five cents." mrs. brown, hearing her sister say it was safe, and all right, to fly kites from the roof, said bunny might get one. so he and sue, with wopsie, went to the little store around the corner. there bunny got a fine red, white and blue kite, with a tail to it. "now we'll take it up on the roof and fly it," he said to his sister and the little colored girl, after he had tied the end of a ball of string to his kite. there was a good wind up on the roof, and the railing was so high there was no danger of the children sliding off. bunny's kite was soon flying in the air, and he and sue took turns holding the string, as they sat on cushions on the roof. wopsie stood near, looking on. [illustration: "i never flied a kite like this before," laughed bunny--"up on a house roof." _bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home._ _page 192._] "i never flied a kite like this before," laughed bunny--"up on a house roof." chapter xx the play party high up in the air flew bunny brown's kite. the wind blew very hard on the high roof of aunt lu's house, harder than it blew down in the street. and, too, on the roof, there were no trees to catch the kite's tail and pull it. i think a kite doesn't like its tail pulled any more than a pussy cat, or a puppy dog does. anyhow, nothing pulled the tail of bunny's kite. "doesn't it fly fine!" cried sue, as bunny let out more and more of the ball of cord. "yes," he answered. "i'll let you hold it awhile, sue, after it gets up higher." "and will you let wopsie hold it, too?" asked the little girl. sue was very kind hearted, and she always wanted to have the lonely little colored girl share in the joys and pleasures that bunny and his sister so often had. "sure, wopsie can fly the kite!" bunny answered. "it's almost up high enough now. pretty soon it will be up near the clouds. then i'll let you and wopsie hold it awhile." up and up went the kite, higher and higher. the wind was blowing harder than ever, sweeping over the roof, and bunny moved back from the high rail for fear that, after all, the kite might pull him over. pretty soon he had let out all the cord, except what was tied to a clothes pin his aunt had given him, and bunny said: "now you can hold the kite, sue. but keep it tight, so it won't pull away from you." sue did not come up to take the string, as bunny thought she would. instead, sue said: "i--i guess wopsie can take my turn, bunny. i don't want to hold the kite. let wopsie." "why, i thought you wanted to," the little boy said. "well, i--i did, but i don't want to now," and sue looked at the kite, high up in the air above the roof. "come on, wopsie!" called bunny to the little colored girl. "you can hold the kite awhile." wopsie shook her kinky, black, curly head. "no, sah, bunny! i don't want t' hold no kite nohow!" she said. "why not?" bunny wanted to know. "jest 'case as how i don't!" wopsie explained. "is--is you afraid, same as i am?" asked sue. "why, sue!" cried bunny. "you're not afraid to hold my kite; are you?" "yes i is, bunny." "what for?" "'cause it's so high up," sue told him. "the wind blows it so hard, and we're up on such a high roof, and the kite pulls so hard i'm afraid it might take me up with it." "that's jest what i'se skeered ob, too!" cried wopsie. "i don't want t' git carried off up to no cloud, no sah! i wants t' find mah aunt 'fore i goes up to de sky!" bunny brown laughed. "why this kite wouldn't pull you up!" he said. "it can't pull hard enough for that. come on, i'll let both of you hold it together. it can't pull you both up." "shall we?" asked sue, looking at wopsie. "well, i will if yo' will," said the colored girl slowly. slowly and carefully sue and wopsie took hold of the kite string. no sooner did they have it in their hands than there came a sudden puff of wind, harder than before, and the kite pulled harder than ever. "oh, it's taking us up! it's taking us up!" cried sue, and she let go the string. "i can't hold it all alone! i can't hold it all alone!" cried wopsie. "i don't want to go up to de clouds in de sky!" and she, too, let go the cord. as it happened, bunny did not have hold of it just then, thinking his sister and wopsie would hold it, so you can easily guess what happened. the strong wind carried the kite, string and all, away through the air, the clothes pin, fast to the end of the cord, rattling along over the roof. "oh, look!" cried sue. "your kite is loose, bunny!" "cotch it! cotch it!" shouted wopsie, now that she saw what had happened. bunny did not say it was the fault of his sister and the little colored girl that the kite had gone sailing off by itself, though if the two girls had held to the string it never would have happened. but bunny was too eager and anxious to get back his kite to say anything just then. with a bound he sprang after the rolling clothes pin. but it kept just beyond his reach. he could not get his hand on it. faster and faster the kite sailed away. bunny was now running across the roof after the clothes pin that was tied on the end of his kite cord. then, all of a sudden, the clothes pin was pulled over the edge of the roof railing. bunny could not get it. he stopped short at the edge of the roof, and looked at his kite sailing far away. "it--it's gone!" said sue, in a low voice. "it--it suah has!" whispered wopsie. "oh, bunny. i'se so sorry!" "so'm i!" added sue. bunny said nothing. he just looked at his kite, growing smaller and smaller as it sailed away through the air. it was too bad. "never mind," said bunny, swallowing the "crying lump" in his throat, as he called it. "it--it wasn't a very good kite anyhow. i'm going to get a bigger one." "den we suah will be pulled offen de roof!" said wopsie, and bunny and sue laughed at the queer way she said it. however, nothing could be done now to get the kite. away it went, sailing on and on over other roofs. the long string, with the clothes pin on the end of it, dangled over the courtyard of the apartment house. then the wind did not blow quite so hard for a moment, and the kite sank down. "oh, maybe you can get it!" cried sue. "let's try!" exclaimed bunny. "come on, wopsie. we'll go down to the street and run after my kite." down to aunt lu's floor went the children. quickly they told mother brown and aunt lu what had happened. "we're going to chase after my kite," said bunny. "that's what we do in the country when a kite gets loose like mine did." "but i'm afraid it won't be so easy to run after a kite in the city as it is in the country," said mother brown. "there are too many houses here, bunny. but you may try. wopsie will go with you, and don't go too far away." wopsie knew all the streets about aunt lu's house, and could not get lost, so it was safe for bunny and sue to go with her. a little later the three were down on the street, running in the direction they had last seen the kite. but they could see it no longer. there were too many houses in the way, and there were no big green fields, as in the country, across which one could look for ever and ever so far. for several blocks, and through a number of streets, bunny brown and his sister sue, with wopsie, tried to find the kite. but it was not in sight. they even asked a kind-looking policeman, but he had not seen it. "i guess we'll have to go back without it," said bunny, sighing. "but i'll buy another to-morrow." the children turned to go back to aunt lu's house. bunny and sue looked about them. they had never been on this street before. it was not as nice as the one where their aunt lived. the houses were just as big, but they were rather shabby looking--like old and ragged dresses. and the people in the street, and the children, were not well dressed. of course that was not their fault, they were poor, and did not have the money. perhaps some of them did not even have money enough to get all they wanted to eat. "i--i don't like it here," whispered sue to wopsie. "let's go home." "there's more children here than on our street," said bunny. "look at those boys wading in a mud puddle. i wish i could." "don't you dare do it, bunny brown!" cried sue. "you know we can't go barefoot in the city. mother said so." "yes, i know," bunny answered. the three children walked on. as they passed a high stoop they saw a number of ragged boys and girls sitting around a box, on which were some old broken dishes and clam shells. one girl, larger than the others, was saying: "now you has all got to be nice at my party, else you won't git nothin' to eat. sammie cohen, you sit up straight, and don't you grab any of that chocolate cake until i says you kin have it. mary mullaine, you keep your fingers out of dat lemonade. the party ain't started yet." "i--i don't see any party," said bunny, looking at the empty clam shells, and the empty pieces of broken dishes on the soap box. "hush!" exclaimed sue in a whisper. "can't you see it's a _play_-party, bunny brown. same as we have!" chapter xxi the real party the poor children on the stoop (i call them poor just so you'll know they didn't have much money) these poor children were pretending so hard to have a party, that they never noticed bunny brown, and his sister sue, with wopsie, watching them. "when are we goin' to eat?" asked a ragged little boy, who sat on the lowest step. "when i says to begin, dat's when you eat," said the big, ragged girl, who seemed to have gotten up the play-party. "and i don't want nobody to ask for no second piece of cake, 'cause there ain't enough." "is there any pie?" asked a little boy, whose face was quite dirty. "'cause if there's pie, i'd just as lief have that as cake." "there ain't no pie," said the big girl. "now we'll begin. mikie snell, you let that ice-cream alone, i tells you!" "i--i was jest seein' if it was meltin'," and mikie drew back a dirty hand he had reached over toward a big empty clam shell. that shell was the make-believe dish of ice-cream, you see. "say, dis suah am a funny party," whispered wopsie to sue. "i--i don't see nuffin to eat!" "hush!" whispered sue. "you never have anything to eat at a _play_-party; do you, bunny?" "nope. but when we have one we always go in the house afterward, and mother gives us something." "let's watch them play," whispered sue. and so, not having found bunny's kite, he and his sister sue, and wopsie, stood by the stoop, and watched the poor, ragged children at their play-party. it was just like the ones bunny and sue sometimes had. there was make believe pie, cake, lemonade and ice-cream. and the children on the stoop, in the big, busy street of new york, had just as much fun at their play-party as bunny and sue had at theirs, in the beautiful country, or by the seashore. "now we're goin' to have the ice-cream," said the big girl, as she smoothed down her ragged dress. "and don't none of you eat it too fast, or it'll give you a face-ache, 'cause it's awful cold." then she made believe to dish out the pretend-ice-cream, and the children made believe to eat it with imaginary spoons. "i couldn't have no more, could i?" asked a little girl. "why lizzie bloomenstine! i should say not!" cried the big girl. "the ice-cream is all gone. hello, what you lookin' at?" she asked quickly as she saw bunny, sue and wopsie. for a moment bunny did not answer. the big girl frowned, and the others at the play-party did not seem pleased. "go on away an' let us alone!" the big girl said. "can't we have a party without you swells comin' to stare at us?" bunny and sue really were not staring at the play-party to be impolite. "what they want?" asked another of the ragged children. "oh, jest makin' fun at us, 'cause we ain't got nothin' to play real party with, i s'pose," grumbled the big girl. "go on away!" she ordered. then sue had an idea. i have told you of some of the ideas bunny brown had, but this time it was sue's turn. she was going to do a queer thing. "if you please," she said in her most polite voice to the big ragged girl, "we only stopped to look at your play-party, to see how you did it." "'cause we have 'em like that ourselves," added bunny. "and they're lots of fun," went on sue. "we play just like you do, with empty plates, and tin dishes and all that. do you ever have cherry pie at your play parties?" the big girl was not scowling now. she had a kinder look on her face. after all she had found that the "swells," as she called bunny and sue, were just like herself. "no, we never have cherry pie," she said, "it costs too much, even at make-believe parties. but we has frankfurters and rolls." "oh, how nice!" sue said. "we never have them; do we bunny?" "nope." "but we will, next time we have a play-party," sue went on. "i think they must be lovely. how do you cook 'em?" "well, we just frys 'em--make believe," said the big girl, who was smiling now. "but i can cook real, an' when we has any money at home, an' me ma buys real sausages, i boils 'em an' we eats 'em wit mustard on." sue thought the big girl talked in rather a queer way, but of course we cannot all talk alike. it would be a funny world if we did; wouldn't it? "it must be nice to cook real sausages," said sue. "i wish i could do it. but will all of you children come to my party to-morrow?" she asked. "are you goin' to have a party?" inquired the big girl. "yes," nodded sue. "we're going to have a party at our aunt lu's house; aren't we, bunny? we are, 'cause i'm going to ask her to have one, as soon as we get back," sue whispered to her brother. "so you say 'yes.' we are going to have a party; aren't we, bunny?" sue spoke out loud this time. "yes," answered the little boy. "we're going to have one." "a real party?" the big girl wanted to know. bunny looked at sue. he was going to let her answer. "yes, it will be a real party," said sue, "and we'll have all real things to eat. will you come?" "will we come?" cried the big girl. "well, i guess we will!" "even a policeman couldn't keep us away!" said the boy who had wanted to feel the ice-cream, to see if it was melting. "then you can all come to my aunt lu's house to-morrow afternoon," sue went on. "i'll tell her you're coming." "where is it?" asked the big girl. sue felt in her pocket and brought out one of aunt lu's cards, which miss baker had given the little girl in case she became lost. "that's our address," said sue. "you come there to-morrow afternoon, and we'll have a real party. i'm pleased to have met you," and with a polite bow, saying what she had often heard her mother say on parting from a new friend, sue turned away. "will you an' your brother be there?" the big, ragged girl wanted to know. "yes," said bunny. "i'll be there, and so will wopsie." "is she wopsie?" asked the big girl, pointing to the colored piccaninny. "dat's who i is!" wopsie exclaimed. "but dat's only mah make-believe name. mah real one am sallie jefferson. dat name was on de card pinned to me, but de address was tored off." "well, sallie or wopsie, it's all de same to me," said the big girl. "we'll see you at de party!" "yes, please all come," said sue once more. then she walked on with wopsie and her brother. "say, miss sue, is yo' all sartin suah 'bout dis yeah party?" asked wopsie, as they turned the corner. "why, of course we're sure about it, wopsie." "well, yo' auntie don't know nuffin 'bout it." "she will, as soon as we get home, for i'll tell her," said sue. "it will be fun; won't it, bunny?" "i--i guess so." bunny did not know quite what to make of what sue had done. getting up a real party in such a hurry was a new idea for him. still it might be all right. "it's a good thing i lost my kite," said bunny. "'cause if i hadn't we couldn't have seen those children to invite to the party." "yes," said sue, "it was real nice. we'll have lots of fun at the party. i hope they'll all come." "oh, dey'll _come_ all right!" said wopsie, shaking her head. "but i don't jest know what yo' aunt lu's gwine t' say." "oh, that will be all right," answered sue easily. when the children reached home, they rode up in the elevator with henry, and sue found her aunt in the library with mother brown. "aunt lu," began sue, "have you got lots of cake and jam tarts and jelly tarts in the house?" "why, i think mary baked a cake to-day," sue. "what did you ask that for?" "and can you buy real ice-cream at a store near here, or make it?" sue wanted to know. "why, yes, child, but what for?" aunt lu was puzzled. "then it's all right," sue went on. "you're going to give a real play-party to a lot of ragged children here to-morrow afternoon. i invited them. i gave them your card. and now, please, i want a jam tart, or a piece of cake, for myself. and then we must tell henry when the ragged children come, to let them come up in the elevator. they're little, just like me, and they never could walk up all the stairs. i hope your real play-party will be nice, aunt lu," and sue, smoothing out her dress, sat down in a chair. chapter xxii in the park aunt lu looked first at sue, and then at bunny brown. mother brown did the same thing. then they looked at wopsie. finally aunt lu, in a sort of faint, and far-away voice asked: "what--what does it all mean, sue?" sue leaned back in her chair. "it's just like i told you," she said. "you know bunny's kite got away, and we ran after it. we didn't find it, but we saw some poor children having a play-party, with broken pieces of dishes on a box, same as me and bunny plays sometimes. we watched them, and i guess they thought we was makin' fun of 'em." "yes," said bunny, "that's what they did." "but we wasn't makin' fun," said sue. "we just wanted to watch, and when they saw us i asked them to come here to-morrow to a _real_ party." "oh, sue, you never did!" cried her mother. "yes'm, i did," returned sue. "i gave 'em aunt lu's card, and they're coming, and we're going to have _real_ cake and _real_ ice-cream. that one girl can cook real, or make-believe, sausages, but we don't need to have _them_, 'less you want to, aunt lu! only i think it would be nice to have some jam tarts, and i'd like one now, please." aunt lu and mrs. brown again looked at one another. first they smiled, and then they laughed. "well," said aunt lu, after a bit. "i suppose since sue has invited them i'll have to give them a party. but i wish you had let me know first, sue, before you asked them." "why, i didn't have time, aunt lu. i--i just had to get up the real party right away, you see." "oh, yes, i see." so aunt lu told mary, her cook, and her other servants, to get ready for the party sue had planned. for it would never do to have the big girl, and the little boys and girls, come all the way to aunt lu's house, and then not give them something to eat, especially after sue had promised it to them. bunny and sue could hardly wait for the next day to come, so eager were they to have the party. they were up early in the morning, and they wanted to help make the jam and jelly tarts, but aunt lu said mary could better do that alone. wopsie helped dust the rooms, though, and she lifted up to the mantel several pretty vases that had stood on low tables. "dem chilluns might not mean t' do it," said the little colored girl, "but dey might, accidental like, knock ober some vases an' smash 'em. den miss lu would feel bad." bunny and sue spoke to henry, the elevator boy, about the ragged children coming to the party. "you'll let them ride up with you; won't you, henry?" asked sue. "oh, suah i will!" he said, smiling and showing all his white teeth. "dey kin ride in mah elevator as well as not." and, about two o'clock, which was the hour sue had told them, the ragged children came, the big girl marching on ahead with aunt lu's card held in her hand, so she would find the apartment house. but the children were not so ragged or dirty now. their faces and hands were quite clean, and some of them had on better clothes. "i made 'em slick up, all i could," said the big girl, who said her name was maggie walsh. "is the party all ready?" "yes," answered sue, who with bunny, had been waiting down in the hall for the "company." into the elevator the poor children piled, and soon they were up in aunt lu's nice rooms. the place was so nice, with its satin and plush chairs, that the children were almost afraid to sit down. but aunt lu, and mrs. brown soon made them feel at home, and when the cake, ice-cream, and other good things, were brought in, why, the children acted just like any others that bunny and sue had played with. "say, it's _real_ ice-cream all right!" whispered one boy to maggie walsh. "it's de real stuff!" "course it is!" exclaimed the big girl. "didn't she say it was goin' to be real!" and she nodded at sue. "i t'ought maybe it were jest a joke," said the boy. aunt lu had not had much time to get ready for sue's sudden little party, but it was a nice one for all that. there were plenty of good things to eat, which, after all, does much to make a party nice. then, too, there was a little present for each of the children. and as they went home with their toys, pleased and happy, there was a smile on every face. they had had more good things to eat than they had ever dreamed of, they had played games and they had had the best time in their lives, so they said. over and over again they thanked sue and her mother and aunt lu, and bunny--even henry, the elevator boy. "we'll come a'gin whenever you has a party," whispered a little red-haired girl, to sue, as she said good-bye. "and youse kin come to our make-believe parties whenever you want," said the big girl. "thanks." sue waved her hands to the children as they went down the street. she had given them a happy time. for a few days after sue's party she and bunny did not do much except play around aunt lu's house, for there came several days of rain. the weather was getting colder now, for it was fall, and would soon be winter. "but i like winter!" said bunny. "'cause we can slide down hill. are there any hills around here, aunt lu?" "well, not many. perhaps you might slide in central park. we'll see when snow comes." one clear, cool november day bunny and sue were taken to central park by wopsie. they had been promised a ride in a pony cart, and this was the day they were to have it. not far from where the animals were kept in the park were some ponies and donkeys. children could ride on their backs, or sit in a little cart, and have a pony or donkey pull them. "we'll get in a cart," said bunny. "i'm going to drive." "do you know how?" asked the man, as he lifted bunny and sue in. wopsie got in herself. "i can drive our dog splash, when he's hitched up to our express wagon," said bunny. "i guess i can drive the pony. he isn't much bigger than splash." this was so, as the pony was a little one. so bunny took hold of the lines, but the man who owned the pony carts sent a boy to walk along beside the little horse that was pulling bunny, sue and wopsie. "giddap!" cried bunny to the pony. "go faster!" for the pony was only walking. just then a dog ran out of the bushes along the park drive, and barked at the pony's heels. before the boy, whom the man had sent out to take charge of the pony, could stop him, the little horse jumped forward, and the next minute began trotting down the drive very fast, pulling after him the cart, with bunny, sue and wopsie in it. chapter xxiii old aunt sallie "bunny! bunny! isn't this fun?" cried sue, as she looked across at her brother in the other seat of the pony cart. "don't you like it?" "yes, i do," bunny answered, as he pulled on the reins. "do you, wopsie?" the colored girl looked around without speaking. she looked on the ground, as though she would like to jump out of the pony cart. but she did not. the little horse was going faster than ever. "don't you like it, wopsie?" asked sue. "it's fun! this pony goes faster than our dog splash, and splash couldn't pull such a nice, big cart as this; could he, bunny?" "no, i guess not," bunny answered. he did not turn around to look at sue as he spoke. for, to tell the truth, bunny was a little bit worried. the dog that had jumped out of the bushes, to bark at the pony's heels, was still running along behind the pony cart, barking and snapping. and, though bunny and sue did not mind their dog splash's barking, when he pulled them, this dog was a strange one. then, too, the boy, who had started out with the pony cart, was running along after it crying: "stop! stop! wait a minute. somebody stop that pony!" but there was no one ahead of bunny, sue and wopsie on the park drive just then, and no one to stop the pony, which was kicking up his heels, and going faster and faster all the while. "he's running hard; isn't he, bunny?" asked sue. "yes, he--he's going fast--very fast!" panted bunny, in a sort of jerky way, for the cart rattled over some bumps just then, and if bunny had not been careful how he spoke he might have bitten his tongue between his teeth. "don't--don't you li--like it--wop--wopsie?" asked sue, speaking in the same jerky way as had her brother. wopsie did not open her mouth. she just held tightly to the edge of the pony cart, and shook her head from side to side. that meant she did not like it. sue and bunny wondered why. true, they were going a bit fast, but then they had often ridden almost as fast when splash, their big dog, drew them in the express cart. and this was much nicer than an express cart, though of course bunny and sue liked splash better than this pony. but if they had owned the pony they would have liked him very much, also, i think. now the pony swung around a corner of the drive, and he went so fast, and turned so quickly, that the cart was nearly upset. sue held tightly to the side of her seat, and called to her brother: "oh, bunny! don't make him go so fast! you'll spill me and wopsie out!" "i didn't make him go fast," bunny answered. "i--i guess he's in a hurry to get away from that dog." "make the dog go 'way," pleaded sue. bunny looked back at the barking dog, who was still running after the pony cart. "go on away!" bunny cried. "let us alone--go on away and find a bone to eat!" but the dog either did not understand what bunny said, or he would rather race after the pony cart than get himself a bone. at any rate he still kept running along, barking and growling, and the pony kept running. the boy who had started out with the children, first walking along beside the pony, was now far behind. he was a small boy, with very short legs, and, as the pony's legs were quite long, of course the boy could not run fast enough to keep up. so he was now far behind, but he kept calling: "stop that pony! oh, please someone stop that pony!" bunny and sue heard the boy calling. so did wopsie, but the colored girl said nothing. she just sat there, holding to the side of the seat and looking at bunny and sue. "i wonder what that boy's hollering that way for?" asked sue, as the pony swung around another corner, almost upsetting the cart again. "i don't know," said bunny. "maybe he likes to holler. i do sometimes, when i'm out in the country. and this park is like the country, sue." "yes, i guess it is," said the little girl. "but what's he saying, bunny?" they listened. once more the boy, running along, now quite a long way behind the pony cart, could be heard crying: "stop him! stop him! he's running away! stop him!" bunny and sue looked at one another. then they looked at wopsie. the colored girl opened her mouth, showing her red tongue and her white teeth. "oh! oh!" she screamed. "de pony's runnin' away! dat's what de boy says. i'se afeered, i is! oh, let me out! let me out!" wopsie, who sat near the back of the cart, where there was a little door, made of wicker-work, like a basket, started to jump out. but though bunny brown was only a little fellow, he knew that wopsie might be hurt if she jumped from the cart, which the pony was pulling along so fast, now. "sit still, wopsie!" bunny cried. "sit still!" "but we's bein' runned away wif!" exclaimed wopsie. "didn't yo' all done heah dat boy say so? we's bein' runned away wif! i wants t' git out! i don't like bein' runned away wif!" "it won't hurt you," said sue. she did not seem at all afraid. "it won't hurt you, wopsie," sue went on. "me and bunny has been runned away with lots of times, with our dog splash; hasn't we, bunny?" "yes, we have, sue. sit still, wopsie. i'll stop the pony." bunny began to pull back on the lines, and he called: "whoa! whoa there! stop now! don't run away any more, pony boy!" but the pony did not seem to want to stop. perhaps he thought if he stopped, now, the barking dog would bite his heels. but the dog had given up the chase, and was not in sight. neither was the running boy. the boy had found that his short legs were not long enough to keep up with the longer legs of the pony. besides, a pony has four legs, and everybody knows that four legs can go faster than two. so the boy stopped running. "can you stop the pony?" asked sue, after bunny had pulled on the lines a number of times, and had cried "whoa!" very often. "can you stop him?" "i--i guess so," answered the little boy. "but maybe you'd better help me, sue. you pull on one line, and i'll pull on the other. that will stop him." bunny passed one of the pony's reins to his sister and held to the other. the children were sitting in front of the cart, bunny on one side and sue on the other. both of them began to pull on the lines, but still the pony did not stop. "pull harder, bunny! pull harder!" cried sue. "i am pulling as hard as i can," he said. "you pull harder, sue." but still the pony did not want to stop. if anything, he was going faster than ever. yes, he surely was going faster, for it was down hill now, and you know, as well as i do, that you can go faster down hill, than you can on the level, or up hill. "oh, i want to git out! i want to git out!" cried wopsie. "i don't like bein' runned away wif! oh, please good, kind, nice, sweet mr. policeman, stop de pony from runnin' away wif us!" "where's a policeman?" asked sue, turning half way around to look at wopsie. "where's a policeman?" "i--i don't see none!" said the colored girl, "but i wish i did! he'd stop de pony from runnin' away. maybe if we all yells fo' a policeman one'll come." "shall we bunny?" asked sue. "shall we what?" bunny wanted to know. he had been so busy trying to get a better hold on his rein that he had not noticed what sue and wopsie were talking about. "shall we call a policeman?" asked sue. "wopsie says one can stop the pony from running away. and i don't guess _we_ can stop him, bunny. we'd better yell for a policeman. maybe one is around somewhere, but i can't see any." "all right, we'll call one," bunny agreed. he, too, was beginning to think that the pony was never going to stop. "but let's try one more pull on the lines, sue. now, pull hard." and then something happened. without waiting for sue to get ready to pull on her line, bunny gave a hard pull on his. and i guess you know what happens if you pull too much on one horse-line. suddenly the pony felt bunny pulling on the right hand line, and the pony turned to that side. and he turned so quickly that the harness broke and the cart was upset. over it went on its side, and bunny brown and his sister sue, as well as wopsie, were thrown out. right out of the cart they flew, and bunny turned a somersault, head over heels, before he landed on a soft pile of grass that had been cut that day. sue and wopsie also landed on piles of grass, so they were not any more hurt than was bunny. the pony, as soon as the cart had turned over, looked back once, and then he stopped running, and began to nibble the green grass. "well, we aren't being runned away with now," bunny finally said. "no," answered sue. "we've stopped all right. wopsie, is you hurted?" the colored girl put her hand up to her kinky head. her hat had fallen off into her lap. carefully she felt of her braids. then she said: "i guess i isn't hurted much. but i might 'a' bin! i don't want no mo' pony cart rides!" before the children and wopsie could get up they heard a voice calling to them: "bress der hearts! po' li'l lambs! done got frowed out ob de cart, an' all busted t' pieces mebby. well, ole aunt sallie'll take keer ob 'em! po' li'l honey lambs!" glancing up, bunny and sue saw a motherly-looking colored woman coming across the grass toward them. she held out her fat arms to the children and said: "now don't cry, honey lambs! ole aunt sallie will tuk keer ob yo' all!" chapter xxiv wopsie's folks the nice old colored woman, who called herself aunt sallie, bent first over sue, helping the little girl stand up. "is yo' all hurted, honey?" asked aunt sallie, brushing the pieces of grass from sue's dress. "oh, no, i'm not hurt at all, thank you," sue replied. "it was a soft place to fall." "an' yo', li'l boy; am yo' all hurted?" she asked bunny. "no, thank you, i'm all right. i used to be in a circus, so i know how to turn somersaults, you see." "what's dat! a li'l boy like yo' in a circus?" aunt sallie seemed very much surprised. "oh, it wasn't a _real_ circus," explained sue. "no, it was only a make-believe one," bunny said, as he began to brush the grass off his clothes. "we had one circus in grandpa's barn," he said, "and another in some tents. say, wopsie, is you hurted?" bunny asked. by this time the colored girl had found out there was nothing the matter with her. not even one of her tight, black braids of kinky hair had come loose. she stood up, smoothed down her dress, and said: "no'm, i'se not hurted." "dat's good," said aunt sallie. "it's lucky yo' all wasn't muxed up an' smashed, when dat pony cart upset. now yo' all jest come ober t' my place an' i'll let yo' rest. i guess heah comes de boy what belongs t' de pony." the short-legged boy came running across the field. he was very much out of breath, for he had run a good way. "any--anybody hurt?" he asked. "no," said bunny, "we're all right, and your pony's all right too, i guess." it seemed so, for the pony was eating grass as if he had had nothing to chew on in a long while. but then perhaps running made him hungry, as it does some boys and girls. the boy, with the help of aunt sallie, turned the cart right side up, fixed the harness, and then got in to drive back to the place where the other ponies and donkeys were kept. "wait a minute!" cried wopsie. "i done didn't pay yo' all fo' de chilluns' ride yet." "oh, never mind," said the boy. "i guess the man won't charge you anything for this ride, because the pony ran away with you. it wasn't a regular ride. i won't take your money." "oh, then we can save it for ice-cream cones!" cried sue, for wopsie had been given the money to pay for the children's rides in the pony cart. "ice-cream cones!" cried bunny. "i guess you can't get any up here!" "oh, yes yo' kin, honey lamb!" exclaimed aunt sallie, as she called herself. "i keeps a li'l candy an' ice-cream stand right ober dere," and she pointed across the grassy lawn. "i was in my stand when i seed yo' all bein' runned away wif, so i come ober as soon as i could. i sells candy an' ice-cream cones, but i won't sell ice-cream much longer, 'cause it'll soon be winter. den i'll sell hot coffee an' chocolate. but i got ice-cream now, ef yo' all wants to buy some." "yes, i guess we do," stated bunny. "come on, sue and wopsie. we'll have some fun anyhow, even if we did get runned away with." "we's mighty lucky!" said wopsie, as she watched the boy driving back in the pony cart. the little horse was going slowly now. "i guess we'll walk back," went on the colored girl. "it isn't so awful far." following aunt sallie, who was quite fat, the children and wopsie walked across the green, grassy lawn, for it was still green though it was now late in the fall. soon the green grass would be covered with snow. just as she had said, aunt sallie kept a little fruit, candy and ice-cream stand in the park. soon the children and wopsie were eating cones. "does yo' chilluns lib 'round yeah?" asked aunt sallie, as she stood back of her little counter, watching bunny and sue. "we live at aunt lu's house--that is we're paying her a visit," said bunny. "we live a good way off, and we were on grandpa brown's farm all summer. we're going to stay here in new york over christmas." "dat's jest fine!" exclaimed aunt sallie. "an' i suah hopes dat santa claus'll bring yo' all lots ob presents. be yo' dere nuss maid?" aunt sallie asked of wopsie. "no, wopsie's a lost girl," said bunny. "lost? what yo' all mean?" asked aunt sallie. "she don't look laik she's lost." "but i is," wopsie said. "i'se losted all mah folks. miss baker, dat's de aunt lu dey speaks ob, she tuck me in. she's awful good t' me." "we all like wopsie," explained sue. "she takes care of us." "wopsie!" exclaimed aunt sallie. "dat suah am a funny name. who gib yo' all dat name, chile?" "oh, dat's not mah real name," wopsie explained. "miss lu jest calls me dat fo' short. mah right name am sallie alexander jefferson!" the old colored woman jumped off the chair on which she had been sitting. she looked closely at wopsie. "say dat ag'in, chile!" she cried. "say dat ag'in!" "say what ag'in?" wopsie asked. "yo' name! say yo' name ag'in!" "sallie alexander jefferson. dat's mah name." to the surprise of bunny brown, and his sister sue, aunt sallie threw her arms around wopsie. then the nice old colored woman cried: "bress de deah lord! i'se done found yo'!" she hugged and kissed wopsie, who did not know what it all meant. she tried to get away from aunt sallie's arms, but the old colored woman held her tightly. "bress de deah lord! bress de deah lord!" aunt sallie cried over and over again. "i'se done found yo'!" somehow or other bunny understood. "is you wopsie's aunt that we've been looking for?" he asked. "she lost her folks, you know, when she came up from down south. i heard aunt lu say so. are you her aunt?" "i suttinly believe i is, chile! i suttinly believe i is!" cried aunt sally. "fo' a long time i'se bin 'spectin' de chile ob mah dead sister t' come t' me. mah folks down souf done wrote me dat dey was sendin' li'l sallie on, but she neber come, an' i couldn't find her. but bress de deah lord, now i has! i suttinly t'inks yo' suah am mah lost honey lamb! her name was sallie jefferson. jefferson was de name ob mah sister what died, an' she say, 'fore she died, dat she'd named her chile after me. so yo' all mus' be her." "maybe i is! oh, maybe i is! an' maybe i'se found mah folks at last!" cried wopsie, or sallie, as we must now call her. there were tears of joy in her eyes, as well as in the eyes of aunt sallie. "if you ask aunt lu maybe she could tell you if wopsie is the one you're looking for," said bunny. "dat's what i'll do, chile! dat's what i'll do!" cried aunt sallie. "i'll shut up mah stand, an' go see yo' aunt lu." and, a little later, they were all in aunt lu's house. "well, what has happened now?" asked aunt lu, as she saw the strange colored woman with wopsie and the children. "oh, we was runned away with in the pony cart," explained sue, "and we got spilled out, but we fell on some piles of grass and didn't get hurt a bit. and aunt sallie found us, and we bought ice-cream cones of her and--" "and--and she's wopsie's aunt, what we've been looking for," interrupted bunny, fearing sue would never tell the best part of the news. "this is wopsie's aunt," and he waved his hand toward fat aunt sallie. "she's been looking for a lost girl, and her name is sallie, and--" "dat's it--sallie jefferson," broke in the colored woman. "mah name is sallie lucindy johnson, an' i had a sister named dinah jefferson down souf. so if dis girl's name am sallie jefferson den she may be mah sister's chile, an', if she am--" "why, den i'se found mah folks! dat's what i has!" cried wopsie, unable to keep still any longer. "oh, i do hope i'se found mah folks!" chapter xxv a happy christmas aunt lu and mother brown were very much surprised when bunny brown and his sister sue came in with aunt sallie; and when they heard the story told by the nice, old colored woman, they were more surprised than before. "do you really think she can be wopsie's aunt?" asked mrs. brown. "it may be," answered aunt lu. "we can find out." "oh, i do hope i'se got some folks at last!" said wopsie, over and over again. "i do hope i's gwine t' hab some folks like other people." aunt lu asked aunt sallie many questions, and it did seem certain that the old colored woman was aunt to some little colored girl who had been sent up from down south, but who had become lost. and if aunt sallie had lost a niece, and if wopsie had lost an aunt, it might very well be that they belonged to one another. "we can find out, if you write to your friends down south," said aunt lu to the old colored woman. "an' dat's jest what i'll do," was the answer. it took nearly two weeks for the letters to go and come, and all this while wopsie was anxiously waiting. so was aunt sallie, for bunny and sue learned to call her that. she would come nearly every day to aunt lu's house, to learn if she had received any word about wopsie. and, every day, nearly, bunny and sue, with wopsie, or sallie, as they sometimes called her, would go to central park. they would walk up to aunt sallie's stand, and talk with her, sometimes buying sticks of candy. for now it was almost too cold for ice-cream. some days it was so cold and blowy that bunny and sue could not go out. the ponies and donkeys were no longer kept in the park for children to have rides. it was too cold for the little animals. they would be kept in the warm stables until summer came again. wopsie, or sallie, still stayed at aunt lu's house, with bunny and sue. for aunt lu did not want to let the little colored girl go to live with aunt sallie, until it was sure she belonged to her. aunt sallie had made money at her little candy stand, which she had kept in the park for a number of years, and she was well able to take care of sallie and herself. "as soon as i hear from down south, that aunt sallie is your aunt, you shall go to her, wopsie," aunt lu had said. "well, miss baker, i suttinly wants t' hab folks, like other chilluns," said the little colored girl, "but i suah does hate t' go 'way from yo' who has bin so good t' me." "well, you have been good, and have helped me very much, also," said aunt lu. one day there was a flurry of snow flakes in the air. bunny and sue watched them from the windows. "oh, soon we can ride down hill!" cried sue. "won't you be glad, bunny?" "i sure will!" bunny said. then, coming close to sue he whispered: "say, maybe if we went up on the roof now, we could have a slide. let's go. the roof is flat, and we can't fall off on account of the railing around it. come on and have a slide." "i will!" said sue. putting on their warm, outdoor clothes, the children went up on the flat roof. there was plenty of snow up there, and soon they were having a fine slide. it was rather funny to be sliding up on the roof, instead of down on the ground, as they would have done at home, but, as i have told you, new york is a queer place, anyhow. after a while bunny and sue grew tired of sliding. it was snowing harder now, and they were cold in the sharp wind. "oh, bunny!" cried sue, "i wonder if santa claus can get down this chimney? it's the only one there is for aunt lu's house, and it isn't very big. do you think santa claus can climb down?" "we'll look," bunny said. but the chimney was so high that bunny and sue could not look down inside. they were very much worried as to whether st. nicholas could get into aunt lu's rooms to leave any christmas presents. "let's go down and ask her how santa claus comes," said sue. "all right," agreed bunny, and down they went. but when they reached aunt lu's rooms, bunny and sue found so much going on, that, for a while, they forgot all about santa claus. for aunt lu was reading a letter, and wopsie was dancing up and down in the middle of the floor, crying out: "oh, i'se got folks! i'se got folks!" "is aunt sallie really your aunt?" asked bunny. "yes'm! she is. she is! i'se got folks at last!" and up and down danced wopsie, clapping her hands, the "pigtails" of kinky hair bobbing up and down on her head. and so it proved. the letters from down south had just come, and they said that sallie lucindy johnson, or "aunt sallie," as the children called her, was really the aunt to whom wopsie, or sallie jefferson, had been sent. the card had been torn off her dress, and so sallie's aunt's address was lost. but that meeting in the park, after the pony runaway, had made everything come out all right. the letters which aunt lu had written before, and the messages she had sent, had not gone to the right place. for it was from virginia, that wopsie came, not north or south carolina, as the little colored girl had said at first. you see she was so worried, over being lost, that she forgot. but aunt sallie knew it was from a little town in virginia that her sister's child was to come, and, writing there, she learned the truth, and found out that wopsie was the one she had been so long expecting. so everything came out all right. "oh, but i suah is glad i'se found yo' at last!" said the nice old colored woman, as she held her niece in her arms. "i suppose you are going to take her away from us?" said aunt lu. "yaas'm. i'd like t' hab mah sallie." "well, now she can go. but i want you both to come back for christmas." "we will!" promised aunt sallie and little sallie. the word christmas made bunny and sue think of what they were going to ask their aunt lu. "where does santa claus come down?" "is that chimney on the roof big enough for him?" asked sue. "and hasn't you got an open fireplace, aunt lu?" "no, we haven't that. but i think santa claus will get down the chimney all right with your presents. if he doesn't come in that way, he'll find some other way to get in. don't worry." so bunny brown and his sister sue waited patiently for christmas to come. several times, when it was not too cold, or when there was not too much snow, the children went up on the roof. once they took up with them a box, so bunny could stand on it. he thought perhaps he could look down the chimney that way. but the box was not high enough, and bunny slipped off and hurt his leg, so he and sue gave it up. [illustration: the children saw many wonderful things in the stores. _page 243._ _bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home._] two weeks passed. it would soon be christmas now. bunny and sue were taken through the new york stores by their mother and aunt, and the children saw the many wonderful things santa claus's workers had made for boys and girls--dolls, sleds, skates, toy-airships, teddy bears, noah's arks, spinning tops, choo-choo cars, electric trains, dancing clowns--little make-believe circuses, magic lanterns--so many things that bunny and sue could not remember half of them. the children had written their christmas letters, and put them on the mantel one night. in the morning the letters were gone, so, of course, santa claus must have taken them. then it was the night before christmas. oh, how happy bunny and sue felt! they hung up their stockings and went to bed. their rooms were next to one another with an open door between. "bunny," whispered sue, as mother brown went out, after turning low the light; "bunny, is you asleep?" "no, sue. are you?" "nope. i don't feel sleepy. but does you think santa claus will surely come down that little chimney, when aunt lu hasn't got a fireplace for him?" "i--i guess so, sue." "come, you children must get quiet and go to sleep!" called mother brown. "it will be christmas, and santa claus will be here all the quicker, if you go to sleep." and at last bunny brown and his sister sue did go to sleep. the sun was not up when they awoke, but it was christmas morning. "merry christmas! merry christmas!" cried bunny and sue as they ran to where they had hung their stockings. they found many presents on the chairs, over the backs of which hung their stockings, which were filled with candy and nuts. "oh, santa claus came! santa claus came!" cried sue. "yep! he found the chimney all right!" laughed bunny. and such a merry christmas as the children had! there were presents for mother brown, and aunt lu, and some for mary the cook, and jane, the housemaid, and later in the day, when sallie and her aunt came, there were presents for them, also. and when dinner time came, and the big turkey, all nice and brown, was taken from the oven, and put on the table, mother brown said: "and now for the best present of all!" she opened a door, and out stepped daddy brown! "merry christmas, bunny! merry christmas, sue!" he cried, as he caught them up in his arms and hugged and kissed them. and a very merry christmas it was. mr. brown had come to spend the holidays with his family in new york. and such fun as bunny and sue had telling him all their adventures since coming to aunt lu's city home. i couldn't begin to tell you half! "i don't believe we'll ever have such a good time anywhere else," said sue, as she hugged her new doll in her arms. "oh, maybe we will," cried bunny, as he ran his toy locomotive around the room. and whether the children did or not you may learn by reading the next book of this series, which will be named: "bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while." in that i will tell you all that happened when the children went out in the woods, to live in a tent, near a beautiful lake. "and so you two found wopsie's aunt for her, did you?" asked mr. brown as he sat down, after dinner, with bunny on one knee and sue on the other. "well, i guess it was the runaway pony that did it," said bunny, with a laugh. and i, myself, think the pony helped; don't you? "oh, bunny!" whispered sue that night, as she went to bed, hugging her new doll. "hasn't this been a lovely christmas?" "the best ever," said bunny, sleepily. and so, for a little while we will say merry christmas, and good-bye, to bunny brown and his sister sue. the end * * * * * _this isn't all!_ would you like to know what became of the good friends you have made in this book? would you like to read other stories continuing their adventures and experiences, or other books quite as entertaining by the same author? on the _reverse side_ of the wrapper which comes with this book, you will find a wonderful list of stories which you can buy at the same store where you got this book. _don't throw away the wrapper_ _use it as a handy catalog of the books you want some day to have. but in case you do mislay it, write to the publishers for a complete catalog._ the bunny brown series by laura lee hope author of the popular "bobbsey twins" books, etc. durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding. every volume complete in itself. these stories are eagerly welcomed by the little folks from about five to ten years of age. their eyes fairly dance with delight at the lively doings of inquisitive little bunny brown and his cunning, trustful sister sue. bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at camp-rest-a-while bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove bunny brown and his sister sue in the sunny south bunny brown and his sister sue keeping store bunny brown and his sister sue and their trick dog bunny brown and his sister sue at a sugar camp bunny brown and his sister sue on the rolling ocean bunny brown and his sister sue on jack frost island grosset & dunlap, _publishers_, new york the bobbsey twins books for little men and women by laura lee hope author of "the bunny brown series," etc. durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding. every volume complete in itself. these books for boys and girls between the ages of three and ten stands among children and their parents of this generation where the books of louisa may alcott stood in former days. the haps and mishaps of this inimitable pair of twins, their many adventures and experiences are a source of keen delight to imaginative children everywhere. the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a houseboat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home the bobbsey twins in a great city the bobbsey twins on blueberry island the bobbsey twins on the deep blue sea the bobbsey twins in the great west the bobbsey twins at cedar camp the bobbsey twins at the county fair the bobbsey twins camping out the bobbsey twins and baby may grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york six little bunkers series by laura lee hope author of the bobbsey twins books, the bunny brown series, the blythe girls books, etc. durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding. every volume complete in itself. delightful stories for little boys and girls which sprung into immediate popularity. to know the six little bunkers is to take them at once to your heart, they are so intensely human, so full of fun and cute sayings. each story has a little plot of its own--one that can be easily followed--and all are written in miss hope's most entertaining manner. clean, wholesome volumes which ought to be on the bookshelf of every child in the land. six little bunkers at grandma bell's six little bunkers at aunt jo's six little bunkers at cousin tom's six little bunkers at grandpa ford's six little bunkers at uncle fred's six little bunkers at captain ben's six little bunkers at cowboy jack's six little bunkers at mammy june's six little bunkers at farmer joel's six little bunkers at miller ned's six little bunkers at indian john's grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york the honey bunch books by helen louise thorndyke individual colored wrappers and text illustrations drawn by walter s. rogers honey bunch is a dainty, thoughtful little girl, and to know her is to take her to your heart at once. little girls everywhere will want to discover what interesting experiences she is having wherever she goes. honey bunch: just a little girl honey bunch: her first visit to the city honey bunch: her first days on the farm honey bunch: her first visit to the seashore honey bunch: her first little garden honey bunch: her first days in camp honey bunch: her first auto tour honey bunch: her first trip on the ocean honey bunch: her first trip west honey bunch: her first summer on an island grosset & dunlap, _publishers_, new york carolyn wells books attractively bound. illustrated. colored wrappers. the marjorie books marjorie is a happy little girl of twelve, up to mischief, but full of goodness and sincerity. in her and her friends every girl reader will see much of her own love of fun, play and adventure. marjorie's vacation marjorie's busy days marjorie's new friend marjorie in command marjorie's maytime marjorie at seacote the two little women series introducing dorinda fayre--a pretty blonde, sweet, serious, timid and a little slow, and dorothy rose--a sparkling brunette, quick, elf-like, high tempered, full of mischief and always getting into scrapes. two little women two little women and treasure house two little women on a holiday the dick and dolly books dick and dolly are brother and sister, and their games, their pranks, their joys and sorrows, are told in a manner which makes the stories "really true" to young readers. dick and dolly dick and dolly's adventures grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york * * * * * transcriber's notes: obvious punctuation errors repaired. page 227, "sallie'l" changed to "sallie'll". (ole aunt sallie'll) bunny brown and his sister sue keeping store by laura lee hope author of the bunny brown series, the bobbsey twins series, the six little bunkers series, make believe stories, etc. illustrated by walter s. rogers new york grosset & dunlap publishers made in the united states of america books by laura lee hope 12mo. cloth. illustrated. =the bunny brown series= bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove bunny brown and his sister sue in the sunny south bunny brown and his sister sue keeping store =the bobbsey twins series= the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a houseboat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home the bobbsey twins in a great city the bobbsey twins on blueberry island the bobbsey twins on the deep blue sea the bobbsey twins in washington the bobbsey twins in the great west the bobbsey twins at cedar camp the bobbsey twins at the county fair =the six little bunkers series= (eight titles) =make believe stories= (ten titles) =outdoor girls series= (twelve titles) =grosset & dunlap= publishers new york copyright, 1922, by grosset & dunlap bunny brown and his sister sue keeping store [illustration: bunny got the box of baking powder. _bunny brown and his sister sue keeping store. frontispiece_--(_page_ 49)] contents chapter page i a grand crash 1 ii feeding the alligators 14 iii something in a desk 24 iv the corner store 34 v a new pupil 44 vi a busy buzzer 53 vii the barn store 65 viii in a hole 75 ix up a ladder 87 x the legacy 96 xi the last day 108 xii watering the garden 117 xiii helping mrs. golden 129 xiv the cross man 138 xv the broken window 147 xvi little storekeepers 161 xvii two letters 169 xviii bunny has an idea 178 xix the window display 184 xx in the flour barrel 194 xxi sue couldn't stop it 205 xxii a shower of boxes 214 xxiii the pony express 222 xxiv bad news 233 xxv good news 242 bunny brown and his sister sue keeping store chapter i a grand crash patter, patter, patter came the rain drops, not only on the roof, but all over, out of doors, splashing here and there, making little fountains in every mud puddle. bunny brown and his sister sue stood with their faces pressed against the windows, looking out into the summer storm. "i can make my nose flatter'n you can!" suddenly exclaimed bunny. "oh, you cannot!" disputed sue. "look at mine!" she thrust her nose against the pane of glass so hard that it almost cracked--i mean the glass nearly cracked. "look at that, bunny brown!" exclaimed sue. "isn't my nose flatter'n yours? look at it!" "how can i look at your nose when i'm looking at mine?" asked bunny. he, too, had pushed his nose against the glass of his window, the children standing in the dining room where two large windows gave them a good view of things outside. "you must look at my nose to see if it's flatter'n yours!" insisted sue. "else how you going to know who beats?" "well, i can make mine a flatter nose than yours!" declared bunny. "you look at mine first and then i'll look at yours." this seemed a fair way of playing the game, sue thought. she left her window and went over to her brother's side. the rain seemed to come down harder than ever. if the children had any idea of being allowed to go out and play in it, even with rubber boots and rain coats, they had about given up that plan. mrs. brown had been begged, more than once, to let bunny and sue go out, but she had shaken her head with a gentle smile. and when their mother smiled that way the children knew she meant what she said. "now, go ahead, bunny brown!" called sue. "let's see you make a flat nose!" bunny drew his face back from the window. his little nose was quite white where he had pressed it--white because he had kept nearly all the blood from flowing into it. but soon his little "smeller," as sometimes bunny's father called his nose, began to get red again. bunny began to rub it. "what you doing?" sue wanted to know, thinking her brother might not be playing fair in this little game. "i'm rubbing my nose," bunny answered. "yes, i know. but what for?" "'cause it's cold. if i'm going to make my nose flatter'n yours i have to warm it a little. the glass is cold!" "yes, it is a little cold," agreed sue. "well, go ahead now; let's see you flat your nose!" bunny took a long breath. he then pressed his nose so hard against the glass that tears came into his eyes. but he didn't want sue to see them. and he wouldn't admit that he was crying, which he really wasn't doing. "look at me now! look at me!" cried bunny, talking as though he had a very bad cold in his head. sue took a look. "yes, it is flat!" she agreed. "but i can flatter mine more'n that! you watch me!" sue ran to her window. she made up her mind to beat her brother at this game. closing her teeth firmly, as she always did when she was going to jump rope more times than some other girl, sue fairly banged her nose against the window pane. her little nose certainly flattened out, but whether more so than bunny's was never discovered. for sue banged herself harder than she had meant to, and a moment later she gave a cry of pain, turned away from the window, and burst into tears. "what's the matter?" asked mrs. brown, hurrying in from the next room: "who's hurt?" sue was crying so hard that she could not answer, and bunny was too surprised to say anything for the moment. mrs. brown looked at the two children. she saw sue holding her nose in one hand, while bunny's nose was turning from white to red as the blood came back into it. "have you children been bumping noses again?" she asked. this was a game bunny and sue sometimes played, though they had been told not to. "no, mother; we weren't 'zactly banging noses," explained bunny. "we were just seeing who could make the flattest one on the window, and sue bumped her nose too hard. i didn't do anything!" "no, it--it wasn't bun--bunny's fault!" sobbed sue. "i did it myself! i was trying to--to flatter my nose more'n his!" "you shouldn't play such games," said mother brown. "i'm sorry, sue! let me see! is your nose bleeding?" and she gently took the little girl's hand down. "is--is--it?" asked sue herself, stopping her sobs long enough to find out if anything more than a bump had taken place. "no, it isn't bleeding," said mrs. brown. "now be good children. you can't go out in the rain, so don't ask it. play something else, can't you?" "could we play store?" asked bunny, with a sudden idea. it was not altogether new, as often before, on other rainy days, he and sue had done this. "oh, yes, let's keep store!" cried sue, forgetting all about her bumped nose. "that will be nice," said mother brown. "tell mary to let you have some things with which to play store. you may play in the kitchen, as mary is working upstairs now." "oh, now we'll have fun!" cried sue, clapping her hands. "could we have splash in?" asked bunny. "the dog? why do you want him?" asked mrs. brown. "we could tie a basket around his neck," explained bunny, "and he could be the grocery delivery dog!" "oh, yes!" laughed sue. "no," said mother brown, with a gentle shake of her head, "you can't have splash in now. he has been splashing through mud puddles and he'd soil the clean kitchen floor. play store without splash." there was one nice thing about bunny brown and his sister sue. if they couldn't have one thing they did very well with something else. so now bunny said: "oh, all right! we can take turns sending the things out ourselves, sue." "yes, and we'll take turns tending store," added sue. "'cause i don't want to be doing the buying all the while." "yes, we'll take turns," agreed bunny. soon the children were in the kitchen, keeping store with different things from the pantry that mary, the cook, gave them to play with. unopened boxes of cinnamon, cloves and other spices; some cakes of soap in their wrappers just as they had come from the real store, a few nuts, some coffee beans, other beans, dried peas and a bunch of vegetables made up most of the things with which the children played. after they had finished their fun everything could be put back in the pantry. bunny tore some old newspapers into squares to use in wrapping the "groceries." mary also gave the children bits of string for tying bundles. the store counter was the ironing board placed across the seats of two chairs in front of a table, and on the table back of this ironing board counter the different things to sell were placed. "what are we going to do for money?" asked bunny, when the "store" was almost ready to open. "i'll give you some buttons," said his mother. bunny was given a handful of flat buttons of different sizes and colors to use for change. he placed them in his cash box. sue also had other buttons to use as money in buying groceries. "now we're all ready to play," said bunny, looking over the store. "you must come and buy something, sue." "yes. and then i want to keep store," said the little girl. "all right," her brother agreed. bunny took his place behind the counter and waited. sue went out into the hall, paused a moment, and then, with a little basket over her arm, came walking in, as much like a grown-up lady as she could manage. "good morning, mrs. snifkins!" exclaimed bunny. he always called sue "mrs. snifkins" when they kept store. "oh, good morning, mr. huntley," sue replied. she always called her brother "mr. huntley," when they kept store. perhaps this was because he used to pretend to hunt for things on the make-believe shelves. "what can i do for you this morning, mrs. snifkins?" asked bunny, rubbing his hands as he had seen mr. gordon, the real grocer, do. "i want some prunes, some coffee, some eggs, some sugar, some salt, some butter, some----" ordered sue all in one breath. "stop! stop! wait a minute!" cried bunny. "i can't remember all that! now what did you say first?" "prunes," replied sue. there were some real prunes among the things the children were playing store with, and bunny wrapped a few of these in a paper. "now some sugar," sue ordered. as real sugar was rather messy if it spilled on the floor, bunny had some bird gravel, which was almost as good, and he pretended to weigh some of this out on an old castor that was the make-believe scales. some real coffee beans were also wrapped up for sue, and then for eggs bunny used empty thread spools. "will that be all to-day, mrs. snifkins?" asked grocer huntley, when sue had put the things in her basket. "yes, that's all," sue answered, placing two large black buttons on the ironing board counter and getting back in change a small white button. sue went out with her "groceries," and soon came back for more. after her third trip, by which time she had bought nearly everything in the store, she said: "now i want to be storekeeper." "all right," agreed bunny. sue brought back the things she had pretended to buy, they were put on the shelves again, and bunny became a purchaser while sue waited on him. outside it still rained hard, as bunny saw when he looked from the window. but it was fun in the house, keeping store. the children kept on taking turns, first one being the keeper of the store and then the other, until bunny suddenly had a new idea. "oh, i know what we can do!" cried the little boy. "what?" asked sue. "we'll play hardware store," bunny said. "i'm tired of having a grocery. we'll keep hammers and nails and things like that." "i think a grocery is more fun," said sue. "nope! a hardware store is better," bunny insisted. "i'll sell you washboilers, basins, tin pans and things like that, and knives and forks. we can have ever so many more of those things than we can have groceries." "well, maybe we can," sue agreed, doubtfully. "i'll make a high-up shelf, like those in the hardware store down town," went on bunny. "i'll have things high up on the shelf, and i'll climb up on a ladder to get 'em, as they do down town." "what you going to climb up on?" sue asked. "the stepladder." "what you going to make a high shelf of?" sue inquired. "there's another ironing board down in the laundry," bunny answered. "and i can get the washboiler and a lot of things. i'll put the other ironing board away up there, across the top of the two doors." "that'll be awful high," said sue, looking to where bunny pointed. the pantry door and the one leading from the kitchen into the hall were close together on one side of the room. by opening these doors half way a board could be placed across their tops, making a high shelf. this was soon done, and on this shelf the big tin washboiler was placed, and also some tin pans from the pantry. bunny climbed up on the stepladder to put the shelf and things in place. other articles for a hardware play-store were placed on the lower ironing board shelf, and then bunny was ready for "mrs. snifkins" to come again. sue had her button money all ready, the store was in order, and new fun was about to begin, when mary, coming suddenly in from the hall and not knowing what the children were doing, pushed wider open the hall door. instantly there was a grand crash! down came the upper shelf from the tops of the doors. down came the washboiler and a lot of tin pans. my, what a racket there was! and, worst of all, bunny brown himself was hidden from sight in that mess of ironing board, washboiler, and other things! "oh! oh! oh!" cried sister sue, dropping her basket and her button money, which rolled all over the floor. "oh, dear!" "bless and save us!" cried mary, the cook. "what has happened?" bunny brown said nothing. chapter ii feeding the alligators mrs. brown came hurrying into the kitchen from the living room. "what has happened?" she asked. "what was that crash?" it needed only one look to show her what had happened and what had caused the rattling, banging, crashing sound. on the floor, over and around the two chairs and the large ironing board, were the smaller board, the stepladder, the washboiler, two hammers, a lot of nails, many bread, cake, and pie pans, and some knives and forks. "where's bunny?" asked mrs. brown. well might she ask that, for sue's brother was not in sight, nor had he uttered a word since the accident. "he--he's under there i--i guess," faltered sue. she was not quite sure where bunny had gone when that terrible crash came. "yes, i see his legs! i'll pull him out, ma'am," offered mary. "oh, i hope nothing has happened to him!" mrs. brown hurried to assist mary in digging bunny from under the wreckage of his hardware store. and while they are doing that i will beg a moment's time from those of you who have never before read any of these books, to tell you something of the two children who are to have some queer adventures in this present volume. bunny brown and his sister sue are well known to many of you children. bunny and his sister lived with their father and mother, mr. and mrs. walter brown, in the town of bellemere, on sandport bay, near the ocean. mr. brown kept a boat and fish dock, and one of his helpers was bunker blue, a young man who was very fond of bunny and sue. in the brown home were also uncle tad, who was mr. brown's relative, and mary, the good-natured cook. there was also splash, a big dog. and i might mention toby, a shetland pony. there were other pets to whom i will introduce you from time to time. toby had been away from the brown children for a while, but was now back again. in the village were many friends of bunny and sue. mrs. redden, who kept a candy store, was a very special sort of friend, and she gave the biggest penny's worth of sweets for miles around. mr. gordon, as i have told you, kept a real grocery store, and then there was mr. jed winkler, an old sailor who owned a parrot and a monkey named wango. mr. winkler's sister, miss euphemia, did not like either polly or wango. charlie star, george watson, mary watson, sadie west, helen newton, harry bentley, and fat bobbie boomer were all friends of the brown children. now that you know the names of most of the characters who are to appear in this book, i might mention some of the other volumes. the first one was called "bunny brown and his sister sue," and told of their adventures around home. then they went to grandpa's farm, they played circus, they visited aunt lu in her city home, they went to "camp rest-a-while," and then they went to the big woods. after that they had exciting adventures on an auto tour, and you can imagine what joy was theirs when they were given a shetland pony, that was named toby. bunny brown and his sister were always thinking up new ideas, and when they wanted to give a show few doubted but what they would succeed. they did, and made a goodly sum for a home for the blind. one of the trips the browns made was to christmas tree cove, and in the book of that name you will find their adventures set forth. they also made a winter trip to the south, and they had not long been back from that when the things happened that i have just told you about--the grand crash in the make-believe hardware store. with the help of mary and mrs. brown, bunny was pulled from beneath the wreckage. at first the little boy could hardly speak, and his mother, no less than mary and sue, was beginning to get frightened. but suddenly with a gasp bunny found his voice, and his first question was: "did you get hurt, sue?" "no," she answered. "but i guess you did." "only a little crack on the head," bunny replied, rubbing the place that hurt. "but who knocked down my high shelf? did splash get in and wag his tail?" sometimes the big dog did this with funny results. "i guess i knocked down your shelf, bunny," said mary. "i'm sorry, but i didn't know you had a board on top of the doors." "did you have that, bunny?" asked his mother. "yes'm, i--i guess i did," bunny had to admit. "it was a high shelf for our hardware store. i had the washboiler up there!" "no wonder there was a crash!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "it's a wonder you weren't hurt!" "i guess the big ironing board fell on the stepladder first, and stayed there, and the rest of the things didn't hit bunny because he was under the board," explained mary. and that is about how it happened. bunny was under a sort of arch formed by the stepladder and the two ironing boards, and so was saved from being hit on the head by the heavy things. one of the overturned chairs, however, had struck him in the stomach, and this had rather knocked his breath out, which made him unable to talk for a little while. "well, i'm glad it was no worse than this," said mrs. brown. "mercy sakes, though, the kitchen is a sight!" "i don't mind! i'll clean it up," offered good-natured mary. "the children have to play something in the house when it rains out of doors." "yes," agreed mrs. brown. "but they could have kept on playing grocery store. they didn't need to make a high shelf and put the big washboiler up on it to fall down when the door was moved the least bit!" "i did that," confessed bunny, anxious that sue should not be blamed for what was not her fault. "i didn't know anybody would push the door." "well, it's a mercy it was no worse," remarked his mother. "and now, after you have helped mary pick up the things, go on with your playing. can't you play grocery instead of hardware store, bunny, my dear?" "oh, hardware store is nicer, and we have all the things now," bunny replied. "but i won't make any more high shelves." the washboiler, the pans, and the scattered knives and forks were picked up, and then bunny and sue went on playing, using only the low ironing board shelf, which was made over the seats of two chairs. they took turns keeping store and doing the buying, and had a great deal of fun. but even making believe keep a hardware store gets tiresome after a while, especially if there are only two playing, and after a while bunny brown and his sister sue wanted something else to interest them. "'tisn't raining quite so hard now," sue observed, after a look from the window. "that's right!" cried bunny. "oh, say! maybe we can go out in the barn and feed our alligators!" "that'll be fun," agreed sue. "and i guess they're hungry; don't you, bunny?" "yes, i guess so. let's go ask mother if we can feed 'em." "i know she'll say yes, so i'll get some scraps of meat from mary," said sue. as the rain was slackening and as mrs. brown knew that the alligators might need food, she told the children they could go out to the barn if they put on their rubber boots and coats. "aren't you afraid the alligators will bite you?" asked mary, as she cut up some bits of meat for the children. "course not; we aren't afraid!" boasted bunny. "they're only little alligators, and they're real tame." one of the long-tailed, scaly pets given to the children by mr. bunn had been brought from the south where the browns spent part of the winter, and later mr. brown had gotten some others. the alligators were kept in a tank of water in the barn. bunny and sue wanted the alligators kept in the house, but mrs. brown insisted that the barn was the place for pets of that sort. out into the rain storm, which was now almost over, went bunny brown and his sister sue to feed the alligators. there were three or four of the scaly creatures, and as the children drew near the tank the alligators came crawling out of the water up on some bits of wood and stone that made a resting place for them. for alligators cannot stay under water all the while, as can a fish. they must come out every now and then to get air. "oh, look at judy!" cried sue, dangling a piece of meat in front of the nose of one of the queer pets. "she's awful hungry!" "and so is jim!" said bunny, feeding another of the creatures. they lifted up their long snouts, opened their mouths, and took in the pieces of meat. "where's jumbo?" suddenly asked sue. "i don't see him!" "maybe he got out!" said bunny, for the largest of the pet alligators was not in sight. not that jumbo was very large, for though he was the biggest in the tank he was not more than ten inches long. "oh, here he comes!" cried sue, as jumbo swam up from the bottom of the tank. "i guess he was asleep." "i guess so," agreed her brother. "here, jumbo!" he went on. "here's some meat for you!" "jumbo's getting real big," said sue, as she watched the largest of the pets. "and judy is growing," added bunny. "i wish we had had these 'gators when we gave our show." "yes," agreed his sister. "well, maybe we can have another show. or we could put the alligators in a store the next time we play." "yes," said bunny. "only maybe you couldn't wrap up a 'gator in a piece of paper. he might bite his way out." "that's so," said sue. "well, we could----" but she did not finish what she was saying, for a loud barking suddenly sounded outside the barn. at this noise bunny and sue started on a run for the door. chapter iii something in a desk splash, the dog, was barking loudly at something up in a tree near the barn. bunny and sue could not see what it was, but it was something that had caused splash to get very much excited. he leaped up and down and ran in circles about the tree, barking loudly all the while. "it's a cat!" exclaimed sue. "can't be a cat," bunny answered. "splash likes all the cats around here." "maybe it's a strange cat," went on sue. "that's so," agreed bunny brown. "here, splash!" he called. "what you barking at a cat for?" the only answer the dog made was to bark again. bunny and his sister, forgetting all about their pet alligators, ran to the foot of the tree, up in which was something that had caused splash to cease his play in another part of the yard and run toward the barn. the rain had now stopped, and the sun was getting ready to shine. "what is it, splash? what is it?" asked bunny, trying to peer up among the leaves of the tree. "i see it!" suddenly cried sue. "it's wango, mr. winkler's pet monkey!" "oh, yes! i see it now!" called bunny. "here, splash! stop barking at wango!" ordered the little boy. "don't you know he's a friend of yours? stop it, splash!" splash finally ceased barking and sat down to look eagerly up into the tree. he would not have hurt the monkey, for the two animals were good friends. i suppose splash had seen the monkey leaping from the branches of one tree into another, and, not realizing that it was his friend wango, had given chase. wango was a bit frightened at first, even by the barking of his dog friend splash, and had taken refuge in the tree near the barn. "come on down, wango! come on down!" invited bunny. "yes, please do," added sue. "we won't let splash hurt you. don't you bark any more, splash!" she cried, shaking her finger at the dog. splash whined. he really only meant to have a little fun with wango. but the monkey did not come down. he clung to the tree branch with his hands and tail and looked at the children, whom he well knew, for they were kind to him. "i know how to get him down," said bunny. "you go into the house and get a piece of cake for him, sue. take splash with you. then wango won't be afraid." "all right," agreed the little girl. she was always ready to run errands like this when she and bunny could have fun. "come on, splash!" she called, and the dog followed her, looking back once at bunny, as if to ask why the boy, too, was not following. but bunny stayed near the tree in which wango still clung. "mother," cried sue, tramping into the house in her rubber boots, "please may bunny and i have some cake for wango?" "you can't go over to mr. winkler's in the rain," said mrs. brown. "you'd better stay out in the barn and feed your pet alligators." "oh, but the rain is over," sue explained. "the sun is coming out. and wango isn't over at his own home. he's up in one of our trees. splash chased him up there, i guess, and barked at him. and he won't come down--i mean wango won't. and will you please keep him in here till i take him out some cake. i mean," explained sue, half out of breath, "you please keep splash here in the house while i take some cake out to bunny to feed wango to get him down from the tree." "my, what a lot of talk for a little girl!" laughed mrs. brown. "well, i suppose wango has run away again from jed. you and bunny may take the monkey back. ask mary to give you a bit of cake. i'll keep splash in the house." sue got the cake, but it was rather difficult for mrs. brown to keep the dog in. he was eager to follow sue back to the tree again. but it would be hard work to get wango down, once the monkey was frightened, if splash kept on barking, which he was pretty sure to do. he even barked loudly, splash did, while he was being held in the house by mrs. brown. sue ran out with the cake to bunny, who was waiting beneath the tree. "is wango there yet?" the little girl wanted to know. "yes," bunny answered. "but he's coming down a little." and the monkey came down still farther when he saw the cake, of which he was very fond. he was soon perched on bunny's shoulder, eating the treat, sue feeding him little pieces one at a time. "let's take him back to mr. winkler's house," suggested bunny, as the sun now came out bright and warm. "i guess the sailor will be looking for him." "yes, i guess so," agreed sue. wango had a great habit of running away from his master's home, and, more than once, bunny brown and his sister sue had taken back the sailor's pet. this they now did again, and as they knocked at the side door, miss winkler opened it. "here's your monkey back," said bunny, after the first greetings. "huh! 'tisn't _my_ monkey!" declared miss winkler. "it's jed's! i shouldn't ever worry if it never came home! still, that isn't saying it's your fault, bunny and sue. i know you mean to be kind, and jed will thank you, even if i don't. wango, you rascal, why don't you stay away when you run off? i don't want you around! what with the poll parrot----" "polly wants a cracker! polly wants a cracker!" shrieked the green bird. "a fire cracker's what you ought to have!" sniffed miss winkler, who did not like the two pets her sailor brother had brought back with him from one of his voyages. "cracker! cracker! put the kettle on the fire! polly wants a cracker!" yelled the bird, and wango began to chatter, the two of them making such a racket that miss winkler held her hands over her ears while bunny and sue could not help laughing. "stop it! stop it!" yelled the maiden lady, and finally the monkey and the parrot grew quiet. "put wango in his cage, sue, if you please," said miss winkler. "and i'll tell jed, when he comes home, how good you were to bring wango back--not that i want the creature, though. well, it's cleared off, i'm glad to see. and now maybe you two will have a piece of cake for yourselves. i won't give wango any, though!" "yes'm, i could eat a bit," said bunny, with a smile. "i like it, too," added sue. the children were soon having a lunch of cake and milk. though miss winkler was a bit fussy over her brother's pets, yet she had a good heart, and she liked bunny and sue. through the little mud puddles, left after the rain, bunny and sue splashed their way back home. their mother saw them coming, and, as splash was making a great fuss at being kept in the house, she let the dog out. he ran to meet the children. "what'll we do now?" asked bunny, when they had told their mother about taking wango home. "let's go down and wade in the brook," proposed sue. "we have our boots on, and we won't have 'em on to-morrow. we'll have to go to school then, anyhow. so let's go wade in the brook now." "all right!" agreed bunny. "and we'll sail boats!" with their dog, the children were soon splashing in the shallow brook, made a bit higher on account of the rain. they found some boards and made a raft, on which they pushed themselves about the wider part of the brook. splash climbed on the raft with them, and the children pretended they were robinson crusoe on a voyage. "well, we had a lot of fun to-day," sighed bunny in contentment, as he and sue were going to bed that night. "lots of fun!" "yes," agreed his sister. "and to-morrow we have to go to school." "oh, well," bunny remarked, "maybe we'll have fun there." the children had been kept at home on account of the heavy rain. "we won't have any fun like the hardware store shelf falling down on you," laughed sue, as she remembered the queer accident. "no, i don't want anything like that," said bunny. "once is enough." early the next morning the children were ready for school. but, almost at the last minute, bunny could not find his large pencil box. "where did you have it last?" his mother asked him. "oh, i remember! i saw it in the barn!" exclaimed sue. "that's right--we were playing school there day before yesterday," said bunny. "i'll get it!" he ran to the barn, got the pencil box, thrust it into his bag with his books, and trotted along with sue. having to hunt for his pencil box at almost the last moment nearly made bunny and sue late for school. but they slipped into their seats just as the last bell was ringing. after the morning exercises, bunny placed his pencil box and the books he did not need to use right away in his desk and went to his reading class. it was when bunny was doing his turn at reading up near the front platform that sadie west, who sat in the seat next to bunny, gave a sudden little cry. "what is the matter, sadie?" asked miss bradley, the teacher. "oh! oh, if you please, teacher, there's something in bunny brown's desk making faces at me!" exclaimed sadie. "something making faces at you? what do you mean, sadie?" asked miss bradley in surprise. "what is it?" "it--it's a--a mouse!" cried the little girl. "a mouse?" repeated the teacher. "yes'm! a mouse in bunny brown's desk!" and sadie screamed. at this some of the other children screamed, and there was much noise and confusion in the schoolroom. chapter iv the corner store "quiet, children! quiet!" ordered miss bradley. "this is school, not the playground at recess. now, sadie," she went on, as soon as there was a little quiet in the room, "tell me again, and be careful what you say. what did you see?" "please, teacher, i saw a mouse in bunny brown's desk, and he made a face at me. i mean the mouse made a face at me--not bunny!" sadie made haste to explain, for she saw bunny look at her when she made the statement about his desk and the mouse. sadie had left her seat beside bunny's desk, and was now up front. "how many other girls saw the mouse in bunny's desk?" asked miss bradley. no one answered. "raise your hands if you are afraid to speak," said the teacher, with a smile. she was beginning to believe that sadie had imagined it all, or else that an edge of a book had looked like a mouse. none of the girls raised her hands except sadie west. "did any boy see the mouse?" miss bradley next asked. "no, but i wish i had!" exclaimed charlie star. "if i'd see it i'd grab it!" the other pupils giggled on hearing this. "quiet, children! quiet!" begged the teacher again. "are you sure, sadie, that you saw a mouse in bunny brown's desk?" asked miss bradley. "yes'm, i'm sure i did," was the answer. "bunny, did you bring a mouse to school?" miss bradley next asked. "i mean a pet mouse, for i know you and sue have many pets. did you bring a mouse to school, bunny?" "oh, no, teacher! i wouldn't do such a thing!" bunny declared very earnestly. "i didn't believe you would," said miss bradley, with a kind smile. "i think sadie must be mistaken. but still, to quiet her--and all of you," she added, looking at the pupils, "i will look in bunny's desk. i am quite sure i will find nothing more than a book or a piece of paper that may have moved, making sadie think it was a mouse." miss bradley went to bunny's desk. all the desks in the room were of the sort with a lid that raised up and down on hinges, like the cover of a box. as miss bradley came near bunny's desk she noticed that the top was raised a little way, leaving a crack of an opening. bunny had put one of his books in hurriedly, and the desk lid rested on this. as the teacher raised the desk lid and looked in, the room was very quiet. some of the girls almost held their breaths. one of them covered her eyes with her hands, lest she might, by accident, see the mouse. sadie west leaned forward eagerly, anxious, in a way, that a mouse should be found, for that would make her story true, and she was sure, in her own mind, that she had seen a mouse. bunny, too, looked eagerly at miss bradley, and so did sue, from the other side of the room. "grab a book, everybody!" said charlie star in a hoarse whisper to the other boys. "grab a book, and if the mouse runs out we'll bang him!" charlie was an active little chap, almost as lively as bunny brown himself. miss bradley heard what charlie said and, with the desk lid half raised, she said: "no, boys! no throwing of books, if you please! should there be a mouse in the desk i can call the janitor to get it out." "oh, let me get it out!" begged bunny. there was no time to say more, for now miss bradley had bunny's desk lid fully raised. she looked inside for a moment, then with a queer look on her face she closed the desk again and moved away. "did you see it, teacher? did you see the little mouse--same as i did?" eagerly asked sadie. "no," answered miss bradley. "there isn't a mouse in the desk, but there is a little alligator!" "alligator!" cried the girls--that is, all but sue. "alligator!" shouted the boys. "let's see it!" cried charlie star. "quiet, children! quiet!" ordered miss bradley. then, turning to bunny she asked: "did you bring that little alligator to school?" "no'm," bunny answered. "is it yours?" went on miss bradley. "well, i have some pet alligators home," bunny admitted. "half of 'em's sue's. we got one of 'em down south, and daddy bought the rest. but i didn't bring any to school. if you let me look i can tell if it's mine or sue's." "i'll help!" offered charlie star. "i know bunny's alligators, too!" "no, let bunny manage his own pets," said the teacher. "come here, bunny, and see what really is in your desk. i can't understand how an alligator would get in there if you didn't bring it." bunny opened his desk cover, the other boys wishing they had his chance to "show off" this way right in the school room. bunny looked inside and then laughed. "yes," he said, "it's judy, the littlest alligator. she won't hurt anybody." "but how did it get to school?" asked miss bradley. "it's in my big pencil box," bunny answered. "i brought my pencil box to school this morning, but i didn't open it and----" "teacher! teacher! i know!" exclaimed sue, raising her hand to show that she had something to tell. "well, how did it happen?" asked miss bradley. "if you please, teacher," said the little girl, "bunny's pencil box was out in the barn where we keep the alligators. he left it there when we played school the other day. this morning bunny couldn't find his pencil box, but it was out in the barn. he brought it in from there and we came to school." "and i guess," said bunny, finishing the story his sister had started, "that judy climbed into my pencil box in the night and went to sleep there and i didn't see her." this seemed to be as good an explanation as any, and was probably the way it had happened. anyhow there was the little alligator in the pencil box inside bunny's desk. the scaly creature had crawled in and then out, and when bunny went up to recite the little creature had thrust its snout out beneath the partly raised lid. it was this that sadie west had seen and thought was a mouse. "well, bunny," said miss bradley, "i know it wasn't your fault, so we'll say nothing more about it. only, after this, please look in your pencil boxes before you bring them to school." "i will," promised sue's brother. "and now i'll excuse you from class while you take your alligator home," went on miss bradley. "i can help him, miss bradley, if he wants me to," offered charlie star. "i know a lot about alligators." "no, thank you," replied the teacher with a smile. "this alligator is so little i think bunny can manage it alone. now we will go on with our lessons!" there was something like a sigh of disappointment among the children. for they had all welcomed the happening, since it gave them a sort of recess. but now they must pay attention to their books. bunny shut judy up in his pencil box, as the easiest way of carrying the little alligator, and soon he was on his way home with his pet. "why, bunny! what's the matter?" his mother asked, as he came into the house. "why are you home?" "i had to bring back one of the alligators," he explained. "ha! ha!" laughed uncle tad. "like mary's lamb, the alligator followed you to school one day, did it, bunny?" "she didn't 'zactly follow me," bunny explained, as he took his pet out to the tank in the barn. "i carried judy in my pencil box, but i didn't know it." bunny went back to school and finished his lessons. and all the remainder of the day, when the pupils had a chance to speak, they talked of nothing but sadie west, the "mouse" and bunny's pet alligator. it was very exciting, all together. when bunny and sue reached home that afternoon they found their mother on the steps waiting for them. "i'll take your books," she told the children, "and i want you to go to the store for me. mary started to bake a cake and found, at the last moment, she was out of baking powder. i want you to go for a box. you needn't go all the way to the big store. stop at the little one on the corner--mrs. golden's, you know. she sometimes has the kind i want. go to the corner store and get the baking powder." "all right!" exclaimed bunny, and he and sue hurried off. they knew where mrs. sarah golden's little corner store was located--just a few blocks from their home, much nearer than the big store where mrs. brown generally traded. bunny and sue had been in mrs. golden's store before, but not often, as it was rather out of the way, and such a small place that mrs. brown was afraid things would not be as fresh as at the larger grocery. besides groceries, mrs. golden also kept "notions"--that is, pins, thread, hooks and eyes, and things like that. she also had candy and a few toys for sale. "her store isn't much bigger than our play store was, is it?" asked bunny of sue, as they reached mrs. golden's. "not much," agreed sue. "didn't we have fun when we played store?" "lots!" agreed bunny. "and didn't the boiler make a big racket when it fell down?" he and sue laughed at remembering this, but their laughs died away as they entered the little corner store and heard groans coming from behind one of the counters. groans and sighs greeted the children as they opened the door. no one was in sight. "oh, bunny!" exclaimed sue, frightened, "what you s'pose has happened?" chapter v a new pupil though bunny brown and his sister sue had not often bought things in mrs. golden's store, they knew the woman who kept the place, and she knew them, for she often called them by name as they passed when she was out in front. but now mrs. golden was not in sight, though the groans that came from behind one of the counters seemed to tell that she was there. "oh, bunny, i'm afraid!" whispered sue, standing in the opened door with her brother. "don't let's go in!" "why not?" bunny asked. "'cause maybe burglars have been here and maybe they've hurt mrs. golden!" "well, if they have, then we've got to help her," decided bunny. "but burglars don't come in the daytime. they come only at night time." "that's so," agreed sue, growing bolder. and then the groans stopped and the voice of an old lady said: "who is there, my dears? some children, i know by your voices, but i can't see you. don't be afraid, but come and help me." "where are you, and what's the matter?" asked bunny. "i'm down behind the notion counter," went on the voice. "i stepped up on a box to reach something from the shelf, and i slipped and fell. i'm not badly hurt, thank goodness, but i'm sort of wedged in here between the box and the wall, and i can't get up. if you can pull the box out i'll be all right." "we'll do that!" cried bunny, and he ran around behind the notion counter, on the side of the store where the needles, pins, and spools of thread were kept. sue followed her brother. there, just as mrs. golden had said, they found the old lady storekeeper. she was lying on the floor with a small packing box so wedged between her back and the side wall that she could not easily get up, especially as she was old and feeble. "oh, it's bunny brown and his sister sue!" exclaimed mrs. golden, when she saw the children. "i'm so glad you came in! i was hoping some one would come in to help me. the breath was sort of knocked out of me when i fell, and i could only grunt and groan for a few minutes." "we heard you," said bunny. "and i thought it was burglars," added sue. "bless your hearts!" exclaimed mrs. golden. "burglars wouldn't come to my poor, little store. now just pull the box out and i'll be all right." bunny and sue tugged at the box on which mrs. golden had been standing when she slipped and fell. it was hard work, but they managed to pull it out, and then mrs. golden, with a few more grunts and groans, could get up. "oh, my poor back!" she exclaimed, as she sank into a chair outside the counter. "is it broken?" asked sue anxiously. "no, not quite," was the answer, with a little smile. "but it's strained, and i expect i'll be lame for a while. philip always told me not to stand up on things to reach the top shelves, and i guess he was right." "who is philip?" asked bunny. "philip is my son," was the answer. "he's a grown man, and he has to go off to work every day, though he helps me in the store as much as he can. i wouldn't want him to know i fell. it would only worry him, and he might make me give up my store. and i don't want to do that. i'm feeling better now. i'll be all right in a little while. did you want something, my dears?" she asked, for she must not forget that she was a storekeeper. "we wanted some baking powder," said sue. "but we aren't in any hurry." "we are in a _little_ hurry," said bunny. "'cause mary's got a cake partly made, but maybe----" "oh, i have baking powder," said mrs. golden quickly. "and i'll be glad to sell it to you. if i sold more things i'd make more money. let me see now; i'm feeling sort of queer in my head on account of my tumble, but baking powder--oh, it's on one of the high shelves. i--i'm almost afraid to reach up for it." "oh, let me get it!" eagerly begged bunny. "i like to climb up. i'd like to get it! i like to keep store!" "so do i!" added sue. "we played store the other day, and a lot of things fell down when mary closed the door. we had a high shelf, too." "yes, one needs high shelves in a store," said mrs. golden. "but, bunny, do you think you can reach up and get the baking powder?" she asked. "i can point it out to you." "sure, i can get it!" declared the little boy. "i'd love to." "we don't want you to fall again," said sue. "that's very kind of you," replied mrs. golden. "well, the baking powder is on the other side of my store--the grocery side. there it is," and with a bent and trembling finger she pointed out the tin boxes. "oh, that's an easy climb!" exclaimed bunny, and he soon proved that it was by clambering up and getting the box of baking powder he wanted. then he paid for it. the children asked mrs. golden if they could help her further. she said she was feeling better and would soon be all right. "but don't climb up any more," warned sue. "that's right," echoed bunny. "maybe we could help you tend store, mrs. golden. i'm a good climber." "yes, bunny, i notice you are," said the old lady, with a smile. "and it is very kind of you, but you see i never could tell when some one might come in and want something from a high shelf. unless you stayed here all the while it wouldn't be of much use." "no, that's so," the little boy admitted. "i'd like to stay here all the while, though. i like to keep store!" "so do i," added sue. "but children must go to school," said mrs. golden, with a smile. "i'll have to get my son philip to put all the things on low shelves, i guess. then i can reach them without climbing up. run along now, bunny and sue. your mother will be waiting for that baking powder." bunny and sue told their mother what had happened at the store. "poor old lady!" sighed mrs. brown. "she is very poor, i'm afraid. we must buy more of our things there, mary. it will be a help to her." "yes'm, it will," agreed the cook. "i often stop there when i want something in a hurry. she and her son are honest and hard-working." "and i worked, too!" said bunny. "i helped her tend store. i climbed up and got the baking powder." "that was kind of you. but you, too, must be careful, son," his mother told him. on their way to school the next day bunny and sue went past mrs. golden's store to ask how she was. they found her smiling and cheerful, little the worse for her tumble. "my son philip is going to make me some lower shelves," she said. "then i can help reach things down for you," exclaimed sue, with a smile. "yes, dearie," murmured mrs. golden. "wouldn't it be fun if we had a little store like that?" said sue to bunny, as they hurried along, to school. "i mean a real store, with real things to sell, and we could take in real money." "yes, it would be lots of fun!" agreed bunny. "but i don't s'pose it will ever happen." however, something very like that was to happen, almost before the children knew it. "yes," went on bunny, when they had almost reached the school, "it would be dandy to have a store like mrs. golden's!" "maybe you will have some day--when you grow up," replied sue. "that's a long way off," sighed bunny, as he looked down at his little, short legs. there was nothing to disturb the school classes that morning. no pet alligators were found in the desk of bunny or any of the other pupils, and neither sadie west nor any of the other girls thought she saw a mouse. however, something happened in the afternoon. it was a warm day, early in summer, though the long vacation had not yet come. the windows were open and the bright sun streamed in. after a period of study miss bradley called the first class in spelling. bunny and sue were in this division, and they went up to the front seats where miss bradley heard all recitations. "sadie west, please spell church," called miss bradley. sadie spelled the word right. "sue brown, please spell horse," called the teacher, and sue did not make a miss. "now, bunny, it is your turn," said the teacher, with a smile. "your word is cracker." bunny paused a moment. "c--r--a----" he began. then suddenly, sounding throughout the school room, a harsh voice cried: "cracker! cracker! give me a cracker!" miss bradley hurriedly stood up beside her chair. what pupil had thus dared to speak aloud in school? chapter vi a busy buzzer bunny, sue and the other children were just as much surprised as was miss bradley when that strange, harsh voice called out. and it needed but a look at the faces of her pupils to show the teacher that none of them had broken one of the rules of the classroom. bunny still held his mouth open, for he was half way through the spelling of the word "cracker." he was about to keep on, when once more the voice called: "cracker! cracker! polly wants a cracker!" the sound came from the cloak closet on one side of the classroom. "it's a parrot!" cried charlie star. "a poll parrot!" "yes, i believe it is," said miss bradley. "you didn't bring a parrot to school to-day, did you, bunny?" she asked. "oh, no, ma'am!" he exclaimed, so earnestly that of course miss bradley believed him. "but i know whose parrot it is," said sue, eagerly. "whose?" asked the teacher. "mr. winkler's! he's got a parrot and a monkey. they're always getting loose. maybe the monkey's in the cloakroom, too, only the monkey can't talk like polly," went on sue. "keep your seats, children!" said miss bradley. "i'll look in the cloakroom. there is no need to be excited. a parrot will hurt no one, nor a monkey, either. keep your seats!" as she opened the cloakroom door the harsh voice again sounded more loudly than before. "bow! wow! wow!" it barked. "cracker! cracker! polly wants a cracker! let's have a song! ha! ha! ha!" then it began what i suppose the bird thought was singing. the children laughed, and so did the teacher. out of the cloakroom flew the parrot, fluttering up on the teacher's desk. there it perched, preening its feathers with its big beak and thick, black tongue, now and then uttering harsh squawks and making remarks, some of which could not be understood. "is this the parrot you meant, sue?" asked miss bradley. "yes'm, that's mr. winkler's," answered sue. "i can take it back to him if you want me to. polly knows me." "and he knows me, too!" exclaimed bunny. "and me!" eagerly added charlie star. "let me and bunny take him home, please?" he begged. "is that the way to say it?" remarked the teacher, for the room was more quiet now. "what should you have said, charlie?" "let bunny and me," corrected charlie. "that's right. always speak of yourself last. it is more polite. well, i think you and bunny may take the parrot back to mr. winkler," went on the teacher. "certainly we don't want him in our class, though he seems a bright bird." "you ought to see wango, the monkey, climb!" cried fat bobbie boomer, and all the other children laughed. "he's great!" "well, i think a parrot is enough for one day," remarked miss bradley, with a smile. "take polly home, bunny and charlie." "just see, teacher, he's tame and he knows me," bunny said, stroking polly's head, a caress the parrot seemed to like. polly perched herself on bunny's shoulder, and then he and charlie went out, envied by the other pupils. "oh that bird! out again!" cried miss winkler, when polly was restored to her. "i declare, i'll make jed get rid of her and wango! they're more bother than they're worth!" "i'll take 'em if you don't want 'em!" offered charlie star. "so will i!" said bunny. but as miss winkler usually made this threat three or four times a week (or every time the monkey or parrot got loose), and as mr. winkler had never yet given them away, it did not seem likely that he would do so now. so bunny and charlie had small hopes of owning either pet. the boys went back to school, passing, on their way, the store of mrs. golden. "let's go in," suggested charlie. "i want to buy a top!" "all right," agreed bunny. "well, boys, what can i sell you to-day?" asked mrs. golden, coming out from the little back room where she generally sat when there were no customers to wait on. "got any tops?" asked charlie. "a few," mrs. golden answered, "but not many. i'm going to have a new lot in next week. good day, bunny," she went on. "did your mother like that baking powder?" "i guess so," bunny answered. then he and charlie began looking at the tops. but the kind charlie wanted was not in the case, and after looking at several charlie decided not to buy any. "here's a tin automobile i'm selling cheap," said mrs. golden, taking a red toy out from another case. "it's the last one i have, and i'll sell it to you for what it cost me--twenty-five cents. the regular price would be fifty cents. see, i'll wind it up for you." this she did, setting it down on the floor. with a whizz and a buzz the auto darted across the store, bringing up with a bang against the low part of the opposite counter. "say, that's a dandy!" exclaimed charlie. "i'd like to own that!" "so would i!" agreed bunny. "only i haven't twenty-five cents." "i have!" charlie said. "i was going to spend only ten cents for a top, but i guess i'll buy this buzzer auto for a quarter." "it's in good order," said mrs. golden. "i'm not going to keep such expensive toys after this. i'm getting too old to run a toy store as well as groceries and notions. i'm giving up most of my toys. but this is a good auto, charlie." "yes'm, i'll take it," said the little boy, and he bought the auto. "you can't take it to school with you," said bunny, as he and his chum left mrs. golden's store. "yes, i can," answered charlie. "if teacher sees it she'll take it away." "well, she won't see it. i can put it in my coat pocket." this charlie did, after a struggle, for the pocket was rather small and the toy auto rather large. "it sticks out and shows," bunny said, after the toy had been crowded in. "i'll stuff my handkerchief over it," charlie decided, and this was done. then the two boys went on to school, arriving just as it was time for recess, so they did not have to go back to their lessons right away. "and i didn't have to spell!" laughed bunny. "though i did know how to spell cracker." "come on!" called charlie. "we'll have some fun with my new auto! i'll let it run around the yard." this he did to the delight of the other boys. as for the girls, they gathered on the other side of the school yard for their own particular recess fun. sue, mary watson, sadie west, helen newton and some others raced about, playing tag and jumping rope. "oh, i know what we can do!" suddenly cried helen, when they were all tired from having romped about playing tag. "what?" asked sue. "let's go down to the end of the yard where the men are digging, and see how big the hole is," suggested helen. "oh, teacher said we mustn't!" exclaimed sadie. "well, we won't go very close," went on helen. "she just told us to be careful not to fall in. but if we don't go too close we can't fall in." this seemed a safe way of looking at it, and the girls were curious to see what the workmen had done at the far end of the school yard. the laborers had been digging for some days, fixing water pipes, and had made a deep trench, so deep that when a man stood down in it only his head showed above. just now none of the men was near the hole, all having gone away to get other tools, and as the boys were busy playing at the other end of the yard, or watching charlie's auto, the girls could explore the digging by themselves. "it's nothing but a hole!" said sue, in some disappointment, as they approached as near as they dared and looked in. "i'd like to go down in it!" exclaimed helen, who was rather daring. "oh!" cried sue. "come back! don't go too close!" but helen did not heed. she went up to the very edge of the long, deep trench, and was looking in when suddenly her feet slipped out from under her, and down she went, sliding right into the hole! "oh! oh!" she cried. "oh! oh!" screamed the other girls, and in such excited voices that miss bradley came running out of the classroom and the boys crowded down to the end of the yard. "what has happened?" asked the teacher. "helen newton fell into the big hole!" cried sadie west. "did the dirt cave in on her?" asked miss bradley. fortunately, it had not. the walls of the trench were firm and solid, and the only thing that had happened was that helen was down in the deep trench, and could not get up by herself. she was crying now. "don't cry," said miss bradley. "you're all right. we'll soon get you out. now you other boys and girls keep back from the edges, or you'll cause the sides to cave in and they'll cover helen! keep back, bunny, sue, every one!" this was good advice, and as the other children moved back away from the trench there was less danger. miss bradley was just going to send one of the boys to call the janitor when two workmen came back. they broke into a run as they saw the crowd about their digging place, for they had told the teacher to keep the children away from it. "there's been an accident!" said one man. but it was not so bad as he feared, and he and his companion soon lifted helen out on solid ground again, a rather frightened little girl, but not in the least hurt. "i told you to stay away from that hole!" said miss bradley, rather severely. "i was afraid something like this might happen. it is fortunate it was no worse. who started it?" there was a moment's pause, and then helen raised her hand. she had been crying. "if--if you please, teacher, i went there first," she stammered. "well, i think your fright has been punishment enough for you," said miss bradley kindly, "and we will say nothing more about it. but if any of you go near that hole again he or she will be kept in after school. it isn't that i mind your seeing what the workmen are doing, it is just that it would be dangerous for even grown folks to go too near the edge of the trench, and much more so for you little folk. so keep away from the hole. i hope the pipes will be in this week, and the hole closed up. now do you all promise to keep away?" she asked. "raise your hands!" every hand went up, for the boys and girls were fond of their teacher and did not want to cause her worry. it was a solemn moment, for they all felt that something dreadful might have happened to helen had the dirt caved in on her. "hands down," said miss bradley, and down they went. just then the bell rang. recess was over, and the lines of boys and girls marched into the schoolhouse once again. charlie star reached for his handkerchief, which he had again stuffed over his toy automobile after he had crowded that toy into his pocket when going back into school after recess. as he pulled out his handkerchief the auto came with it and fell to the floor. suddenly there was a strange buzzing sound in the room. neither the teacher nor the girls knew what it was, but bunny and the boys knew it was charlie star's new toy automobile which he had bought from mrs. golden. with a buzz the busy auto ran from charlie's desk straight down the aisle toward miss bradley, who was standing in front of her platform. chapter vii the barn store for a second or two miss bradley seemed to pay no attention to the buzzing sound which bunny, charlie, and some of the other pupils heard only too plainly. the teacher was busy thinking whether she had done enough talking to make sure her boys and girls would not again go near the deep hole in the school yard. "i wouldn't want any of them to get hurt," thought miss bradley. "i had better scare them a little now than have any of them harmed the least bit." she was thinking what else she might say, to impress on the pupils the danger of the hole, when she seemed to hear, for the first time, the buzzing of charlie's auto. "what's that?" asked miss bradley. no one answered, except that, here and there in the room, a boy or girl snickered. there was one queer thing about charlie's new toy auto. it made a great deal of buzzing as the wheels whirred around when the wound-up spring made them do this, but the machine itself did not go very fast. it seemed to make a great fuss about getting anywhere, but it took its own time in doing it. this was the reason why the auto, though it had been pulled out of charlie's pocket with his handkerchief and had fallen into the aisle down which it ran, did not very soon get where miss bradley could see it. she could hear the buzzing sound, but she did not know what it was. "who is making that noise?" she asked again. no one answered, for, truth to tell, neither a boy nor a girl in the room was causing the noise; though of course charlie was to blame, in a way. miss bradley was looking over the room, into the faces of her pupils. the buzzing sound kept up. it seemed to be coming nearer and nearer. the windows were open, and she thought a bee or a wasp might have flown in. but it would be a very large wasp or bee, indeed, which would make so loud a buzzing sound as this. "children----" began miss bradley, and then she suddenly stopped, for something struck her on the foot. and it was right near her foot that the buzzing noise sounded. but as she had walked a little way down from her platform, and her foot was partly under the first desk--that of fat bobbie boomer--miss bradley could not see what had struck her. "oh!" she cried, as she jumped back, rather startled. charlie star and bunny brown could not help laughing right out loud. they knew what had caused all this excitement. a moment later miss bradley knew also. for charlie's buzzing auto, having struck her foot, turned aside and rolled out on the floor in front of her teaching platform, in plain sight. there the little red toy came to a stop, for its spring was fully unwound. charlie and bunny stopped their laughing suddenly as the teacher looked down at them. "whose is this?" asked miss bradley, in a voice she hardly ever used in the classroom, for her pupils were generally very orderly. "who owns this automobile?" she asked, sternly. timidly charlie star raised his hand. "if you please, teacher, it's mine," he said. and such a weak little voice as it was! not at all like the loud, hearty tones charlie used when he called to bunny, "first shot agates!" miss bradley stooped over and picked up the toy. she placed it on her desk, and then, turning to face the children, she said: "i am very sorry about this. i thought, after what had happened to helen, that you were going to settle down and study your lessons. why did you bring this auto to school, charlie? and why did you take it out?" charlie was silent a moment, and then he answered, saying: "i--i didn't exactly take it out, miss bradley. it came out when i took out my handkerchief. i--i didn't mean to do it." "very well then, you didn't," the teacher agreed, with a little smile, for she knew charlie was telling the truth. "but why did you bring the auto to school at all?" then charlie told of having bought the toy that morning, on his way to school with bunny brown. "i didn't have time to go home with it after i bought it," he said, "so i put it in my pocket. we played with it at recess, and i forgot and wound it up and stuck it in my pocket. i didn't mean to let it get out and run down the aisle." miss bradley wanted to smile, but she knew it would not be just the thing to do. so she said: "well, charlie, i will excuse you this time. but please don't bring any more toys into the schoolroom. and now, as we have lost much time from our lessons, we must study extra hard to make it up. come to me after school, charlie, and i'll give you back your auto." miss bradley put the toy in her desk for safe keeping, and went on with the lessons. but it was rather hard for the pupils to get their minds back on their studies, because so much had happened that day from the time the parrot had screeched "cracker! cracker!" in the cloakroom until charlie's auto fell out of his pocket and went buzzing down the aisle to bang into the teacher's foot. however, the day came to an end at last, and then, talking and laughing, the boys and girls ran out of doors. charlie stayed after the others, and walked shyly up to the desk at which miss bradley sat, looking over some examination papers. the room was very still and quiet after the noise and excitement of the children's outgoing. "yes, charlie. what is it?" asked miss bradley, as she saw him standing near her desk. "if you please--my auto----" "oh, yes," and she opened her desk and handed it to him. "it is a cute little toy," and she smiled at charlie. "you ought to see it go!" he exclaimed eagerly, for miss bradley was really a friend to her pupils, and she knew how to make kites and spin tops almost as good as a boy. "here! i'll show you!" charlie went on. "it's a dandy!" quickly he wound up the auto and set it down on the floor. the wheels buzzed and the little red car spun across the schoolroom floor. bunny brown and george watson, waiting outside for charlie, wondered what was keeping their chum. they knew he had stayed in to get his plaything. "maybe she's going to make him stay in half an hour," suggested george. "she didn't say she was," replied bunny. "but maybe she's giving him a--a leshure." what bunny meant was lecture. "let's look in," suggested george. on tiptoes they went to a window whence they could see into the room. there they saw miss bradley winding up charlie's auto, and they heard charlie saying: "you try it now, miss bradley! see how nice it runs!" and as the surprised watchers looked on, their teacher started the toy across the floor as charlie had done. for, following the first showing of his plaything, charlie had offered to let his teacher wind it, and she had agreed. "yes, it is a cute toy," said the teacher, as the auto banged into a side wall and stopped. "but we mustn't play with it in school hours." "oh, no'm!" agreed charlie, and then he hurried outside, where bunny and george were waiting for him. "say, you ought to see!" exclaimed charlie, half breathless. "she ran the auto herself!" "we saw her," said bunny. "she's a dandy teacher all right!" declared george. one saturday morning bunny and sue came downstairs to breakfast at the same hour as on other days. usually this did not happen, for on saturdays they were allowed to remain in bed a little longer than on days when they had to go to school. "well, what does this mean?" asked uncle tad, who was finishing his meal and reading the paper at the same time. "this is saturday, isn't it? unless i have on the wrong glasses!" he added, as he looked at the calendar on the wall. "yes, it's saturday," said bunny. "then why are you up so early?" asked uncle tad. "'cause a lot of the boys and girls are coming over, and we're going to play store out in our barn," explained sue. "you can come and buy something if you want to, uncle tad." "thanks! maybe i will!" chuckled the old soldier. "are you going to sell any inside outside cocoanuts flavored with saltmint?" he asked. "what are those?" bunny inquired. "oh, he's only joking!" declared sue, as she saw a twinkle in the eyes of uncle tad. and of course he was joking. "well, maybe i'll look in and see what you do have to sell in your barn store," he said, as he left the table. bunny brown and his sister sue were not long in finishing their breakfast, and then they hurried out to the barn where they were to keep store. bunny and sue had found some boards and boxes out there which would make fine shelves for a pretend store. "we'll put the shelves up before the others get here," said bunny. "yes," she agreed. "but what kind of store are you going to play? are you going to have washboilers and tin pans?" "no, i guess not," said bunny, after thinking about it a moment. "we'll keep a store like mrs. golden's." "yes, that will be nice," agreed sue. "here, splash!" she cried. "get out of there! that box isn't for you to sleep in!" for the big dog had crawled into one of the boxes that were to form the store shelves. splash was curling up most comfortably. "we'll use him for a delivery dog," said bunny. "we'll tie a basket on his neck and he can take the groceries and things to different places." "oh, that will be fun!" laughed sue, clapping her hands. "here comes helen!" she cried a moment later, and then, with joyous shouts and laughter, a number of children came running into the brown yard, ready to play barn store. chapter viii in a hole "what things are you going to sell?" "who's going to tend store?" "i want to be cashier!" these were some of the things the boys and girls shouted as they ran into the barn where bunny brown and his sister sue were waiting for them to play store. charlie star, helen newton, fat bobbie boomer, harry bentley, george and mary watson and sadie west were among the boys and girls who came crowding into the barn, for the day before bunny and his sister had invited them to spend saturday in having fun. "we'll take turns tending store," explained bunny, after he had shown his playmates the shelves and boxes that were to be used for shelves. "and we're going to have our dog splash deliver things with a basket on his neck," explained sue. "i should think it would be more fun to hitch up your pony toby to the basket cart and have him to deliver things," remarked helen. "we thought of that," replied bunny. "but bunker blue has taken toby down to the boat dock. he has to do some errands for my father, so we can't have toby." as bunny and his sister had played this game more than the others, they were allowed to lay out the plans. bunny showed the boys how the boards were to be put across the boxes to make shelves, and sue took the girls down to the brook to gather little pebbles and the shells of fresh water mussels which were to be used for money, as there were going to be so many "customers" for the barn store that mrs. brown's buttons would not be enough to make change. "what things are we going to sell?" asked charlie, as he began pulling something from his pocket. "oh, we'll get stones, sand, gravel, some leaves, pieces of bark, twigs, and things like that," bunny explained. "but what you got in your pocket, charlie?" "my wind-up auto. i thought maybe we could use it in the store." "how?" "well, it could be like a cash register. you see," charlie went on, "somebody's got to be the cashier just as in a big store. we'll have different clerks, and when anybody buys anything they must pay the money to whoever is clerk." "yes," agreed bunny, who understood thus far. "then," went on charlie, "the clerk must put the money the customer pays into my auto, and send it on a plank up to the cashier's desk. the cashier will make change and send it back in the auto." "oh, that'll be great!" cried bunny. "and i guess you ought to be the cashier for thinking it up, charlie." "well, maybe i ought, 'cause it's my auto," charlie said. he had been hoping for this all along. "now i'll make myself a place to be cashier," he went on, "and i'll fix up a long plank for the auto to run back and forth on. one winding will bring it up to me and back to the clerk." when the other children heard this plan they were much delighted. soon the store was ready for business. boards had been placed across the boxes and a tier of shelves made, the top one so high that a long box had to be used like a stepladder to reach it. on the shelves were placed different things picked up around the barn, in the yard, and in the patch of woods not far away, or brought from the shore of the brook. then the boys and girls divided themselves up, some were to be customers to buy things in the store, while others were to be clerks to wait on the customers. charlie took his place at the end of the tier of shelves to act as cashier. from the end of the shelves to his box ran a long narrow plank on which the auto change-carrier was to run. finally everything was ready, even to torn pieces of newspaper in which the things bought were to be wrapped. splash was on hand with a basket tied to his neck to deliver the goods. and each customer had picked out a certain part of the barn as his or her "home" where the things were to be delivered. "all ready!" called bunny brown. he and sue were to be clerks in the store at first; afterward they would take a turn at being customers. "i want a pound of sugar!" ordered sadie west, coming up to bunny, standing behind his part of the front counter. "yes, ma'am. a pound of sugar!" repeated bunny, scooping up some sand in a clam shell. "nice day, isn't it--mrs. er--mrs.----" "snyder is my name," said sadie. "i'm mrs. snyder and i live at 756 oatbin avenue," she added, as she looked toward the part of the barn she had picked out for her "house." it was near toby's oat bin. "yes, ma'am," answered bunny. "i'll send it right over to oatbin avenue." he wrapped up the sand-sugar in a piece of paper and took the black mussel shell which sadie handed him as her "five-dollar bill." bunny placed the shell in the automobile, and started it up the plank to where charlie waited. taking out the large shell, charlie put in two smaller ones and a white stone. this was "change." back whizzed the auto down the plank until it reached bunny, who took out the "change" and handed it to "mrs. snyder." "please send my sugar right over," she ordered. "yes, ma'am, it will go on the first delivery," bunny answered, as he had heard mr. gordon, the real grocer, often say. "here, splash!" called bunny, and his dog, with the basket on his neck, came running up, wagging his tail. "oh, look out!" cried sue, who was acting as a clerk next to bunny. "what's the matter?" bunny asked. "splash is wagging his tail so hard that he'll knock down my eggs!" complained sue. of course the "eggs" were only pine cones from the woods near by, but when you are playing store you must pretend everything is real, or else it isn't any fun. "keep your tail still, splash!" cried bunny. but the dog seemed only to wag it the harder. splash might have knocked down all the "eggs" and done other damage in the store had not bunny placed mrs. snyder's sugar in the basket and sent his pet to deliver the make-believe sweet stuff. and splash delivered it very carefully, too. sadie had gone back to her home at "756 oatbin avenue" to wait for her sugar, and when it came she took it from the basket on splash's neck. then the dog went back to the barn store to run on more delivery errands. this was a sample of the way bunny, sue, and their friends played that saturday morning. now and then they would change about, some who had been clerks becoming customers and the customers clerks. of course accidents happened. splash wagged his tail so hard that he knocked over a box of prunes, scattering them on the barn floor. even if the prunes were only little black stones it wasn't just the thing for splash to do, and sue scolded him for it. but splash didn't seem to mind. another time, when the dog had been sent to deliver some ice-cream (which was really some white sand from the brook) to mrs. leland sayre, who lived at 1056 straw terrace (mrs. sayre being mary watson), an accident happened. splash was on his way to mrs. sayre's home when he heard another dog barking outside the barn. with a bark of greeting splash dashed out, spilling the "ice-cream" all over the barn floor. "oh, dear! and i wanted it for a party!" said mrs. sayre. but of course it was all in fun. more than once the change auto ran off the plank, either on its way to the cashier or coming back, and spilled the money all over the barn floor. but that could not be helped. "only it isn't good for my auto," said charlie. "we'll put some straw down on the floor so when it falls it won't get bent," said bunny, and this was done. all morning the children played store in the barn, selling the things over and over again. splash got tired of being a delivery dog after a while, and bobbie boomer said he'd take his place. bobbie was more to be depended on than splash, who, try as he did, would sometimes deliver things to the wrong houses. when noon came the neighboring children were talking of going home to lunch, but mrs. brown gave them all a pleasant surprise, including bunny and sue, by asking all the boys and girls to remain and have something to eat, served in the barn. "oh, what fun!" cried sadie west. "the best ever!" declared charlie star. "i'm glad i came!" lunch over, the playing of store went on again, until first one and then another began to tire, and it was given up. then they put away the planks and boxes and played tag and hide and seek until it was time for supper, when the boys and girls went home. "we've had a lovely time!" they said to bunny and sue. just before supper mrs. brown needed something from the store. "i'll go get it," offered bunny. "i'll get it at mrs. golden's." "i'll go with you," said sue, and soon they were at the little corner grocery. "how are you to-day, mrs. golden?" asked bunny, as the old woman was getting the yeast cake he had been sent for. "oh, pretty well," she answered, with a cheery smile on her kind but wrinkled face. "i'd like it if i wasn't so stiff, but then we can't have all we want in this world." "we played store in our barn to-day," said sue, looking around at the various shelves filled with many articles. "did you, dearie? that was nice. i guess it's easier to play store than it is to keep one really," said mrs. golden. "oh, i'd like to keep store!" declared bunny brown. "only, how do you remember where everything is?" he asked. "there's such a lot of stuff!" "yes, there is," agreed mrs. golden. "and sometimes i forget. but i'm getting old, i reckon. there's your yeast cake. now run along, and be careful when you cross the street." "yes'm, we will!" promised bunny, as he took sue's hand. "maybe, when vacation comes, mrs. golden will let us help her in her store," said bunny to his sister, as they neared their home. "oh, maybe!" sue agreed. "and it soon will be vacation, won't it?" "yes," said bunny. "i wonder where we'll go this summer." "i wonder, too," mused sue. "if we could stay at home and have a real store it would be fun!" bunny agreed to this. several days passed. the hole in the school yard was filled up so there was no further danger of any of the boys or girls falling in. charlie did not again bring his toy auto to school. but something else happened. one afternoon charlie star walked home with bunny and sue from school. bunny had made a new sailboat, and he wanted charlie to see it make the first voyage down the brook which ran back of the brown home. "may i come, too?" asked sue, as bunny carried his little vessel down to the stream. "sure, let her come," advised charlie. "all right," called bunny, and sue ran along after the boys. but bunny and charlie were so interested in sailing the new boat that they did not pay much attention to sue after reaching the brook. they watched the wind puff out the sails and charlie was just going to ask bunny if he would trade the boat for the toy auto when there came a loud scream from sue, who had wandered off by herself. "oh, bunny! i've falled in! i've falled in!" cried sue. "oh, she is in!" exclaimed charlie, glancing upstream. "and there's a deep hole there!" shouted bunny, darting away. "come on, charlie! help me pull sue out of the hole!" chapter ix up a ladder charlie star needed no second urging. bunny had forgotten all about his toy ship, but charlie gave one look and saw that it had safely blown on shore. then charlie sped after his chum. "we're coming, sue! we're coming!" cried bunny. "don't be afraid!" "we'll get you out!" added charlie. the brook that ran back of the brown house was rather deep in places, and some of these places were near shore where the bank went steeply down into the water. it was at one of these places that sue had fallen in. the little girl had been looking for "sweet-flag." this is the root of a plant something like the cat-tail in looks--that is, it has the same kind of long, narrow ribbon-like leaves. but while the root of the sweet-flag is pleasant to gnaw, though a trifle smarty, the root of the cat-tail is of no use--that is, as far as sue could tell. she wanted some sweet-flag, but not cat-tail root, and to find out which was right she had to pull up many of the long, green streamers. if sue had known how to tell the difference otherwise it would have been easier. it was in bending over to pull up some of the flag roots that she had leaned too far, and suddenly she found herself in the water. she had slipped off the muddy bank at a place where it was steep and the water was deep. luckily sue had slipped in feet first, and now she was standing in water over her waist, yelling for bunny to come and help her. breathless, the two boys reached the little girl. they could see then, that she was in no special danger, since the water was not over her head. if sue had fallen in head first instead of feet first that would have been sadly different. "come on out! come on out!" cried bunny, reaching his hand toward his sister. "i--i can't!" she answered. "why not?" charlie asked. "'cause i'm stuck. i'm stuck in the mud!" sue answered. "oh!" exclaimed bunny. "then we have to pull you out!" "that's right!" said charlie star. "i'll help!" "look out you don't fall in yourselves!" warned sue, as they held out their hands to her. "it's awful slippery!" and the bank was, as charlie and bunny soon found, for charlie nearly slid in as sue had done and bunny almost followed. but by digging their heels in the slippery mud they held on and soon they had pulled sue out of the hole. but, oh, in what a sad plight was the little girl! she was soaking wet to a line above her waist, and she was splashed with water above that, some mud spots being on her face, one on the end of her nose making her appear rather odd. her shoes and stockings were covered with black, mucky mud. "oh! oh, dear!" exclaimed sue, looking down at her legs, and began to cry. "don't cry!" advised charlie. "i--i can't help it!" wailed sue. "and there's something on my nose, too!" "it's only a blob of mud," said bunny. "i'll wipe it off," and he did, very kindly. "look--look at my shoo-shooes!" sobbed sue. "splash 'em in the water," advised charlie. "sit down on the bank, sue, and splash your feet in the water." "what'll i do that for?" she asked, through her tears. "i'm wet enough now!" "yes, i know," said charlie. "and you can't get any wetter by dabbling your feet and legs in the water. but it will wash off the mud. you might as well wash it off." "that's right," agreed bunny. "your legs will dry better if they are just wet, instead of being wet and muddy, sue. dabble 'em in the brook." sue thought this must be good advice, since it came from both boys. she was about to sit down near the place where she had slid into the brook, but charlie said: "no, not there! that water's all muddy. come on down to a clean place." this sue did, sitting on the grassy bank and thrusting her feet and legs into the water up to her knees, splashing them up and down until most of the mud was washed from her stockings and shoes. "now we'll take you home," said charlie. "no!" exclaimed sue. "i don't want to go home!" "you don't want to go home?" repeated bunny. "why not? you have to get dry things on, sue! mother won't scold you for falling into the brook when it wasn't your fault!" "i know she won't," sue said. "but--but--i'm not going in the house looking all soaking wet! there's company--some ladies came to call on mother before we went out to play--and they'll see me if i go in the front door. i'm not going to have them laugh at me!" "we'll take you in the side door then," offered bunny. "that'll be just as bad," whimpered sue. "they can see me from the window." "well, then we'll go in the back way," charlie proposed. "no!" sobbed sue. "if i go in the back way mary'll see me, and she'll say, 'bless an' save us!' and make such a fuss that mother'll come out and it will be as bad as the front or side door!" complained the little girl. "i don't want to go home all wet!" "but you'll have to!" insisted bunny. "you can't stay out here till you get dry. you must go to the house, sue!" "not the front way nor the side way nor the back way!" sue declared. "then how are you going to get in?" asked bunny. "do you want to go in through the cellar?" "i'd have to come up in the kitchen," objected sue, "and mary would see me just the same and she'd say, 'bless an' save us!'" "well, but how are you going to get in?" bunny demanded. "there isn't any other way." "yes, there is!" suddenly exclaimed charlie. "how?" asked bunny brown. "up the painter's ladder," went on charlie. "they're painting the roof of your sun parlor. and the ladder's right there. we can get sue up the ladder to the roof of the sun parlor, and there's a second-story window she can get in so nobody can see her, and change her things." "oh! a ladder!" gasped sue, when she heard how charlie and her brother planned to get her into the house unseen by company. "a ladder!" "sure!" cried bunny. "that's the best way! charlie and i'll help you up." "you won't let me fall?" asked sue. "course not!" declared charlie. "i've climbed lots of ladders!" "so have i!" boasted bunny brown. "and so have you, sue brown!" "and can't anybody see me if i go up the painter's ladder?" asked sue, who was feeling most uncomfortable, being clammy and wet. "nobody'll see you!" declared charlie. "the ladder's away off on one side of the sun parlor. mary can't see you from the kitchen, and your mother and the company can't see you." "is the painter there?" sue went on. she was asking a good many questions and making a number of objections, i think. "no, the painter isn't there," charlie said. "i saw him going back to the shop after more paint when we came down here." "all right then!" sighed sue. "help me up the ladder!" cautiously the children approached it. there the ladder stood, a big one, on a long slant leading from the ground to the roof of the one-story sun parlor. from the roof of this extension were several windows sue could climb into, one opening from her own room. no one was in sight, and the painter had not come back. sue was just starting up the ladder, with bunny going before her and charlie following her, when the little girl happened to think of something else. "s'posin' the roof's just been painted?" she asked. "how can i walk on it?" this was a poser for a moment until charlie exclaimed: "if it is i'll get some boards and we can lay them down to walk on." sue had no further excuse for not going up the ladder, and she began to climb. she reached the top, and it was found that the painter had spread his red mixture on only part of the roof. there was room enough to walk on the unpainted part to her room window. she was just climbing in, with the help of the boys, when she suddenly noticed something that made her exclaim: "oh, look! how did that happen?" chapter x the legacy "what's the matter? what's happened?" asked bunny brown. "are you going to fall, sue?" he was helping his sister on one side to climb in the window, and charlie was on the other side of the little girl. "no, i'm not going to fall," sue answered. "but look at my dress! it's all red paint!" and so it was! in addition to being wet and muddy her skirt was now covered with big blotches of red paint--the same kind of paint that was being put on the roof. "how did it happen?" went on sue, almost ready to cry again. "i didn't step in any paint, did i?" "even if you did i don't see how it got on your dress," said charlie star. "there's some on me, too!" cried bunny brown. "there's some on my pants!" "and i'm daubed just like you!" cried charlie. "we're all three painted!" and they were, only sue had more of it on her dress than the boys had on their clothes. "it must have been on the ladder," decided charlie. "the painter man got some of his red stuff on the ladder and we got it on us." "oh, dear!" sighed sue. "now after my dress is dry and i brush the mud off mother will see the red paint. course i'd tell her, anyhow, but i wish she wouldn't see it first!" however, there seemed no help for it. all three of the children had red paint on their clothes, and paint, you know, can't be brushed off. when it's on it stays, unless turpentine, or something like that, is used to take it off. sue, and the boys, too, had hoped that mrs. brown would not know what had happened. it wasn't that they wanted to deceive, or fool, her, but sue wanted to tell of the accident at the brook in her own way and time. she really did not want to cause her mother worry when mrs. brown had company. and mrs. brown would certainly begin to ask questions when she saw those red spots on sue's dress. "oh, dear!" sighed sue again, and she seemed about to burst into tears. neither bunny nor charlie knew what to do. "oh, dear!" sighed sue for the third time. suddenly the three children saw the upper end of the ladder--the part that was raised up over the roof of the sun parlor. they saw this part of the ladder moving. "oh, somebody's coming up!" exclaimed charlie. "maybe it's mother!" wailed sue. "oh, help me get in the window! i don't want her to see me this way!" "mother wouldn't be coming up the ladder!" declared bunny. "what would she be coming up the ladder for?" "that's so!" agreed charlie. "i guess she wouldn't." "but somebody's coming up!" declared sue, and this was very plain to be seen. the ladder shook more and more. wonderingly the children watched it, and then there came into sight, above the roof of the sun parlor, the head and shoulders of the painter. he looked surprised as he saw the children, and then a cheerful smile spread over his face as he said: "well, you've been getting daubed up, i see!" "ye-yes," faltered bunny. "we got some of your paint on us!" "'tisn't my paint!" laughed the painter. "it's your father's, bunny. i got this paint down at his boat dock to paint the roof of this sun parlor. i don't mind how much of it you daub on yourselves. 'tisn't my paint, you know!" "but we don't want it on us!" exclaimed sue. "oh, i fell in the brook and i got all muddy and now i'm all covered with paint! oh, dear!" sue was almost crying again, and the painter who at first had thought the children were merely playing, now began to understand that something was wrong. "what's the matter?" he asked. then the story was told, of why the boys had helped sue climb up the ladder to get into her room so her mother and the company would not see her in her soiled dress. "but now we're all paint!" wailed sue. "well, never mind!" said the good-natured painter. "i can take those paint spots out for you, if that's all you're worrying about." "oh, can you?" eagerly cried sue. "how?" asked charlie star, who was a rather curious little chap. "will you?" asked bunny brown, which was more to the point. "i can and will!" said the painter. "wait until i get some clean rags and my turpentine." he want back down the ladder, but soon came up again, with a can of something with a strong, but not unpleasant smell. bunny remembered that smell. once when he was little, and had a bad cold, his mother had rubbed lard and turpentine on his chest. "this turpentine will take the paint out when it's fresh," said the painter. "stand still now." he wet the rag in some turpentine, which, as you know, is the juice, or sap, of the pine and other trees. it is used to mix with paint, which it will dissolve, or melt away after a fashion. it also helps the paint to dry more quickly when spread on a house or bridge. with the turpentine rag the painter rubbed at the red spots on sue's dress, and then, having taken those out, he began on bunny and charlie. but the boys wanted to take out their own paint spots, and the painter let them do it. "there you are," he finally said. "i guess they won't show now." "and my dress is nearly dry!" exclaimed sue. "oh, i'm so glad. mother won't know until i tell her. and of course i'll tell her," she quickly added. sue was as good as her word. after she got into her room and the boys had climbed down the ladder to go back and play with bunny's little ship, sue changed into dry clothes. then, after the company had gone, she told her mother all that had happened. "i suppose it couldn't be helped," said mrs. brown with a smile. "i mean about falling into the brook. but it would have been just as well to come and tell me at once, sue, instead of climbing the ladder. you might have fallen." "i didn't want the company to know about it, mother!" "that was thoughtful of you. but if you had fallen off the ladder the company would have known about that, and it would have been much worse than just being seen in a wet and muddy dress." "oh, i couldn't fall with bunny and charlie to help me!" declared sue. that evening, just before supper, after charlie star had gone home and bunny and sue were playing out in the side yard, mary called to them, asking: "do you children want to run to the store for me?" "yes," answered bunny, and sue inquired: "what do you want?" "a little pepper," was the answer. "i forgot that we were out and didn't order any when the grocery boy called to-day." "we'll get it at mrs. golden's corner store!" said bunny. "she keeps pepper." "all right," mary agreed. "wait and i'll get you the money. we don't charge things at her store." a little later bunny brown and his sister sue, hand in hand, entered mrs. golden's little store. "well, my dears, what is it to-day?" asked the old lady, with a smile. "some pepper, if you please," answered sue. "red or black?" asked mrs. golden. bunny and sue looked at one another. this was something they had not thought about. which did mary want--red or black? seeing that the children were puzzled, mrs. golden said: "what is your mother going to use it for, my dears?" "mother didn't tell us to get it," replied bunny. "it was mary, our cook, who sent us after it, 'cause she forgot to get any for supper." "oh, then it's black pepper she wants, i suppose," said mrs. golden. "she wouldn't want red pepper unless she were putting up pickles or something like that. i'll give you black pepper." she started to rise from her chair, for she had been seated near the back of the store, but seemed so old and feeble that bunny and sue felt very sorry for her. when ladies got as old as mrs. golden seemed to be they ought always to rest in easy chairs, bunny thought, and not have to get up to wait on a store. mrs. golden grunted and groaned a little as she pushed herself up from the arms of the big chair. "are you terrible old?" asked sue. "i'm pretty old, yes, my dear," said mrs. golden. "but i don't mind that. it's the stiffness and the rheumatism. it's hard for me to get about, and the black pepper's on a high shelf, too. if my son philip was only here he'd reach it down for me." "where is philip?" asked sue. "oh, he's gone to the city on business. he hopes to get a little legacy." "what's a leg-legacy?" asked bunny. "is it something to sell in the store?" "bless your heart, no!" laughed mrs. golden. "a legacy is money, or property, or something like that which is left to you. if some of your rich relations die they leave money in the bank, or a house and lot, and it comes to you. that's a legacy." "did some of your rich relations die?" asked sue. "well, an old man, who wasn't a very close relation, died," said the storekeeper. "there was some talk that he might leave me something, and philip went to the city to see about it. "but, dear, me! things are so uncertain in this world that i don't believe i'll get anything. there's no use thinking about it. i don't want to be disappointed, but i would like to get some money!" poor old lady! she seemed very sad and feeble, and the children felt sorry for her. "let me see now," went on mrs. golden. "was it salt you said you wanted, bunny?" "no'm, pepper--black pepper." "oh, yes, black pepper! and it's on a high shelf, too. i wish philip was back. he'd reach it down for me. i don't believe he'll get that legacy after all. let me see now--pepper--black pepper----" "let me get it!" begged bunny. "i can climb up on a high shelf!" "so can i!" cried sue. "i went up on a ladder, after i fell in the brook, and i got red paint on my dress!" "my, what a lot of things to happen!" murmured mrs. golden, as slowly and feebly she made her way around the store to the side where she kept the groceries. "let me get the pepper!" begged bunny, as he saw the old woman looking toward a top shelf. "i can climb up." "well, my dear, if you're sure you won't fall, you may get it," said mrs. golden. "i've got some sort of a thing to reach down packages and boxes from the high shelf. my boy philip got it for me. but i can hardly ever find it when i want it. be careful now, bunny." "i will," said the little fellow, as he began to climb. sue watched her brother, thinking over what mrs. golden had told them about a legacy. "if she got a lot of money," mused sue, "she could get a big store, all spread out flat and she wouldn't have to have any high shelves. i hope she gets her legacy." bunny was just reaching for the box of pepper when there was a sudden barking of dogs outside the store and something black and furry, with a long tail, rushed in, leaped up on the counter, and thence to the top shelf, knocking down a lot of boxes and cans. "oh! oh!" screamed sue. "look out, bunny!" chapter xi the last day mrs. golden was too surprised to do or say anything. she just stood still, looking up at bunny. as for the little boy, he had been so startled that he almost let go his hold on one of the upright pieces of wood that held up the shelves. but he did not quite unclasp his hand, and so he clung there. sue was dancing up and down in her excitement. then into the store rushed a big dog, barking and leaping about, his eyes fixed on that scrambling object in brown fur which had sprung to the highest shelf. "mercy me! what's that?" cried mrs. golden. "it's wango, mr. winkler's monkey," sue answered. and that is what it was. wango had got loose--nothing new for him--and had wandered out into the street. there a strange dog, catching sight of the animal, had chased him. bunny and sue knew it was a strange dog, for their own dog, splash, and most other dogs in the neighborhood, were used to wango and liked him. they seldom ran after him or barked at him. but this was a strange dog. [illustration: "go on out of here!" sue ordered. _bunny brown and his sister sue keeping store._ _page_ 109] "go on out of here!" sue ordered this dog. the animal stood looking from her to wango on the high shelf, barking loudly now and then. "go on out and let wango alone!" sue ordered. the dog did not seem to want to go, however, and mrs. golden was getting a bit worried. she feared the monkey would leap about and knock down many things from her shelves. "wait a minute," called bunny brown. "i've got the pepper. i'll come down there and make the dog sneeze with it if he doesn't go out." bunny started to climb down, but there was no need for him to sprinkle pepper on the dog's nose to make him sneeze. for just as bunny reached the floor in came jed winkler himself, looking for his pet monkey. mr. winkler drove out the strange dog, closed the door, and then coaxed wango down from the high shelf. "did he do any damage, mrs. golden?" asked the old sailor. "if my monkey did any damage i'll pay for it." "no, he didn't do any harm," she answered. "he just startled us all a little." "wango's a good monkey, but he will run away," said mr. winkler, petting his furry companion. "i'm glad he didn't do any damage. my sister said he'd be sure to this time, but i'm glad he didn't." "he's a good climber," said sue. "if you had a monkey, mrs. golden, he could reach things down from the high shelves for you, when your son goes off after leg-legacies." "i'm afraid, dearie, that a monkey would be more bother than he was worth to me, just to lift things down off high shelves," laughed the old lady. "wango is a lively chap, though." "what's this about a legacy?" asked mr. winkler, for he was an old friend of mrs. golden. "i don't count much on it," she answered. "philip has gone to see about it. i got word that an uncle of mine had died and left some money and property. we may get a share of it and we may not." "i hope you do!" exclaimed mr. winkler. "i most certainly hope you do!" so did bunny brown and his sister sue, for they were getting quite fond of mrs. golden, and liked to buy things at her store. when the children were on their way home with the pepper, mr. winkler walking with them part of the way carrying wango on his shoulder, bunny said: "when i keep a store like that i'm going to have a monkey to reach things down off the high shelves for me." "he might get the wrong things," sue objected. "maybe he would first," said bunny. "but i'd train him. it would be fun to have a monkey in a store, wouldn't it, sue?" "lots of fun!" agreed sue. "my goodness, children!" laughed mary, as they entered the kitchen with the pepper, "it took you quite a while, and i was in a hurry. didn't mrs. golden have any pepper?" "yes, but wango got in the store," explained bunny. "when i keep a store i'm going to keep a monkey, too!" "bless and save us, what does the child mean?" murmured mary, but she did not stop for an answer, as she was in a hurry to get the supper on the table. some days after this, during which time bunny brown and his sister sue had had much fun with their playmates keeping store and doing other things, the two children came down dressed to go to school. but they were singing and laughing in a way they seldom did unless something different was happening, or going to happen. "bless and save us!" exclaimed mary, as she saw bunny and sue start out of the house hand in hand. "you're very joyful this morning. what's going on?" "it's the last day of school!" explained bunny, laughing still more. "we'll have hardly any lessons," sue added. "and when we come home to-day we don't have to go back to school for a long, long while. it'll be vacation!" "oh, so that's the reason!" laughed mary. "no wonder you feel so pert and chipper--no school! well, have a good time when you're young." bunny and sue certainly had good times if ever children did. as sue had said, there were hardly any lessons at school that day. reports were to be given out, little gifts were to be made to the teachers, and there were to be "exercises." that is, the pupils would recite or sing in their different classrooms. bunny and sue were each to "speak a piece," and they had been preparing for some time, going over their recitations each night at home to make sure they would not forget and stumble and halt when they stood on the platform. miss bradley was such a great favorite with her children that many had brought her little gifts. these were placed on her desk, and then, after a few lessons, which no one took very seriously, miss bradley read the class a story. then came the speaking of "pieces." this was always one of the things that took place on the "last day," and was much enjoyed. no one had to recite unless he or she wanted to, and so no one was nervous or afraid, except about forgetting the lines. sadie west recited a verse about bees and flowers, and very pretty it was, too. sue had picked out a funny verse about a little mouse, a trap, and a piece of cheese. i think most of you know it, so i'll not tell you about it. then came the turn of fat bobbie boomer. bobbie was funny just to look at, and he was funnier when he got up to recite. he had picked out as his recitation that old, old poem about mary and her lamb, for it was easy for him to remember that. now bobbie had been very sure that he would not forget any of the verses when he got up on the platform. he had practiced his "piece" at home over and over until he knew it "by heart," and could almost say it in his sleep, his father remarked. but when bobbie got up on the platform and after he had made a funny, jerky, fat, little bow, all of a sudden every word of that poem seemed to slip from his mind! he stood there, looking around the room, now up at the ceiling and now down at the floor. his face grew red, and he began pulling at the buttons on his coat. miss bradley felt sorry for him, and she laid her finger over her lips when she heard some of the children beginning to laugh. "what is the name of your selection, bobbie?" the teacher asked kindly. "it--it's about ma--mary and her--her little lamb!" "that's a cute little poem. don't be afraid. i'll start you off, and then perhaps you can remember the rest. now begin," and miss bradley said the first line. this helped bobbie very much, and he got along all right until he came to the verse about the lamb following mary to school. bobbie got as far as, "it followed her to school one day which was----" and there poor bobbie "stuck." he couldn't think what came next. "it followed her to school one day--school one day--one day," he said slowly. "yes," said miss bradley kindly. "and what comes next, bobbie? was it right for the lamb to follow mary to school?" miss bradley wanted bobbie to say, "which was against the rule," but bobbie couldn't just then remember that. suddenly his eyes opened wide. he pointed to the back of the room, where a clattering sound was heard, and cried: "look! look what's coming in!" chapter xii watering the garden instantly all the children turned around to look at what bobbie boomer was pointing to. and gasps of surprise came from bunny brown and sue, as well as from the other pupils and the teacher. for, standing in the doorway of the classroom, which was on the ground floor, was toby, the brown's shetland pony. he stood there looking in, the wind blowing his fluffy mane and forelock, and his bright eyes looking around the classroom as if for a sight of bunny and his sister. "oh, toby!" cried bunny. he had spoken out loud in school, but as it was the last day it did not so much matter. "he came to school, just like mary's lamb!" exclaimed charlie star. fat bobbie boomer seemed to be forgotten, but the sight of the pony appeared to have brought back to the little boy's mind the line he had missed. "which was against the rule!" he suddenly exclaimed. every one laughed, even miss bradley, and she added: "yes, it was against the rule for the lamb to follow mary to school, and i suppose it's just as much against the rule for the pony to follow bunny brown and his sister sue." "please, teacher, he didn't follow me!" said bunny. "nor me!" added sue. "we didn't know he was coming! he was in the stable when we came from home." this was very true, and they were all wondering how it had happened that toby had followed the children. it was something he had never done before, and, though he was a great pet, he was not exactly mary's lamb--he did not follow bunny and sue everywhere they went. "suppose, bunny, you take toby out of the room," suggested miss bradley, for the shetland pony did not seem to want to go of his own accord. "can you manage him?" the teacher asked. "oh, yes, i can ride home on his back, if you'll let me," said the little boy. "school is almost over for the day, and also for the term," said the teacher with a smile. "you may be excused." but bunny did not have to leave. for just then in came bunker blue, the young man who worked for mr. brown at the fish and boat dock. "oh, you're in here, are you?" asked bunker, speaking to toby and taking hold of the thick mane of the little horse. "did he run away?" asked bunny of bunker. "did he get out of his stall?" "not exactly," explained the tall young helper. "i was taking him down to the blacksmith shop to have new shoes put on him. i left him in front of the hardware store while i went in to get something for your father, bunny, and when i came out toby had slipped from his halter. i didn't know where he was until some one said they saw him come into the schoolhouse." "he hasn't done any harm," remarked miss bradley. "how did he get loose from the pony cart?" sue asked. "he wasn't hitched to the pony cart," answered bunker blue. "i was just leading him by the halter, but i guess i didn't have it strapped tight enough. come along, toby," he added. "i guess you've said your lessons," and the whole class, teacher and all, joined in the laugh which bunker blue started. toby whinnied, which was his way of laughing, i suppose, and then bunker blue led him forth from the classroom. so bunny didn't have to leave school to ride his pet home, though i believe the little boy would have been very glad to do so--as would, in fact, any boy in the class. "well, now we will go on with our exercises," said miss bradley. "can you remember your recitation now, bobbie?" the appearance of toby seemed to have had a good effect, for bobbie began again about mary and her lamb, and gave all the verses, without forgetting a single line. every one clapped his or her hands when he finished and made his bow. in turn the other children recited. then came the singing of some songs in which the whole school joined in the big assembly hall, and the "last day," ended. "now for the long vacation!" cried bunny brown, as he raced out of the schoolyard with the other boys. "and lots of fun!" added charlie star. "we'll go camping!" said george watson. "and sail boats!" added harry bentley. the girls, too, were no less joyful. they talked of what they would do, of the play parties they would have and of picnics in the woods. "will you play store any more?" asked mary watson of sue. "oh, i guess so," was the answer. "bunny and i like that fun. bunny wants to keep a real store when he grows up. sometimes he lifts things down from the shelves for mrs. golden in her store." laughing, shouting, tagging each other, and running away, talking of what they would do during the long vacation, the school children ran on through the streets of lakeport. "let's have a race!" cried bunny. "i can beat you!" declared charlie star. off they ran, feet fast flying, and bunny was first to reach the hitching post in front of his house, this being the end of the race course for that particular time. "did bunker blue come back with toby?" asked bunny of his mother, after he had been given a piece of bread and sugar by mary. "no," was the answer. "but how did you know bunker had toby out? he didn't come for him until after you went to school," said mrs. brown. "oh, toby came to school!" explained sue, laughing. "toby came to school?" repeated her mother. and then the story was told amid much laughter. just before supper bunker blue came back with toby, and the children were allowed to hitch the shetland pony to the basket cart. "do you want anything from the store?" asked bunny, as he took his seat beside sue and grasped the pony's reins. "better ask mary," was the reply. and, as it happened, mary wanted some sugar. "we'll get it at mrs. golden's," called bunny, as he drove out of the yard. "my, the children are getting fond of that old lady store keeper," mused mary, as she went back to her kitchen work. "i'm glad to have them," said mrs. brown. "it does children good to learn to be kind and thoughtful toward others. and, from what i hear, mrs. golden needs help. her son works, but does not earn much, and she can't make a very good living from so small a store. we must buy what we can from her." "trust the children for that!" laughed mary. "they'd run there all the while if we'd let them. bunny was telling me mrs. golden had something the matter with one of her legs." "oh, no. he said she expected a legacy," explained mrs. brown. "that means she hopes to get a little property or some money from a relative who has died." "oh, i thought it was her legs, poor old lady!" said mary. "rheumatism, or something like that." "mrs. golden isn't very well able to get around," admitted mrs. brown. "but that has nothing to do with a legacy." bunny and sue drove up to the door of the little corner store. "my, but you're coming in style!" exclaimed mrs. golden, when she saw them. "are you going to buy me out?" "no, we just want some sugar," said bunny. "we're going to get five pounds, 'cause we can carry it in the pony cart." "yes, if it wasn't for the cart i'd be a bit afraid to give you so much as five pounds," said mrs. golden, as she went slowly behind the counter to weigh out the sweet stuff. "you might drop it. but it'll be safe in the pony cart. you'll be like a regular grocery delivery." "do you deliver things?" asked sue. "no, dearie. i can't afford to have a delivery wagon and a horse, to say nothing of one of those automobiles. and it wouldn't pay me to hire a boy, even when philip is away. sometimes he takes heavy things that are ordered, but mostly folks carry away what they buy. let's see, now, how many pounds did you say, bunny?" "five, mrs. golden. and please may i scoop it out of the barrel?" "well, yes, maybe; if you don't spill it." "i won't spill any!" promised bunny eagerly. "and may i put it on the scales? you see i'm going to keep a store when i grow up," he went on, "and i'll want to know how to weigh things on the scales." "i hope you make more money than i do," sighed mrs. golden. "now be careful of the scoop, dearie!" bunny felt quite proud of himself as he leaned down in the sugar barrel and dipped up the sweet, sparkling grains. mrs. golden guided his hands as he poured the sugar into the scoop of the scale, and of course she watched to make sure the weight was right, for bunny was hardly old enough to know that. but he did it nearly all himself, and he told his father so that evening after supper. "my! i'll have to be on the lookout for a vacant place to rent so you and sue can keep a store during vacation," replied mr. brown, laughing. "oh, we don't want to start a store unless mrs. golden gets her legacy so she'll be rich," declared sue. "if we had a store she wouldn't sell so much and she'd be sorry." "well, maybe that's so," agreed her father, with a smile. "we'll wait until we find out about the legacy before we start you and bunny in the store business. when will mrs. golden know about it?" "when her son philip comes back. he's gone to see about the legacy," said bunny. when they went to bed that night bunny and sue talked of what they would do during the long vacation. on account of some business matters, mr. brown could not take his family away that summer until about the middle of august. this left them with a good part of the vacation to spend in bellemere, and the two children were beginning to plan for their fun. one of the first things bunny found to do the next morning--the first morning of the vacation--was to water the garden. "may i take the hose and sprinkle?" he asked. "if you don't get yourself wet through," his mother answered. "i'll be careful," bunny promised. there was a vegetable garden at the side of the house, a garden which uncle tad had made and of which he was very proud. as there had been no rain for some days the garden was in need of water. the hose was attached to the faucet, for uncle tad had been watering the garden the night before, and he had gone away, leaving word that if any one had time to spray more water on the vegetables they should do so, as the ground was very dry. "i like to water the garden," said bunny, and he took great delight in directing the stream from the hose over the cabbages, beets and potatoes which were coming up. after watering for some time bunny began to feel hungry, as he often did, and started in to ask mary for some bread and jam. he laid the hose down, with the water still running, but he turned the stream so it would spray on the grass and not on the garden, so it would not wash out any of the growing things. bunny was coming out again, with a large slice of bread and jam, when from the front street he heard a man's voice crying: "here! look out what you're doing! be careful with that hose! you're soaking me!" "oh, oh!" cried bunny brown. "sue must have picked up the hose that i left and squirted water on somebody!" chapter xiii helping mrs. golden almost dropping his slice of bread and jam, so excited was he, bunny brown ran toward the hose. before he reached it, for it was around the corner of the house, he heard the man's voice again calling out: "here! stop that i say! can't people go along the street without being wet with water from a hose? pull your hose farther back!" "sue! sue! don't do that! be careful! you're wetting some one," cried bunny, as he ran along, not yet seeing the hose. but he could guess what had happened. sue, coming along and seeing the hose turned on, with the water spurting out, had picked up the nozzle end and was watering the garden. only she held the hose so high that the water shot over the high front hedge and was wetting some man passing in the street. that is what bunny thought. but that is not what had happened. just before he turned the corner of the house he heard the man's voice once more saying: "say, isn't it enough to wet me once? what are you keeping it up for? i am trying to get out of the way, but you follow me. i'm coming in and see about this!" something very like trouble seemed about to happen. "sue! sue!" cried bunny, still thinking his sister was to blame. "let that hose alone!" but when he turned the corner of the house and could see the garden, sue was not in sight. and, stranger still, no one was at the hose. there it lay, still spurting water out on the thick, green grass. who had picked up the nozzle and sprayed the unseen man in the street? if it was sue where had she gone? "sue! sue!" called bunny. "were you playing with the hose?" sue's head was thrust out of the window of her room upstairs. "what's the matter, bunny?" she asked. "oh, you're up there, are you?" exclaimed the little boy, much surprised. "were you down here at the hose?" "no. i'm getting dressed. i haven't been down in the yard at all yet." "then who did it?" thought bunny. "i wonder----" but just then a man, who seemed to have been out in a rain storm without an umbrella, came hurrying around the side path. he caught sight of bunny standing near the hose. "look here, my little boy," said the man, trying not to speak angrily, though he was rightfully provoked, "you must be more careful with your hose. you have wet me very much. does your mother know you are doing this?" "she--she knows i'm watering the garden," bunny answered. "does she know you were watering me?" asked the man, with a half smile. "no--no, sir," replied the small boy. "i didn't wet you!" "you didn't! then who did?" "i--i don't know," stammered bunny. "i left the hose here while i went in to get some bread and jam. here's some of it now," and he held out what was left of his slice. "i heard you calling, and i thought maybe it was my sister sue. course she wouldn't 'a' done it on purpose. but it wasn't sue. she hasn't been downstairs yet." "then who was it?" insisted the man. "surely the hose didn't wet me all by itself." "no," admitted bunny. "but it might have been mr. winkler's monkey." "who's mr. winkler's monkey, and how could he wet me with a hose?" demanded the man. "his name is wango--i mean the monkey's is," explained bunny. "sometimes he gets away and does things. he climbed up on mrs. golden's shelves--she keeps a store. maybe wango got loose and came over here and picked up the hose to get a drink or something, and so wet you." "well, that's possible," admitted the man. "and if that's the case i beg your pardon. do you see wango around here?" he went on, while sue, looking from her upper window, wondered who the stranger could be. "no, i don't see wango," replied bunny, looking about. "but i'll look for him. maybe he's hiding." "maybe he is," and the man now laughed. "i'll help you search. for if the monkey is up to tricks like that he ought to be stopped. he may wet some one else if you go away and leave the water turned on." "that's right," agreed bunny. he left the hose, still spurting, on the grass, and, followed by the man, walked around the yard, looking for wango. but the mischievous monkey was not in sight, nor did he come when bunny called, though mr. winkler's pet nearly always did this. "i guess he isn't here," said bunny at length. "but i didn't wet you with the hose." "then who----" began the man, but he stopped short to point and cry: "look at that!" as bunny and the stranger were walking back toward the hose, splash, the big dog, ran out from under the back porch and took hold of the hose in his teeth. he began to shake it as he often shook things with which he played. "there!" laughed the man. "that's how i was sprayed! your dog picked up the hose after you left it, and raised it high, so the water shot over the hedge and on me! now the mystery is explained! it was the dog that did it!" and so it was. "splash!" cried bunny. "drop that hose!" splash dropped it, and with a bark came running up to be petted. he did not know he had done wrong. "i'm very sorry," said bunny. "splash, you're a bad dog!" he declared, and splash drooped his tail between his legs. "oh, don't scold him," the man begged. "i like dogs, and i know they don't like to be scolded any more than we do--or than boys or girls do. it wasn't his fault. he thought the hose was left there for him to play with." "is anything wrong?" asked mrs. brown. sue had told her mother about a strange man, all wet, in the yard talking to bunny, and mrs. brown had come down to see about it. "just a little accident," explained the stranger. "i was passing in the street when it suddenly began to rain--or at least i thought at first it was rain. then i knew it was some one using a hose and spraying me. i called to them, but that did no good, and i came in. i saw this little boy and the hose, and naturally thought he had wet me by accident. but it seems it was his dog," and he explained how it had happened. "i am very sorry," apologized mrs. brown. "if there is anything i can do----" "oh, i will soon dry in the sun!" laughed the man. "i wasn't really angry, only i know children will get careless when they have a hose, and i was going to tell them to be more careful. but i don't suppose i can make splash understand," and he patted the dog, whose tail was now wagging again. "i'm glad you are so kind about it," said mrs. brown. "bunny generally is careful when he waters the garden. if you will come in and get dry----" "oh, no, thank you! i'll dry better in the sun. clean water will hurt no one, and i might just as well have been caught in a shower. good-bye!" he called, and hurried away. "after this, bunny," advised his mother, as he kept on wetting the garden, "it will be best to turn off the water if you leave the hose." "yes, mother, i will," he promised. so that little happening passed off all right, and later bunny and the gentleman--who was a newcomer in town, mr. halsted by name--became good friends. one day, about a week after vacation had started, during which time bunny and sue had had much fun, the two children went to the little corner store kept by mrs. golden. bunny and sue each had two cents to spend, and they were allowed to get some candy. as they entered the store they saw mrs. golden trying to sweep, but the way in which the old woman used the broom showed that she was in pain. as the children entered she stopped, held her hand to her side, and tried to stand up. "oh!" she murmured, in a low voice. "is it your rheumatism?" asked bunny. "that, or something worse," replied the old lady, with a sigh. "i get a pain in my side every time i sweep." "let me do it!" begged sue. "i love to sweep, and i'd like to help you." "so would i!" exclaimed bunny. "i can sweep, too. please let me!" almost before she realized it, mrs. golden had given up the broom to sue, and the little girl was sweeping the store, while bunny waited for his turn. suddenly the doorway was darkened, and a big man with a bushy black beard came stalking in. "where's mrs. golden?" he asked, looking at some papers in his hand. "i want to see mrs. golden," and his voice was cross. "i'm mrs. golden," answered the old lady. "what can i do for you?" "the best thing you can do is to pay that money!" snapped the man. chapter xiv the cross man bunny and sue had at first paid no attention to the big man with the black beard who entered the little corner grocery store so suddenly. the children thought he was a customer come to buy some groceries. but when the man, in that cross voice, said mrs. golden had better pay him some money, bunny and sue looked sharply at him, sue holding on to the broom. "'cause i thought maybe he was a robber coming after mrs. golden's money," she explained later. "what would you have done if he had been a robber?" asked uncle tad. "i'd 'a' hit him with the broom," sue replied. "and i'd have helped her!" exclaimed bunny. but this was afterward. the man, however, as the children looked at him, did not appear to be a robber. he was big, and not very pleasant to look at, and his black beard was as bristling as some of those worn by moving-picture pirates. but he did not seem to be going to take any money from the cash drawer. from the way poor mrs. golden looked, though, the children were sure the man had frightened her. she sank down in a chair, and stared silently at the man. "well!" exclaimed the cross man more crossly than at first, "i'm mr. flynt of the grocery supply company. if you're mrs. golden, i want to know why you don't pay me that money?" "i--i wish i could, mr. flynt," murmured the old lady store keeper. "i really thought i'd have it for you last week." "but you didn't!" snapped out the man. "you told our agent who called two weeks ago that you'd have it last week. but you didn't pay it. then you said you'd send it this week, and you didn't. now i've come for it. you can't fool me!" truly, thought bunny brown and his sister sue, no one could fool this man, nor play with him nor do anything with him except dislike him. "come, come, mrs. golden!" went on mr. flynt. "you owe us this money, you know, and you'll have to pay it!" "if you'll only wait until my son philip comes back," murmured the old lady, "he'll pay you some, i'm sure. he's gone away to get a little legacy, and if he gets it i'll have enough to pay you all i owe and more!" "yes, _if_ he gets it!" sneered the cross man. "i've heard those stories before. but if your son doesn't get that legacy what then?" "oh, i'm sure he'll get it!" said mrs. golden, trying to smile. "but if--if he doesn't, why, i'll just have to owe you the money, that's all!" "that isn't all!" exclaimed mr. flynt. "we've got to have money. we've been as easy on you as we could be. we've let your bill run a good deal longer than we do most folks' bills. you've got to pay your debts, just as we have to pay ours. come now, i want some money!" bunny and sue looked at each other. both had the same thought. sue dropped the broom and began feeling in her pocket beneath her handkerchief. sue had only one pocket, and she was lucky, being a girl, to have that. bunny had any number of pockets, and he was going through first one and then the other, finding different things in each--a top, pieces of string, his knife, odd bits of stone, a very black piece of licorice, and some nails. bunny never knew when he might want some of these things. "here, mrs. golden!" exclaimed sue, she being the first to get what she was after in her pocket. "here's two cents i was going to spend for candy. you can have it to give to the man!" "bless your heart, dearie!" murmured mrs. golden, "i can't take your money." "and here's my two cents!" exclaimed bunny. "you can keep it. and you don't need to give us any candy either." "no!" added sue, though she had a catch in her breath as she said it, for she really wanted a bit of sweet stuff that day. "no, no, my dear," said mrs. golden, trying to smile, though there were tears in her eyes. "keep your money. i'll sell you some candy if you want it, but you mustn't give your pennies away. anyhow, i must pay mr. flynt a great deal more than that." "i should say so!" exclaimed the black-bearded man, though, somehow or other, his voice was not quite so cross as before. "four cents wouldn't pay postage on the bills we have sent you! "but now, mrs. golden," he went on, "i don't want to be any harder on you than i have to. if you're going to get some money in, or your son is, and you can pay us what you owe we won't sell you out." "sell me out!" cried the old lady. "were you thinking of doing that?" "we'll have to if you don't pay," was the answer. "you bought a lot of goods of us, and you must pay for them. if you don't we'll have to take these things away," and he looked around at the shelves of the store. "if you take things away from her how can she sell them?" asked bunny brown. "she can't," said mr. flynt. "but she must pay. everybody must pay what they owe or be sold out. now i'll give you a little more time," he went on. "i'll tell them, back at the office, that you expect a legacy, and when that comes you must pay." "yes, yes! i'll pay!" promised mrs. golden. "only give me a little more time and i'll pay." "well, see that you do!" grumbled the black-bearded man, who appeared to be crosser than ever now. "when i come again i want money!" he stalked out of the store with a scowl on his face, and bunny and sue looked first at each other and then at poor mrs. golden. "i don't like that man!" declared sue, as she picked up the broom. "i don't, either!" said bunny. "what makes him so cross, mrs. golden?" "maybe he can't help it, dearie. going around making people pay up is a cross sort of work, i guess." "but what makes him want you to give him money?" asked sue. "i thought a store was a place where people paid you money. i didn't think you had to pay money out. bunny's going to keep a store when he grows up. will he have to pay out money?" "no, i'm not going to!" cried the little boy. "people have got to pay me money, but i don't pay any." "you have lots to learn about a store, little man!" said mrs. golden. "it isn't all fun, as you and sue suppose. do you see all these things on my shelves?" she asked. the children looked around at them and nodded their heads. "to get them i have to buy them from other people--from the wholesalers, as they are called," explained mrs. golden. "the grocery supply company is one of them. i buy barrels of sugar, barrels of flour, big boxes of prunes, and so on, from this company. then i sell a few pounds of sugar, flour or prunes at a time and make a little money each time i sell. you see i don't pay as much for the flour and sugar as i sell it for. the difference in price comes to me, and is what i live on, and sometimes it's little enough. "and now the trouble is i have bought a great many things from this mr. flynt's company, and i haven't the money to pay for them. that's why he's cross. he has a right to his money, but i haven't it to give him." "why not?" bunny asked. "well, because i don't sell very much in my little store. if i sold more i'd have the money to pay my bills." "oh, bunny, i know what we can do!" cried sue. "we can tell mother to buy everything here--all her groceries and things--and then mrs. golden will have money to pay the cross man." "your mother is very kind as it is," said the old lady. "i'd like to have her trade here, but of course i don't keep the best of everything. i have to sell cheap goods. but of course if i sold more of them i'd have more money and then i could pay my bills. "but there, my dears, this isn't any fun for you. you came to get your pennies' worth of candy, and i'll pick it out for you. an old woman's troubles aren't for little ones like you." "my father had troubles once," said bunny, "and we hugged him and kissed him; didn't we, sue? that was when there was a fire on his boat dock." "yes, we were sorry a lot," sue replied. "and we're sorry for you now, mrs. golden, and i'm going to tell mother to buy all her things here." "that's very kind of you," said the woman. "but if philip only gets that legacy i'll have money enough to pay all my debts and a little left over. now don't worry about me. try to have a good time. i'll get your candy!" "and i'll finish this sweeping," laughed sue. "i'll help," said bunny brown, and then, in spite of the cross man, there seemed to be a little bit of sunshine in mrs. golden's store. chapter xv the broken window "daddy," said bunny brown that night, as the family were in the pleasant living room, "have you much money in the bank?" "i have a little, bunny, yes. but why do you ask?" mr. brown wanted to know. "i have some in my bank!" cried sue, before her brother could answer. "i guess maybe i have a hundred and seventy dollars!" "pennies you mean, dear! pennies! not dollars!" laughed her mother, for the children each had a penny bank. "well, pennies, then," agreed sue. "but aren't a hundred and seventy pennies 'most the same as a hundred dollars?" "pooh! no!" said bunny. "it takes a hundred pennies to make even one dollar!" "oh--o--o--! does it?" exclaimed sue. "what a terrible lot of money!" "yes, it does seem a lot," laughed mr. brown. "but why are you talking about money?" and he looked at his little son. "why did you ask if i had any money in the bank?" "i was wondering if mrs. golden had any in her bank," said bunny. "i don't believe she has very much," said mr. brown. "i was past her store to-day. it's a very small one. i don't see how she makes a living there." "we were in there to-day," went on bunny, "and a man came in and wanted a lot of money. he said mrs. golden owed him. he was from the grocery company." "yes, the wholesale house, i presume," remarked mr. brown. "well, bunny, did mrs. golden pay her bills?" "no," said bunny, a bit sadly, "she didn't. and mr. flynt was cross. i was thinking maybe if you had a lot of money in the bank you could take some out and give it to mrs. golden, and then she wouldn't have to cry when cross men came in. and she could pay you back when she got her leg--her legacy!" and bunny brought the last word out with a jerk, for it was rather hard for him to remember. "what's all this about?" asked mr. brown, looking at his wife in some surprise. "i don't know," answered the children's mother. "it's the first i've heard of it. bunny and sue often go to the little corner store. it's handy when mary wants something in a hurry." "tell me more about mrs. golden, bunny," asked his father. thereupon the story of the cross man and the money the old lady owed to the grocery company was told as well as the children could tell it. "it's too bad!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "i want you children to be as kind as you possibly can to mrs. golden. help her all you can, bunny and sue." "and will you buy things there?" asked sue. "why, yes," agreed her mother. "we will trade there all we can. mr. gordon, the big grocer, can afford to lose a little of our custom." "do you think you could give her any money out of your bank, daddy?" asked bunny. "and she could give it back after she got her legacy." "i'll see about it," was the smiling answer. "i know some of the men in the grocery supply company," went on mr. brown, "and i'll ask them to be a bit easy with the old lady. but you didn't tell us about this legacy, bunny. you told us about the cross man, but not about the legacy." "the children have spoken of it to me several times," said mrs. brown. "it seems some relative of mrs. golden has died, and her son has gone to see about some money or property that may come to his mother." "she'll have plenty of money when she gets her legacy," remarked bunny. "she told me so." "then let us hope that she gets it," said mr. brown. "and now don't you children worry any more about it," he told bunny and sue. "i'll help mrs. golden if she really needs it." "and we'll help her, too," said bunny to his sister, as they went to bed that night. "hey, bunny! hi, bunny brown!" called a voice under bunny's window early the next morning. "hello! who's down there?" bunny asked, jumping out of bed. "come on down!" cried charlie star. "we're going to have a ball game! we're waiting for you! bobbie boomer, harry bentley, george watson, and all the fellows are over in the lots waiting. come on have a ball game!" "i didn't know it was so late!" murmured bunny, rubbing his eyes. "i'll be right down!" he had, indeed, slept later than usual, and as this was vacation time, his mother had not called him, though sue had got up and had gone off to play with some of the girls. bunny had his breakfast and then he ran over to the big lots with charlie. a number of boys were tossing and batting balls, and when bunny arrived there were enough to make up two "sides" and have a game. bunny was captain of one team and charlie star of the other. "now, fellows, we want to beat!" cried bunny, as he took his place to pitch the first ball of the game. "yes! ho! ho! i'd like to see your side win!" laughed charlie. "we won't let you get a single run!" it was all jolly good fun, and though each side tried to win it was in good-nature, which is how all games should be played. first bunny's team was ahead, and then charlie's, until it came close to noon, when the boys knew they would have to stop playing and go home to dinner. "now, fellows," said bunny brown, as it was his turn to bat, "i'm going to knock a home run and that will win the game for us!" "pooh! you can't knock a home run!" laughed charlie, who was pitching for his side. bunny swung hard at the ball which charlie pitched to him. and bunny himself was a little surprised when his bat struck it squarely and the ball sailed away, much farther than he had ever knocked a ball before. "run, everybody! run!" cried bunny brown, dropping the bat and starting for first base himself. two of his side were on the other bases, and if they could all get in on his home run it would mean that his side would win. higher and higher and farther and farther sailed the ball bunny had knocked, away over the head of fat bobbie boomer, who was playing out in center field. it surely was going to be a home run. "oh, look where that ball's going!" cried charlie star, turning to watch it. "oh, it's going to break one of mr. morrison's windows!" mr. morrison was a rather crabbed, cross old man who had a house on the edge of the vacant lots where the boys played ball. bunny was too excited over his home run to pay much attention to where the ball went, and tom case and jerry bond, who were running "home," thought only of how fast they could run. but the others watched the ball, and a moment later saw it crash through one of mr. morrison's windows. by this time bunny was at third base. he did not stop there, but ran on in, touched home plate, and sank down to rest, very tired but happy because he was sure his side would now win the ball game. out in the field, near the fence that was around mr. morrison's house, bobbie boomer was calling: "i can't get the ball! i can't get the ball! it's in mr. morrison's house!" and, surely enough, that's where it was--right in the house. it had gone through the window. "i--i made the home run all right!" panted bunny brown. "i told you i would, charlie star!" bunny had run so fast that he had not heard the tinkle of the breaking glass, nor had he seen where his ball went. "yes, you made a home run all right!" yelled charlie. "and now we'd better all _run home_ or old morrison will be after us for busting his window. come on, fellows! let's run home!" the game was practically over, and a number of the boys, fearing the anger of mr. morrison, started after charlie, running away from the lots. but this was not bunny brown's way. "did i--did the ball i batted break a window?" he asked. "you ought to 'a' heard the crash!" panted bobbie boomer, running in from center field. "old morrison will be here in a minute! you'd better run, bunny!" surely enough, a moment or two later mr. morrison came out on his back porch, from which he could look into the lots. he saw the boys, some of them running away. in his hand he held the baseball that had crashed through his window. "hi, there!" he cried. "who did this?" one or two boys, seeing that bunny was not going to run, had stayed with him. "who did this?" cried mr. morrison again. up spoke bunny brown, walking toward the angry man. "i--i knocked the ball," he said. "well, you broke my window, young man, and you've got to pay for it!" "i--i will!" faltered bunny. "i have some money in my bank, and if you come home with me i'll take it out and pay you." mr. morrison seemed surprised at this. in times past when his windows were broken the boys had run away, or, if they had not, they had been saucy to him and had refused to pay for any glass. this was something new. "what's your name?" asked mr. morrison. "bunny brown," was the answer. "does your father keep the boat dock where bunker blue works?" "yes, sir." "oh," said mr. morrison, not so angry now. "well, of course this window has to be paid for, but i know your father, bunny brown. he and i do business together. and bunker blue does me favors once in a while. i guess there won't be any hurry about paying for this glass. you can pay me five cents a week if you want to. and i should think the other boys ought to chip in and help you pay for it. that's what we used to do when i played ball. if a window was broken we all helped pay for it." "i'll help," offered one boy. "so will i!" said another. by this time charlie star and the boys who had started to run away began straggling back. they wondered why bunny and his companions were not being chased by mr. morrison. and when charlie and his chums heard about the offer to pay shares for the broken glass charlie said: "i'll pay my part, too!" "so will i!" cried his players. "that's more like it," chuckled mr. morrison, and, somehow or other, the boys began wondering why they had ever called him cross. certainly he seemed quite different now. perhaps it was the way bunny had acted, so bravely, that made the change. "now look here, boys," went on the uncross mr. morrison. "i know you have to play ball, and this isn't the first time you have broken my windows. but it's the first time any of you have had the nerve to stay here and offer to pay. i like that. and now that you all offer to chip in and pay for it, it'll not be too hard for any one boy. it's the right spirit. and i want to say that if you always do that there'll not be any trouble. "not that i want any more windows broken," he added, with a laugh. "but if they are smashed, chip in and pay for them. and now i'll have the pane of glass put in and you can take up a collection among yourselves and pay me later on. i'm in no hurry as long as you act fair. "and now if you'll come in here i think maybe i can find something that you boys would like to have," he added. "don't be afraid, come on in," he invited, opening a gate in his side fence. the boys hesitated a moment, and then, led by bunny brown, they entered. what could mr. morrison have in mind? they soon found out. he led them down into the cellar and showed them some old baseballs, some bats, some gloves, and, best of all, a good catcher's mask. "here are some old baseball things," said mr. morrison. "i got them in a lot of junk i bought a year ago, and i've been wondering what to do with them. i like the way you boys acted--especially some of you," and he looked at bunny. "i'm going to let you have these things for your team," he said. "but try not to break any more of my windows!" he laughed. "we won't!" promised bunny brown. "or, if we do, we'll pay for 'em!" "crackie! what dandy stuff!" cried bobbie boomer. "now we can have regular league games!" exclaimed charlie star, who was perhaps the best player of all the boys. "and a real mask, like the pirates have!" cried harry bentley. "take 'em along," said mr. morrison. "they're only cluttering up my cellar. i'm glad to get rid of 'em, and especially to good boys." "we--we were afraid of you at first," said charlie. "well, you needn't be any more," chuckled mr. morrison. "just pay for my window, when you get the money together, and we'll call it square!" talking, laughing gleefully, and wondering at their good fortune, the boys hurried from the cellar. and they had another game that same afternoon, with the balls, bats, gloves and mask that mr. morrison had given them. only bunny knocked no more home runs, and charlie's team won, which was, perhaps, as it ought to be. and, best of all, no more windows were broken. it was quite an adventure for bunny brown, but it was not the last he and his sister sue were to have, for many good times were ahead of them for the long vacation. chapter xvi little storekeepers "here, bunny! here, sue!" called mrs. brown, one bright, sunny morning. "where are you?" "we're coming, mother!" answered bunny. he and his sister were playing in the yard down near the brook. bunny had carried to the brook a little boat, and sue had with her one of her very small dolls which was having a voyage on the small vessel. she had picked out a celluloid doll. "'cause then if she falls off into the water it won't hurt if she gets wet," said sue. "that's right!" agreed bunny. but now the children left their play and ran to see what their mother wanted. before doing so, however, bunny made fast the little boat to a tree on the bank of the brook, tying it by a long string. and sue took the celluloid doll off the deck and laid her on the grass in the shade. "'cause she might go off sailing by herself," sue explained. "pooh! she couldn't sail my boat!" laughed bunny. "well, she might," said sue. then they ran to their mother--who was waiting for them on the back steps. "what do you want, mother?" asked sue. "is it time to eat?" is what bunny brown asked. bunny, like many children, was always ready for this. "no, it isn't time for lunch," laughed mrs. brown. "but i want you to bring some things from the store so mary can get lunch ready. and this is a chance for you to help your friend mrs. golden." "what do you mean--help her?" asked bunny. "is daddy going to give her some money out of his bank so she can pay the cross man?" "i don't know about that," replied mrs. brown. "but i mean you can help her now by getting some groceries from her. the more we buy and the more other families buy, the more money she will make, and then she can pay her bills." "that's so!" exclaimed bunny. "i'm going to ask all the fellows to buy their things of mrs. golden instead of going to gordon's." "and i'll ask the girls!" exclaimed sue. "we mustn't desert mr. gordon altogether," said mrs. brown. "he wants to do business, too. but mrs. golden needs our trade most, i guess, so get these things of her. i've written them down on a paper so you'll not forget, and as there are a number of them you had better take a basket, bunny." "i will," he said. "do we have to hurry back, mother?" he asked. "oh, there is no special hurry," his mother answered. "but what did you want to do? play another game of ball and break another window?" and she smiled at bunny, for she had heard the story. mr. morrison's window had been paid for by all the boys "chipping in," or clubbing together. "i'm not going to play ball," said bunny. "but sue and i might stay with mrs. golden a little while and help her in the store if you weren't in a hurry." "no, i'm not in a hurry," mrs. brown said. "help mrs. golden all you can, poor old lady!" together bunny and sue went around the corner to the little grocery and notion store. they were talking of what they might do to help the storekeeper, and they were planning what fun they could have with the little boat and doll when they reached home again. by this time they were at the store, but, to their surprise, the front door was closed, though this was summer, and it generally stood wide open. and in one corner of the door was a piece of paper on which something was written. bunny and sue saw this notice and they at once guessed that something had happened. "maybe she's gone away with her son philip to get the leg-legacy!" exclaimed bunny. "maybe," said sue. "go on, bunny, you can read better'n i can. read what it says." slowly bunny read the little notice on the front door. it said: "_please come to the side door._" wonderingly the children went along the path to the side door, for the grocery of mrs. golden was in an old-fashioned house which had been built over so she could sell things in it. the side door was almost closed, but, though open a small crack, bunny and sue did not want to push it open further and go in. instead they knocked. "yes? what is it? who's there?" called the voice of mrs. golden. it was a weak, quavering old voice. "we're here," answered the little boy. "bunny brown and his sister sue!" "oh, my dears! i'm glad it's you and not mr. flynt!" said mrs. golden. "push the door open and come in. i have such a dreadful headache that i couldn't keep the store open. i had to come to my room back here and lie down. i just had to close the store!" the children entered to see their friend lying on a sofa in the room back of the store. she had her head tied in a rag. "are you very sick?" asked sue. "'cause if you are i'll go for the doctor," offered bunny. "oh, no, thank you, my dears, i'm not ill enough for that," answered mrs. golden. "just a bad sick-headache. i'll be better to-morrow. but i couldn't keep the store open to-day." "that's too bad," said bunny. "we came to get some things," and he took out the list his mother had written for him. "well, i want to sell things, but i am too ill to get up and wait on you," said the storekeeper. "i put that sign in the front door so if any wholesale wagons came to leave stuff they could find me. but, really, i don't feel able to get up." then bunny had an idea. "couldn't sue and i wait on ourselves?" he asked eagerly. "we want to get these things here, and if you told me where to find them--though i know where to find some myself--and if you told me how much they were, i could pay you, and it would be all right. i have the money." "yes, you might do that," said mrs. golden. "it would be fine if you could. now let me see what you want, and then see if you can get it from the shelves." "i can climb like anything!" said bunny gleefully. "well, don't fall!" cautioned mrs. golden. together, with the help of their friend, bunny and sue picked out from the closed store the things their mother had written on the list for them to get. mrs. golden told them where certain groceries were kept, and the price. "why, you are regular little storekeepers!" declared mrs. golden, trying not to think of her aching head. "you have waited on yourselves as well as i could have done." "i wish we could wait on some regular customers!" boldly exclaimed bunny. "wouldn't it be fun!" laughed sue. there came a knock on the side door, and a woman's voice called: "are you there, mrs. golden? i want a few things. may i come in?" "oh, yes, come in, mrs. clark," replied the storekeeper, as she recognized the voice of one of her customers. "if i can't wait on you you can help yourself, as bunny and sue did." a woman came in the side door. "let us wait on you, please!" begged bunny. "my sister and i can get what you want." "why, yes, i guess you can!" agreed mrs. clark, with a laugh. "i want a yeast cake and some sugar. it's too bad you two children couldn't stay and help mrs. golden," she added, as bunny and sue brought what she wanted and she was giving the money to the store owner. "we'd love to stay!" cried bunny. "and we can, for a while," added sue. "mother said we didn't have to hurry." "oh, could we open the front door and tend store for you really?" asked bunny, his eyes sparkling in delight. chapter xvii two letters mrs. golden thought it over for a minute. really, with her head aching as it did, she was in almost too much pain to think, but she felt that something must be done. she needed all the money she could take in, and if customers were turned away from her store, because the door was closed, she would lose trade. not many would come around to the side as mrs. clark had done. "couldn't we tend store for you--a little while?" asked bunny again, as he saw mrs. golden thinking, as his mother sometimes thought, when he or sue asked her if they might do something. "we could ask you where things are that we don't know about," added sue, "and we wouldn't talk loud or make a noise." "bless your hearts, dearies!" sighed mrs. golden. "you are very kind; but i'm sure i don't know what to say." "then let me say it," advised mrs. clark. "i say let the children tend store for you, mrs. golden. bunny and sue are a lot smarter for their age than most children. you let them tend store for you, and i'll run over once in a while to see if everything is all right." "very well," said mrs. golden. "you may keep store for me, bunny and sue." "goodie!" exclaimed sue, clapping her hands. then she happened to remember that she must not make too much noise, and she grew quieter. "i'll open the front door and take down the sign," said bunny. "we'll wait on the customers for you, mrs. golden." bunny felt quite like a grown man as he removed the card and turned the lock in the front door, swinging it open. the shades had been pulled down over the show windows, and bunny and sue now ran these up. "i'll run along now," said mrs. clark, going out the front door and nodding in friendly fashion at the children. "i guess you'll make out all right, and i'll be back in a little while. if she gets any worse, or anything happens, just come and tell me--you know where i live," she said in a low voice, so mrs. golden, in the back room, would not hear. sue nodded and bunny smiled. they were rather anxious for mrs. clark to go, so they would be left in charge of the store. and when this happened, when really, for the first time, bunny brown and his sister sue were truly storekeepers you can hardly imagine how pleased they were. "you go to sleep now, mrs. golden," said sue, going on tiptoe to the rear room, to look at the old woman lying on the couch. "you go to sleep. bunny and i will tend store." then she went back to bunny, who sat on a stool behind the grocery counter. he had decided he would sell things from that side of the store, while sue could wait on the dry-goods and notions side. "all we want now is some customers," remarked the little boy. "yes," agreed sue. "we want to sell things." they waited some little time, for the corner store was not in a busy part of town. several times, as footsteps were heard outside, bunny and sue hardly breathed, hoping some one would come in to buy. but each time they were disappointed. finally, however, just when they were about to give up, thinking they would have to go home, a woman came in and looked around, not at first seeing any one. "what can i do for you to-day, lady?" asked bunny brown, as he had often heard mr. gordon say. "oh, are you tending store?" the lady asked. she was a stranger to bunny and sue. "yes'm, i and my sister--i mean my sister and i--are keeping store for mrs. golden. she's sick," said bunny. "i can get you anything you want." "all i want is a loaf of bread," the lady answered. bunny knew where to get this, and also the kind the lady wanted, as it was the same sort of loaf his mother often sent him for. he put it in a paper bag and took the money. the lady gave the right change, so bunny did not have to trouble mrs. golden. all this while sue stood on her side of the store, rather anxiously waiting. she wished the customer would buy of her. "you are rather small to be in a store, aren't you?" asked the lady, as she started to leave with the bread. "oh, we know lots about stores," said bunny. "we often play keep one, but this is the first time we ever did it regular." "i know how to keep store, too," said sue, unable to keep still any longer. "would you like some needles and thread?" "yes, now that you speak of it, i remember i do need some thread, my dear," the lady answered, with a smile. "can you get me the kind i want?" "i--i guess so," sue answered, yet she was a bit doubtful, as there were so many things among the notions. "well, perhaps i can help you," said the lady. "i see the tray of spools of silk right behind you, and if you'll pull it out i'll pick the shade i want. i have a sample of dress goods here." [illustration: sue helped her customer match her sample. _bunny brown and his sister sue keeping store._ _page_ 174] sue had often been with her mother when mrs. brown matched sewing silk in this way, and the little girl pulled out the shallow drawer of small spools. she saw the sample and knew the lady needed red sewing silk; so she at once pulled out the right drawer. then she helped the customer match her sample until she had what she wanted. "how much is it?" asked the lady, taking out her purse. here was sue's trouble--she did not know exactly, and she did not want to go ask mrs. golden, for the storekeeper might be sleeping. to call her might make her head suddenly ache worse. "i generally pay ten cents a spool," said the customer, "and i suppose that's what it is here. if it's any more i can stop in the next time i pass. that is, unless you can find out for sure." "oh, i guess ten cents is all right," said sue, and she found out later that it was. then the lady left with her bread and thread. the children had waited on their first customer all alone. in the next hour, during which the children remained in the store, they waited on several customers, and did it very well, too, not having to ask mrs. golden about anything, for which they were glad. of course the things they sold were simple articles, easy to find, and of such small price that the men or women who bought them had the right change all ready. once a boy came in, and you should have seen how surprised he was when bunny waited on him. he was tommy shadder, a boy bunny knew slightly. "huh! you workin' here?" asked tommy, as he took the sugar bunny put in a bag, not having spilled very much. "sure, i'm working here!" declared bunny. "that is, for a while," he added, for he knew he would soon have to go home. "huh!" said tommy again, as he went out. "huh!" "mail!" suddenly called a voice, and the postman entered the store. "where's mrs. golden?" he asked, as he saw bunny and sue, whom he knew. "she's got a headache, and we're tending store," sue answered proudly. "oh, all right. here's a couple of letters for her. she's been asking me for letters all week, and i didn't have any for her. now here are two." he tossed them on the counter and went out into the sunlit street. bunny looked at the two letters. "oh!" he exclaimed. "one's from mrs. golden's son philip. maybe it's about the legacy!" bunny had seen the name philip golden in the corner of the envelope. "who's the other from?" asked sue. "the grocery supply company," read the little boy from the other envelope. "oh, dear!" sighed sue. "what's the matter?" asked bunny. "maybe that's a bill," sue said, for she had often been in her father's office on the dock when the mail came in, and when he received a thin letter mr. brown would hold it up to the light, laugh, and say: "i guess this is a bill." sue knew what bills were, all right, and she seemed to feel that bills coming to mrs. golden, who had little money, would be worse than those which came to her father's office, for mr. brown never seemed to worry about the bills. as the children looked at the letters on the counter, wondering whether or not to take them in to mrs. golden, she herself came out of the back room. she looked at the children and then at the letters. "oh, some mail!" she exclaimed. "i hope it's from philip about the legacy! if it is, i'm sure it will completely cure my headache, which is much better." eagerly bunny and sue watched to see mrs. golden open the letters. chapter xviii bunny has an idea mrs. golden read first the letter from her son, sent to her from the distant city. but if bunny and sue thought to see a look of joy spread over the store owner's face they were disappointed. "did he--did your son send you the legacy?" asked bunny, as the letter was folded and put back in the envelope. "well, no, not exactly," was the answer. "it seems there is some trouble about it. i hoped philip could come home to help me, but he can't, and it will be some time before we'll get any money from that legacy--if we ever get it. oh, dear! so many troubles!" mrs. golden sighed and opened the other letter. her troubles seemed to be more now, for she sighed again as she laid this letter aside. sue could not help asking: "is it a bill?" "something like that, yes," answered the old lady. "it's from mr. flynt's grocery company. it says if i don't pay soon i'll be sold out." mrs. golden sighed again. the children did not know exactly what it was all about, but they knew there was trouble of some kind and they wanted to help. but they felt, too, that it was time they went home. mrs. golden must have seen the worried looks on their faces, for she tried to smile through the clouds of her own trouble as she said: "never mind, my dears! run along now, for i'm sure your mother will be getting anxious about you. you have been a great help to me. i guess i'll find some way out of my troubles--i hope so, anyhow. run along now! it was good of you to help me." so bunny and sue, taking the things they had bought, started out of the store. "if she could only sell more things she'd have more money and then she could pay that grocery bill," said bunny to his sister. "yes," agreed sue. "we'll tell daddy about it and see what he says. daddy has lots of money." "but maybe he needs it," suggested bunny. and very likely mr. brown did. however, children of the ages of bunny and sue are not unhappy for very long at a time, and trouble seems to roll away from them like water off a duck's back. on the way home they met some of their playmates, and in talking over a picnic that was to be held in a few days bunny and sue forgot about mrs. golden for a while. "you stayed rather a long time," said mrs. brown, when bunny and sue finally reached home with the groceries she had sent them for. "you said we could stay," said bunny. "and we helped mrs. golden by tending store," added sue. "did you really tend store?" uncle tad asked, and he was much surprised when the children told what they had done. "i guess she doesn't do much business," remarked uncle tad. "she has a store on a corner, which is the best place for one, as people on two streets pass it. but i'm afraid she isn't enough of a hustler." "what's a hustler?" asked bunny, wondering if mrs. golden might be made into one. "a hustler," said uncle tad, "is a person that does things in a hurry. some storekeepers are hustlers for business. if business doesn't come to them they go after it. that's how they sell things." "how could mrs. golden sell more things?" bunny questioned. "she's got lots of things in her store--heaps and packs of 'em--but she doesn't sell much." "that's the trouble!" said uncle tad. "she doesn't advertise, and she doesn't make any window display." "what's a window display?" sue inquired. "i saw you looking at one the other day," replied the old soldier. "do you remember when i passed you and bunny while you were looking in the drug store window on main street?" "oh, yes! where the rubber bags were!" cried bunny. "a little doll was making believe swim in a rubber bag," said sue, "and there was a big crowd looking at it." "that's it!" exclaimed uncle tad. "that drug store man got a big crowd in front of his store by putting something in the window that made people stop and look. that's advertising." "maybe mrs. golden could fix up her windows so a crowd would stop in front!" exclaimed sue. "what good would that do?" bunny asked. "she wants people to come inside her store and buy things." "that's it," agreed uncle tad. "but if you get a crowd _outside_ a store, because there's something to look at in the windows, some of that crowd will go _inside_ and buy something." "only mrs. golden hasn't any rubber bags," went on bunny. "but i guess sue could lend her a doll if she wanted it to take a swim." "mrs. golden doesn't need to put rubber bags in her window," said uncle tad. "that wouldn't be the thing for a grocery and notion store. she should put in something that people would stop to look at, or have a special sale or something like that. and another thing i've noticed, when i've been past her place is that the windows are very dirty. you can hardly see what's inside. if her windows were cleaned and she had something in them, a crowd would stop and more people would go in and buy than go in now. mrs. golden needs to advertise in that way." uncle tad went out. mrs. brown busied herself about the house, and bunny brown motioned to his sister sue to come to the side porch. "what you want?" asked sue. bunny put his finger over his lips. "i've got an idea!" he said. "i know how we can help mrs. golden get a crowd in front of her store." chapter xix the window display bunny brown and his sister sue spent much time during the next few days out in their barn--that is when they were not going to the store for their mother. every chance they had, however, they bought things of mrs. golden, to help her as much as they could by trading at her store. "and we ought to get the other boys and girls to go there," sue said. "we will, after a while," agreed bunny. "just now we have to do something else." and the something else had to do with his idea and the time he and sue spent in the barn. with them, most of the time, was splash, their dog, and charlie star often came over with a covered basket. "what do you think the children are doing?" asked mrs. brown of mary, the cook, one day. "oh, i guess they're getting up some kind of a show," mary answered. "i can hear splash barking now and then, and there's a cat mewing." "cat!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "we haven't a cat!" "i guess it's charlie star's," went on the cook. "he brings it over every day in a basket and takes it home again. i guess they're getting ready for a show." "bunny and sue did have a show once," observed mrs. brown. "i hardly believe they would get up another. i must see what they are up to." however, as company came just then and mrs. brown had to entertain them, she forgot all about her two children. meanwhile things were happening out in the barn. but bunny and sue kept it a secret, in which only charlie star had a share, and charlie did not tell. when mrs. brown's company had left some one telephoned to her and she forgot all about her plan to ask bunny what was going on. it was a few days after this that bunny and sue were again sent to the store for their mother, and you may easily guess to which store they went--the little corner one, of course. mrs. golden was sitting in her usual easy chair, and there were no other customers in the place. "how's business?" asked bunny, as he had often heard men ask his father. "it might be better and not hurt itself," was mrs. golden's answer. "customers are few and far between." "mrs. golden," said bunny, "my uncle tad says you ought to have a special sale. did you ever have one?" "oh, yes, years ago," she answered. "i had a sale of notions, and a number of women came in to get things to make dresses with. but i haven't had a special sale for a long while." "why don't you, then?" asked bunny eagerly. "i think a special grocery sale would be good. you could put a lot of things in your window and mark the prices on them, and people would come in to buy." "yes, i suppose i could do that," agreed mrs. golden slowly. "i have a big stock of a new kind of oatmeal on hand. some new concern sold it to me, but it didn't take very well. lately i got a letter from them saying i could sell it at a special price. i suppose that would bring in some trade. i never thought of it. i'm getting too old, i guess, and worrying too much. when my son philip comes home i'll have a special sale." "no, don't wait!" cried bunny brown eagerly. "let's have it now! where are those oatmeal things?" mrs. golden smiled at his eager, bustling air. "they're in the storeroom," she said. "some of the cases aren't open yet." "we'll open 'em for you!" cried bunny. "then we'll stack the oatmeal in the window, and we'll make a sign saying it's awful cheap and you'll sell a lot, mrs. golden." "well, maybe i will, dearie. i'm sure i hope so. and it's good of you to help me. let me see now, i'll put 'em in the left window, i guess. that has less in it," and she looked toward the window she meant. so did bunny and sue, and sue's first idea was made plain when she said: "could i wash that window, mrs. golden?" "wash the window? why, yes, i suppose so," answered the storekeeper. "it is pretty dirty," she added. "i don't very often look at 'em, and that's a fact. i declare! you can hardly see what i have in my windows, can you? dear me, i am getting old. if philip was here he'd wash 'em for me." "i'll do it!" offered sue. "i often wash the low windows for mother. she lets me. have you got any of that white stuff that makes 'em shine?" "oh, yes, i know what you mean," said mrs. golden. "yes, you can take a cake from the grocery shelf. my, i never thought of a special sale and having windows washed. it may bring me trade!" "uncle tad says it will!" exclaimed bunny. in a measure it was uncle tad's idea that bunny and sue were carrying out. "you wash the window," he told his sister, "and i'll open the oatmeal." soon there was a busy time in mrs. golden's store. bunny was hammering and pounding away opening the oatmeal cases, and sue was washing the window, having first taken out the few things mrs. golden had on display there--not that you could see them very well from the outside, however. "could i wash the other window, too?" asked sue, when she had finished the first. "are you going to put oatmeal in both windows?" asked mrs. golden. "seems to me that will be too much. wash the other window if you want to, dearie, but two of them filled with oatmeal----" "oh, we aren't going to put oatmeal in _both_!" exclaimed bunny, with a queer look at his sister. "we're going to fix up the second window to make people come in and buy." mrs. golden did not seem to understand exactly. she shook her head in a puzzled way and murmured that she was getting old. and as the postman came along just then with a letter from philip, she was soon so busy reading it that she paid little attention to what bunny and sue were doing. the children worked hard and faithfully all morning, and promised to come back in the afternoon. when they left to go home to lunch, both windows were brightly shining, though there were a few streaks here and there where sue had forgotten to wipe off the white, cleaning powder. but they didn't matter. "i'll pull the shades down," said bunny, as he was leaving. "we don't want people looking in the windows until we get 'em all fixed up, and then we'll surprise 'em." "just as you like, dearie. just as you like," said mrs. golden, in a dreamy tone. she was thinking of what her son had said in his letter. hurrying through their lunch as quickly as their mother would let them, bunny and sue hastened back to mrs. golden's store. they told something of their plans at home, and uncle tad said: "that's a fine idea! i'll stop down there later and see how it looks." "come on, splash!" called bunny to his dog, as he and his sister started back. "we want you!" "and we must stop at charlie's house and tell him," said sue. "yes, we will," bunny agreed, and charlie, when he heard the news, said: "i'll be at the store in about half an hour." certainly things were getting ready to happen. bunny and sue found mrs. golden lying down on her couch in the back room when they reached the store again. "i'm afraid i have another of my bad headaches coming on," she said. "you lie down," said sue kindly. "bunny and i will tend store again, and we'll start the special sale." the windows were now dry and clean. all the old goods had been taken out, and bunny and his sister were ready to put in the special display of oatmeal which was to be sold at a low price. mrs. golden told bunny where to find some price cards to put in the window telling of the special sale. these cards were of a sort that most grocers keep on hand. with the help of sue, bunny piled the boxes of oatmeal in the window. they were stacked up as nearly like a fort as he could make them, and he knew how to do this, for he had often helped the boys build forts of snow. here and there he left holes in the piled-up wall of oatmeal boxes. "oh, if you only had something like little cannons to put in the holes it would look more like a real fort!" said sue. bunny thought this was a good idea, and looked around for something to use. he saw some round pasteboard boxes, the top covers of which were a dull black. "they'll look just like cannons," he said, as he fitted them in the holes of the oatmeal box fort. the window shades being down, no one could see from the street what was going on. splash, the big dog, was content to sleep in the store while the children were there. "now for the other window," said bunny to sue, when the oatmeal was all in place, with the low price plainly marked on cards stuck here and there. "we have to wait for charlie," sue said. "he's coming now," observed bunny, looking from the door. no customers had come in while the children were busy fixing the window, and they were just as well satisfied. they hoped for a rush of trade when the shades were raised. charlie came in with the covered basket, and the next fifteen minutes were busy ones for the children. mrs. golden had fallen asleep and did not come out of the back room to see what they were doing. "well, we're all ready now," said bunny, at last. "pull up the shades!" he and charlie did this. the sun shone in through the newly cleaned windows and lit up such a display as never before had been seen in mrs. golden's store. chapter xx in the flour barrel slowly the heavy green shades, which hid what was in the cleaned windows from the sight of persons in the street, rolled up. bunny brown, his sister sue, and charlie star waited for what was to happen next. they looked first at one of the windows in which they had made a display, and then at the other. in one was the pile of oatmeal packages built up like a small fort, with holes here and there through which stuck round boxes, with black covers so that they seemed to be small cannon. in the other window--but i can best tell you what was in that by telling you what happened. the curtains had not been up very long, and the children were feeling rather proud of what they had done, especially sue in making the glass so clean, when a boy who was passing along the street stopped to look in one of the windows. and the window he looked at was not the one where the oatmeal boxes were piled. it was at the other. this boy was soon joined by a second. then a girl who had been running, as if in a hurry, came to a stop, and she stood near the two boys, looking in. "the crowd is beginning to come!" remarked charlie star. "but they aren't buying any of the oatmeal," objected sue. "never mind," charlie went on. "these kids wouldn't buy anything anyhow; they haven't any money. wait till the big folks come." charlie spoke of the "kids" as if he were about twenty years old himself. he seemed to have become much bigger and more important since helping bunny and sue fix up mrs. golden's windows. and, surely enough, a few minutes later men and women began to stop to look at the windows of the little corner store. and the men and women at first looked not at the oatmeal but at the other window. "it's making a big hit!" said bunny brown. he had learned this saying at the time when he and his sister sue gave a show. by this time quite a crowd had gathered in the street outside, and there was some talk and laughter which was heard inside the store. it was even heard in the back room where mrs. golden had gone to lie down, and it aroused her from her doze. "well, children," she said, as she came slowly out, "have you got the windows washed, and the special sale of oatmeal started?" "yes, everything is all ready," answered bunny, with a sly look at his sister and charlie. then mrs. golden saw the crowd outside. "my goodness!" she exclaimed. "i never knew oatmeal to be so popular. i can sell it all, maybe!" then she noticed that the crowd was mostly looking at the other window. "what have you in there, bunny brown?" she asked. "take a look and see," invited sue. mrs. golden peered over the wooden partition that fenced the show window off from the remainder of the store. and in the window she saw--what do you think? well, i imagine you must have guessed by this time. yes, it was splash, the big dog, and asleep on his back was charlie star's little white kitten! it made the cutest picture you can imagine, for splash kept very still, as if he did not want to wake up the sleeping puss, and the little cat was curled up just as if on a silken cushion. it was this that bunny and charlie had been planning in the barn for several days. at first splash would have nothing to do with the white kitten, and the kitten fluffed up her tail and made funny noises at splash. but finally the boys and sue had trained the two to be friends, so that splash would lie down and allow the kitten to go to sleep on his back. and it was this that bunny and sue, together with charlie star, had planned to attract attention to mrs. golden's poor little store. the children had succeeded better than they had dared dream. outside the crowd was getting larger and larger all the while, and men were saying: "that's a pretty good dog!" the women said: "what a pretty picture!" little girls said: "i wish i had that pussy!" the boys wished they owned splash. many of them knew him, for they had often seen the dog with bunny brown. but the kitten was new, and few knew that charlie star owned it. and then happened just what uncle tad had told the children would take place if they could draw a crowd outside the store. some began to look at the special display of oatmeal in the other window, and a few came in to buy. some bought not only oatmeal but other things as well, happening to remember that they were needed at home. mrs. golden, who felt much better after her sleep, was kept very busy waiting on customers, and bunny and sue helped her, as did charlie. [illustration: splash and the kitten did their share in drawing trade. _bunny brown and his sister sue keeping store._ _page_ 199] splash and the kitten did their share, too, in drawing trade. for soon the kitten awakened and began playing with a spool which charlie had hung up on a string in the window. the little white cat struck at the spool with her paws as she stood up on the back of the big dog. splash did not seem to mind it in the least. in fact, he looked as if he enjoyed it, and this amused the crowd all the more. "well, i do declare! you children beat anything i ever saw!" exclaimed mrs. golden, when she had time to look and see what was going on in the special display window. "you've made my store into a regular circus!" "but it's good for business, isn't it?" asked bunny. "indeed it is!" said the old lady, with a smile. "i never was so busy. that oatmeal is selling fine. i wish i'd had a special sale of it before." besides the boxes in the window there were packages of oatmeal piled on shelves ready to be sold. and as the price was lower than oatmeal could be bought for at other stores, mrs. golden did a good trade. after a while things became a little quieter in the store, after the first surprise had worn off. but now people were constantly passing in the street, and many of them stopped to look at the dog and cat, which were now playing together, splash gently pawing at the white kitten which climbed all over him. bunny had just finished selling a man a package of oatmeal, and sue was getting out a paper of pins for a lady when uncle tad came into the store. "hello, children!" he cried in his jolly way. "i see you took some of my advice and advertised by your show windows," he added to mrs. golden. "bunny and sue did it for me," she said, "with the help of charlie star. it is wonderful." "if you'll get me a white piece of cardboard and a pen and some ink i'll make you a sign to put in that oatmeal window," offered the old soldier. "those signs are all right, bunny," said uncle tad. "but for a special sale you want a special sign. let me see now," he went on, as mrs. golden got him what he had asked for. "you have made those oatmeal boxes into the shape of a fort with guns. now i must make a sign to go with it. let me see. ah, i have it!" he was busy with the ink for several minutes, and then he held up a sign which read: fort-ify your constitution with this oatmeal "there!" exclaimed uncle tad, "this ought to bring more customers!" "ha! ha!" laughed mrs. golden. "that's a pretty good joke!" bunny, sue, and charlie could not see anything funny, or like a joke, in the sign. but then it was not intended for children, so it did not matter. but men and women passing in the street and pausing to read what uncle tad had printed, seemed to think it was odd, for they stopped, read it, laughed or chuckled, and then either passed on or came in and bought some oatmeal. and quite a few came in, so that by night mrs. golden had sold nearly all of the cereal. "my goodness!" she said, when it was time for bunny, sue, and charlie to go home. "this has been a wonderful day. could you come over to-morrow?" she asked. "i don't mean to work," she added quickly. "for i'm afraid your mothers will think you're doing too much for me. but i mean could you come over and bring your dog and cat to put in the window. they certainly brought the crowd." "yes, we'll bring splash," said bunny. "and i'll bring my kitten," offered charlie. "and we'll come and help you sell things!" laughed sue. "we like it, don't we?" she asked the boys, and of course they said they did. the first attempt of bunny and sue to advertise mrs. golden's store had been very successful. of course uncle tad had told them how to do it, and charlie star had helped by bringing his kitten and training her with bunny and sue. so the special oatmeal sale made quite a bit of talk in that section of bellemere near the little corner store. of course mrs. golden did not make a great deal of money, for the profit on each thing she sold, even the many boxes of oatmeal, was small. but it brought new customers to her store, and she was well pleased with what had happened. "and if philip can only get that legacy," she murmured to herself that night, "things will be easier for me. but i owe a lot of money to mr. flynt, and i don't know where i'm going to get it to pay--not even if those dear children help me with a lot more special sales, bless their hearts! well, i'll do the best i can." the next day bunny, sue, and charlie again came to mrs. golden's store. charlie could not stay, however, as he had to rake up the leaves around his home, but he brought his kitten, and again the dog and the white pussy drew crowds to the store window. besides oatmeal mrs. golden also had a special sale on notions, and she did a fairly good business in them, so that she and sue were kept busy behind the counter. not that sue could do as much as mrs. golden, but she did all she could. bunny waited on some customers who came in to buy groceries, and when one lady wanted some flour an accident happened. bunny was leaning over to scoop the white stuff out of the barrel, and as it was near the bottom he had to stand up on a box to reach it. suddenly the lady on whom he was waiting, and who was watching him, gave a startled cry. "what's the matter?" asked mrs. golden. "that little boy has fallen into the flour barrel!" was the answer. chapter xxi sue couldn't stop it there was a banging, kicking sound and several cries of "oh, dear!" the cries were faint and muffled, as if they came from the cellar. then the lady who had ordered three pounds of flour, which bunny was trying to scoop out for her, ran behind the counter. sue followed. so did mrs. golden. all they saw were bunny's heels sticking out of the barrel, waving in the air, and now and then banging against a low shelf near which the flour barrel stood. "oh, dear! oh, dear!" cried bunny, from inside the barrel. for that is where he was. he had fallen into the flour barrel! "pull him out!" begged sue. "i can't. i'm not strong enough to pull him up!" panted the customer, but doing her best. "we must all pull!" exclaimed sue. "bunny pulled me out of the brook, and i'll pull him out of the flour barrel!" "yes, we must all pull!" said mrs. golden. together they all grasped bunny by the heels and lifted him out of the flour barrel. oh, but he was a queer sight! luckily he had stuck out his two hands when he felt himself falling head first into the nearly empty barrel, and had landed on his outstretched palms. and as there was not much flour in the barrel his head had not gone into the fluffy white stuff, or he might nearly have smothered. as it was his face was completely covered with the white particles. and when mrs. golden, the customer and sue had pulled the little boy from the barrel, and set him on his feet, sue could not help laughing. "oh, bunny!" she cried, giggling. "you look--you look just like the clown in the circus!" and truly bunny did, for his face was plastered as white as the face of any funny man that ever made jokes beneath the canvas. "you poor boy," said the customer. "oh, bunny, i'm so sorry!" exclaimed mrs. golden. "i--i'm all right," declared bunny, blowing out a white cloud of flour as he talked. "i--i didn't spill any!" "no, you spilled yourself more than anything else," said mrs. golden. "i guess i'd better get the flour, bunny, after we brush you off. it's too low in the barrel for you to reach. i don't want you falling in again." "all right," agreed bunny. "i guess i'm not quite big enough for flour barrels." he was dusted off out in the side yard, so no great harm resulted from his accidental dive into the barrel, and mrs. golden waited on the flour customer. "what did you think, bunny, when you were falling into the flour barrel?" asked sue, when the excitement was over and business was going on as before in the little corner store. "what did i think?" he repeated. "why, i guess i didn't have time to think anything. i just felt myself slipping, and then i fell in. i stuck out my hands, and i'm glad the flour wasn't deep in the barrel." "it was like the time when i fell into the brook!" said sue, with a little laugh. "only i fell in feet first and you went in head first." "yes," laughed bunny, "i went in head first all right!" mrs. golden told the children they must not try to do things that were too hard for them, even though they meant to be kind and help her. the second day of the special sale of oatmeal and notions was not quite as busy as the first. the novelty of the cat and dog in the window wore off and bunny brought some of the little pet alligators to show. still quite a number of people came in to buy, and mrs. golden was well pleased, thanking bunny, sue, and charlie many times. she also wanted to thank splash and the white kitten and the best way to do this was to feed them, which she did, as well as the alligators. "we'll come and help you tend store to-morrow," said bunny as he and sue went home that night, sue carrying charlie's kitten in a basket and splash following at bunny's heels. the alligators were left till next day. "i'm afraid your mother will think you are doing too much for me," said the old lady, as she said good-bye. "oh, no!" exclaimed bunny. "she told us to help you all we could." "and we like it!" sue exclaimed. "it's fun." "except when you fall into flour barrels!" added bunny brown, with a laugh at some white spots that still clung to his jacket. mrs. brown did not mind how much bunny and his sister helped mrs. golden, but she told the children they must not stay in the store too much. "your long vacation from school is given you so you may play out in the sunshine and fresh air," said mother brown. "and though it is all right for you to help mrs. golden in her store, i want you to have some fun also." "it's fun in the store," said bunny. "well, i mean other kinds of fun," added mrs. brown. so there were days when bunny and sue only went to mrs. golden's grocery on some errand for their mother or mary, but even on these short trips they often were able to help the storekeeper, sometimes making little sales, if she was busy in another part of the house, or by arranging goods on the shelves. having learned that she could do more business by having her windows clean and with things nicely piled in them, mrs. golden kept this plan up, bunny and charlie and sue often stacking goods where they would show well. but with all this even the children could see that mrs. golden was worried. bunny often saw her adding up figures on bits of paper, and she would look at the sum and sigh. "what's the matter?" bunny once asked. "oh, i owe so much money i'm afraid i'll never be able to pay," she said. "and it seems to be getting worse, even with all the help you children give me. if only philip would get that legacy!" "hasn't he got it yet?" asked bunny. "no, not yet," was the answer. "and i'm afraid he never will. i miss him so, too. if he were here to help me things might go easier. but there! i mustn't complain. i'm much better off than lots of folks!" she added, trying to be cheerful. "if more people would come to buy here you'd have more money," said the little boy. and that gave him an idea that he did not speak about just then, but turned over and over in his busy little head. heeding their mother's advice, bunny and sue played out of doors with their boy and girl chums, sometimes going on picnics and excursions or on walks through the woods and over the fields. bunny and charlie often played at boats in the brook, and more than once they fell in. sue and her friends often waded in the water of the brook. bunny did not again, though, topple into any flour barrels. it was sue who had the next accident at the corner grocery, and this is the way it happened. the little girl had been sent by her mother to get a yeast cake at mrs. golden's, and when sue reached the store she found the old lady busy with two women who were matching sewing silk. at the same time a little boy had come in for some molasses. "i'll get the molasses for you," sue offered, for she knew where the barrel was kept, and once mrs. golden had allowed her to raise the handle of the spigot and let the thick, sticky stuff run out into the quart measure. sue was sure she could do this again. so, taking the boy's pail, she went to the molasses barrel. it was kept in the back part of the store, and perhaps if mrs. golden had seen what sue was about to do she would have stopped the little girl. but the two customers were very particular about the sewing silk they wanted, and kept mrs. golden busy pulling out different trays. sue reached the molasses barrel, set the quart measure under the spout, as she had seen mrs. golden do, and raised the handle. the next thing the storekeeper knew was when sue came running up to her in great alarm crying: "i can't stop it! i can't stop it!" "can't stop what, my dear?" asked mrs. golden. "i can't stop the molasses from running out!" cried sue. "i got it turned on, but i can't turn it off, and it's running all over the floor!" "oh, my goodness!" cried mrs. golden, hurrying to the back of the store. chapter xxii a shower of boxes sister sue, as soon as she had told mrs. golden what had happened also started to run back to the molasses barrel. in fact she ran ahead of the storekeeper, and sue's hurry was the cause of another accident. for the molasses, running out of the spigot which sue had not been able to close, had overflowed the quart measure, and was now spreading itself out in a sticky pool on the floor. it was a slippery puddle, as well as a sticky one, and sue's feet, landing in it as she ran, slid out from under her. bang! she came to the floor with a thud. "oh, my dear little girl!" cried one of the customers, who had been buying the sewing silk. "are you hurt, child?" sue, sitting in the molasses puddle--yes, she was actually sitting in it now--looked up, thought about the matter for a moment, and then answered, saying: "no, thank you, i'm not hurt. but i'm stuck fast. i can't get up." it was very sticky molasses. mrs. golden, thinking more about the waste of her precious molasses than about sue for the moment, reached over and shut off the spigot. it had caught and was hard to close, which was why sue could not do it. fortunately, however, the little girl had nearly closed it before the quart measure was quite full, and not so much of the molasses had run out on the floor as might have if the spigot had been wide open all the while. but, as it was, there was enough to make sue fall, and to hold her there in the sticky mess after she had sat down so hard. "dear me, what a mess!" exclaimed one of the customers. "isn't it!" said the other. "i--i'm awful sorry," faltered sue. "my father will pay for the molasses i let run out, mrs. golden!" "oh, don't worry about that," said the old lady, though she was a bit worried over the loss, for nearly a pint of the sweet stuff had run away. "it's you i'm thinking of," she said. "are you sure you aren't hurt?" "no," answered sue. "but my dress is. oh, how am i going to get home?" she went on, as she pulled up the edge of her skirt and saw how dirty and sticky it was. "you'll have to get into the bath tub, clothes and all," said one of the customers. "it's like when i fell in the brook," half sobbed sue. "there, never mind!" said mrs. golden kindly. "here, little boy," she said, reaching over and lifting up the brimming measure of sweet stuff, "take your molasses and run along. then i'll clean up here." leaning over, to keep her feet out of the puddle, mrs. golden helped sue to rise, though it was a bit hard on account of the sticky molasses. then the little girl's dress was taken off and she was sent into mrs. golden's bedroom. "i'll wash this dress and your petticoat out for you, sue," said mrs. golden, when her thread customers were gone. "but it will hardly be dry for you to wear home before dark." "if you should see bunny, you could send him home to get another dress for me," sue suggested. "yes, i could do that," agreed mrs. golden. "i'll see if bunny is coming after i put your clothes to soak." but bunny was off playing ball that day, and did not come to the corner store. however, fat bobbie boomer happened to pass, and mrs. golden sent him to sue's house. he rather frightened mrs. brown at first, for bobbie twisted the message and said sue had fallen into a barrel of molasses, instead of just into a puddle on the floor, so that mrs. brown came hurrying to the store, imagining all sorts of things had happened. she had to laugh when she heard the real story, and then she went back to get a clean dress for sue, leaving the other to be washed and dried by mrs. golden. "i'm afraid the children are more of a bother to you than a help," said mrs. brown, as she started home with sue. "oh, bless their hearts, i don't know what i'd do without them!" said the storekeeper. "they are a great help. my store business is much better than before they began coming here. that special oatmeal sale brought me new customers, and bunny and sue are a great help." as it would be rather hard work for mrs. golden to clean up the sticky puddle, mrs. brown sent bunker blue up from the boat dock to help. for this mrs. golden was very glad, as she could hardly have handled the broom and pails of water as well as bunker did. "this is easier than cleaning out boats," declared the fish boy as he "swabbed" the floor, as he called it. soon the store was scrubbed nice and clean and ready for more customers the next day. as bunny and sue had nothing special to do they went to the corner grocery to see if they could do anything to help. and sue was told by her mother to bring home the washed dress and petticoat. "we've come to help," sue announced, as she entered the store. "but i'm not to draw any more molasses! mother said i wasn't to!" "well, perhaps it will be as well for me to do that," said mrs. golden, with a smile. "that spigot is sometimes hard to close." "and i'm not to dip up any more flour," added bunny. "yes, i suppose it will be as well for me to do that, too," said the storekeeper. "but since you like to help me tend store there are many other things you can do." bunny and sue found them, for it was afternoon now, and many families in the neighborhood sent children to buy things for supper. "hello, sue!" called george watson as he came into the store, whistling. "i told my mother about that special sale of oatmeal you had here last week. got any more?" "yes, a few boxes left," said mrs. golden, who was behind the grocery counter with sue. bunny was out in the storeroom opening a new box of prunes. "they're up on a high shelf, i'll get one down for you, sue." but as she was going to do this a man entered the store. he was mr. flynt, and sue heard mrs. golden sigh when she saw him. "you'll have to wait a minute about that oatmeal," said the storekeeper to george. "i'll get it down for you in a little while. i have to see this gentleman first." george was willing to wait, but sue was anxious to help in the store, and as she saw that mrs. golden was going to be busy talking to mr. flynt, the little girl decided she could get down the box of oatmeal herself. she felt sure that mrs. golden would have trouble with mr. flynt who would want money, and mrs. golden had very little to pay. "i'll get the box of oatmeal for you, george," said sue. "i know where it is." she climbed up on the counter by means of a box, and stretched up her little hands and arms to the shelf on which the cereal was stacked. sue reached for a box, managing to get hold of it by stretching as far as she could and standing on her tiptoes. but as she pulled the one box out it caught on several others standing in line on the shelf. "look out!" cried george, as he saw what was going to happen. but it was too late. sue could not get out of the way, and a moment later a shower of pasteboard boxes of oatmeal and other things fell all around her. "what is happening?" cried mrs. golden, hearing the clattering sound. she came hurrying from the back of the store where she had gone to talk quietly to mr. flynt. "everything is going to fall!" cried george. but it was not quite so bad as this. sue kept her hands raised above her so nothing would hit her head, though one or two boxes did bump her a little. box after box slipped from the shelf, falling on the floor, on the counter, and all around poor little sue! chapter xxiii the pony express bunny brown ran out of the storeroom, in his hand a hammer with which he had been opening the box of prunes. mrs. golden gave a cry of alarm as she heard the clatter of the boxes falling around sue. mr. flynt joined bunny in a rush to help the little girl. as for george, he was so frightened by the sudden toppling of things from the shelf that a tune he had started to whistle died away and he got ready to run out of the store. "mercy sakes! what is going on in here?" cried mrs. clark, entering the store as the boxes ceased falling. "is anybody hurt?" no one knew for a moment, as sue had uttered no cry save the first frightened one. but by the time bunny and mr. flynt reached her the shower of boxes was over and the little girl took down her hands from over her head. "did anything break?" asked sue, looking about her. "oh, dear, what a terrible mess!" she cried. "don't worry about that, child!" exclaimed mrs. golden. "what if a few boxes are broken open? it's you i'm thinking of." "oh, i'm all right!" sue said, and she laughed a little. and when they came to look her over nothing worse had happened than that she had a few bumps and bruises. and they were not very hard ones, for the boxes were of pasteboard and not wood. and only one or two of the oatmeal packages were split open, so that not much was lost in that way. so, take it all in all, the accident was a very little one, though it made a great deal of excitement for the time being. "you oughtn't to reach up for such high things, little girl," said mr. flynt, when he had helped pick up the packages. "no, sir, i guess i oughtn't," agreed sue. "but george wanted one and i thought i could get it." "you call me when you want things from a high shelf," said bunny, going back to the task of opening the box of prunes. "i'm a good climber." "i wasn't climbing, i was reaching," answered sue, as if that made a lot of difference. "here's your oatmeal, george," she added, and the whistling boy came back to the counter and got it. bunny and sue stayed in the store for an hour or more after the fall of the oatmeal boxes. bunny finished opening the box of prunes, and he and sue waited on several customers, for mrs. golden seemed to be quite busy talking to mr. flynt in the back room. and it was not a pleasant talk, either, as bunny and sue guessed when they caught glimpses now and then of mrs. golden wiping tears from her eyes. finally the grocery man came out of the back room with mrs. golden. he was saying, so that the children could hear: "now you'd better take my advice, mrs. golden, and sell out your store here. you'll never make it pay, and you keep on owing us more money all the while. i know you're trying to do your best, but you must either pay us or we'll have to take our things back and sell you out besides for the rest that you owe us. "take my advice and sell out before you're sold out. it will be better that way. we can't wait any longer. this is a good little store, but you don't make it pay." "maybe i could if my son philip were to come back," sadly said the old lady. "he's gone after a legacy, and when he comes back----" "there there, mrs. golden! it's of no use to talk that way!" exclaimed mr. flynt. "you've been telling me about that legacy a long time. why doesn't it come?" "i don't know, sir." "no. and i don't believe it ever will come. we've waited as long as we ought, but i'll give you a little more time, and that will be the last. if you don't pay we'll have to close your store. think it over and sell out before you're sold out." and then mr. flynt went out. bunny and sue, who had been about to go home, looked at mrs. golden and felt sorry for her. they could see that she was feeling bad, and that she had been crying. "what's the matter?" asked bunny. "not enough money--that's the trouble," was her answer. "oh, dear, i don't want to sell my store!" she said. "i want to keep it." "have you got to sell?" asked sue. "mr. flynt says so," came the reply, "because i owe him a lot of money i can't pay. if business was only better i might keep my store going until philip comes back with the legacy. once we get that we'll be all right! but if we don't----" mrs. golden put her handkerchief to her eyes. then, seeing that she was making bunny and sue sad, she added: "there now! run along. maybe i can get the money somehow. at any rate you children have been most kind to me. run along now, and don't mind a poor old woman." but bunny and sue did mind. they talked matters over on their way home and decided that something must be done. they wanted to help more than they had been doing, and bunny thought of a way. as usual sue agreed with him, for she was willing to do anything her brother did. that evening after supper bunny brought his little tin savings bank from a shelf in his room, and sue brought hers. there was a great rattling as the pennies, dimes and nickels in the tin boxes clattered against the sides. "my goodness! what's going on?" cried daddy brown, looking up from the paper he was reading. "are you two going to buy an automobile with all that money?" "will you please open my bank, daddy, and see how much is in it?" asked bunny. his father, wondering what was "in the wind," as old jed winkler would say, did so. with bunny's help the cash was counted. there was eight dollars and fifteen cents. "i have more than that!" exclaimed sue, and indeed she had, for bunny had taken some of his money the week before to buy a top and a set of kite sticks. sue had ten dollars and forty-six cents in her bank. "what are you going to do with it?" asked mrs. brown, for she knew the children would not have gotten down their banks unless they had some plan in their heads. "we're going to give it to mrs. golden," said bunny. "mrs. golden?" cried their father. "you mean you're going to buy something at her store?" asked mrs. brown. "no, we're going to give it to her," said bunny gravely. "she owes money and mr. flynt will close up her store if she doesn't pay. so we're going to give her our money so she can pay mr. flynt and then the store will stay open." "'cause if it's closed," added sue, "we can't have any more fun helping keep it." "oh, ho! i see!" laughed mr. brown. "well, i must admit i forgot all about mrs. golden. i promised to see if i couldn't help her when you told me about mr. flynt before, but i forgot. now, children, it wouldn't be right for you to take your bank money to help mrs. golden. she wouldn't want you to do that. put away your pennies, and i'll see what i can do to help." this made bunny and sue feel happier, and they went to bed more satisfied, for they felt sure their father could make everything right. but the next day, when they went in to see mrs. golden, to help keep store, they found her looking very sad and unhappy. "what's the matter?" asked sue. "oh, just the same old trouble," mrs. golden answered. "i need money to pay bills." "mr. flynt's?" asked bunny. "yes, his and another man's. i'm afraid, children, you won't be able to come here much longer and help keep store." "why not?" bunny wanted to know. "because there won't be any store--at least i won't have it. i'm afraid i'm going to lose it. if i could only get some more customers and do more business i might manage to pull through until philip gets back. but i don't know--i don't know!" and she shook her head sadly. that afternoon, going home with sue, bunny had another idea. "sue!" he exclaimed, "if we can't give our money to mrs. golden maybe we can get her more customers." "how?" asked the little girl. "we can ask everybody we know to come and trade there," said bunny. "i remember when the italian shoemaker started down at the end of our street and i took my rubber boots there to have him fix a hole, he said for me to tell all the boys i knew to bring their boots and shoes to him to be mended." "did you?" sue inquired. "yes. and the shoeman said i brought him good trade and he gave me a piece of beeswax. so maybe we could get customers for mrs. golden." "maybe we could!" cried sue. "let's tell the other boys and girls to get their fathers and mothers to let them buy things at mrs. golden's, and then she'll have a lot of customers!" "oh, let's!" cried bunny brown. and they did. the next day, when bunny and sue were playing with charlie, george, mary, sadie, helen, harry and bobbie, the idea was spoken of again. "fellows and girls!" exclaimed bunny, who got up to make a speech, "we have to help mrs. golden." "you should speak of the girls first," said sadie, who was a little older than the others. "well, anyhow, we ought to help mrs. golden," went on bunny. "she needs customers. now, if all of you would buy everything you could of her, like sue and i do, maybe she wouldn't lose her store." "my mother says she'd trade there if mrs. golden would deliver stuff," remarked helen newton. "but she says she can't cart heavy things from any store." "my mother said the same thing," added mary watson. "she can't afford to hire a delivery horse and wagon," said charlie star. "i know, 'cause i helped in her store." "she needs an auto like mr. gordon," said bobbie boomer. "pooh, autos are only for big stores!" exclaimed harry. bunny brown seemed to be doing some hard thinking. he had a new idea. "fellows!" he suddenly cried, "i have it! i'll get a delivery wagon for mrs. golden!" "you will?" "a delivery wagon?" "how?" these cries greeted what bunny had said. "i'll take our shetland pony, toby, and deliver things for her in the little cart!" cried bunny brown. "if all of you will promise to buy as much as you can from her, i'll deliver things in our pony cart!" "hurray for the pony express!" cried charlie star. "i'll help!" chapter xxiv bad news the boys and girls, all of whom promised to buy as much as they could from mrs. golden and who also promised to tell their mothers at home that things could now be delivered from the little corner store, were bubbling over with fun and good-nature as they left the yard of bunny and sue where the "meeting" was held. but after his playmates had gone bunny brown began to do a little worrying. "i know toby will like to deliver groceries and be a pony express," said the little boy to his sister. "but maybe mother won't let us do it." "oh, i guess she will," said sue. "i'll ask her, anyhow," decided bunny, and he did. mrs. brown thought the matter over carefully when bunny and sue told her about it. "is mrs. golden really in such need of money?" asked mrs. brown. "oh, yes!" cried bunny. "she feels so sad when mr. flynt comes and says he's going to close her store. and we'll feel sad if we don't have any place to go any more and learn how to work in it, mother! please let us take toby and be a pony express!" "i'll talk it over with your father," said mrs. brown. the children waited anxiously for what their father should say, and they were glad when they heard him laugh after mrs. brown had spoken to him of the plan. "why, yes," he agreed. "i don't see any harm in it. toby doesn't get enough exercise as it is. and bunny and sue can manage the little shetland very well. the only thing is, i wouldn't want them to drive all over town delivering groceries--i mean out on the main street where there are so many autos now." "oh, we wouldn't go there!" promised bunny. "we might work it this way," went on mr. brown. "if there are things to be delivered on the other side of main street i'll let bunker blue do it. he can spare the time once a day. bunny and sue can do the rest of the delivery." so it was decided, and you can imagine how delighted bunny and sue were when they hastened to tell the good news to mrs. golden. "why, that's perfectly wonderful!" exclaimed the old lady, and there were happy tears in her eyes. "oh, you are two darling children to think so much of helping an old woman." "you're not so old," declared bunny politely. "besides, we like to keep store; don't we, sue?" "lots!" answered the little girl. bunny and sue clerked in the store as much as they had time for, but as they were now to deliver things in the pony cart they could not spend so much time behind the counter. and mr. brown said that bunny and sue must both go in the pony cart, as it would be safer for them that way. "sue can hold toby while you take the groceries into the houses," said mr. brown. "only you mustn't lift too heavy boxes, bunny." "no, daddy!" he promised. "if it's too heavy i'll lift it twice!" he meant he would make two trips of it. toby was almost as much help to mrs. golden as bunny and sue had been, for many housekeepers, when they found they could have groceries delivered from the corner store, took part of their trade there. and bunny and sue were quite proud to load up the basket cart with boxes and packages and start out to leave the orders at the different houses. mrs. golden did not grow any younger or more active, and there were times when she could hardly get around the store. at such times, if bunny and sue had to be out with the pony cart, charlie star would come in and be a clerk. when things needed to be delivered on the other side of main street, along which many automobiles were driven, then bunker blue was called on. he gladly drove the "pony express" as it was laughingly called, and many customers were served this way. but in spite of this increase in trade the worried look did not leave mrs. golden's face, and, more than once, bunny and sue again saw her counting up her money and looking at bills she owed mr. flynt. "will you have to sell the place now?" asked bunny one day, coming in with sue to help tend store. the two previous days had been busy ones, when many customers had bought things. "well, i don't know about it, bunny, my dear," was the answer. "more money is coming in, to be sure, but things cost so much i make hardly any profit. things still look black. but don't worry. you and sue are a big help. if philip only gets that legacy, then i'll be all right!" "i hope he does!" said bunny brown. several customers came in and the children helped mrs. golden wait on them. then one woman wanted flour, sugar, and potatoes sent to her house on the other side of main street, a place where bunny and sue had never been. "but we'll load the things in the pony cart," said bunny to sue, "and drive to our house. bunker blue is going to be there, for he's going to cut the grass, and he can drive across main street to mrs. larken's house." "that will be all right," said mrs. golden. "it's very kind of you to help me this way." the children started out with toby, and they were almost at their own home when they heard a great shouting and racket behind them. "oh, bunny!" cried sue, "maybe we dropped something out of the cart and they're calling to us to pick it up." bunny gave one look back over the way they had come. then he pulled hard on toby's reins and shouted: "no, we didn't drop anything, but here comes the fire engine!" and, surely enough, dashing down the street was the shiny new engine that had lately been bought for bellemere. "oh, pull over to one side!" cried sue, clasping bunny's arm. "pull over to one side!" "i--i'm trying to!" he answered. but toby did not seem to want to go over near the curb, and out of danger. once in a while the shetland pony had a stubborn streak, and this was one of those times. "get over! get over there!" cried bunny, pulling on the reins. but instead of swinging to the right toby turned to the left, and down the street, clanging and thundering came the fire engine. "get out the way!" "look at those children!" "pull over! pull over!" cried people along the sidewalk. one or two men ran out to grasp the bridle of toby and swing him over, for it seemed that all bunny was doing had no effect. but before any of the men could reach the pony bunker blue came dashing along. he was on his way to the brown house to cut the grass, and he saw the danger of bunny and sue. "what's the matter with you, toby? what's the matter?" cried bunker blue. the shetland pony seemed to know the fish boy's voice, for he allowed himself to be swung over to the curb and out of danger just before the fire engine dashed by. "oh dear!" sighed sue. "pooh! that wasn't anything!" declared bunny brown. "i could have got him over. and, anyhow, the fire engine would have steered out! but i'm glad you came, bunker," he said, for this talk did not seem to show a kindly feeling toward the fish boy who had been so quick to act. "yes, i guess you'd 'a' been all right," said bunker, with a laugh. "but that fire engine was going very fast. you've got to be careful of it." and all the rush and excitement was for nothing, as there was no fire, the alarm being a false one. bunker took charge of the pony cart and delivered the groceries before he cut the grass. then bunny and sue drove back to the corner store. they saw mr. flynt talking to mrs. golden as they entered. "it's of no use!" the cross man was saying. "i have bad news for you. you'll have to give up the store, mrs. golden." "won't your company give me a little more time?" she asked. "no," said mr. flynt. "we've been waiting and waiting, hoping you could pay. of course things are better than early in the summer. i guess these children have helped you a lot," and he looked at bunny and sue. "but you don't take in enough money to pay your bills. if you could pay up you might get along, for you have a good trade now. but you can't pay your bills, and so we're going to sell you out!" "does that mean close up the store?" asked bunny timidly. "that's what it means, little man," was the answer, and mr. flynt did not seem so cross now. perhaps he was sorry for what he had to do. "mrs. golden will have to give up her store." chapter xxv good news bunny brown and his sister sue looked at each other with sad eyes. after all their work it had come to this. the store would be closed! they would have no place to come and have good times during the long vacation days! it was too bad! what was to be done? sue waited for bunny to speak, as she usually did, and bunny, after thinking the matter over, asked: "are you going to close it up right away?" "within a day or so, unless mrs. golden can pay her bills," answered mr. flynt. "we have waited as long as we can. i'm going to begin now to close out her business, but it will take two or three days. if she can raise the money in that time----" "there's no use waiting or hoping--i can't do it!" sighed the old lady, with tears in her eyes. "i've tried my best, but i can't do it, even with the help of these dear children and the pony express," and she looked out of the window at toby, hitched to the little basket cart. "it is too bad," said mr. flynt. "we know you've done your best, and if you didn't owe so much you might get along now, with the start you have. but it takes all you can make to pay your back debts. it's best that you should give up the store. my company is sorry for you, but we've waited as long as we can. you'll have to sell out, mrs. golden." "yes, i suppose so," she agreed. "but if i could only hear from philip, and if he could bring the money from that legacy, i could pay all i owe and start a bigger store. but i don't suppose there's any use hoping for that." "no, i believe not," agreed mr. flynt. "your son philip doesn't seem to have gotten that legacy. have you heard from him?" "not lately," said mrs. golden, with a sad shake of her head. "i don't know why he hasn't written. perhaps because he has no good news for me." "very likely," said mr. flynt. "well, i must go. you had better arrange to sell everything by the end of the week, and pay us what you can. we'll have to wait for the rest, i reckon." "won't there be a store here any more?" asked sue. "oh, some one else may start one. it isn't a bad place for a grocery and notion shop," answered the black-whiskered man. "but mrs. golden can't keep this store any more." "maybe she can if my father will help her!" exclaimed bunny. "he said he would!" "well, if some one would pay what she owes, of course she could keep on with the store," agreed mr. flynt. "but we can't wait any longer. we've got to sell her out." when bunny and sue told at home that evening what had happened, mrs. brown said: "walter, can't you do something for that poor old woman?" "yes, i must try," he said. "i meant to look into her affairs long before this, but i've had so many other things to do that i let it go. we'll save the store for her if we can." "'cause we like to help tend it," said bunny. "don't we, sue?" "yes," answered the little girl. instead of going to his boat and fish dock the next morning, as he nearly always did, mr. brown called to bunny to get ready and go down to the corner grocery with him. "may i come?" asked sue. "yes," her father answered. "you are in this as much as bunny. we are going to help mrs. golden if we can." they found the old lady sitting sadly in her easy chair near the back of the store where she generally could be found when no customers needed to be waited on. "good morning, mrs. golden," said mr. brown. "i understand you are in trouble." "if owing a lot of money and not being able to pay it is trouble, then i'm in almost up to my eyes," she answered, with a shake of her head. "like i was in the brook!" said sue. "yes, i suppose so," sighed mrs. golden. "i'm afraid i've got to lose my store." "tell me how much you owe," begged mr. brown. and when he heard he shook his head, saying: "it is more than i thought. if it had been only about a hundred dollars i might have lent it to you, or found some one who would, but now i'm afraid nothing can be done." "do you mean the store will have to close?" asked bunny. "i'm afraid so, son," replied his father. "oh dear!" sighed mrs. golden! "if philip were only here then i might----" "well, here i am, mother!" cried a voice at the front door. "what's the trouble?" and in came big, strong, jolly philip golden. he had just arrived on a train. "what's wrong?" he asked, for he could see that his mother had tears in her eyes. the trouble was soon told. "sell the store!" he cried. "i guess not much! didn't you get my telegram, mother?" "what telegram?" "the one telling about the legacy. we have it--several thousand dollars! it won't make us rich, but it will be enough to make you comfortable for life. i heard the good news yesterday, and i sent you a telegram telling about it so you wouldn't worry any more." "i never got your message!" said mrs. golden, smiling through her tears. "but it doesn't matter. i suppose there was some mistake and it went to the wrong address. but it was better to have you bring the good news. are you sure we're to have the legacy?" "sure, mother! i brought some money with me and more will come. you'll be all right now. you can pay all your bills and have plenty left over." "oh, i'm so glad!" cried sue. "then you can have a real nice store, can't you?" "yes," answered mrs. golden with a happy smile on her face, "i suppose i can. oh, how glad i am, and how thankful i am to you dear children. you've helped me more than i can tell you." "and we're going to help more!" cried bunny brown. "when you get your new store i'm going to be a clerk in it; can't i, daddy?" "maybe," said mr. brown, with a smile. and so the good news came after the bad, which is always the best way to have it come, i think. mrs. golden paid all her debts, and later she and her son philip opened a larger store and did very well. sometimes bunny and sue went to see the new place, but it was too far from their home for them to "work" in it. and, anyhow, there were other things for bunny brown and his sister sue to do. but now we have come to the end of our story and must say good-bye. the end the bunny brown series by laura lee hope author of the popular "bobbsey twins" books wrapper and text illustrations drawn by florence england nosworthy * * * * * 12mo. durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding * * * * * these stories by the author of the "bobbsey twins" books are eagerly welcomed by the little folks from about five to ten years of age. their eyes fairly dance with delight at the lively doings of inquisitive little bunny brown and his cunning, trustful sister sue. bunny was a lively little boy, very inquisitive. when he did anything, sue followed his leadership. they had many adventures, some comical in the extreme. bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove * * * * * grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york the bobbsey twins books for little men and women by laura lee hope author of "the bunny brown" series, etc. * * * * * 12mo. durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding * * * * * copyright publications which cannot be obtained elsewhere. books that charm the hearts of the little ones, and of which they never tire. the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a houseboat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home the bobbsey twins in a great city the bobbsey twins on blueberry island the bobbsey twins on the deep blue sea the bobbsey twins in the great west * * * * * grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york six little bunkers series by laura lee hope author of "the bobbsey twins books," "the bunny brown series," "the make-believe series," etc. * * * * * durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding * * * * * delightful stories for little boys and girls which sprung into immediate popularity. to know the six little bunkers is to take them at once to your heart, they are so intensely human, so full of fun and cute sayings. each story has a little plot of its own--one that can be easily followed--and all are written in miss hope's most entertaining manner. clean, wholesome volumes which ought to be on the bookshelf of every child in the land. six little bunkers at grandma bell's six little bunkers at aunt jo's six little bunkers at cousin tom's six little bunkers at grandpa fords six little bunkers at uncle fred's six little bunkers at captain ben's six little bunkers at cowboy jack's * * * * * grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york the outdoor girls series by laura lee hope author of the popular "bobbsey twin books" and "bunny brown" series. * * * * * uniform style of binding. individual colored wrappers. * * * * * these tales take in the various adventures participated in by several bright, up to-date girls who love outdoor life. they are clean and wholesome, free from sensationalism, and absorbing from the first chapter to the last. the outdoor girls of deepdale or camping and tramping for fun and health. the outdoor girls at rainbow lake or stirring cruise of the motor boat gem. the outdoor girls in a motor car or the haunted mansion of shadow valley. the outdoor girls in a winter camp or glorious days on skates and ice boats. the outdoor girls in florida or wintering in the sunny south. the outdoor girls at ocean view or the box that was found in the sand. the outdoor girls on pine island or a cave and what it contained. the outdoor girls in army service or doing their bit for uncle sam. the outdoor girls at the hostess house or doing their best for the soldiers. the outdoor girls at bluff point or a wreck and a rescue. the outdoor girls at wild rose lodge or the hermit of moonlight falls. the outdoor girls in the saddle or the girl miner of gold run. * * * * * grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york transcriber's notes: obvious punctuation errors repaired. page 10: "ironing-board" changed to "ironing board" to conform to rest of text. (on the ironing board counter) also on page 20. (low ironing board shelf) page 51: "of" changed to "off". (long way off) page 57: "bnnny" changed to "bunny". ("all right," agreed bunny.) page 74: "runing" changed to "running". (came running into) page 78: "step-ladder" changed to "stepladder" to conform to rest of text. (like a stepladder) page 122: author says that the children ran through the streets of lakeport. however they live in bellemere, see page 15. the children in one of her other series, the bobbsey twins, live in lakeport. this mistake was retained. page 211: "musn't" changed to "mustn't". (i mustn't complain) [illustration: he went past with a few inches to spare. _frontispiece. (page 47.)_ _bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour._] bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour by laura lee hope author of the bunny brown series, the bobbsey twins series, the outdoor girls series, etc. illustrated by florence england nosworthy new york grosset & dunlap publishers made in the united states of america books by laura lee hope * * * * * _12mo. cloth. illustrated._ * * * * * =the bunny brown series= bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour * * * * * =the bobbsey twins series= the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a houseboat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home * * * * * =the outdoor girls series= the outdoor girls of deepdale the outdoor girls at rainbow lake the outdoor girls in a motor car the outdoor girls in a winter camp the outdoor girls in florida the outdoor girls at ocean view the outdoor girls on pine island grosset & dunlap publishers new york copyright, 1917, by grosset & dunlap _bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour._ contents chapter page i. the boy next door 1 ii. an offer of help 11 iii. ready for the trip 21 iv. bunny at the wheel 33 v. where is splash? 44 vi. two dogs 54 vii. dix in trouble 64 viii. dix and the cow 72 ix. two disappearances 87 x. dix comes back 98 xi. in the flood 108 xii. at the fire 115 xiii. dix and the cat 129 xiv. the medicine show 138 xv. was it fred? 149 xvi. in the ditch 157 xvii. on to portland 166 xviii. camping out 177 xix. at the lake 185 xx. dix to the rescue 194 xxi. the circus 205 xxii. a lion is loose 212 xxiii. the scratched boy 221 xxiv. the barking dog 230 xxv. found at last 238 bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour chapter i the boy next door "oh, mother!" cried bunny brown, running up the front steps as he reached home from school. "oh, something's happened next door!" "what do you mean, bunny? a fire?" "no, it isn't a fire," said sue, who was as much out of breath as was her brother. "it's sumfin different from that!" "but, children, what do you mean? is some one hurt?" asked mrs. brown. "it sounds so," answered bunny, putting his books on the table. "i heard mrs. ward crying." "oh, the poor woman!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "she must be in trouble. they have only just moved here. i'd better go over and see if i can help her"; and mrs. brown laid down her sewing. "i guess it must be about their boy fred," suggested bunny. "what happened to him?" asked mrs. brown. "was he hurt at school? he goes to school, doesn't he?" "yes, but he wasn't there to-day," went on bunny. "and it's fred who's in trouble i guess, for i heard his mother speak his name, and then mr. ward said something else." "oh, dear, i hope nothing has happened," said mrs. brown, looking up at the clock to see if it were not time for her husband to come home from his boat and fishing pier. "we must do what we can to help, bunny. now tell me all about it. not that i want to interfere with my neighbors' affairs, but i always like to help." "and i think mrs. ward needs some help," said sue, "'cause she was crying real hard." "then i'll go right over and see what is the matter," said kind mrs. brown. "oh, and may we go too?" asked bunny. "please let us," begged sue. their mother thought for a minute. sometimes, she knew, it was not good for children to go where older persons were crying, and had trouble. but bunny brown and his sister sue were two wise little children, wiser than many of their age, and their mother knew she could depend on them. so, after a few seconds, she said: "yes, you may come with me. we shall see what the matter is with mrs. ward." "and we'll help her too, if we can," added. bunny, bravely. mrs. brown, followed by bunny and sue, started for the home of mrs. ward. a wide lawn was between the two houses, and on this lawn bunny and sue, with their dog splash, had much fun. the wards were a family who had lately moved to the street where the browns had lived for years. as yet mrs. brown and mrs. ward had gotten only as far as a "nodding acquaintance." that is, mrs. brown, coming out into her yard, would see mrs. ward, and would say: "good morning. it's a fine day; isn't it?" "yes, indeed it is," mrs. ward would answer. sometimes it would be mrs. ward who would first speak about the fine weather and mrs. brown would answer. both women would soon become better acquainted. mr. brown had seen mr. ward several mornings on his way to work, and, knowing him to be the man next door, had nodded, and said: "good morning!" and mr. ward had said the same thing. they, too, would soon be better acquainted. "i know the wards are nice people," said sue, as she trotted along beside her mother. "what makes you think so?" asked mrs. brown, as she walked slowly across her lawn toward the house next door. "'cause they have a nice dog named dix, and he and splash are good friends. first they sort of growled at each other, and then they smelled noses and now they always wag their tails when they meet." "well, that's a good sign," laughed sue's mother. "but i wonder what can be the matter with the boy next door," said sue to her brother. "are you sure you heard mr. and mrs. ward talking about fred?" "yes, i'm sure," answered bunny. "well, i didn't hear that part," said sue. "but we'll soon find out what the matter is." as the browns walked across the lawn, a dog came running out of the house where lived "the boy next door," as bunny and sue called fred ward, even though they knew his name. they had spoken several times to him. "is that dog savage?" asked mrs. brown. "no, momsie," replied sue. "he's just as nice as he can be. he and splash are good friends. here dix!" she called. with a joyful bark the dog bounded toward sue. he evidently knew the children, and soon made friends with mrs. brown. "he's a strong dog," she said to the children. "and he's good, too!" exclaimed bunny. "i was talking to fred one day and he told me that his dog dix saved him from drowning when they lived in another city, near a river." "that was fine!" cried mrs. brown. "i think i shall like dix." by this time they were under the dining-room windows of the ward house, and mrs. brown and the children heard the sound of a woman sobbing, and a man trying to comfort her. "now don't worry, martha," said the man. "everything will come out right, i'm sure, and we'll find fred." "oh, i hope so!" moaned the woman. and she kept on crying. "excuse me," said mrs. brown, calling in through the open window. "but i fear you have trouble, and i have come over to see if i may not help you." mr. ward looked out of the window. "it's mrs. brown," he said, evidently speaking to his wife in the room behind him. "i have been intending to come over to see you," went on mrs. brown. "but you know how it is i suppose, mrs. ward," for now the other lady had come to the window. "we keep putting such things off. and really i have been so busy since we came back from our camp in the big woods that i haven't had time to set my house to rights." "i know how it is, mrs. brown," replied mrs. ward, wiping the tears from her eyes, "and i am glad to see you now. won't you come in?" "i really don't know whether i ought to or not. my children, on coming home from school, said they heard sounds of distress in here, and knowing you were strangers i thought perhaps you might not know where to apply for help in case you needed it. my husband is one of the town officials, and if we can do anything----" "it is very kind of you," said mrs. ward. "thank you so much for coming over. we _are_ in trouble, and perhaps you can give us some advice. please come in." she went to the front door and let in bunny, sue and their mother, the two children wondering what could have happened to the boy next door, for they did not see him, and it seemed the trouble was about him. "it won't take long to tell you what has happened," said mrs. ward, placing chairs for mrs. brown and the two children. "our boy fred has run away from home!" "run away from home!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "yes, that's what he's done," said mr. ward. "i never thought he'd do such a thing as that, even though he is quick tempered. yes, fred has run away," and he turned over and over in his hand a slip of paper he had been reading. "perhaps he only went off in a sort of joke," said mrs. brown sympathetically. "i know once bunny----" "yep. i ran away, i did!" exclaimed bunny. "i got away down to the end of the street. i saw a man and a hand organ and he had a monkey. i mean the man did. and i wanted to be a hand-organ man so i ran away and was going off with him, only bunker blue chased after me, so i didn't run far, though i might have." "bunker blue is a boy who works on mr. brown's fishing pier," explained mrs. brown. "yes, bunny did run away once, but he was glad to run back again." "and i was lost!" cried sue. "i was out walking with my daddy, and i went down a wrong street, and i couldn't see him and i didn't know what to do so i--i cried." "yes, sue was lost a whole morning before a policeman found her and telephoned to us," put in mrs. brown. "she was glad to get back. undoubtedly your boy will be the same." "no," said mr. ward slowly, "i don't believe fred will come home soon. he has gone off very angry." "are you sure he didn't go to the home of some neighbor or of a relative?" asked mrs. brown. "children often do that, never thinking how worried their fathers and mothers are." "no, fred is too old to do that," said mrs. ward, wiping the tears out of her eyes. "he has gone, intending to stay a long while." "what makes you think so?" asked mrs. brown. "because of this note he left," answered the father of the boy next door. "you see, mrs. brown, i had to correct fred for doing something wrong. he spent some money to buy a banjo that he had promised--i had told him i would get him a fine banjo next year, but---"well, he disobeyed me, and i felt i had to punish him. so i sent him up to his room to stay all day. he went to his room, and that is the last we have seen of him. he left this note, saying he was never coming back." "read mrs. brown the note," suggested mrs. ward. "maybe she can think of some plan to get fred back." mr. ward was about to read the note when mr. brown's voice was heard under the dining-room windows saying: "hello, mother, and bunny and sue! mary told me you had come over here, so i thought i'd come to pay a visit too. i've news for you." "oh, it's daddy!" cried sue, and she ran to let her father in through the front door. "i wonder what news it is," said bunny to himself. "i wonder if he has found fred." chapter ii an offer of help as mr. brown walked into the home of the ward family he saw at once, by a look at his wife, and by the expressions on the faces of mr. and mrs. ward, that something had happened. "oh, i beg your pardon," mr. brown said. "perhaps i shouldn't have come in. i'll call another time. but----" "what about the good news you have, daddy?" asked bunny. "i didn't say it was good news, son." "yes, it is. i can tell by your eyes!" exclaimed sue. "whatever it is, it will keep a little while," said mrs. brown, with a look at her husband, which he understood. "our neighbors, mr. and mrs. ward," she continued, "are in great distress. their only son, fred, has run away from home." "oh, that's too bad!" exclaimed mr. brown. "i shouldn't have come in. i'll----" "no, stay, we'll want your advice," said mrs. brown. "mr. ward was just going to read a letter his son left. i want you to listen to it and tell us what is best to do. you know you are on the police board." "of course i'll do all i can," said mr. brown. "first let me hear the letter. you can sometimes tell a good deal of what's in a person's mind by the way he writes." and while mr. brown is listening to the letter left by the runaway boy, i'll tell my new readers something more about bunny brown and his sister sue, and the things that happened to them in the books before this. the first volume is named "bunny brown and his sister sue," and it tells of what happened to the two children in their home town of bellemere, on sandport bay, near the ocean. there the little boy and girl had fine times, and they took a trolley ride to a far city, getting lost. the second book told of "bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm," and you can imagine the fun they had there, getting lost in the woods and going to picnics. after that the two children played circus in the book of that name, and they had real animals in their show, though you could not exactly call them wild. "bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home," is the name of the fourth book, and in the big city bunny and sue had stranger adventures than ever. after that mr. brown took the whole family to "camp rest-a-while." it was a lovely place in the woods and they lived in tents. uncle tad went with them, and ever so many things happened to the children there. their dog splash had good times too. camp rest-a-while was near the edge of the big woods, and in the book called "bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods," which is just before this one, you may read of the adventures with bunny's train of electric cars, and of the fun sue had with her electrical teddy bear, which could flash its eyes when a button was pressed in his back--or rather, _her_ back, for sue had named her teddy bear sallie malinda, insisting that it was a girl bear. and now the brown family was home again from the big woods, ready for other happenings. and that they were going to have adventures might be guessed from what mr. brown started to say about some news. but just now he was reading the letter fred ward had written to his parents. "hum! that is a strange note for a boy to leave," said mr. brown slowly. "he evidently doesn't intend to come home very soon." "oh dear!" exclaimed mrs. ward, and commenced to weep once more. "i tell her he may come home soon, for he has no money--or at least very little to live on," said the missing boy's father. "you see fred has a high spirit, and he did not like it when i had to punish him. but i did it for his good. he must learn the value of money, and he must not spend when i tell him not to." "no, that is not right," said mr. brown thoughtfully. he handed the note to his wife. she read this: "father and mother: i am not coming back for a long while. i do not think you treated me right. i am more than fifteen years old and i have a right to have a banjo if i want it. i want to be a player and play in the theater. that is what i am going to do. i am not going to be treated like a baby by my father. i am too old." "i did not mean to treat him like a baby," said mr. ward. "but our children must be made to obey in things that are right." "that is true," agreed mrs. brown. "we mind sometimes," said bunny. "don't we, momsie?" "yes, once in a while. but please run away and play now, until we call you. there comes splash over to have a game with dix. you children can go out with the dogs." bunny and sue were eager enough to do this. they thought they had heard enough about the missing boy. they were to hear more in a short time. "and so fred has run away," said mr. ward, speaking to mr. and mrs. brown. "how can i get him back? it is not good that he should be away. i will talk about the banjo to him, and if i find he really thinks it is the best instrument for him to play i may let him have it. but where can i find him?" "perhaps i can help," said mr. brown. "i am a member of the town police committee. that is, i and other men look after the policemen. we can tell them to be on the lookout for fred." "oh, that is kind of you!" cried mrs. ward. "and i can also send word to the police of other cities and towns," went on mr. brown. "we work together on cases like this." "i shall be greatly obliged to you," said mr. ward. "i want fred to come back." "when did you find out he was gone?" asked mr. brown. "just a little while ago," answered mr. ward. "i sent him up to his room this morning. he did not come down to dinner, for i said he should not eat until he said he was sorry for what he did. perhaps i was wrong, but i meant to do right." "you did it for the best," said his wife. "when i went up to fred's room this afternoon, he was gone, and there was this note. it was then i cried," she went on, turning to the parents of bunny and sue. "i am so sorry," said mrs. brown. "but i think it will all come right. my husband will help find your boy." "i'll get the police to help, too," said mr. brown. "they will search for him." "and we'll help!" exclaimed bunny and sue, coming in just then from having a romp on the lawn with the two dogs. "we'll try to find fred for you." "bless their hearts!" cried mrs. brown, as the children ran out again. "they get into all sorts of mischief, but they manage to get out somehow. bunny is ready for anything, and sue is generally ready for whatever follows." "but they are learning a good deal," said mr. brown. "their life in the woods and on the farm was good for them--as good as the time they spend in school." "yes," said mr. ward. "sometimes i think i may have kept fred too much at his books. i wish i had him back." "oh, we'll find him," said mr. brown. "i hope so," sighed mrs. ward. "it is very kind of you to offer to help us." "why shouldn't we?" asked mrs. brown. "that is what neighbors are for--to help one another. we'll go, now. but mr. brown will come back and get you to tell him what fred looks like, and how he was dressed, so the police will know him if they see him. they will send you word where he is if they find him." "i will give you his photograph," said mr. ward. as mr. and mrs. brown walked across the lawn, they saw bunny and sue playing with the two dogs. bunny was on splash's back as though the dog were a horse, and sue was doing the same thing with dix. "gid-dap! gid-dap!" cried the two little ones, holding to the dogs' long ears so they would not fall off--i mean so the children would not fall off, not the dogs' ears. "aren't they having a good time?" asked mrs. brown smiling. "they certainly are," agreed her husband. "i'm glad it is neither of our children who is away." "i can't bear even to think of that!" said mrs. brown, with a shudder. "look out! they'll run us down!" she went on, for the children, on their dog-horses, were rushing right at them. "clear the track! clear the track!" cried bunny, wildly. "yes! all aboard for the north pole!" yelled sue. "bow-wow!" barked the two dogs, as happy as the children. "oh, daddy! do you know how to find fred?" asked the little girl as she fell off her dog into the soft grass. "well, we are going to try," answered her father. "and we'll help," cried bunny. then, as he happened to think of something, he exclaimed: "oh, daddy! what about the good news you were going to tell us?" "we want to hear it now," added sue. "you did say something about a surprise," added mrs. brown. "so much has happened to-day that i had forgotten." "maybe you won't think it such news after all," observed mr. brown. "but it occurs to me that there is going to be some warm weather yet, as the fall is not yet over. so i was thinking we could take the big automobile--the one we used when we went to grandpa's farm--and have a tour in it. i have to go to a distant city on business, but there is no hurry in getting there. we might all go in the big car. shall we go?" "shall we go? of course!" cried bunny, dancing about. "that's what i say!" added sue, also capering wildly. "oh, bunny!" she cried, "haven't we got just the bestest daddy in the whole world?" "we have! we have!" "then let's both kiss him at once!" proposed sue, and they made a rush for mr. brown, who pretended to be much afraid. chapter iii ready for the trip "oh, dear! oh, dear! go and love your mother for a change!" laughed mr. brown as he squirmed away from bunny and sue, who had hugged him and kissed him half a dozen times. "you've mussed my hair all up! isn't my hair sticking up seven ways, mother?" he asked his wife. "indeed it is. if you children muss mine that way i shall have to comb it again before supper, and i'll hardly have time if father is to explain about the auto tour. this is as much news to me, bunny and sue, as it is to you." "oh, mother made a rhyme! now we'll have a good time!" cried bunny. "come on, sue, we'll kiss her easy-like, and then we'll hear about the trip. when are you going, daddy?" "and where?" asked sue. "one is about as important as the other," laughed mr. brown. "but i think you will have to wait a while. i want to telephone to the chief of police, and have him start the search for fred ward. we have to work quickly in the cases of runaway boys, or they get so far away that it makes them harder to find." "what makes boys run away?" asked bunny. "well, it's hard to tell," said mr. brown. "sometimes it's because they feel ashamed at being punished, just as fred was, and as you might be, bunny, if i scolded you for being bad. not that you are often naughty, but you might be, some time." "but i wouldn't run away," bunny said, shaking his head very earnestly. "i like it here too much. i read a story once, about a boy who ran away, and he had to sleep in a haymow and eat raw eggs for breakfast." "oh! i'd never do _that_!" cried sue. "i wouldn't mind playing with the little chickens that came out of the eggs, but i wouldn't run away," she said earnestly. "i wouldn't want to sleep in a haystack lessen bunny was with me." "well, when you two make up your minds to run away," said mrs. brown with a laugh, "tell us, and we'll come for you when night falls and bring you home. then you can sleep in your own beds and run away the next day. "that will be great!" cried bunny. "we'll do it that way, sue." "that's what we will!" said she. they were at the browns' house now, and dix, the dog that belonged to the runaway boy, turned to go back home. splash barked at him as much as to say: "oh, come on, old fellow, stay and have a good time. maybe i can find a choice bone or two." but dix wagged his tail and barked, and if one had understood dog language, of which i suppose there must be one, he would, perhaps, have heard dix say: "no, old chap. i'm sorry i can't come to play with you now. some other time, perhaps. there's trouble at home you know, and i'd better stay around there." then splash and dix looked at each other for a little while, saying never a word, as one might call it, only looking at each other. they seemed to understand, however, for, with a final wagging of their tails, away they ran, dix back to the ward home where the mother and the father were grieving for their lost boy, and splash on to the happy home of the browns. "now, daddy, you can tell us about that auto trip we are going to take, while mother is seeing to the supper," called bunny as he pulled his father toward a big armchair, while sue clung to her father on the other side. "not until after the meal," insisted mr. brown. "i want to tell it to mother and you all at the same time. that will save me from talking so much. besides, i haven't yet told the police about missing fred ward." mr. brown soon called the chief on the telephone wire. being the president of the police board, mr. brown often had to give orders. in this case he told the chief about fred running away, how long the boy had been gone, and about the note saying he was going to join a theater company. "we'd better get some circulars printed, with the boy's picture on them," said mr. brown to the chief. "these we can send to other cities. and we'll notify the police by telephone. i'll be down to see you this evening." "all right," answered the chief. "i'll get right after this boy." "and tell whoever catches him to be good and kind to him," said mr. brown. "fred is not a bad boy. he feels that he has not been treated well, and he'll do his best to hide away. but a boy with a banjo, who is crazy to play in a show, ought not be very hard to find." "no, i think we'll soon pick him up," the chief said. "well, pick him up as soon as you can," said mr. brown. "pick him _up_!" repeated bunny, who had been listening to his father's side of the conversation. "did fred fall down?" "no. 'pick him up' is a police expression," explained mr. brown. "it means find him, or learn where he is." "oh, i see," murmured bunny. "well, i hope they'll soon find fred." the talk at supper time drifted from the running away of the boy next door, and what might happen to him, to the trip the browns were to take in the big car. "well, now are you ready to tell us?" asked bunny, as he saw his father finish his cup of tea. "yes, i'll tell you a little now, and more when the time comes, as i have soon to go down to the police station with fred's picture. but i'll tell you enough so you can sleep easy," said mr. brown with a laugh. then he sat thinking for a while as to the best way to tell his news. "in the first place----" began mr. brown, only to have bunny interrupt him with: "oh, it starts off just like a story!" "no," cried sue. "a story begins: 'once upon a time.'" "well, never mind about that now," said mr. brown with a laugh. "let me get on with what i have to tell you. the first part is that i have to go to a city called portland, about three hundred miles down the coast. i have to go there on business, but there is no particular hurry. that is, i can take my time on the road. just what the business is about needn't worry your heads, except that i'm going to look at a big motor boat which i may buy." "and may i have a ride in it?" cried bunny. "i want to ride myself," cried sue, "and i want to learn how to steer." "well, we'll talk that over later," said her father. "just now i am going to tell you about our auto tour. we are going, as i said, to the city of portland. it is three hundred miles there, but the roundabout roads we will take may make it longer." "can we stop over a day or so here and there?" asked mrs. brown. "yes, several days, if we like," said her husband. "we are going in the big enclosed auto, in which we went to grandpa's farm." "that will be lovely!" cried sue. "just dandy!" exclaimed bunny brown. "and i'm going to sit on the seat and steer, just as i did when bunker blue took us to grandpa's." "i don't know that bunker is going this time," said mr. brown, speaking of the boy who worked for him and ran some of the motor boats when parties of men and women wanted to go out in the bay fishing. "oh! bunker not going?" cried bunny, somewhat disappointed. "but we'll take your dog splash and uncle tad," said mr. brown. "that will be all right," agreed bunny. "go on, daddy. tell us some more." "well, i don't know that there is any more to tell. we are going in the big automobile, have a nice trip, and come back when we get ready. it will be indian summer most of the time, the nicest part of the year, i think, so we ought to have good weather. now the rest is in your hands and your mother's--getting ready for the trip." those who have read the book telling about the time spent on grandpa's farm will remember the big automobile in which the browns traveled to the farm. it had been a furniture moving van, and you know how big and strong they are. inside they are just like a big room in a house, only they move about by a motor in the front, just as does a small automobile. but this moving van was very different from the kind usually seen. the inside had been made over into several rooms. there were little bunks, or beds in which to sleep, a combined kitchen and dining room, and a little sitting room where, in the evenings after the day's travel, the children could sit and read, for the traveling automobile was lighted by electric lights, from a storage battery carried in it. on bright, sunshiny days the little table was moved out of the van to the ground beside it and there the meals were served. sometimes cooking was done out-of-doors, also, on a gasolene stove. a tent was carried, and if any company came they could sleep in that if there was not room in the auto-van. when the browns wanted to travel through the rain they could do so without getting wet, for there was a stout roof on the automobile. windows had been cut in the sides of the van so the children could sit beside them in stormy weather and look out, just as if they were in a railroad car. and in the big car was a place for some of the children's toys. there was room for plenty of food to be carried, and even a small ice-box that could be filled with ice whenever they stopped in a city. "well," said mr. brown, after he had told bunny, sue and their mother about his plan, "do you think you'll like it?" "i'll just love it!" cried sue. "so will i," said bunny. "let's hug and kiss daddy and momsie!" "no, i'll have to beg off!" cried mr. brown. "just one kiss each, and don't muss my hair for i've got to go to the police station to take fred's picture. i'm sure his father would feel bad about doing a thing like that so i'll do it for him. i'll be back soon." "and we'll talk about the trip while you're gone," said mrs. brown. bunny and sue were in bed when their father returned. the next morning their mother told them, after mr. brown had gone to work, that he had asked the police to do all they could to find fred ward. "and now we must get ready for our trip," went on mrs. brown. "i must get both of you some new clothes, for you wore out many suits while we were at camp rest-a-while and in the big woods." "but don't get too many. it will take too long to get 'em," remarked bunny. "we want to get started on our auto tour." not long after this mrs. brown announced that she was ready for the trip--that she had bought the new clothes, and had arranged for the food they were to take with them. "then i'll bring the big auto around here to the house to-morrow morning and let you look at it," said mr. brown. "i have made a few changes in it. i hope you will like it." "oh, we'll be sure to," said mrs. brown. that night, when bunny and sue were ready for bed, bunny looked out of the window toward the ward house. there was a bright moon. "i see dix and splash playing together on the lawn," he said. "and i see something else," added sue. "what?" asked bunny. "i see fred ward coming home. there he is, going up the back steps now." sue pointed, and bunny saw a tall lad, who did look very much like the runaway boy, at the back door of the ward home. "oh, let's tell daddy and momsie!" cried bunny, as he and his sister, in their bare feet, pattered their way downstairs. chapter iv bunny at the wheel bunny and sue raced downstairs and burst into the sitting room where their mother and father were sitting. "oh, daddy!" cried bunny. "oh, momsie!" exclaimed sue. they were both out of breath. "well, what's the matter now?" asked mrs. brown. "why aren't you in bed?" "we saw something--anyhow sue did," explained bunny. "but first bunny saw splash and dix playing on the lawn in the moonlight," said sue, breathing fast. "and then sue saw fred coming home--in by the back way," added bunny, his eyes big with wonder. "what's that?" cried mr. brown, almost as excited as the two children. "you say you saw fred ward?" asked mother brown. "well, it _looked_ like him," replied bunny, not quite so sure now that questions were being asked of him and his sister. "and he was going very carefully and quietly around the back way," added sue. "who could it be but fred? he's getting tired of sleeping in haystacks and eating raw eggs, and he's come home, i guess." "look here, sue and bunny," said mr. brown, a bit firmly but still kindly. "did you both see this? or did you make it up or dream it?" "we didn't dream," said sue, "'cause we hadn't gone to sleep yet." "and we didn't make it up, for we weren't playing make-believe," added bunny. "then you must have seen something," said their father; for when bunny and his sister spoke in this serious way their parents could tell they were in earnest. "what could it be?" asked mrs. brown, with a wondering look at her husband. "i'll run over and see," he replied. "you children hop back into bed. you'll catch cold." "oh, daddy! it's summer yet, and we're even going to sleep out in the tent when we're on the auto tour," said bunny. "let us wait up and see if fred really has come home. i hope he has!" "i hope so, too," said mother brown. "let them lie awake in bed, daddy, until you come back from the ward home." "all right, i will," mr. brown agreed, and as he started across the moonlighted lawn bunny and sue, with many whisperings, noddings and giggles went back upstairs to their room. but they did not go to bed. this was one of the times when they did not do as they were told. but it was only once in a while they did anything like that. bunny and sue were, as a rule, very good. well, instead of going to bed they stood by the window where they could watch the lawn on which splash and dix were still playing. "we mustn't catch cold," said sue. "we'd better wrap a blanket around us, bunny, if we stand by the window, though it isn't cold at all." "yep," grunted bunny, who was so interested in watching his father cross the grass plot that he did not feel like talking much. sue brought a light blanket from her bed and one from bunny's, and in these the children wrapped themselves, and stood by the window. "there he is!" cried bunny, as he saw the tall figure of his father, accompanied by a bigger shadow in the moonlight, appear on the lawn. "hush!" cautioned sue. "don't talk so loud or mother will come up and make us go to bed." bunny "hushed," and then the two children watched. they saw their father go up the side steps of the ward house and very soon come out again. "it didn't take him long to find out," said bunny in a low voice. "i hope fred has come back," whispered sue. but it was not, as they learned a little later when their mother came upstairs to tell them. the children had quickly scampered back to their beds when they heard their mother coming up, and she found two anxious faces peering at her over the blankets. "was it fred?" they asked excitedly. "no, i am sorry to say it was not," answered mrs. brown. "it was one of the boys fred used to play with, and he went around the back way because he did not want any one to see him going in the front door." "does he know where fred is?" asked bunny. "no. but he went to tell mr. ward about him. he had seen some of the police circulars, or printed papers which were scattered about, showing fred's picture and telling how he looked and how much his father wanted him to come home again." "and is he coming?" asked sue. "we don't know, dear. mr. ward told us this boy, whose name is george simpson, knew that fred was going to run away, for fred had told him." "why didn't george come and tell fred's father so he could stop him?" asked bunny. "because fred made george promise not to tell. but after george had seen the police circulars he made up his mind he must say something, so he came to-night. he said fred had told him he was going to run away to portland and try to get work in a theater playing a banjo." "portland!" cried bunny. "why that's where we're going!" "and maybe we'll see fred!" added sue. "it may be," said their mother. "but now you two must go to sleep. the big auto will be here in the morning, and you will wish to see the new things daddy has put in." "may i ask just one more question?" begged bunny. "yes, and only one." "how did fred come to go to portland? did he know we were going there?" "no, dear. but he knew a man in a theater there who had promised to give him a trial at banjo playing if ever he wanted it. so, when fred ran away, he decided to go there. at least so he told george." "oh, mother, when we get to portland may we----" began sue, but mrs. brown laughed and cried: "no more questions until morning!" bunny and sue talked in whispers for a little while, and then fell asleep. they were awakened by the honking of an automobile horn, and bunny, hopping out of bed and running to the window, cried to his sister: "oh, sue, it's the big car we're going touring in, and bunker blue has brought it up the hill. come on down to see it." "oh what fun!" cried sue. she and bunny dressed quickly, and without waiting for breakfast they ran out to look at the automobile. bunker blue, the boy who worked at the dock for mr. brown and who had gone on the first trip in the brown's big car, smiled at bunny and sue. "well, you've got a fine car now!" he cried. "is it different?" asked sue. "a lot different. come inside." "breakfast, children!" called their mother. "oh, mother, just a second--until we see how the auto is fixed different?" begged bunny. mrs. brown nodded, and bunker blue helped the little boy and his sister inside. there were many things changed. the electric lights were bigger and brighter, so they could see to read or play games better at night; a new cookstove had been put in; an extra bunk had been made, so five persons could sleep in the auto-van; a new tent had been bought; and in one corner of the tiny kitchen was a little sink, with running water which came from a tank on the roof. this tank was filled by a hose and pump worked by the motor. whenever the water ran low the automobile could be stopped near a brook or lake, one end of the hose dipped in the water and the other stuck in the tank. then the pump could fill the tank, and the tank, in turn, could let the water down into the sink whenever needed. "your mother'll like that," said bunker blue. "indeed she will!" cried sue. "is there anything else new?" asked bunny. "indeed there is!" cried bunker blue. "the auto-van's got a self-starter on. that's the best of all, i think. you don't have to get out to crank up now. it's great. see, i'll show you." while the children stood on the ground near the automobile, bunker blue climbed to the seat near the steering wheel and pulled a lever. all at once there was a grinding noise and the van started slowly off. "that's the self-starter," explained bunker. "i didn't throw in the gears. the self-starter is strong enough to run the auto a little while all by itself, if it isn't too heavily loaded. that's a big improvement." "that's what!" cried bunny. his sister did not know much about electric starters and such things, but bunny, through having asked bunker blue many questions, had come to learn considerable about the machinery. "hurry, children! you must come to breakfast!" called mrs. brown. "you may look at the auto another time. after breakfast we'll have to pack it and get ready for the trip." "we're coming!" cried bunny and sue, and with last looks at the big car, which was to be their home for some time to come, the children ran in to breakfast. "now, bunny and sue," said mr. brown, as he made ready to go to his office, "one thing i want you to do is to pick out what toys you want to take with you. they can not be very many, so pick out those you like best." "oh, bunny!" cried sue. "you take your 'lectricity train that you got back from the hermit, and i'll take my teddy bear, sallie malinda with her 'lectric-light eyes." "no," said bunny, shaking his head. "my electric train takes up too much room. i'm going to take my popgun that shoots corks, and maybe i can scare away any cows that get in front of our auto." "all right. but i'm going to take sallie malinda," declared sue. while she was getting it out from among her playthings, bunny went out to look at the big automobile again. he climbed up to the seat. bunker blue, after bringing it up to the brown house so mrs. brown could pack in it the things she wanted, had gone back to the dock. "i wish i could steer this machine," murmured bunny as he took his seat at the wheel. "i could, too, if they'd only let me. i wish they would." he twisted the steering wheel to and fro, playing that he was guiding the big car. suddenly he heard a grinding sound, as when bunker blue had been on the seat, and, to bunny's astonishment, the big van, the wheel of which he held, began to move slowly around the drive which circled the brown home. chapter v where is splash? "oh! oh! oh!" cried bunny brown, as he felt himself being carried along in the automobile. "what has happened?" the automobile kept on moving, and bunny held his hands on the steering wheel. he knew this must be done whenever any machine, like an automobile, was moving. "i've either got to stop it, or--or steer it along the curved path so it won't run into anything," whispered bunny brown to himself. "i don't know what makes me go but i'm going, and i'm keeping going, so i've got to steer." and steer bunny did. fortunately though the car was large, it was easily steered, for mr. brown had it made that way so his wife could take the wheel when she cared to. mrs. brown could drive an ordinary automobile and she could steer well. so while mr. brown was having the big auto-van made over he had the steering part changed so that the steering wheel turned from side to side very easily. and as bunny was a sturdy chap he had no trouble about this part. the auto-van kept on moving and bunny noticed that it was going up a little hill in the driveway that went all the way around the house. "i don't see what makes it go uphill all by itself," said bunny to himself, giving the steering wheel a little turn, as there was a curve in the pathway just ahead of him. "if i were running _down_hill i'd know what made it go--the same thing that makes my sled slide downhill in winter. but if this auto stood on the level i don't see what started it, nor why it keeps on going _up_hill. bunker blue must have left the brakes off." bunny looked at the handle brake and at the one worked by the foot pedal. both were off, for bunker had released them when he left the car, since it stood on a level bit of the driveway. "but what makes it go?" asked bunny again. then, as he heard the low grinding noise, he remembered the self-starter, which bunker had spoken of. "i must have kicked the handle or touched it," thought bunny, "and that started the machine. i don't know how to stop it. i guess i'd better--oh, whee! there's a tree i'm going to smash into!" cried bunny brown. the thought of getting out of the way of the tree drove from bunny's mind, for the time being, every other thought. he must not hit the tree which grew a little over the side of the driveway. "i've got to steer out of the way, that's what i've got to do!" thought bunny in a flash. "i've got to steer out of the way!" once he had made up his mind to that, he did not think so much about the motion of the automobile. that could be taken care of later. "let's see, which way do i turn the wheel to get out of the way of the tree," thought bunny. he had often been in boats with his father and bunker blue, and sometimes, when the way was clear, he had been allowed to steer. once or twice, while out with his mother in her car, she had let him steer along a quiet road. he was closer to the tree now. the automobile was not moving very fast, and perhaps if it had hit the tree it would not have done much damage. but bunny did not know that, and then, too, he might be hurt in case the big car hit the tree. so he was going to do his best to avoid it. like a flash it came to bunny. "i must turn the steering wheel the way i want the auto to go!" no sooner said than done. bunny gave the wheel a twist. then he saw the auto slowly move that way, and away from the tree. it went past with a few inches to spare, but bunny had not acted any too soon. now he was on the straight part of the driveway again, at the back of the house, and all he had to do was to hold the steering wheel steady, and the automobile would move itself along. "but there's another curve by the kitchen door," thought bunny. "i wonder if i'll get around that all right." on went the automobile. as it rolled slowly past the kitchen, mary, the cook, looked out and saw the small boy at the steering wheel, which seemed almost as large as he was. "oh, bunny! bunny! sure an' what in the world are ye doin'?" she cried. "please don't make me look at you," begged bunny. "i've got to steer straight until i get to the curve and then i've got to twist around, an' that's very, very hard to do, mary. so please don't interrupt me." but mary had seen enough to cause alarm. she rushed to the sitting room where mrs. brown was looking at a pile of toys sue had brought down to take on the trip. "oh, mrs. brown! mrs. brown! sure, an' the likes of a little boy like him runnin' the big car! sure, it's kilt he'll be intirely!" "what do you mean, mary?" "what do i mean? sure, an' i mean that bunny, the darlin' boy, has gone off in the big movin' van auto!" "bunny in that auto? impossible!" "look for yourself!" exclaimed mary, pointing to the window. at that moment the auto went rolling past, with bunny at the wheel, as brave as life. "bunny brown!" exclaimed his mother, dashing for the door. "i--i got around the curve all right, momsie!" he shouted in glee, and he raised one hand from the wheel to wave it to her. but at that instant the auto gave a wobble, and bunny had to bring his waving hand back on the wheel to keep the car straight. "bunny! bunny!" cried his mother, running down the drive after the machine. "where are you going?" "i--i don't know," he called back to her. "the auto got started and i can't stop it!" "oh, what shall i do?" cried mrs. brown. for the seat of the car was very high, and though bunny had managed to reach it, for he was a good tree-climber, it would hardly have been possible for mrs. brown to try to get up with her skirts on and when the auto was moving. it had been still when bunny climbed to the seat. "oh, bunny!" wailed his mother. "mary! telephone for mr. brown to come home--quick!" "i won't be hurt!" called bunny. "all i've got to do is to keep going on around and around and around the driveway until the storage battery gives out. that's what's running the car now." "oh, but you _must_ be stopped," cried mrs. brown, who managed to keep alongside the slowly moving auto. "you might hit something!" "i steered out of the way of a tree, all the same," said bunny proudly. "i was 'most going to run into it, but i didn't. i 'membered which way to steer." "oh, i'm so frightened," moaned mrs. brown. then seeing bunker blue coming up the path with a message on which he had been sent by mr. brown, bunny's mother called to him: "oh, bunker, stop the auto! bunny started it somehow. he's ridden nearly all around the drive, but he can't stop!" "it's running on the battery," said bunker, after listening a moment to the electric hum. then he swung himself up on the seat of the moving car beside bunny, shut off the electric starter and put on the brakes. "there you are, bunny!" cried bunker. "right as can be!" "i steered her nearly all the way around the house," said the small boy with pride. "but you must never do it again," commanded his mother. "never! oh, how you frightened me, bunny!" "i'm sorry! i won't do it again," said the little fellow; and he really meant it. "how did you come to do it?" asked bunker. "it just did itself," said the small boy. "i climbed up on the seat, and made believe i was steering, just like you or daddy, when, all of a sudden, off she went. i 'most busted down a tree, but i didn't really. and i went all around the house. i guess now daddy will let me steer the car out on the road." "not for a few days yet," said bunker blue with a laugh. "mr. brown told me to tell you," he went on to mrs. brown, "that he would go a day earlier than he counted on, if you could get ready." "it won't take me long to pack," said mrs. brown. "but why didn't he telephone?" "our machine is out of order. the men are fixing it, and anyhow i had to come up this way." "well, i'm glad you came in time," said mrs. brown, as she led bunny back to the house. "you are very good, bunker." "yes, and i want you to show me how to stop that electric starter when it starts to start," said bunny. "some day--maybe," promised bunker, smiling. "well, if we're going sooner, i'll have to hurry up and get my things packed," said bunny. "have you got yours, sue?" "most of 'em. you ought to see how bright my teddy bear's eyes shine since daddy put new batteries inside sallie malinda," rattled on sue. "i can 'most see to read my mother goose by them in the dark." "well, i'm going to get my things ready," said bunny. the next few days were busy ones in the brown home. the big automobile was packed with bed clothes and with things for the children, their father and mother and uncle tad to wear, and also with things to eat. at last, one morning, all was ready for the start. "good-bye," waved mary, the cook, who was to have a vacation, while the browns were away. "good-bye!" called bunny and sue, and then mr. brown, who was at the steering wheel, while uncle tad, bunny, sue and their mother rode inside, started the car, and bunny brown and his sister sue were off on an auto tour. merrily they rode along, bunny and sue talking happily, when, all at once bunny cried: "wait! hold on! where is splash?" chapter vi two dogs mr. brown as soon as he heard bunny's cry of "wait!" at once shut off the power from the big automobile, and brought it to a stop. he turned to look through the little window at the back of the front seat against which he leaned, and asked: "what's the matter?" "oh, daddy, we've forgotten splash!" wailed bunny. "we've left him behind," chattered sue. "i saw him and dix--that's fred ward's dog--playing together, and i thought of course splash would come with us. i forgot, and left one of the funny clown dresses for sallie malinda up in my room, so i went to get it, and then splash and dix were away down at the end of the yard and i didn't think any more about our dog." "i didn't either," said bunny. "but he always has come with us and i thought he would this time." "are you sure he isn't somewhere in the auto, under one of the cots asleep?" asked mr. brown. "i'll look," said uncle tad, and he did, but without finding splash. "i forgot all about him," admitted mrs. brown, and her husband said the same thing. "well, what are we going to do?" asked mr. brown, as soon as every one was satisfied that the dog was not in the big auto-van. "do? why, we've got to go back after him, of course!" cried bunny. "we couldn't go without splash," announced sue. "he'd be so lonesome for us that he'd cry, and then he'd start out to find us and maybe get lost and we'd never find him again. go back after him, daddy! it isn't very far." "all right," said good-natured mr. brown. "i'm glad we're not in a hurry. still i'd like to keep going, now that we've started. but please, all of you, make sure nothing else is forgotten. for we don't want to go back another time. all ready to turn around and march backward," and he backed the big automobile at a wide place in the road, for it needed plenty of room in which to turn. slowly the big car made its way back to the brown home. mary, the cook, was the first to see it, and, running to the door, she cried: "oh, whatever you do, come in and sit down if only for a minute, some of you! oh, do come in and sit down!" "what for, mary?" asked mrs. brown. "has anything happened?" "no, but 'tis easy to see you've forgotten somethin'; and when that happens if you don't sit down, or turn your dress wrong side out, bad luck is sure to foller you when you start off again. so come in and sit down, as that's easier than turning a dress." "oh, let me turn my knickerbockers outside in!" cried bunny. "that will be as good as you or sue, momsie, turning your dresses. it's easy for me. then i can make-believe i'm a tramp, and i'll run on ahead and beg for some bread and butter for my starving family," and he imitated, in such a funny way, the whine of some of the tramps who called at the brown kitchen door, that his mother laughed and sue said: "oh, momsie, let me turn my dress wrong-side out, too, and i can play tramp with bunny. that will be fun!" "no, you mustn't do that," said mrs. brown. "while we're hunting for splash--who isn't in sight. where can he be?--we'll go in and sit down a moment to please mary." "would we have bad luck if we didn't?" asked bunny. "not at all. but some persons, like mary, believe in them; and mary is very fond of us. even if we do not believe in some of the things those we like believe in, as long as it does no harm to our beliefs, we can do them to please a friend." even mr. brown, because he liked mary, went in and sat down for a minute with the others. "now you've done away with the bad luck," said the cook with a smile. "what was it you came back for?" "splash," answered bunny. "he didn't come with us," added sue. "well, it's no wonder, the funny way he's cuttin' up with that dog next door," said mary. "what did he do?" asked bunny. "was it funny? please tell us, mary." "well, it might have been funny for him, but it wasn't for me," said the cook, though she could not help smiling. "the two dogs was playin' tag on the lawn. i had some napkins spread out on the grass to bleach, and what did that dog dix do but run down in the brook, and then come back with his feet all mud and run over my napkins. sure, i had to wash 'em all again. that's what them two dogs did. the bad luck was just startin' in when you come back, an' it's good you did, to sit down a bit an' take it off." "but we must get on again," said mr. brown. "so hurry, bunny and sue. find splash. if he's muddy make him swim through the brook and clean himself off. a run along the sunny road will soon dry him." "but don't let him splash your clean clothes, children," called their mother after them, as the two ran off together to find the missing dog. "i hear them barking!" called bunny, as he and his sister hurried toward the end of the yard. "so do i." then, a moment later, the little girl added: "there they are!" and she pointed to the two dogs playing on the green lawn not far from a little brook that ran through mr. brown's grounds. "here, splash! splash!" called bunny. the dogs stopped their playing, and looked toward the children. as soon as splash saw his little master and mistress he came rushing toward them as fast as he could. "don't let him jump on me and get my dress muddy!" cried sue. "he's been in the mud just awful!" "so he has," said bunny brown. "down, splash! down!" he called, as the dog neared sue. splash made all the signs he knew to show how glad he was to see bunny and sue, but he did not get up on his hind legs and put his paws on sue's shoulders, as he sometimes did. "oh, splash, you're awful dirty!" cried sue. "you must run in the brook, where the water is clean, and where there are white pebbly stones instead of mud on the bottom, to wash yourself. you've got to go in too, dix." dix barked "bow-wow," to show he did not mind, i suppose. "go on in, splash!" cried bunny, snapping his fingers and pointing at the brook. "go in and wash!" but though the browns' dog was usually ready for a frolic in the water he did not seem to be so just now. he ran back and forth, down to the edge of the stream and back again, getting his paws wet, but nothing else. "oh, you must go in and have your bath if you are to come with us!" cried sue. "go on in, splash!" but not even for sue would splash go in, until finally bunny cried: "oh, i know a way to make him!" "how?" asked sue. "just throw a stick into the water, and he'll go after it and bring it back. we'll throw it far out." "oh, that's right!" cried sue. "we'll do that." no sooner had the children picked up sticks than the two dogs, who had started to play "tag" themselves, knew what was up. they both loved to go into the water after sticks. "throw 'em far out now!" cried bunny. he tossed his to the middle of the brook, and sue flung hers nearly as far, for she was a good thrower--almost as good as bunny. dix swam after sue's stick, and splash went for bunny's. in a minute they had brought them ashore and dropped them at the children's feet, looking up into their faces as much as to say: "do it again! we love to chase sticks!" and then, just as dogs always do when they come from the water, they gave themselves big shakes. "look out, sue!" called bunny. but he was too late. a shower of drops from splash went all over sue's dress, and some of the drops were not clean water, either. "oh dear!" she cried. "now i'll have to change my dress!" "never mind," said bunny. "you run up to the house and get that done, and i'll throw the two sticks into the water. then splash and dix will go in again, and when they come out they'll be cleaner. i won't come back to the house with them until they are good and clean." once more bunny tossed the sticks, as sue went up to change her dress. when her mother saw her she cried: "oh dear, sue! how did that happen?" sue told her. "well, i hope bunny gets the dogs clean this time," said mrs. brown as she took sue upstairs to put another dress on her. this did not take long, and a little while afterward bunny came running up from the brook with the two dogs, dripping wet from their baths. "quick, momsie and sue!" he called to his mother and sister. "get in the auto before the dogs shower you again with water. i've got 'em good and clean now. i made 'em go in four times after the sticks." "did they shake any water on you?" asked mr. brown. "not much," said bunny. "besides, my clothes are dark and the mud on them won't show. now don't go away again, splash, 'cause we're going on a long auto tour, and you want to come with us." all were soon in the auto again, and as they started off, with more "good-byes" and "good lucks," bunny and sue made sure that this time splash followed. "now he's started he won't turn back," said mr. brown. "he just missed us before, thinking, i suppose, if he saw us go, that we would come back." the big automobile traveled on for about an hour, and they were several miles from the brown home when bunny, looking out of the rear door of the auto-van cried: "why there's dix, fred ward's dog, following us along with splash! look!" "so he is," said mrs. brown. "oh, dear! these dogs! what are we going to do?" chapter vii dix in trouble "is dix really following us?" asked mr. brown, as, once more, he stopped the big automobile. "he seems to be," answered mrs. brown. "he and splash are trotting along together as happy as two clams." "clams can't trot," said bunny quickly. "no, but they can be happy," said his mother. "and splash and dix seem to be happy, now, trotting along together after us." "they're altogether too happy," said mr. brown. "i wonder how we're going to get dix back home? mr. and mrs. ward think as much of him as we do of splash, and they'll be sorry to have him run away." "we must try to send him home some way," said mrs. brown. "bunny, you have a pretty good way with dogs, suppose you get out and try to drive dix back home. tell him we love him, think he's a nice dog and all that, but we believe it isn't best for him to come with us now." "all right, i will," said bunny, and he hopped down from the automobile, which had a little set of steps at the back to make getting in and out easy. though bunny, it is true, generally jumped out, not using the steps at all. while the big automobile had been traveling on, splash, knowing he was a member of this party, had gone along as a matter of course. and, perhaps, in some kind of dog language (which i am sure there must be) he had said to his friend dix something like this: "come along, old chap. the folks are going for a little excursion into the country. i know they are, for once before we traveled like this, and it was jolly fun. there'll be good things to eat, and no end of cats to chase, too, if you like that." "well, i used to like it," dix said--perhaps. "then come along," urged splash. "i'm sure the folks will be glad to have you." "all right, i will," dix may have answered. and so it was he had run along, playing beside the road with splash. and it was not until the automobile had gone several miles that the family noticed that another dog besides their own was following them. "drive him back home as your mother told you, bunny," said the little boy's father. bunny ran back to where dix and splash were rolling over and over on the grass. they seemed to be enjoying themselves. "go on home! go on home!" cried bunny. at once splash and dix stopped playing and ran to the little boy. as his mother had said, bunny knew how to talk to dogs in a way they could understand. "go on home!" said the little boy again, very earnestly. splash looked up in surprise. he was not used to being sent home. "oh, i don't mean you," said bunny. "i mean you, dix! mother says we like you very much, and would like to have you with us, but your folks want you home with them. so go on back. go home, i say!" bunny stamped his foot, spoke as sternly as he could without being too cross, and pointed back toward bellemere. dix looked into bunny's face a minute, and then slowly the dog's tail drooped between his legs and he slunk off, with what was really a sad face looking at bunny and splash. it was as if he said: "say, look here, splash! i thought you invited me on this excursion, and now that boy of yours goes and drives me home." "well, i can't help it," splash seemed to say. "there is something wrong somewhere." bunny felt sad at having to drive dix back home. "i'm sorry, old fellow," he said, and his voice was so kind that dix turned and came running back. "no! no! you mustn't do that!" cried bunny, seeing what his kind words had done. "go on back home, dix!" once again dix's tail drooped between his legs, and he turned back. he went on for some distance, never turning to look back. "there, i guess he'll not follow us any more," said bunny. "come on, splash. you get up in the automobile and ride with us. then dix won't see you, and want to come along." bunny led his own dog back to the big car, splash going willingly enough, though once or twice he looked back at dix, who was walking slowly the homeward road. again the auto started off. "this is two delays we've had," said mr. brown. "if we have another i'll begin to think there is something in mary's idea of bad luck, after all." it was sue who discovered dix the next time. as the automobile was about to go around a curve the little girl gazed out of the back window and saw the ward dog trotting happily along toward the moving automobile. "oh, daddy, look there!" cried sue. "dix is coming after us again! what are we going to do?" "is that dog following us once more?" asked mr. brown, as he stopped the automobile. "yes, he is; and he seems happy." "oh dear!" said mrs. brown. "what trouble these dogs are giving us to-day!" "well, this is the third trouble, and let us hope it will be the last," said mr. brown. "are you going to send dix back again?" asked bunny. "no, i don't think it would do any good. besides, we are now about ten miles from home. he might not find his way." "that would be too bad," said mrs. brown. "the wards would not want to lose their dog." "i presume the only thing for us to do is to turn around and carry him back again," said mr. brown slowly. just then splash, who had been lying inside under one of the sleeping cots, awoke, and, looking out of the rear door of the auto, saw his friend dix trotting merrily along. "bow-wow!" barked splash. "wow-wuff-wow!" answered dix. that meant in dog language i suppose: "well, i'm glad to see you again, old fellow." "and i'm glad to see you," said dix. "i hope they don't drive me back again. but i went only to the first turn in the road. there i waited awhile and then came on. i could easily tell which way you came by the big wheel-marks." "well, i guess there's no hope for it," said mr. brown, as the two dogs stopped barking. "it's turn around again and take dix back with us to his home. it's a good thing we're not in a hurry." he was about to turn the big car, and dix had come to a stop a short distance away from it when bunny suddenly cried: "oh, i've thought of a way to do it!" "a way to do what?" his father asked. "take care of dix." "do you mean to ask somebody going past in another automobile to take dix to bellemere?" asked mrs. brown. "no. but in that house," and bunny pointed to one not far away, "is a telephone. i can see the wires, and they're just like our telephone wires. why can't we call up mr. ward and ask him if we can take his dog along with us?" "take dix with us!" cried mrs. brown. "what would we do with two dogs?" "well, they'll be company for each other," said sue, who had taken a great liking to dix. "and dix wants to come," added bunny. "you see how hard it is to drive him back." "but we don't need him, and two dogs are harder to look after than one," said mr. brown. "dix has made trouble enough to-day, though part of it was splash's fault." it was then bunny had his fine idea. "oh, i know the best reason in the world for taking dix with us!" he cried. "wait and i'll 'splain it all to you. just let dix and splash play together until i get through talking." "well, let's hear your idea, bunny," said mr. brown with a smile, as he leaned back in his seat and rested his back. splash, seeing his dog friend, leaped from the car and the two were soon playing together in the road as merrily as ever. chapter viii dix and the cow "now," said bunny, as he sat down on a little stool in the auto to talk to his father and mother--and sue, of course, and uncle tad, who were all listening. "now it wouldn't hurt an awful lot to take dix with us, would it?" "what do you mean?" asked his mother. "i mean dix wouldn't eat much more than splash, would he?" "oh, i guess if it comes to feeding dogs, two come about as cheaply as one," said mr. brown with a laugh. "but what's the idea, bunny?" "well, i'd like to have dix come along with us then. it will save time now in taking him back." "yes, it will do _that_," said mr. brown. "and it's quite a way back home this time." "and splash will have company to play with all the while," went on bunny. "two dogs are happier than one, aren't they?" he asked. "if two dogs eat more than one then two must be happier than one." "it's a new way of looking at it, but i guess it may be true," laughed mrs. brown. "but are you doing all this talking, bunny, just to have company for splash?" "no indeedy i'm not!" exclaimed bunny. "i haven't 'splained it all." "what else is there?" asked mr. brown, laughing. "well, if mr. ward will let us take dix along--and you can find out about that over the telephone--then maybe we can find fred." for a moment no one spoke after bunny had announced his plan. his father and mother looked sharply at him, and so did sue and uncle tad. "how can dix find fred?" asked sue. "'cause didn't the bloodhounds find the runaway slaves in uncle tom's cabin?" demanded bunny. "yes," answered sue. "i 'member that." "well then, won't dix find fred the same way?" went on bunny. "he can smell his tracks along the road and we'll find that runaway boy a lot quicker than if we didn't have his dog along. fred and dix were always together, and i guess fred couldn't have run away if dix had seen him. so if we take dix along, and have to look for fred in big crowds, dix'll come in 'specially handy." "oh, won't that be fun!" cried sue, clapping her hands. "do let's take dix along!" "i believe bunny's plan is a good one," said mr. brown, after thinking about it a while. "we don't know fred very well, and he may look different, now that he has gone away from home, from what he did before. his dog would know him, however, no matter how fred dressed." "he'd know him even if he had on a hallowe'en false face, wouldn't he?" asked sue. "i guess so," answered daddy brown. "well, i'll go and telephone to mr. ward and see what he says." the people in the house into which the telephone wires ran were very willing mr. brown should use the instrument, and he was soon talking to mr. ward back in bellemere. "surely you may take dix with you," said mr. ward over the telephone wire. "i only hope he will not be a trouble to you. i know he will make a fuss just as soon as he comes anywhere near fred. so, in that way, you may be able to trace my boy. i hope you will. his mother hopes so too. she is beside me here as i am talking, and she sends you her thanks. take dix with you if you wish." "oh, i'm so glad!" cried sue, when she heard the news. "aren't you, bunny? now we have two dogs!" "yes, one will be yours and one mine, until we get back home with dix. then we'll each own half of splash, as we've always done." this suited sue, and, now that the dog question was settled, the automobile started on again. for a little while everything was peaceful and quiet in the big automobile. bunny went outside on the front seat with his father, and looked down the road along which they were running. it was a pleasant road, with trees arching across overhead from one side to the other. inside the big car mrs. brown and uncle tad "got things to rights," as the children's mother called it, while sue took out some of her toys, including the big teddy bear with the electric eyes, whose adventures have been told in the book just before this one. bunny and his father talked together on the seat in front. bunny was interested in whether or not they would find fred. "well, we may and we may not," said mr. brown. "it is true fred said he was going to run away to portland, the city where we are going. but we will not be there for some time, and before then fred may think he does not like it there and go somewhere else." "well, i think dix will help find him, don't you?" asked bunny. "yes, i hope so, son." just then came a call from inside the automobile. "who's ready for dinner?" [illustration: the two dogs came with a rush. _bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour._ _page_ 79.] "i am!" cried bunny, the first one. "so am i," added sue. "then come on! rations are served," said uncle tad who had been in the army. he and mrs. brown had cooked their first meal on the gasolene stove in the little kitchen and dining room combined, and it was now ready to serve. bunny clambered in by way of the front seat and took his place at the little table. "i think we had better stop beside the road while we eat," said mr. brown. "this automobile is all right for traveling, but the roads are so rough here that i may spill my tea. so we'll anchor and eat." "daddy thinks we're in a boat i guess, when he talks about anchoring," said sue, who, more than once, had been out in the big fishing boat with her father. then the meal began. there was some cooked meat, for they could carry meat in the ice box, baked potatoes, and, best of all, some pie. it was while he was eating his pie and drinking his milk that bunny suddenly cried: "the dogs!" "what about them?" asked mrs. brown quickly. "are they fighting? where are they, bunny?" "just over in that field playing. but we didn't call splash and dix to dinner." "oh, is that all? i think they can wait a bit," said mrs. brown with a laugh. "by the way you spoke i thought something had happened." "well, this pie tasted good, that's part of what happened," said bunny, with a laugh. "and then i got to wishing dix and splash could have some." "i'll feed them when the rest of you have finished," promised mrs. brown. when the meal was over mrs. brown gathered up a big plateful of scraps from the table, and gave it to bunny to feed dix and splash. "here dix!" called bunny, inviting the "company" dog first, which was proper, i suppose. "here, dix and splash!" the two dogs heard and must have known that they were being called to dinner, for they came with a rush, each one trying to see which would be the first to reach bunny with the plateful of good food. "you'd better put the dish on the ground and get away," said mr. brown with a laugh. "otherwise they'll be so glad to see you, bunny, that they'll knock you down and roll over you." "i guess they will," said the little boy. so he put the plate of meat, bread and potato scraps on the ground near the big automobile and then stepped back out of the way. dix and splash did not take long to finish the food on the plate, and then they looked up at bunny and wagged their tails, as if asking for more. "no more!" called mrs. brown to them, for she understood the feeding of dogs. "that will do you until supper." seeing they were going to get no more, dix and splash ran off together again to have more fun rolling about in the grass. "where do you think we shall stop for the night?" asked mrs. brown of her husband as they set off once more. "just outside the town of freeburg," he answered. "we'll sleep in the auto, of course, for if we are making a tour this way it's the proper thing to do. but we'll be near enough a town for supplies or anything we may need." "goodness! we don't need anything this soon, nor have we a place to put another thing away," protested mrs. brown. her husband laughed. "however, it's well to be near a town overnight," he said. so the big automobile chugged on. mrs. brown and uncle tad washed the dishes and put them away, and then they sat looking out at the side windows and enjoying the trip. now and then mr. brown would talk in through the open window against which the steering wheel seat was built. bunny and his sister sometimes rode inside, and again outside with daddy brown. "this is lots of fun, i think," said bunny, as he sat beside his father, and the auto went rather fast down a hill. "it's just great! my sallie malinda teddy bear likes it, too," put in sue, who was also on the front seat. both of them together took up no more room than one grown person, and the front seat was built large enough for two. dix and splash raced on together, sometimes playing a game like wrestling, trying to see which could throw the other, and again rushing along as fast as they could go, sometimes behind, and sometimes in front of the automobile. at the foot of the hill, down which the automobile had gone rather fast, a man stepped out from a fence beside the road and held up his hand. "what does that mean?" asked sue. "it means to stop," said her father, as he slowed up the machine. "what for?" bunny inquired. "well, he may be a constable--that is a kind of a policeman," said mr. brown. "he wants us to stop, thinking, maybe, that we were running too fast. but i know we weren't." "will he 'rest us?" asked sue. "if he does i'm going to hide sallie malinda. i'm not going to have her locked up!" "nothing will happen," said mr. brown with a laugh. "i have run an automobile long enough to know what to do." mr. brown brought the big machine to a stop near the spot where the man was standing with upraised hand. "what's the matter?" asked mr. brown good-naturedly. "were we going too fast?" "oh, nopey!" exclaimed the man with a laugh. "i jest stopped you to see what kind of a show you was givin'." "what kind of show we are giving?" repeated mr. brown in surprise. "yep! i thought maybe you was one o' them patent medicine shows that goes 'round in big wagons and stops here and there, and a feller sings, or plays, or somethin', then the head man or woman sells medicine what'll cure everything you ever had in the way of pain or ever expect to have. i thought i'd see what kind of a show you've got." "we haven't any," laughed mr. brown. "you may look in the auto if you like, and see how we live in it. we are traveling for pleasure." "i see you be, now," said the man after a look. "wa'al, i'm right sorry i stopped you." "that's all right," said mr. brown pleasantly. "this is a heavy machine, and i don't like to get it to going too fast downhill. it's too hard to stop. so it's just as well we slowed up." "you see i'm the inspector of all them travelin' shows," went on the man. "ribbans is my name, hank ribbans. every medicine show or other show that comes to town has to git a permit from me, else they can't show. but you're all right, pass on." an idea came into mrs. brown's head. "do you have many shows passing through here, with musicians who play to draw a crowd?" she asked. "oh, sartin, surely. 'bout one once a week as a rule. there was one that showed here two or three nights ago--no, come to think of it now, it was last night. there was a young feller--nothin' but a boy--dressed up in the reddest and bluest suit you ever see. and say, how he could play that old banjo!" "oh, a banjo! maybe it was fred!" cried bunny. the same thought came to his father and mother. "tell us about this boy," requested mr. brown. "we are looking for one who plays the banjo," and he described fred ward. "well, this can't be the one you're lookin' for," said mr. ribbans. "'cause this feller was a negro." "maybe he was blacked up like a minstrel," said bunny. "i couldn't say as to that," returned the inspector. "anyhow they paid for their license all right, and they sold a powerful lot o' dr. slack's pain killer. then they went on out of town. that's all i know. well, you don't need a license from me; so go ahead, folks!" he waved good-bye to them as they went off again. bunny and sue were eager to ask questions about the colored boy who played the banjo for the medical show. "do you think he could have been fred?" asked bunny. "it is possible," answered his father. "maybe we can find him," added sue. "we'll make inquiries about this show in the next town we come to," said mr. brown. but as the next town was the one outside of which they were to spend the night, they decided to put off until the next day asking questions about the colored banjo player. uncle tad and mr. brown helped mrs. brown get the supper. when it was over there was a large platter full of good things left for the two dogs. they were hungry, for they had run far that day, and they ate up every scrap. then they stretched out for a while near a campfire mr. brown made under some trees, for it was a little cool in the evenings. as the children had been up early that morning, mrs. brown told them they must be early in bed, and after watching the fire until their eyes began to shut of themselves, bunny and sue started for their little bunks. just as they were getting undressed, though it was scarcely dark, the barking of dogs was heard down the road. "that's dix and splash!" exclaimed bunny. "and something must have happened. splash wouldn't bark that way if there was nothing the matter." "here comes dix now," said sue, looking out of the automobile window. "and oh, bunny! look what he's brought home with him!" "what is it?" asked bunny, whose bunk was on the other side of the big car. "it's a cow. dix is leading home a cow on the end of a rope!" exclaimed sue. chapter ix two disappearances for a moment the two children looked out of the automobile windows at the strange sight. then, unable longer to think of going to bed when there was likely to be some excitement, they both came out from behind the curtains that screened off their cots, and cried together: "dix has got a cow!" "dix has got a _what_?" asked mrs. brown, thinking she had not understood. "dix has got a _cow_!" went on bunny. "he's leading her by a rope. i guess he thinks it's our cow." "well, what will those dogs do next?" asked mr. brown, who was reading a newspaper he had purchased from a passing boy, who rode his route on a bicycle. "it's true enough--about the cow," said uncle tad, who was outside the automobile putting out the last embers of the campfire, that there might be no danger during the night. "one of the dogs is leading home a 'cow critter,' as some farmers call them. "it's dix," he went on a moment later as the two dogs, both barking excitedly, came close to the big moving van, dix having hold of the rope that was tied fast to the cow's neck. he was leading her along, and the cow did not appear to mind. "dix must have found the cow wandering along the road," went on uncle tad, "and, thinking we might need one, he just brought her home." "very thoughtful of dix, i'm sure," said mr. brown, who had come outside as had his wife, while bunny and sue remained in their pajamas in the doorway. "he probably meant it kindly, but what will the man think whose cow she is? well, what's the matter with you, splash?" asked mr. brown, for that dog, too, was barking very loudly. "did you see the cow first, and wouldn't dix let you have a share in bringing her here? i guess that was it. never mind, you shall lead the cow home, if we can find out where she belongs." he patted splash's head as he spoke, and talked to the dog almost as he would have talked to a small boy. and i think splash understood, for he wagged his tail, and seemed pleased. dix led the cow up to mr. brown, and there, dropping the end of the rope, wagged his tail, barked once or twice and looked up as though he were saying: "well, didn't i do pretty well for the first day? i found a cow for you. that will more than pay my board. i'll try and find something else to-morrow." then, as if satisfied that he had done his duty, dix went off to hunt for a bone he had buried after his supper, and splash went with him. "well, what in the world are we going to do with it?" asked mrs. brown. "we can't keep this cow; that's sure!" "we might tie her to one of the auto wheels," said mr. brown. "no, thank you!" exclaimed his wife. "she'd moo all night, and keep us awake." "but we can't turn her loose," said mr. brown. "she might wander off and be stolen, and then the owner would blame us, though it might not be our fault. since dix has brought the cow to us, no matter whether we wanted her or not, we've got to look after her somehow." "couldn't dix take her back?" asked bunny, from where he stood in the doorway with sue. "that's perhaps a good idea," replied mr. brown. "though i don't know that dix could exactly take her back. i think i'd better do it myself. it's early yet, and probably the farmer who owns the cow is out looking for her. i'll let splash lead the cow back along the road, and i'll go with him. we may meet the farmer." "well, don't be gone too long," begged mrs. brown. "the first day is always hard and we want to get to bed early." "i'll do my best," promised mr. brown. "come on, splash! it's your turn now to lead the cow!" splash barked joyfully, and seemed glad that he was to have something to do with the big horned animal, who was contentedly chewing her cud, lying down beside the automobile. she appeared quite contented wherever she was. "oh, let us come!" begged bunny and sue, as they saw their father go off down the road with splash leading the cow by the rope. "no, indeed! you youngsters get to bed!" said mrs. brown. "you ought to be glad of the chance. you must be tired." "we're not--a single bit!" declared bunny, but though he and sue begged hard, and teased to go to see the cow taken home, their mother would not let them. it was quite dark when mr. brown came back. the children were asleep, but mrs. brown and uncle tad were sitting up reading. "well?" asked mrs. brown, as she noticed how tired her husband looked. "did you have far to go?" "about two miles, and mostly uphill. but i found the cow's owner." "did you? that's good! how did you manage?" asked uncle tad. "well, i was going along, splash leading the cow as proud as a peacock, when, all of a sudden, i saw a man hurrying toward me. he seemed very much excited, and asked me if that was _my_ cow the dog was leading. "i told him it was not; that one of the dogs that was with us on our auto trip had brought her in; and that i was bringing her back, looking for the owner." "'i'm him,' he said. 'and i can soon prove the critter's mine.'" "i told him i hoped she was, for i was tired of walking with her. so he stopped at two or three farmers' houses, and they all said the cow belonged to mr. adrian richmond, who was the man that met me. so i left the cow with him and came on home, for this _does_ look like home," he added, as he gazed around the small but cozy room in the auto-van. "did the farmer tell you how dix came to lead off his cow?" asked uncle tad. "no, he only guessed that the animal must have pulled loose from her stake and wandered off down the road. she was used to being led home every night by the farmer's dog, so she didn't make any objections." "then dix must be a sort of a cow dog," remarked mrs. brown, and later it was learned that dix had once been on a western ranch and had helped the cowboys with their work. so with the cow disposed of, and the two dogs asleep on some old blankets under the automobile, the little party of travelers settled down for the night. they all slept soundly, and in the morning the first thing bunny brown and his sister sue wanted to know about was the cow. their father told them all that had happened. "that dix is a great dog!" cried bunny. "i'm glad we brought him with us." "so'm i!" echoed sue. "and maybe to-day he'll find fred." "how can he?" asked bunny. "because you know the funny old man who stopped us, to see if we were a traveling show, said that boy banjo player was to come to this town. and even if the one he saw _was_ colored it might be fred blacked up." "that's so," agreed bunny. "we'll get daddy to ask." a breakfast was cooked in the auto and eaten out-of-doors, because it was such a lovely morning. more than once as they ate in the shadow of the big car other autoists, passing, waved a merry greeting to the happy little party, and as horse-drawn carts and wagons passed along the road on their way into town, many curious glances were cast at the travelers. it was rather a strange way of making a journey, but it suited the browns, and they preferred their big automobile to any railroad train they could have had. after breakfast they set off again, passing through the city. mr. brown asked several persons there about the traveling medicine show with the colored banjo player. many had seen it, but some were sure the banjo-playing boy was a real negro, while others said he was only blackened up. at any rate the show had traveled on, and no one knew where it would be next met with. "well, it may have been fred, and it may not," said mr. brown. "i must write and ask mr. ward if his son could imitate a negro, singing and playing the banjo, and whether he ever dressed up and did that sort of thing." the progress of the big automobile through the town attracted many persons, not a few of whom believed it to be a traveling show, and they were disappointed when some sort of performance was not given. the browns were soon out in the sunny country again, traveling along a shady level road. bunny and sue played with their toys, and at noon, when they stopped for lunch, they had a romping game of tag in the woods and fields near-by. after the noon rest they went on again, the two dogs running along, sometimes ahead of the automobile and sometimes behind it. "i'm going to put darling sallie malinda to sleep," said sue after a while. "and i'm going to let her sleep near the back door of the car." "why?" asked bunny, who was very fond of asking questions. "she isn't feeling very well, and the air will do her good," answered sue, who made her "make-believe" very real to herself. so, having made a nice bed of rags for her teddy bear, sue put sallie malinda to sleep near the rear door of the auto and got out one of her books to look at the pictures. bunny was building some sort of house with some new blocks his father had bought for him, but he was not having very good luck, for the motion of the auto made the house topple over almost as soon as bunny had it built. after a while sue thought her teddy bear had had enough sleep near the auto door, so she went to take her in. but when she reached the rag bed sallie malinda was not there. "oh, my teddy bear is gone!" cried sue. "oh, bunny, do you think she falled out? daddy! daddy! stop the auto! my teddy bear is lost!" mr. brown stopped the car at once, though he did not understand all of what sue said. the little girl told him what had happened. "sallie malinda gone!" cried mother brown. "that's too bad! she must have been jostled off when the auto went over a bump. i think we'll have to go back and look for her," she said to her husband. then bunny gave some more news. "dix is gone too!" he cried. "i've been watching a long while and i haven't seen him. and splash is acting awful funny--just as if dix had run away." "hum! this _is_ rather strange!" exclaimed mr. brown. "two disappearances at once." "what's disappearcesses?" asked sue. "it means going away--the word your father used does," explained mrs. brown with a smile. "but it certainly is strange that dix and the teddy bear should go away together." chapter x dix comes back for a moment sue stood looking at her mother, seeming to be thinking very hard about something. then she asked: "momsie, do you think dix took sallie malinda away?" "well, it seems so," said mrs. brown. "that is, if dix has really gone away. we had better make sure of that, first. there is no question about your teddy bear's being gone, for i saw her in the rag bed by the back door of the auto not half an hour ago." "well, i suppose she either fell out, or dix, thinking to have a game of tag with her, took her out, though the teddy bear, with the batteries inside to make her eyes light up, isn't easy for even dix to carry very far," said mr. brown. "but how are we going to get my darling sallie malinda back?" asked sue, and there were tears in her eyes. "daddy will find some way. won't you, daddy?" asked bunny, for he did not like to see his little sister sad. "well, the only thing i can see to do is to turn the automobile around and go back to look for sue's teddy bear," said mr. brown. "he may be lying beside the road where he fell from the auto." "my teddy bear isn't a _he_, daddy!" cried sue. "she's a _she_! aren't there _lady_ teddy bears as well as _gentlemen_?" "yes, i suppose so," laughed mr. brown. "i forgot for the moment that your teddy's name was sallie. but whether it's a he or a she i suppose you'd like to have me go back for it, wouldn't you?" "indeed i would, daddy! i don't know what i'd do without sallie malinda." "all right, then we'll turn the auto around." "we've done about as much going backward as we have going forward on this trip," laughed uncle tad. "but still we must get sue's pet. it wouldn't do to go off and leave _her_." "i can't understand about dix, though," said mrs. brown. "surely he wouldn't run away and leave us after he had come this far with us." "maybe he is just playing hide-and-go-seek with splash," said bunny. "maybe it's dix's turn to hide." "suppose you call him," suggested mrs. brown. bunny called and whistled, in a way he had been doing to get dix to come to him ever since the ward dog had joined the traveling automobile party. but there came no answering bark, and even splash seemed surprised when he could not find his playfellow. "hi, splash!" called bunny. "where is dix? go find him!" splash ran around and barked, which was his only way of talking, but he came back frequently to the children, who, with their parents and uncle tad, were standing beside the auto, and he did not bring dix back with him. it was as though splash said: "i know you want to find dix, but i don't know where he is. there is no use in my running my legs off to find him, for he is a long way from here." "dix possibly has been missing a longer while than we know," said mr. brown. "i noticed once, as we were going over a bridge, that splash went in and had a little swim. but i did not see dix with him, though i didn't think anything about it at the time. we had that trouble with the engine farther back than that. when i got that fixed dix was about. but from then on i haven't seen him, and that was some miles back." "maybe that's the time my dear sallie malinda fell out," said sue. "or else dix took her." "i don't believe he'd do that," said her father. "he was too well trained. he isn't a puppy any longer, to hide boots, shoes and toys. i don't believe dix took your teddy." "well, anyhow let's go to find him," said bunny. "i mean _her_," he added quickly, as he noticed sue looking sharply at him. "maybe we'll find dix and the teddy bear at the same time." "if dix hasn't gone off to find a cow or an elephant or a camel or something like that to make us a present of," said mrs. brown with a laugh. "oh, momsie! do you think dix would really bring back an elephant?" asked bunny eagerly. "no, my dear, i was only fooling. but let's start back, daddy, for i know sue will be very anxious to-night about her teddy bear." back they started in the automobile over the road they had just traveled. now and then they stopped and called dix, but the dog did not come to them. splash added his barks and whines to the general calling but no dix answered. "he must be mighty far away," said bunny. "yes, i'm afraid we'll never find him, or my dearest sallie malinda either," said sue, and once more tears came into her eyes. as the auto went along, in addition to calling for dix, every one in the party, including the children, had looked along the road for a sight of the teddy bear that might have fallen from the automobile. but sallie malinda was not to be seen, and sue did not know what to do. "well, we'll go back to where i last noticed that dix was with us," said mr. brown. "then if we don't find your teddy, sue, i'll have to get you another." "but i'd rather have sallie malinda!" "i know, dear, but you can name the new one that." "sue's teddy's had lots of adventures," said bunny. "the hermit took her, and now she's lost." "well, i'm not going to give up yet," said his sister, as she looked carefully along the road. "but what can have become of dix?" asked mrs. brown. "i can't understand him." "oh, he may have gone off chasing a rabbit or a squirrel," said mr. brown. "anyhow we're almost at the bridge, and the spot where we had the engine trouble is not far beyond." silently those in the auto looked along the road for a sight of sue's teddy. then suddenly bunny said, "no, he didn't!" "who didn't what?" asked his father, for bunny would often make these sudden exclamations. "dix didn't go off chasing a rabbit or a squirrel," said bunny. "there he comes now--with an elephant, i guess," and the little boy pointed down the road. there was dix coming back, and he was half dragging and half carrying something that looked like an animal. on and on came the dog. he seemed very tired. when he saw the automobile he stopped, dropped what he had in his mouth, and lay down beside it. then he began to bark joyfully. "oh, it's my sallie malinda! it's my teddy bear!" cried sue. "you dear old dix! you found sallie malinda for me!" and that is just what had happened, they decided after they had talked it over among themselves. dix must have been running along behind the auto when he saw sue's pet jostled out. knowing how the little girl loved her teddy bear he picked it up and began to half drag and half carry it, for, as mr. brown had said, the electrical batteries that made the teddy's eyes shine, were heavy. poor dix had all he could do to drag the teddy bear, but he would not let go, and the noise made by the auto made it impossible for those in the car to hear his barks, which he must have given. and so they rode on, paying no attention, but leaving dix far behind, until sue discovered the loss of her teddy bear. "oh, you are a dear good dog, and i love you!" cried sue, hugging the teddy bear with one arm and dix with the other. and the dog was plainly overjoyed at being with his friends again. i suppose the teddy bear was glad too, but of course she could not even wag her little stub of a tail to show it. however, sue could make the pet's eyes gleam, which she did again and again. nor was the teddy bear much damaged by being dragged in the dirt, for the roads were not muddy, and dix had held her up out of the dust as much as he could. "oh, but i'm glad to get my darling sallie malinda back!" cried sue. "dix is a good dog," put in bunny. "he can ride in the auto now, can't he, daddy? he must be tired." "yes, get him and splash both in," said mr. brown. "i think it is going to rain, and i want to get to the next town where we will stay overnight." "in a hotel?" asked bunny. "no; in our auto, of course." the dogs were called in, and dix seemed glad to rest. then daddy brown turned the big car around and once more they were on their way. it began to rain before they reached the town of welldon, on the edge of which they were to stop for the night. but the rain did not matter to those in the big moving van, which was like a little house. they had their supper inside, sat reading or playing games by the electric light, and listened to the rain on the roof, for it came down more and more heavily. "isn't it a nice place?" said bunny to sue, as they went to bed. "the bestest ever!" she cried. it was about the middle of the night that bunny was awakened by feeling a queer bumping, sliding motion. "why," he cried, sitting up in his bunk, "we must be traveling on in the dark! daddy! momsie!" he cried. "what are we moving for, when it's dark?" "what's that?" cried mr. brown suddenly awakening. "the automobile is running away!" cried bunny, and outside they could hear a strange roaring sound amid the patter of the rain. chapter xi in the flood for a moment all was confusion inside the big automobile. mr. and mrs. brown got up and dressed hastily. bunny and sue thought little of doing that until sue, feeling cold around her bare legs, called to her brother: "wrap yourself up in a blanket, bunny, like an indian." "what's going on?" yelled uncle tad, from his bunk. "that's what we're trying to find out," said mr. brown. "seems to me we're afloat," added uncle tad. "we certainly are at sea." "it does feel so," agreed daddy brown, for the automobile was bumping along the roadway, and the motor was not running, either. something was either pushing or pulling it. just then came the howls and whines of the two dogs, dix and splash. they had been left out on the front seat of the car, with big curtains hung in front of them so no rain could splatter on them. "oh, something's the matter with them!" cried bunny brown, and in a few minutes he had opened the window back of the seat and let the frantic dogs leap into the auto. they barked joyfully now, and frisked about bunny and sue. with the opening of the window, however, came in a gust of wind and rain that made mrs. brown call: "children you'll catch dreadful colds! get right to bed this instant." "oh, mother, we want to stay up and see what's going to happen," said bunny. "maybe the automobile might tip over." "and if we were in bed we'd be all upside down and tangled in the clothes," added sue. "please let us stay up! we'll wrap in blankets like indians." "better let them get dressed," said mr. brown in a low voice to his wife. "there's no telling what has happened." "what do you think?" and her voice was anxious. "well, it feels as if we were in a stream of some sort, partly afloat. let the children get dressed," answered her husband. bunny brown and his sister heard and hastened to their curtained-off bunks. meanwhile uncle tad had closed the window near the front seat and that kept out the wind and rain. and it was raining and blowing hard. those in the cosy car could hear the drops dash against the panes, while the wind howled around the corners of the machine. the automobile itself was bumping along as if, indeed, it was floating down some stream, or had gone to sea like one of mr. brown's boats. the dogs had ceased their whining now. "i guess they were scared, out there all alone," said bunny, when he was nearly dressed. "i'm glad they're in here with us now." "so am i," said sue, as she came out into the sitting room, where mother brown had turned on the electric lights. it was a bit cool in the auto, for the storm had taken all the heat from the air, but there was danger in lighting one of the stoves. though he did not let the children know, mr. brown thought there might be a risk of fire if the gasolene stove were lighted, because the big car might overturn. "now to see what it's all about," said mr. brown, when he and uncle tad were fully dressed. "we'll find out if we are adrift on the atlantic or pacific ocean, and how to get to shore." he was putting on his rubber boots and raincoat, and uncle tad was doing the same thing. then mr. brown got a lantern and lighted it, for he was going to open the back door of the car to look outside, to see where the flood was taking them. for he was sure now, by the motion of the automobile, that the heavy rain had turned a small stream, near which they had stopped for the night, into a small-sized river, and that had risen high enough, or had come down with force enough, to sweep the big auto-van ahead with it. but no sooner had mr. brown and uncle tad opened the back door of the automobile, that a gust of wind blew out the lantern, for there was a hole in the glass enclosing the flame and the wind puffed right through the lantern. "well, i can't very well see in the dark," said mr. brown, as he came in to light the lantern once more. "it's a very strong wind." again he opened the door, but in a second the lantern was blown out once more. only the electric lights, kept aglow in the car by the storage battery, remained gleaming. "i ought to have one of those pocket flash lights," said mr. brown. "i meant to get a strong one, but i forgot it." "i have one, daddy," said bunny. "where? give it to me!" called his father quickly. "we must do something at once." "i don't know where it is," bunny had to confess. "i was playing with it the other day, but i must have left it somewhere----" "never mind, i'll try the lantern again," said mr. brown. "it's sure to blow out," said uncle tad. "perhaps we can paste something over the hole," suggested mrs. brown. "oh, daddy," cried sue, "take my teddy bear! her eyes will give you almost as much light as bunny's flashlight. maybe more, 'cause she has _two_ eyes. she won't mind the rain, for i can put on her water-proof cloak." "hum! that isn't such a bad idea," said mr. brown. "we'll try it. bring out your sallie malinda teddy bear, sue. her eyes will certainly need to shine brightly to-night, for it's very dark. it's a good thing you have her along." "i'll find my flashlight to-morrow," promised bunny. "i'll get one myself then," said his father. "no telling when we might need it." all this while the big automobile was slowly bumping and moving along. uncle tad and mr. brown took sue's teddy bear. by pressing on a button in the toy's back the eyes shone brightly, two electric lights being behind them. "does sallie malinda give a good light, daddy?" asked sue, as her father got ready to open the door again. "yes, little girl. it will be all right, and the wind can't blow out sallie's eyes, no matter how hard it puffs." with the teddy bear as a lantern mr. brown again went out. this time the wind did not matter, though it seemed to be blowing harder than ever. uncle tad followed mr. brown out on the rear steps of the car. they shut the door behind them to keep out the rain. "why, it's a regular flood!" cried uncle tad, as the teddy bear's eyes flashed on swirling and muddy water. "that's what it is," said daddy brown. "say, we've got to do something!" he cried to his uncle. "and we've got to do it soon. we'll have to anchor--tie the auto to a tree or something. this flood may carry us down to the big river just below!" chapter xii at the fire holding the teddy bear so the light from its eyes shone all about, the two men stood on the back steps of the automobile and looked around them. all about was swiftly running water. the evening before, in coming to a stop for the night, mr. brown had noticed, not far away from their camping place, a small stream. behind it were some high hills or small mountains, but, though the storm was a hard one, no one thought the little brook would turn into such a river. "but that's what it's done," said uncle tad. "it's risen so high that it's covered the side of the road near where we were, and it's floated us off." "yes. i fear we'll soon be flooded inside." bunny, listening at the outer door of the big car, heard above the noise of the flood and the rain, his father say this. for a moment he was frightened, then he happened to think: "well, i've got rubber boots, and if the water comes in here i can wade around and get things. but i guess i won't tell sue and momsie about it. they might be scared." bunny brown was a brave little chap when it came to something like this. in fact he had shown his bravery more than once, as those of you who have read the other books about him and his sister well know. out on the steps of the automobile, with the glaring eyes of sue's teddy bear to let them see what was going on, mr. brown and uncle tad again looked about. they could see the rain coming down hard, and on both sides of them was what seemed to be a big river of water. many little brooks in the mountains, joining together, had made such a big stream that it had shoved along the heavy auto. "it can't shove us very far, i think," said mr. brown. "we are too heavy for that. but it might tip us over, this water might, or send us into a ditch out of which we would have a hard time to climb. i'd like to anchor fast, if i could." "why don't you tie fast to a tree?" asked uncle tad. "we have the heavy towing rope with us." "i guess that's a good idea," said mr. brown. "we are being swept along the road and there are plenty of trees on either side." bunny brown was not listening at the door any longer. his mother had called him and sue to the dining-room table and given them some bread and milk to eat. she thought this would take their attention off the trouble they were in. for that there was trouble mrs. brown was sure. otherwise her husband and uncle tad would not have stayed so long outside looking about in the wind and the rain. "yes," said mr. brown, after once more looking about with the aid of the lights from the eyes of sue's teddy bear. "we had best try to fasten the auto to some tree. then we'll be held fast, for i do not believe the flood will reach much higher. i have heard of high water in this part of the country, but it never gets much higher than this, if i remember rightly." "i'll go in for the rope," said uncle tad, "and we'll try to make fast to some tree. we'll be lucky if we can do it before we run into something," and he opened the door. "oh, what is the matter?" "what has happened?" "tell us all about it!" this is what mrs. brown, bunny and sue said as uncle tad, dripping wet, came back into the auto. dix and splash thumped their tails on the floor, as though also asking what the matter was. "oh, it isn't much," said uncle tad. "the brook rose into a river in the night, and tried to carry us away. but we are going to anchor to a tree until morning." bunny and sue could easily understand what this meant, and they were not frightened, even though the automobile swayed about from side to side and bumped as a boat does when it goes over the bottom in shallow water. uncle tad got the towrope out from a box, or locker, as mr. brown called it. the rope was a strong one, as it was intended to be used in case the big automobile went into a ditch, in which event it could be pulled out. with the rope uncle tad went out on the back steps again. "we're still moving," said mr. brown. "are we any nearer the trees, so it will be easier to catch hold of one of them with a loop of the rope?" asked uncle tad. "no, we're farther off from the trees," said bunny's father and, if the little boy had been listening, he would have felt worried about this. but mr. brown was a good sailor, and if he knew how to anchor, or make fast, a boat in a big ocean, he might be supposed to know how to anchor, or stop, an automobile in a flood on the road. mr. brown took the rope, while uncle tad held the teddy bear and flashed her eyes about on the flood that was moving the car along. bunny's father was trying to catch sight of a tree around a limb of which he could cast the rope and so bring the drifting automobile to a stop. it was not moving quite so fast now, as the stream was not quite so swift. in fact if the flooded stream had not been so swift it never could have carried the heavy auto along at all. "i suppose," said mr. brown, "i could start the motor and make the car go itself. but i would not know where to steer her." "no, it is better to make her fast, i think," said uncle tad. just then they passed under a tree. mr. brown tried to catch the rope to it, but the auto rolled past too quickly. "better luck next time," he said. presently they were swept under another tree, and this time, as mr. brown cast the rope, it whirled about a big limb and was held fast. the other end had been tied to the automobile near the back door and now the big car came to a slow stop. "if she only holds we'll be all right," said mr. brown, his hand still on the rope. the automobile moved a little bit farther, as the rope stretched, and then it stopped altogether, and mr. brown tied tighter the end of the rope that was about the tree. "anchored at last!" cried uncle tad, as he got ready to go inside the car. "now let it rain and flood as much as it likes." "are we all right?" asked bunny as his father and his uncle tad came in. "we won't go out to sea, will we?" sue questioned. "no indeed, to your question, sue," answered her father. "and as to yours, bunny, we are anchored safe and sound i hope. now we can go back to bed and sleep." but first bunny and sue had to ask many questions, and sue had to take off her teddy bear's water-proof cloak, in spite of which the toy was wet. "but it won't hurt her batteries inside or her eyes," said the little girl. "and as for her fur, that will soon dry," added mother brown. "she gave us good light," said father brown. "now, off to bed with you." no one slept very much the rest of the night except the children and the dogs. dix and splash did not think of worrying, and as for bunny brown and his sister sue, they thought that whatever daddy brown and uncle tad did was just right anyhow. so they had no fear. mrs. brown, her husband, and uncle tad did not sleep very soundly, however. the rain still came down in torrents and the wind blew hard. the rush of the flood beneath the auto could still be heard. but it came no higher. the rope held to the tree, the big car did not drag, and when morning came the travelers found themselves some distance from the place where they had been the evening before. they were about a mile down the road, and all about them, over the road and the adjacent fields, was a lake of water. but it was not raining so hard now. the storm seemed to be about over. the water was going down, mr. brown said, and when bunny, at the breakfast table, asked how his father knew, mr. brown pointed to a fence not far from the tree to which they were tied. "do you see the muddy marks and the bits of leaves and grass caught on the fence?" asked mr. brown. "i see," said bunny. "well, that shows how high the water got," explained his father. "you see the top of the water is below that now, which shows that the flood is going down. and i am glad enough of it." "so am i," said mrs. brown. "we've had water enough for once." the storm had been such a heavy one that it could not last long, and by noon the sun was out. but it would take some time for the flood to go down and the roads to dry up. "we'll probably stay here three days," said mr. brown. "it looks like a nice place, and we have plenty to eat. we'll stay and let things dry out. traveling on a muddy, slippery road, with a heavy automobile like this, is not safe. we'll wait a while." anything suited bunny and sue as long as they were seeing or having something new. and when the rain stopped their mother let them put on their rubber boots and wade where the water was not too deep. after wading about awhile, bunny thought of something to do. "let's make a raft!" he said to sue. "oh, that will be fun!" she cried. sue knew what a raft was from living near the seashore. many times she and her brother had made them, and they had often heard stories of sailors coming ashore from wrecks on rafts. rafts are flat boards, or planks, nailed or tied together, and they will float on top of the water and carry a number of people, though they are so low that the water washes over them and wets one's feet. this last part bunny and sue did not mind, for they had on rubber boots. they quickly made a raft by collecting some boards and logs that had come down with the flood, and had caught in the fence corner near which their auto was anchored. uncle tad helped them nail the boards together, and then bunny and sue floated the raft over into a little rain-water lake in the middle of a field and began shoving it about with long poles. they had ridden up and down one side of the little lake, stopping at places on the "shore," to which they gave the names of sea-coast towns near their home. "now we'll go across to the other side," said sue. but when she and bunny had the raft about in the middle of the "lake," it stuck fast, because the water was not deep enough just there. "push!" cried bunny. "push hard, sue!" sue pushed so hard that, all of a sudden, her pole broke, and she fell off the raft into the water. "oh dear!" she cried. "oh dear!" for a moment bunny did not know what to do. then he saw that the water was not more than up to sue's knees and he knew she would not drown. but, as she had fallen in backwards, she was wet from top to toe. sue began to cry as she got up, choking and gasping, for she had swallowed a little water. "don't cry!" begged bunny. "let's pretend you're a swimmer on the beach and went out too far." "wha-what good would that do, me pre-pre-tendin' that?" half-sobbed sue. "well, then i'll pretend i'm a life-guard, and i'll swim out and pull you to shore," said bunny. by this time sue had managed to stand up firmly on her feet, though she was very wet. "there's no use in you're pretending you're a life-guard and getting all wet like me, when i can just as well get on the raft myself," said sue practically. "oh, i want to be a life-guard," said bunny. "here i come!" and with that he jumped off the raft feet first, landing near sue with a splash. "oh, now you've got _yourself_ all wet, for it went over your boots," said the little girl. "mother will scold." "well, now i can take half the scolding, for i'm half as wet as you," said bunny. "anyhow she won't scold much. for you couldn't help falling in, sue, and she'll be glad i pretended to be a life-guard to help you out." with that he put sue on the raft again. by this time the raft had floated free of the little hill of mud in the meadow lake where it had gone aground, and bunny and sue poled it toward the road. when their mother saw how wet they were she did not scold them. that is, not much. for, after all, part of it could not be helped. dix and splash enjoyed the flood, for they both liked to be in the water. they swam about, playing their sort of "tag" and racing after sticks which bunny and sue threw for them. a few days after this, when the flood had all gone down, and having waited for the roads to dry, mr. brown once more set off with his family in the big machine. for two or three days they traveled along. once, when they stopped for their noon-day lunch under a big oak tree, uncle tad built a small fire of twigs and bunny and his sister roasted marshmallows at the blaze. at a number of places mr. brown asked about fred ward, the missing boy, but no trace of him could be found, nor was anything more heard of the traveling medicine show with the colored banjo player. it was one evening at dusk, when the automobile had come to a stop for the night, and the family were all sitting out under the tree near the road, that uncle tad, looking down the highway, said: "isn't that a fire over there?" he pointed toward a neighboring farmhouse. "do you mean a campfire or a bonfire?" asked bunny. "neither one. i mean a real fire," said uncle tad. "it is a fire!" suddenly cried mr. brown. "a shed near that barn is blazing. see the men running to put it out!" "we'd better go to help," said uncle tad. "let us come, too!" begged bunny and sue. chapter xiii dix and the cat uncle tad and mr. brown did not stop to answer the children's plea to be allowed to go to the fire. on the men rushed, and bunny and sue turned to their mother. "please mayn't we go?" they begged. "it isn't far, and it's early yet. besides, we know enough to keep away from fires." "well----" said mrs. brown slowly. then she stopped as she saw uncle tad running back, while mr. brown kept on toward the blaze in a shed near some farmer's barn. "what's the matter, uncle tad?" asked bunny. "aren't you going?" "yes. but i came back to get the fire extinguishers that we carry on the auto. this blaze hasn't much of a start yet, and we may be able to put it out with our extinguishers." uncle tad darted into the automobile. sue and bunny remembered about the extinguishers now. they were red things, like fire crackers, and hung near the seat behind the steering wheel. once, to show bunny and sue how easily the extinguishers put out a fire, mr. brown had started one in the back yard. then, from the red thing, he had squirted a liquid and the fire sizzled and went out. "oh, we want to see daddy put out the fire!" cried bunny. "the children are teasing to go," said mrs. brown, as uncle tad came out again with an extinguisher under each arm. "do you suppose it would do them any harm?" "not at all!" cried uncle tad. "but you come with them. i don't believe the fire will be a very big one, but a lot of the country people are running to it. bring the children along. daddy brown won't care." "whoop!" cried bunny. "that's great!" "i wouldn't whoop," observed sue, shaking her finger at her brother. "why not?" he asked. "because this isn't a bonfire. somebody's shed is burning up; and though it looks nice it isn't any fun for them. we ought to be sorry." "well i am," said bunny. "i'm sorry for them, but i'm glad for myself that i'm going to see the fire. is that all right, momsie?" "i guess so," answered mrs. brown, and then she hurried on to the fire with the children, while uncle tad raced ahead with the red fire-cracker extinguishers. over the fields, from other farmhouses, people came running. men and women, and boys and girls. they, also, wanted to see the fire. as bunny and sue, with their mother, hurried on they saw that the blaze was in a low shed, and from this shed came wild squeals. "they sound like pigs!" said bunny. "i guess it is the pig-pen on fire," replied mother brown. bunny and his sister, with their mother, were at the fire almost as soon as daddy brown and uncle tad. then they saw for sure that what was blazing was a big pig-pen built on the side of a barn. the barn had not yet caught fire. "make a bucket brigade!" called one of the farmers who had run to the fire. "we must dip water from the brook, pass it along in pails, and throw it on the fire." "wait a minute!" cried mr. brown. "i have a better way than that, and surer, i think. first some of you rip out a side of the pen, so the pigs can get loose, and then we'll put out the fire for you." "that's the idea! he's got fire extinguishers!" cried the farmer whose pen was ablaze. "rip off some of the boards and let those pigs out. otherwise they'll be roasted before their time." "set to work!" yelled a neighbor. with rakes, hoes and axes the men soon tore down a side of the pen farthest away from the fire. out ran the pigs squealing as loudly as they could. dix, splash and some other dogs ran among them, thinking it was all a game, i suppose. mr. brown, with one extinguisher, and uncle tad, with another, squirted on the blaze the white streams, made of something that puts fire out better even than water. over the blaze uncle tad and mr. brown squirted the stuff until finally the fire was out. "well, i'm certainly obliged to you, neighbor," said the farmer who owned the pigs. "my name's blakeson. i don't believe i know you, though. live around here?" "no, we are making a tour in a big automobile," and mr. brown pointed to it. "we saw your blaze and came to it." "well, i'm certainly thankful to you, and for those contraptions there," and he pointed to the fire extinguishers. "that's better than dipping water from the brook." "yes, i carry them in case the gasolene on my auto should get on fire," said mr. brown. "but they'll put out any small blaze." the pig-pen had only partly burned, and the barn, to the side of which it was built, was only scorched. some one must have dropped a match in the straw of the pig-pen to start the blaze, it was said. "well, we'll nail a few boards back on the pen, and it will do to keep the pigs in until morning," said mr. blakeson, the farmer. "that is if we can get 'em collected again." "my dogs will help," said mr. brown. "here, dix! splash!" he called. "drive the pigs up here!" the two dogs, both of which were used to driving cows, soon collected the pigs, even in the dark, and once more they were in their pen, sniffing about for something to eat, now that the fire was out. the farmer whose barn had been saved by the children's father was much interested in the big auto, and, a little later in the evening, went down to look at it, as did some of his neighbors. "well, that's a fine way of traveling about," said mr. blakeson, and his friends agreed with him. the next morning, while bunny, sue and the others were at breakfast, talking about the fire of the night before, a number of children came down the road to see the big machine. all the dirt from the flood had been washed off, and as it had been newly painted before this tour started, the "ark," as the browns sometimes called their big car, looked very nice indeed. the country children had seldom, if ever, seen so big an automobile as this, nor one in which a family could live as they traveled. there were many "ohs!" and "ahs!" as they walked about it. "let's ask 'em in and show 'em our bunks," proposed bunny, and his mother said he might. the children were even more surprised at the inside of the "ark" than at the outside. "oh, wouldn't i love to live in this!" sighed a little girl with red hair. "it's just like mother goose or a fairy story." "i love fairy stories," said sue. just before the browns were ready to set off once more in their automobile, a hired hand from the blakeson farm came down with a basket of fresh eggs, some apples and other fruit which the farmer gave daddy brown and uncle tad for helping to put out the fire. "oh, he needn't have done that," said mrs. brown. "but i do love fresh eggs, so i'll keep them. please thank mr. blakeson for me." the man said he would, and then, as he went back to the farm, the big auto started off on the tour again. there were yet many miles to go, and many more adventures were in store for bunny brown and his sister sue. "we've got to find that missing fred ward," said bunny. "it's funny where he went, isn't it?" "well, this country is a big place, especially if a person wants to hide," said mr. brown. "still we may find some trace of fred in portland when we get there. but that will not be for some weeks, as we are traveling slowly." the browns and uncle tad found the auto tour so pleasant that it was decided to make the trip even longer than at first planned, which would put off the time when they would reach portland. for two more days they traveled on, stopping each night near some village or small city. nothing happened except that once they nearly ran into a hay wagon that did not get out of the way in time. "but it wouldn't hurt any more to hit a hay wagon than it would be to fall into a feather bed," said bunny. it was just about supper time. bunny and sue were playing out in front of the automobile, while mrs. brown was getting supper. sue suddenly called: "oh, look at dix! he's chasing a cat!" something big and gray flashed over the ground. dix ran for it, and his teeth seemed to close on one of the hind legs of the animal. then the gray animal ran up a tree, and dix raced about at the foot, barking and whining, while splash left the place where he was rolling on the grass, to come to see what the matter was. chapter xiv the medicine show bunny brown and his sister sue ran toward the tree up which dix had chased the gray creature. the dog was greatly excited, and at once splash joined in, too. though it is very likely splash did not in the least know what he was barking at. dogs are like that, you know. when one hears another bark it will join in, and then will come a third and maybe a fourth until every dog in the block is barking, and only the first one may know why, and perhaps even he does not. "oh, i hope he didn't hurt that pussy," said sue. "maybe it wasn't a pussy," suggested bunny. "what makes you say that?" demanded sue. "didn't you see something gray run across the grass, and didn't dix run after it?" "yes. and the gray thing ran up a tree. but maybe it wasn't a kittie," said bunny, shaking his head to show he did not agree with his sister. "let's go and see what it is," said she, and together the two hurried faster than ever toward the tree at the bottom of which dix and splash were having a great barking time. "where are you going?" asked mrs. brown. "just over to this tree," answered bunny, pointing to it. "well, don't go any farther than that," warned his mother. "no, we're just going to see what it was dix chased up into it," went on sue. "i said it was a cat but bunny says----" "i don't say what it is yet!" interrupted her brother. "i want to see it first." they reached the tree, and the two dogs were so interested in looking up and barking at something in it that they paid little attention to the children. dix actually stepped on sue's feet and nearly made her fall down, while splash tried to jump over bunny's head. but the dog did not quite do it, and fell on bunny instead, knocking him down. "oh, bunny, are you hurt?" cried sue. "no, i guess not--much," answered bunny slowly. "but i'm all--mussed up!" and he looked at splash, who was again rushing toward the boy, not so much with the idea of playing with him as of getting nearer to the tree so he could bark at the gray animal. "down, splash! down!" cried bunny sharply, and the dogs at once stopped barking. they had learned to mind the little boy. both dogs looked up into the tree and whined. it was just the way dogs do who are in the habit of chasing cats, and who make this noise, perhaps to show how sorry they are that they cannot get at the poor pussies to roll them over in the grass. but dix and splash were not what one could call cat-chasing dogs. true, they had done it when they were small dogs, just over being puppies, but, of late years, splash had given up that fun, and what little the children had seen of dix they had not noticed him chasing cats. "that's what makes me think it isn't a cat they've got up that tree now," said bunny, speaking of cat-chasing to his sister. "but it _looked_ like a cat," said she. the dogs were quieter now, though they both kept on peering up into the tree and whining softly, though they did not jump about so hard and try to leap over bunny and sue. "oh, i see it!" suddenly exclaimed sue. "see what?" asked bunny. "the cat--the gray thing--whatever it was ran up the tree," and sue pointed her finger to the crotch where one of the lowest big branches joined the trunk. "there it is!" went on the little girl. "see it, bunny? and it is gray. but it doesn't really _look_ like a cat." bunny came and stood beside sue. he could see the gray animal now, and as it moved just then, the dogs set up another wild barking. "be still!" ordered bunny. then, as the dog's cries were less noisy he said: "why, sue, i know what that is. it's a----" and just then the gray animal fell out of the tree, landing on a pile of leaves at the very feet of the children. with barks and howls the two dogs made a dive for it. i do not really believe they meant to bite it--they just wanted to see what it was. but bunny was too quick for them. with a sudden motion he caught up the gray animal and held it close to him. at the same time he shouted: "down, splash! down, dix! don't dare try to get this poor little squirrel. one of you has hurt its leg anyhow--that's why it fell out of the tree." "oh, bunny! is it really and truly a squirrel?" asked sue, excitedly. "that's what it is," said her brother. "it's a big gray squirrel. it does look something like a cat, but its tail is bigger than a cat's except when a cat is being chased by a dog." "i saw the big tail," explained sue, "and that's why i thought maybe it was a cat. a cat's tail always swells up like a long balloon whenever it sees a dog. but is the squirrel hurt, bunny?" "i guess dix must have bit it a little on one leg," said the boy, as he looked at the gray animal which did not try to get away or bite. "that's why it couldn't go up any higher in the tree or hold fast any longer. its leg is hurt. i'm going to take it to uncle tad. he knows how to fix hurt animals." bunny could feel the heart of the frightened squirrel beating very hard, and the little animal seemed to shrink closer to the boy, as though it knew it would be taken care of. dix and splash bounded about, now and then leaping up against bunny as though they wanted to get the squirrel away from him. but bunny stood firm, and cried "down, sir!" in such sharp tones that the dogs knew they must mind. they gave up the hope of getting the squirrel (that is, if they knew it was such an animal) and ran off to have a game of "tag" together. "dix knew it wasn't a cat as soon as he saw it," explained bunny to sue as they walked back toward the big auto, bunny carrying the injured squirrel, one of whose legs seemed broken. "dix knew it was a wild animal," went on the little boy, "and that's why he chased it." "i'm glad he didn't get it," murmured sue, softly. "so am i," replied her brother. "we'll get uncle tad to fix the sore leg, and then we'll make a cage and keep the squirrel. some day we may get up another circus, and we could have it do tricks." "don't you think the squirrel would rather be in the woods?" asked sue, as she looked at the gray creature. "well, maybe yes," agreed bunny. "after we have it in the circus a while we'll let it go. 'member how we played circus, sue?" "i guess i do! we had lots of fun, didn't we?" "we did!" from across the fields came a call: "come to supper, children!" "we're coming, momsie!" shouted bunny. "and we're bringing a squirrel to supper too!" added sue, who always liked to be counted in on everything. "a squirrel!" exclaimed uncle tad when he saw the gray creature that had fallen out of the tree. "where did you get it?" the children told what had happened, and uncle tad looked at the squirrel's leg. "can you fix it, or make him a new wooden leg?" asked sue. uncle tad looked the squirrel over carefully. the woodland animal did not seem to mind being handled. it seemed to know it was in the hands of friends, and safe from the barking dogs. and though wild squirrels quickly bite one who manages to catch them alive in the woods, this one did not offer to nip the hands of the children or of uncle tad. "yes," said uncle tad after a bit, "i think i can mend this squirrel's leg. it doesn't seem to be broken, only strained and bruised. i guess dix didn't bite it very hard. i'll make some splints, or little sticks, to put on, so the squirrel can't move his leg, and i'll bandage it. then it will get well quicker." a little box, filled with straw and soft rags, was made as a home for the squirrel after uncle tad had bound up its leg. then bunny and sue finally went to supper, after having been called several times. and even then they could not leave the little squirrel, but ran back every now and then to look at it, as it curled up on the soft bed. over the box was put a wire cover so the squirrel could not get out and so dix or splash could not get at it. "what are we going to give the squirrel to eat?" asked bunny, when he had finished his supper. "he's got to have something to eat." "and he's got to have a name," added sue. "we can't call him just 'squirrel' for we may get another." "call him fluffy," suggested mother brown. "his tail is so soft and fluffs out so beautifully." "fluffy is a good name," decided bunny, and sue said the same thing. "but what about giving him something to eat?" asked bunny. "bread soaked in milk will do for to-night," said uncle tad. "afterward we'll try to find him some nuts, though it's a little early. still he'll eat seeds and grain." bunny and sue took a last look at fluffy, the squirrel, before they went to their bunks that night. dix and splash were called in and shown the squirrel in his little nest. then mr. brown told both dogs sharply and solemnly that they must not bother the gray, woodland creature. dix and splash understood, i think, for they were smart dogs. both children were up early the next morning to see their new pet, and they fed fluffy some dried crackers. at first the squirrel was a bit timid, but it soon poked its sharp nose and mouth out of a little opening on the side of the wire netting over the box and ate from the hands of bunny and sue. "don't let him bite you," said mother brown, as she started to get breakfast. "oh, fluffy won't bite," said bunny. "he's as tame as our cat used to be." once more the automobile traveled on. it rained part of the day but the shower was not a hard one, though bunny and sue had to stay in the big car when noon came, and dinner could not be served out-of-doors. but the skies cleared before night, and when the auto was stopped the children could run about with their rubbers on. they were near a small town, and mrs. brown promised to take the children in after the meal to see if they could buy some grain or seeds for fluffy. the supper was an early one, and, leaving uncle tad at the "ark" with the two dogs and the squirrel, mr. and mrs. brown, with the two children walked into town. as they reached the middle of the village, near a public square, they heard the sound of music and saw a crowd of people around a wagon lighted by a gasolene torch, such as is used in a circus at night. "oh, it's a medicine show!" cried mrs. brown, as she saw a big, long-haired man on the back platform of a wagon, holding up a bottle about which he was talking to the people. "yes, and there's a banjo player with him," said bunny. "look, mother! it's a colored boy playing a banjo! maybe it's fred ward!" chapter xv was it fred? "what's this? what's this you're talking about?" suddenly asked mr. brown, as he heard what bunny said. or rather, bunny's father did not hear exactly, for he had been thinking about something else. but he had caught the name fred ward. "bunny thinks that colored banjo player with that medicine show may be fred ward," said mrs. brown. "do you think it would be of any use to inquire, daddy?" "why, that _is_ a medicine show, isn't it!" exclaimed mr. brown, as though he saw it for the first time. "and it's just like the one we heard about that had a boy banjo player with it." "there's a boy banjo player now," said bunny. "he's going to play, daddy, too! do you think it could be fred?" the man who was selling the bottles of medicine, after telling the people how much good it would do them, had stopped to let the boy traveling with him play the banjo. there are, or there used to be, many such traveling medicine shows. sometimes there would be a whole troop of indians, some real and some make-believe, that would be engaged by the seller of the medicine. he would have the indians do some of their queer dances and then, when a crowd had collected, he would sell some medicine--maybe some he said the indians made themselves. another medicine seller would go about with a gaily painted wagon, carrying a cornet player, a singer or a banjoist to attract a crowd. and when the men and women were gathered about the end of the wagon, which had a broad platform on the end and a flaring gasolene torch at night, the man would tell about his medicine and sell all he could. this traveling medicine show which bunny brown and his sister sue saw was like those. and, just as the browns reached the place in the village square where the torch on the wagon was burning, the man had finished selling a large number of bottles of medicine. it was about time he amused the crowd again, he thought. so he called in a loud voice: "now, ladies and gentlemen, while i am getting out of my storeroom some more bottles of my wonderful medicine that will cure all your pains and aches, i will have my friend here, professor rombodno prosondo entertain you on his magical banjo. professor rombodno prosondo, i might say, is the most wonderful player on the banjo you have ever heard. he has traveled all over the world and played in every country. professor, you will now oblige!" of course what the medicine man said about the banjo player was only a joke, and the people knew that. he was not a professor at all. but he was a good banjo player and a singer, and bunny and sue were delighted with the music. the songs, too, were funny. "he sings like a real colored boy," said sue. "maybe he is," her father observed. "yes, and maybe he's only blacked up, like most of them," suggested mrs. brown. "can you tell if he looks anything like fred ward, daddy?" "no, i can't be sure that he does," said mr. brown. "i never saw much of the missing boy, you know; and i certainly would not know him if he were blackened like a negro. this one, if he is not really colored, is well made-up. he would fool almost any one." "is there any way we could find out?" asked mrs. brown. "we ought to do all we can to find fred for his parents." "i'll see what i can do after the exhibition is over," promised mr. brown. "i'll ask the proprietor of the medicine wagon if i can get a chance. but i'll have to do it when the banjo player can't hear, for in case he should be fred--which i hardly think can be true--but if it should be he, and he heard me asking, he'd run away again." "yes, i suppose he would," said mrs. brown with a sigh. "oh, how foolish boys are sometimes. they don't know what is good for them," and she looked at bunny, as if wondering if the time would ever come when he would not be a "mother's boy." she hoped not. "let's get up as close as we can," said bunny. "maybe if it's fred we can tell, no matter if he is blacked up like a minstrel." "he doesn't look at all like fred to me," said sue. "he looks so funny with his big red lips and his white collar." "that's the way they all dress," said bunny. "come on, here's a place we can squeeze through and see better." bunny wiggled his way up among the people. his sister followed him, and mr. and mrs. brown, watching the children, knew where to find them when they wanted to go away. "now take a good look," whispered sue to bunny, as they got very near the platform on which the boy sat. she had made her whisper rather loud, and it came at just the time when the banjoist stopped playing, so that he and several persons heard the little girl. "what's the matter?" asked one man, smiling down at sue. "didn't you ever see a minstrel before?" "yes, i did," said sue. "but maybe not this one." "oh, they're all alike," said the man, but sue paid no more attention to him, for she was nudging bunny and trying to get him to look at the colored boy. bunny himself was greatly interested. he wanted to make sure whether or not the player were fred. so he stared with all his might at the banjoist, who just then began another song. by this time the medicine man had come out on the platform of his wagon with more filled bottles to sell. he would begin as soon as the song was finished, for more people had gathered, attracted by the music. and then bunny and sue both noticed that the colored boy was looking straight at them. but he did not seem to know them. and surely, if it had been fred ward he would have known the brown children, even though he had lived next door to them only a short time. people did not easily forget bunny brown and his sister sue, once they had met them. but this banjo player evidently did not know them; or, if he did, he was not going to let it be known. he finished his song with a twang of the banjo strings and then hurried inside the wagon, the sides of which were of wood, like a small moving van. then the man began selling his medicine again, talking a great deal about it while he did so. mrs. brown turned to her husband and said: "i'm sure that was a white boy blacked up to look like a negro, and he does it very well, too. even his voice is like a colored person's. but as he turned to go back into the wagon his sleeve slipped up and i saw that his arm was white." "very likely he was made up as a colored boy then," said mr. brown. "his lips were too red for a real colored boy's." "well, since we are sure of that let's ask the medicine man about him," went on mrs. brown. "all right, i'm willing," said mr. brown good-naturedly. "we'll wait until the show is over though." the medicine man kept on selling bottles. it was getting later now, and the crowd began to thin out. seeing this the medicine man announced there would be no more music or sales that night, but that he would stop in this town on his next trip. the flaring lamp was put out, and the medicine man began to close up his wagon for the night. mr. brown stepped up to him. the real or pretended colored boy was not in sight. "i'd like to ask you a question," said mr. brown to the traveling medicine seller. "about my wonderful pain destroyer?" asked "dr. perry," as he called himself. "no. about that young banjo player you have with you." "oh, you mean professor rombodno prosondo?" "yes," and mr. brown smiled. "i want to know if he is fred ward, who has run away from his home next door to us?" [illustration: "now take a good look," whispered sue to bunny. _bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour._ _page_ 153.] chapter xvi in the ditch for a few seconds the medicine man looked sharply at mr. brown. he did not appear to understand what the children's father had asked. then, finally, dr. perry asked: "is it a joke you are making?" "no, indeed. i'm serious," said mr. brown. "we are looking for a lost boy, or rather, a runaway boy, named fred ward. the wards live next door to us, and when we started on this trip, which is not yet finished, the boy's parents said they would be glad if we would try to find him and send him----" "tell us, please," broke in bunny, unable to wait any longer for the question he wanted answered. "tell us if your banjo player is really colored?" "oh yes, he's really _colored_ all right," said the medicine man, "but not by mother nature." "what's that mean?" asked sue. "that means, little girl," said dr. perry as he put away the unsold bottles of his medicine, "that my banjo player blackens his face and hands himself, and reddens his lips, to make him look like a negro." "can you tell us who he really is?" "no, i am sorry to say i can not," said dr. perry, and he bowed respectfully to mrs. brown, who had asked the question. "but i'll let you ask him yourself. he usually goes in back there," and he nodded toward his wagon, "to wash the black off after the show each night. no doubt he is in there now scrubbing himself, for i must say he is a very clean person, is john lane." "john lane! is that what he calls himself?" asked mr. brown. "he has since he has been with me, which, however, is only the last few days. i called him professor just for fun, as it sounds better with the public. but i'll let you ask him yourself. he must be through washing by now. it may be he is a runaway boy. it wouldn't be the first time i've had 'em join me. sometimes they get sorry and run back home again, and sometimes they drift away and i don't see 'em again. but we'll soon find out if this is the boy you want." he opened a door leading off the back platform. it seemed to give admittance to the middle of the medicine van. "here you, john! john lane!" called dr. perry. "there are some folks out here who want to see you. they want to see how you look when you have the black off. you ought to be washed now, for it's almost time to go to the hotel for the night. come on out." there was no answer to the medicine man's call. he stepped inside the wagon, called again, and then, lighting a lamp, which stood in a bracket, looked around inside the van. "john seems to have gone," the medicine man said. "i guess he finished washing off the black, and then slipped out the front way to go to the hotel. he did that once before, without waiting for me to count up my money and come along. you see i travel only by day, putting up the horse, that draws my van, at a hotel stable each night. "then john, or whomever i have with me to make the music to draw a crowd, and i, go to the hotel to stay all night. in the morning, after breakfast, we start out again. sometimes, in a big city i stay a week, selling in different places. "but that boy, whoever he is, has gone. i can see where he's been washing the black off, and, not wanting to wait when he saw i was talking to you folks, i guess he just slipped away. john is a bashful boy." "do you know anything about him?" asked mr. brown. "where did he come from, and where is he going? did he give any account of himself?" "not much, except that he came to me the other day just after my violin player left me. i had to have somebody musical to draw the crowd, and he surely can play the banjo. "so i hired him. he said his name was lane and that he had to make his own way in the world. said he wanted to be a player in a theater. "i told him my place was a sort of open-air theater and ought to suit him," said dr. perry with a smile, "and he said he thought he would like it. so i engaged him and he did very well. you are the first persons that have inquired about him." "we are not sure he _is_ the runaway fred we are looking for," said mr. brown. "it is hard to tell with all that black he had on. but i should like to meet him." "go to the hotel any time between now and morning," suggested the medicine man. "i guess the boy will be glad to talk to you." "i'll see him in the morning," said bunny's father. "i'd like to get this boy to go home, if he is really fred ward. his mother and father miss him very much." "i'll do all i can for you," promised the medicine man. "come to the hotel in the morning and i'll let you talk to him. i won't say anything in the meanwhile, because if he is really fred, and has run off as you say, he won't want to meet you or go back with you. it's best to take him unawares." mr. brown agreed to this, and then, with his wife and bunny and sue, started for the "ark." on the way they discussed what had happened. they saw the medicine man, as they turned down the curve in the road, driving his horse and van toward the hotel. "i'm sure it's fred," said sue. "so am i," added bunny. "won't it be _great_ if we find him so soon?" "it may not be the missing boy," said mr. brown. "but we'll know in the morning." those in the "ark" passed a quiet night, though they went to bed later than usual because of the excitement of the evening. uncle tad was interested in hearing the news about the blackened-up banjo player who might prove to be fred ward. "and how's fluffy, our squirrel?" asked sue. "fast asleep, just as dix and splash are," answered uncle tad. bunny and sue were awake early the next morning, but daddy brown was ahead of them, and their mother said he had gone on to the hotel to see about the banjo boy. "may we go there after we have eaten?" asked bunny. "we want to see fred." "it might not be he," said mrs. brown. "you had better wait until your father comes back." at first bunny and sue fretted a bit, but finally they became interested in playing games under the big tree where the "ark" had rested for the night, and before they knew it their father came back. "but he hasn't brought fred!" cried bunny. "maybe the minstrel boy wasn't the one after all," suggested mrs. brown. "well, i'm inclined to think he was," said her husband. "did you see him?" eagerly asked bunny. "no, he had run away. that's why i think it was fred." then mr. brown explained: "when i got to the hotel," he told bunny, sue and the others, "i saw dr. perry walking around rather nervously. i asked him about the boy, and he said that when he and his medicine van reached the hotel after closing the show last night, he found that his banjo player had packed his valise, taken his banjo, and gone off." "where?" asked mrs. brown. "nobody knows. he left no word. that's what makes me think it was fred. he must have seen us in the crowd. and, as soon as he could wash the black off his face, he hurried to the hotel ahead of dr. perry, got his bag and ran away. very likely he did not want to see us and hear us give him the message from his parents. his heart must still be hard against them. it is too bad, if that was fred, for i had begun to think i had found him. still it may have been some other young fellow. dr. perry said they often came and went without giving any reasons. but we'll still be on the lookout for the missing boy." once more the "ark" started off, and for several days there was just ordinary travel. the children played and had fun, the dogs raced along the road, barking and enjoying themselves, and the weather was fine. then came another day of hard rain, and the "ark" was kept under a big oak tree. the day after the rain, when the wayside brooks were still high, but the roads fairly good, mr. brown went on again. they were coming to a small town, and had to cross a ditch over which was a small bridge. usually there was but little water in the ditch, but now, because of the rain, the banks were full. "i hope this bridge is strong enough for our car to go over," said mr. brown. slowly he steered the big machine on it. hardly had it reached the middle when there was a cracking of wood, and the bridge bent down. the automobile sank with it. "oh!" cried bunny, who sat in the back door. "we're going into the ditch, daddy!" "we're there _now_!" said sue as the "ark" stopped with a jerk and a bounce. chapter xvii on to portland there was no doubt about it, the big automobile was in the ditch. or rather, the rear wheels, having gone through the small bridge, were now in the water of a little brook. the rains had made the usually dry ditch into a brook that flowed swiftly along. "oh dear!" cried mrs. brown. "this is too bad!" "anybody hurt back there?" asked mr. brown, who, at the first feeling that something was wrong, had put on the brakes. the automobile would have stopped anyhow, as the wheels were held fast in the mud and the broken pieces of the bridge. "no, we're all right," answered uncle tad, looking at bunny and sue, who, at the first sound of something wrong had crept closer to their mother. "my nose feels as if i had bumped it," said bunny, rubbing his "smeller" as he sometimes called it. "though i don't remember doing it," he went on. "i guess you did it when you jumped out of your seat," said his mother. "we all jumped, it came so suddenly." "and i dropped my teddy bear and uncle tad stepped on her," murmured sue with sorrow in her tones. "look, uncle tad, you've turned on her eyes!" and, surely enough, the electric eyes of sallie malinda were glowing brightly. uncle tad must have stepped on the switch button in the toy's back and turned it on. "but i guess she's all right," went on sue, as she turned off the switch and then turned it on again to see that it was working as it should. "you didn't hurt her, uncle tad," she said. "i'm glad of that, sue," said the old soldier. "now i guess i'd better get around to see if i can help your father get the automobile out of the ditch." dix and splash, who had been racing up and down the road, came back, panting and with their long red tongues hanging out of their mouths, to see what the trouble was. they looked at the ditched automobile with their heads on one side, and then sort of barked at one another. it was as if dix said: "well, what do you think about it, splash? do you think we had better stay here and help them?" "oh, i don't see anything _we_ can do," answered splash. at least it _seemed_ as if he spoke that way. "let's keep on playing tag." and so the two dogs raced away. "we do seem to be in a fix," remarked mr. brown as he came as near as he could to the back of the automobile without getting into the ditch. "what _can_ we do?" asked mrs. brown, and her voice was anxious. "we'll soon see," answered her husband. "in the first place you had all better get out of the car. i don't know how long it may stand upright. it may topple over if the water washes away more mud from under one wheel than from under another, and you'll be better out than in." "but how are we going to _get_ out?" asked bunny. "the back steps are all under water!" and so they were. when the bridge broke with the automobile the front wheels were off the wooden planks and on the road beyond, and the rear wheels went down when the bridge broke in the middle. so the "ark" was standing as though it had come to a sudden stop going up a steep hill, at the bottom of which was a brook. the rear wheels, and all but the top one of the back steps were under water. "you can crawl out over the front seat," said mr. brown. "from there you can easily get down to the ground if uncle tad and i help you. then, mother, you might try your hand at getting a lunch, for it will soon be noon, while uncle tad and i see what we can do about getting the automobile out of the ditch." "it will be some fun after all," said bunny as he crawled out over the front seat. "we can picnic alongside the road, sue, and watch daddy and uncle tad get the car out." "yes," said bunny's sister. "and maybe i'll make a pie for you and sallie malinda." "no, i guess i wouldn't try a pie to-day," said mrs. brown with a smile. "we won't be able to use any stove except the small oil one, out on the ground, and that will cook only a few things. we'll wait for the pie until the auto is safe on the road again." "i hope we can get it out of the ditch without breaking anything," said mr. brown, as he helped his wife and children down the high front steps of the big car, and then lifted out the oil stove, and other things that would be needed for the lunch. "do you think there is any danger?" asked mrs. brown. "a little," answered her husband. "but at least none of us can be hurt, and the worst that can happen will be a little damage to our car." "oh, the dear old 'ark!'" cried mrs. brown. "i hope it won't be damaged much." "so do i," said her husband. "if i had known that bridge was so weak as to let us fall through i would have gone a different road. but i suppose the rain and high water weakened the supports. however, don't worry. we'll see what can be done." after a look at the way in which the rear wheels of the big car were lodged in the ditch, uncle tad and mr. brown went to the nearest town on foot to get help. mrs. brown, bunny and sue made a little camp beside the road, the children helping a little, and then running about to play. the two dogs joined them in their fun. "i guess i'll make a little cornstarch pudding," said mrs. brown, as she got the other things ready for lunch; and when the pudding was finished she covered it up, so no ants or bugs would get in it, and set it in a hollow stump to keep until it would be needed for the dessert after the lunch. it was not long before mr. brown and uncle tad came back riding in a big automobile truck which they had hired at the nearest garage to pull the "ark" out of the ditch. "will you have lunch first?" asked mrs. brown. "yes, i guess we will," said her husband. "we'll eat while the garage men are getting ropes and chains around our car to pull it out of the ditch." and so they ate their dinner under the shade of a big tree beside the road. two men had come in the auto truck to work for mr. brown, and they went about it quickly, putting strong ropes and chains on the "ark." "and now i have a little surprise for you," said mrs. brown as she poured tea for herself, mr. brown and uncle tad, and set milk before the children. "oh, goodie!" cried sue. "fine!" exclaimed bunny. mrs. brown went to the hollow stump. she looked in and then she cried: "oh, dear! no i haven't any either." "any what, either?" asked mr. brown. "surprise for you. i made a nice cocoanut cornstarch pudding, and put it in this hollow stump, covering it up. but something has come along and eaten it." for a moment there was a silence, and then bunny cried: "maybe it was a hungry bear!" "or maybe it was our squirrel fluffy," said sue. "he can hop around a little now, 'cause his leg is almost well." "hum, the pudding's gone, is it?" said mr. brown. "that's too bad. come here, sir!" he suddenly called to splash. the dog, who was lying beside dix near the brook, arose slowly and came to mr. brown, tail between his legs and head drooping. "and you too, dix! come here!" ordered mr. brown. dix walked up exactly as splash had done, with drooping head and tail. mr. brown took hold of the head of first one dog and then the other. he looked closely at their mouths. "here we have the pudding thieves!" he cried. "splash and dix found the dessert in the hollow stump and ate it. didn't you, you rascals?" the dogs whined and said not a "word." it was very plain that they had taken the pudding. "oh, please don't whip them, daddy!" begged bunny. "no; i won't," said mr. brown. "i shouldn't have left the pudding where they could get it," said mrs. brown. "it was all my fault. i'll make another for supper." however, there were some cakes in a tin can in the "ark," and as uncle tad climbed in and got them out for the children before the garage men started to pull the stalled automobile out with their machine, bunny and sue had a little dessert after all. "we're all ready to try to get your car out of the ditch now, mr. brown," said one of the garage men. "oh, let's watch, sue!" cried bunny. "but keep out of the way," ordered their father. there was a puffing of the other auto truck, a grinding of the wheels, and then the "ark" was pulled slowly out of the ditch, and on to the road again, the hind wheels running on long planks which the men put under them. thus out on to the safe and solid road rolled the "ark." "hurrah!" cried bunny brown. "now we're all right," said his sister sue. and indeed they were, for it was found that nothing was broken on the big machine in which the brown family were making their tour. mr. brown paid the garage men, who went back to their shop, and the "ark" was soon on its way again. "and the next time i come to a small bridge i'm going to find out how much weight it will carry before i cross it," said the children's father. for a week or more the "ark" traveled on. every time he got a chance mr. brown asked about fred, in the different towns through which they passed, but could get no trace of the missing boy. they saw other medicine showmen who had with them players or singers, but none of them were at all like the runaway fred. "it must have been he who was with dr. perry," said mrs. brown. "yes, and i presume he feared we knew him and so he ran on farther," her husband added. "he may be in portland now." "how soon shall we be there?" asked bunny. "in a few more days now." two days later, as they camped outside a little village for the night, they saw beside the road a signboard which read: twenty miles to portland "oh, we'll be there to-morrow!" cried bunny. "then we can find fred, and can send him to his mamma and papa!" chapter xviii camping out mr. brown was awakened in the morning feeling little hands tugging at him as he lay in his bunk, and childish voices crying: "come on, daddy! get up! get up!" "eh? what's this? get up!" he exclaimed. "why, what's the matter, bunny and sue?" he went on, as he saw the two standing inside the curtains that hung in front of his bed. "it's time to get up," said sue. "why, it isn't six o'clock yet," answered her father, looking at his watch, which was under his pillow. "why are you out of your bunks so early? go back to sleep." "but we want to get on to portland to find fred ward," said bunny. "it's only twenty miles and we can soon be there if we start early." "there isn't much you children forget, is there?" asked mr. brown with a laugh, as he stretched and rubbed his eyes. then as he opened wide his arms bunny and sue piled into the bunk with him, having a good, hearty tussle, until their shouts of laughter awakened mrs. brown and uncle tad, while dix and splash, asleep under the big car, added their barks to the din. "what's the matter?" asked mrs. brown. "has anything more happened?" "oh, these children want to leave before breakfast for portland, to find that runaway boy," said mr. brown. "well, as long as they're awake i suppose we might as well get up and start early. it's about time i attended to my business affairs." breakfast was soon ready, and when it had been eaten the "ark" was once more chugging along the road. the travelers passed through several small villages and then they came to the edge of a big city which, the children's father told them, was portland. "are we going to stay in the auto while we're here?" asked bunny, for mr. brown had said they would probably remain in portland for nearly a week, as he had several matters to look after. "no, i'll give you a chance to stretch your legs," said his father. "we'll store the automobile in a garage and you can live at a hotel while i'm getting my business in shape." "but what about dix and splash?" asked bunny. "where can they stay?" "oh, we'll find a hotel with a garage attached to it, and leave the dogs there in charge of the 'ark,'" said mr. brown. "and what about finding fred?" sue queried. she, as well as bunny, was greatly interested in the missing boy. "oh, i'll do all i can to find him," promised mr. brown. a hotel, with a garage attached to it, was easily found in portland, and as the "ark" went through the streets many persons turned to look at it. but bunny and sue did not mind this in the least. "they'll think we're a new kind of gypsy," said bunny. "and they'll all wish they was us, riding around this way," said sue, as she laughed with bunny. "'they was us.' oh, sue!" groaned her mother. dix and splash did not like very much being left alone in the garage, and they whined and barked as they were chained near the auto. but the garage keeper promised to be kind to them, to let them run about after a while and to feed and water them. "and we'll come to see you every once in a while," said bunny and sue, as they patted and hugged their two pets. fluffy, the squirrel, now well again, had been set free, before entering the city, in the woods that he loved. so, for a while the browns gave up their "ark," and settled down to hotel life. mr. brown had much business to look after in connection with his fish and dock affairs at home, for he was part owner of a steamship line that ran from portland to bellemere. after a day or two he found a chance to ask about the missing boy. mr. brown first appealed to the police. but they had no record of him, and though inquiries were made of a number of theater owners, fred ward was not found. the man whose name he had mentioned as being the one he intended to see in portland had moved away. "well, fred may have come here," said mr. brown, "and, after he found his friend was gone, he may have drifted on to some other town. i'm afraid we can't find him." "oh, dear!" exclaimed bunny. "that's too bad!" "let us go to look for him," proposed sue. "we found nellie jones, that girl who lives at the end of our street, when she was lost away over on the next block." "yes, but that was different from this," said mrs. brown. "portland is a big city, and if you go wandering about in it you'll be worse lost than you were in the big woods. you children stay with me, and your father will do all he can to find fred." so bunny and sue had to be content to stay at the hotel, to go sightseeing with their mother, to go to the moving pictures, while mr. brown looked after his business. several times each day bunny and sue went to the garage to see the dogs. and how glad dix and splash were to see the children! finally the day came when mr. brown had finished his business. he made several more attempts to find fred, but could not do so and at last wrote to mr. ward, as he had promised, that, as far as could be learned, the missing boy was not in portland. "we will keep watch for him on our way back to bellemere," mr. brown said in his letter. "we are returning by a different route from that by which we came. every chance we get we will look for your boy." then the "ark" was taken from the garage, to the delight of the dogs no less than that of the children, and once more the browns were on their tour. as mr. brown had said, they were going back a different way from the one they had taken on coming to portland. this was to give his family a chance to see new towns and villages. and, as the weather still promised to be fine, all looked forward to a jolly auto tour. every time he came to a good-sized city, and whenever he met a traveling show, mr. brown inquired for fred, but it seemed that the missing boy was well hidden. undoubtedly he did not want to be found. bunny and sue had great fun on the homeward trip, which lasted even longer than the outgoing one. the party had ridden on for several days, each one marked by sunshine, when one evening they came to a little clump of trees beside the road. it was not far from a good-sized village. "we'll stay here over night," said mr. brown, "and in the morning we'll take a little side trip to a waterfall not far away." "oh, that will be fun!" cried bunny. "maybe i can make a wooden water wheel, and have it splash in the falls and go around." "no indeed you can't!" cried his father. "the falls are too big for that. they are seventy feet high." but, as it happened, when morning came and mr. brown was about to start the automobile after breakfast, there was a sudden crash, and the big car settled down on one side, like a lame duck. "oh, my!" cried mrs. brown. "what has happened now?" "it sounded as if one of the big springs had broken," said her husband, getting down off the seat to look. "yes," he added, "that's it. this means we'll have to stay here three or four days until i can get a new spring put in." for a moment bunny and sue looked a trifle sad. then bunny cried: "oh, that will be fun. we can camp out in a tent in the woods." "yes, you and sue can play at camping, if you like," said their father. "but i think you'll want to sleep in the auto at night." "oh, no! we won't!" laughed sue. "now for some fun camping out!" she added. chapter xix at the lake while mr. brown and uncle tad looked again at the spring of the auto, to see just how badly it was broken, bunny and sue, with mrs. brown, went over to the clump of trees, which was not far from the road. "oh, this will be a grand place!" cried sue. "yes," agreed her brother. "we can put up the tent here," and he pointed to a little knoll amid a circle of trees, "and then if it rains the water will not come in." bunny's father had told him the first thing to do, in pitching a tent, was to see that it would be dry in case of rain. "oh, i think you children will come into the 'ark' when it begins to shower," said mrs. brown. "oh, no! why, it's lots of fun in a tent in the rain!" cried bunny. "let's get it up right away." "better wait until daddy or uncle tad can help you," said mother brown. "now we'll sit down and rest in the woods." "well, as long as the 'ark' had to break down, this was the best place for it to happen, i guess," said mr. brown, as, with uncle tad, he came over to the wood where mrs. brown and the children were seated on a fallen tree. "is the break a bad one?" asked his wife. "yes, i think we'll need an entirely new spring, and it will take nearly a week to get that. however, as the children will have as much fun camping out here, as they would traveling in the car, it will be all right. we are not far from a town, and we can get what we want to eat from there." "i think our cupboard is pretty well filled now," said mrs. brown. "you might look to see if there is anything you need," suggested her husband. "i am going into town to find a garage man and have him arrange to get a new spring for me. uncle tad can be putting up the tent while i'm away." "i'm going to help," said sue. "and so am i!" cried bunny. as has been said, there was a tent carried on top of the ark, and this was now taken down by the old soldier and carried to the wood, there to be set up for bunny and sue. the tent was large enough for the children to sleep in if they wanted to. in fact, they had done so once or twice. but their mother was not sure they would do so on this trip. however, the tent was put up and the little folding cots made ready, while bunny brought his popgun and cannon with which to play soldier, and sue, her teddy bear and set of dishes with which to play keeping-house. by the time this was done mr. brown had come back from the village, bringing some chocolate candy for the children. he said he had seen an automobile dealer and it would take fully a week to get a new spring for the "ark." they had their dinner out-of-doors, and after that bunny and sue played games in the tent. they said they were surely going to sleep in it at night, so they made up the cots and took their little pajamas with them into the canvas house. "i'll have my flashlight, too," said bunny; "and in case we want to get up in the night to get a drink, sue, we can do it easy." "that'll be nice," said his sister. in the evening, while the browns were at supper, an old man, who seemed to be a farmer, came strolling down the road, stopping at the big automobile, and looking from it over to the children's tent in the woods. "you folks camping here?" he asked. "well, we're traveling in our car, and we've had to stop on account of a broken spring," explained mr. brown. "the children thought it would be fun to have a tent up in the woods. no objection i hope, if you own those trees." "bless your heart! no objection at all! i do own that patch of wood, and i'm glad to see the children's tent there. it sort of reminds me of war time, when i was in the army. you're welcome to stay as long as you like, and if you want anything i've got you can have it!" "so you were in the war, too," remarked uncle tad, walking up to the farmer. "i'm a veteran myself. where did you fight?" the two elderly men began talking and soon found that they had been in the same southern states together, though they had never met. then, as evening came on, the two soldiers talked of the old days of the war, while mr. brown built a little campfire to make it seem pleasant. bunny and sue listened to the tales of battles until finally mrs. brown, noticing that their eyes were drooping, said: "it's time for you tots to go to bed. hadn't you better sleep in the automobile?" "no, we're going to our tent," said bunny, seriously. "yes, we want to camp out," added sue, sleepy as she was. knowing that it was perfectly safe, for the children had often camped out before, mr. and mrs. brown undressed the sleepy tots, and carried them to their cots in the tent. dix and splash were given beds of hay on the ground near the tent and told to stay on guard, which they would be sure to do. "do you think they'll sleep out all night?" asked mr. brown of his wife, as they made ready for bed in the automobile. "i hardly think so," she said. "i'll leave the electric light, the one outside the 'ark' near the back steps, burning, so if they want to crawl in here during the night they can." "good idea," said mr. brown. soon all was quiet around the big automobile and in the little white tent over amid the trees. bunny and sue had fallen asleep almost as soon as their heads touched the pillows. but they did not sleep very long. or so, at least, it seemed to them. sue awakened with a start. at first she could not remember where she was, though there was a bright moon shining outside and it made the tent light inside. then she called: "bunny!" "what's the matter?" he asked, for he was just about to awaken. "did you hear that?" asked sue. "what?" bunny questioned. "that sound." both listened. outside the tent was a sound that could be plainly heard by the children. "i--i guess it's dix snoring," said bunny after a while. "or maybe splash talkin' in his sleep," added sue. "we aren't afraid, are we, bunny?" "not a bit, sue! it's nice here!" bunny's tone was very confident. bunny closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep. so did sue. but neither of them could do so, though they closed their eyes very tight. finally sue asked: "bunny, are you asleep?" "no. are you?" "no. and i don't believe i'm going to sleep. that funny noise is soundin' again. say, bunny, does dix snore like: 'who? who? who-ooo?'" "no, i--i never heard him." "then it isn't dix! it's something else," said the little girl firmly. bunny listened. outside the tent he heard a mournful: "whoo! who? too-who!" "oh, i know what that is now!" cried bunny. "it's an owl." "does an owl bite?" asked sue: "sure they do!" in the dim moonlight that shone into the tent bunny could see his sister get out of her cot, put on her slippers and dressing robe, and then take up her teddy bear, turning on the eyelights. "where are you going?" asked bunny. "i'm goin' home to my regular bed!" said sue. "this tent is all right, but a owl might bite through it. you'd better come with me, bunny brown." "i--i guess i will," said the little boy. "i wouldn't want you to go alone," he added brightly. he, too, put on his robe and slippers, and then sue, with her lighted teddy bear, and bunny, with his little flashlight, started toward the "ark." the two dogs followed. up the steps, in the glare of the little outside electric light went the two tots. as they entered the automobile mrs. brown heard them and called: "who is there?" "it's us," said bunny. "an old owl kept askin' us questions about who was it," added sue, "an' we couldn't sleep. so we came in here." "crawl into your bunks," said mother brown. and that ended the children's sleeping in the tent, for a while at least. the next morning mr. jason, the soldier-farmer who owned the wood where the tent was erected, came down to the "ark." "i'm going to drive over to blue lake to-day," he said. "don't you folks want to go along? you might take your lunch and picnic there. it's got a waterfall." "i did promise the children to take them to see it while we were here," said mr. brown. "thank you, we should like to go with you." and a little later the browns were at blue lake. chapter xx dix to the rescue "where is the waterfall?" "can't we go in swimming?" "i want to row a boat!" "i want to fish!" as soon as they jumped out of farmer jason's wagon at blue lake, bunny brown and his sister sue were saying these things and asking these questions. the children saw before them a large body of water, that seemed a deep blue under the shining sun, and round about it were small hills "like strawberries on top of a shortcake," as sue said. "oh, what a beautiful place!" ejaculated mrs. brown. "yes, folks around here thinks as how it _is_ right pretty," said farmer jason. "but you haven't seen the prettiest part yet--that's the waterfall." "oh, that's where i want to go!" cried bunny. "and i want to go out in a boat," added sue, renewing her first request. "so do i! and fish!" chimed in bunny. "now, one thing at a time," said mr. brown with a laugh. "you are hardly here yet and you want to do half a dozen things. be patient. we are going to stay all day, for we brought our lunch, and i think we shall have time for everything you want to do." "yes, pitch right in and enjoy yourselves," said farmer jason with a laugh. "that's what the lake's here for. a few of us farmers own it, and the churches in this neighborhood generally has picnics here. i've got to drive over a few miles to see a man about some horses i want to buy, but i'll stop back in plenty of time to take you home." the browns and their lunch being safely unloaded from the wagon, including, of course, sue's teddy bear, farmer jason drove off, while dix and splash scampered about in the woods on the shore of the lake and went swimming, something which bunny and sue wanted to do at once. "i think it is a little cool," said mother brown. "besides, i didn't bring your bathing suits. i guess you can get along without a swim to-day." indeed there was enough else to do at blue lake, as the children very soon found out. of course it was not the first time they had been at a lake in the woods, but there seemed to be something new about this place. perhaps the trees were greener. certainly the lake seemed of a deeper blue than any the children had seen before. they ran up and down the pebbly shore, threw stones into the water to watch them sink, after sending out a lot of rings that made little waves on the beach. they tossed sticks into the water, which the dogs were eager to swim out for and bring back. then bunny had an idea. "sue, let's go in wading!" he cried. "oh, yes, let's!" she agreed instantly; and without saying anything to their father or mother about it the two took off their shoes and stockings and were walking about in the shallow water near the shore. mr. and mrs. brown, with uncle tad, were sitting in the shade, looking out over the beautiful lake. they were glad they had come on the little excursion, and the trouble of the broken spring of the automobile seemed turned into something good now. "for," said mrs. brown, "it has given us a chance to camp out and to see this lake, and i would not have missed this sight for a great deal." "nor i, either," said her husband. "but suppose we go to take a look at the waterfall before lunch. i know i'll want to take a nap after i eat, and then it will soon be time for mr. jason to come back for us, so if we don't go now we may miss it." "that's what i say," agreed uncle tad, and the three arose from the fallen tree on which they had been sitting. just then mother brown caught sight of bunny and sue. "look at those children!" she cried. "what's the matter?" asked mr. brown quickly. "they haven't fallen in, i hope!" "well, they're _in_ all the same!" chuckled uncle tad. "bunny has his knickerbockers rolled up as high as they'll go, and if sue's clothes aren't wet i'm mistaken!" for by this time, liking the fun so much, bunny and sue had waded out where the water was deeper, and their clothes had become splashed by the little waves they made as they moved along. "oh, dear! such tykes!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "well, it isn't too cool for wading, though it is for swimming. but i must get them dry if we are to go to the waterfall." mrs. brown had brought some old towels along, for she knew what might happen when the children were going to play near a lake, and while bunny and sue were being told that they should have first asked whether or not they could go in wading, they were drying their pink toes on towels and getting ready to put on their shoes and stockings again. "but we didn't think _wading_ was as bad as _swimming_," said bunny as he rubbed some sand off his fat legs. "it isn't _exactly_," his mother answered. "but this time it was _nearly_ as bad. but never mind. come on and we'll see the waterfall." farmer jason had told mr. brown how to walk to the place where the waters of a small river toppled over the rocks into the lake, and having hidden the bundle of lunch up in a tree, where wandering dogs could not get at it, the family set off, dix and splash running on ahead, to see the waterfall. the way was through a pleasant wood, with little paths running here and there, and if bunny and sue had been wandering alone they probably would have gotten lost. but the road to the waterfall was a well-marked one and mr. brown kept to it until pretty soon mrs. brown said: "hark, i hear something." there was a distant roaring in the woods. "it's a trolley car," said bunny. his father, mother and uncle tad laughed. "what a boy!" cried mother brown. "to think the roar of a beautiful waterfall is but the noise of a trolley car! he will never be a poet, will he daddy?" "i don't want to be," said bunny quickly. "i'm going to be a policeman when i grow up, and have a gun." "all right," chuckled daddy brown. "but a policeman's life is not an easy one." the roaring noise became plainer, and then, as the path turned, the party came in sight of an open glade through which they could see the cataract. it was not unlike a small niagara in its way. for a distance back of the edge the waters of the little river bubbled and foamed over rough rocks. then came a smooth stretch and, suddenly, the waters plunged over the broken ledge, falling about seventy feet to the lake below where they made a pool of foam. "isn't it wonderful?" murmured mother brown. "it certainly is a beautiful picture," came from mr. brown. "it's the prettiest little fall i've ever seen," added uncle tad. sue said nothing for a minute. both she and bunny were looking at the waterfall closely. then sue began to wrap a shawl, which she had brought along, over her teddy bear. "what's the matter?" asked mother brown. "it's like rain all over sallie malinda," answered the little girl. "i don't want her to catch cold, for she might not shine her 'lectric eyes any more." "that's all sue seems to care about the fall," laughed mother brown in a whisper to her husband. as for bunny, he seemed to think them quite wonderful--for a time. he stood as near the edge as his father would let him, looking up the rapids down which the waters rushed, to fall over the rocky edge, dropping in a smother of foam to the blue lake below. silently he watched the smooth waters glide down like some ribbon, and then, turning to his father, he asked: "is this all they do?" "all what does?" inquired mr. brown, not quite understanding. "all the waterfall does. does it just keep falling?" "all day and all night, day after day and night after night, forever and forever," said mr. brown, for really the waterfall was a marvelous sight. "then i've seen enough," said bunny, turning away. "if they've been doing this a long while, and will do it all next week, i can look at 'em then. now i want to go out in a boat. i saw one as we came through the picnic grounds. i've had enough of waterfalls." mr. and mrs. brown and uncle tad looked at one another. but they said nothing. bunny started down the hill again, toward the lake, sue following with her teddy bear. "bunny surely will never make a poet," chuckled his mother. "oh, well, perhaps there are enough poets in the world now," said mr. brown with a laugh. bunny and sue were first at the place where the boat was kept. there were several of them, and mr. jason had said that picnic parties used them. the lake was not deep, he had added, and was very safe, for any one who knew anything about boats. bunny and sue finally prevailed on uncle tad to take them out for a row after lunch, and when the two children were in their seats dix insisted on following. mr. brown, who decided to remain on shore with his wife, tried to call back the dog, but he would not come. nor would he come when splash barked and whined at him, asking, in dog language, i suppose, if dix did not want to come and have a game of "water tag." but dix evidently wished to stay in the boat, and finally they let him remain, as he was a quiet dog, not given to jumping about. he curled up in front behind sue and went to sleep. uncle tad rowed about the lake. bunny wished he had brought his fishing pole and line along, as they saw fish jumping in several places. "never mind, we're going to be here nearly a week yet," said uncle tad. "we can come again." just how it happened sue herself could not explain. but, somehow or other, her teddy bear slipped from her lap and was about to fall out of the boat. that would never do, the little girl decided, and of course she made a quick motion to catch her toy. and, just then, bunny leaned on the same side of the boat to pick up a floating stick so that the boat tipped. "look out!" cried uncle tad. "sit still, children!" but he spoke too late, for, in an instant, sue fell out of the boat and into the lake. uncle tad was so surprised for a moment that he sat still. but not so dix. he had awakened in a second, and with a loud bark sprang overboard to the rescue of the little girl. chapter xxi the circus "oh my!" cried bunny brown, as he saw his sister topple out of the boat into the lake. "oh, dear!" by this time uncle tad, the old soldier, was ready for action. he took off his coat, without standing up in the boat, for well he knew how dangerous that was, and he was just ready to slip overboard into the water, the bottom of which he could see, when dix, who had thrust his head under the surface, came up with sue held in his strong jaws, his teeth fastened in her dress near the neck. "oh, dix! dix!" cried bunny, in delight. "i'm so glad you saved my sister. oh, dix! i'll love you all my life!" dix, holding sue with her head well above the water, was swimming toward the boat. bunny, eager to do what he could to help his sister, was leaning over the side, ready to reach her as soon as the dog came near enough. then uncle tad cried: "sit still, bunny! i'll take sue in. but i must do it at the stern of the boat, and not over the side, as that might tip us over. you sit still in the middle of the boat." bunny, who had lived near the seashore all his life knew that "stern" meant the back of the boat. and he remembered that his father had often told him if ever he fell out of a boat and wanted to get in again without tipping the boat over, to do so from the stern, or from the bow, which is the front. a row-boat will not tip backwards or forwards as easily as it will to either side. as soon as bunny heard what uncle tad said, he obeyed. he sat down in the bottom of the boat between the seats. then the old soldier, going to the stern, called to dix: "around this way, old dog! bring her here and i'll take her in. come on, dix!" whether the dog knew that it was safer to bring a person in over the stern of a boat or over the bow instead of over the side, i do not know. at any rate he did what uncle tad told him to do, and in another moment was close to the boat with sue in his jaws. uncle tad lifted her into the boat and at once turned her on her face and raised her legs in the air. this was to let any water that she might have swallowed run out. sue began to kick her legs. she gasped and wiggled. "keep still!" cried bunny. "uncle tad is giving you first aid." bunny had often seen the lifeguards at the beach do this to swimmers who went too far out. "i--i won't keep still, bunny brown!" gasped sue. "and i--i don't need any first aid! i just helded my breath under water, i did, and i didn't swallow much anyhow. i was holding my breath when uncle tad began to raise up my legs, that's why i wiggled and couldn't speak. i'm all right now and i'm much obliged to you and dix, uncle tad, and i hope my sallie malinda isn't in the lake." sue said this all at one time and then she had to stop for breath. but what she said was true. her father had given her swimming lessons, and sue was really a good little diver, and perfectly at home where the water was not too rough or deep. and, as she had said, as soon as she felt herself in the water she had taken a long breath and held it before her nose and mouth went under. so while sue was holding her breath, dix had reached down and caught her, before she had really sunk to the bottom. for sue had on a light and fluffy dress, and that really was a sort of life preserver. as it was, the dog had brought sue to the boat before she had swallowed more than a few spoonfuls of water, which did her no harm. of course she was all wet. "you've gone in swimming, anyhow," said bunny, as soon as he saw that his sister was all right. "yes, and we must get her to shore as soon as we can," said uncle tad. "climb in, dix, and don't scatter any more water on us than you can help, though we'll forgive you almost anything for the way you saved sue." the dog climbed in, over the stern where uncle tad told him to, and then gave himself a big shake. all dogs do that when they come from the water, and dix only acted naturally. he gave bunny and uncle tad a shower bath but they did not mind. sue could not be made any wetter than she already was. "now for a fast row to shore," said uncle tad. "i saw a farmhouse not far from where we got out of mr. jason's wagon, and i guess you can dry your clothes there, sue." as uncle tad started to row sue cried: "but where's sallie malinda? where's my teddy bear? i won't go without her!" she spoke as if she meant it. bunny and uncle tad looked on both sides of the boat, and there, on the white sandy bottom of the lake, in about four feet of water, lay the teddy bear. it's eyes were lighted which made it the more easily seen, for sue must have pressed the switch as she herself fell overboard. and, as it happened, the batteries and electric lighted eyes were not harmed by water. "i'll get her for you," said uncle tad, and he reached for the teddy bear with a boat hook, soon bringing up the toy. "oh, i hope she isn't spoiled!" cried sue. "she can dry out with you when you get to the farmhouse," said bunny, and then uncle tad began to row toward shore. mr. and mrs. brown were surprised, and not a little worried, when they heard what had happened to sue. but the little girl herself was quite calm about it. "i just held my breath," she said. "i knew bunny or somebody would get me out." "i was going to," declared bunny. "yes, i guess he'd have dived over in another second," remarked uncle tad. "but dix was ahead of both of us." "well, i'm glad you're all right," said mother brown. "i do hope you won't take cold. we must get your wet clothes off." just then mr. jason came back with his horses and wagon, and he quickly drove the whole party to a near-by farmhouse where sue, and all the others, were made welcome. before the warm kitchen fire sue was dressed in some dry clothes of a little girl who lived on the farm, while her own were put near the kitchen stove. in a few hours the party was ready to go back to the "ark," meanwhile having spent a good time at the farmhouse. sue seemed all right, and really she had not been in much danger, for the water was not deep, and uncle tad was a good swimmer. bunny and sue slept rather late the next morning, but when they did awaken they heard a queer rumbling on the road beside which their automobile was drawn up. "is that thunder?" asked bunny. "it sounds like it," answered sue, who showed no signs of having caught cold from her bath in the lake. the children peered from the little windows near their bunks. they saw going along the road a number of gaily painted wagons--great big wagons, drawn by eight or ten horses each, and with broad-tired wheels. together bunny and sue cried: "it's a circus! it's a circus! hurrah!" chapter xxii a lion is loose bunny brown and his sister sue lost no time in getting dressed that morning, and hurrying out to the tiny dining room where their mother was getting breakfast. "did you see it?" gasped sue. "have the elephants gone past yet?" bunny inquired, his eyes big with excitement. "oh, you mean the circus," said mrs. brown. "no, i haven't seen any elephants yet. the big wagons just started to go past." "then let's hurry up our breakfast and watch for the elephants and the tigers," cried bunny, greatly worried lest he miss any of the animals. "you have plenty of time," said uncle tad, who was out near the back steps of the automobile, sorting his fish lines and hooks. "the circus has just started to go past. those wagons have in them the tent poles, the canvas for the tents, the things for the men to eat and the big stoves. these are always unloaded first--in fact, they are sent on ahead of the rest of the show. "not until later in the morning will the animals and the other wagons come along. the circus must have unloaded over at kirkwell," and he pointed to a railroad station about a mile away. "the tents are going up on the other side of this town, i heard some of the circus drivers say." "oh, won't we have fun watching them go past?" cried sue. "i wonder if they'll have a parade? if they do, and it goes past our house--i mean our automobile--we can see it better than anybody, can't we?" "yes. but the parade won't come this far out into the country," said uncle tad. "it will go through the streets of the town." "where are you going?" asked bunny, suddenly looking at the old soldier. "i thought i'd go fishing over to blue lake. looked yesterday as if there were plenty of fish there. want to go with me, bunny brown?" "huh? an' the circus comin' to town?" asked bunny, clipping the end off his words. "say, mother, aren't we going to the circus?" he asked quickly. "well, i didn't hear anything about it," said mrs. brown slowly. "can't you take us, uncle tad?" pleaded sue, for she, as much as did her brother, wanted to see the big show. "well, i suppose i _could_ put off my fishing till another day," said uncle tad slowly. "are you _sure_ you two want to go?" "are we!" cried bunny. "oh, i want to go--so much!" and sue showed just how much by putting her arms around uncle tad's neck and hugging him as hard as she could. that was her way of showing "how much." "well, if it's as much as that i guess i'll have to take you," laughed uncle tad. "mind you, i don't want to go myself," and he looked at mrs. brown in a queer way. "i don't care anything about a circus--never did in fact. but if an old man has to give up his fishing trip, just to take two children to one of the wild animal shows, why i guess it will have to be done, that's all. but really i don't want to go," and he shook his head very seriously. "oh, uncle tad!" cried sue. "don't you want to see the elephants?" "nope," and the old soldier kept on shaking his head "crossways," as bunny said. "and don't you want to see the lions?" "nope." "nor the tigers?" "nope." "not even the camels and the monkeys and the men jumping over horses' backs, nor the giraffes with their long necks--don't you want to see _any_ of them?" sue was talking faster and faster all the while. uncle tad did not say anything, but a funny look came into his eyes, and bunny was almost sure the old soldier was laughing on one side of his face at mother brown. then bunny cried: "oh, sue! he's just fooling! he wants to go as much as we do!" "oh, uncle tad, i'm so glad!" cried sue. "i love you--so--much!" and again she hugged him as hard as she could, and kissed him too. "now i'll surely have to go," he chuckled. breakfast was soon over, and by that time bunny and sue were so excited that they did not know what to do. somehow they managed to get properly dressed, and by that time other circus wagons came along. these wagons were gilded and painted more gaily than the first that had gone past. and from some of them came low growls or roars. "oh, they've got lions inside," said sue, opening her eyes wide. "and tigers, too," added bunny in a wondering voice. "but i want to see the elephants," he added. pretty soon the big elephants came along, and behind them came camels and troops of horses. there were also a number of small boys and some girls who were following the circus to the lot where the big tents were already being put up. "say, i just like to see them!" cried bunny as the elephants swung past the "ark," which some of the country boys took to be one of the circus wagons broken down. "elephants are great! i guess i'm going to be an elephant rider when i grow up, instead of a policeman," he said, as he saw men sitting on the heads of the big elephants while they lumbered heavily along. "it would be fun to ride on one of them," said sue. "but come on, uncle tad. take us to the circus. we want to see the parade." "we want to see _everything_," added bunny. "the side shows and _everything_, and, please, mother, may we have some peanuts and popcorn?" "oh, i don't want you eating a lot of things that will make you ill," said mrs. brown. "i mean to feed to the elephants," said bunny. "elephants love popcorn and peanuts a lot. of course sue and i could eat a little," he added. "well, a _very_ little," agreed his mother. "elephants are not made ill so easily as little boys. but get ready, if you are going." it did not take the children and uncle tad long to get ready. as it was quite a distance from where the "ark" was stationed beside the road to the circus ground, uncle tad hired mr. jason to drive him and the children over in the wagon. "oh, i see the tents!" cried bunny, as they neared the ground. "and i hear the music!" added sue. "but we mustn't miss the parade." the children were just in time for this, and when they had seen the procession wind its way about the streets they went back to the big white tents. then the circus began. what bunny and sue saw you can well imagine, for i think most of you have been to a circus, once at least. there were the wild animals--the lions and the tigers in their cages, the funny monkeys, the long-necked giraffes--and then came the performance. the clowns did funny tricks, the acrobats leaped high in the air, or fell into the springy nets. all this the children saw, and they ate some popcorn and peanuts, but fed more than they ate to the elephants. uncle tad seemed to enjoy himself, too, though, every once in a while he would lean over and say to bunny and sue: "aren't you tired? let's go home!" and the performance was not half through! bunny and sue just looked at him and smiled. they knew he was joking. but the circus came to an end at last, and though they were sorry they had to leave, bunny and sue were, late in the afternoon, well on their way to their automobile camp again. they talked of nothing but what they had seen, and every time they spoke of the show they liked it more and more. "i wish we could go again to-night," said bunny. "it isn't good for little children to go to a circus at night," said uncle tad. "you've seen enough." of course daddy brown and mother brown had to hear all about it over the supper table, and they were glad the children had had such a good time. at night when they sat around a little campfire on the ground near the automobile, they could hear, in the distance, the music of the circus. in the middle of the night mr. and mrs. brown were awakened by hearing the noise of many persons rushing past on the road alongside of which their automobile was drawn up. also the chugging of automobiles and the patter of horses' feet could be heard. "i wonder what it can be," said mrs. brown. "is it the circus coming back again?" "no, they would be going the other way. i'll see if i can find out what it is." slipping on a bath robe, mr. brown went to the back door of the automobile. he saw a crowd of people rushing along. "what's the matter?" he called. "one of the circus lions is loose," was the answer, "and we're chasing it!" [illustration: bunny and sue fed the elephants. _bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour._ _page_ 218.] chapter xxiii the scratched boy "what's that? what's the matter?" asked mrs. brown. in the darkness she had slipped to her husband's side. she, too, looked out on the crowd of men and boys rushing past in the moonlight. "what has happened?" she asked again, as mr. brown did not appear to have heard what she said. "as nearly as i could understand," he said slowly, speaking in a low voice, "one of the men who ran past said a lion had broken loose from the circus." "oh, how dreadful!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "what shall we do? did uncle tad bring his gun with him?" "hush! don't wake the children," said mr. brown. "they might be frightened if they heard that a lion was loose." "frightened? i should think any one would be frightened!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "a savage lion raging around at night, trying to get something to eat----" "now please don't get excited," begged mr. brown. "there is no danger--at least i believe there isn't." "no danger? and with a lion loose--a hungry lion!" "that's where i think you're wrong," said her husband. "the circus people usually keep their lions and other wild animals well fed. they know the danger a hungry beast might be if he should get loose. and i dare say they often do get loose, for all sorts of things may happen when the cages are taken to so many different places. "but though this lion has broken loose, i don't believe it would bite even a rooster if it crowed at him. i mean he won't be hungry, because he'll have been well fed before the circus started away." "then you don't believe there is any danger?" "well, not enough to worry about. another thing is that usually circus lions are so tame, having been caged so long, that they are fairly gentle." "i read of one that bit his keeper," said mrs. brown. "oh, of course there are _some_ dangerous lions in circuses. but we won't believe this one that got away is that kind until we are sure. there's a man who seems tired of running. i think he's going to stop and i'll ask him how it happened." one of the crowd of men and boys, racing past the "ark," had slowed his pace, being tired it seemed. mr. brown leaned out of the back door and called to him: "what is the matter? did a lion really get loose from the circus?" "that's what really did happen, sir. are you one of the circus folks?" "no, we are just travelers. we are stopping here because one of the springs of our automobile is broken." "oh, excuse me. i thought this was one of the circus wagons. yes, as they were loading the lion's cage on the train a few hours ago, it slipped, fell on its side and broke. the biggest lion in the circus got away before they could catch him, and they say he headed down this way. the circus men started after him with nets and ropes, and they offered a reward of twenty-five dollars to whoever caught him. so a lot of us started out, but i guess i'll go back. i'm tired out. i didn't have an automobile like some." "then the lion didn't get loose while the circus performance was going on?" asked mrs. brown. "oh, no. and it's a good thing it didn't, or there'd have been a terrible scare and maybe lots of folks hurt in the rush. the show was over, and most of the animal tent stuff was loaded on the flat cars when the lion's cage broke." "aren't you afraid to try to catch him?" asked mrs. brown. "well, i didn't stop to think of that. i don't know though that i am. i just started off with a rush--the same as lots of others did who were watching the circus load--when the lion got loose. i thought maybe i could earn that twenty-five dollars. you see that's given to whoever finds where the lion is hiding. the circus men just want to know that and then they'll do the catching. there really isn't much danger." "well, i shouldn't like to try it," murmured mrs. brown. "i guess i'll give up, too," said the man. he called a "good-night!" to mr. and mrs. brown and went back along the road. there were no more people to be seen, those who had gone lion-hunting being now out of sight. "well, i'm glad the children didn't wake up," said mrs. brown, for, strange as it may seem, bunny and sue had slept all through the noise. but then they were tired because of having gone to the circus. "shall you tell them about the lion being loose?" "oh, yes, to-morrow, of course. while i think there is little danger i would not want them to stray too far away, for the poor old lion may be hiding in the woods or among the rocks, and he might spring out on whoever passed his hiding place." "why do you call him a 'poor old lion'? i think he must be a _very_ savage fellow." "oh, i think he'll turn out to be a gentle one," said her husband with a laugh. then mr. and mrs. brown went to bed, after uncle tad had heard the story, and the rest of the night passed quietly. at the breakfast table bunny and sue were told of what had happened. bunny wanted to go right out with uncle tad, who was to take his gun. "we'll hunt him and get the twenty-five dollars," said the little fellow. "no. you'd better play around here for a while," ordered his father. "it will be safer." "i wouldn't let him out of my sight for a million dollars!" cried mrs. brown. "but we could take the two dogs, dix and splash, with us, and they could bite the lion if he chased us," said bunny. his mother shook her head, and bunny knew there was no use teasing any more. "i wouldn't go after any lion!" declared sue. "and i want to find a good place to hide sallie malinda." "what for?" asked bunny. "so the lion can't find her," said the little girl. "lions don't like bears and this one might bite sallie malinda. then maybe she couldn't flash her eyes any more." the teddy bear had dried out after the fall into the lake, and was as good as ever. so bunny and sue had to stay and play around the automobile, not going far away. though at first they missed the long tramps in the fields and through the woods, they were good children and did as they were bid. besides, deep down in his heart, bunny was just a _little bit_ afraid of the lion, even though he had said he wanted to go hunting for him with uncle tad. two days passed, and the lion had not been found. the circus had gone on, leaving two men in the town near which the automobile was stranded. these men, with a spare cage which had been left with them, were ready to go out with nets and ropes and capture the lion as soon as any one should bring in word as to where it was hiding. the countrymen and the boys, who had no other work to do, still kept up the lion hunt, some with dogs, but the big circus animal was well hidden. "if he was playing hide-and-go-seek," said bunny, "i'd holler 'givie-up! givie-up! come on in free!' for i never could find him, he has hidden himself so good." "well, i wish he would go and hide himself far, far away," almost snapped sue. "then we could go around like we used to, and go on the lake." "i wish so too," agreed bunny. it was getting rather tiresome for the children to stay so close to "home," as they called the automobile, but mr. brown said the new spring would arrive in a few days, and then they would travel on again, far from where the lion was hiding. "and we can keep on looking for fred ward," said bunny. in the excitement over the circus the runaway boy had been almost forgotten. it was three days after the lion had broken loose, and evening was approaching, when mrs. jason, wife of the farmer who had been so kind to the browns, came hurrying down to the automobile beside the road. she was out of breath and seemed much excited. "oh, mr. brown!" she exclaimed. "do you know anything about doctoring?" "about doctoring! why? is mr. jason ill?" "no, but i've got a badly hurt boy up at my house. he's all scratched up." "has he been picking berries?" asked bunny. "no. they're worse scratches than that. big, deep ones on his face, hands and shoulders. i've bandaged him as best i could, and sent mr. jason for the doctor; but i was wondering if you could do anything until dr. fandon came." "a scratched boy?" repeated mr. brown slowly. "what scratched him?" "a great big lion, he says!" exclaimed mrs. jason. "i declare i'm so excited i don't know what to do!" and she sat down on a stool mrs. brown placed for her near the back steps of the automobile. chapter xxiv the barking dog mr. and mrs. brown, not to say bunny, sue and uncle tad, were very, very much surprised when mrs. jason said the boy had been scratched by a lion. "are you sure about it?" asked the children's father. "that's what he says," replied the farmer's wife. "he is certainly badly scratched, as i could see for myself. whether it was by a lion or something else i can't say, never having seen a lion's scratches. the boy might be making up some story, but he certainly _is_ scratched." "the circus lion!" cried mrs. brown. "oh, that must be the one that did it! the lion must be roaming around here! we must lock the automobile and stay inside!" "now please don't get excited," begged mr. brown. "in the first place this boy may not be telling the truth. he is scratched, for mrs. jason has seen the marks and bandaged them up, she says. but it may be the boy fell down in the bushes, or among the rocks and got scratched that way. or it may have been some other wild animal in the woods that attacked him. there are some animals around here, aren't there?" he asked the farmer's wife. "well, skunks, groundhogs and the like of that, with maybe a fox or two. of course foxes or groundhogs will bite if any one tries to catch them, but i don't know that they'd scratch, though they might if they were put to it. i never saw such scratches as these. and, as you say, mrs. brown, it _may_ have been the circus lion which is hiding around here." "you don't seem very frightened over it," said mrs. brown. "well, what's the use of being frightened until i see it?" asked mrs. jason. "i'm more worried about that poor boy. i wish i could do something for him to ease his pain until dr. fandon comes. he may be a long while." "i'll come up with you and see what i can do," promised mr. brown. "uncle tad knows something about soldiers' wounds, and perhaps he could----" "oh, don't take uncle tad with you!" pleaded mrs. brown. "we need _one_ man around here if there's a lion loose in the woods. come back as soon as you can," she begged her husband as he walked toward the farmhouse with mrs. jason. "how did you happen to see the boy?" asked mr. brown. "i was out gathering the eggs near the henhouse," said mrs. jason, "and i heard a sort of groaning noise. then i saw somebody coming toward me. "at first i thought it was a tramp, and i was just going to call my husband or one of the men, when i heard crying, and then i saw it was only a boy, and that he was bleeding." "how long ago was it that you found the scratched boy?" asked mr. brown. "nearly an hour now. as soon as i saw what the matter was i hurried him into the house and got him on a couch. mr. jason and i did what bandaging we could, and then i made him go for the doctor." "did you know the boy, and did he say where the lion attacked him?" asked mr. brown. "i never saw him before, that i know of. but he just managed to say the beast jumped out of the bushes at him when he was coming through our rocky glen, then all of a sudden he fainted." "where is this rocky glen of yours where you say the lion jumped out at the boy?" "about two miles from here, back in the hills. waste land, mostly. you aren't thinking of going there, are you?" "not now, though i think i'd better send word to the circus people that their lion is around here." "yes, it would be a good thing." by this time mr. brown and mrs. jason were at the house. "i'll take a look at him," said mr. brown. he saw, lying on a couch, a tall lad, whose face and hands were covered with bandages. the youth was tossing to and fro and murmuring, but what he said could not well be understood, except that now and then he spoke of a lion. "i didn't dare take his coat off to get at the scratches on his shoulders," said mrs. jason. "i thought i'd let the doctor do that." "yes, i guess it will be best. but if you have any sweet spirits of nitre in the house i'll give him that to quiet him and keep down the fever." "oh, we always keep nitre on hand," and mrs. jason helped mr. brown give some to the lad. in a little while he grew quieter, and then dr. fandon came in with mr. jason. the two men helped the physician get the youth undressed and into a spare bed, and then the doctor, with mrs. jason's help, dressed the wounds on the boy's face and shoulders, while the men waited outside. then, having done what he could for the boy, and promising to call in the morning, when he could tell more about the boy's condition, the doctor went home, while mr. brown and mr. jason planned to get word of the lion to the two circus men who were still at the hotel in the village. "i'll drive over with you," said the farmer. this they did, though it was late to drive to town, being after nine o'clock, stopping at the "ark" on the way to tell what had taken place at the farmhouse. "poor fellow!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "we must try to help him." "i'll let him play with my teddy bear when he gets well," said sue, and all the others laughed. "the circus men will get after the lion in the morning," said the farmer when he and mr. brown were back at the "ark" on their return from town. though they were excited, and not a little afraid, bunny and sue were at last in bed, but only after uncle tad had promised to sit up all night, as he used to do when a sentry in the war, and, with his gun, watch for any sign of the lion. "and if you have to shoot him, which i hope you don't," said bunny, "call me first so i can look at him. but i don't want to see him shot. just make him go back to the circus." "i will," promised uncle tad. bunny and sue were up early the next morning, and even before breakfast they wanted their father to go up to the farmhouse to find out about the scratched boy, and also whether or not the lion had been caught. "we'll see about the boy first," said mr. brown. "i guess it won't do any harm for me to take the children up," he said to his wife. "you will be careful, won't you?" she begged. "indeed i will," he promised. so bunny, with his sister and his father, walked up to mr. jason's home. dix and splash went along, of course, and stood expectant at the door as mr. brown rang. "oh, good morning!" cried mrs. jason as she answered the bell. "our scratched boy is much better this morning. he is not as badly hurt as we feared. come in." mr. brown and the children entered, and of course the dogs followed. "go back, dix and splash," ordered mr. brown. splash turned and went out on the stoop, but dix kept on. the dog was acting in a strange manner. the door to a downstairs bedroom, where the wounded boy was lying, was open. dix ran in and the next moment he began to bark wildly, getting on the bed with his forefeet. "down, dix! down!" cried mr. brown. "what do you mean, sir?" but dix kept on barking and whining. he tried to lick the hands of the scratched boy. "oh, drive him away!" cried mrs. jason. "he'll hurt the boy." but the boy, who seemed much better indeed, rose up in bed and cried: "don't send him away! that's dix, my dog! oh, dix, you found me, didn't you?" chapter xxv found at last what with the barking of dix, in which splash, out on the porch, joined, the manner in which the scratched boy hugged the half-wild animal on his bed, the astonishment of bunny brown, his sister, his father and mrs. jason--well, there was enough excitement for a few minutes to satisfy even the children. sue did not know what to make of the strange actions of dix on the bed where the injured boy had been sleeping, and she whispered to bunny: "maybe dix wants to bite him!" but bunny shook his head. he understood what had happened. "don't you see, sue!" he said. "he's been found." "o-o-oh!" gasped the little girl. "yes, sir, fred ward, the boy who ran away from next door to us, has been found. that's his dog, dix. and dix knows him, just as we thought he would, even though his face is pretty well bandaged up. that's fred ward!" "is that your name?" asked mr. brown, who also understood what had happened. "well, i guess it is," was the slow answer. "but it isn't the name i've been going by lately. i called myself professor rombodno prosondo, but now----" "then, it _was_ you all blacked up like a minstrel!" cried bunny. "yes, i was playing on the banjo for dr. perry's medicine show, but when i saw you in the crowd i managed to get away. then i joined the circus and now----" "don't talk and excite yourself," said mrs. jason. "the doctor will be here in a little while and perhaps he can take the bandages off your face, so your friends will know you." "dix knows him all right," said mr. brown, and indeed the dog was half wild with joy at having found his master. dr. fandon came in a few minutes later and said fred was much better. when the face bandages were taken off, so new ones could be put on, bunny and sue at once recognized fred, though his face was badly scratched. dix tried to lick his master's face, but had to be stopped for fear he might do fred harm. so the dog had to show his joy by thumping his tail and whining softly. then fred told his story. as has been said, he ran away from home because he felt his father should not have punished him. "but i've had a good deal worse punishment since," the lad said, "and i'm sorry i ever ran away. i'd have gone home long ago only i was ashamed." "well, you needn't be," said mr. brown. "your father and your mother both want you back. we have been looking for you as well as we could on our auto tour. but it was dix who knew you first." "i wish he had seen me before the lion did," said fred, smiling a little. "i wonder where he went to after clawing me?" at that moment there was a noise out in the yard back of the farmhouse. the crowing of roosters and the squawking of hens could be heard, mingled with a woman's voice. "that's my wife!" cried mr. jason, jumping up, but at that moment his wife came into the room. "i've caught it," she said coolly, though her face was flushed. "caught what?" they all cried. "the circus lion," she answered. "i went out to the henhouse, and there he was crouching down in a corner, and looking as if he intended to have his choice of my fat pullets." "what did you do?" asked mr. brown and mr. jason together. "well, i happened to have a broom stick in my hand so i hit him a smart blow over the nose to teach him to let my hens alone, and then i drove the chickens outside and locked the lion in the henhouse. he's there now. you'd better send for the circus folks to take him away. i don't want him around the place scaring the fowls." "didn't he scare you?" asked mr. brown. "i never stopped to think whether he did or not," was the cool answer. "i just whacked him over the nose and he whined and cuddled up in a corner like a whipped dog." "oh, let's go out and look at the lion in the chicken coop!" cried bunny. "no, indeed," said his father. "wait until the circus men come and put him in the cage." a neighboring farmer had a telephone, and word was sent to one of the circus men who had stayed at the village hotel, while his companion had gone to the rocky glen with a crowd of men and boys to try to find the lion there, after the alarm given by mr. jason. the circus man, who had remained in the hotel, came with a light cage, drawn by horses, and the lion was easily driven from the henhouse into the cage and was soon safe behind locks and bars. "mrs. jason caught the lion!" cried the crowd that gathered to watch what happened. "did he bite you?" she was asked. "never a bite," she answered smiling. "what! poor old tobyhanna bite?" cried one of the circus men. "why, he hasn't but two teeth in his head and we have to feed him on boiled meat. he's no more dangerous than a tame dog, and when you hit him over the nose with your broom, lady, you must have hurt his feelin's dreadful." "well, i didn't mean to be _rough_," said mrs. jason with a smile, "but it's the first time i ever caught a lion." "yes, and you get the reward, too," added the circus man, as he paid the farmer's wife. then he started away with the lion in the cage to ship him back to the circus. and poor, old, almost toothless tobyhanna, curled up in the corner of his cage and ate some bread and milk the farmer's wife gave him. he was happy he had been caught. fred ward's story was soon told. after running away from home he joined the medicine show, because it gave him a chance to play the banjo he liked so well. he left dr. perry because he saw the browns and feared they might have him sent home. then he joined the circus, the very one from which the lion had escaped. in that show fred had been one of a group who blacked up and played on mandolins and guitars and banjos, and though he had played in front of bunny, sue and uncle tad, none of them knew him, nor did fred see them. the night the show left the town, and just before the lion escaped, fred had a quarrel with one of the managers and left. he was not paid his money and, quite miserable, he wandered away, not knowing what to do. he became lost in the woods, and finally he reached the rocky gulch where the lion attacked him. "it was just an accident. tobyhanna didn't mean to hurt me," said fred. "i'd often fed him and scratched his nose for him in the circus. but i walked right over him as he was asleep in between some rocks, and when he jumped out, as much scared as i was he happened to scratch me. then i managed to get to this house and i guess i must have gone out of my head or fainted or something." "you did," said dr. fandon, "but you are all right now." "we must send word to your father that you are safe," said mr. brown, and this was done. fred was not quite well enough to be moved, but his father came for him the next day, and he made a great fuss over his boy. they understood each other better after that. mr. ward thanked everybody who had done anything to help his son, and a few days later took fred and dix home, for the dog would not leave his master, much as he liked splash, bunny and sue. in due time tobyhanna, the lion, was taken back to the circus, and he never got out of his cage again, as far as i ever heard. "well, i think we can keep on with our tour now," said mr. brown, a few days after the new spring had arrived. "it seems almost like leaving home to go away from here," said mother brown, as they prepared to leave. "we've had such fun camping here," added sue. "and lots of things have happened, too!" added bunny. "i never was near where a lion was locked up in a chicken coop before." "and i don't want to be again," said his mother. "all aboard!" cried uncle tad. and once more the "ark," was traveling along the country road back toward bellemere. the auto trip had been a great success, and bunny and sue talked of it many times, and of how fred ward had been found, and of the escaped lion that had scratched him. but now it is time to say good-bye, though you must not think this is the last of the adventures of bunny and sue, even though there are no more in this book. there were more ahead of them, but, for the present, we will leave them. the end the bunny brown series by laura lee hope author of the popular "bobbsey twins" books * * * * * wrapper and text illustrations drawn by florence england nosworthy * * * * * =12mo. durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding= * * * * * these stories by the author of the "bobbsey twins" books are eagerly welcomed by the little folks from about five to ten years of age. their eyes fairly dance with delight at the lively doings of inquisitive little bunny brown and his cunning, trustful sister sue. bunny was a lively little boy, very inquisitive. when he did anything, sue followed his leadership. they had many adventures, some comical in the extreme. bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york= the bobbsey twins books for little men and women by laura lee hope author of "the bunny brown" series, etc. * * * * * =12mo. durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding= * * * * * copyright publications which cannot be obtained else-where. books that charm the hearts of the little ones, and of which they never tire. the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a houseboat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home the bobbsey twins in a great city the bobbsey twins on blueberry island the bobbsey twins on the deep blue sea the bobbsey twins in the great west * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york= the moving picture girls series by laura lee hope author of "the bobbsey twins series." * * * * * =12mo. bound in cloth. illustrated. uniform style of binding= * * * * * the adventures of ruth and alice devere. their father, a widower, is an actor who has taken up work for the "movies." both girls wish to aid him in his work and visit various localities to act in all sorts of pictures. the moving picture girls or first appearance in photo dramas. having lost his voice, the father of the girls goes into the movies and the girls follow. tells how many "parlor dramas" are filmed. the moving picture girls at oak farm or queer happenings while taking rural plays. full of fun in the country, the haps and mishaps of taking film plays, and giving an account of two unusual discoveries. the moving picture girls snowbound or the proof on the film. a tale of winter adventures in the wilderness, showing how the photo-play actors sometimes suffer. the moving picture girls under the palms or lost in the wilds of florida. how they went to the land of palms, played many parts in dramas before the camera; were lost, and aided others who were also lost. the moving picture girls at rocky ranch or great days among the cowboys. all who have ever seen moving pictures of the great west will want to know just how they are made. this volume gives every detail and is full of clean fun and excitement. the moving picture girls at sea or a pictured shipwreck that became real. a thrilling account of the girls' experiences on the water. the moving picture girls in war plays or the sham battles at oak farm. the girls play important parts in big battle scenes and have plenty of hard work along with considerable fun. * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york= the girls of central high series by gertrude w. morrison * * * * * =12mo. bound in cloth. illustrated. uniform style of binding= * * * * * here is a series full of the spirit of high school life of to-day. the girls are real flesh-and-blood characters, and we follow them with interest in school and out. there are many contested matches on track and field, and on the water, as well as doings in the classroom and on the school stage. there is plenty of fun and excitement, all clean, pure and wholesome. the girls of central high or rivals for all honors. a stirring tale of high school life, full of fun, with a touch of mystery and a strange initiation. the girls of central high on lake luna or the crew that won. telling of water sports and fun galore, and of fine times in camp. the girls of central high at basketball or the great gymnasium mystery. here we have a number of thrilling contests at basketball and in addition, the solving of a mystery which had bothered the high school authorities for a long while. the girls of central high on the stage or the play that took the prize. how the girls went in for theatricals and how one of them wrote a play which afterward was made over for the professional stage and brought in some much-needed money. the girls of central high on track and field or the girl champions of the school league this story takes in high school athletics in their most approved and up-to-date fashion. full of fun and excitement. the girls of central high in camp or the old professor's secret. the girls went camping on acorn island and had a delightful time at boating, swimming and picnic parties. * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york= the outdoor chums series by captain quincy allen the outdoor chums are four wide-awake lads, sons of wealthy men of a small city located on a lake. the boys love outdoor life, and are greatly interested in hunting, fishing, and picture taking. they have motor cycles, motor boats, canoes, etc., and during their vacations go everywhere and have all sorts of thrilling adventures. the stories give full directions for camping out, how to fish, how to hunt wild animals and prepare the skins for stuffing, how to manage a canoe, how to swim, etc. full of the spirit of outdoor life. the outdoor chums or the first tour of the rod, gun and camera club. the outdoor chums on the lake or lively adventures on wildcat island. the outdoor chums in the forest or laying the ghost of oak ridge. the outdoor chums on the gulf or rescuing the lost balloonists. the outdoor chums after big game or perilous adventures in the wilderness. the outdoor chums on a houseboat or the rivals of the mississippi. the outdoor chums in the big woods or the rival hunters at lumber run. the outdoor chums at cabin point or the golden cup mystery. =12mo. averaging 240 pages. illustrated. handsomely bound in cloth.= * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york= the moving picture boys series by victor appleton * * * * * =12mo. bound in cloth. illustrated. uniform style of binding.= * * * * * moving pictures and photo plays are famous the world over, and in this line of books the reader is given a full description of how the films are made--the scenes of little dramas, indoors and out, trick pictures to satisfy the curious, soul-stirring pictures of city affairs, life in the wild west, among the cowboys and indians, thrilling rescues along the seacoast, the daring of picture hunters in the jungle among savage beasts, and the great risks run in picturing conditions in a land of earthquakes. the volumes teem with adventures and will be found interesting from first chapter to last. the moving picture boys or perils of a great city depicted. the moving picture boys in the west or taking scenes among the cowboys and indians. the moving picture boys on the coast or showing the perils of the deep. the moving picture boys in the jungle or stirring times among the wild animals. the moving picture boys in earthquake land or working amid many perils. the moving picture boys and the flood or perilous days on the mississippi. the moving picture boys at panama or stirring adventures along the great canal. the moving picture boys under the sea or the treasure of the lost ship. * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york= * * * * * transcriber's note: punctuation normalized. page 13, the word "the" was inserted into "and of the fun". page 108, "that's what we we're trying to find out." changed to "that's what we're trying to find out." [illustration: "i guess it's rolling faster than i am," thought bunny. _frontispiece._ _page_ 61. _bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods._] bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods by laura lee hope author of the bunny brown series, the bobbsey twins series, the outdoor girls series, etc. illustrated by florence england nosworthy new york grosset & dunlap publishers books by laura lee hope * * * * * _12mo. cloth. illustrated. price, per volume, 50 cents, postpaid._ * * * * * =the bunny brown series= bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour * * * * * =the bobbsey twins series= the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a houseboat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home the bobbsey twins in a great city the bobbsey twins on blueberry island * * * * * =the outdoor girls series= the outdoor girls of deepdale the outdoor girls at rainbow lake the outdoor girls in a motor car the outdoor girls in a winter camp the outdoor girls in florida the outdoor girls at ocean view the outdoor girls on pine island * * * * * =grosset & dunlap= publishers new york copyright, 1917, by grosset & dunlap _bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods._ contents chapter page i. what daddy brought 1 ii. the pail of milk 12 iii. the old man 25 iv. a noise at night 34 v. bunny rolls down hill 46 vi. after the lost cow 59 vii. the missing train 69 viii. "where has sallie gone?" 84 ix. the search 93 x. lost in the woods 101 xi. the hermit again 112 xii. wonderings 119 xiii. mr. brown makes a search 132 xiv. the ragged boy 141 xv. hidden in the hay 150 xvi. the angry gobbler 159 xvii. sue decides to make a pie 166 xviii. roasting corn 176 xix. eagle feather's horse 191 xx. fun in the attic 199 xxi. "where is sue?" 207 xxii. the hermit comes for tom 214 xxiii. trying to help tom 221 xxiv. the night meeting 229 xxv. the missing toys 237 bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods chapter i what daddy brought "sue! sue! where are you?" called a lady, as she stood in the opening of a tent which was under the trees in the big woods. "where are you, sue? and where is bunny?" for a moment no answers came to the call. but presently, from behind a clump of bushes not far from the tent, stepped a little girl. she held her finger over her lips, just as your teacher does in school when she does not want you to say anything. then the little girl whispered: "sh-h-h-h, mother. i can't come now." "then let bunny come. he can do what i want." "bunny can't come, either." "why not?" and mrs. brown smiled at her little girl, who seemed very much in earnest as she stood in front of the bushes, her finger still across her lips. "bunny can't come, 'cause we're playing soldier and indian," said sue. "bunny's been shot by an indian arrow and i'm his nurse. he's just got over the fever, same as i did when i had the measles, and he's asleep. and it's awful dangerous to wake anybody up that's just got to sleep after a fever. that's what our doctor said, i 'member." "oh, bunny is just getting over a fever, is he?" asked mrs. brown. "of course it's only a _make-believe_ fever, mother," said the little girl. "we're only pretendin' you know"; and she cut her words short, leaving off a "g" here and there, so she could talk faster i suppose. "oh, if it's only a make-believe fever it's all right," said mother brown with a laugh. "how long do you think bunny will sleep, sue?" "oh, not very long. maybe five minutes. 'cause, you see, when he wakes up he'll be hungry and i've got some pie and cake and some milk for him to eat. sick folks gets awful hungry when their fever goes away. and it's _real_ things to eat, too, mother. and when bunny got make-believe shot with an indian arrow he said he wasn't going to play fever more'n five minutes 'cause he saw what i had for him to eat." "oh well, if he's going to be better in five minutes i can wait that long," said mrs. brown. "go on and have your fun." "what do you want bunny to do--or me?" asked sue, as she turned to go back behind the bush where she and bunny were having their game. "i'll tell you when you've finished playing," said mrs. brown with a smile. she sometimes found this a better plan than telling the children just what she wanted when she called them from some of their games. you see they were so anxious to find out what it was their mother wanted that they hurried to finish their fun. bunny brown and his sister sue were at camp rest-a-while with their father and their mother. they had come from their home in bellemere to live for a while in the forest, on the shore of lake wanda, where they were all enjoying the life in the open air. they had journeyed to the woods in an automobile, carrying two tents which were set up under the trees. one tent was used to sleep in and the other for a dining room. there was also a place to cook. with the brown family was uncle tad, who was really mr. brown's uncle. but the jolly old soldier was as much an uncle to bunny and sue as he was to their father. bunker blue, a boy, had also come to camp rest-a-while with the brown family, but after having many adventures with them, he had gone back to bellemere, where mr. brown had a fish and a boat business. with him went tom vine, a boy whom the browns had met after coming to camp. bunny brown and his sister sue liked it in the big woods that stretched out all about their camp. they played many games under the trees and in the tents, and had great fun. mrs. brown liked it so much that when the time when they had planned to go home came, she said to her husband: "oh, let's stay a little longer. i like it so much and the children are so happy. let's stay!" and so they stayed. and they were still camped on the edge of the big woods that morning when mrs. brown called bunny and sue to do something for her. after telling her mother about the pretend-fever which bunny had, sue went back to where her brother was lying on a blanket under the bushes. she made-believe feel his pulse, as she had seen the doctor do when once bunny had been really ill, and then the little girl put her hand on bunny's cheek. "say! what you doin' that for?" he asked. "i was seeing how hot you were," answered sue. "i guess your fever's most gone, isn't it, bunny?" she asked. "is it time to eat?" he asked quickly. "yes, i think it is. and i think mother has a surprise for us, too." "then my fever's all gone!" exclaimed bunny. "i'm all better, and i can eat. then we'll see what mother has." never did an ill person get well so quickly as did bunny brown just then. he sat up, threw to one side a blanket sue had spread over him, and called: "where's the pie and cake?" "here they are," sue answered, as she took them from a little box under the bushes. "and where's the milk?" asked bunny. "fevers always make folks thirsty, you know. i'm awful thirsty!" "here's the milk," said sue. "i didn't ask mother if i could take it, but i'm sure she won't care." "no, i guess not," said bunny, taking a long drink which sue poured out for him from a pitcher into a glass. then bunny and his sister ate the pie and the cake which their mother had given them that morning when they said they wanted to have a little picnic in the woods. instead bunny and sue had played indian and soldier, as they often did. first bunny was a white soldier, and then an indian, and at last he made believe he was shot so he could be ill. sue was very fond of playing nurse, and she liked to cover bunny up, feel his pulse and feed him bread pills rolled in sugar. bunny liked these pills, too. "well, now we've got everything eaten up," said bunny, as he gathered up the last crumbs of the pie his mother had baked in the oil stove which they had brought to camp. "let's go and see what the surprise is." "i'm not so _sure_ it is a surprise," returned sue slowly. "mother didn't say so. she just said she wouldn't tell us until you got all make-believe well again. so i suppose it's a surprise. don't you think so, too?" "i guess i do," answered bunny. "but come on, we'll soon find out." as the children came out from under the bush where they had been playing, there was a crashing in the brush and sue cried: "oh, maybe that's some more of those indians." "pooh! we're not playing indians _now_," said bunny. "that game's all over. i guess it's splash." "oh, that's nice!" cried sue. "i was wondering where he'd gone." a big, happy-looking and friendly dog came bursting through the bushes. he wagged his tail, and his big red tongue dangled out of his mouth, for it was a warm day. "oh, splash; you came just too late!" cried sue. "we've eaten up everything!" "all except the crumbs," said bunny. splash saw the crumbs almost as soon as bunny spoke, and with his red tongue the dog licked them up from the top of the box which the children had used for a table under the bushes. "come on," called bunny after a bit. "let's go and find out what mother wants. maybe she's baked some cookies for us." "didn't you have enough with the cake, pie and milk?" sue asked. "oh, i could eat more," replied bunny brown. in fact, he seemed always to be hungry, his mother said, though she did not let him eat enough to make himself ill. "well, come on," called sue. "we'll go and see what mother has for us." through the woods ran the children, toward the lake and the white tents gleaming among the green trees. mr. brown went to the city twice a week, making the trip in a small automobile he ran himself. sometimes he would stay in the city over night, and mother brown and uncle tad and the children would stay in the tents in the big woods where they were not far from a farmhouse. splash, the happy-go-lucky dog, bounded on ahead of bunny brown and his sister sue. the children followed as fast as they could. now and then splash would stop and look back as though calling: "come on! hurry up and see the surprise!" "we're coming!" bunny would call. "what do you s'pose it is?" he would ask sue. "i can't even guess," sue would answer. "but i know it must be something nice, for she smiled when i told her i was your nurse and you had an indian fever." "it wasn't an indian fever," protested bunny. "well, i mean a make-believe indian fever," said the little girl. "no, it was a make-believe arrow fever," said bunny. "i got shot with an indian _arrow_ you know." "oh yes," sue answered. "but, anyhow, you're all well now. oh, look out, splash!" she cried as the big dog ran into a puddle of water and splashed it so that some got on sue's dress. that is how splash got his name--from splashing into so many puddles. but this time the water was from a clean brook that ran over green, mossy stones, and it did sue's dress no harm, for she had on one that mrs. brown had made purposely for wearing in the woods. "here we are, momsie!" called sue, as she and bunny came running up to the camp where the tents were. "what's the surprise?" asked bunny. just then they heard the honk! honk! of an automobile, and as a car came on through the woods and up to the white tents, bunny and sue cried together: "oh, it's daddy! daddy has come home!" "yes, and he's brought us something!" added bunny. "look at the two big bundles, sue!" "oh, daddy! daddy brown! what have you brought?" cried the two children. "just a minute now, and i'll show you," said mr. brown, as he got out of the automobile and started for a tent, a big bundle under each arm. the children danced about in delight and splash barked. chapter ii the pail of milk "oh, mother! is this the surprise you had for us?" asked sue, as she hopped about, first on one foot then on the other. for she was so excited she could not keep still. "no, this isn't exactly what i meant," said mrs. brown with a smile. "still, this is a very nice surprise, isn't it?" "just the very nicest!" said bunny. "it's nice to have daddy home, and it's nice to have him bring something." "oh, please tell us what it is--you have two things," went on sue, as she looked at the two bundles which mr. brown carried, one under each arm. "is there something for each of us, daddy?" "well, yes, i think so, sue," answered her father. "but just wait----" "oh, my dears! give your father a chance to get his breath," laughed mrs. brown. "remember he has come all the way from the city in the auto, and he must be tired. come into the tent, and i'll make you a cup of tea," she went on. "and then will you tell us what you brought us?" asked bunny. "yes," said mr. brown. "then let's go in and watch him drink his tea," said sue, as she took hold of bunny's hand and led him toward the dining tent. "we'll know the minute he has finished," she went on, "and we'll be there when he opens the bundles." "all right," said mr. brown. "come in if you like." and while he was sipping the tea which mrs. brown quickly made for him, the two children sat looking at the two bundles their father had brought. one was quite heavy, bunny noticed, and something rattled inside the box in which it was packed. the other was lighter. they were both about the same size. and while the children are sitting there, waiting for their father to finish his tea, so they can learn what the surprise is i'll take just a few minutes to tell my new readers something about the brown family, and especially bunny brown and his sister sue. as i have already mentioned, the family, which was made up of mr. and mrs. walter brown and the two children, lived in the town of bellemere, which was on sandport bay, near the ocean. mr. brown was in the fish and the boat business, hiring to those who wanted row boats, fishing boats or motor boats. in the first book of this series, "bunny brown and his sister sue," the story was about the little boy and his sister, and what fun they had getting up a punch and judy show. "bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm," was the name of the second book and you can easily guess what that was about. the two children had much fun in a big automobile moving van, which was fitted up just like a little house, and in which they lived while going to the farm. bunker blue, who worked for mr. brown, and the children's dog splash went with them. while at their grandpa's farm bunny and sue got up a little show, at which they had lots of fun, and, seeing this, bunker and some of the older boys made up a larger show. they gave that in two tents, one of which had belonged to grandpa brown when he was in the army. the brown children were so delighted with the shows that they decided to have another, and in the third book, named "bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus," you may read how they did it. something happened in that book which made bunny and sue feel bad for a while, but they soon got over it. in the next book, "bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home," i told the story of the two children going to the big city of new york, and of the queer things they saw and the funny things they did while there. bunny and sue had played together as long as they could remember. bunny was about six or seven years old and sue was a year younger. wherever one went the other was always sure to be seen, and whatever bunny did sue was sure to think just right. every one in bellemere knew bunny and sue, from old miss hollyhock to wango, a queer little monkey owned by jed winkler the sailor. wango often got into mischief, and so did bunny and sue. and the children had much fun with uncle tad who loved them as if they were his own. after bunny and sue had come back from aunt lu's city home the weather was very warm and daddy brown thought of camping in the woods. so that is what they did, and the things that happened are related in the fifth book in the series, called "bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while." for that is what they named the place where the tents were set up under the trees on the edge of the big woods and by a beautiful lake. neither bunny nor sue had ever been to the end of these big woods, nor had mr. brown, though some day he hoped to go. the summer was about half over. mrs. brown liked it so much that she said she and the children would stay in the woods as long as it was warm enough to live in a tent. and now, this afternoon, mr. brown had come home from the city with the two queer big bundles, and the children were so excited thinking what might be in them that they watched every mouthful of tea mr. brown sipped. "when will you be ready to show us?" asked sue. "please be quick," begged bunny. "i--i'm gettin' awful anxious." "well, i guess i can show you now," said mr. brown. "bring me the heaviest package, bunny." it was all the little boy could do to lift it from the chair, but he managed to do it. slowly mr. brown opened it. bunny saw a flash of something red and shining. "oh, it's a fire engine!" he cried. "not quite," said his father, "though that was a good guess." then mr. brown lifted out the things in the paper, and all at once bunny saw what it was--a little toy train of cars, with an engine and tracks on which it could run. "does it really go?" asked the little boy, eagerly. "yes, it really goes," said mr. brown. "it's an electric train, and it runs by electricity from these batteries," and he held up some strong ones. "i'll fix up your train for you so it will run. but you must be careful of it, bunny." "oh, i'll take fine care of it!" cried the little boy. "and i won't let splash bite it." "didn't you bring me anything, daddy?" asked sue slowly. "or do i have to play with bunny's train?" and she looked at the little boy who was trying to fit together the pieces of the track. "oh, i have something for you alone, sue," her father said. "look and see if you like this." he held up a great big teddy bear. "oh! ah!" murmured sue. "that's something i've been wishing for. oh, daddy! how good you are to us!" and she threw her arms around her father's neck. "i love you, too!" called bunny brown, leaving his toy train and track, and running to his father for a hug and a kiss. "well, now, how do you like this, sue?" and mr. brown handed the big teddy bear over to his little girl. "oh, i just love it!" she cried. "it's the nicest doll ever!" "let me show you something," said mr. brown. he pressed a button in the toy bear's back and, all of a sudden, its eyes shone like little lights. "oh, what makes that, daddy?" asked bunny, leaving his toy train and coming over to see his sister's present. "behind the bear's eyes, which are of glass," explained mr. brown, "are two little electric lights. they are lighted by what are called dry batteries, like those that ring our front door bell at home, only smaller. and the same kind of dry batteries will run bunny's train when i get it put together. "see, sue, when you want your bear's eyes to glow, just press this button in teddy's back," and her father showed her a little button, or switch, hidden in the toy's fur. "oh, isn't that fine!" cried sue with shining eyes. she pushed the button, the bear's eyes lighted and gleamed out, and splash, seeing them, barked in excitement. "oh, let me do it," begged bunny. "i'll let you run my toy train if you let me light your bear's eyes, sue," he said. "all right," agreed the little girl. so bunny played with the teddy bear a bit, while sue looked at the toy engine and cars, and then mrs. brown said: "well, children, i think it is about time for my surprise." "oh, have you something for us, too?" asked sue, quickly. "well, i'll have something for you if you will go and get something for me," said mother brown. "i want you to go to the farmhouse and get me a pail of milk. some one took what i was saving to make a pudding with, so i'll have to get more milk." "we took it to play soldier and nurse with," confessed sue. "i'm sorry, momsie----" "oh, it doesn't matter, dear," said mrs. brown. "i like to have you drink all the milk you want. but now you'll have to get more for me, as there is not enough for supper and the pudding." "we'll go for the milk," said bunny. "and when we get back we can play with the bear and the toy train." "i'll try to have the toy train running for you when you come back with the milk," said mr. brown. "trot along now." mrs. brown gave bunny the milk pail, and soon he and sue, leaving splash behind this time, started down the road to the farmhouse where they got their milk. the farmer sent his boy every day with milk for those at camp rest-a-while, but this time bunny and sue had used more than usual, and mrs. brown had to send for some extra. it did not take bunny and sue long to reach the farmhouse, where their pail was filled by the farmer's wife. "we've got a surprise at our camp," said bunny, as they started away, the little boy carefully carrying the pail of milk. "indeed! is that so? what is it?" asked the farmer's wife. "we've got two surprises," said sue. "daddy brought them from the city. bunny has a toy train of cars that runs with a city." "she means _electricity_," explained bunny with a laugh, but saying the big word very slowly. "i don't care. it sounds like that," declared sue. "and i've got a teddy bear and its eyes are little e-lec-tri-_city_ lamps, and they shine like anything when you push a button in his back." "those are certainly two fine surprises," said the farmer's wife. "now be careful not to spill your milk." "we'll be careful," promised bunny. he and sue walked along the country road toward their camp. suddenly on a fence sue saw a squirrel running along. "oh, look, bunny!" she cried. "where?" asked her brother. "on that fence. a big gray squirrel!" "oh, what a fine, big one!" cried bunny. "maybe we can catch him and put him in a cage with a wheel that goes around." bunny carefully set the pail of milk down at the side of the road, out of the way in case any wagons or automobiles should come along. then he ran after the squirrel, that had come to a stop on top of the fence and stood looking at the children. but, as soon as the squirrel with the big tail saw bunny running toward him, he scampered away and bunny followed. so did sue, leaving the pail of milk standing in the grass beside the road. the squirrel could run on the fence much faster than bunny brown and his sister sue could run along the road, and pretty soon they saw him scamper up a tree. "now we can't get him," said sue, sorrowfully. "no, i guess not," answered bunny. "we'd better go back to camp and play with your teddy bear and my toy train. come on." they walked back toward the place they had left the pail of milk. as they came in sight of it sue cried: "oh, bunny, look!" bunny looked, and at what he saw he cried: "oh dear!" for a big, shaggy dog had his nose down in the pail of milk, and as he looked up, at hearing bunny's cry, he knocked the pail over, spilling what he had not taken himself. "oh, our milk's all gone!" cried bunny. "what shall we do?" asked sue, in dismay. chapter iii the old man for a moment the two children did not know what to do. they stood still, looking at the dog who had just drunk the milk from the pail which they had set down in the road so they could chase the squirrel. then bunny, made bold by thinking of what might happen if he and his sister went home with the empty pail, thinking also of the pudding which his mother could not make if she had no milk, gave a loud cry. "get away from there, you bad dog!" cried the little boy. "leave our milk alone!" and he started to run toward the shaggy creature. "oh, come back! come back!" cried sue. "don't go near him, bunny!" "why not?" her brother asked in some surprise. "'cause he might bite you." "huh! i'm not afraid of him!" declared bunny. "he doesn't look as savage as our splash, and _he_ never bites anybody, though he barks a lot at tramps." so bunny ran on toward the shaggy dog. the animal stood looking at the little boy for a moment and then, with a sort of "wuff!" as if to say, "well, i've taken all the milk, what are you going to do about it?" away he trotted down the road. bunny ran on and picked up the milk pail. only a few drops were in the bottom. "see i told you he wouldn't bite me! i'm not afraid of that dog!" the little boy called to his sister. "yes, you did drive him off," said sue, proud of her brother. "you are awful brave, bunny--just as brave as when you played soldier and i cured you of the indian fever, and----" "it was arrow fever, i keep tellin' you!" insisted bunny. "well, arrow fever then," agreed sue. "but is there any milk left, bunny?" "not a drop, sue," and bunny turned the pail upside down to show. "well," said the little girl with a sigh, "then i guess you weren't brave in time, bunny. you didn't save the milk!" "huh, the dog had it all drunk up before i saw him," declared her brother. "if i'd seen him i'd have stopped him quick enough! i wasn't afraid of him." "but what about more milk?" asked sue. that was all she could think of, now that the pail was empty. "we've got to get more milk, bunny brown." "yes, i s'pose we have," he agreed. "but we can easy go back to the farmhouse." "no, we can't," said sue. "why not?" bunny demanded. "it isn't far, and if you're afraid of the dog you can stay here, and i'll go for the milk." "nope!" cried sue, shaking her head until her hair flew into her eyes. "mother said you mustn't ever leave me alone, to go anywhere when we were on the road or in the big woods. i've got to stay with you, and you've got to stay with me," and she went up and took bunny by the hand. "all right, sue," said he. "i want you to stay with me. but come along to the farmhouse and we'll get more milk. i'll take a stick, if you want me to, and keep the dog away. i don't believe he'll come back anyhow. don't you know how 'fraid dogs are to come back to you when they've done something bad. that time splash ate the meat bunker blue brought in and left on the table--why, that time splash was so ashamed for what he'd done that he didn't come into the house all day. this dog won't bite you." "pooh! i'm not afraid of the _dog_, bunny brown," said sue. "then what are you afraid of?" "i'm not 'fraid of anything. but you know what that farm lady said. she said this was the last quart of milk she could spare, and she didn't have any more." "oh, so she did!" agreed bunny. "then what are we going to do?" "i don't know," said sue. "we've got to do _something_," said bunny gravely. "yes," said sue. "there isn't any more milk at the camp, and the farm lady hasn't any, and----" "mother wants some to make the surprise-pudding," added bunny. "i guess we didn't ought to have tooken that for our play-game," he went on all mixed up in his english. "no," said sue, "maybe we oughtn't. let me think now." "what you going to think?" asked bunny. though he was a little older than sue he knew that she often thought more then he did about what they were going to do or play. sue was a good thinker. she usually thought first and did things afterward, while bunny was just the other way. he did something first and then thought about it afterward, and sometimes he was sorry for what he had done. but this time he wanted to know what sue was going to think. "aren't you going to think something?" he asked after a bit. sue stood looking up and down the road. "i'm thinkin' now," she said. "please don't bother me, bunny." bunny remained silent, now and then looking into the empty milk pail, and tipping it upside down, as though that would fill it again. finally sue said: "well, we can't get any milk at the farmhouse. i don't know any other place around here where we can go, so the only thing to do is to go back to camp rest-a-while." "but there's no milk there," said bunny. "i know there isn't. but we can tell daddy and mother, and ask them what to do. they wouldn't want us to go off somewhere else without telling them. and maybe daddy can go off in the automobile and get some milk at another farm." "maybe," said bunny slowly. "and if we go with him," he added, "and he does get more milk, we won't set the pail down in the road when we chase a squirrel. we'll put it in the auto." "i guess by the time we get the milk it will be too dark to see to chase squirrels," said sue. "it's getting dark now; come on, bunny." the two children started down the road toward the camp, and as they did so they heard a crackling in the bushes on the side of a hill that led up from the road. "oh, here comes that milk dog back again!" cried sue, and she snuggled up close against her brother, though the sinking sun was still shining across the highway. "i won't let him hurt you," said bunny. "wait until i get a stone or a stick." "oh, you mustn't do anything to strange dogs!" cried the little girl. "if you do they might jump at you and bite you. just don't notice him or speak to him, and he'll think we're--we're stylish, and he'll pass right by." "oh well, if you want me to do _that_ way," said bunny, looking up toward the place the sound came from, "why i will, only----" he stopped speaking suddenly, and pointed up the hill. sue looked in the same direction. they saw coming toward them, not a dog, but an old man, dressed in rather ragged clothes. he looked like what the children called a tramp, though since they had arrived at the camp they had come to know that not all persons who wore ragged clothes were tramps. some of the farmers and their helpers wore their raggedest garments to work in the dirt of the fields. this man might be a farmer. he had long white hair that hung down under the brim of his black hat, and though he did not have such a nice face as did the children's father, or their uncle tad, still they were not afraid of him. "going after milk, little ones?" asked the old man, and his voice was not unpleasant. "no, sir; we've just been," said bunny. "well, i'm afraid you'll spill your milk if you swing your pail that way," went on the old man, for bunny was moving the pail to and fro, with wide swings of his arms. "it would spill, if there was any in the pail," said sue. "but there isn't," added bunny. "it's spilled already and we don't know where to get any more," explained sue. "it wasn't _'zactly_ spilled," bunny added, for he and sue always tried to speak the exact truth. "a dog drank it up." "while we were chasin' a squirrel," added his sister. "but i would have driven him away if i'd seen him in time," bunny declared positively. "he put his nose right in the pail and licked up all the milk, and what he didn't eat he spilled and then he ran away." "and the lady at the farmhouse hasn't any more milk," sue explained. "and there isn't any at the camp and----" "mother can't make the pudding," finished bunny. "oh dear!" wailed sue. "my, you have a lot of troubles!" said the ragged man. "but if you'll come with me maybe i can help you." "where do you want us to come?" asked bunny, remembering that his mother had told him never to go anywhere with strangers, and never to let sue go, either. "if you'll come up to my little cabin in the woods i can let you have some milk," said the ragged man. "i keep a cow, and i have more milk than i can use or sell. it isn't far. come with me," and he held out his hands to the children. chapter iv a noise at night bunny brown and his sister sue were not sure whether or not they should go with the old man. they remembered what their mother had said to them about walking off with strangers, and they hung back. but when bunny looked at the empty milk pail and remembered that there was no milk in camp for supper, and none with which his mother could make the pudding he and his sister liked so much, he made up his mind it would be all right to go to the little cabin in the woods. "come on," urged the old man. "do you sell milk?" asked sue. "oh, yes, little girl. though my cow with the crumpled horn does not give such a lot of milk, there is more than i use. i sell what i can, but even then i have some left over. i have plenty to sell to you." "we only want a quart," said bunny. "that's all we have money for. mother gave us some extra pennies when we went for milk to the farmhouse, but we have only six cents left. will that buy a quart of milk?" "it will here in the woods and the country," answered the old man, "but it wouldn't in the city. however, my crumpled-horn cow's milk is only six cents a quart." "has your cow really got a crumpled horn?" asked sue eagerly, for she loved queer things. "yes, she has a crumpled horn, but she isn't the one that jumped over the moon," said the old man with a smile. the children liked him better after that, though when bunny found a chance to whisper to his sister as they walked through the woods, along the path and behind the old man, the little boy said: "i guess he means to be kind, but he's kind of _funny_, isn't he?" "a little bit," answered sue. the old man walked on ahead, the children, hand in hand, following, and the bushes clinked against the empty tin pail that bunny carried. "here you are," said the old man, as he turned on the path, and before them bunny and his sister saw a log cabin. near it was a shed, and as the children stopped and looked, from the shed came a long, low "moo!" "oh, is that the crumpled-horn cow?" asked sue. "yes," answered the old man. "i'll get some of her milk for you. i keep it in a pail down in the spring, so it will be cool. let me take your pail and i'll fill it for you while you go to see the cow. she is gentle and won't hurt you." letting the old man take the pail, bunny and sue went to look at the cow. the door of the shed was in two parts, and the children opened the upper half. "moo!" called the cow as she stuck out her head. "oh, see, one of her horns _is_ crumpled!" cried bunny. "let's wait, and _maybe_ she'll jump over the moon," suggested sue, who remembered the nursery rhyme of "hey-diddle-diddle." but though the children remained standing near the cow shed for two or three minutes, the cow, one of whose horns was twisted, or crumpled, made no effort to jump out of her stable and leap over the moon. bunny and sue were not afraid of cows, especially when they were kept in a stable, so they were soon rubbing the head of the ragged man's bossy. "well, you have made friends, i see," came a voice behind the children, and there stood the ragged man with their pail full of milk. "i am glad you like my cow," he said. "she is a good cow and gives rich milk. any time you spill your milk again come to me and i'll sell you some." "we didn't spill this milk," explained bunny carefully. "a dog drank it." "well, then come to me whenever you need milk, and you can't get any at the farmhouse," went on the old man, as bunny gave him the six pennies. "all right, sir," said bunny. "where do you live?" asked the ragged man. "at camp rest-a-while," answered sue. "oh, you're the children who live in the tents. i know where your place is." "and to-night my father brought me a toy electric train from the city," said bunny brown. "it runs on a track with batteries, and you can switch it on and off and it--it's won'erful!" "so is my teddy bear!" exclaimed sue. "it has real lights for eyes and they burn bright when you press a button in teddy's back." "those are fine toys," said the ragged man. "we never had such toys as that when i was a boy. and so your train runs by an electrical battery, does it, my boy?" he asked bunny, and he seemed anxious to hear all about it. "yes, and a strong one. daddy said i must be careful not to get a shock." "that's right. electric shocks are not very good. except for folks that have rheumatism," said the old man. "i have a touch of that myself now and then, but i haven't any battery. but now you'd better run along with your milk, or your father and mother may be worried about you. do you know your way back to camp all right?" "oh, yes, thank you," said bunny. "and we're much obliged to you for letting us have the milk," added sue. "oh, you paid me for it, and i was glad to sell it. i need the money because i can't earn much any more. i should thank you as a store keeper thanks his customers. and i'll say 'come again,'" and with a smile and a wave of his hand the ragged man said good-bye to the children. "now we mustn't set our pail down again," said bunny; "not even if we see a squirrel." "that's right," agreed sue. in a little while they were safely back at camp again, just as uncle tad was about to set off in search of them. "what kept you so long, children?" asked mrs. brown, anxiously. "oh, we saw a squirrel," said bunny. "and we set the milk pail down and chased it--chased the squirrel i mean," added sue. "and then a dog drank up the milk," went on bunny. "and we couldn't get any more at the farmhouse," said sue, speaking next. "but the ragged man, who lives in a cabin in the woods, and has a cow with the crumpled horn though she didn't jump over the moon--he gave us more milk for six cents," said bunny, all in one breath. "what's this about a ragged man?" asked mr. brown quickly, "and where does he live?" the children explained. mr. and mrs. brown looked at one another and then mr. brown said: "well, the ragged man meant all right, and he was very kind. but i wouldn't go off into the woods with strangers again, bunny and sue. they might get lost, or you might, and there would be a dreadful time until we found you again. after this don't set your milk pail down, and you won't have to hunt around for milk for supper. now wash and get ready to eat the surprise." "can't i play with my electric train a little while?" asked bunny. "and can't i play with my teddy bear?" "yes, i guess so," answered mrs. brown. "i've got your train in running order," said mr. brown. "you can play with it outside, near the campfire. but at night we'll have to take it into the tent, for there might be rain." mr. brown soon showed bunny how to start and stop the electric train by turning a switch. the train was pulled by a little locomotive made of steel and tin. inside was a tiny electric motor, which was worked by a current from the dry battery cells, such as make your door bell ring, except that they were stronger. "all aboard for the city, on track five!" cried bunny, as he had heard the starter in the railroad station cry. "wait a minute! wait a minute!" cried sue. "i want to get on the train with my teddy bear that makes her eyes all light." "make-believe, you mean; don't you?" asked bunny. "of course make-believe," answered sue. "i couldn't sit on your little cars. "maybe the teddy bear could," she added. "oh, let's try," said bunny. "then we could give him a truly, really ride." the teddy bear was quite large, but not very heavy, and by stretching it along three cars it could get on the train very nicely. it was even too long for three cars, but hanging over a bit did not matter, sue said. so she put it on top of the train, turned on its electric eyes, and then bunny turned on the switch that made the current go into the motor of his engine. at first the train would not start, for the bear was a bit heavy for it, but when bunny gave the engine a little push with his hand away it went as nicely as you please, pulling the bear around and around the shiny track, which was laid in a circle. "whoa!" called sue. "stop the train i here is where my teddy gets off." "you mustn't say whoa when you stop a train," objected bunny. "whoa is to stop a horse." "well, how do you stop a train?" sue asked. "just say 'ding!' that's one bell and the engineer knows that means to stop." "i thought bells stopped trolley cars," said sue. "they do, but they stop trains too, 'specially as mine is an electric train." "all right. ding!" called sue sharply. bunny turned the switch the other way to shut off the current, and the train stopped. sue took off the teddy bear and said "thank you" to conductor bunny brown. then the little boy played with his toy train by himself, while sue pretended her teddy bear was visiting in sue's aunt lu's city home and kept winking its electric-light eyes at wopsie, a little colored girl bunny and sue had known in new york, where aunt lu lived. "supper!" suddenly called mother brown, and the two hungry children hurried into the dining tent where mr. brown and uncle tad were waiting for them. "well, how did your electric train go?" asked bunny's father. "fine! it's the best ever." "and my teddy is just lovely," said sue. "well, be careful of your toys," said mr. brown. "better bring in the tracks and the engine and cars right after supper." "i will," bunny promised, "after i've played with them a bit." it was dusk when he and sue took up the shiny track and carried the batteries and other parts of the toy railroad into the sleeping tent, for bunny said he wanted it near him. the children sat up a little later than usual that night, as they always did when their father had come to the camp from the city. bunny talked of nothing but his railroad, planning fun for the morrow, while sue said she was going to get some little girls, who lived in a near-by farmhouse, and have a party for her teddy bear. "time to go to slumberland now," called mrs. brown, when it was nearly nine o'clock. "go to bed early and you'll get up so much the earlier." so off to their little cots, behind the hanging curtains, went bunny and sue, and soon after saying their prayers they were asleep, one to dream he was a conductor on a big electric train, while the other dreamed of carrying a big, crying teddy bear upside down through the woods with a milk pail hanging to its nose. just what time it was bunny and sue did not know, but they were both suddenly awakened by feeling the tent, on the side nearest to which they slept, being pushed in. the canvas walls bulged as though some one were trying to get through them. "oh, daddy!" cried sue, as she saw the tent move in the light of a lantern that burned dimly beyond the curtains behind which she and bunny slept. "oh, daddy, something is after us." "yes, and it's an elephant!" cried bunny, as he, too, saw the tent sway. "it's an elephant got loose from the circus, and he's after us!" with that he bounded out of bed, and, waiting only long enough to clasp each other by the hand, the two children burst into that part of the tent where mr. and mrs. brown slept. chapter v bunny rolls down hill "what's the matter?" asked mr. brown, thrusting his head out from between the two curtains behind which his wife and he had their cots. "why are you two children up at this time of night?" "we--we couldn't sleep in our part of the tent," explained sue, snuggling up closer to bunny. "couldn't sleep, my dear? was it the mosquitoes?" asked mrs. brown. "no'm. it was an elephant," explained bunny. "a burglar elephant," added sue. "he poked his head into the tent right over our bed," went on bunny. "but we didn't stay," added sue. "we came out to see if you and daddy were all right. burglar elephants aren't nice at all." "what in the world are they talking about?" asked mr. brown. "a burglar elephant? what does it mean?" "it must have been some sound they heard outside the tent," said mrs. brown. "or perhaps they dreamed something." "no'm, we didn't dream," cried bunny, while his sister sue nodded her head to show that she thought as he did. "it was something as big as an elephant and it most shook the tent down." "i felt something move the tent from the outside," said mrs. brown, "but i thought it was the wind." "i'll soon see what it was!" cried mr. brown. "you two kiddies jump into bed with your mother, and i'll take a look outside." he put on his dressing gown and slippers, and while bunny and his sister sue went behind the curtains to snuggle down in the bed with their mother, mr. brown, taking a lantern, started for the outside of the tent. he had just reached the flaps, the ropes of which he was loosening, and bunny and his sister were hardly in their mother's cot--a tight fit for three--when the canvas house was violently shaken and within the very tent itself sounded a loud: "moo! moo!" "oh, it's a cow!" cried bunny. "and i can see it!" cried sue, poking her head out between the curtains nearest her mother's bed. "i can see it." "is it an elephanty cow?" eagerly asked bunny from his side of the cot. "no, it's a cow with a crumpled horn--two crumpled horns--and daddy's pushing its face out of the tent," added sue. "let me see!" cried bunny, and, in spite of his mother's call to get back into bed, out he popped to stand near the curtains that hung down in front of his mother's cot. "yes, it's only a cow--a crumpled-horn cow," bunny announced after he had taken a look. "but it pushed hard enough to be an elephant, didn't it?" asked sue. "that's what it did. i thought the tent would come down," agreed bunny. "what makes you say it was a crumpled-horn cow?" asked mrs. brown, as she too looked through the crack of the curtain and saw her husband pushing the animal outside. "'cause it's got crumpled horns like the ragged man's cow. the man that gave us milk after the dog drank ours," said bunny. "only his cow had only _one_ crooked horn and this cow has _two_. hasn't it, sue?" "yes. but it looks like a nice cow." "well, we don't want cows in our sleeping tent at night," said mr. brown. "i'll start this one down hill, and in the morning some one who comes for it will have to hunt for it. we haven't anything here with which to feed cows." "what's the matter up there?" called a voice, and the children knew it was that of uncle tad, who slept in a little tent by himself, near the one where the cooking was done. "what's the matter up there?" he called. "oh, a cow tried to take up quarters with us," explained mr. brown. "i'm trying to shove her out of the tent, but she seems to want to stay." "i'll lead her away and tie her," said uncle tad. bunny and sue heard him tramping up from his tent to theirs and then he led the crumpled-horn cow away, the animal now and then giving voice to: "moo! moo!" "isn't it too bad she couldn't sleep here?" asked sue. "she's too big," declared bunny. "but sue, did you see two of her horns crumpled or only one?" "why, bunny, i--i guess it was two, but i'm not sure. what makes you ask me that?" before bunny could answer his mother called: "come now, you children have been up long enough. get back to bed or you'll want to sleep so late in the morning that it will be dinner time before you get up. the elephant-cow has gone away. uncle tad will lead her to the foot of the hill, near the brook, where she can get a drink of water and she won't bother you any more. so go back to your cots." bunny and sue went. they could hear uncle tad leading the elephant cow, as they called her, through the bushes, and hear him talking to her. "come bossy! come on now. that's a good cow!" the cow seemed to lead along easily enough, and pretty soon no more noises could be heard in camp except the chirping of the crickets or the songs of the katydids and katydidn'ts. bunny and sue covered themselves up in their cots, for it was cool getting up in the middle of the night. they both tried to go to sleep, but found it not so easy as they had hoped. "sue! sue!" whispered bunny, after a while. "yes. what is it?" "are you asleep?" "no, 'course not. how could i answer you if i was?" "that's so. you couldn't. well, i just wanted to know." there was silence for a few seconds and then sue whispered: "are you asleep, bunny?" "no, 'course not. if i was how could i talk to you?" "well, i thought maybe you might have gone to sleep. say, bunny!" "well, what is it?" "i--i'm not quite sure about that cow havin' two crumpled horns or one." "neither'm i," said bunny. "that's what i woke you up to find out about." "you didn't wake me up 'cause i wasn't asleep. but i _think_ the cow had two crumpled, twisted horns." "that's what i thought," said bunny. "and, if she did, then she didn't belong to the raggedy man, for his cow had only one." "that's so," admitted sue. "but maybe she twisted the other horn pushing her way through the bushes to our tent." "bushes aren't strong enough to twist a cow's horn!" replied bunny, trying to set his little sister right. "yes they are too, bunny brown! 'specially a wild grape vine that's strong enough to make a swing!" sue was growing sleepy and a little cross. "well, maybe----" but now the voice of mrs. brown broke in on the talk of the two children. "stop talking right away, both of you, my dears," she ordered, and bunny and sue knew she meant it. "all right, mother," they said, while sue whispered, just before she closed her eyes: "we'll find out whose cow it is in the morning." but they did not, at least right away, for when they ran down to the brook before breakfast, to wash their hands and faces as they always did, they saw nothing of the cow. "where did you tie her, uncle tad?" they asked. "right by the big willow tree," he answered. "maybe she broke away in the night and tried to get back to the tent." the cow certainly had broken away, for there was one end of the rope still tied to the tree, while the other end was broken and frazzled, showing it had not been cut. "well, i guess whoever owns her will find her," said mr. brown as he sat down to a breakfast of bacon and eggs. he had to go back to the city that day, and the children were sorry, for they counted on having good times with him. "but i'll come back friday night," he promised, "and i'll stay until monday morning. that will give us two whole days together." "oh, then we'll have fun!" cried bunny. "and will you help me play with my 'lectri_city_ teddy bear?" asked sue. "i surely will!" answered mr. brown, with a smile. "and may i play with my e-lec-tric train while you're away?" asked bunny. "yes, but be very careful of it," said his father. "it is strong, but it can be broken or put out of order. so if you play with it take it to some level place in the woods, and be careful how you set up the track. don't make too big a one." bunny promised that he would not, and soon after mr. brown had gone away in his automobile, the children, sue taking her teddy bear and bunny his toy train, started into the woods to play. "don't go too far," called their mother. "you must hear me when i call you to dinner. these woods are very big, you know." the children wandered off on a woodland path until, after trying, they found they could just hear their mother's voice. "and here will be a fine place to play," said bunny, when they reached a shady level place on top of a little hill that led down to the lake that was near camp rest-a-while. "it will be all right if we don't fall down the hill," said sue. "oh, we'll keep away back from the edge," decided bunny. then he began setting up the track for his toy train of cars, while sue made a comfortable place for her teddy bear to sleep, first showing the animal with the electric eyes all about the woods, in which were the big trees and the low bushes. bunny set his track around in a circle, and after connecting the strong batteries to the track he put the electric locomotive on and coupled together the cars. then, when he turned the switch, the engine and train ran along the rails very swiftly. but bunny soon grew tired of making the train go around in a circle. he wanted it to run along on a straight track, as the real trains do, and, having plenty of straight lengths of track in his box, he soon set up more rails that stretched off in a straight line. "oh, you're gettin' awful near the edge of the hill that goes down to the lake," warned sue, as she made believe to feed her teddy bear some huckleberries. "but i'm putting a curve at the end of the track so the engine and cars will turn back toward me," said bunny. "than i'll shut off the power before they can run off on the ground." bunny started his train the new way. at first the engine and the cars rolled slowly over the rails, for the ground was a little uphill. then they came to a part that was downhill. "now see 'em go!" cried bunny in delight. "they're going awful fast!" cried sue. "you'd better look out!" "this is an express train," explained bunny. "express trains are very fast." indeed the toy locomotive did seem to be going very fast. it rocked and swayed on the tin rails, and it was soon near the end of the line where there was a curve. and there is where the accident happened. the curve was so sharp, and the electric engine was going so fast, that, instead of turning around, it kept on straight, jumped over the rails and began to run down hill on the dirt and stone path that led to the lake. "oh!" gasped sue. "oh, my!" cried bunny, and then, before sue could stop him, her brother ran to the edge of the hill. he saw his toy engine and cars rolling over and over toward the lake at the bottom of the hill, and, without stopping a second, over the hill went bunny brown himself--slipping, sliding and falling down! "oh, bunny! come back! come back!" cried sue, very much excited. but bunny was rolling over and over down the hill after his train, and he could not answer. chapter vi after the lost cow bunny brown was thinking of two things when he started to roll downhill. one was that his train might roll into the water and be spoiled, for his father had told him that there were bits of electrical machinery on the engine that would be spoiled if water touched them. then bunny thought of himself rolling into the water, for the hill was steep on this shore of the lake, and any one rolling down, if he were not stopped before he reached the bottom, would be almost sure to go into the lake. "but i don't mind so much about myself," thought bunny. "my clothes will get wet, but i've got on an old suit and water won't hurt that. it won't hurt me, either, for i get wet when i go in swimming, and i can swim now if i have to. but my train can't swim, 'cause that's iron, and iron will sink, daddy told me. so i've got to catch the train before it goes into the lake." the thought of this made bunny try to roll over and over faster, so he could win in the race down the hill between himself and the train. if he could get hold of the train before it touched the water all would be well, he hoped. he could toss the train to one side, out of harm's way, even if he fell into the water himself. "but can i get it?" thought bunny, as he rolled over and over. he could hear sue calling to him at the top of the hill, on the very edge of which he had made the curve of his track. he realized now that it was too near the edge. what sue was saying bunny could not hear, but he imagined she was begging him to stop rolling downhill and come back to her. "as if i could!" thought bunny to himself. "this rolling downhill isn't any fun. i didn't really mean to do it, but i couldn't help it. i wanted to run or slide down. there are too many stones for rolling." indeed there were, for the slope of the hill down to the lake was not of soft grass. instead it was of gravel and stone and these were very rough for a small boy to roll on. still bunny did not mind if he could get his locomotive and train of cars. he could see them just ahead of him, rolling over and over just as he was doing. of course there was no electricity in the toy locomotive now. the current, as the electricity is called, was all in the rails, going into them from the batteries, and from there it went into the motor or the wheels, gears and other things inside the engine that made it roll along. "i guess it's rolling faster than i am," thought bunny. "it will get to the bottom first, and go in the water." this seemed to be what would happen. for the engine and cars had started ahead of bunny, and, too, they were not so big as he. it took him some time to turn over, for there was more of him. it was not the first time bunny had rolled downhill. often he and sue, finding a nice smooth, grassy slope in the country, had started at the top and rolled all the way to the bottom, over and over, getting up slightly dizzy. but bunny had never rolled down such a long, steep and rough hill as this, and he really did not mean to do it. he had started out to run to the bottom, or slide along, his feet buried in the soft sand and gravel. but he had slipped, and the only thing now to do was to roll, just as the train was doing. bunny looked down the slope again. he saw that the train was almost in the water, and he was wondering how much spoiled it would be, and whether it could be fixed again, so it could be run, when he suddenly saw a man step from the fringe of bushes at the edge of the lake and pick up the engine and cars just as they went into the water, getting only a little wet in the edge of the lake. the man was roughly dressed, and for a moment bunny thought he was the old hermit who lived in the lonely log cabin, and who had sold bunny and sue some milk the day before, when the dog had taken their pailful. but another look, as bunny tried to slow-up his rolling, told him it was another man. he was just as ragged as the hermit who kept a cow, but he did not have long hair, nor a long white beard, and his face was very dark. "oh, that's one of the indians!" quickly thought bunny. "well, he saved my train all right. i'm glad of that." with a slide and a roll bunny reached the foot of the hill, and by catching hold of a small tree he saved himself from slipping into the water. the indian looked up from the toy train at which he was gazing in puzzled fashion. "that's mine," said bunny, speaking slowly. he knew some of the indians who lived on a reservation in the big woods, not far from camp rest-a-while. some of them could speak fairly good english and understand it. others knew only a few words and bunny wanted to make sure this indian understood him. "huh! this you?" asked the red man, as the indians are sometimes called. "yes, that's mine," said bunny. "it's a train of cars." "oh, puff-puff train. eagle feather ride in puff-puff train once. how him go?" and he set bunny's train down on a smooth rock, while the little boy shook the dust from his clothes and tried to comb it out of his hair with his fingers. "it can't go now--no track--no electric current," explained bunny. "track up there on top of hill," he went on, motioning and speaking as slowly as he could, and with few words, so the indian would understand. "oh, go electricity--same as like lights in big city," said eagle feather, which seemed to be the indian's name. "me know--buzz--whizz--flash--go quick--no come back." "that's it," laughed bunny brown. he was not afraid of the indian. the men and the squaws, or women, used often to come to camp rest-a-while to sell their baskets, their bead work or bows and arrows. "that your train puff-puff cars. you take," said the indian, handing the toy to the little boy. "indian see him ready to swim in water, no t'ink good--catch um." "i'm glad you did," said bunny. "thank you. i nearly went into the water myself." "water good for boy--good for muskrat too, maybe," said eagle feather. "maybe not so good for meke-believe puff-puff train." "that's right," said bunny. "if my toy train had fallen into the lake and stayed there very long, it might never have run again. but i can run after i've been in the water." then bunny heard a voice calling to him from up on top of the hill: "bunny! bunny brown! are you all right?" bunny looked up quickly, and so did the indian. sue was standing on top of the hill, holding her teddy bear with the little electric eyes. "i'm all right, sue," called up bunny. "come down if you want to. but come down by the path. my train is all right, too. eagle feather saved it for me. he's one of the indians from the reservation." the state had set aside certain land for the indians on which they must live. bunny and sue, with their father or mother or uncle tad, had often been to the place where the indians lived. "are you all right, bunny?" asked sue again. "yep. course. but i'm all dirty. don't you roll down." "i won't," promised the little girl, and she started for the path, which was an easier way of getting to the bottom of the hill. the indian waited with bunny, and when sue stood beside the two eagle feather gave a sort of grunt of welcome, for indians are not great talkers. "bunny has an 'lectric train," said sue, for she was no more afraid of the red men than was her brother. "bunny has an 'lectric train, and i have an 'lectric teddy bear. see, eagle feather!" she pushed the button, or switch, in the back of her toy, and at once the eyes flashed out brightly. "huh! that much like real bear when you see him in dark by campfire," said the indian. "much funny. let eagle feather see!" sue showed the indian how to make the eyes gleam by pressing the button in the toy bear's back, and eagle feather did this several times. he seemed to think the toy bear was a more wonderful toy than the train he had saved from the lake. he gave this back to bunny and kept the bear, flashing the eyes again and again. "you mustn't do it too much or you'll wear out the batteries inside the bear," said bunny. "the same kind of electric batteries make the eyes of the bear bright as run my train." "huh! indian no want to make little girl's toy bad," said the indian handing it back. "great toy, much. very good to have." "what are you doing so far away from your camp?" asked bunny. "have you some bows and arrows to sell?" "no got to sell to-day. indian come to hunt lost cow." "have you lost a cow?" asked bunny and sue together. "yes. maybe you see him. he got two horns funny twisted--so"; and eagle feather picked up a crooked branch, like a fork or crotch, both parts of which were gnarled and twisted. "horns like him?" "yes, just like that," said bunny. "the cow came to our tent in the night and we thought it was an elephant. was it your cow? we thought it belonged to the white hermit who sold us milk last night." "no, two-crooked-horn cow belong eagle feather. where you see him?" bunny and sue told of uncle tad having tied the cow in the night and of her having broken loose. "but maybe we can see which way she went by her hoof-prints in the mud," said bunny. "come on, eagle feather. you saved my train from going into the lake where maybe i couldn't get it up, so we'll help you find your lost cow." chapter vii the missing train for a moment eagle feather, the indian, stood looking at the two children, and yet not so much at them as at their two toys--the electrical train, and at the teddy bear with the queer electric eyes. it was hard to say of which the indian was most fond. "you ought to see my train run on the track!" exclaimed bunny, as he shook some drops of water off the cars and engine. "i guess i'll have to put oil on it now to keep it from getting rusty, as uncle tad does when i leave his tools out all night." "and you ought to see my doll at night!" added sue. "her eyes shine like anything, and once, after i got to bed, and wanted a drink of water that was on a chair near my bed, i just lighted sallie malinda's eyes, and i found the drink without calling mother." "huh! heap big medicine--both of um!" grunted the indian. eagle feather was one of the oldest of the tribe of onondagas who lived on the reservation, and though he usually spoke fairly good english, sometimes he talked as his grandfather had done when he was a boy and the early settlers first had to do with the indians. and when eagle feather called the children's toys "heap big medicine," he did not mean exactly the kind of medicine you have to take when you are sick. the indians have two kinds of medicine, as they call it. one is made of the roots and barks of trees, berries and bushes which they take, and some of which we still use, like witch hazel and sassafras. but they also have another kind of medicine, which is like what might be called a charm; as some pretty stone, a feather, a bone or two, or anything they might have picked up in the woods as it took their fancy. these things they wear around their necks or arms and think they keep away sickness and bad luck. so when eagle feather called the toy train and the teddy bear of bunny brown and his sister sue, "heap big medicine," he meant they would be good not only to cure sickness without medicine, but also keep bad luck away from whoever had them. "now we'll help find your cow, eagle feather," said bunny, for he was no more afraid of the indian than you would be of the fireman down in the engine house at the end of your street, or the policeman on your block. bunny and sue had lived in the big woods so long now, and had seen the indians so often, even to learning the names of some of them, that they thought no more of them than of some of the farmers round about. "all right--we go find cow," said eagle feather. "no milk for little papoose if cow no come home." "papoose" was the word the indians used for "baby," and in the log cabin where eagle feather lived were two or three papooses. "it must have been your cow that poked her head into our tent," said sue, "for she had two crumpled horns, and the farmer's had only one." "that right," said eagle feather with a sort of grunt. "my cow have two horns twist like so," and he held up two fingers and made a sort of corkscrew motion in the air with his hands. "then that was your cow all right," said bunny. "uncle tad tied her to a tree, but maybe we can find her." "sure we find," grunted eagle feather. "heap big medicine little boy an' girl have soon find cow." what the indian meant was that he believed the toy train and the electrical teddy bear would bring such good luck that the lost cow would soon be found. mr. brown had gone back to the city when bunny and sue, each one carrying a toy, and followed by eagle feather, came back to camp rest-a-while. bunny was in worse condition than his sister, for he had rolled down the steep hill. sue's dress was torn a little. "why, bunny! why, sue!" cried mrs. brown as she saw the two children. "where in the world have you been?" "in the woods, playing with our toys," answered bunny. "sue made her teddy's eyes flash to scare away the tigers and lions all around us." "oh, you were playing make-believe," said mother brown, for well she knew the different games the children made up. "but bunny's runaway train was real," said sue. "did your train run away?" asked mrs. brown, not paying much attention to the indian at first, as it was common to see them around the camp, whither they came to beg for scraps of food, the remains of a ham bone, and such things. "did your train really run away, bunny?" asked mrs. brown. "oh, bunny, you've been in the dirt!" "yes, and it's a good thing he didn't get _wet_," went on sue, for both children always told everything that happened to them as soon as they got back home. only sometimes it took a little longer than usual to think up all the happenings. "he almost rolled into the lake, bunny did." "you did!" cried mrs. brown. "how did it happen?" "oh, i made the track straight, instead of in a circle, and the train got to going so fast in a straight line that it ran off the end of the rails downhill. i ran after it, but i slipped and rolled. then the train rolled into the water, but only a teenty little way, and eagle feather got it out. wasn't he good?" "he was indeed, and we must thank him," said mrs. brown. "but did he stop you from going into the water also, bunny?" "no, momsie. i stopped myself by catching hold of a tree. but i almost went in. i'd have gone in after my train anyhow, if eagle feather hadn't got it for me." "thank you, eagle feather," said mrs. brown. "i must give you some of the nice soup i have made. the papooses will like it." "squaw like it, and indian like it heap, too," said eagle feather. "yes, but the squaw, as you call your wife, and the little children, must have some first." "oh, yes. give 'em milk too, if so he can find cow." "oh, is your cow lost? and was it she who poked her head in our tent last night?" asked mrs. brown. "i think it was, mother," said bunny. "she had two crumpled horns, and the one the farmer owns has only one. sue and i are going to help eagle feather find his cow." "well, you mustn't go very deep into the big woods," said mrs. brown. "but then i think the cow can't have wandered far, for there is good feeding near where uncle tad tied her." "you show me where cow broke loose, i find her," said eagle feather. "indian hab heap good medicine to find cow." "medicine? you don't need medicine to find a cow," said mrs. brown. "you might need medicine if your cow were sick, but she didn't look sick when she poked her nose into the tent." "cow no sick, but heap good medicine find her all same," replied eagle feather, smiling. "he means our toys, mother," said bunny. "he called my train of cars and sue's doll heap good medicine." "oh, i see!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "it's a sort of charm. but you mustn't believe in that sort of nonsense, children, even if some of the more ignorant indians do." "but, mother," asked bunny, "mayn't i show eagle feather how my toy train works? he didn't see it, and i know he'd like to. mayn't i show him the train and how it runs?" "oh, yes, i suppose so. but be quick about it, if you are going to help him hunt for his cow." bunny relaid the track, in a circle this time, so the engine and cars would not roll off to where they were not intended to go. meanwhile sue flashed the eyes of her teddy bear so eagle feather could see them. he looked very closely at the toy, but when bunny had his train on the circular track, the batteries connected, and had started the little locomotive pulling the cars after it, the eyes of eagle feather grew big with wonder. "great medicine!" he exclaimed. "heap big powerful. indian do anything with that medicine. bring him along an' soon find cow." "oh, i couldn't bring my whole train, the track and the batteries into the woods," said bunny. "but i'll take one car with me." "well, maybe one car help some," said the indian. "little gal bring baby bear whose eyes light up same as in dark by campfire." "yes, i'll bring sallie malinda," promised sue. "that's my teddy's name," she explained. "well, don't lose your toys," cautioned their mother, "and don't be gone too long, for dinner will soon be ready. and, eagle feather, don't forget to come back for the soup," she concluded. "me no forget," said the indian. then with the children he went to the place where uncle tad had tied the stray cow, and from where she had broken loose. that was the starting place for the search. mrs. brown was not at all nervous about letting bunny and sue go away with the indian, eagle feather. all the farmers for miles around spoke of his honesty and kindness. he owned several farms, as well as horses and cows. he did business with the white people, and all of them trusted him. mr. brown often bought things from him. bunny, carrying one car of his train, and sue, her teddy bear to which she had given such a queer name, led the indian to the tree to which uncle tad had tied the cow in the night. there was the broken end of the rope still tied around the tree, but there was no cow on the other end of it. "she go this way," said eagle feather, pointing off toward the west. "how can you tell?" asked bunny. "see feet marks in soft dirt--see broken branches where cow go through--no look for path," and the indian pointed to several branches broken from the bushes through which the cow had forced her way in the darkness after having broken loose from the tree. "come on, sue!" called bunny, as he followed the indian, carrying the toy train in his hand. "i'm coming," answered his sister. "but the thorns catch in the fuzzy wool of sallie malinda and scratch her. i've got to go slower than you." "all right--we wait for you," said eagle feather, who had heard what sue said. "no hurry from little gal," he said to bunny. "maybe her medicine better for finding cow as yours, though me think yours very much stronger medicine. maybe we see--byemby." that was the way eagle feather said "bye-and-bye." bunny and the indian went on slowly through the big woods, the red man stopping every now and then to look down at the ground for marks of the cow's hoofs, and also looking at the sides for signs of the broken branches. "cow been here," he would say every little while. "soon we catch 'er. medicine heap good. indian like!" "you'd better get yourself a toy train," said bunny. "no got money," returned eagle feather. "like 'em very much for boy papoose when he grow big so like you." "maybe i'll be tired of mine by that time and give it to him," said bunny. "too nice. you no get tired long while," said the indian. "heap big medicine. come, sue, we wait for you." as the indian and bunny waited they heard, off in the distance, the lowing of a cow. "hark!" cried bunny. "that my cow," said eagle feather. "i tell you boy and gal medicine heap good--find cow soon. over this way! soon hab cow now!" he hurried on ahead so fast that bunny and sue could hardly keep up with him, but they managed to do so and, a little later, they saw, in a little glade among the trees, a cow with a broken rope trailing from her neck. she had two twisted, or crumpled, horns. "oh, that's the cow that was in our tent!" cried sue. "i'd know her anywhere." "she my cow--give good milk for little papoose. what for you run away?" he asked, going up to the cow, rubbing her neck and pretending to talk into her ear. the cow mooed softly and appeared glad to see eagle feather. "well, now you've got your cow back you can come to our camp, get the soup and go to your cabin," said bunny. "i'm glad you found her." "boy and girl, with heap good medicine find," said eagle feather. "much thankful to you. some day make bow and arrows for boy, and moccasins for feet of little girl with bear that makes fire eyes at night. indian glad!" "oh, we were only too glad to help you," said bunny. "now we must be going back to camp." "me come--cow come too," said eagle feather, and he led the cow by the broken rope. they were soon back at the tents, telling mrs. brown how they had found the lost cow. eagle feather spoke much about the toy train and the teddy bear "medicine," but mrs. brown laughed. "this is better medicine than all the toys in the world," she said, as she gave eagle feather a big pail of soup. "take it home to your wife and children." "me will--all much 'bliged," and eagle feather bowed. then with a farewell nod to the children the red man went off into the big woods leading his lost cow, who seemed glad to be on her way home again. mr. brown came home that night to stay two or three days, for bunker blue could take care of the fish and boat business, and when bunny's father heard what had happened when bunny put the toy track too near the edge of the hill, the little boy was told not to do it again, and promised not to. "eagle feather was very good to you, and you must be kind to him and to all the indians," said mr. brown. "so the wetting didn't seem to hurt your toy engine, bunny?" "no, daddy. i shook off all the water." "well, we'd better oil it and let it stand all night to take off the rust. for if it gets rusty it won't run." bunny did not want this to happen, so he left his toy railroad out in the kitchen tent that night, near the stove in which a little fire was kindled. no cows stuck their heads into the bedrooms of the tent houses that night, and bunny and sue slept soundly. so did mr. and mrs. brown and uncle tad, but some one must have been around the camp with very soft feet in the darkness. for when bunny awakened early, and went out to have a look at his toy railroad, he set up a cry: "it's gone! it's gone! some one has taken it!" "taken what?" asked his father. "my toy locomotive, my cars, the tracks, batteries and everything! oh, dear! my toy train is gone!" chapter viii "where has sallie gone?" "what's the matter, bunny?" asked uncle tad, who, as usual, had gotten up early to make the fire in the kitchen stove. it had gone out during the night, though a late fire had been built to make warmth for bunny's train. "what's the matter?" asked uncle tad again. "have you found some more lost cows?" "no. i've lost something instead of finding it this time," said the little boy. "what have you lost?" asked uncle tad, as he began to shake the ashes out of the cook stove, getting ready to make a new fire in it. the stove pipe went right out through the tent, with an asbestos collar around it so the canvas would not catch fire. "i've lost my electric train," cried bunny brown, looking around the kitchen tent to make sure his toy was not stuck in some corner. "i was playing with it yesterday, and i had one of the cars when i went with sue and indian eagle feather to find his lost cow. then i brought it back to camp and i put it here so the water would dry out. now it's gone!" "yes, it seems to be gone," said uncle tad, looking carefully around the tent, after he had put a match to the wood kindlings. "and i know you left it here because i saw it the last thing when i came in to make sure the fire was all right before going to bed." "then who could have taken it?" asked bunny. "well, as to that i couldn't say," answered uncle tad slowly. "it might have run off by itself, i suppose?" "it couldn't have!" declared bunny. "of course it runs by itself when the batteries are connected, but they weren't this time. and the train wasn't even on the track, though the rails were piled up near it, and so were the batteries. yet everything is gone!" "what's the matter?" asked mrs. brown, coming into the kitchen tent to start the breakfast. "my train is gone!" said bunny sadly. "and i didn't hear anybody around camp during the night," he added, and told of finding out about his loss. "do you suppose you could have got up in the night, walked in your sleep, and hidden the train somewhere else yourself?" asked uncle tad. "well, about a year ago that might have happened," said mother brown. "but bunny is cured of his sleep-walking habits now. he hasn't gotten up for several months, unless, as happened the other night when the cow poked her head in the tent, he woke up and cried out." "but no cow came into the tent last night, mother," said bunny. "anyhow a cow wouldn't like to eat a train of cars." "a cow eat a train of cars!" cried daddy brown, coming into the tent just in time to hear what bunny said. "say, is that a riddle?" "no. but it's a riddle to guess who or what took bunny's train of cars," said mrs. brown. "he says he left them here, in front of the stove to dry out the water as you told him to, but they are gone now." "that's queer," said mr. brown, looking about. "is bunny's train the only thing that is missing?" "it seems to be, as far as we can tell by a hasty look around. but we'll have to see," said mother brown. uncle tad, mr. brown and bunny and sue looked carefully about the tent while mrs. brown got breakfast. they saw several footprints, for the children, as well as the grown folks, had been about the tents all day, and eagle feather, the indian, had also been there. "who knew that you had a train of cars?" asked mr. brown of his son when a long search had failed to find the toy. "well, i told the boy who brings the milk, the butter and egg man, and i guess that's all," said bunny. "you told eagle feather," put in sue. "yes, but he wouldn't take them," said bunny. "he thinks they are big medicine for finding his lost cow. he wouldn't take them." "i'm not so sure of that," said uncle tad. "indians like bright and pretty things and that electrical train must have been a great wonder to them; especially to eagle feather, who is a smart indian." "then why didn't he take my teddy bear, sallie malinda?" asked sue. "my bear, with the blinking eyes, helped find the lost cow as well as bunny's train did." "of course it did," agreed mother brown. "i don't believe eagle feather had a thing to do with it. if the train was stolen by tramps we'd better get another dog, daddy brown, to keep them away." "oh, don't get a dog!" cried bunny and sue together. "splash is the best dog that ever was!" "yes. but he is so friendly with everybody that he would just as soon a tramp came up to the tent as some of the farm peddlers," said mrs. brown. "he hardly ever barks unless he is playing with you children, and he is so good-natured." "oh, we never could give up splash," said bunny, and sue nodded her head to show that she felt the same way about it. "maybe you can get another dog, who will bark, mother. then we could hitch splash and him up together and have a team," went on bunny. "splash would never pull the way the other dog wanted to go," said uncle tad. "i guess, before we think of more dogs we'll just go over to the indian village and find out what they know about the missing toy train." "yes, that would be a good plan," said mr. brown. "suppose we go together, uncle tad." so, after breakfast, when another search had been made about the camp to make sure the train was not hidden behind something, the two men started off. bunny kept on searching about the tents for his missing toy, and sue played with her teddy bear, tying her on the back of splash, the dog, to make believe sallie malinda was having a pony ride. when father brown and uncle tad came back the children ran eagerly to them. mr. brown shook his head. "no," he said, slowly, "there is no trace of the toy train in the indians' village, and eagle feather and his men say they know nothing about it. they say they were not away from their camp all night. they even let us search their tents and cabins, and were very good-natured about it." "that doesn't prove anything," said uncle tad. "if they had hidden the toy train it would be in a place where we could never find it. i guess we'll have to let it go." "could any one else have taken it?" asked mrs. brown. "yes, of course. but one of the indians seems most likely. they probably heard what eagle feather told about how the train ran and one of their men crawled up in the night and took it from the tent while we were all asleep." "well, maybe so, but i don't believe eagle feather did any such thing as that," said mother brown. "nor i," said bunny, and sue nodded her head. "it was a tramp." mr. brown promised bunny a new train as soon as he should go back to the city, but that would not be for a few days. "oh dear!" cried bunny. "how can i wait that long?" "you can play with my teddy bear sometimes," said sue kindly. bunny thanked her, but it was easy to see he did not care much for such a girl's toy. "my sallie malinda teddy bear is as good as your toy train," said sue. "she's better--for i _have_ her and you _haven't_ your train of cars." "well, i'm glad you like her," said bunny. "but maybe your teddy will go away in the night just as my train did." "my teddy can't run, even if her eyes can light up," said sue, making the bear's eyes blink. "my train didn't run away, it was tooken," said bunny. "and some day i'm going to find the one that tooked it." bunny did not speak as his school teacher would have had him, but he meant the same thing as if he had spoken correctly. "well, they sha'n't touch my teddy bear!" said sue. "i'll take her to bed with me every night." and she did, two or three times. then, one night sue forgot and left her wonderful teddy bear out in the kitchen. and in the morning what do you suppose had happened? in the morning sue awakened early, and, missing her toy, which she thought she had taken to bed with her, she happened to remember that sallie was left out in the kitchen. "i'll bring her to bed with me and tell her a story," said the little girl. eagerly she ran out to the kitchen. she looked in the chair where the teddy bear had been left. then sue's eyes filled with tears as she cried: "where has sallie gone? oh, where has sallie malinda gone? some one has tooken my teddy bear!" bunny brown heard his sister's cry, and up from his cot he jumped. chapter ix the search "what's the matter, sue?" asked bunny as he saw his sister standing in the middle of the dining room part of the tent, which was separated by curtains from the sleeping rooms. "oh, my teddy bear's been taken! some one has taken sallie malinda!" cried the little girl. "i don't believe i'll ever be happy again. oh, dear!" "maybe we'll find her again," said bunny, shivering, for the morning was cool and he had on only his night clothes. "no, i'll never find her," sobbed sue. "she's been tooked away, same as your train of cars." this thought of his own missing toy made bunny feel sad. but he wanted to cheer sue up. "oh, maybe your teddy bear just walked off in the night to get something to eat," the little boy went on. "i get hungry in the night lots of times. i get up and eat a sweet cracker, if i've left one on the chair by my bed. now let me think what it is bears like best." "it's honey," answered sue. "how do you know?" her brother asked. "'cause i read it in the animal book. it told about a bear climbing a bee-tree----" "what's a bee-tree?" interrupted bunny. "it's a hollow tree where a bee makes its nest and lays honey eggs," explained sue, in a very funny way, you see. "and the bear climbed that tree and got the bee's honey." "wouldn't the bee sting him?" asked bunny. "i was stung by a bee once, on grandpa's farm, and i wasn't climbing the bee-tree either." "oh, well, that was an accident," declared sue. "besides a bear has thick fur on him and the only place where a bee can hurt him is on his soft and tender nose. and before he climbs a bee-tree, the bear puts thick mud on his nose like a plaster so the bee can't sting that, so he's all right." "hum," said bunny. "then we'll go and find a bee-tree, and maybe your teddy bear will be there." "but my teddy bear sallie malinda can only make-believe walk!" exclaimed sue. "she can only make-believe eat honey, too." "then we'll look for a make-believe honey-tree," said bunny. "come on, sue!" sue seemed to hold back. "come on!" cried bunny again, always ready to start something. "let's get dressed and go to hunt for the teddy bear." it was very early, and mr. and mrs. brown were not yet awake. mrs. brown, however, soon heard the children moving about and she called to them: "what's the matter?" "sue's doll is gone," said bunny. "my nice teddy bear one," added sue. "he's gone off to find a bee's nest to get honey," went on bunny. "my bear ain't a 'he'--she's a 'she,'" declared sue. "and her name is sallie malinda." "well, no matter what her name is, she is lost," said bunny. "we're going to find her." "look here, children!" called mr. brown, who was now awake. "don't go off on any wild goose chase." "we're not after wild geese. we're going after sue's bear," replied bunny. "what! is sue's bear taken, too?" cried mr. brown. "she's either taken or else she walked away," bunny said. "sue's bear wasn't the walking kind, though they did have some of that sort," said the children's father. "but if your bear is gone, some one must have taken it just as they did bunny's train of cars. i must look into this. you children stay right where you are until i get dressed and we'll make a search. meanwhile look around the tent and see if you can't find sallie jane." "her name is sallie _malinda_," said sue, with some indignation. "well, take a look around for sallie malinda teddy bear brown while i'm getting dressed," said her father. the children soon slipped into their clothes, and then began to look around the tent, inside and out. sue thought perhaps she had left her teddy bear with its flashing electrical eyes in a chair near the kitchen-tent table. she had had her there after her own supper. she even pointed out where she had put a small plate of cracker crumbs near the teddy bear. the plate of crumbs was still there, but the doll was gone. "we'll look outside," said bunny; and when he and sue were outside the tent, waiting for their father, bunny began walking slowly along, bent over as though he had a peddler's pack on his back. "what are you doing that for?" asked sue in surprise. "we aren't playing any game." "i know it. but i'm looking for the marks of the bear's tracks in the mud, just as eagle feather looked for the hoof prints of his lost cow in the sand. he found his cow that way, and maybe we'll find sallie malinda this way." "but his cow was bigger than my teddy bear, and made bigger tracks." "that doesn't matter. i've been talking to the indians about trailing animals this way, and you can trail a squirrel as easily as an elephant if you only know how to look for the feet marks. see, sue!" and bunny pointed to marks in the soft earth. "aren't those the prints of your teddy bear's feet?" sue looked to where bunny pointed. there were marks plainly enough, but in a minute sue knew what they were. "why, that's where splash, our dog, walked," said the little girl. "oh, so it is," agreed bunny. "well, i made a mistake that time. we'll try again." so the children went on, seeking for marks of the toy bear's paws, until mr. brown came out. "it's of no use to look that way, children," he said. "if sue's bear is missing some one took it away--it never walked, for it couldn't." "that's what i said!" cried sue. "but how did it get away?" asked bunny. "somebody must have taken it. the same one who took your train of cars. we must look farther off than just around the tent." "say, daddy, do you s'pose some of the indians could have done it?" asked sue in a whisper. "i hardly think so," answered mr. brown. "still, they are not all as honest as eagle feather. we'll have a look around their camp." "and maybe we'll find my train at the same time," said bunny, hopefully. "we'll look for it," replied mr. brown. all of a sudden bunny began to run around in a circle, bending down toward the ground. "what are you doing?" asked sue. "playing stoop-tag?" "no, i'm looking for the marks of indians' feet," answered bunny. "if indians came around here to take your doll, they'd leave some mark. i'm trying to find it." sue shook her head. "what's the matter?" asked bunny. "indians don't leave any tracks," returned the little girl. "'they are very cunning,' it says in my school reader-book, 'and they can slip through a forest leaving no more trace than that of the wind.' i don't know what 'trace' is, but it must be true, for it's in my book." "oh, those were old-fashioned indians," said bunny. "that kind wouldn't leave any marks. but these indians wear shoes, and they'd leave a mark in soft ground. wouldn't they, daddy?" "i believe they would. but i don't want to think it was our good friends the indians who have taken your things. but we will search and see. come on, now, bunny and sue. we'll have a little hunt before breakfast." chapter x lost in the woods holding the hands of bunny and his sister sue, one on either side, mr. brown started on a little search around the tents. they were trying to find the footprints of some one who did not belong to the camp. some one other than mr. and mrs. brown, uncle tad and the children themselves. of course bunker blue came to the camp once in a while, and so did various peddlers and some people from neighboring farms. but most of these footprints were known to mr. brown, as he had seen them about the place ever since he and his family had been living at camp rest-a-while. "what i want to see is a strange footprint," said the children's father. "an indian's footprint is stranger than ours," said sue. "of course, if they wear moccasins," agreed bunny. "no, if they wear shoes," said sue. "our teacher told us about it." "what is different in an indian's footprint and ours, sue?" asked mr. brown. "why, an indian, even if he wears shoes like ours, turns his toes in, instead of out, as we do," went on the little girl. "ha! ha! ho! ho!" laughed bunny. "whoever heard of such a thing?" "but it's true, isn't it, daddy?" asked sue. "yes, it is true," said mr. brown. "a real indian has a sort of pigeon-toe, as it is called. that is, instead of pointing his toes out when he walks, he turns them in. at least most indians do, though there may be some who do not. so if you are looking for indians' tracks, bunny, look for the kind that turns in." "i will," the little boy agreed. "i didn't know you knew so much about indians, sue." "our teacher used to live out west among the indians, and she taught them," explained sue. "she tells us lots of indian stories." "goodness! i wish i could be in your class!" cried bunny. "even though i am a grade ahead of you," he added. "does she tell about indian fights with bows and arrows, and taking prisoners, and all that?" "no, she tells about tame indians, not the wild kind," explained sue. "the tame ones are just like the ones that live on the preservation here--the onondagas. but i like tame indians, though i hope none of them has taken my teddy bear." "i hope not, either," said her father. "for eagle feather and his indians are good friends of ours, and i would not like to feel that they would take anything from our camp. still we must look everywhere." "sue, you said the indians lived on a 'preservation.' you meant 'reservation,'" corrected bunny. "i don't care. they live there, whatever it is," declared the little girl. they circled about the tents, but the footprints, as far as they could tell, were those of white men--none of them toed in. "are you going to the indians' camp?" asked bunny. "yes, i think we'll go there, and also to----" but just then came the voice of mrs. brown calling: "breakfast is ready, and if you wait very long the pancakes will be spoiled! hurry!" "oh, hurray! pancakes!" cried sue. "don't you like them, bunny?" "i should say i do! i hope i can have ten." "oh, bunny brown!" cried sue, "you never could eat ten pancakes at one meal!" "well, anyhow, i could try," he said. "and i can eat five, i know." "that's better," said mr. brown with a smile. "i can eat a few myself." they hurried back to breakfast, telling mrs. brown they had had no luck in finding the person who had taken sue's teddy bear. for that the toy with the electric eyes had been taken away and had not walked off by herself was now believed, even by bunny, who had at first insisted that sallie malinda had been hungry and had gone off to find honey. "though some mother bear might have come in and taken her to her den, thinking she was her baby," said sue. "my sallie malinda looked just like a real bear when her eyes were lighted up." "but there were no bear tracks around the tents," said bunny; "and there would have been if there had been any bears here to carry off your teddy. there are no other bears here." "i'm glad of that," said mrs. brown. "teddy bears are the only ones i want to see." "well, maybe no real bears came for sallie malinda," said sue, after a while. "i guess it was an indian or some man who wanted my toy for his little girl. but i hope i get her back--sallie malinda, i mean." bunny managed to eat five of the cakes his mother baked, and he might have eaten another only his father called to him to hurry if he wanted to go to search for the missing toy bear. sue and bunny went with mr. brown off into the big woods after breakfast. as they walked along they looked on either side of the path for a sight of the missing teddy bear or bunny's toy train. but they saw neither one. "whoever took them is keeping them well hidden," said mr. brown. "now, we'll go to the indian camp." though they called it a camp, it was more of an indian village where the onondagas lived. there were many tents, log or slab cabins, and one or two houses built as the white people built theirs. these were owned by the richer indians, who had large farms and many horses and cows. some of the indians were very poor, and their cabins had only one room, where they cooked, ate and slept. eagle feather was the head, or chief, of this particular tribe. he was not like the old-time or wild indians. he owned a farm and he worked hard to grow fruits and vegetables. when eagle feather saw mr. brown, with the two children, coming to the indian village, the chief came out to meet them. "how do!" he exclaimed in english that could be understood. "eagle feather glad to see you. come in an' sit down. squaw make tea for you, or maybe coffee. coffee better; more has taste." "no, thank you, we haven't time to eat now," said mr. brown. "we came looking for bear." "for bear?" cried eagle feather in surprise. "no bear here. bear maybe 'way off in woods. why you no go there and shoot 'um?" "oh, this isn't that kind of bear," said mr. brown. "funny bear, no live in woods," said the indian. "this bear have eyes go like so," and mr. brown took from his pocket a small electric flash light. by pressing on a spring he made the light flash up and go out, just as had the eyes of sue's bear. "oh, now eagle feather know," said the indian quickly. "lil' gal's heab big medicine doll gone. where him go?" "that's just what we don't know," said mr. brown. "in the night, when we were all asleep, some one came and took the bear. maybe he came to indian camp. not sure, but maybe we can look." mr. brown tried to talk as he thought eagle feather would understand. and the indian seemed to. "your lil' gal's bear no here at eagle feather's camp," he said with a shake of his head. "much big medicine, like baby puff-puff train doll is, but indian no take lil' gal's play bear. see, i and you look in every house." "oh, no, that isn't necessary," said mr. brown. "if you tell me the bear isn't here i believe you." "that right, for i speak truth. but wait--we ask other indians. maybe they think no harm to take bear lil' while for big medicine, and bring him back. i ask." eagle feather stepped to the door of his house and gave a loud whistle. in a few minutes there came to him many of the older indian men. eagle feather spoke to them in their own indian language. he listened to the answers. then, turning to mr. brown and the children, the chief said: "no have got lil' gal's play bear. nobody here have got. you look in all indian houses and see for yourself." "no. i'll take your word for it," said mr. brown. "i believe the teddy bear is not here. it must have been taken by some one else. i will look farther." but eagle feather insisted on some of the head men's huts being searched, and this was done. but no doll was found. "oh, dear! where can sallie malinda be?" half sobbed sue. "never mind," said her father. "if you can't find your bear, and bunny's cars are still gone, in two weeks i'll get you new ones. but i think they will come back as mysteriously as they went away. now, we must go home." "but i thought you were going to look in the cabin of the hermit," said bunny. "we'll have to do that after dinner," answered daddy brown. but when dinner was half over there came a telegram for mr. brown telling him he was needed back at his business office at once, as something had gone wrong about the fish catch. "well, i'll have to go now," said the children's father; "but i'll help you look for the teddy doll and the train of cars when i come back," he said. it was a little sad in camp rest-a-while when mr. brown had gone, but mother brown let the children play store, with real things to eat and to sell, and they were soon happy again. finally sue said: "bunny, do you know where that hermit's hut is--the one where you got the milk the time the dog drank it?" "yes," slowly answered bunny. "i do. but what about it?" "let's go there," answered sue. "maybe he has my sallie malinda. daddy was going to take us there, but he had to go away so quickly he didn't have time. but you and i can go. i'm sure he'd give us my teddy bear if he had her." "i guess he would," agreed bunny. "but what would he want with it? anyhow, we'll go and see." so he and sue, saying nothing to their mother, except that they were going off into the big woods back of the camp, left the tent and headed for the hermit's cabin. on and on they went, leaving splash behind, for, of late, their dog had not followed them as often as he had done before. they had tramped through the woods for about an hour, looking in all sorts of places for the missing teddy bear and the toy train, when sue suddenly asked: "aren't we near his cabin now, bunny? it seems as if we'd come an awful long way." "i was beginning to think so myself," said the little boy. "yet i was sure it was over this way." the children walked on a little farther, but found themselves only deeper in the big woods. finally sue stopped and said: "bunny, do you know where we are?" "no, i don't," he answered. "then we're lost," said sue, shaking her head. "we're lost in the woods, bunny brown, and we'll never get home!" chapter xi the hermit again bunny brown was a wise little lad, considering that he was only about seven years old. but many of those years had been spent with his father going about in the woods, and while there mr. brown had told him much about the birds, bugs and animals they saw under the trees. so that the woods were not exactly strange to bunny. above all, he was not afraid in them, except maybe when he was all alone on a dark night. and one thing had mr. brown especially impressed on bunny. this was: "never get frightened when you think you are lost in the woods. if you think you are lost, you may be sure you can either find your way out, or some one will find you in a little while. "so the best thing to do when you fear you are lost is to sit quietly down on a log, think which way you believe your camp or home is, think where the sun gets up in the morning and where it goes to bed in the night. and, whatever you do, don't rush about, calling and yelling and forgetting even which way you came. so, when you're lost keep cool." remembering what his father had told him, bunny brown, as soon as he heard sue say they were lost, looked for a log and, finding one not far away, he went over and sat down on it. "why, bunny brown!" cried sue, "what in the world are you doing? don't you know we're lost, and you've got to find the way back to our camp, for i never can. oh, dear! i think it's over this way. no, it must be here. oh, bunny, which is the right way to go?" "that's just what i'm trying to find out," he said. "you are not!" cried sue. "you're just sitting there like a bump on a log, as aunt lu used to say." "well, i'm doing what father told us to do," said bunny. "i'm keeping cool and trying to think. if you run around that way you'll get all hot, and you can't think. and it may take both of us to think of the way home." "well, of course, i want to help," said sue. "i don't want you to do it all. but we're awful much lost, bunny." "are you sure, sue?" he asked. "of course i'm sure. i was never in this part of the woods before and i can't tell where it is." "do you know where the sun rises?" asked bunny, for it was, just then, behind some clouds. "it rises in the east, of course," said sue. "i learned that in our jogfry." "yes, but which way is east from here?" bunny wanted to know. "if i could tell that, i might find our camp, 'cause the sun comes up every morning in front of our tent, and that faces the east." "but you can't walk to the sun, bunny brown. it's millions and millions of miles away! our teacher said so." "i'm not going to walk to the sun," said the little boy. "i just want to walk toward it, but i've got to know which way it is first, so's to know which way to walk." sue looked about her, as did bunny. neither of them knew in what part of the big woods they were, for they had never been there before. they were both looking for some path that would lead them home. but they saw none. suddenly sue cried: "oh, there's the sun! it's right overhead." she pointed upward, and bunny saw a light spot in the clouds. the clouds had not broken away, but they were thin enough for the sun to make a bright place in them. "that must be the east," said sue. "but how are we ever going to walk that way, bunny, unless we climb trees? it's up in the air!" "that isn't the east," said the little boy. "that's right overhead--i forget the name of it." but i will tell you, and bunny brown can look it up in his geography when he gets home. the point in the sky when the sun seems to be directly over your head is the zenith. "and it's noon and dinner time, too," went on bunny. "can you tell by your stomach?" asked sue. "i can, for my stomach is hungry. it is always hungry at noon." "i can tell by my stomach, for it is hungry just like yours," said sue's brother. "but i can tell by the sun. daddy told me that it was noon, and time to eat, when the sun was straight over our heads. now, we'll get out of the woods, sue." "how? will the sun help us and bring us something to eat?" asked sue. "well, the sun will help us in a way, for when it begins to go down we will know that is the west. and the east is just opposite from the west. so if we walk with our backs toward the west we'll be facing the east, and if we keep on that way we'll be at our camp some time. all we'll have to do is to walk away from the sun." "and will that give us something to eat?" sue demanded. "maybe," said bunny brown. "we may come to a farmhouse, and they might give us some cookies and milk." "how good that would taste!" cried sue. "i wish i had some now." "we'll walk on a way," said bunny. "maybe we'll come to a place where they'll feed us. but be careful to keep your back to the sun." sue said she would, and the two lost children were soon walking through the woods together. they walked on the path when they saw one, and crossed over open glades or through underbrush when they came to such places where they saw no path. for the time being they had given up all idea of finding their missing toys. all they thought was of getting home. every once in a while sue would ask: "are we most there, bunny?" and he would answer: "not quite, but almost. just a little farther, sue." suddenly there was a noise in the bushes as if some one were coming through in a hurry. "oh, maybe it's our dog splash coming to find us!" cried sue. "i don't believe so," answered bunny. "besides, splash would bark; and whatever this dog's name is, he doesn't make a sound. oh, look, sue, it's a man, not a dog!" "a man?" cried sue. "what kind?" "oh, i can't tell, except that he has a dog and he's very ragged." bunny peeped between some bushes and the next moment uttered a cry of surprise: "why, it's the ragged hermit who gave us the milk and who was so good to us!" cried bunny. "he's the man who lives in the log cabin with the cow! now we're all right. he'll take us home. now we're all right!" and bunny danced about. "oh, i'm so glad!" murmured sue. "we're not lost any more!" chapter xii wonderings out from behind the bush where they had hidden on hearing the rustling in the underbrush came bunny brown and his sister sue, hand in hand. the hermit, as they called the man who lived all alone in his little cabin, looked up and saw them. so did the dog, and with a bark and a growl he rushed toward the two children. "down, tramp! down!" called the hermit, and the dog sank to the moss-covered ground, beating his tail up and down on the dried leaves. "he wouldn't hurt you for the world," said the old, ragged man. "he loves children, but he's so fond of them that he jumps up on them, and tries to kiss them. sometimes he tries to love them so hard that he knocks them down. so i have to tell him to be careful." "we're not afraid of good dogs," said bunny. "and we've got a dog of our own," added sue. "his name is splash, 'cause he splashes through the muddy puddles so much that he gets us all wet when he's with us. that's why we don't take him so often, lessen we know it's going to be a dry day." "i see," said the ragged man. "well, tramp is pretty good, except that he loves children too much." by this time the dog must have felt that it was time for him to get up, and he arose and leaped toward bunny and sue. sue turned to one side and held her arm over her face, but bunny waited for the dog to come near enough so he could be patted, and this the dog seemed to like. when he tried to jump up and put his paws on bunny's shoulders the little boy cried: "down! down, tramp!" and at once the dog sank down and wagged his tail so hard that sue said afterward she thought it would almost wag off. the dog seemed to like bunny and sue, running about them, giving little barks of joy and licking their hands. "i like him," said sue. "he's 'most as good as our dog. how did you come to name him tramp?" "well, he looked like a tramp when he came to me," said the ragged man, who seemed to be clean enough, though his clothes were in tatters. "he was all stuck up with burrs from the woods, one foot was cut and he was covered with mud and water. i took him in, washed him, bound up his paw, which had been cut on a piece of broken glass, and gave him something to eat. he has been with me ever since." "i should think he _would_ stay with you," said bunny. "you were kind to him." "well, i like animals," said the man. "but what are you children doing off here in the woods. do you want more milk?" "not this time, thank you," said bunny. "when we go to the farmhouse now we have a cover on our pail, and when we set it down on the road no dog can come and drink the milk." "but we don't set it down any more," said bunny. "mother told us not to." "that's good," said the ragged man, whose name was bixby. "it's a good thing you didn't want any milk, because i haven't any left. i used up most of what my cow gave, and sold the rest to a party of automobile folks that came along dreadfully thirsty." "we have two automobiles," said bunny. "one my father rides back and forth to the city in and the other a big one, like a moving van, that we can live in, and go where we want to. when night comes we just go to sleep in it beside the road." "that's what my dog tramp and i would like," said the ragged man. "it's no fun staying in one place all the while. but if you children are not away off here looking for milk, what are you here for, i'd like to know?" "i'm looking for my teddy bear with the blinking 'lectric lights for eyes," said sue. "what makes you think you'll find him here, off in the woods?" asked mr. bixby, after a pause. "well, somebody took my teddy bear, which is a her, not a him, and is named sallie malinda, from our tent," went on the little girl; "and, of course, as a bear likes a wood, maybe they brought her here." "and my train of cars is gone, too," said bunny, as he told of that having been taken from the tent. "why, that is surprising!" cried the ragged man. "both your nice toys taken! who could have done it?" "well, i did think maybe i left my train on the track with the batteries switched on so it would go," said bunny. "but i left the track made into a round ring, and of course, if my train did get to going by some accident, it would just keep on going around and around like splash chasing his tail, and wouldn't go out of the tent." "of course," agreed the ragged man. "and bunny thought sallie malinda had walked off by herself," said sue, "but daddy said she couldn't, for there is nothing in her to wind up. so that couldn't happen." "then who took her?" asked the ragged man. "we thought eagle feather, or some of his tribe, might," replied bunny, "for they thought our toys were 'heap big medicine.' but we went to their village, and no one there knew anything about them." "that's what they said, did they?" "yes, that's what they said," agreed bunny. "but they might not have told the truth," went on mr. bixby, with a sort of wink at bunny. "oh, everybody tells the truth," said the little boy. "not always," returned mr. bixby with a laugh. "but never mind about that now. you have come a long way from your camp." "oh, that's another thing we forgot to tell you about," said bunny. "we're lost." "lost?" cried the ragged man. "terrible lost," said sue. "we don't even know which is east, where the sun gets up, you know." "oh, i can easily show you that," said mr. bixby. "and you're not lost any more, for i know where your camp is." "we hoped you would," said bunny. "that's why we were glad to see you through the bushes. can you take us home?" "i can and i will," said the ragged man. "i can take you back straight through the wood, or around by my cabin, which will put you on the road along which you went to get your milk that night. then you'll have an easier walk to camp rest-a-while, though a little longer one." "let's go by the road, though it is longer," said sue. "i'm tired of walking in the woods." "all right, and i'll carry you part of the way," said mr. bixby. "will you give me a piggy-back?" asked sue, who was not too old for such things. "a pickaback is just what you shall have," said mr. bixby, and sue soon got up on his back by stepping from a high stone, to the top of which bunny helped her. "please go slow," begged the little boy, "'cause we might happen to see sue's teddy bear or my train of cars, where the indians or somebody else dropped it; though i don't believe eagle feather would do such a thing." "oh, i don't think eagle feather would take your toys," said mr. bixby. "he is quite honest. but some of his tribe are not, i'm sorry to say." so he walked on with sue on his back and bunny trudging along beside, and tramp, the dog, first running on ahead and then coming back barking, as though to say everything was all right. "we'll soon be at my cabin," said the ragged man. "and then you can rest before starting on the road home." "have you got anything to eat at your house?" asked sue. bunny, who was walking along behind her as she rode on mr. bixby's back, reached up and pinched one of his sister's little fat legs. "stop, bunny brown!" she cried. then to mr. bixby she said again: "have you got anything to eat at your house?" once more bunny pinched her leg, and sue cried: "now, you stop that, bunny brown! i'm not playing the pinching game to-day." "well, you mustn't say that," said her brother. "say what?" demanded sue. "about mr. bixby having anything to eat in his house," went on bunny. "you know mother has told you it isn't polite." "oh, that's right, bunny! i forgot. so that's why you were pinching me?" "yes," answered bunny. sue leaned over from the back of the ragged man and said, right in his ear: "please don't give us anything to eat when you get to your house. it wouldn't be polite for us to take it after me asking you the way i did." "hey? what's that?" asked the ragged man, seeming to wake up from a sleep. "did you ask me not to go so fast?" "no, i asked you----" once more bunny pinched his sister's leg. "don't tell him what you asked him and he won't know, and then it will be all right," said bunny. "all right," whispered sue. then aloud she said: "is it much farther to your house, mr. bixby?" "why, no," answered the ragged man. "so that's what you asked me, was it? i wasn't listening, i'm afraid. my cabin is only a little farther on, and then after you rest a bit i'll put you on the road to your camp." "and maybe he'll give us something to eat without our asking," muttered sue to her brother, who was behind. "hush!" he whispered. "don't let him hear you." they were soon at mr. bixby's cabin. "now, if you'll sit down a minute," said the ragged man, "i'll get you a few cookies. i baked them myself. maybe they are not as nice as those your mother makes, but tramp, my dog, likes them." "i'm sure we will, too," said sue. "there! what'd i tell you, bunny brown?" she asked in a whisper. "i knew he'd give us something to eat! and it isn't impolite to take it when he offers it to you!" "no, i guess it's not," said bunny. "anyhow, we'll take 'em." the ragged man appeared with a plate of cookies. the children said they were very good indeed, fully as good as mother brown baked, and tramp, the dog, ate his share, too, sitting up on his hind legs and begging for one when the ragged man told him to. then the dog would sit up with a cookie balanced on his nose, and he would not snap it off to eat until the man told him to. "well, i like to have you stay," said the hermit, "but it is getting late, and perhaps i had better take you to the road that leads straight to your camp." "yes, we had better go," replied bunny. "we'll know our way home now. thank you for taking care of us and for the cookies." "which we didn't ask for," said sue quickly. "did we, mr. bixby?" "no, you didn't," he answered with a laugh, and he seemed to understand what sue meant without asking any questions. as mr. bixby started away from his cabin, to lead the children down to the road, they met an indian coming up the path. he was not eagle feather, but one of the tribe. "how!" and the indian nodded to the ragged man. "how!" answered mr. bixby. "you got heap big medicine ready for make indian's pain better?" asked the red man. "yes, but not now--pretty soon," answered mr. bixby. "all right--me wait. you come back soon byemby?" asked the onondaga. "yes, in a minute." "you don't need to go any farther with us," said bunny presently. "we can see the road from here and we know our way all right." "are you sure?" asked mr. bixby, who seemed anxious to get back to the indian, who appeared to be ill. "of course we can," said bunny. "of course," added sue. "then i'll leave you here," went on the ragged man. "i doctor some of the indians, and this is one of them. i'll say good-bye, and the next time you're lost you must send for me." "we will," laughed bunny and sue as they went on toward the road. they knew where they were now, as they had come along this road after the milk. as they reached the highway they heard from the cabin of the ragged man a curious buzzing sound. "what's that?" asked sue. "is it bees?" "no, i don't think so," answered bunny. "it sounds more like machinery." "yes, it does," agreed sue. "i wonder what kind it is." "sounds like a little saw mill," said bunny. "say!" cried sue, when they had walked on a little way. "wasn't it queer that that indian asked about 'heap big medicine,' just the way eagle feather spoke of my teddy bear and your electric train?" "kind of," admitted bunny. "i wonder what he meant?" "oh, i guess it's some medicine mr. bixby has for curing the stomach," went on sue. "the indian might have eaten too many green apples." "maybe," said bunny. "oh, here comes splash, looking for us!" he cried, as he saw the dog running along the road toward them. chapter xiii mr. brown makes a search the brown children ran to meet splash, and he was quite as glad to see them as they were to see him. up and down he jumped, trying to kiss them, making believe to bite them and all the while whining and barking in joy. "did you think we were lost, splash?" asked sue. "bow-wow!" answered the dog, and that, i think, was his way of saying: "i did, but i'm glad i've found you." "and we _were_ lost, splash," went on bunny. "but now we're on our way home again." "bow-wow!" barked the dog, and that meant he was glad. together the children and their dog walked on along the road, and splash went on so far ahead and so fast that often bunny and sue had to run to catch up to him. [illustration: they met an indian coming up the path. _bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods._ _page_ 129.] "but we'll get home all the quicker," said bunny. "maybe they sent splash to find us," suggested his sister. "well, splash is smart enough to do that if he had to," said bunny. "we'll soon be home now." in a little while they made a turn in the road that brought them within sight of the tents of camp rest-a-while. "now we're all right!" cried sue. "bow-wow!" barked splash. "oh, children! where have you been?" cried mrs. brown, coming out to meet them. "i sent uncle tad off one way to look for you, and splash in the other. i was just thinking of starting off myself!" "we were lost in the woods," said bunny; "but the ragged man found us, and then we met splash. we didn't see uncle tad." "oh, maybe he's lost!" cried sue. "we can go to look for him," said bunny. "no you don't!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "two of you getting lost is enough in one day. uncle tad knows his way back to camp from any part of the big woods. but who was the ragged man?" "oh, he's the man that gave us the milk the time the dog drank it up when we chased the squirrel," explained sue. "he's awful nice, and he gave me a piggy-back ride, and took us to his cabin, and gave us cookies without us really asking." "what do you mean by not really asking?" inquired mrs. brown. "oh, sue means she sort of _hinted_ or spoke of 'em easy like," bunny explained. "i pinched her leg without mr. bixby--he's the ragged man--seeing me, and then sue stopped asking him if he had anything to eat at his house. he offered the cookies all by his own self." "well, i'm glad of that," said mrs. brown with a smile. "but after this don't go into strange houses and even _hint_ for something to eat. that isn't polite." "oh, but this isn't a _real_ house," said bunny quickly. "it's a log cabin." "but it's home for the ragged man, as you call mr. bixby." "it's a funny home," said bunny. "he's got a buzzing machine in it and the indian that came while we were there asked for heap big medicine. that's the way eagle feather spoke of my toy train." "that's how we got lost in the woods, looking for my teddy bear and bunny's 'lectric train," explained sue. "we went on and on until we didn't know where we were." "well, you mustn't do it again," said her mother. "don't go far into the woods unless your father, uncle tad or i am with you. then you won't get lost." "wouldn't splash do?" asked bunny. "yes, splash is all right--he'd know the way home," said mrs. brown. "now come in, wash and get ready for lunch." "we don't want very much," said bunny. "the ragged man gave us so many cookies." "i hope they weren't too rich for you," said mrs. brown. "oh, no, mother, they couldn't be!" exclaimed bunny. "'cause he's an awful poor, ragged man." "oh, _rich_ cookies means they have too much shortening--butter or lard or something in 'em," said sue. "i know, for i've taken a cooking lesson; haven't i, momsie?" "yes, sue, and you must take some more, for you are getting older." "and some day i'll get up a real dinner for you and bunny and daddy and uncle tad and the ragged man and eagle feather," said the little girl. "you wouldn't know how to cook for indians," said bunny. "they eat bear meat and deer meat, and roots and the bark of trees and maybe berries." "well, i could give eagle feather berries in a pie," declared sue, "and i could make slippery elm tea, and roast some acorns for him." "that would be quite an indian feast," laughed mrs. brown. "but come now and get what you want, and don't go so far off into the woods again." the children promised that they would not, though both said they wanted to hunt farther for their lost toys, or taken-away toys, which was probably what had happened to them. when lunch was over, the children played about the tents, using some of the games and toys they had had before mr. brown brought the wonderful electric train and the teddy bear with the shining electric eyes. "we can have lots of fun," said sue. "yes. but anyway i want my train back," declared bunny. "and i want sallie malinda!" exclaimed sue with a sigh. "she was just like a real baby bear to me." "why don't you call a teddy bear he?" asked bunny. "'cause she's a _girl_. can't you tell by the name _sallie malinda_?" asked sue. bunny was about to continue talking to the effect that the _teddy_ bear ought to have a boy's name, when there came the sound of wheels outside the tent, and a cheery voice called: "hello, everybody!" "oh, it's daddy!" cried bunny and sue together. "daddy has come home!" "they rushed out of the tent to meet him, to hug and kiss him, and for a while he pretended to be smothered by the two little children who hung about his neck. "we went hunting for our toys which are lost," said bunny. "and we got lost ourselves," added sue. "but we got found again----" "by a dog----" "and a man----" "and we had cookies----" "and an indian came to get heap big medicine----" "and i'm going to cook a dinner----" thus the children called, one after the other, and i leave you to guess who said what, for i can't do it myself as they talked too fast. but at last they quieted down, and mrs. brown had a chance to talk to her husband and tell him the news. uncle tad had, in the meanwhile, come back, not being able to find the lost ones, and he was very glad to see them safe in the camp. mr. brown had come home early that day, but before long it was time for supper. bunny and sue ate nearly as much as though they had had no lunch and had eaten no cookies at the ragged man's cabin. "and so you heard a queer buzzing noise in the hermit's cabin as you were coming away?" asked mr. brown. "yes," said bunny, "we did." "i think i'll take a look up around there myself," said mr. brown, with a nod at his wife across the table. "oh, is something going to happen?" asked sue. "and will you find our lost toys?" asked bunny eagerly. "no, i don't promise you that. in fact i have given them up for lost, and have ordered new ones for you, though not such fancy ones. they are altogether different. i'll have them for you to-morrow night." this set the children into a wild guessing game as to what their father had got, and they amused themselves until nearly bed time. they did not notice that mr. brown left camp, nor that he wandered down the road, in the direction of the home of the ragged man. when mr. brown came back, after the children were in their cots, his wife asked him: "did you find anything?" "no, i can't say i did. i made a search around bixby's cabin and went over into the indian village to talk to eagle feather. but i didn't find out anything about the missing toys. i guess wandering tramps must have taken them. i'll get the kiddies new ones." by this time bunny and sue were fast asleep, dreaming of the new playthings they were to have. chapter xiv the ragged boy "ding-dong! ding-ding! ding-dong!" rang the breakfast bell in camp rest-a-while. bunny brown and his sister sue, snug in their cots, heard it, stirred a bit, turned over, and shut their eyes. "it's too early to get up," murmured bunny. "yes," muttered sue. "much too early. i can sleep more." and off to sleep she promptly went, bunny doing the same thing. "what's the matter with those children?" asked uncle tad, who was ringing the bell. he waved it through the air all the faster so that it seemed to sing out: "ding-ding-dong! ding-dong-ding! ding-ding--dingity-ding-dong ding!" "maybe that's a fire," said bunny, wide-awake now. "oh, maybe it is!" agreed sue. "what's the matter? aren't you ever going to get up?" asked uncle tad, looking into that part of the tent where bunny and sue had their cots. "where's the fire?" asked bunny, though, now that he was wide-awake, he knew there was no fire. "and will you take us to it?" asked sue, making a grab for her clothes which were on a chair near her cot, and still believing in the fire. "there isn't any fire," said uncle tad, "except the one out in the stove, and that's getting breakfast. come on! what makes you so slow?" asked uncle tad. "oh, but they were so tired yesterday, from getting lost, that i let them sleep a little longer this morning," said mrs. brown. "it's long past getting up time," went on uncle tad. "if bunny is going to be a soldier, and sue a trained nurse they'll find they will have to get up much earlier than this." "that's so!" cried bunny. "i forgot i was going to be a soldier. and as you're to go to nurse me, sue, you'd better get up, too." "all right, i will, bunny. but i'm dreadful sleepy." however, now that the two were awake, from the ringing of uncle tad's bell and his talk about soldiers and nurses, bunny and sue found it was not so very hard to get dressed. then they fairly danced to the breakfast table, which was set out of doors, as it was a fine day. "where's daddy?" asked bunny. "oh, he had an early meal and said he was going fishing out in the lake," said mrs. brown. "he promised to take me the next time he went," said the little boy. "he's coming back in a little while to get you both," said their mother. "he wanted to have some good fishing by himself while it was nice and quiet in the early morning hours. when you children go with him, you laugh and chatter so, and get your lines so tangled up that your father can't fish himself in comfort. "but he likes to take you, and as soon as he has a chance to catch some fish himself, he'll come back and take you out in the boat." "oh, that'll be great!" cried bunny. "i'm going to get my fish pole and line ready." "i don't want to catch any fish," said sue. "i don't like to have 'em bite on the sharp hook. i'll go and get one of my dolls and give her a boat ride. but i wish i had my teddy bear." "he'd catch fish," said bunny, winding up his line on the little spool, called a reel, on his pole. "she's a she. and anyway, teddy bears can't catch fish," said sue. "no, but _real_ bears can. our teacher told us. they lean over the edge of a river and pull the fish out with their claws. bears likes fish." "but my sallie malinda isn't a real bear," said sue. "you could make believe he was," insisted bunny. "and if you put his paw in the water, and sort of let it dingle-dangle, a fish might bite at it." "she," sighed sue. "but just as if i'd let a fish bite my nice teddy bear! besides, i haven't got her." "no, that's so," agreed bunny. "well, i guess you'll have to take a regular doll then." "and don't you let her make believe fall into the water, either, and get her sawdust all wetted up," said sue. "i won't," promised bunny. then the children began to get ready for their father's return with the boat, and when sue's doll was laid out in a shady place on the grass, and bunny's pole and line were where he could easily find them, the little boy said: "let's walk down to the edge of the lake, and maybe we can see daddy quicker." "all right--let's," agreed sue, and the two were soon walking, hand in hand, down the slope that led to the water. "where are you going?" called mother brown. "oh, just down to the shore," answered bunny. "very well; but don't go into the water, and don't step into any of the boats until daddy comes." "we won't," promised bunny brown and his sister sue. their mother could always depend on them to keep their promises, though sometimes the things they did were worse than those they promised her not to do. they were just different, that was all. sue and bunny went down to the edge of lake wanda. they could not see their father's boat, so they walked along the shore. before they knew it they had gone farther than they had ever gone before, and, all at once, in the side of the hill, that led down to the beach of the lake, they saw a hole that seemed to go away back under the hill. "oh, what's that?" asked sue, stepping a little behind bunny. "it's a cave," answered her brother. "what's a cave?" sue next asked. "well, a cave is a hole," explained bunny. "then a hole and a cave are the same thing," said sue. "yes, i guess they are pretty much," admitted the little boy. "only in a cave you have adventures, and in a hole you only fall down and get your clothes dirty." "don't you ever get your clothes dirty in a cave?" sue demanded. "oh, yes, but that's different. nobody minds how dirty your clothes get if you have an adventure in a cave," bunny said. "and can we go into this one?" sue asked. "i guess so," answered bunny. "mother told us not to get in any boats, and we're not. a cave isn't a boat. come on." "see, splash is going in," pointed out sue. "if he isn't afraid we oughtn't to be." "who's afraid?" asked bunny. "i'm not!" and with that he walked into the cave. as he still held sue's hand he dragged her along with him, and as sue did not want to be left alone on the beach of the lake, she followed. bunny saw splash running ahead. for a little way into the cave it was light, but it soon began to darken, as the sun could not shine in that far. "oh, i don't want to go any farther," said sue. "it's dark. if i had my teddy bear i could make a light with her eyes." "i've got something better than that," said bunny. "what?" asked sue. "my pocket flashlight i got for christmas. that gives a good light. come on, now we can see." from his pocket bunny took the little flashlight. it was the same kind, made with the same storage dry battery, that ran his train and lighted the teddy bear's eyes. "yes, now i can see!" cried sue. "i'm not afraid any more." with bunny holding the light, the two children went farther on into the cave. they were looking about, wondering what they would find, when, all of a sudden, there was a noise farther in. "oh!" cried sue. "did you hear that?" "yes," answered bunny, "i did. what was it?" splash began to bark. "quiet!" ordered bunny, and the dog whined. then the noise sounded again. it was like some one crying. "oh, i don't want to stay here!" exclaimed sue, clasping bunny's hand. "wait a minute," he said. then came a voice from out of the darkness, saying: "please don't run away. i won't hurt you and i'm all alone. i want to get out. i'm lost. i can just see your light. stand still a minute and i can see you. i'm coming." bunny and sue did not know whether or not to wait, but, in the end, they stood still. splash whined, but did not bark. they could hear some one walking toward them. a moment later there came into the light of the flashlight a slim, ragged boy. he was even more ragged than mr. bixby. "please don't run away," he said. "i won't hurt you. i need some one to help me." bunny and sue felt sorry for the boy. chapter xv hidden in the hay for two or three seconds the two children and the ragged boy stood in the queer cave looking at one another. splash had come to a stop near his little master and mistress, and with one fore leg raised from the ground was looking sharply at the boy. it seemed as if the dog were saying: "just say the word, bunny or sue, and i'll drive this boy away from here. he doesn't look like a proper person for you to be with." but bunny and sue had no such feeling. they did not mind how ragged a person was if he were only clean. of course a dog is different. splash never did like ragged persons, though in a good many cases they were just as good as the well dressed ones with whom he made friends. so, in this case, seeing the ragged boy coming near to sue and bunny in the dark, where the only light was that of the little boy's electric lamp, the dog growled and seemed about to spring on the lad. the boy took a few steps backward. "what's the matter?" asked bunny. "you're not afraid of us, are you?" "no, little feller, i'm not. but i don't like the way your dog acts. he seems as if he didn't like tramps, and i expect he thinks i'm one. well, i 'spect i do look like one, 'count of my clothes, but i ain't never begged my way yet, though many a time i've been hungry enough to do it." "splash, behave yourself!" cried bunny brown. "charge! lie down!" splash did as he was told, but it was easy to see he did not like it. he would rather have run toward and barked at the ragged lad. "don't be afraid of him," said sue. "we won't let him hurt you. bunny, why don't you make splash shake hands with this boy, and then they'll be friends forever. you ought to introduce 'em." "that's so! i will," said bunny. "i forgot about that. splash, come here!" he ordered, and the dog obeyed. "now go over and shake hands with him," went on the little fellow, pointing to the strange boy. "don't be afraid and move away from him, or splash won't like it," said sue, as she saw the boy shrink back a little. "just stand still and splash will shake hands and be friends with you." the boy seemed to be a bit afraid still, but he stood quietly and, surely enough, splash advanced and held out his right paw, which the boy took and shook up and down. then the boy patted the dog on the head, and splash barked, afterward licking the boy's hand with his tongue. "now he's friends with you, and he'll always like you," announced sue. "and no matter where he meets you he'll come up to you and shake hands," said bunny. "once splash makes friends he keeps 'em. my name is bunny brown," he went on, "and this is my sister sue. we live at camp rest-a-while on the edge of the big woods. we came out to see if my father had come back from fishing, and we saw this cave and came in." "is there a way out?" asked the ragged boy. "i hardly know how i got in here, but i've been trying to find a way out and i couldn't." "oh, we can show you that," said sue. "it's only a little way back, and it comes right out on the lake shore. but how did you get in here? you look as ragged as the ragged man," she went on. "but that's nothing. sometimes bunny and i are raggeder than you. we like it." "i don't know who the ragged man is," said the boy, who gave his name as tom fleming, "but i work for a man named mr. bixby, and his clothes have lots of holes in." "that's the ragged man we mean," said bunny. "but please don't ever say we called him ragged, 'cause we like him just as much ragged as if he wasn't." "oh, i guess he doesn't mind being called ragged," said tom. "he's got other clothes but he won't wear 'em." "if you're working for him, what are you doing in this cave?" sue asked. "lessen it's his." "well, maybe he calls it his'n," said tom. "it joins on to his cow stable and that's how i got in it. after i got in i couldn't find my way out until i saw your light." "what did you run away for?" asked bunny. "please tell us! we won't tell on you." "no, i don't believe you would," said tom. "well, i'll tell you. you see i live at the poorhouse, having no relations to take care of me, and no place to live. but in the summer i hire out to the farmers around here that want me, and work to earn a little spare change. "this year mr. bixby hired me. at first i liked the work. i had to do a few chores, milk the cow and take the milk to the few families that bought it. but the other day he did something i didn't like and so to-day after i found the hole in the cow stable that leads to this cave, i ran away." "what did he do to you?" asked bunny. "did he beat you?" "no, he stuck pins and needles in me." "stuck pins into you?" cried sue. "how horrid! i never heard of such a thing! how did you get them out?" "that was the funny part of it," said the boy. "they weren't real pins. he'd make me take hold of some shiny brass knobs, and then pins and needles would shoot all over me. then, all of a sudden, he'd pull 'em out and i wouldn't feel 'em until he did it again." "that was funny," said bunny brown, thinking very hard. "could you see the needles?" "no, but i could feel 'em, and that was enough. i got away as soon as i could, when he wasn't looking, and i made for the hole i'd found in the cow shed. but from there i got into the cave, and i thought i was lost, for i couldn't find my way back and i didn't know what to do when i saw your light. and then i didn't know whether to go and meet you or hide in the dark." "well, it's a good thing you came on," said sue, "'cause we were getting scared ourselves, weren't we bunny?" "oh no, not much. i wasn't scared." "but i was," admitted sue. "and i think splash was too, for he was sort of whining in his throat." "well, we're all right now," said bunny. "but what are you going to do, tom? are you going back to mr. bixby?" "i certainly am not! i've had enough pins and needles stuck in me, though you can't see 'em now," and he glanced down at his long, red hands. "i'm going to run away--that is, if i can find my way out of this cave." "oh, we can show you the way _out_ all right," said bunny. "but where are you going to run to." "i don't know," said the boy slowly. "you can run to our camp," put in sue, "and we'll never tell mr. bixby you are there." "that's right!" cried bunny. "and maybe you can show us how he stuck pins and needles into you, so we could do it to ourselves." "i don't believe i could," said tom, with a shake of his tousled head. "but i'll be glad to run to your camp. i never want to see mr. bixby again." "what made him stick pins and needles into you?" "maybe he didn't exactly do that. maybe it only felt that way, for you couldn't see anything. he said he was doing it for an experiment." "that's what the teacher does for the boys in the high school where we go, only we're in the lower class," said bunny. "some of the experiments make a funny smell." "well, there's no smell to this," said tom. "now let's get out of here." led by bunny and sue, with splash running on ahead, the ragged boy was soon out of the cave. bunny and sue looked across the lake for a sight of their father in his boat coming back, but as they did not see him, bunny said: "i know what we can do to have some fun." "what?" asked sue, always ready for a good time. "we can go in mr. bailey's barn and slide down the hay. he said we could do it any time without asking." "oh, let's do it then!" sue cried. "you'll come, won't you?" she asked the ragged boy. "course i will! i like hay-sliding. i don't mind being stuck with prickers that way." the three were soon sliding down the hay in the mow, coming to an end with a bump in a pile of hay on the barn floor. all at once bunny gave a cry, as he was part way down the slide, and he dug his hands into the hay to stop himself from going further. "what's the matter?" asked sue. "did you slide on a thistle?" "no, not a thistle but i slid over something sharp. i'm going to find out what it is." bunny poked around in the hay, and uttered a cry of astonishment as he brought out one of his toy cars from his electric railroad that had been stolen. chapter xvi the angry gobbler "oh, what is it?" asked sue. "where'd you find it?" tom questioned. "it's part of my lost railroad," explained bunny, answering the first question. "and i found it hidden under the hay. i must have stuck myself on one of the sharp corners of the little car as i slid down, and i stopped right away, 'cause i thought it might be an egg." "an egg!" exclaimed tom. "yes," answered bunny. "once i was sliding down hay, just like now, and i slid into a hen's nest. it was partly covered over with hay and i didn't see it. there were thirteen eggs in the nest, and i busted every one! didn't i sue?" "no you didn't, bunny brown! that was me!" "oh!" bunny looked very queer for a moment, then he laughed as he remembered what really had happened. "well, sue got all messed up with the white and yellow of the eggs. maybe there weren't just thirteen, but there was a lot anyway. but i'm glad this wasn't a hen's nest. maybe i'll find the rest of my railroad now. let's look." "somebody must have hid the car here in the hay after they took it," said tom. "who do you s'pose it was?" "we thought it might be some of the indians," said bunny. "but my father made a search down in their village. he couldn't find anything, though. now _we_ have found something." "you don't s'pose mr. bixby would take it, or my teddy bear with flashing lights for eyes, do you?" asked sue of the ragged boy. "i never saw anything like that around his place, and i was there two or three weeks," said tom. "we didn't see you when we were there," said bunny. "no, i was mostly weeding up in the potato patch on the hill. i'd have my breakfast, take a bit of lunch with me, and then not come home until 'most dark. that's why you didn't see me. but i never took notice of any electrical trains or toy bears around his place. i don't guess he took 'em." "nor i," said bunny. "but i'm going to look in the hay for more." he did, the others helping, while even splash pawed about, though i don't suppose he knew for what he was searching. more than likely he thought it was for a bone, for that was about all he ever dug for. but search as the two brown children and tom did, they found no more parts of the toy railroad. "the one who took it must have thrown the car away because it was too heavy to carry," said bunny. "it was a pretty heavy toy, and i always carried it in two parts myself. besides the car wasn't any good to make the train go. the electric locomotive pulled itself and the cars. i guess they just threw this car away. "but i'm going to keep it, for i might find the tracks and the engine and the other cars, and then i'd be all right again." "yes," said tom, "you would. but it is funny for somebody up in these big woods to take toy trains and teddy bears. that's what i can't understand." "and i can't understand that man sticking needles into you--a funny kind of needles he didn't have to pull out and that stopped hurting you so soon," said bunny. "it's all queer!" declared sue. "come on, we'll have some more fun sliding down the hay." this they did, and even splash joined in. but though they slid all over the hay, and kept a sharp lookout for any more parts of bunny's train, they found nothing. "i wish i could find part of my teddy bear," said sue. "if you did that your sallie malinda wouldn't be much good," said bunny. "for you can take an electrical train apart and put it together again, and it isn't hurt. you can't do that way with a teddy bear. if you pull off one of his legs or his head he's not much good any more." "that's right," agreed sue. "i want to find my dear sallie malinda all in one piece." "and with his eyes blazing," added bunny. "oh, of course, with _her_ eyes going," said sue. "now for a last slide, and then we'll go out and see if daddy has come." "and i guess i'd better go back to the poorhouse and get a meal," said tom. "mr. bixby won't give me any dinner 'cause i ran away from him, but if i tell the superintendent back at the poorhouse how it happened i know he'll feed me until i get another place. "and i can get work easy now. i'm good and strong, and the farmers are beginning to think of getting in their crops. but i'm not going to be stuck full of needles again." "you come right along with us," said bunny. "my mamma and papa will be glad to see you when they know you helped us look for our lost toys, even if we didn't find but one car, and i slid over that. but they'll take care of you until you can get some work to do. my mamma does lots of that in the city when tramps come to us---"of course you're not a tramp," he said quickly, "'cause you have a home to go to." "folks don't ginnerally call it much of a home, but it's better'n nothing," said tom. "but i'm thankful to you. i'll come, only maybe your maw mightn't be expectin' company--leastwise such as i am," and he looked down at his ragged clothes. "never mind that," said bunny. "you ought to see the picture of my uncle tad when he was in the war, captured by the confederates as a prisoner. he had only corn husks for shoes and his coat and trousers were so full of holes that he didn't know in which ones to put his legs and arms. he'll give you some of the clothes he don't want. now come right along." "what about meeting daddy to go fishing?" asked sue. "i guess he isn't going to take us to-day, or he's forgotten about it. maybe the fish are biting so good out where he is in his boat that he doesn't want to come in." "maybe," said bunny. "anyhow we'll go on back to the camp. it must be getting near dinner time, for i'm feeling hungry, aren't you?" he asked tom. "yes, but then i'm 'most allers that way. i never remember when i had all i wanted to eat." on the way along the lake road to camp rest-a-while they passed a farmyard where many geese, ducks, turkeys and chickens were kept. just as sue, who happened to be wearing a red dress, came near the yard, a big turkey gobbler, who seemed to be the king of the barnyard, rushed to the gate, managed to push his way through the crack, and, a moment later, was attacking sue, biting her legs with his strong beak, now pulling at her red dress, and occasionally flying up from the ground trying to strike his claws into her face. "oh dear!" cried the little girl. "won't somebody please help me? drive him away, bunny!" "i will!" cried her little brother, and, catching up a stick, he bravely rushed at the angry turkey gobbler. chapter xvii sue decides to make a pie "here. you're too little for such a job as this!" cried tom, as he stepped in front of bunny. "that's an old, tough bird and he's a born fighter. better let me tackle him." bunny was a brave little boy, but when he saw how large and fierce the gobbler was his heart failed him a little. the big thanksgiving bird just then made a furious rush at sue, and as she jumped back tom stepped up in her place. the turkey did not seem to mind whom he attacked, as long as it was some one, though probably sue's red dress had excited him in the first place, though why bulls and turkeys should not like red i can not tell you. "look out, tom!" called bunny. "he's a bad one!" "he certainly is fierce all right," answered tom. "he's coming with a rush!" as he spoke the turkey made a rush for him, keeping off the ground with outstretched wings and claws. he went: "gobble-obble-obble!" in loud tones as though trying to scare the children. tom was ready with a heavy stick he had caught up, and as the big bird sailed at him through the air the lad aimed a blow at the gobbler. but the turkey seemed to be on the lookout for this, and dodged. then, before tom could get ready for another blow, the gobbler landed back of the lad, and came on with another rush. "look out!" cried bunny, but his warning came too late. the turkey landed on tom's back and began nipping and clawing him. "get off! get off!" cried the poorhouse lad, trying in vain to reach up with his club and hit the gobbler hard enough to knock him to the ground. but tom's club was of little use, with the big bird on his back. bunny saw this and cried: "wait a minute and i'll throw some stones at him." "you might hit tom instead of the gobbler," said sue, who was safe out of harm's way behind a big pile of wood. "don't throw any stones, bunny." "no, you'd better not," said tom. "i'll try to shake him off." so he rushed about here and there, swaying his back from side to side, trying to make the turkey fall off. but the gobbler had fastened his claws in the back of tom's ragged coat, and there he clung, now and then nipping with his strong bill tom's head and neck. "here comes splash!" cried bunny. "he'll soon make that turkey gobbler behave." up the sandy beach of the lake shore came splash racing. he had stopped to look at a little crayfish, and it had nipped his nose, so splash was not feeling any too pleasant. most of you children know that a crayfish is like a little lobster. "here, splash! splash!" cried bunny. "come and drive this bad turkey off tom!" "bow-wow!" barked the big dog, as he came running. "tell him to hurry," begged tom. "i can't shake him off and he's biting deep into my neck. i'm feared he'll bore a hole in it!" "hurry up, splash! hurry up!" urged bunny. "bow-wow!" barked splash again, which, i suppose, was his way of saying he would. on he came, and, all this while, the gobbler was on top of tom's back, gobbling away, fluttering his wings and now and then making savage pecks at the boy's shoulders and neck. "splash will make him go away," said bunny. "splash likes you now, tom. he's a friend of yours, for he shook hands, and he'll do anything you want." "well, all i want is for him to get this gobbler off me," said the ragged boy. "hi, splash!" cried bunny. "get at this bad gobbler!" splash rushed up to tom, and then, raising up on his hind legs, nipped at the gobbler. the big bird made a louder noise than ever, and suddenly jumped down from tom's back. "ha! i knew you'd do it!" cried bunny in delight. but just then something queer happened. splash, seeing the bird flop down to the ground, made a dash for the gobbler with open mouth, barking the while. "now watch that old gobbler run!" cried bunny, capering about. but instead it was splash that ran. unable to stand the sight of the big bird, with outspread and drooping wings, with all his feathers puffed out to make him look twice as large as he really was, and with an angry "gobble-obble-obble" coming from his beak, splash ran. it was no wonder, for the turkey was a terrifying sight. i think even a tiger, a lion or perhaps an elephant would have run. "come back! come back, splash!" called bunny. "we want you to drive the turkey gobbler away from us." but the gobbler was already going away. he was going right after splash, who was running down the road as fast as he could go. "well, we're all right," said tom. "that bird won't bother us any more." "and i hope he doesn't come for me," said sue. "he scared me." "but what about poor splash?" asked bunny quickly. "he'll scare our nice dog awful." "splash seems to be getting away," remarked tom, rubbing the place in the back of his neck where the turkey had nipped him. "oh! oh, dear!" cried bunny. "look what's happening now. splash is coming back this way and the turkey is coming with him. oh, what shall we do?" "he won't bother us as long as he has splash to chase," said tom. "but i don't want him to chase splash!" said bunny. the children watched what happened. splash, with the turkey close behind him, was running back to a spot in front of the barn, where bunny, his sister sue and tom were standing. just as the dog reached there the turkey caught him by the tail. and i just wish you could have heard splash howl! no, on second thoughts, it is just as well you did not. for you love animals, i am sure, and you do not like to see them in pain. and splash was certainly in pain or he would not have howled the way he did. and i think if a big, strong turkey gobbler had hold of your tail, and was pulling as hard as he could, you would have howled too. that is, if you had a tail. anyhow splash howled and tried to swing around so he could bite the gobbler, but the big bird kept out of reach. "oh, what can we do?" asked sue. "get sticks and beat the gobbler!" cried tom. "no, wait. i know a better way," said bunny. "what?" asked his sister. "i'll show you," answered the little boy. he had seen on the green lawn of the farmhouse a water hose. it was attached to a faucet near the ground and the water came from a big tank on the house into which it was pumped by a gasolene engine. bunny ran to the hose. the water was turned off at the nozzle, but it was the same kind of nozzle as the one on the brown's hose at home, so bunny knew how to work it. in an instant he turned the nozzle, and aimed the hose at the turkey which still had hold of the poor dog's tail. all over the turkey splashed the water, and as the big bird tried to gobble, and keep hold of splash's tail at the same time, and as the water went down its throat, the noise, instead of "gobble-obble-obble," sounded like "gurgle-urgle-urgle." "there! take that!" cried bunny squirting the water over the turkey. "that will make you stop pulling dogs' tails, i guess." indeed the water was too much for the gobbler. he let go of splash's tail, for which the dog was very thankful, and then the big bird ran toward the farmyard, just as the farmer came out to see what all the trouble was about. "i had to splash your turkey to make him let go of our dog," explained bunny. "oh, that's all right," answered the farmer. "i guess that bird is a leetle better off for being cooled down. glad you did it. none of you hurt, i hope?" "my neck's picked a bit," said tom. "well, come in and i'll have my wife put some salve on it." "no, thank you, we're in a hurry to get home," said bunny. "my mother has some goose grease." "well, that's just as good, i reckon. next time i'll keep the old gobbler locked up." mr. brown was at home, when bunny, sue and the ragged boy reached the tent. the father and mother listened while bunny and sue explained what had happened, from going into the cave to the turkey gobbler. "well, you had quite a number of adventures," said mr. brown. "i stayed out fishing by myself longer than i meant to, and when i came back to get you i find you just coming in. we'll go this afternoon." "and may tom come too?" "i guess so," answered mr. brown. "i know where there's lots of places to fish," said tom. mr. brown talked it over with his wife after dinner, and they decided to let tom stay in camp and do a little work, such as cutting the wood and bringing the water. "but what do you suppose he means by saying that mr. bixby sticks needles into him?" asked mrs. brown. "that's what i'll have to look into," said her husband. "the hermit seems to be a queer sort of chap." "and bunny finding one of his cars, too!" "yes, that was queer. this will certainly have to be looked into." in a few moments after this conversation sue came from behind the kitchen tent. "come on, sue, we're going fishing," called bunny to his sister. "no; you and tom can go with father," said the little girl, "i'm not coming." "why not? are you 'fraid?" "course not, bunny brown! i'm just going to stay in camp and make a pie. tom said he hadn't had one for a good while. i'm going to make him one." "all right. make me one too, please," said bunny. "we're going after some fish," and with his pole and line he started down toward the lake with his father and tom. chapter xviii roasting corn "now, bunny, be careful when getting into the boat," said his father. bunny turned and looked at his father. what bunny thought, but did not say, was: "why, daddy! i've gotten into boats lots of times before, i guess i can get in now." that is what bunny brown did not say. but, in a way, bunny's father was talking to the ragged boy, tom, and not to bunny. for mr. brown did not yet know how much tom might know about boats, and as the boy was a big lad, almost as tall as uncle tad himself, mr. brown did not want to seem rude and give a lesson to a boy who might not need it. so though he pretended it was bunny about whom he was anxious, all the while it was about tom. "oh, i'll be careful, daddy," said bunny. "and you be careful too, tom. you don't want to fall in and get drowned, do you?" "no indeed i don't, bunny. though it would be pretty hard to drown me. i can swim like a muskrat. and i can row a boat, too, mr. brown," he went on. "i've worked for mr. wilson, the man who owns the pavilion at the other end of the lake. i used to row excursion parties about the lake, and there isn't a cove or a bay i don't know, as well as where the good fishing places are." "i found one of those myself this morning," said mr. brown, with a smile. "well, i wish you'd let me row you to some others that hardly any one but myself knows about." "i shall be glad to have you," said bunny's father. "and i'm glad you understand a boat. i shan't be worried when bunny and his sister sue are out with you." "i can row myself a little, when you are with me, daddy," said bunny. "yes, but you'll have a chance to learn more with tom, as i haven't time to teach you. so i'm going to depend on you, tom." "yes, sir, and i'll take good care of 'em. i've lived near this lake all my life, and when my folks died and i went to the poorhouse in the winter, and worked out in the summer, i managed to get to the lake part of the time. i'll look after the children all right." mr. brown did not need to ask anything further what tom knew of a boat, once the ragged boy took his seat and picked up the oars. he handled them just as well as mr. brown could himself. "do you want me to row you to any particular place?" asked tom. "well, some place where we can get some fish. i suppose bunny would like to land a few." "i want to catch a whole lot of fish, daddy!" cried bunny. "so row me to a place where there's lots of 'em!" "all right, here we go!" and tom bent his back to the oars, so that the boat was soon skimming swiftly over the water. mr. brown liked the way the big boy managed the boat, and he knew he would feel safe when bunny and sue were out with tom. meanwhile, on shore, in the shade of the cooking tent, sue was busy with her pie. "i want to make a mince one, for daddy likes that kind," said sue. "and i want to have it ready for them when they come home from fishing. though i don't see what he wants of any more fish," she added, as she glanced at a little pool near the edge of the lake where, in a fish-car, the fish mr. brown had caught while out alone that morning were swimming. they could not get out of the car, or box, which had netting on the side. "he is going to take some of them back to the city with him in the morning," said mrs. brown. "he wants to give them to his friends. those he and bunny and tom catch this afternoon, will be for our supper, sue." "i like tom, don't you, mother?" asked sue, as she put on a long apron in readiness to bake her pie. "yes, he seems like a nice boy. but it's very queer that the hermit should stick needles into him." "but they weren't _real_ needles," said sue. "he never could see them. he only felt them. they must have been fairy needles, for tom could never see them being pulled out, either." "well, we'll let your father look after that," said mrs. brown. "now we'll bake your pie and i'll make the pudding and cake i have to get ready for the sunday dinner." whenever mrs. brown baked she always let sue do something--make a patty-cake, a little pie with some of the left-over crust from a big one, or, perhaps, bake a pan of cookies. mrs. brown would let susie use some of the dough or pie crust already made up, or she would stand beside her little girl and tell her what to do. to-day mrs. brown did a little of both. she, herself, baked several pies, as well as two cakes, and as there was plenty of pie crust left mrs. brown told sue how to roll some out in a smooth, thin sheet, and lay it over a tin. "the next thing to do," said mrs. brown, "is to put the mince-meat in on the bottom-crust, put another sheet of pie crust on top, cut some holes in it so the steam can get out, trim off the edges, nice and smooth, and set the pie in the oven. "roll out your top pie crust and you'll find the mince-meat in a glass jar in the cupboard, next to a jar of peaches. and don't forget to cut holes in your top crust." sue started to do all this. just then, a neighboring farmer's wife called at the tent, with fresh eggs to sell, and, as she needed some, mrs. brown went to see about buying a dozen. "go on with your pie, sue," she called. "i'll be back in a minute." "let me see," said the little girl to herself. "i have the bottom crust in the tin, the top crust is all rolled out, and now i need the mince-meat. i'll get it." from a glass jar which she brought from the cupboard, next to a jar of peaches, sue poured very carefully into the bottom crust some dark stuff that had a most delicious spicy odor. "um-m, that mince-meat is good and strong!" said sue. "daddy will be sure to love it." she spread out the filling evenly and then put on the top crust with the little holes cut in to let out the steam when the pie should be baking in the oven. just as sue was finishing trimming off what, was left over of the crust, mrs. brown came back from buying the eggs. "oh, you have your pie finished!" exclaimed sue's mother. "you got ahead of me. well, i'll put it in the oven for you, as you might burn yourself. and then i'll get on with _my_ baking." "and i really made this pie all my own self; didn't i?" asked sue, eagerly. "indeed you did, all but making the crust. and you'll soon be able to do that," said her mother. "now we must finish our baking." the afternoon passed very quickly for sue and her mother, but just as the last cookies, which sue helped to make, were taken out of the oven, a lovely brown, and smelling so delicious, bunny, his father and tom came back from their fishing trip. "is the pie baked, sue?" asked bunny, who was tired, hungry and dirty. "there are certainly pies baked, and other things too, if my nose can smell anything!" cried daddy brown. "now then we'll clean the fish and have them for supper." "please let me clean them," said tom. "i used to work for a fish man and i know how to do it quick." "that isn't the only thing you can do quickly," said mr. brown, with a smile. "the way you caught that fish which got loose from bunny's hook to-day showed how quick you were." "oh, i've done that before," said the tall lad with a laugh. "i like to fish." "and he's very good at it," said mr. brown to his wife as he and bunny began to wash. "he took me to a number of quiet coves, and we got some big fish. bunny caught the prize of the day, and it would have got loose from its hook if tom had not slipped a net under it in time. bunny was delighted." "i'm glad of that. but what about this boy? are we going to keep him with us?" "i think so, for a while. he'll be useful about the camp, now that i have to be away so much. and, too, he's perfectly safe with the children. he'll look well after them. besides i want to look into this queer story he tells about the hermit bixby and the needles." "do you think there is anything in it?" "well, there may be--and something queer, too. i want to find out what it is. tom can sleep in that little extra tent we brought. now how is supper coming on? can i help?" "no, i think uncle tad has done everything but clean the fish, and---"here comes tom with them now," said mrs. brown. "and you must be sure to speak of sue's pie." "i will. that little girl is getting to be a regular housekeeper. she'll soon have your place," and mr. brown shook his finger at his wife. tom brought up the cleaned and washed fish. mrs. brown dried them in old towels, dipped them in batter and soon they were frying in the pan. by this time the cakes and pies were set out, and in a little while supper was ready. and how good those freshly caught fish tasted! bunny declared his was the best, and really it did seem so, for it was a splendid bass. "and now for my pie," said sue, as mrs. brown set it on the table. "i want you all to have some, and a big piece for tom, 'cause he saved bunny's fish." mrs. brown cut the pie and passed it around. as she did so she looked carefully at the pie and the pieces. "isn't there enough, mother?" asked sue, anxiously. "oh, yes. but i was just thinking----" at that moment bunny, who had taken rather a large bite, cried: "what kind of pie did you say this was, sue?" "mince, of course." "it tastes more like spiced pickles to me. doesn't it to you, tom?" "oh, i don't know. it tastes lots better than the pie we got to the poorhouse. i can tell you that!" mr. brown, who had tasted his piece, made a funny face. "are you sure you put enough sugar in?" he asked sue. "you don't have to put sugar in mince-meat--it's already in," answered his little girl. mrs. brown took a taste of sue's pie. she, too, made a funny face, and then she asked: "where did you get the jar of mince-meat, sue?" "from the cupboard where you told me, momsie, next to the glass jar of peaches." "on which side of the jar of peaches?" "let me see--it was the side i write my letters with--my right hand, mother." "oh dear!" cried mrs. brown. "i should have told you! but the egg woman came just then. i should have told you the left side of the jar of peaches. on the right side was a jar of pickled chow-chow. it looks a lot like mince-meat, i know, but it is quite different. the real mince-meat was on the _left_ of the peach jar. oh, sue! you've made your pie of chow-chow." "i was thinking sue had found out a new kind of pie," said daddy brown. "never mind, there are some cakes and cookies." "oh, dear!" cried sue, and there were tears in her eyes. "i did so want my mince pie to be nice!" "it was good," said tom. "the crust is the best i ever ate, and the pickled insides will go good on the fish." everybody laughed at that, and even sue smiled. "next time smell your mince-meat before you put it in a pie," said mrs. brown. "otherwise your pie would have been perfect, sue." "i will," promised the little girl. tom became a regular member of camp rest-a-while, sleeping in a tent by himself. and he proved so useful, cutting wood, going on errands and even helping with the cooking, that mrs. brown said she wondered how she had ever got along without him. he was given some of uncle tad's old clothes, that seemed to fit him very well, so he could no longer be called the "ragged boy," and he went in swimming so often, often taking bunny and sue along, that all three were as "clean as whistles," mrs. brown said. no word had been heard from mr. bixby about his missing helper, but mr. brown had not given up making inquiries about the "needles." bunny and sue missed their electric playthings, but their father brought them other toys from the city with which they had great fun. but still bunny wished for his electric train, and sue for her wonderful teddy bear. one night, just after supper, mrs. brown discovered that she needed milk to set some bread for baking in the morning. "i'll go and get it to the farmhouse," said tom. "and may i go, too?" asked bunny. it was decided that he could, as it was not late, only dark. so down the dusky road trudged bunny and tom, with splash running along beside them. as it happened, the farmhouse where they usually got the milk had none left, so they had to go on to the next one, which was quite near the edge of the indian village. "but they won't any of 'em be out now, will they?" asked bunny. "oh, the indians may be sitting outside their cabins, smoking their pipes," said tom. "oh, that'll be all right," observed bunny. "they'll be peace-pipes and they won't hurt us." "of course not," laughed tom. from the road in front of the house where they finally got the milk they could look right down into the valley of the indian encampment. and as bunny looked he saw a bright fire blazing, and indians walking or hopping slowly around it. "oh, tom, look!" cried the small boy. "what's that? are the indians going on the war-path? i read of that in my school book. if they are, we'd better go back and tell uncle tad and father. then they can get their guns and be ready." "those indians aren't getting ready for war," said tom. "they're only having a roast corn dance." "what's a roast corn dance?" asked bunny. "i'll show you the roast corn part to-morrow night," promised tom. "but don't worry about those indians. they'll not hurt you. now we'd better go home." as soon as bunny was in the tent he shouted, much louder than he need have done: "oh, sue, we saw indians having a roast corn dance, and to-morrow night we're going to have one too!" chapter xix eagle feather's horse bunny brown was so excited by the indian campfire he had seen, and by the queer figures dancing about in the glare of it, seeming twice as tall and broad as they really were, that he insisted on telling about it before he went to bed. "did they really dance just as we do at dancing school when we're at home?" asked sue. "no, not exactly," bunny answered. "it was more like marching, and they turned around every now and then and howled and waved ears of corn in the air. then they ate 'em." "what was it for, tom?" asked mr. brown. "you have lived about here quite a while and you ought to know." "oh, the indians believe in what they call the great spirit," tom explained. "they do all sorts of things so he'll like 'em, such as making fires, dancing and having games. it's only a few of the old indians that do that. this green corn roast, or dance, is a sort of prayer that there'll be lots of corn--a big crop--this year so the indians will have plenty to eat. for they depend a whole lot on corn meal for bread, pancakes and the like of that. i told bunny i'd show him how the indians roast the ears of green corn to-morrow, if you'd let me." "oh, please, momsie, do!" "oh, daddy, let him!" the first was sue's plea, the second bunny's, and the father and mother smiled. "well, i think it will be all right if tom is as careful about fire as he is on the water," said mr. brown. "oh, goodie!" cried sue, while bunny smiled and danced his delight. finally camp rest-a-while was quiet, for every one was in bed and the only noises to be heard were those made by the animals and insects of the wood, an owl now and then calling out: "who? who? who?" just as if it were trying to find some one who was lost. "where'll we get the ears to roast?" asked bunny as soon as he was up the next morning. "we don't grow any corn in our camp." "oh, we can get some roasting ears from almost any of the farmers around here," said tom. "but we don't want to make the fire until night. it looks prettier then." "that's what i say," cried sue. "and if you wait until night i'll make some muffins to eat with the roast corn. mother is going to show me how." "well, don't put any chow-chow mince-meat in your muffins," begged bunny with a laugh. "i won't," promised sue. "but can't we do something while we're waiting for night to come so we can roast the corn?" "will you put up the swing you promised to make for us, tom?" asked bunny. "yes, if you have the rope." "we can row across the lake in the boat to the store at the landing, and get the rope there," said bunny. "i'll ask my mother." mrs. brown gave permission and tom was soon making a swing, hanging it down from a high branch of a strong oak tree. then bunny and sue took turns swinging, while tom pushed. after dinner they decided it was time to go for the roasting ears, and again they were in the boat, as it was nearer to the farmer's house across the water than by going the winding road. tom picked out the kind of ears he wanted, large and full of kernels in which the milk, or white juice, was yet running. this was a corn that ripened late, and was very good for roasting. with the corn in one end of the boat, and the children in the stern, or rear, where he could watch them as they moved about on the broad seat, tom rowed the boat toward camp. they reached it just in time for supper, and just as mr. brown got home from his trip to the city. "we're going to have roast ears of corn to-night!" called sue as she hugged and kissed her father. "oh! that makes me feel as if i were a boy!" said mr. brown. "who is going to roast the corn?" "i am," said tom. "i've done it many a time." "well, i'm glad you know how. but now let's have supper." the children did not eat much, because they were so anxious to roast the corn, but tom said they must wait until dark, as the camp fire would look prettier then. however, it could hardly have been called dark when tom, after much teasing on the part of bunny and sue, set aglow the light twigs and branches, which soon made the bigger logs glow. "we have to have a lot of hot coals and embers," said tom, "or else the corn will smoke and burn. so we'll let the fire burn for a while until there are a lot of red hot coals or embers of wood." when this had come about, tom brought out the ears, stripped the green husks from them, and then, brushing off a smooth stone that had been near the fire so long that it was good and hot, he placed on it the ears of corn. almost at once they began to roast, turning a delicate brown, and tom turned them over from time to time, so they would not burn, by having one side too near the fire too long. "when will they be ready to eat?" asked bunny brown. "in a few minutes," said tom. "there, i guess these two are ready," and he picked out two smoking hot ones, nicely browned, using a sharp-pointed stick for a fork. he offered one ear to mr. brown and the other to mrs. brown. "no, let the children have the first ones," said their mother. "be careful, they're hot!" cautioned tom, as he passed the ears on their queer wooden sticks to bunny and sue. sue blew on hers to cool it, but bunny was in such a hurry that he started to eat at once. as a result he cried: "ouch! it's hot!" "be careful!" cautioned his mother, and after that bunny was careful. [illustration: tom brought out the ears and stripped the green husks from them. _bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods._ _page_ 195.] soon two more ears were roasted, and these mr. and mrs. brown took. they waited a bit for them to cool, and then began to eat slowly. "they are delicious," said mrs. brown. "this is the only way to cook green corn," remarked uncle tad. "it's the best i've eaten since i was a boy," declared mr. brown. "we shall have to have some more, tom." "yes, i'll cook some more for you. parched corn is good, too. the indians like that. you have to wait until the ears are nearly ripe for that, though, and the kernels dried." "aren't you going to eat any, tom?" bunny asked, as he took the ear the bigger boy handed him. "oh, yes, i'll have some now, if you've had all you want." "well, maybe i'll eat more," said bunny. "and i want another," put in sue. "there's plenty here," said tom, as he began to eat. almost as he spoke there was a crackling of the leaves and sticks behind the embers of the roast-corn party, and before any one could turn around to see what it was a voice spoke: "white folks make heap good meal same as indians." "that's right, eagle feather," called back tom, who did not seem to be so much taken by surprise as did the others. "come and have some. what brings you here?" "eagle feather lose him horse," was the answer. "come look for him. maybe you hab?" and he squatted down beside the campfire and accepted a roasted ear that tom handed him. "what does this mean about eagle feather's horse being _here_?" asked mr. brown. "me tell you 'bout a minute," answered the indian, gnawing away at the corn. chapter xx fun in the attic bunny brown looked at his sister sue, and she looked at him. what could it mean--so many things being taken away? first bunny's train of cars, then sue's electric-eyed teddy bear. now eagle feather's horse was missing and he had come to camp rest-a-while to look for it, though why the children could not understand. tom was kept busy roasting the ears of corn, and passing them around. eagle feather ate three without saying anything more, and would probably have taken another, which tom had ready for him, when mr. brown asked: "well, eagle feather, what is your trouble? is your horse really gone? and if it is, why do you think it is here? we don't have any horses here. all our machines go by gasolene." "me know all such," replied the indian. "little wagon make much puff-puff like boy's heap big medicine train. no horse push or pull 'um. eagle feather hab good horse, him run fast and stop quick, sometimes, byemby, like squaw, eagle feather fall off. but horse good--now somebody take. somebody take eagle feather's horse." "maybe he wandered away," said mr. brown. "horses often do that you know, when you tie them in the woods where flies bite them." "yes, eagle feather know that. but how you say--him rope broke or cut?" and the indian held out a halter made of rope, with a piece of rope dangling from it. mr. brown looked closely at it. "why, that's been cut!" exclaimed the children's father, for the end of the rope by which the horse had been tied was smooth, and not broken and rough, as it would have been had it been pulled apart. if you will cut a rope and then break another piece, you can easily see the difference. "sure, cut!" exclaimed eagle feather. "done last night when all dark. indians at corn dance and maybe sleepy. no hear some one come up soft to eagle feather's barn and take out horse. have to cut rope 'cause indian tie knot white man find too much hard to make loose." "so you think a white man took your horse, and that's why you come to us?" asked mr. brown. "yes. you know much white man. maybe so like one ask you hide my horse in your tent." "indeed not!" cried mr. brown. "i haven't any friends who would steal a man's horse." "maybe not," went on the indian. "but night of green corn dance him come to see it and your boy too," and eagle feather pointed first at tom and then at bunny. "we didn't see eagle feather's horse!" cried out bunny brown. "easy, my boy," said his father. "let's get at what eagle feather means." before he could ask a question the indian pointed a finger at tom and asked sharply: "you see my horse night you come green corn dance?" "not a sign of him did i see," answered tom quickly. "and i wasn't nearer the middle of the village, where the campfire was, than half a mile. we didn't take your horse, eagle feather." "maybe so not. eagle feather thought maybe you might see," went on the red man. "me know you good boy, tom--good to indians. these little brown boy an' gal--they good too. "but we walk along path horse took, and marks of him feet come right to this camp." "is that so?" asked mr. brown. "we'll have to look into this. perhaps the thief did pass among our tents to hide the direction he really took. we'll have a look in the morning. it's too dark now." indeed it was very dark, the campfire throwing out but fitful gleams, for enough of the roasted ears had been cooked to suit every one. eagle feather bade his friends good-bye, remarking again how sorry he was over losing his horse, and he said he would see them all in the morning. with the children and tom safely in bed uncle tad and mr. and mrs. brown talked the matter over. "eagle feather seems to think his horse was brought to this camp," said mrs. brown. "perhaps he does," agreed her husband. "but that doesn't matter." "i don't like it though," went on his wife. "the idea of thinking bunny might have had a hand in the trick!" "i don't believe eagle feather ever had such an idea," laughed mr. brown. "he might have thought tom, from having watched the corn dance, had taken the horse in fun, but i don't believe he has any such idea now." "i should hope not!" exclaimed mrs. brown. early the next morning eagle feather and another indian came to the camp. they looked for the marks of horses' hoofs and found some they said were those of eagle feather's animal in the soft dirt. but though the marks came to the edge of the camp, they did not go through the spaces between the tents. "they must have led the horse _around_ our camp," said uncle tad, and this proved to be a correct guess, for on the other side of the camp the footprints of a horse, with the same shaped hoof as that of eagle feather's, were seen. "now we find horse easy," said the indian, as he and his companion hurried on through the big woods. "well, i hope you find him, and i'm glad you don't think any one around here had anything to do with it," said uncle tad. "i hope you find your horse soon." but it was a vain hope, for in a little while it began to rain and the rain, mr. brown said, would wash away all hoofprints of the indian's horse, so they could no longer be seen. but eagle feather and his friend did not come back. "oh, i wish we had something to do!" cried sue, as the rain kept on pelting down on the roof of the tent, and she and bunny could not go out. "it would be fun if we had your electric train now and my sallie malinda," said sue. "that's right!" exclaimed bunny. "but i don't s'pose we'll ever get 'em." "no, i s'pose not," sighed sue. the children were trying to think of a rainy-day game to play and wishing they could go out, when there came a knock on the main tent pole, which was the nearest thing to a front door in the camp. "oh, it's mrs. preston, the egg lady," said sue, who, out of a celluloid tent window, had watched the visitor coming to the camp. "she can't be coming with eggs," said mrs. brown, "for i bought some only yesterday." mrs. preston quickly told what she wanted. "i've come for your two children, mrs. brown," she said. "i know how hard it is to keep them cooped up and amused on a rainy day. "now over at our house we have a lovely big attic, filled with all sorts of old-fashioned things that the children of our neighbors play with. they can't harm them, and they can't harm themselves. don't you want to let bunny and sue come over to my attic to play?" "oh, yes, mother, please do!" begged bunny. "and it's only such a little way that we won't get wet at all," said sue. "we can wear rubbers and take umbrellas." "well, if you're sure it won't be any bother, mrs. preston," said mrs. brown. "no bother at all! glad to have them," answered mrs. preston. "get ready, my dears!" and bunny brown and his sister sue were soon on their way to have rainy-day fun in an attic. chapter xxi "where is sue?" "now children, the attic is yours for the day," said mrs. preston, after she had led bunny brown and his sister into the house, and had helped them get off their wet coats. "you are to do just as you please, for there is nothing in the attic you can harm." "oh, won't we have fun?" cried sue. "i should say so!" exclaimed bunny. "are there any old guns or swords up there we can play soldier with?" asked the little boy. "yes, i think so," answered mrs. preston. "the guns are very old and can't be shot off, and the swords are very dull, so you can't hurt yourself. still, be careful." "we will," promised bunny. "i wish i had another boy to play with. sue makes a good nurse, but she isn't much of a soldier." "i can holler 'bang!' as loud as you," protested sue. "yes, i know you can, but who ever heard of women soldiers? they are all right for nurses, and sue can bandage your arm up awful tight, just like it was really shot off. but she can't act like a real soldier, mrs. preston." "maybe the boy i have asked over to play in the attic with you can," suggested mrs. preston. "oh, is there another boy coming?" asked bunny eagerly. "yes. and a girl, too. they are charlie and rose parker, and they live down the road a way. they are a new family that has just moved in, and they haven't an attic in their house, any more then you have in your tent. so i ask them over every rainy day, for i know that it is hard for children to stay in the house." "oh, i hope they come soon!" exclaimed bunny. "i want to have some fun!" "i think i hear them now," said mrs. preston, as a knock sounded at the back door. "yes, here they are," she called to bunny and sue, who were sitting in the dining room. "come now, young folks, get acquainted, and then go up to the attic to play." charlie and rose parker, being about the age of bunny and sue, did not take long to grow friendly. and the brown children, having often met strangers, were not a bit bashful, so the four soon felt that they had known each other a long time. "now up to the attic with you, and have your fun!" directed mrs. preston. "use anything you want to play with, but, when you are through, put everything back where you found it." "we will!" promised the children, and up the stairs they went, laughing and shouting. "i hope we find some swords and guns to fight with," said bunny to charlie. "oh, there's a lot of them," charlie answered. "i've been here before and i know where lots of guns are. only they're awful heavy." "then we can pretend they are cannon!" cried bunny. "yes, and we can make a fort of old trunks. there's a lot of them up here," charlie said. they were on their way up the attic stairs, charlie leading the way, as he had often gone up before. "don't take all the trunks until we get out of them what we want to play with," begged rose. "what's in the trunks?" asked bunny of his new friend. "oh, nothing but a lot of old dresses and things. rose most always dresses up fancy in 'em and pretends she's a big lady," said charlie. "then that's what sue'll do," said bunny. "she likes to dress up. but we'll play soldier." mrs. preston's attic was the nicest one that could be imagined. in one corner were several trunks. in another corner was a spinning wheel, and hanging here and there from the attic beams were strings of sleigh bells, that sent out a merry jingle when one's head hit them. here and there, in places where there were no boards over the beams, were hickory nuts and walnuts that could be cracked on a brick and eaten. "they'll be our rations," said charlie, who liked to play soldier as well as did bunny. "but where are the swords and the guns?" bunny asked. "i'll show you," said charlie. "they're just behind the chimney." in the middle of the attic, extending up through the roof, was a big chimney. it could not be seen in the rest of the house, but here in the attic the bricks were in plain view, and charlie said, on cold winter days, when it snowed, it was warm in the attic because of the heat from the chimney. just now the boys were more interested in the guns and the swords, of which a goodly number were hanging on rafters and beams back of the chimney. "oh, what a lot of guns!" cried bunny. "and they shoot, too," added charlie. "i mean you can pull the trigger and the hammer will snap down. course we only use make-believe powder." "course," agreed bunny. "but we can holler 'bang!' whenever we shoot a gun." "and we can each have a sword." so the boys began to play soldier, sometimes both being on the same side, hunting indians through the secret mazes of the attic, and again one being a white-settler soldier, and the other a red man. meanwhile sue and rose were playing a different game. they had found some old-fashioned and big silk dresses in some of the trunks, and they at once dressed themselves up in these and made believe pay visits one to the other. the two little girls talked as they imagined grown-up ladies would talk when "dressed up," and they had great fun, while on the other side of the attic charlie and bunny were bang-banging away at one another in the soldier game. the children had been playing in the attic about an hour, the boys at their soldiering game and the girls at visiting, when rose came to bunny and charlie with a queer look on her face. "what's the matter?" asked charlie. "have you had a fuss and stopped playing?" "no, but i can't find sue anywhere." "can't find sue!" exclaimed bunny. "where is she?" "that's just what i don't know. i was playing i was mrs. johnson, and she was to be mrs. wilson and call on me. when she didn't come i went to look for her, but i couldn't find her in her house." "which was her house," asked bunny. "this big trunk," and rose pointed to a large one in a distant corner of the attic. "sue! sue! are you in there? are you in the trunk?" cried bunny. the children, listening, seemed to hear a faint call from inside the trunk. they looked at one another with startled eyes. what could they do? chapter xxii the hermit comes for tom "are you sure she came over here?" asked bunny brown. "sure," answered rose. "you see this was her pretend house, and mine was over there under the string of sleigh bells." she pointed to where several small trunks had been drawn together to form a square. some old bed quilts had been laid over to make a roof, and under this rose received visits from her friend sue, who went by the name of mrs. wilson. "when did you last see her?" asked charlie. "maybe she went downstairs." "no, she didn't, for i saw her opening the big trunk and taking clothes out to dress up in. besides she couldn't get downstairs, for you boys pulled two trunks in front of the stairs for a fort." "so we did," said charlie. "she couldn't have gone down without moving the trunks, and they haven't been moved." "well, then she must be up here somewhere," said bunny. "maybe she's shut up in the big trunk." "that's dreadful! call and let's see if she is in there," said rose. bunny went close to the big trunk--the largest, in the attic--and then he called as loudly as he could: "are you in there, sue?" back came the answer, very faintly: "yes, i'm here, bunny! please get me out! i'm locked in!" "she's locked in!" cried charlie. "we must open the trunk and get her out! come on, bunny!" both boys grasped the lid of the trunk. "why it's locked!" cried rose. "you can't open it without unlocking it. let's see if we can find some keys." eagerly the children ran about the attic, taking keys from all the trunks they saw. but either these keys did not fit in the locked one where sue was shut up, or the fingers of bunny, rose and charlie were too small to fit them properly in the locks. "we'd better call mrs. preston," said bunny, for he could hear sue crying now, inside the trunk. and sue was a brave little girl, who did not often cry. "we'd better go down and tell her," suggested rose. "she'll never hear us from up here." "let's go down then!" cried bunny. he and charlie soon pulled away from the attic stairs the two trunks they had placed there to make a fort. down to the kitchen, where mrs. preston was making pies, hurried the three children. "what? through playing so soon?" asked mrs. preston. "i thought you'd be much longer than this. i haven't your lunch for you ready yet. but where is sue?" she asked, not seeing bunny's sister. "she--she's locked in a trunk in the attic--the big trunk," explained charlie, "an' she's hollerin' like anything, but we can't get her out!" "locked in that trunk! good gracious!" cried mrs. preston. "that trunk shuts with a spring lock. now i wonder where the key to it is." "here's a lot of keys we found!" said bunny, holding out those he and charlie had gathered from the other trunks. "i'll try those, but i'm afraid they won't fit," said mrs. preston, hurrying up to the attic, followed by bunny, charlie and rose. "you'll be all right now, sue!" called mrs. preston through the sides of the trunk to sue. "we'll soon have you out." "please hurry," said a muffled and far-off voice. "i can hardly breathe in here." "i should say not!" exclaimed mrs. preston. "we'll get you out soon, though." she tried other keys, none of which would fit, and then she brought up from her bedroom another bunch that locked the trunks she used when she went traveling. "it's of no use," she cried, when she found she could not open the trunk. "we can't waste any more time. charlie, you run and get mr. wright, the carpenter. he'll have to saw a hole in the end of the trunk to get sue out." "but he won't hurt her, will he?" asked bunny. "no indeed! he'll be very careful." mr. wright came back with charlie, carrying several tools in his hand. he soon set to work. "get as far back to the end of the trunk as you can," he called to sue, tapping with his fingers on the end he wanted her to keep away from. "i'm back as far as i can get," she said in a far-off voice. "all right. now i'm going to bore a little hole in this end, and then i'm going to put in a little saw and saw a door in the end of your trunk house so you can crawl out. don't be afraid. i'll soon have you out," said the carpenter. very carefully mr. wright bored the hole. then, with a small saw, he began cutting a hole in the side of the big trunk. in a little while the hole was big enough for sue to crawl through. they had to help her, for she was weak and faint from having been shut up so long. but the fresh air and a glass of milk soon made her feel better, and she wanted to go on with the game. "no, i think you had better be out in the air now on the big enclosed porch," said mrs. preston. "you have played in the attic long enough. i never thought of the spring lock on that trunk. it is the only one in the attic, but now we will leave the hole cut in the end, so, even with the lid closed, whoever goes in can get out." "it would make a good kennel for our dog splash," said bunny. "and you may have it for that, if you like," said mrs. preston. "i'll have the hired man take it over to your camp." after thanking mrs. preston for the good time she had given them, the children, after a lunch, started for their homes. bunny and sue found something very strange going on in the camp when they reached there. there was mr. bixby, the hermit, sitting on a box just outside the tent, talking very earnestly to mr. brown, who had just come from town in the small automobile. it had stopped raining. "well, i've decided not to let him go back to you," mr. brown was saying. "i don't think you have treated him right, and i am going to complain to the authorities about it." "and i tell you, mr. brown, not meaning to be impolite, that i'm entitled to that boy an' i'm going to have him. he's bound out to me for the summer." "what does he want, mother?" whispered bunny. "hush, my dear. daddy will attend to it all. mr. bixby came here a little while ago and he wants to take tom back. tom doesn't want to go on account of the 'needle pricks' as he calls them. but mr. bixby wants him, and your father is not going to let tom go." "oh, i'm glad of that!" exclaimed sue in a whisper. "i like tom, and i don't care if i was locked in a trunk and 'most smothered if we can keep tom." chapter xxiii trying to help tom "you were locked in a trunk and almost smothered!" exclaimed mrs. brown, looking first at sue and then at mr. bixby, as though she thought he might have had some hand in the matter. "yes, it was over in mrs. preston's attic. but it was my own fault, i never should have got in the trunk, for it closed with a spring lock and they had to get a carpenter to saw me out." "oh! and spoil mrs. preston's trunk?" "'tisn't spoiled," said bunny. "she's going to let us use it for a dog kennel." "and it will make such a nice one for splash," said sue. "you see, we can put hinges on the little square place the carpenter cut out to make a hole for me to get through, and we can make something fast to it that splash can get hold of with his teeth, like a knob, so he can pull the door shut when it rains. it will be awful nice. i don't mind having been shut up a bit when i think of splash." "but how did it all happen?" asked mrs. brown, while her husband and mr. bixby were talking together. the children told of sue's adventure and of charlie and rose, and of the big porch and of the lunch. "but what does mr. bixby want, mother? is he really going to take tom away from us?" asked sue. "i don't know, my little girl. i hope not. but he seems to have the law on his side." "well, you have your way of looking at it and i have mine," mr. bixby was saying to mr. brown. "i hired this boy from the poorhouse and agreed to pay him certain wages. part he keeps for himself and the rest goes to the poorhouse managers for his board in the winter when he can't work. "then this boy ups and leaves me and comes to you. it isn't fair, and i'm not getting the worth of the money i paid. for though he is a lazy chap i managed to get some chores out of him." "of course," said mr. brown, "you may be right in what you say about having the right to this boy's work because you paid for it. as for his being lazy, i don't agree with you there. he has certainly been a help to us about the camp." "oh, yes, where there's any fun in it tom's right there! i s'pose he's a good fisherman?" "i never saw a better one," said mr. brown earnestly, while bunny brown and sue sat together on a big stump and wondered what it was all about. "yes, tom'd rather fish than eat," said mr. bixby slowly, as he crossed one ragged-trousered leg over the other. "who wouldn't with what i got to eat at your cabin?" burst out tom who had been standing back near the cook tent. "all i got was potatoes, and once in a while bacon; i got so hungry i just _had_ to go out and fish." "well, we won't go into any argument about it," said mr. bixby. "i'm entitled to work from you and i'm goin' to have you. that's all there is about it." "i'll never go back to you to be stung with them needles!" cried tom. at this mr. brown asked a question. "what are these 'needles' tom speaks of?" he asked. "i think i have a right to know, as he is in my charge now, and if i let him go to you, and he is hurt, i should feel i was to blame. i want to know about this needle business." "there wasn't anything to it. he just imagined it. i used to grab hold of his arm, to shake him awake mornings, and i'd happen to hit his funny bone in his elbow. you know how it is when you hit your elbow in a certain place--it makes it feel as though pins and needles were sticking in you." "i have felt that," said mrs. brown. "and so have i," added bunny. "it's funny!" "well, that's all there is to it," said mr. bixby. "but i want tom back. i'm going to have him, too!" "you shall have him if you have a right to him. but i shall look into this first," said mr. brown. "you can't take him to-night." "oh, well, we sha'n't quarrel over that, as long as i get him to-morrow to help dig potatoes. but you'll find i'm in the right, and that the boy belongs to me for the summer," said the hermit. "i'll do just as i agreed to by him." "well, i'll look it up to make sure," said mr. brown. "it may be that you are right, and it may be you are wrong. if you are, i'll say to you now that you'll never get tom away from me." "that's right. don't let him take me!" cried tom, who seemed very much afraid. "i don't want any more of his funny needles stuck in me. let me stay with you!" "i will if i can, tom my boy," said mr. brown. "you'll find you can't keep him away from me," said mr. bixby, as he got up to go. "and i won't hurt him, as he and you folks seem to think. all i want are my rights." the two men talked together a little longer, but tom wanted to hear all about sue's having been shut in the trunk, so bunny and his sister took turns telling the story once more, while tom listened eagerly. "if i'd been there," he cried as sue finished, "i'd a given that trunk one kick and busted her clean open, sue! i wouldn't have waited for no carpenter." one look at tom's big feet seemed to indicate that he could easily have "busted the trunk clean open." "but it was better to saw a little door, to make a kennel for splash," said sue. "anyhow i wasn't in there very long, and i could breathe a little." "well, be careful about getting into trunks again," said her mother, and sue said she would. the children played in the woods about the camp with tom after supper, while mr. and mrs. brown sat off to one side talking earnestly. "i guess they're talking about you," said sue. "about your going away, tom." "well, i'm not going back to mr. bixby!" declared the lad. "and we're not going to let you!" cried bunny. "if he comes after you we'll get in a boat and go down the lake and hide in that cave. we'll take something to eat with us, and some fish lines to catch fish, and we'll cook 'em over a campfire and we'll live in the big woods forever." "what'll we do when winter comes?" asked sue. "oh, then daddy and mother will be back in the city and we can go and live with them," replied her brother. early the next morning, while the children and tom were having breakfast, mr. brown was seen setting off toward the village. "where are you going, daddy?" cried sue. "can't you take us with you?" asked bunny. "no, i'm going off to see some of the townspeople--the authorities--the head of the poorhouse and others, to find out what right mr. bixby has to tom." "oh, if you're going to help tom that's all right!" said sue. "we can have some games among ourselves, can't we bunny?" she added, turning to her brother. "yes, but i wish i had my electric train." "well, you can play with the car you found in the hay," said sue. "and then we've got to make that trunk-kennel for splash." "oh, so we have!" exclaimed bunny. "i forgot about that. we'll have some fun anyhow." "and i'll help," said tom. "might as well have what fun i can if i have to go back to mr. bixby's." "you won't have to go back," said bunny. "my father will fix it so you can stay with us." chapter xxiv the night meeting bunny and sue, as soon as they had finished their breakfast, went down to the edge of the lake to play. they wanted to go for a row, and mrs. brown had said they could if tom was along, so there was no trouble this time. out on the water, where the sun was shining on the waves, tom rowed the children. then bunny brought out his fishing line and pole, baited the hook with some worms he had dug, and began to fish. "you won't get any fish here," said tom. "there are too many boats around. i can take you to a place where there are some good perch and sunnies." "no, i want to fish here," said bunny. "it's easy to catch fish where everybody else can. i want to try in a hard place." so tom kept the boat in about the same spot, rowing slowly about while bunny fished, and fished, and fished again, without getting a single bite or nibble. "oh dear, it's so hot here out in the middle of the lake!" said sue. "can't we go where it's cool and shady?" "i know such a place as that," said tom. "and you can catch fish there, too." "does everybody fish there?" bunny asked. "no, hardly anybody. and you can't always catch fish there either, even if you know the best places." "then we'll go," decided bunny. "i want to go to a hard place." "is there anything i can do where you are going?" asked sue. "well, you can gather pond lilies in the creek, which comes into the lake up above a piece. i'm going to take you there," said tom. "it's a nice place." "oh, goody!" cried sue, clapping her hands. "mother loves pond lilies." "well, there's lots up where we're going," said tom, as he began to row with strong, long strokes. the creek, as tom called it, was a lazy sort of stream flowing into one part of the lake through a dense part of the big woods. up this creek very few persons went, as it was shallow for most boats, and they often ran aground and got stuck. "but our boat will be all right," said tom, "for it has a flat bottom and it doesn't lie very deep in the water. it could almost be rowed in a good rain storm." farther and farther up the creek tom rowed the children. the trees met in a green arch overhead, and the only sounds were those of the dripping waters from tom's oars, the call of woodland birds or the distant splash of a fish jumping up to get a fly that was close to the top of the water. "shall i fish here?" asked bunny. "yes, you ought to get a few here." bunny cast in, and it was not long before he had a bite. but when he pulled up there was no fish on his hook. "you must yank up quicker," said tom. "they are only nibbling to fool you. pull up quickly." "look out!" suddenly called bunny. he yanked his pole up so suddenly that he pulled the fish out of the water, right over the heads of himself, his sister and tom, and with a splash the fish came down in the water on the other side of the boat. there it wiggled off the hook. "you pulled _too_ hard this time," said tom with a laugh. "i'll do it just right next time," said bunny. and he did. when he felt something pulling on his line he, too, pulled and this time he caught a sun fish, large enough to cook. it had very pretty colors on it. "it's too pretty to catch," said sue. "but, oh! look at the pretty pond lilies!" and she pointed to some farther up the creek. "can we get some, tom?" "wait until i catch one more fish," begged bunny. bunny soon caught another fish, which had stripes around it "like a raccoon," sue said. "that's a perch," tom told the children. "they're good to eat, too. but now we'll row up for the lilies." however, in spite of the fact that their boat did not take much water, it ran aground before it reached the lilies. "oh, how are we going to get them?" asked sue, in disappointment. "i'll wade after them," said tom. "i can take off my shoes and socks. the water won't be much more than up to my knees after i get over the mud bar on which the boat has stuck." tom was soon wading in the mud and water, his trousers well rolled up. he was just reaching for one very large lily when he gave a sudden call, threw up his hands and sank down out of sight. "oh, tom's gone! he's drowned!" cried sue. "we've got to save him!" shouted bunny, struggling with the oars. but the boat was fast in the mud, and he could not move it. "what shall we do?" gasped sue. before bunny could answer, tom's head appeared above the muddy water. he had hold of the pond lily. "i'm all right," he said. "i stepped on the edge of a hole under the water, and it was so slippery i went down in before i knew it. but the deepest part is only over my waist, and now that i'm wet i might as well stay and get all the lilies you wish." "oh, that's too bad!" cried sue. "not at all," said tom. "i like it. afterward i'll take a swim in the clean part of the lake and wash off." so, wet and muddy as he was, his clothes covered with slime from the bottom of the creek, tom kept on gathering the lilies. once he found a mud turtle which he tossed into the boat for bunny. the turtle seemed to go to sleep in a corner. "there's a nice bunch for you," said tom, coming back to the boat with the flowers for the little girl. "oh, thank you, so much!" said sue. "but i'm sorry you got wet." "i'm not. these clothes needed washing anyhow," laughed tom. with that tom pushed the boat off the mud bar, and down the creek into deeper water, the children sitting on the seats. "now i'll tie you to shore, go in swimming in this clean water, and row you home after i've dried out a bit," said tom. so he went in swimming with all his clothes on, except his shoes and socks, and soon he was clean. "mother will be so glad to get the pond lilies," said sue. "and i guess she'll be glad to get my fish," said bunny. "there's 'most enough for dinner." tom was nearly dry when he reached home, and no one said anything about his wet clothes. "oh, what lovely flowers!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "and what fine fish. did you catch them all alone, bunny?" "yes'm, momsie! both of 'em. where's daddy?" "oh, off seeing some men. i believe there's to be a meeting at our camp to-night to talk about your friend tom and mr. bixby." "i hope they don't send tom back," said bunny. "he knows everything about this lake." after supper several men came to camp rest-a-while. they were some of the county officers. eagle feather and some of the indians were present, sitting by themselves, and mr. brown sat near tom. "may we stay and see what happens, mother?" asked bunny. "i guess so. i don't know just what is going on, but i think your father is going to try to arrange matters so tom will not have to go back to the hermit's to live." "hurray!" cried bunny. "and while daddy is talking, i hope he'll ask everybody if they've seen my electric train." "and my sallie malinda," added sue. "my nice 'lectric-eyed teddy bear." for all the inquiries that had been made had not brought forth any trace of either of the children's toys. the man in whose barn bunny had found one car, said he had seen no one hiding it in the hay. "daddy is going to say something!" whispered sue. "hush!" cautioned her mother. just then mr. brown arose and looked at the men in front of him. [illustration: tom waded in the mud and water to get the lilies. _bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods._ _page_ 233.] chapter xxv the missing toys "gentlemen," began mr. brown, "i have asked you all to come to my camp to-night to settle some questions, and, if possible, to find out what has been going on around here. "as i have told you, two rather costly toys, belonging to my children, have been stolen. eagle feather's horse has been taken away. i know my children's toys have not been found. and i think, eagle feather, your horse is still missing?" "him no come back long time," said the indian. "stable all ready for him--good bed straw, hay to eat. he no come home. me t'ink somebody keep him for himself." "that's what we think, too, eagle feather," said mr. brown. "now there is one person i asked to come here to-night who is absent," he went on. "the hermit," said some. "bixby," said others. "i think we all mean the same man," said mr. brown. "now i have told you about this boy tom, who was found by my children in a cave near the lake shore," he continued. "he was found crying, saying he was being stuck full of needles. i have not been able to get more than that out of him. he says bixby made him take hold of two shiny balls, and then the needles pricked him. i have my own opinion of that, but i'll speak of that later. "i asked bixby here to-night, that we might talk to him. i find that he has a right to hire this boy to work for him, and under the law to keep him all summer. so it seems that unless we can show that bixby has treated tom harshly he will have to go back." "unless we can prove that this needle-business was queer," said one man. "yes, and that is what i hoped to prove to-night. but since mr. bixby is not here to talk to us----" "suppose we go and talk to him!" cried an officer. "he may hear us coming, and run away," said another. "not if we go through the cave," suggested tom. "i got into the cave, where bunny and sue found me, by going through a hole in bixby's stable." "then you'd better lead us through the cave," said mr. brown. "we may surprise the man at his tricks." the party was soon going along the lake shore toward the cave. the cavern was dark and silent when they entered it, but their lights made it bright. on they went, all the men, with mrs. brown, uncle tad and the children coming at the rear of the procession. after they had gone far into the cave the whinny of a horse was heard. "ha!" exclaimed eagle feather. "him sound like my horse!" they went on softly through the cave and were soon near the place where tom had entered it from the stable. "be very quiet now, everybody," said mr. brown. "sh-h-h," said bunny to his mother and sue, putting his finger on his lips. "i'll take a peep and see if any one's in sight," said tom. he went forward a little way and came back to whisper: "there are two horses and a cow in there, and one horse looks like eagle feather's." "let indian see!" exclaimed the red man, and when he had peeped through a hole between two stones in the stable wall, while tom flashed a flashlight through another hole, eagle feather cried: "that my horse! me git him back now!" "go a bit slow," advised mr. brown. "we want to see what else this bixby is up to. how can you get to the house from here, tom?" "right through the stable, by the hole i got out of. his back door is near the stable front door. come on!" on they went through the stable, eagle feather pausing long enough to pat his horse and make sure that it was his own animal and grunting "huh!" in pleasure. "softly now," whispered tom. "we are coming to where we can look into one of the two rooms of mr. bixby's hut. it is there he sits at night and where he gave me the needles." in silence the party made its way to where all could look through the window. bunny's father held him up and mrs. brown took sue in her arms. what they saw caused them all great surprise. for there, on a table in front of bixby, the hermit, was bunny's toy engine, and sue's teddy bear. but the bear was partly torn apart, and from it ran wires that joined with other wires from bunny's electric locomotive and batteries. at the other ends of the wires, were round, shiny balls, like those on the ends of curtain rods. on the other side of the table sat an indian, and at the sight of him eagle feather whispered: "him name muskrat. much good in canoe and water." they saw the hermit put the two shiny knobs on the indian's hands. then mr. bixby turned a switch and the indian let out a wild yell and sprang through the open door, crying: "thorns and thistles! he has stung me with bad medicine! wow!" "i think i begin to see the trick," said mr. brown. "that's what he did to me," explained tom, "but i didn't see a teddy bear or a toy locomotive." this time the hermit, disturbed by the sudden running away of the indian, and by the voices outside his window, started toward the latter. "quick! some of you get to the door so he can't get away," called mr. brown, but bixby did not seem to want to run away. he stood in the middle of the room until mr. brown, bunny, sue and the others had entered. "oh, there's my toy engine!" cried bunny making a grab for it. "and my teddy bear!" added sue. "look out, don't touch them!" called mr. brown. "he has fixed the dry batteries in the toys to a spark coil, which makes the current stronger, and he's giving shocks that way. aren't you?" he asked, turning to the hermit. "since you have found me out, i have," was the answer. "i admit i have been bad, but i am sorry. i will tell you everything. i used to be a man who went about the country with an electric machine, giving people electrical treatments for rheumatism and other pains. i made some money, but my wife died and her sickness and burial took all i had. then my electrical machine broke and i could not buy another. "however, i did manage to get a little one, run with dry batteries, and i began going about the country making cures. "then this place was left me by a relative. i thought i could make a living off it with the help of a hired boy, so i got tom. "i found some indians lived here, and, learning how simple they were and that they thought everything strange was 'heap big medicine,' as they called it, i thought of trying my battery on them. first i tried it on tom, and he yelled that i was sticking needles into him. he did not understand about the electricity, and i did not try to explain. "i remembered what your children had told me about having a toy train of cars that ran by electricity, and a teddy bear with two lamps for eyes. i knew these batteries, though small, would be strong, and just what i needed with what electrical things i had. so i stole the toy train of cars and the teddy bear. "i was sorry to do it, but i thought if i could make enough money from the indians i could buy new batteries for myself and give the children back their toys. "but most of the indians were afraid of the electrical current which felt like needles, and i could not get many of them to come back after they had once tried it. so i made no money. "tom ran away, and then i stole eagle feather's horse. i thought maybe if i could sell the horse and get money enough to get a new machine that did not sting so hard, i could make money enough to buy the horse back. "but everything went against me, and now i have nothing left. i am sorry i had to rip your teddy bear apart, little girl, to get the wires on the batteries. and as for your cars, little boy, i hid them in farms and various places. i don't know where they are now, but the engine is all right and in running order." he quickly loosened the wires, and the toy locomotive ran around the table on part of the stolen track. "but my poor dear sallie malinda is dead!" cried sue. "no, i can sew her together again, if the batteries are all right," said mrs. brown. "and the batteries are all right," said the hermit, who had heard what was said. "see, i'll make the eyes shine!" he quickly did something to the wires and again the eyes of sue's teddy bear shone out bravely. "i realize how wrong i was to take the children's things," went on the hermit, "but i knew no other way to get the batteries i needed. i only had my cow to sell, and i dared not part with her, for she gave me milk to live on. all the while i kept hoping my luck would be better. "when tom ran away i did not know what to do. i did not imagine the little electricity i gave him would hurt him. a few of the indians seemed to like it." "yes, me hear um talk of heap big medicine that sting like bees," said eagle feather. "but me no think hermit did it, what has my horse." "i'm sorry i took it," said bixby. "i'll give up my cow to pay for all i took. then i'll go away." "wait a minute," said mr. brown. "we'll decide about that later. you have done some wrong things, but you have tried to do what was right. we'll try to find a way out of your troubles. stay here for a few days." bunny brown and his sister sue took with them that night their toys so strangely found, and in a few days the playthings were as good as ever, for mrs. brown sewed up the ripped teddy bear and bunny had some new cars for his electric engine. the track the hermit had kept, so that was all right. "does electricity feel like pins and needles?" asked bunny brown one day. "i'll show you," said his father, and he did by a little battery which he owned. this was after their return from camp. "is it like needles, or your foot being asleep," said bunny. but before this mr. brown had talked with some of his neighbors, and they decided to give the hermit another chance. tom would go back to work for him on condition that no more electricity be used. the hermit had a good garden and he could sell things from that. eagle feather was given back his horse, and mr. bixby was not arrested for taking it. and the mystery of the electrical toys being solved, life at camp rest-a-while went on as before for a time. bunny and his sister had fine times, and once in a while tom had a day's vacation, and came over to see them. "but i s'pose we can't stay here forever," said bunny to sue, one day. "i wonder where we'll go next?" "i heard father and mother talking something about a trip," said sue. and what that journey was may be learned by reading the next volume of this series to be called: "bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour." "say, we ought to have some fun on that!" cried bunny. "so we ought!" cried sue. "i'm going to take my fixed-over sallie malinda." "well, i'll take my flashlight instead of my locomotive and cars," said bunny. "we may have to travel at night." and while the two children are thus planning good times together we will say good-bye to them. =the end= the bobbsey twins books for little men and women by laura lee hope author of "the bunny brown" series, etc. * * * * * =12mo. bound in cloth. illustrated. uniform style of binding.= * * * * * copyright publications which cannot be obtained elsewhere. books that charm the hearts of the little ones, and of which they never tire. many of the adventures are comical in the extreme, and all the accidents that ordinarily happen to youthful personages happened to these many-sided little mortals. their haps and mishaps make decidedly entertaining reading. the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school telling how they go home from the seashore; went to school and were promoted, and of their many trials and tribulations. the bobbsey twins at snow lodge telling of the winter holidays, and of the many fine times and adventures the twins had at a winter lodge in the big woods. the bobbsey twins on a houseboat mr. bobbsey obtains a houseboat, and the whole family go off on a tour. the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the young folks visit the farm again and have plenty of good times and several adventures. the bobbsey twins at home the twins get into all sorts of trouble--and out again--also bring aid to a poor family. * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york= the girls of central high series by gertrude w. morrison * * * * * =12mo. bound in cloth. illustrated. uniform style of binding.= * * * * * here is a series full of the spirit of high school life of to-day. the girls are real flesh-and-blood characters, and we follow them with interest in school and out. there are many contested matches on track and field, and on the water, as well as doings in the classroom and on the school stage. there is plenty of fun and excitement, all clean, pure and wholesome. the girls of central high or rivals for all honors. a stirring tale of high school life, full of fun, with a touch of mystery and a strange initiation. the girls of central high on lake luna or the crew that won. telling of water sports and fun galore, and of fine times in camp. the girls of central high at basketball or the great gymnasium mystery. here we have a number of thrilling contests at basketball and in addition, the solving of a mystery which had bothered the high school authorities for a long while. the girls of central high on the stage or the play that took the prize. how the girls went in for theatricals and how one of them wrote a play which afterward was made over for the professional stage and brought in some much-needed money. the girls of central high on track and field or the girl champions of the school league. this story takes in high school athletics in their most approved and up-to-date fashion. full of fun and excitement. the girls of central high in camp or the old professor's secret. the girls went camping on acorn island and had a delightful time at boating, swimming and picnic parties. * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york= the moving picture girls series by laura lee hope author of "the bobbsey twins series." * * * * * =12mo. bound in cloth. illustrated. uniform style of binding.= * * * * * the adventures of ruth and alice devere. their father, a widower, is an actor who has taken up work for the "movies." both girls wish to aid him in his work and visit various localities to act in all sorts of pictures. the moving picture girls or first appearance in photo dramas. having lost his voice, the father of the girls goes into the movies and the girls follow. tells how many "parlor dramas" are filmed. the moving picture girls at oak farm or queer happenings while taking rural plays. full of fun in the country, the haps and mishaps of taking film plays, and giving an account of two unusual discoveries. the moving picture girls snowbound or the proof on the film. a title of winter adventures in the wilderness, showing how the photo-play actors sometimes suffer. the moving picture girls under the palms or lost in the wilds of florida. how they went to the land of palms, played many parts in dramas before the camera; were lost, and aided others who were also lost. the moving picture girls at rocky ranch or great days among the cowboys. all who have ever seen moving pictures of the great west will want to know just how they are made. this volume gives every detail end is full of clean fun and excitement. the moving picture girls at sea or a pictured shipwreck that became real. a thrilling account of the girls' experiences on the water. the moving picture girls in war plays or the sham battles at oak farm. the girls play important parts in big battle scenes and have plenty of hard work along with considerable fun. * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york= the tom swift series by victor appleton * * * * * =12mo. cloth. uniform style of binding. colored wrappers.= * * * * * these spirited tales convey in a realistic way the wonderful advances in land and sea locomotion. stories like these are impressed upon the memory and their reading is productive only of good. tom swift and his motor cycle or fun and adventure on the road tom swift and his motor boat or the rivals of lake carlopa tom swift and his airship or the stirring cruise of the red cloud tom swift and his submarine boat or under the ocean for sunken treasure tom swift and his electric runabout or the speediest car on the road tom swift and his wireless message or the castaways of earthquake island tom swift among the diamond makers or the secret of phantom mountain tom swift in the caves of ice or the wreck of the airship tom swift and his sky racer or the quickest flight on record tom swift and his electric rifle or daring adventures in elephant land tom swift in the city of gold or marvellous adventures underground tom swift and his air glider or seeking the platinum treasure tom swift in captivity or a daring escape by airship tom swift and his wizard camera or the perils of moving picture taking tom swift and his great searchlight or on the border for uncle sam tom swift and his giant cannon or the longest shots on record tom swift and his photo telephone or the picture that saved a fortune tom swift and his aerial warship or the naval terror of the seas tom swift and his big tunnel or the hidden city of the andes * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york= * * * * * transcriber's notes: punctuation normalized. on page 168, "slash" changed to "splash." on page 188, "at is" changed to "as it." bunny brown and his sister sue by laura lee hope author of the bunny brown series, the bobbsey twins series, the outdoor girls series, etc. illustrated by florence england nosworthy new york 1916 contents chapter i. aunt lu arrives ii. the lost ring iii. wango, the monkey iv. the empty house v. locked in vi. adrift in a boat vii. bunny goes fishing viii. sue falls in ix. the rescue dog x. a trolley ride xi. lost xii. found xiii. sue and the goat xiv. a little party xv. george watson's trick xvi. the lemonade stand xvii. the moving pictures xviii. wango and the candy xix. bunny in a queer place xx. splash runs away xxi. how sue found the eggs xxii. aunt lu is sad xxiii. an automobile ride xxiv. the punch and judy show xxv. the lobster claw chapter i aunt lu arrives "bunny! bunny! wake up! it's time!" "wha--what's matter?" sleepily mumbled little bunny brown, making his words all run together, like molasses candy that has been out in the hot sun. "what's the matter, sue?" bunny asked, now that he had his eyes open. he looked over the side of his small bed to see his sister standing beside it. she had left her own little room and had run into her brother's. "what's the matter, sue?" bunny asked again. "why, it's time to get up, bunny," and sue opened her brown eyes more widely, as she tried to get the "sleepy feeling" out of them. "it's time to get up!" "time to get up--so early? oh, sue! it isn't christmas morning; is it, sue?" and with that thought bunny sat up suddenly in his bed. "christmas? no, of course not!" said sue, who, though only a little over five years of age (a year younger than was bunny), sometimes acted as though older than the blue-eyed little chap, who was now as widely awake as his sister. "well, if it isn't christmas, and we don't have to go to the kindergarten school, 'cause it's closed, why do i have to get up so early?" bunny wanted to know. bunny brown was a great one for asking questions. so was his sister sue; but sue would often wait a while and find things out for herself, instead of asking strangers what certain things meant. bunny always seemed in a hurry, and his mother used to say he could ask more questions than several grown folks could answer. "why do you want me to get up so early?" bunny asked again. he was wide awake now. "why, bunny brown! have you forgotten?" asked sue, with a queer look in her brown eyes. "don't you remember aunt lu is coming to visit us to-day, and we're going down to the station to meet her?" "oh yes! that's so! i did forget all about it!" bunny said. "i guess it was because i dreamed so hard in the night, sue. i dreamed i had a new rocking-horse, and he ran away with me, up-hill--" "rocking-horses can't run away," sue said, shaking her head, the hair of which needed brushing, as it had become "tousled" in her sleep. "well, mine ran away, in my dream, anyhow!" declared bunny. "they can't run up hill, even in dreams," insisted sue. "horses have to walk up hill. grandpa's always do." "maybe not in dreams," bunny said. "and i really did dream that, sue. and i'm glad you woke me up, for i want to meet aunt lu." "then let's hurry and get dressed," sue went on. "maybe we can run down to the station before breakfast. aunt lu will be hungry, and we can show her the way to our house." "that's so," agreed bunny. "but maybe we'd better take a piece of bread and butter down to the station for her," he added, after thinking about it for a few seconds. "or a piece of cake," added his sister. "we'll take both!" exclaimed the blue-eyed, chubby little chap. then he began to dress. sue, who had gone back into her own little room, had almost finished putting on her clothes, but, as her dress buttoned up the back, she had to come in and ask bunny to fasten it for her. this he was ready to do as soon as he had pulled on his stockings and little knickerbockers. "shall i start at the top button, or the bottom one, sue?" he asked, as he stood behind his sister. "it doesn't matter," said sue, "as long as you get it buttoned. but hurry, bunny. we don't want the train to get in, and aunt lu get off, with us not there to meet her. hurry!" "all right--i will," and bunny began buttoning the dress. but soon a queer look came over his face. "aren't you done?" asked sue, as he stopped using his fingers. "yes, i'm done, sue, but i've got two buttons left over, and there's only one buttonhole to put 'em in! what'll i do?" bunny was quite puzzled. "oh, you must have buttoned me wrong, bunny," sue said. "but never mind. nobody will notice so early in the morning. now come on down stairs, and we'll get the bread and cake." the children went to the dining room, where the table was set for breakfast, and sue was cutting off a rather large slice from a cake she had found in the pantry, while bunny was putting twice as much butter on a slice of bread as was needed, when their mother's voice exclaimed: "why, bunny brown! sue! what in the world are you children doing? up so early, too, and not properly dressed! why did you get up? the idea!" "we're going to the station," sue said. it really was her idea. she had thought of it the night before, when their mother had told them her sister (the children's aunt lu) would arrive in the morning. "we're going to the station," said sue. "to meet aunt lu," added bunny. "and we're taking her some cake so she won't be hungry for breakfast," went on sue. "and bread," bunny continued. "maybe she don't like cake, so i'm taking bread." "if she doesn't eat the cake, we can," sue said, as if that was the easiest way out. "of course," bunny echoed. mrs. brown sat down in a chair and began to laugh. she had to sit down, for she laughed very hard indeed, and when she did that she used to shake in such a jolly fashion that, perhaps, she would have fallen if she had not been sitting in a chair. "oh, you children!" she said, when she had wiped the tears from her eyes with the corner of her apron. she was not exactly crying, you know. only she laughed so hard that tears came into her eyes. "you queer, dear little children!" she said. "what are you going to do next?" "why, we're going to the station as soon as i get the bread buttered, and sue puts the cake in a bag," bunny said. he did not seem to feel that anything was wrong. "oh, my dears, aunt lu's train won't be in for some time--two or three hours," said mrs. brown. "and you know i've told you never to go down to the station alone." "couldn't you come with us?" asked sue, eating a few of the cake crumbs. "or maybe papa," added bunny. "if he can't bunker can. bunker knows the way to the station." "and bunker likes cake, too," sue said. "we might give him a piece, if aunt lu doesn't want it." "no, no! you musn't give away my cake like that," said mrs. brown. "now listen to me. it will be hours before aunt lu will get here. then, perhaps, i may take you to the station to meet her. but now i must dress you right and give you your breakfast. papa had his some time ago, as he had to go down to the bay to see about some boats. i wondered why you were getting up so early. now put back the bread and cake and wait until i give you something to eat." a little later, rather disappointed at not being allowed to go off alone to meet their aunt, bunny and sue sat at the breakfast table. "i wish the time would hurry up and come for aunt lu to be here," bunny said. "so do i," chimed in sue. "what fun we'll have when aunt lu comes." "indeed we will!" bunny exclaimed. bunny brown and his sister sue lived with their father and mother, mr. and mrs. walter brown, in the town of bellemere. that town was on sandport bay, which was part of the atlantic ocean, and the bay was a good place to catch fish, lobsters, crabs and other things that live in salt water. mr. brown was in the boat business. that is he owned many boats, some that sailed, some that went by steam or gasoline, and some that had to be rowed with oars. these boats he hired out, or rented, to fishermen, and others who had to go on the bay, or even out on the ocean, when it was not too rough. mr. brown had a number of men to help him in his boat business; and one of the men, or, rather, an extra-large size boy, was bunker blue, of whom bunny and sue were very fond. and bunker liked the two children' fully as much as they liked him. he often took them out in a boat, or went on little land-trips with them. mr. and mrs. brown did not worry when bunny and sue were with bunker. the two brown children were good company for each other. you seldom saw bunny without seeing sue not far away. they played together nearly all the while, though often they would bring other children to their yard, or would go to theirs, to play games, and have jolly times. bunny was a boy full of fun and one who sometimes took chances of getting into mischief, just to have a "good time." and sue was not far behind him. but they never meant to do wrong, and everyone loved them. uncle tad lived with the browns. he was an old soldier, rather stiff with the rheumatism at times, but still often able to take walks with the children. he was their father's uncle, but bunny and sue thought of uncle tad as more their relation than their father's. in the distant city of new york lived miss lulu baker, who was mrs. brown's maiden sister, and the aunt lu whom the children were so eagerly expecting this morning. she had written that she was coming to spend a few weeks at the seashore place, and, later on, she intended to have bunny and sue and their mother visit her in the big city. bunny and sue looked eagerly forward to this. but just now they wanted most to go to the depot, and watch for the train to come in, bringing dear aunt lu to them. "isn't it most time to go?" asked sue, as she pushed back her chair from the breakfast table. "oh, no, not for a long while," said their mother. "you run out and play, and when it's time, i'll call you." "and can't we take aunt lu anything to eat?" asked bunny. "oh dear me, no!" laughed mrs. brown. "she won't want anything until she gets here. run along now." bunny and sue went out in the yard, where they had a little play-tent, made of some old pieces of sails from one of mr. brown's boats. it was a warm spring day, and, as bunny had said, there was no kindergarten school for them to go to, as it had closed, to allow a new roof to be put on the school building. "let's go down and see wango," suggested sue, after a bit. "no, because it's so far away that mother couldn't call to us," objected bunny. "we'll stay here in the yard until it's time to go to the train." "all right," agreed sue. wango was a queer little monkey, belonging to jed winkler, an old sailor of the town. i'll tell you more about wango later. bunny and sue played a number of games, and, after a while, a boy named charlie star, and a girl, named sadie west, came over from across the street and joined bunny and sue in their fun. then, a little later, mrs. brown came to the door and said: "come now, bunny--sue! it's almost train time. i can't go with you, but i'll let bunker take you. i telephoned down to the dock, and daddy is sending him up with the pony cart. you may drive down to meet aunt lu. but come in and wash first!" "oh, goodie!" cried bunny, and he was so pleased at the idea of going to the depot in the pony cart that he did not make a fuss when his mother washed his hands and face. "hello, bunker!" cried sue, as the big, red-haired lad drove up. "hello, sue! hello, bunny!" he greeted them. "hop in and away we'll go!" off they started to the station. it was not far from the brown home, and soon, with the pony safely tied, so he would not run away, bunny, sue and bunker waited on the platform for the cars to arrive. with a toot, a whistle and a clanging of the bell, in puffed the train. several passengers got off. "oh, there she is! i see aunt lu!" cried sue, darting off toward a lady in a brown dress. "here, come back!" cried bunker, reaching out a hand to catch sue. he was afraid she might go too near the train. but he was too late. sue raced forward, and then, suddenly, she slipped and fell right into a puddle of water, left from a rain-storm the night before. down into the muddy pool went sue, all in her clean white dress. "oh--oh!" gasped bunny. "i might a'knowed suthin' like that would happen," complained bunker. "now her ma'll blame me!" aunt lu saw what had happened, and, before any one else could reach sue, she had picked up the little girl, in whose eyes were tears all ready to fall. and with her handkerchief aunt lu wiped the tears away. as she did this bunny saw a ring on his aunt's hand--a ring with a stone that sparkled like snow in the sun--red, green, golden and purple colors. "there, sue! don't cry!" murmured aunt lu. "you're not hurt, and the mud will wash off." "oh, i--i'm not crying for that," said sue, bravely keeping back her sobs. "i--i'm crying just--just because i'm--i'm so glad to see you!" chapter ii the lost ring aunt lu laughed when she heard sue say that. and it was such a nice, kind, jolly laugh that sue could not help joining in. so she was really laughing and crying at the same time, which is funny, i suppose you think. "well, i'm glad you are so happy to see me, dear," said aunt lu. "oh, don't mind about your dress," she went on, as she saw sue trying to rub away some of the muddy spots with her tiny handkerchief. "your mother will know you couldn't help it." "i'll tell her it wasn't sue's fault," cried bunny. "the railroad oughtn't to have puddles where people will fall into 'em!" "that's right," chimed in bunker blue. "it ought to be filled up with dirt, and then it wouldn't hold water. you're to ride back with us in the pony cart, miss baker." "oh, so you drove over for me; did you? that's very nice," said aunt lu with a smile. "my! how large bunny has grown!" she went on, as she bent over and kissed him, having already done that to sue, when she wiped away the little girl's tears. "i'll go and get the cart," bunker said. "yes, and i think i'll take sue inside the station, and see if i can get a towel to clean off the worst of the mud stains," said miss baker. "she can sit away back in the pony cart, and i'll sit in front of her, so nobody will see the dirt on her dress," offered bunny. "that's very kind of you," his aunt remarked. "we'll be all right soon. bunker, will you see after my trunk, please?" she asked as she gave him the brass check. "it can be sent up later," she went on, "as i guess there is hardly room for it in the pony cart." "no'm, not scarcely," answered bunker with a smile that showed his big, white teeth. "i'll have the expressman bring it up, or i can come down for it later," and he went away to the baggage room. the ticket agent in the station gave aunt lu a towel, with which she took some of the dirt from sue's dress. the little girl was smiling now. "i like you, aunt lu," she said. "we're awful glad you came, and you'll play with us; won't you?" "oh, yes, of course, dear. well, what is it, bunny?" she went on, as she saw the little boy looking closely at her hands. "do you see something?" aunt lu asked. "it--it's that," and bunny pointed to the shining ring. aunt lu's eyes sparkled, almost as brightly as the glittering stone in the ring, and her cheeks became red. "i know what it is--it's a diamond!" exclaimed sue. "isn't it, aunt lu?" "yes, dear." "did you find it?" asked bunny. "or did you dig it out of a gold mine?" "diamonds don't come from gold mines; they make 'em out of glass!" said sue. "yes they do dig 'em; don't they, aunt lu?" insisted bunny. "yes, dear, they do dig them." "where did you dig it?" sue wanted to know. perhaps she hoped she could dig one for herself. "i did not dig it," their aunt said. "it was given me by a very dear friend. i love it very much," and she held up the diamond ring, so that it sparkled more than ever in the sun. "well, sue," she went on, as she finished scrubbing away at the muddy dress. "i think that is the best i can do. it will need washing to make it clean again. but here comes bunker with the pony cart, so we will start for your house. your mother will be wondering what has become of us." aunt lu had been on a visit to the brown's several times before, and as she sat in the pony cart with the children, with bunker driving, she bowed to several persons whom she knew and who knew her. there was mr. sam gordon, who kept the grocery, jacob reinberg, who sold drygoods and notions, and little mrs. redden, who kept a candy and toy store. "stop here a minute, bunker," said miss baker, when the pony cart reached the toy store. "i want to get something for bunny and sue." "candy?" asked bunny eagerly. "yes, just a little," his aunt answered, and soon bunny and sue were nibbling the sweets mrs. redden brought out to them. just as he had said he would do, bunny sat in front of his sister, so no one would see her soiled dress. but sue did not much mind about it now. her mother only said she was sorry, when she heard about the accident, and did not blame her little daughter. mrs. brown and her sister were glad to see one another, and after aunt lu had taken off her hat, and was seated in the cool dining room, sipping a cup of tea, bunny called to her: "aunt lu, won't you come out and play with us?" "please do!" begged sue. "i have a new doll." "and i have a new top," added bunny. "it hums and whistles. i'll let you spin it, aunt lu." "oh, dears, your aunt can't come out now," said mrs. brown. "she must rest. some other time she may. she and i want to sit and talk now. you run off and play by yourselves." "don't you want to come down and see the fish boat come in?" went on bunny, wondering why it was that grown folks would rather sit and talk than play out of doors and have fun. "oh, yes, let's take her down to the dock and see the fish boats come in!" exclaimed sue, for this was one of their delights. some of the boats were those which the fishermen hired from mr. brown, and it was at his dock, where he had an office, that the boats landed, the fish being taken out, put in barrels, with ice, and sent to the city. "no, aunt lu can't go to the dock with you now," mrs. brown said. "some other time, my dears." "then may we go?" asked bunny. mrs. brown hesitated. then, as she saw bunker blue coming in with aunt lu's trunk, which he had gone down to get, instead of sending it up by an expressman, the children's mother said: "yes, bunny, you and sue may go down to the dock with bunker. but stay with him, and don't fall in; you especially, sue, as i don't want to put another clean dress on you." "oh, i'll be careful, mother," sue promised, and away she and her brother hurried, calling to bunker to wait for them. bunker was very glad to do this, because he liked to be with bunny and sue. "have the fish boats come in yet, bunker?" asked bunny, as he trudged along, holding one of the red-haired lad's hands, while sue had the other. "no, bunny, they're not in yet, but maybe they will be coming soon after we get to the dock," bunker answered. and so it happened. bunny and sue went into their father's office for a moment, to tell him that aunt lu had arrived, and then, with bunker to look after them, they went out on the end of the dock. soon one of the big fish boats came in. it was loaded with several kinds of fish, some big flat ones, white on one side, and black on the other. these were flounders. there were some blue fish, large and small, and some long-legged "fiddler" crabs. but they were not the kind that is good to eat. "oh, look at that big lobster!" exclaimed bunny, pointing to a dark green fellow, with big claws, and a tail curled up underneath. "isn't he big!" sue said. she and her brother often saw many strange fish, but they never failed to be interested in them, and this lobster was a fine one. "yes," said a fisherman, "he was in our nets, and we brought him in with us. your father, the other day, said he'd like to have one, and maybe he will want this." "i'll go and ask him," said the little chap. "and maybe aunt lu likes lobsters, too," sue said. neither she nor bunny cared for lobster, as they did for other fish. but grown folks are very fond of the big, clawy creatures. perhaps some of you children have never seen a lobster. they are a sort of fish, though they have no scales. they live inside a shell that is dark green when the lobster is alive. but when he is cooked it turns a bright red. lobsters have two big claws, and a number of little ones, and with these claws they walk around, backward, on the bottom of the ocean or bay, and pick up things to eat. in some inland rivers and streams there are what are called crayfish, or crabs. they are very much like lobsters, only, of course, a lobster is much larger. mr. brown came out of his office when the fish were being unloaded from the boat, into barrels of ice. he saw the big lobster and said he would buy it, to take home to cook for supper. "we'll have a fine salad from him," said bunny's father to the fisherman. the lobster was still alive and the fisherman picked it up just back of the big, pinching claws, so he would not get nipped, and put the lobster in a basket for mr. brown to carry. bunny and sue leaned over, looking at the green shellfish, when a voice behind them asked: "what is it?" the children turned to see george watson, a boy older than bunny, who lived near him. george often played little tricks on bunny and sue. "what is it?" he asked again. "a whale?" "a big lobster," bunny answered. "i guess he could almost pinch your nose off in one of his claws," sue said, not going too close to the basket. "pooh! i'm not afraid of him," george declared. "i'll let him pinch this stick," he went on, picking up one, and holding it out toward the lobster, which was slowly waving its "feelers" to and fro, and moving its big eyes, that looked like shoe buttons sticking out from its head. "better look out!" was bunker's warning, seeing what george was doing. "he'll nip you!" "i'm not afraid!" boasted george. "i can----" and just then something happened. george got his finger too near the lobster's claw and was at once caught. "ouch!" cried george. "oh dear! he's got me! make him let go, bunker! oh, dear!" bunker did not stop to say: "i told you so!" he took out his big knife, and put the blade between the teeth of the lobster's claw, forcing it open so george could pull out his finger. then, with a howl of pain and fright, the boy ran home. he was not much hurt, as a lobster can not shut his claws very tightly when out of water. just as does a fish, a lobster soon dies when taken from the ocean. "what's the matter?" cried mr. brown, running up when he heard george's cries. "are you hurt, bunny--sue?" "no, it was george," bunker explained. "he thought he could fool the lobster, but the lobster fooled him." "i guess i'd better take it home and have mother cook it," said the children's father, and home they started, mr. brown carrying the big lobster in the basket. "oh, what a fine large one!" aunt lu cried, when she saw it. "and what a fine salad it will make." "may i have one of the claws--the big one?" begged bunny. "what for?" asked his mother. "i want to put a string in it and tie it on my face, over my own nose," the little boy explained. "then i'll look just like mr. punch, in punch and judy. may i have the claw?" "i guess so," replied mrs. brown. "and when you clean it out, and put it on your nose, i'll be mrs. judy," said sue. "we'll have fun." a lobster's claw, i might say, is filled with meat that is very good to eat. when the lobster is boiled and the meat picked out with a fork, the claw is hollow. it is shaped just like the nose of mr. punch, with a sort of hook on the end of it, where the claw curves downward. bunny and sue often played with empty lobster claws. the children went out in the yard while mrs. brown cooked the lobster. then, when it was cool, aunt lu helped pick out the meat which was to be mixed up into a salad. "is my big lobster claw ready now?" asked bunny, coming up just before the supper bell was to ring. "yes, here it is," his aunt told him. "i cleaned it out nicely for you." bunny held it over his own nose and went toward the mirror to see how he would look. "oh, you're just exactly like mr. punch!" sue cried, clapping her hands. "isn't he!" agreed aunt lu. and then she gave a sudden cry. "oh dear!" she gasped. "oh dear! it's gone! i've lost it!" "what?" asked bunny. "my ring! my beautiful diamond ring is lost!" and aunt lu's cheeks turned pale. chapter iii wango, the monkey aunt lu hurried over to the kitchen table, at which she had been helping mrs. brown make the lobster salad. she looked among the dishes, and knives and forks, but shook her head. "no, it isn't there," she said, quite sadly. "what isn't? what is the matter?" asked mrs. brown, who came in from the dining room just then. "can't you find the big lobster claw that bunny wanted? i laid it----" "oh, i have it, mother, thank you," the little boy said. "but aunt lu has lost----" "it's my diamond ring--jack's engagement ring," said mrs. brown's sister. "it must have slipped off my finger, and----" "oh dear! that's too bad!" said mrs. brown. "but it must be around here somewhere. we'll find it!" bunny and sue hardly knew what to make of it all. they had never seen their aunt lu so worried. "mother, what's an engagement ring?" asked sue, in a whisper, as aunt lu kept on looking among the things on the table, hoping her diamond might have dropped off there. then she looked on the floor. "an engagement ring, my dear," said sue's mother, "is a ring that means a promise. a very dear friend of aunt lu's has promised to marry her, and he gave her the diamond ring to be a sort of reminder--a most beautiful present. now we must help her find it." "it can't be far away," mrs. brown said to her sister. "you were not out of this room, were you?" "no, i've been here ever since i began to pick the meat out of the lobster, and i had my ring on then." "oh, then we'll find it," said bunny's mother. but it was not so easy to do that as it was to say it. they looked all over the kitchen--on the floor, under the table, among the dishes, the pots and pans--but no diamond ring could be found. papa brown came in from the front porch, where he had been reading the evening paper, and he helped search, but it seemed of no use. "oh, where can my beautiful ring have dropped?" asked aunt lu, and sue thought she saw signs of tears in her aunt's eyes. "perhaps it fell into the lobster salad," suggested mr. brown. "then you can find it when you eat," called bunny. "only don't bite on the diamond. it might break." "we'll look in the salad now," mrs. brown said. they did so, looking in the dish that held the chopped-up bits of lobster meat, but no diamond ring was to be found. then the floor was looked over again, most carefully, the empty dishes were turned upside down in the hope that the ring might drop out of one of them. but it did not. aunt lu looked sad and worried, and so did mr. and mrs. brown. the cook, who had been out for the afternoon, came in and she helped search for the diamond ring, but it could not be found. "i'm sure i had it, when i began making the lobster salad," said aunt lu, "but when i handed bunny the empty claw i looked on my finger, and the ring was gone." "perhaps it dropped out of doors," suggested papa brown. they looked near the side porch where bunny had been standing when his aunt gave him the claw with which he was going to play punch, but the ring was not found there. "oh dear! i feel so sorry!" aunt lu said, "if only i could find my lovely ring. bunny--sue, you must help me. to whomever finds it i'll give a nice present---anything he wants. that will be a reward, children." "yes, you must help aunt lu look for her ring," said mrs. brown. "come now, we will have supper, and look afterward. we may find it when we least expect it." but even after supper, the ring was not found. the whole family searched. aunt lu did not eat much supper, much as she liked lobster salad. she was too worried, i guess. even bunny did not feel like playing mr. punch with the big hollow lobster claw that fitted over his nose in such a funny way. neither he nor sue felt like making jokes when their aunt felt so unhappy. that night, when he and sue went to bed, bunny put the lobster claw away. "we'll play with it some other time," he said to his sister. "yes," she agreed. "some day when aunt lu finds her ring, and then she'll play with us, and be the audience. you will be mr. punch, and i'll be mrs. judy. only i don't want to wear a lobster claw on my nose." "no, i'll be the only one to wear a claw," said bunny in a sleepy voice, and then he dreamed of sailing off to "by-low land." aunt lu was up early the next morning, down in the kitchen, and out in the yard, looking for her lost ring. but it was not found, and aunt lu's face seemed to grow more sad. but she smiled at bunny and sue, and said: "oh, well, perhaps some day i shall find it." "we'll look all over for it," said bunny. "indeed we will," added sue. "let's look out in the yard now, bunny." the children looked, but had no luck then, as it was not time for dinner, they wandered down the street. "don't go too far away," their mother called after them. "don't go down to the fish dock unless some one is with you." "no, mother, we won't!" bunny promised. they had each a penny that aunt lu had given them the day before, and now they wandered toward the little candy store kept by mrs. redden. she smiled at bunny and sue as they entered. nearly every one did smile at the two children, who wandered about, hand in hand. "well, what is it to-day?" asked the store-lady. "lollypops or caramels?" "i want a penny's worth of peanuts," said bunny. "and i'll take some little chocolate drops," said sue. soon, with their little treat, the brother and sister walked on toward the corner, the candy store being half way between that and their house. as they passed a little dark red cottage, in front of which was an old boat, filled with flowers and vines, bunny and sue heard some one inside screaming and crying: "oh dear! stop it i tell you! let go my hair! oh, if i get hold of you i'll make you stop! oh dear! jed! jed! where are you?" bunny and sue looked at one another. "that's miss winkler yelling!" said bunny. "but what makes her?" asked sue. "i don't know. we'll go and see," suggested bunny. into the yard of the little red house ran the two children. around to the kitchen they went, and, looking in through the open door they saw a strange sight. standing in front of a window was an elderly woman, wearing glasses which, just now, hung down over one ear. but, stranger still, there was a monkey, perched up on the pole over the window. one of the monkey's brown, hairy paws was entangled in the lady's hair, and the monkey seemed to be pulling hard, while the lady was screaming and trying to reach the fuzzy creature. "oh, it's wango, the monkey, and he's up to some of his tricks!" cried bunny. "he'll pull out all her hair!" sue exclaimed. "oh, bunny--sue--run for my brother! go get jed!" begged miss winkler. "tell him wango is terrible! he must come at once. wango is such a bad monkey he won't mind me!" and wango kept on pulling her hair! chapter iv the empty house bunny brown and his sister sue hardly knew what to do. they just stood there, looking at the monkey pulling and tugging on the rather thin hair of miss winkler, and she, poor lady, could not reach up high enough to get hold of wango, who was perched quite high up, on the window pole. "oh, bunny!" cried sue. "we must do something--but what?" sue felt that her brother, as he was a whole year older than she, ought to know what to do. "i--i'll get him down!" cried bunny, who, as had sue, had, some time before, made friends with the old sailor's queer pet. "how can you get him down?" sue wanted to know. "i--i can stand on a chair and reach up to him," went on the small, blue-eyed boy, looking around for one to step on. "no, no!" exclaimed miss winkler, as she heard what bunny said. "you musn't go near him, bunny. he might bite or scratch you. he is very bad and ugly to-day. i don't know what ails him. stop it, wango!" she ordered. "stop it at once! come down from there, and stop pulling my hair!" but the monkey did nothing of the sort. he neither came down, nor did he stop pulling the lady's hair, as sue and bunny could easily tell. for they could see wango give it a yank now and then, and, when he did, poor miss winkler would cry out in pain. "oh, go for my brother! he's down on the fish dock i think," miss winkler begged. "no, we can't go there," replied bunny slowly. "our mother told us not to go there unless bunker blue or aunt lu was with us." "then the monkey will never let go of my hair," sighed miss winkler. "yes, he will," bunny said. "i'll make him." "how?" sue wanted to know. "this way!" exclaimed her brother, as he held out some of the peanuts he had bought at miss redden's store. "here, wango!" he called. "come and get some peanuts!" "and i'll give him some caramels," cried sue, as she held out some of her candy. i do not know whether or not wango understood what bunny and sue said, but i am sure he knew that the candy and peanuts were good to eat. for, with a chatter of delight, he suddenly let go of miss winkler's hair and scrambled down to the floor near bunny. "look out that he doesn't bite you," miss winkler said. "be careful, sue!" "i'm not afraid," said bunny brown. "nor i," added sue. wango was very tame, however. the way he acted, after he saw the good things to eat, would have made anyone think he was always kind and gentle. for he carefully took the peanuts from bunny in one paw, and a caramel from sue in another, and then, making a bow, as the old sailor had taught him, the mischievous monkey scrambled into his cage in one corner of the room. the next minute miss winkler had shut the cage door and fastened it. "there!" she exclaimed, "the next time i let you out of your cage you'll know it, wango!" "what happened?" asked bunny. "i don't know, child," the elderly lady answered, as she began to coil up her hair. "he is usually good, though he minds my brother better than he does me. when jed was here, a while ago, he was playing with wango out in the room, and, i suppose, when he put the saucy creature back in the cage, the door did not fasten well. "anyhow, when i was making some cookies awhile ago i suddenly felt something behind me, and, as i tumid around, i saw the monkey. he made a grab for a cookie, and i had to slap his paws for i won't have him doing tricks like that. "then he got mad, snatched my comb out of my hair, and, when i ran after him, he got up on the window pole, grabbed my hair and stayed up there where i couldn't reach him. oh, what a time i've had!" "it's too bad," said sue kindly. "i don't know what i would have done if you children hadn't come along," went on miss winkler, "for i had called and called, and no one heard me. i'll make jed put a good lock on the monkey-cage after this. now come out to the kitchen and i'll give you each a cookie." wango seemed to want a cookie also, for he chattered and made queer faces as he shook the door of his cage. "no, indeed! you sha'n't have a bit!" scolded miss winkler. "you were very bad." wango chattered louder than ever. perhaps he was saying he was sorry for what he had done, but he got no cookie. bunny and sue each had a nice brown one, though, with a raisin in the centre, and, after miss winkler had thanked them again, they kept on with their walk down the street. "wasn't wango funny?" asked sue, as she nibbled her cookie. "that's what he was," bunny said. "'member the time when he pulled the cat's tail?" "yes," agreed sue. "and when he sat down in the fly paper! that was funnier than this time." "i guess miss winkler didn't think this was funny," commented bunny. "i guess the monkey doesn't like her." "but he minds mr. winkler," sue said. "i've seen him make the monkey stand on his head." the old sailor, who had brought wango home, after one of his many ocean voyages, had taught the furry little creature many tricks. but though wango minded mr. winkler very well, he did not always do what miss winkler told him to do. as sue walked on, still nibbling her cookie, she kept looking down at the ground, until at last bunny asked her: "what are you looking at sue--trying not to step on ants?" for this was a game the children often played. "not this time," sue answered. "i was looking to see if i could find aunt lu's ring." "why, she didn't lose it down here!" bunny said, in surprise. "maybe she did," returned sue. "she thought she lost it around our house, but she looked, and we all looked, and we didn't find it, so maybe it was lost down here. i'm going to look, and if we find it we'll get a present." "i'll help you look," said bunny kindly, "but i don't believe it's down here." the two children walked along a little farther, with their eyes searching the ground, but they saw no golden ring. "oh, i tell you what let's do!" suddenly exclaimed bunny. "what?" asked sue, eager to have some fun. "let's go back home, and i'll put the lobster claw on my nose, and we'll play punch and judy. we haven't done that yet." "all right, we'll do it!" sue agreed. "and i'll let you take my sawdust doll. you have to hit her with a stick you know, if you're mr. punch, and it won't hurt a sawdust doll." "all right," bunny cried. "and when i hit her i'll call out, the way mr. punch does: 'that's the way to do it! that's the way i do it!'" he said this in the funny, squeaky voice which is always heard at punch and judy shows, and sue laughed. she thought her brother was very funny. bunny and sue were about to turn around and go back home, but, as they came to a stop in front of the last house on their block bunny said: "oh, sue, look! they're painting this house, and maybe we can get some red or blue paint, to put on my face, when i play mr. punch." "oh, bunny brown! you wouldn't put paint on your face; would you?" demanded sue. "just a little," said bunny. "why not?" "s'posin' you couldn't get it off again?" sue wanted to know. "oh, i could wash it off when i got through playing," bunny replied. "come on in, and we'll see if the men will give us a little paint; red, or blue or green." outside the house, in front of which the children then stood, were a number of pots of differently colored paint, and some ladders. but there was no paint yet on the outside of the house. "i guess they're painting inside," bunny said. "i don't see any of the men out here. come on, we'll go in; the door is open, sue." the front door was open a little way, as the two children could see as they went up the walk. bunny and sue knew every house in that part of town, and also knew the persons who lived in them. all the neighbors knew the children, making them welcome every time they saw them. "there's no one in this house, i 'member now," sue said. "miss duncan used to live here, but she moved away." "then i guess the men are painting it over all nice inside to get it ready for someone else to live in," remarked bunny. "there isn't anyone here, sue," he added, as his voice echoed through the empty house. "even the painters have gone." "we'd better go out," said sue. "maybe they wouldn't like us to be in here." "pooh! nobody will care!" exclaimed bunny, who was rather a daring little fellow. "besides, i want to get some paint. come on, we'll go upstairs. maybe they're painting up there, or pasting new paper on the walls." bunny started up the front hall stairs, and, as sue did not want to be left alone on the first floor of the empty house, and as she did not want to go out, and leave bunny there, she followed him. their footsteps sounded loud and queer in the big, vacant rooms. as they reached the top of the stairs they heard behind them a loud banging noise. "what--what was that?" asked sue, looking quickly over her shoulder. "i--i guess the front door blew shut," said bunny. "never mind, we can open it again. i want to get some red paint for my face, so i can play mr. punch." but if bunny and sue knew what had happened when that banging noise sounded, they would not have felt like walking on through the empty rooms, even to get red paint. chapter v locked in "on, say, bunny!" suddenly called sue, as she followed her brother through the upstairs rooms, "wouldn't it be fun for us to live here?" "do you mean just us two?" the little boy asked. "yes," answered sue. bunny shook his head. "i'd like mother, and daddy, and aunt lu, too," he said. "it would be nicer, then." "oh, but sometimes they don't want us to make a noise," went on sue. "and if we were here all alone we could yell and holler, and slide down the banister, all we wanted to. let's slide down now," she said, as she went to the head of the stairs, and looked at the long, smooth hand-rail. "say, that will be fun," bunny cried. "i'll go first, sue, but don't come after me too close, or you might bump into me and knock me over." "i won't," promised the little girl. it did not take much to cause bunny to change his mind or his plans when there was any fun to be had. for a while he forgot about looking for red paint to put on his face to make him look funny when he played mr. punch, with the hollow lobster claw on his nose. just now the joy of sliding down the banister rail seemed to be the best in the world. "here i go!" cried bunny, and down the rail he went, ending with a little bump on the big, round post at the bottom. "now it's my turn," sue said, and down she came. though she was a girl sue could slide down a rail almost as well as could bunny. in fact, she had played with her brother so much that she could do many of the things that small boys do. and bunny surely thought that sue was as good a chum as any of his boy playmates. "now it's my turn again!" exclaimed the little blue-eyed chap, as he went up the stairs, his feet making a loud noise in the empty house. for some time bunny and sue played at sliding down the banister rail, and then bunny remembered what they had first come into the house for. "let's go to look for that red paint," he said. "all right," agreed sue. her little legs were beginning to get tired from running up the stairs so often. back up to the second floor went the children, looking through the vacant rooms. but no paint pots did they see. "i guess all the paint is outside," said bunny. "we'll go down and get some." "maybe the man wouldn't like us to take it," said sue. "we'll pay him for it, if he wants money," bunny replied, as though he had plenty. "mother or aunt lu will give us pennies soon," he said, "and i can give the man mine. i only want about a penny's worth of red paint come on, we'll go out, sue, and get some." "yes, and then we'd better go home," sue went on. "i guess it's going to be dark pretty soon," and she looked out of a window. it was getting on toward evening, but the children had been having so much fun that they had not noticed this. bunny and sue walked through all the upstairs rooms of the empty house. in one bunny saw something that made him call out: "oh, sue, look! a lot of picture books! let's sit down and read them!" of course bunny and sue could not read, though the little boy knew some of his letters. so when he said "read" he meant look at the pictures. the books were some old magazines that the family, in moving away from the house, had left behind. bunny and sue made each a little pile of the paper books for seats and then they sat there looking at the pictures in another pile of magazines on the floor beside them. "oh, look at this dog, riding on a horse's back!" exclaimed bunny, showing sue a picture he had found in his book. "yes, it's like in a circus," sue agreed. "and see, here's a colored picture of a cow. oh, i wish i had a drink of milk, bunny. i'm hungry! it must be pretty near supper time." "i guess it is," the little fellow agreed, as he patted his own stomach. "we'll go home, sue. i wonder if we couldn't take some of those books with us?" "i guess so," sue said. "nobody wants 'em." "and, anyhow, we didn't get any red paint, though maybe i can find some outside," bunny said. "we'll each take a book." it took a little time for bunny and sue each to pick out the book, with the pictures in it, that was most liked. but finally, each with a magazine held tightly, the children started to go down stairs. "here i go!" cried bunny again, as he straddled the banister railing. down he slid, but this time sue did not wait until her brother had reached the bottom post. she put her own fat little legs over the rail, and down she went, bumping right into bunny and knocking him off the post on to the floor. and, that was not all, for she fell right on top of him. "ugh!" grunted bunny, for sue was rather heavy and she took his breath away. "oh, bunny, did i hurt you?" asked the little girl, as she got up. "did i, bunny?" "nope, you didn't hurt me, sue. falling down did--a little, but i fell on something soft, i guess." bunny stood up and looked. he had fallen on a pile of cloth bags which the painters had left inside the house. it was lucky for bunny that the bags were there, or he might have been badly bruised. as it was he and sue were not hurt, and, having picked themselves up, and brushed off their clothes, they were ready to go back home. and it was quite time, too, for the shadows were getting longer and longer out in the street, as the sun went down. "it was the front door that blew shut with such a bang," bunny said, as he and sue went down the long, front hall. "it was open when we came in, but it's shut now." "the wind blew it, i guess," said sue. "i wonder if you can get it open, bunny?" "sure!" her brother said. but when bunny tried to open the front door he could not. either it was too tightly shut, or else some spring lock had snapped shut. there was no key in the hole, but bunny turned and twisted the knob, this way and that. but the door would not open. "let me try," said sue, seeing that bunny was not getting the door to swing open so they could get out. "let me try." "pooh! if i can't do it, you can't," bunny said. he did not exactly mean to be impolite, but he meant that he was stronger than his little sister and so she could hardly hope to do what he could not. "oh, but bunny, what will we do if we can't get the door open?" sue asked, and she seemed almost as frightened as the day when she had fallen down in the mud puddle when she and bunny went to meet aunt lu. "well, if i can't get the front door open, maybe i can get the back one or the side one open," bunny said. "come on, we'll try them." but the back door was also locked and there was no key in that to turn. neither was there a side door. both the front and back doors were locked. bunny looked at sue, and sue looked at her little brother. her eyes were bright and shiny, as though she were going to cry. bunny tried to speak bravely. "sue--we--we're locked in!" he said. "oh, bunny!" she exclaimed. "what are we going to do? oh! oh! oh dear!" chapter vi adrift in a boat bunny brown was a brave little chap, even though he was only a bit over six years old, "going on seven," as he always proudly said. and one of the matters in which he was braver than anything else was about his sister sue. his mother had often spoken to him about his sister when he and sue were allowed to walk up and down in the street, but not to go off the home block. "now, bunny," mrs. brown would say, "take good care of little sue!" and bunny would answer: "i will, mother!" now was a time when he must look after her and take special care of her. the first thing he said to sue was: "don't cry, sister!" sometimes he called her that instead of sue. "i--i'm not going to cry," sue answered, but, even then, there were tears in her eyes. "i'm not going to cry, but oh, bunny, we're locked in, and there's nobody here----" "i'm here!" said bunny quickly. "yes, of course," answered sue. "but you can't get the doors open, bunny, and we can't get out when the doors are shut." bunny thought for a moment. what sue said was very true. one could not go through a locked door. "if we were only fairies now," said bunny slowly, "it would be all right." "how would it be?" sue asked, opening her eyes wide. "why, if we were fairies," bunny explained, "all we would have to do would be to change ourselves into smoke and we could float right out through the keyhole." "oh, but i wouldn't like to be smoke!" cried sue. "that wouldn't be any fun. why we couldn't play tag, or eat ice cream cones or--or anything. and the wind would blow us all away, if we were smoke." "oh, we wouldn't be smoke all the while," bunny said. "only just while we were going through the keyhole. once we were on the other side we could change back into our own selves again." "oh, that would be all right," sue said. she went up close to the keyhole of the front door and peeped through. maybe she was trying to wish herself small enough to crawl out of the locked, empty house, without changing into smoke. but of course bunny and sue were not fairies, and of course they could not turn into smoke, so there they had to stay, locked in. "but, bunny, what are we going to do?" asked sue, as they went back and forth from the front to the back door. "maybe i can open a window," bunny said. but he was not tall enough to reach more than past the window sill. the middle of the sash was far away, and he could see that the catch was on. if there had been a chair in the house, perhaps bunny might have stood on it and opened a window, but there was none. in one of the rooms bunny did find an empty box. moving this up to the window to stand on he found he could reach the middle of the sash, and turn the fastener. "now if i can only push up the window, sue!" he cried. "i'll help you," the little girl said. "here's a stick, i can push with that." so with bunny standing on the box, and sue, on the floor, pushing with the stick, they tried to put up the window in order to get out of the empty house. but the window would not go up, and all of a sudden sue's stick slipped and banged against the glass. "oh! look out!" cried bunny. "you nearly broke it." "i didn't mean to." "no. but i guess we'd better not try to raise the window. we might break the glass." bunny knew a boy who, when playing ball, broke a window, and he had to save up all his pennies for a month to pay for the new glass. bunny did not want to do that. so the children went away from the window. "say, sue," said bunny, after a bit, "we can play we are camping out here. that would be fun, and we can make a bed of the pieces of bags that i fell on off the banister, and--" "but i'm hungry, and there's nothing to eat!" sue exclaimed. "when we camp out, or go on a picnic, there are things to eat." "that's so," agreed bunny. "this isn't as much fun as i thought it was. i wish i hadn't tried to get any red paint." "so do i," sue said, but she was not blaming her brother. she had been just as anxious to go into the vacant house as he had been. the children did not know what to do. they were both ready to cry, but neither wanted to. it was getting dark now. "let's holler!" exclaimed sue. "maybe somebody will hear us and come and let us out." "all right," said bunny. they both called together. but the vacant house was not near any other, and none of the neighbors heard the childish voices. "i--i guess i'd better get the bags and make a bed, for we'll have to stay here all night," said bunny, when they were quite tired from calling aloud. "then make my bed near yours, bunny," said sue. "i--i don't want to be alone." "i'll take care of you," promised the little blue-eyed chap, as he remembered what his mother had told him. bunny went to the front hall to get the cloth bags. sue went with him, for she did not want to be left alone in the room that was now getting quite dark. but bunny and sue did not have to stay all night in the empty house. just as they were picking up the bags, they heard a noise at the front door and a voice called: "bunny! sue! are you in there?" for a moment they did not answer, they were so surprised with joy. then bunny cried: "oh, it's uncle tad! it's uncle tad!" while sue exclaimed: "we're here! yes, we're here, uncle tad! oh, please let us out!" there was a squeaking noise and the front door was pushed open. in came the old soldier, and bunny and sue made a jump for his arms. he caught them up and kissed them. "well, little ones, i've found you!" he cried. "i thought maybe you were in here. my, but what a fright you've given your mother and all of us!" "we came in for some red paint," explained bunny, "and we got locked in." "no, the door wasn't locked," uncle tad explained. "it was just stuck real hard. you weren't strong enough to pull it open, i suppose. but don't ever do anything like this again." "we won't," promised bunny. he was always pretty good at making promises, was bunny brown. "we just wanted to get some red paint so i could play mr. punch with the lobster claw," he went on. "and we slid down the banister," added sue, "and i bumped bunny off the post." "but she didn't hurt me," bunny said. "how did you find us, uncle tad?" asked sue, as their uncle led them along the now almost dark street toward their home. "why, when you didn't come back your mother was worried," the old soldier said. "so your aunt lu started out one way after you, and i went the other. as i passed this old house i saw a blue ribbon down by the gate and i thought it looked like yours, sue. so i thought you might have come in here." "oh, did i lose my hair ribbon?" sue asked, putting her hand to her head. the big, pretty bow was gone, but uncle tad had found it. "it's a good thing you lost it," said bunny. "if you hadn't, uncle tad wouldn't have known where to look for us." "oh, i guess i should have found you after a bit," uncle tad said, with a smile. "but now we must hurry home, so the folks will know you are all right." and my, how bunny and sue were kissed and cuddled by their mother and aunt lu when uncle tad brought them back! "i was beginning to be afraid," said mrs. brown, "that you had gone down to the boat-dock, after i told you not to, and i was going to have your father and bunker blue look for you." "we didn't mean to get locked in. mother," explained bunny. "it was the wind." "well, don't go in empty houses again," aunt lu said. "nope--never!" promised sue, "but we were looking for your ring, aunt lu, though we didn't find it." "no, i'm afraid it's gone forever," said miss baker with a sigh, and a sad look. "but it was very good of you to try to find it for me." the children sat down to supper, telling the big folks all about the adventure, and how they had become fastened in, and were afraid they would have to make a bed on the bags and stay all night. "and if we had i'd have taken good care of sue," bunny remarked. "i know you would, my dear," his mother answered, as she kissed him and his sister, before putting them to bed. for a few days after this bunny and sue did nothing to make any trouble. they went on little trips with aunt lu, showing her the many wonderful sights at the seaside. with her they watched the fish boats come in, and once they went sailing with her and their mother, bunker blue taking charge of the boat. they gathered pretty shells and pebbles on the beach and had many good times. one day bunny and sue played punch and judy, bunny wearing the big red lobster claw on his nose. aunt lu laughed at the funny tricks of the children. "some day we'll get up a real show, and charge money," said bunny, as he put away the lobster claw to use another time. not far from the brown's house was a small river that flowed into the bay. part of the brown land was right on the edge of this river and at a small dock mr. brown kept, tied up, a rowboat which he sometimes used to go fishing in, or to go after crabs, which are something like lobsters, only smaller. they are just as good to eat when they are cooked, and they turn red when you boil them. one day bunny and sue went down to the edge of the river. they asked aunt lu to go with them, but she said she had a headache, and wanted to lie down. "don't go far away, children," called mrs. brown after the two tots, as they wandered down near the little stream. "we won't," promised bunny, and he really meant it. but neither he nor sue knew what was going to happen. it was quite warm that day, and, as bunny and sue sat in the shade of a tree on the bank of the river, the little boy said: "oh, sue, wouldn't it be nice if we could go on the river in the boat?" "yes," said his sister, "but mother said we weren't to." "i guess she meant we weren't to go rowing in a boat--i mean a loose boat--one that isn't tied fast," said bunny. "i guess it would be all right if we sat in the boat while it was tied fast to shore." "maybe," said sue. she wanted, as much as did bunny, to sit in the boat, for it was cooler down there. "let's do it!" proposed bunny. "the boat is tied fast, but we can make believe we are rowing. we'll pretend we are taking a long trip." neither of the children meant to do wrong, for they thought it would be all right to sit in the boat as long as it was tied fast. so into it they climbed. then such fun as they had! they took sticks and made believe to row. they tied their handkerchiefs on other sticks and pretended to be sailing. they rocked the boat gently to and fro, and bunny called this "being out in a storm." then they lay down on the broad seats and made believe it was night and that, when they awakened, they would be in a far-off land where coconuts grew on trees and where there were monkeys to toss them down. and, before they knew it, both children were fast asleep, for the sun was shining warmly down on them. bunny awoke first. he felt the boat tossing to and fro: "don't do that, sue!" he called. "you'll tip us over." "don't do what?" asked sue, sleepily. "don't jiggle the boat," said bunny. then he opened his eyes wider and looked all about. the boat was far from shore and was drifting down the river. it had become untied while the children slept. chapter vii bunny goes fishing "on, bunny! bunny!" cried sue, clapping her hands. "we're having a sail! we're sailing!" "yes," answered her brother, "that's what we are, but--" he looked toward the shore and wondered if it were too far away for him to wade to it. the river looked quite deep, though, and bunny decided he had better not try it. "don't you like sailing," asked his sister sue. "oh, yes, i like it all right," was the reply, "but mother told us not to go out in the boat and we've done it." "but we didn't mean to," came from the little girl. "the boat did it all by itself, and it isn't our fault at all." "that's so," and bunny smiled now and seemed happier. "i wonder how it happened?" asked sue. "i guess we jiggled it so much, making believe we were sailing, that the rope got loose," bunny explained. "and now we're sailing!" bunny brown and his sister sue really were sailing down the river and the boat was bobbing up and down and swinging from side to side, for it was not steered. and it was not exactly "sailing" either, for it was only a row-boat and there was no sail to hoist. but the river was flowing down hill to the sea and it was the river that was carrying the boat along. "i like it; don't you?" asked sue, after a bit. "yes," answered bunny. "only we musn't go too far away. mother wouldn't like that even if it wasn't our fault that the boat got loose. i wonder if there's anything to eat here." "let's look," proposed sue, so the two children looked under the boat seats and lifted the oars over to one side. sometimes they were allowed to go with their father or mother for a row or sail, and, once in a while, mrs. brown would take with her some sandwiches or cake for a little lunch. bunny and sue thought something to eat might have been left over since the last time, but there was nothing. "oh dear!" sighed sue. "i'm terrible hungry, bunny!" "so am i!" "don't you s'pose you could catch a fish, so we could eat that?" "i might," bunny answered, "if i had a fish line." "i have a piece of string," and sue put her chubby hand in her pocket. she had had her mother sew two pockets in her dress, almost like the ones bunny had in his little trousers. for sue said she wanted to carry things in her pockets, just as her brother and the other boys did. she now pulled out a tangled bit of string, white cord that had come off some bundles from the grocery. "there's a fish line, bunny," said sue. "yes, if i only had a hook," and the little fellow pulled the tangles out of the cord, "you can't catch fish without a hook, sue." "i know that. and here's a pin. you can bend that into a hook. sadie west and i did that one day up at the frog pond." "did you get any fish?" bunny asked. "no," answered sue slowly. "but there wasn't any fish in the pond. mr. winkler came along and told us so, and we didn't fish any more. we caught frogs." "how?" "in a tin can." "we haven't any tin can now," went on bunny, looking about the boat, as if he would, perhaps, rather catch frogs than fishes. "don't try to get any frogs," sue begged him. "they aren't any good to eat." "their legs are!" "oh, they are not! i wouldn't eat frogs' legs. i'd eat chickens' legs though, if they were cooked." "so would i. but some folks do eat frogs legs. i heard aunt lu telling mother so the other day." "they must be funny people to eat frogs' legs," sue exclaimed. "but i won't catch any now," bunny promised. "where's the pin, sue? so i can make a hook." "i'll take one out of my dress where a button's off," offered the little girl. "only you'll have to give the pin back to me after you stop fishing, 'cause i'll have to pin my dress up again." "s'posin' a fish swallers it?" bunny asked. "swallers what?" "swallers the hook!" bunny explained. "if a fish eats the bent pin hook i can't give it back to you; can i?" "no," said sue slowly. "but we could get it out when we cook the fish," she said, after thinking about it a little while. "yes," agreed bunny. "but i guess they don't cook pins in fish. anyhow we haven't got a fire to cook with." "oh, well, then we'll pretend. here's the pin, bunny," and sue took it from a place on her dress where, as she had said, a button was off. "try and catch a big fish with it." bunny had the piece of string untangled now and he bent the pin into a sort of hook. all this while the boat was slowly drifting down the river, but bunny brown and his sister sue had talked so much about fishing that they had not noticed where they were going. they were not so frightened as they had been at first. bunny tied the bent pin on the end of his piece of string and was about to toss it over the side of the boat into the water when he happened to think. "i'll have to have a sinker," he said to sue. "you can't catch fish if you don't have a sinker to take the hook down to the bottom of the water. fish only bite near the bottom. i must have a sinker." "oh, dear!" exclaimed sue. "fishing is a lot of work; isn't it, bunny?" "it's fun," said the little boy. "i like it, but i have to have a sinker." "i could give you a button from my dress," sue said. "one's almost off, and i could pull it the rest of the way. only i haven't another pin to fasten me up with. this is an old dress, anyhow. that's what makes it have one button gone and another almost off," she explained. "never mind. don't pull off the button, sue," bunny said. "i guess it wouldn't be heavy enough to sink. maybe i can find a regular sinker. oh, yes, here's one!" he cried, as he picked up from the bottom of the boat a piece of lead. it had been dropped there when mr. brown, or perhaps bunker blue, had used the boat for fishing a few days before. "this will be just the thing!" cried bunny, as he fastened it to his line. "now i can fish real," and he tossed the bent pin over the side of the drifting boat into the water. the bent pin sank out of sight, and both children watched eagerly, wondering how long it would be before they would catch a fish. but suddenly their boat bumped against something, and stopped moving. the bump was so hard that bunny was knocked over against sue. "oh, bunny, don't!" she exclaimed. "you hurt my arm!" "i--i couldn't help it," bunny said. "was it a fish?" asked sue, hopefully, "did he pull you over?" bunny shook his head. nothing had taken hold of the pin-hook. then he turned his head and looked around. "oh, sue!" he cried. "we've run ashore on an island. now we can get out and have some fun! this is great!" chapter viii sue falls in the boat, in which bunny brown and his sister sue had gone adrift, had really "bunked into an island," as bunny told about it afterward. he said "bunked," and he meant bumped, for that is what the boat had done. there were a number of islands in the river, some small and some larger, and it was at one of the larger ones that bunny and sue now found themselves. their boat swung around in the shallow water, and did not move any more. it was fast aground on the edge of the island. "let's get out," suggested bunny, and he did so, followed by sue. as bunny pulled his fish line from the water, his sister saw the dangling bent-pin hook, and cried out: "oh, bunny, you didn't get a fish after all!" "no," the little fellow answered. "i guess i can fish better from the island, anyhow. we'll fish here now, and if we catch anything we can build a fire and cook it. that is, we could if we had any matches." "mother told us we musn't play with fire," remarked sue. "that's so," her brother agreed. "well, we can wait till we get home to cook the fish. but we've got to fasten the boat, or it may go away and leave us." bunny's father was in the boat business and the little fellow had often heard how needful it was to tie boats fast so they would not drift away or be taken out by the tide. so it was one of the first things he thought of when he and sue landed on the island. there was a rope in the front part, or bow of the rowboat, and bunny tied one end of this rope to a tree that grew near the edge of the island. "now i can fish," he said. "what can i do?" asked sue. "i wish i had one of my dolls with me--even the old sawdust one, with the sawdust coming out. i could play house with her. what can i do, bunny?" "well, you can watch me fish, and then i'll let you have a turn. if you had another pin i could make you a hook." "nope, i haven't anymore," and sue looked carefully over her dress, thinking she might find another pin. but there was none. bunny was about to cast in the line from the shore of the island, near the boat, where he and sue were standing, when he suddenly thought of something. "oh, i forgot! i haven't any bait on my hook!" he said. "no wonder i didn't get a bite. i'll have to get a worm, or something the fish like to eat. come on, sue, you can help at that--hunting for worms." "i--i don't want to," and sue gave a little shiver. "you don't like to hunt worms?" asked bunny, as if very much surprised. "i like it--it's fun!" "oh, but worms--worms are so--so squiggily!" stammered sue. "they make me feel so ticklish in my toes." "you don't pick up worms in your toes!" cried bunny. "you pick 'em up in your hands!" "i know," and sue smiled at her brother, "but they are so squiggily that they make me feel ticklish away down to my toes, anyhow." "all right," bunny agreed. "i'll pick up the worms, but you can have a turn fishing just the same." "thank you," answered sue. mrs. brown had taught the children to be kind and polite to each other, just as well as to strangers and to "company." though of course bunny brown and his sister sue had little troubles and "spats" and differences, now and then, just like other children. bunny began looking for worms, and he dug in the soft dirt of the island, near the edge of the water, with a stick. but either there were no worms there, or bunny did not dig deep enough for them, for he found none. "guess i'll have to fish without any bait," he said, after a while. but, as i suppose you all know, fish hardly ever bite on an empty hook, especially when it is made from a bent pin; so, after he had dangled the line in the water for quite a while, bunny said: "here, sue. it's your turn now. maybe you'll have better luck than i had." "maybe there aren't any fish in this river." "oh, yes there are. bunker blue caught a lot one day. but he had worms for bait." however sue did not mind fishing without any worms on the pin-hook, and she sat down on a log, near the water and let the line dangle in it, while bunny walked about the island. he had never been on this one before, though there was a larger one, farther down the river, where he and his sister sue had often gone on little picnics with their mother and father. walking back a little way from the edge of the water, bunny saw a place where a tangle of vines, growing over an old stump, had made a place like a little tent, or bower. all at once bunny remembered a story his mother had read to him. back he ran to where sue was fishing. "oh, sue! sue!" he exclaimed. "i know what we can do!" "what?" "we can play robinson crusoe!" cried bunny. "is that like tag, or hide-and-go-to-seek?" the little girl wanted to know. "neither one," answered her brother. "robinson crusoe was a man who was shipwrecked on an island, and he lived there a long time with his man friday. we can play that." "but we aren't shipwrecked," sue said. living near the sea the children had often heard of shipwrecks, and had once seen one, when a big sail boat had beep blown up on the beach and broken to pieces by the heavy waves. the sailors were taken off by the life-savers. "we're not shipwrecked," said sue. "there's our boat all right," and she pointed to the one in which they had gone adrift. "oh, well, we can pretend we've been shipwrecked," bunny said. "oh, yes!" and sue understood now. "what is the rest of the game?" she asked. "well, mother read the story to me out of a book," explained bunny. "robinson crusoe was wrecked, and he had to live on this island, and he had a man named friday." "what a funny name! who named him that?" asked sue. "robinson crusoe did. you see, friday was a colored man, very nice, too, and he helped robinson a lot. robinson called him that name because he found him on friday." "but this isn't friday," objected sue. "it's thursday." "well, it's only pretend," went on bunny. "oh, yes. i forgot. so robinson had a colored man named friday to help him." "yes," bunny said, "and we'll play that game. i'll be robinson." "but who is going to be friday?" sue wanted to know. "you can be." "but i'm not a man, and i'm not colored, bunny." "we'll have to pretend that, too. you'll be my man friday, and we'll go to live in the little tent over there," and bunny pointed toward the leafy bower he had found. "and you can be colored, too, if you want, sue," he said. "you could rub some mud on your face and hands." "oh, let's! that's what i'll do!" and sue laid aside the stick to which bunny had tied the fishline and the bent pin. "that will be fun!" sue said. "it will be better than the punch and judy show with the lobster claw on your nose." "but you mustn't get your dress muddy," bunny cautioned his sister. "mother wouldn't like that." [illustration with caption: for a moment sue lay there, still choking and gasping] "i won't," promised sue. "and when we get through playing i can wash the mud off my face and hands." "yes," said bunny. "now i'll go over to my cave--we'll call the place where the vines grow over the stump a cave," he went on, "and i'll be there just like robinson crusoe was in the cave on his island. then i'll come out and find you, all blacked up with mud, and i'll call you friday." sue clapped her hands in delight, and, when bunny went off to the cave, which, he remembered, was the sort of place where the real robinson crusoe lived, in the story book, sue found a place where there was some soft, black mud. very carefully, so as not to soil her dress, the little girl blackened her hands and face, rubbing on the dirt as well as she could. "bunny! bunny!" she called after a bit. "well, what is it?" asked her brother, as he was sitting in his make-believe cave. "come and look at me," said sue, "and see if i'm black enough to be friday." bunny came and looked. "you need a little more mud around behind your ears," he said. "i'll put it on for you," and he did so. then the two children played the robinson crusoe game; that is, as much of it as bunny could remember, which was not a great deal. but they had good fun, walking about the island, and going into the green vine-bower now and then to get out of the sun, which was very hot. but even as much fun as it was playing at being shipwrecked on an island, like robinson, in the story book, the children soon tired of it. "i guess we'd better go home," said sue after awhile. "i'm terribly hungry, bunny." "so'm i." "and if we can't catch any fish, and can't find any place to get things to eat from, we'd better go home." "yes, i guess we had. i wonder if i can row the boat?" bunny had often seen his father, or bunker blue, or sometimes his mother, row a boat, so he knew how it was done. but he knew the oars in the boat in which he and sue had gone adrift were heavy, and he was not very strong, though a sturdy little chap for his years. "i'll help you," sue said. "but first i'll have to un-friday myself. i must wash off this mud." "i'll help you--around behind your ears where you can't see," offered bunny. sue went to a place near the water, where there was a flat rock, and leaned over to dip her handkerchief in. she was going to use it as a washcloth. but, whether she slipped, or leaned over too far, sue never knew. at any rate, soon after she had washed off the first bit of mud from her hands and wrists, she suddenly toppled, head first, right into the river! "oh! oh! bunny!" sue cried, as she found herself in the water. chapter ix the rescue dog bunny brown and his sister sue had often been in the water bathing. they had even been allowed to go in the ocean, a little way, when their father or mother was with them, and they were just beginning to learn to swim. but to fall suddenly into the water, with all one's clothes on, is enough to frighten anybody, even someone older than sue; so it is no wonder she began splashing about, instead of trying to swim, as her father had told her to do. bunny, for a moment, did not know what to do, but he had one great thought, and that was that he must help his sister. he was a little distance away from her, and he called out: "i'm coming, sue! i'll get you out! don't be afraid!" but sue was afraid. her head went under water, and she had swallowed some, for she had forgotten another thing her father had told her, and this was: "when your head goes under water, hold your breath--don't breathe--and then the water won't get in your mouth and nose." but sue forgot this, and she was choking and gasping in the river. luckily it was not deep, and he might easily have stood up at the place where she had fallen in. the water would not have been quite up to her waist. "i'll get you out, sue! i'll get you!" cried bunny. he ran toward sue, but before he reached her there was heard a loud barking, and a big, shaggy dog rushed down to the edge of the island. right into the water the dog jumped, and, getting hold of sue's dress, he pulled her up on the shore. for a moment sue lay there, still choking and gasping, while the dog stood over her, wagging his tail, and barking as hard as he could bark. he seemed to know that everything was all right now. "oh, sue! sue!" cried bunny, rushing up to his sister, and putting his arms around her. "you aren't drowned now; are you, sue?" "i--i don't--don't know--bun-bunny!" she stammered. "i--i guess i'm 'most drowned, anyhow. oh, take me home! i want my mamma!" "i'll take you home right away!" bunny promised. "but wasn't the dog good to pull you out?" the dog shook the water from himself, and wagged his tail harder than ever. he jumped about, barking, and then, with his big red tongue, he licked first sue's face, and then bunny's. sue was much better now. she could sit up, and, as the river water was not salty, as is the water of the ocean, what she had swallowed of it did not hurt her. "i guess the dog will lick all the friday-mud off my face," she said, smiling at bunny through her tears. "the mud's all off anyhow," said her brother. "falling in the river washed you clean." "but it got my dress all wet. i don't care, it's an old one." "that's good," said her brother. "now we'll go home. maybe you will be all dry when we get there," he added hopefully, "and your dress won't show any wet at all." "but i'll have to tell mother i fell in." "oh, of course!" "but it was a--a accident," sue said, speaking the big word slowly. "now take me home, bunny. i don't want to play friday any more, and i'm hungry." the dog jumped about the children, but he kept nearer to sue. maybe he thought she belonged to him, now that he had pulled her from the water. perhaps he had saved sue's life, though the little girl might have gotten out herself, or bunny might have pulled her from the water. "he's a nice dog," said sue. "i wish we could keep him." "maybe we can. he doesn't seem to belong to anybody, and nobody lives on this island." "he was shipwrecked too," said sue. "or maybe he wanted to play robinson crusoe with us." "robinson didn't have a dog--anyhow, mother didn't read about any in the story," replied bunny. "but he had a goat." "we can pretend this dog is a goat," remarked sue, as she patted the big shaggy fellow, who barked in delight, and wagged his tail. "we'll take him home in the boat with us," decided bunny. "i hope mother lets us keep him." getting into the boat was easy enough for bunny and sue, for they only had to step over the side, the boat being partly on shore. and the dog jumped in after them. he seemed very glad indeed that he had found two such nice children to love, and who would love him. but when bunny tried to push the boat away from the island, as he had seen his father and bunker blue often do, he found it was not easy. the boat was stuck fast in the soft mud of the edge of the island. "i--i can't do it," bunny said, puffing, as he pushed on the oar, with which he was trying to shove off the boat. "i can't do it, sue." "will we have to stay here forever?" "no, not forever. maybe papa, or somebody will come for us. but i can't push off the boat." "i'll help you," offered sue. the oar was too heavy for her, however, so bunny got her a long stick. but, even with what little help sue could give, the boat would not move. "oh, dear!" sighed bunny, sitting down on a seat. he looked worried, and so did sue. "if we had a harness for our new dog we could hitch him to the boat, and maybe he could pull it into the water," remarked bunny, after a bit. "oh, that would be fine!" cried the little girl. "and maybe he could swim, and pull us all the way home." "but we haven't any harness," said bunny with another sigh. "couldn't we use the fish line? i've got another piece of string." "we can try." with the string, which he knotted together, bunny made a sort of "harness," putting one end around the dog's neck, and tying the other end to the bow, or front of the boat. "now pull us, towser!" bunny cried. "is his name towser?" sue wanted to know. "well, we'll call him that until we can think of a better name. go on, pull!" ordered bunny. but the dog only barked and stood still. he did not seem to mind being "hitched up." it seemed as though he had often had children play with him. "oh, i know how to make him pull us!" sue exclaimed. "how?" "throw a stick in the water, and he'll chase after it." "fine!" cried bunny, and he tossed a chip out into the river. with a bark the dog rushed after it. but i think you can guess what happened. instead of the dog's pulling the boat, the string broke, and, of course, that was the end of the harness. "oh, dear!" exclaimed sue. "we'll never get home, bunny!" the little boy did not know what to do next. but, all at once, as he and his sister looked at each other, quite worried and anxious, they heard a voice shouting: "bunny! sue! are you there? where are you? bunny! sue!" chapter x a trolley ride "who--who is that?" asked sue of her brother in a whisper. "oh, it's papa come for us!" "that isn't papa," bunny answered, for well he knew his father's voice. "well, it's somebody, anyhow," and sue smiled now, through her tears. "it's somebody, and i'm so glad!" "bunny! sue!" called the voice again, and the big dog barked. perhaps he was also glad that "somebody" had come for him, as glad as were the children. but, though bunny brown and his sister sue looked all about, they could see no one. then, all of a sudden, sue thought of something. "oh, bunny!" she cried. "do you s'pose it could be him?" "be who?" "robinson crusoe's man friday. here on the island, you know. maybe he heard we were here, and came to help us catch fish, or make a fire. oh, bunny, if it should be mr. friday!" "pooh! it couldn't be," said bunny. "mr. friday was only make-believe, and we were only pretending, anyhow. it couldn't be!" "no, i 'spose not," and sue sighed. "anyhow, it's somebody, and they know us, and i'm glad!" bunny was also glad, and a few seconds later, while the dog kept on barking, and running here and there, bunny and sue raw, coming around the end of the island, a boat, and in it was jed winkler, the old sailor who owned wango, the monkey. only, of course, the old sailor did not have the monkey with him this time. "bunny! sue! oh, there you are!" called mr. winkler as he saw the two children. "oh, mr. winkler!" cried bunny. "we're so glad to see you!" "yes, and i guess your folks will be glad to see you!" answered the old sailor. "they've been looking all over for you, and only a little while ago i noticed that your boat was gone. i thought maybe you had gone on a voyage down the river, so i said i'd come down and look, as far as the island, anyhow. and here you are! "i wonder what you'll do next? but there's no telling, i reckon. what have you been doing, anyhow, and whose dog is that?" "he's mine," said sue quickly. "he pulled me out of the water." "he's half mine, too," said bunny. "i saw him before you did, sue. you couldn't see him 'cause your head was under the water," he went on, "and when a feller sees a dog first, half of it is his, anyhow; isn't it, mr. winkler?" "oh, you may have half of him," agreed sue kindly. "do you want the head half, or the tail hall, bunny?" "well," said bunny slowly, "i like the tail end, 'cause that wags when he's happy, but i like the head end too, because that barks, and he can wash our hands with his tongue." bunny did not seem to know which half of the dog to take. then a new idea came to him. "i'll tell you what we can do, sue!" he exclaimed. "we can divide him down the middle the other way. then you'll have half his head end, and half his tail end, and so will i." "oh, yes!" sue agreed, "and we can take turns feeding him." "say, i never see two such youngsters as you!" declared the old sailor, laughing. "what happened to you, anyhow?" "well, we didn't mean to go off in the boat, but we did," bunny explained. "then we got wrecked on this island, just like robinson crusoe did." "only we didn't find mr. friday," put in sue. "but we found a cave--a make-believe one," bunny said quickly. "and i fell in, but we didn't get any fish," added the sister. "and the dog did pull her out, and we're going to keep him," went on bunny. "and will you take us home, mr. winkler? 'cause we're hungry, and maybe our dog is, too, and it's getting dark, and we couldn't make our boat go, even if we did hitch the dog up to it." "bless your hearts, of course i'll take you home, and the dog, too!" the old sailor cried, "though i didn't expect to find a dog here. come now, get in my boat, and i'll fasten yours to mine, and pull it along after me. come along!" bunny brown and his sister sue were soon in the old sailor's boat, the dog following them, and, a little later, they were safely at their own dock, where their father and mother, as well as aunt lu and bunker blue, were waiting to greet them. "oh, bunny! oh, sue!" cried mrs. brown, as she gathered them both into her arms. "why did you do it? oh, such a fright as you have given all of us!" "we didn't mean to, mother," said bunny, himself a little frightened at what had happened. "the boat came untied, and floated off with us, and then we played robinson crusoe, just like you read to me out of the book, and--" "but we didn't find mr. friday," interrupted sue, who seemed to feel this was quite a disappointment. "never mind," remarked aunt lu, "you had plenty of other adventures, i should think. why, sue!" she exclaimed, "your dress is quite damp!" "she fell in," explained bunny, "and--" "mercy! where did that dog come from?" cried mrs. brown, for the big shaggy animal had been lying quietly in the bottom of mr. winkler's boat, and now, with a bark, he suddenly sprang up, and jumped out on the dock. "it's our dog," said sue. "he pulled me out." "pulled you out, child? out of where?" mrs. brown wanted to know. "what happened? tell me all about it!" which bunny and sue did, taking turns. then they begged to be allowed to keep the dog, and mr. brown said they might, if no one came to claim it. "i guess it must be a lost dog," said the old sailor. "maybe it jumped off some boat that was going down the river, and swam to the island. i guess it's glad enough to get off, though, for there's nothing there for a dog to eat." "we couldn't find anything, either," said bunny, "and we're hungry now, mother." "and we're going to take turns feeding the dog," came from sue. "i own one half, down the middle, and so does bunny." "bless your hearts!" mrs. brown cried. "she was very glad the children had been found, and mr. brown told bunny and sue they must not get in the boat again, unless some older person was with them, even if the boat was tied to the dock. then it was supper time, and the big, shaggy dog ate as much as bunny and sue together, which showed how hungry he was. "what are you going to call the dog?" asked aunt lu. "i called him towser," bunny said, "but we can take another name, if we don't like that." "oh, let's call him splash!" exclaimed sue. "splash? what a funny name!" her mother remarked. "well, he did splash in the water after me, and pulled me out. maybe we could call him pull, but i like splash better," and sue shook her curly head. "call him splash, then," agreed mr. brown, and so the big dog was called that name. he did not seem to mind how funny it was, but wagged his tail, and barked happily whenever he was spoken to. for two or three days after they had gone off in the boat, bunny brown and his sister sue did not go far from home. they remained about the house, playing different games with some of the children who lived near them. now and then they would go down the street with aunt lu, or to the dock, to see the fish boats come in. and, often, as she walked along, aunt lu would look down at the ground. "are you looking for your lost diamond ring?" bunny or sue would ask. "well, not exactly," aunt lu would say. "i'm afraid i shall never find it," she would add, in rather a sad voice. "i am afraid it is gone forever." "we'll keep on looking," promised bunny. "and maybe we'll find it." splash, the big dog, proved to be very gentle and kind. he seemed to love the two children very much, and went everywhere with them. no one came to claim him. there was only one place bunny and sue could not take him, and that was to mr. winkler's house, and it was on account of the monkey. "i'm afraid splash might scare wango," the old sailor said. "monkeys are easily frightened, and wango might try to get out of his cage and hurt himself. so, much as i love your dog, children, please don't bring him where wango is." "we won't," promised bunny and sue. so, whenever they paid a little visit to their friend, the old sailor, splash was chained outside the gate, and the poor dog did not seem to understand why this was done. but he would lie down and wait until bunny and sue came out. then how glad he was to see them! one day aunt lu gave bunny and sue each five cents. they said they wanted to buy some toy balloons, which they had seen in the window of mrs. redden's store. "maybe we could tie two balloons together, and fasten them to a basket and have a ride, like in an airship," sue said to bunny, for they had been looking at some pictures of airships in a magazine. "maybe we could," bunny agreed. but bunny and sue did not buy the toy balloons. they were on their way to get them, with splash, the dog, walking along the street behind them, when a trolley car came along. the trolley ran from bellemere, where bunny and sue lived, to wayville, the next town. in wayville lived uncle henry, who was a brother of mrs. brown's. "oh, sue! i know what let's do!" bunny suddenly cried, as the trolley car stopped to take on some passengers at the street corner. "what shall we do, bunny?" sue was always ready to follow where her brother led. "let's take our five cents and have a trolley ride! we can go to wayville and see uncle henry. he'd like to see us." "but if we go on the trolley it costs five cents," sue objected, "and we can't buy the balloons." "maybe uncle henry will give us some pennies when we tell him we had to spend our five cents to come to see him," bunny suggested. "maybe. all right, let's go!" hand in hand, never thinking that it was in the least wrong, bunny and sue ran for the trolley. the conductor, though perhaps he thought it strange to see two such small children traveling alone, said nothing, but helped them up the high step. often the people of wayville or bellemere would put their children on the car, and ask the conductor to look out for them, and put them off at a certain place. but no one was with bunny and sue. "we want to go to wayville, to our uncle henry's," explained the blue-eyed little boy. "all right," answered the conductor. "i'll let you off at wayville, though i don't know your uncle henry." he rang the bell twice, and off went the trolley car, carrying bunny and sue to new adventures. chapter xi lost bunny and sue leaned back in the trolley car seat, and felt very happy. they loved to ride and travel, and they did not think they were doing wrong to take a trolley ride without asking their mother or father. if they had asked, of course, mrs. brown would not have let them go alone. but that is the way matters generally went with bunny and sue. faster and faster went the trolley car. bunny looked at sue and smiled, and she smiled at him. the conductor came along the step of the car, which was an open one, to collect the fares. bunny and sue each handed him a five cent piece, and he handed them each back two pennies. "oh, i didn't know we got any change!" exclaimed bunny, in surprise "the fare to wayville is only three cents, for such little tots as you," the conductor said. "are you sure you know where you are going?" he asked. "we're going to our uncle henry's," replied bunny. "and he lives near the big, white church." "well, i can let you off there all right. now be careful, and don't lean over out of your seats. you're pretty small to be taking trolley rides alone." "we went alone in a boat the other day," bunny told the conductor, "and we got shipwrecked." "on an island in the river," added sue, so the conductor would know what her brother meant. "well, if you've been shipwrecked, i guess you are able to take a trolley ride," laughed the motorman, for bunny and sue were riding in the front seat. "hey, conductor!" called a man in the back seat of the car, "there's a dog chasing after us!" "why, so there is!" the conductor seemed much surprised as he looked back. bunny and sue stood up and also looked behind them. there, indeed, was a big shaggy dog, running after the car, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. he seemed very tired and hot. "why--why!" cried sue, "that's our dog--it's splash, and he splashed in and pulled me out of the water when i fell in, the time bunny and i were shipwrecked!" "oh, we forgot all about him, when we got on the car," bunny cried. he felt very sorry for splash. "i thought he'd come right on the car with us," sue said. "and we'd have money enough to pay his fare, too," she added, looking at the two pennies in her chubby fist. "is it three cents for dogs, too, mister?" she asked the conductor. the conductor laughed, and some of the passengers did also. then bunny, who had been looking at poor splash, racing along after the trolley car, which was now going quite fast, called out: "please stop the car, mr. conductor. we want our dog!" "but you can't take a dog on the car, my boy. it isn't allowed. i'm sorry." bunny thought for a minute. then he said: "well, if we can't bring our dog on the car, we'll get off and walk; won't we, sue?" "yes, that's what we will." "all right," agreed the conductor. "i'm sorry, for i'd like to do you the favor, but i'm not allowed." he rang the bell, and the car slowed up. splash barked joyfully, for he was very tired from running after his little friends, who went so fast and so far ahead of him. the conductor helped bunny and sue down. the car had stopped along a country road, near a patch of woods, in rather a lonesome place. "here, youngsters," went on the trolley man, while splash rushed up to bunny and sue, barking happily, "here, youngsters, take your money back. you didn't ride three cents' worth, hardly, and i'll fix it up all right with the company. you'd better take the next car back home. your dog can find his way all right." and then the car rattled off again, leaving bunny and sue, still with five cents each, standing in the road, with their dog splash. "poor fellow," said bunny, putting his arms around the shaggy neck of his pet, "you must be awful tired!" "he is," sue agreed. "we'll sit down in the shade with him, and let him rest." they found a nice place, where the grass was green, and where some trees made a shade, and near by was a spring of cool water. bunny made a little cup, from an oak leaf, and gave sue a drink. then he took some himself, and, a little later, splash lapped up some water where it ran in a tiny stream down the grassy side of the road. "now he's rested, and we can go on," sue remarked after a bit. "where shall we go, bunny--to uncle henry's?" "well, it's too far to walk, and we don't want to ride in the car, and make splash run, so maybe we'd better go back home. we can get the balloons now. the conductor was good not to take our money." "yes, i like him," and sue looked down the track on which, a good way off, could be seen the trolley car they had left. "we can walk back home," went on bunny. "it isn't far. come on, sue!" down the country road started the two children, splash following, or, now and then, running off to one side, to bark at a bird, or at a squirrel or chipmunk that bounded along the rail fence. bunny and sue thought they would have no trouble at all in going back home, but they did not know how far away it was. "all we'll have to do will be to keep along the trolley track," said bunny. "if we had my express wagon now, and a harness for splash, he could pull us." "oh, that would be fun!" sue cried. "it would be just like a little trolley car of out own. you could be the motorman and i would be the conductor." "we'll play that when we get home," her brother decided. "oh, look! what's splash barking at now?" the dog had found something beside the road, and was making quite a fuss over it. it looked like a black stone, but bunny and sue could see that it was moving, and stones do not move unless someone throws them. "oh, maybe it's a snake!" and sue hung back as bunny ran toward the dog. "snakes aren't big and round like that," her brother answered. "they're long and thin, like worms, only bigger." "oh, it's a mud-turtle!" bunny exclaimed as he came closer, "a great big mud-turtle, sue." "will he--will he bite?" "he might. he's got a head like a lobster's claw," replied bunny. "but he won't bite me 'cause i won't let him get hold of my finger." "he might bite our dog! come away, splash!" sue cried. but the dog knew better than to get too near the turtle, which really could bite very hard if he wanted to. bunny got a stick, and poked at mr. turtle, who at once pulled his head and legs up inside his shell. then he was more like a stone than ever. and, as it was not much more fan than looking at a stone, to watch the closed-up turtle, bunny and sue soon grew tired of watching the slow-moving creature. splash, too, seemed to think he was wasting time barking at such a thing, so he ran off to find something new. once more the two children walked along the road. the sun grew warmer and warmer, and finally bunny spoke, saying: "let's walk in the woods, sue. it will be cooler there." "oh, yes," agreed the little girl. "i love it in the woods." so into the cool shade they went, splash following. they found another spring of water, and drank some. they gathered flowers, and found some cones from a pine tree. with these they built two little houses, doll size. pretty soon sue said she was hungry, and bunny also admitted that he was. "we'll coon be home now," he said. "and we'll stop at mrs. redden's, and get our balloons." "then we'll have lots of fun!" cried sue, clapping her hands. but the patch of woods through which the children had started to walk was larger than they thought. there seemed to be no end to it, the trees stretching on and on. "where's home?" sue asked, after a bit. she was tired of walking. bunny stopped and looked about him. "i can't see our house from here," he said, "but it's only a little way now. i guess maybe we'd better go out on the road, sue. we can see better there." but the road, too, seemed to have disappeared. bunny and sue went this way and that, but no road could they find. they listened, but they could not hear the clanging of the trolley car gong. it was very still and quiet in the woods, except, now and then, when splash would run through the dried leaves, looking for another mud-turtle, perhaps. "i'm hungry!" sue exclaimed. "i want to go home, bunny!" "so do i," said the little fellow, "but i don't seem to know where our home is." "oh! are we--are we lost?" whispered sue. bunny nodded. "i--i guess so," he answered. chapter xii found getting lost in the woods is different from getting lost in the city. in the city, or even in a little country town, there is someone of whom you can ask the way to your house. but in the woods there is no one to talk to. bunny and sue thought of this when they had looked around through the trees, trying to find some way to, at least, get back to the road. "if i could find the trolley car tracks we'd be all right," bunny said. "we could wait for a car and ride home." "but what could we do with splash?" asked sue. "oh, he could run along after us. it isn't far, and he's had a good rest now." "well, i wish i were home," sighed the little girl. "i'm awful hungry!" bunny brown did not know what to do. he wanted to be brave, and help his sister, but he, himself, felt much like crying, and he thought he could see tears in sue's eyes. where was their home, anyhow? where were their papa and mamma and dear aunt lu? bunny felt he would give all of his five cents if he could see the house where he and sue lived. but all around them were only trees. "will we have to stay here all night?" sue wanted to know. "well, if we do, we can make believe we have a camp here, and live in the woods. and we've got splash with us." "yes, i guess i wouldn't be much afraid," agreed sue. "but it would be dark; wouldn't it, bunny?" "maybe there'd be a moon--or--or lightning bugs." "i--i'd rather have a real light," said the little girl. "and even if i'm not very much afraid in the dark, i can't stop being hungry, bunny. what do you eat when you camp in the woods?" "why--er--you eat--i guess you have to have sandwiches, or ice cream cones, or something like that." "i want a sandwich now!" sue insisted. bunny shook his head. "we can make-believe," he began. "but my hungry isn't make-believe!" cried sue. "it's real--i'm awful hungry. can't you find our house, bunny?" her brother shook his head. then, somehow or other, he decided that he must do something besides stand there in the woods. "let's look for a path and walk along it," he said. "maybe we can get home that way." there were several paths through the woods, and the children soon came to one of them. they walked along it a little way, but it came to an end in a place where the trees and bushes grew thick, making it quite dark. "our house isn't here," said sue, sadly, and she cried a few tears. "no, it isn't here," answered bunny. "we'll go back and find another path." back they went. but the next path they tried was no better than the first one. it came to an end in a swamp, in which, on logs, were a number of big frogs and turtles, that jumped, or fell in, with much spattering of water as the children and the dog came near. "i--i'm never going to take a trolley ride again," sue said, as she and bunny turned back. "i'm not, either," her brother agreed. "but if we had kept on to uncle henry's we'd have been all right. it was splash's fault that we had to come back." the dog barked, as he heard his name spoken. and then sue suddenly thought of something. "oh, bunny!" she exclaimed, "if splash knew the way home he could take us. maybe he does. mother read to us about a dog that found his way home from a long way off. splash, can you take us home?" she asked, patting the big dog on the head. splash barked, and started off on a path which the children had not yet tried. "that's so. i never thought maybe splash could show us the way," said bunny. "we'll try it! home, splash!" he cried. "home!" the dog barked again, and wagged his tail. he ran along the path a short distance, and then stopped, looking back at bunny and sue as if asking: "well, why don't you come with me if you want to get home?" "oh, bunny, i believe he does know the way!" sue cried. "come on, we'll follow him!" on ran splash, turning every now and then to look around and bark, as if telling the children not to worry--that he would lead them safely home. and he did, or, if not exactly all the way home, the faithful dog made his way out of the woods, until he came to the main road, along which ran the trolley track. "oh, now i know where we are!" cried bunny, in delight, as he saw several houses ahead of them. "why, sue, we're right on our own street. we weren't much lost!" "well, i'm glad we're found," sue said. it was easy to get home now. all the while bunny and sue had been only a little way from the road which led to their home, but the trees were so thick they could not find the right path. and splash had never thought his two little friends were anxious to get home, until bunny had told him so. then he led them. on walked bunny brown and his sister sue, happy now that they were no longer lost. splash seemed to think he had done all that was needed, for now he ran here, there, everywhere--across the road, back and forth, trying to find something with which to amuse himself. he no longer watched to see that the children followed him. he must have known that they were on the right road at last--that he had led them there. bunny and sue passed mrs. redden's store. in the window were the red, blue, green, yellow and other colored toy balloons that they had set out to buy. bunny and sue still each had five cents, though it was in pennies now. "let's get the balloons," proposed bunny. "oh, yes; let's!" agreed sue. so they went in and bought them, letting them float in the air, high above their heads, by the strings to which the balloons were fastened. down the street came aunt lu. "well, children!" she cried. "we were just getting worried about you. mother sent me to find you. where have you been?" "we had a trolley ride," explained sue, "but splash couldn't get on the car, so we got off, and we were lost, and splash found the path for us, and i'm hungry!" "bless your heart! i should think you would be!" cried aunt lu. "come right home with me and i'll get you some jam and bread and butter." and, a little later, bunny and sue were telling of their adventure. "oh, but you must never do that again!" said their mother. "never get in the trolley cars alone again!" "we won't!" promised bunny and sue. but you just wait and see what happens. bunny brown was out in the yard, a few days after the funny trolley ride, digging a hole. bunny had heard his father talk about a queer country called china, which, mr. brown said, was right straight down on the other side of the world, so that if one could possibly dig a hole all the way through the earth, one would come to china. "i guess i'll dig a hole," thought bunny blown. "maybe i won't go all the way to china, but i'll dig a big hole, and see where it ends. i'd like some china boys to play with." a little while before bunny started to dig the hole his sister sue had been playing in the yard with her dolls. but, somehow or other, bunny forgot all about sue now. he was taking the dirt out of the hole with his sand shovel when his mother came to the door and called: "bunny, where is sue?" bunny looked up from the pile of dirt in front of him. he was standing down in the hole, throwing out the sand and the gravel, and wondering when he would get his first sight of that queer land of china. "why, mother," the little fellow answered, "sue was here just now. maybe she has gone down to show wango her new doll." "oh, no, sue wouldn't go down there alone, bunny. see if you can find her." bunny went to the front gate and looked up and down the street. "i don't see her, mother," he called back. "oh, dear! i wonder where she can be?" said mrs. brown. "i'll find her," bunny said. "come on, splash!" he called to his dog. "we're going to find sue; she's lost!" "wait! wait! come back!" cried mrs. brown. "don't you run off and get lost again, bunny! i'll go with you, and we'll both find little sister." chapter xiii sue and the goat bunny brown and his mother walked out of the front yard to the street. as they passed the side dining room window, aunt lu saw them, and asked: "where are you going?" "to look for sue," explained mrs. brown. "she seems to have wandered off somewhere all by herself, and i don't want her lost again. it isn't so bad when bunny and sue both get lost," the mother went on, "for they can help find one another. but if sue is all alone she may get frightened." "do you really think she is lost again?" asked aunt lu. "if she is i'll come and help look for her. or, perhaps, we'd better get bunker blue." "oh, no, i really don't think she is lost," said mrs. brown. "she has, most likely, just walked down the street. bunny and i will find her." "lots of things get lost here," bunny remarked. "sue and i got lost, but we found a dog; didn't we, splash?" he asked, and the dog barked. "yes, and my lovely ring is lost, and it hasn't been found," and aunt lu looked at the finger on which used to sparkle the diamond. "i wish i could find it for you," said bunny. "but sue and i have looked everywhere." "i know you have, my dear." as bunny and his mother reached the street they saw jed winkler walking along, carrying a long chain that rattled. "oh, jed, have you seen sue?" asked mrs. brown. "she was here a while ago, but she went off by herself, and i'm afraid she's lost." "don't worry, ma'am," said the old sailor. "she's just down the street a few houses. i saw her as i came past. she's playing with sadie west, in her yard." "oh, that's all right, then!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "sue often goes there. is anyone else with her, jed?" "yes, a lot of children." "may i go down there and play, too?" asked bunny. "are there any boys there, mr. winkler?" "some. i saw charlie star and harry bentley," and the old sailor laughed as he rattled the chain. bunny did not mind playing with his sister sue, but he did not want to take part in games with too many girls, for sometimes the older boys called him "sissy." and bunny did not like that. "well, if there are other fellers there, i'll go and play," said bunny, as he started off to join sue. then he happened to think of the chain the old sailor was carrying. "what's it for?" asked the small boy. "it's a new chain for wango, my monkey," explained the sailor. "he hasn't been very well, lately, and i had the horse-doctor look him over." "that's funny," said bunny. "to have a horse-doctor for a monkey." "well, if there had been a monkey-doctor in town i'd have had him for wango," went on mr. winkler, "but as there wasn't any i had to do the next best thing. the horse-doctor said my monkey was being kept in the cage too much. "so i got this long chain, and i'm going to fasten one end of it to a collar, to go around wango's neck, and tie the other end of the chain to the porch railing, so he can't get away. then i can let wango stay outdoors when the weather is good, and he will get well. at night i will put him in his cage again." "and the chain won't let him run away," commented bunny. "that's it, little man, the chain won't let wango run away," said the sailor. "that is, i hope it won't, though he often gets out of his cage. he's quite a tricky monkey." mr. winkler went on down the street, rattling the monkey-chain, and mrs. brown, no longer worried about sue, turned back into the yard, while bunny hurried on, as fast as his little legs would take him, to sadie west's yard, where he found his sister and several of their chums having a good time. they had made a see-saw, by putting a plank over a box, and were swaying up and down on this, some children on one end of the plank and some on the other. as soon as bunny came running in the yard, sue called out: "oh, goodie! here's my brother. now he can teeter-tauter up and down. come on, bunny, you can have my place!" sue was so eager to give bunny her place, and a chance to ride, that she slid off the board suddenly. then that left too many little ones on the other end, and they went down, all at once, with a bump! sadie west was spilled off, and so was charlie star and harry bentley. they all fell in a heap, but as the green grass was long, and soft, no one was hurt. "don't do that again, sue!" called charlie, "you upset us all." "i won't," sue promised. "come on, bunny. it's your turn now." "i don't want any turn at falling," bunny said, with a laugh. once more the plank over the box swayed up and down, giving the children a ride. after a while, getting tired of that, they played in a swing and also in a hammock, having more fun. then it was dinner time, and sadie's mother told her to come in and wash before going to the table. the other children knew it must be time for their meals also, so, calling good-byes to one another, they scattered. "come over again," sadie invited them. "we will!" promised bunny. "let's go home this way, across the lot," suggested sue, as she and bunny started out. "oh, i don't want to," bunny answered. "it's quicker to go by the street, and around the corner. and i want to look in mrs. redden's window, and see what she's got new." "well, you go that way," sue agreed, "and i'll go across lots, and we'll see who gets there first." "that's just like little red riding hood and the wolf," said bunny with a laugh. sue looked quickly over her shoulder. "but there's no wolf here," bunny went on quickly. "you go ahead, sue, over the lot, and i'll go by the street." there was a large vacant lot, near where sadie west lived, and by crossing it, and going out at the far end, the brown children could reach their home. so sue started across the lot, crawling through a hole in the fence. bunny started down the street, going quite fast, for he wanted to spend a few minutes looking in the window of the toy shop, and he also wanted to get home first, ahead of sue. but he had not gone far before he heard his sister calling: "bunny! oh, bunny! oh, dear! he's coming after me!" bunny turned and ran back. looking through the fence that was built around the lot, he saw a big goat, with long horns, walking toward sue. and the little girl, who had picked a few daisies, was standing in the tall grass, too frightened to run back and crawl through the fence. "bunny! bunny! take the goat away!" sue cried. chapter xiv a little party "sue! sue! i'm coming! don't be afraid!" bunny cried this as he hurried up to the fence, through the pickets of which he could see the goat walking toward his sister. sue was screaming now. but, after he had said this, bunny did not know exactly what to do. he did not know much about goats, and this was a big one, with long, sharp horns. the goat belonged to an italian family in town, and the italian man used to ask those who owned vacant lots to let his goat go into them and eat the grass. that was how the goat happened to be in this lot. if sue had known the animal was there, she would not have taken the short cut, but would have gone, with her brother, along the street. "bunny! bunny!" sue cried. "he's coming closer!" bunny began to crawl through the hole in the fence as his sister had done. as he did so, he saw, lying on the ground, several stones. he picked up two, one in each fist. "i won't let him hurt you, sue!" he called, but, even as he said that, bunny did not know what he was going to do. "i wish i had a red rag," he thought, "i could wave it at the goat and maybe scare him." bunny had heard his mother read from a book how bulls and turkey gobblers do not like red rags waved at them, and bunny thought a goat was something like a bull. they both had horns, at any rate. "and if i could wave a red rag at him, maybe it would make him so mad that he'd run away and leave sue alone," thought bunny as he found himself in the vacant lot with his sister. bunny was not quite right about the red rag, so perhaps it is just as well he did not have one. for bulls run toward a red rag, instead of away from it, and perhaps goats might do the same; though i am not sure about this. but, at any rate, bunny had no red rag; and the goat, instead of running away, was coming toward sue, who was too frightened to move. she just stood there, crying: "bunny! oh, bunny! make him go away." "i will," said her brother. "go on away, you old goat you!" he cried. "go away or i'll throw a stone at you. i don't want to hurt you, but i'm not going to let you hook my sister with your horns. go on away!" but the goat only bleated, like a sheep, and came on. seeing bunny coming toward her made sue a little braver. at least she found that she could run, so she did, hiding behind her brother. "i'll take care of you," he said bravely. on came the goat. bunny's heart was beating fast. he raised one hand in which he held a stone. "look out! i'm going to throw it, you old goat!" cried the little blue-eyed boy. "whizz!" went the stone toward the goat. it struck him on the horn, and of course it did not hurt, for a goat's horns have no feeling on the outside, any more than have your finger-nails. "bounce!" went the stone off the goat's horn. the animal shook his head, as if he did not like that. "go on away!" called bunny. "i got another stone for you if you don't go!" but the goat still came on. bunny threw the second stone, but it did not hit the goat. the little boy was looking around for another stone, when he and sue heard a loud barking behind them, and up rushed splash, their big dog. "oh, good! now he'll drive the goat away!" cried sue. "oh, bunny; aren't you glad!" "that's what i am!" bunny answered. "drive him away, splash!" splash rushed, barking, at the goat, and the horned animal at once turned about and ran to the other end of the lot, kicking up his heels. splash kept on after him, barking, but not trying to bite, for the dog was gentle. "splash! splash!" called bunny. "come back! come back!" splash minded very well and back he came, quite proud, no doubt, at having driven off the goat. "hurry and get out of here!" begged sue, as she ran toward the hole in the fence. bunny turned to follow her. he looked back to see if the goat was coming, feeling not half afraid, now that splash was with them. in another minute bunny, sue and their dog were safely out in the street. the goat, at the far end of the lot, looked toward them and made his queer, bleating noise. afterward bunny brown and his sister sue learned that the goat was a very kind one, and used to playing with children. it would not have hurt sue at all, and the reason it walked up to her was because it thought she was going to feed it, as the little italian children often did. so bunny and sue had their fright for nothing, though of course, at the time, bunny thought the goat might hurt his sister. "and i'm sorry i hit him with a stone," said bunny, when, afterward, he was told how gentle the goat was. "oh, well, you didn't hurt him," said aunt lu. bunny, sue and splash were late for their dinner that day. "my! what kept you?" asked mrs. brown, as they entered the house. "i did not want you to stay so long away." "it was the goat that made me," sue said, and then she and bunny told of their adventure. "well, of course you couldn't help that," mrs. brown said with a smile. "something new always seems to be happening to you children. now wash and come to your meal." there were jam tarts for dessert that day, and as bunny ate his, the raspberry jam coming up through the three small holes in the top crust, the little fellow said: "these are so good! who made them?" "aunt lu did," answered his mother. '"aren't they nice?" "lovely!" murmured sue. "may i have another, mother?" "i think so, as they are small." "and i want one!" bunny exclaimed. "they taste just like--just like a play-party!" he finished. "so they do!" cried sue. "i was trying to think what it was they tasted like--but it's a party!" "what a queer way for jam tarts to taste!" laughed aunt lu. "but i am glad you like them. i'll make some more some day." "oh, fine!" exclaimed bunny. "and oh, mother! maybe we could have one!" his eyes were shining brightly. "have one what?" asked mrs. brown. "why, one party," bunny replied. "could sue and i have a little party, and would aunt lu bake some jam tarts for us?" "i'll bake the tarts, if your mother wants you to have the party," aunt lu answered. mrs. brown thought for a moment. "well," she said slowly, "i suppose you could have a little party. not a very big one, as i am so busy. just a few of your friends to eat on the lawn under the trees." "oh, that would be lovely!" sue cried. "and we'll have some boys, and not all girls!" bunny declared. "half girls and half boys," aunt lu suggested. "and i'll make half jam tarts and half jelly ones, so they may take their choice." "and i'll bake a cake for splash!" exclaimed sue. "he likes cake. we might give the party for him," she went on. "that would be fun!" "and they could all bring our dog presents--bones and things like that," laughed bunny. and so it was decided. the party would be for splash, though of course he would not be allowed to eat all the good things. bunny brown and his sister sue wanted those for themselves and their playmates. the next day bunny and sue went around to the different houses, where their little friends lived, and each one was asked to come to the party. "oh, i'm so glad you asked me!" cried sadie west, when sue told about the fun they would have. "i want you more than anyone," was sue's reply. "and how funny to have the party for splash!" sadie went on. "well, dogs like nice things." "of course they do. i think it's just fine!" and sadie clapped her hands. "i'll tie a little pink ribbon on the bone i bring your dog." helen newton said she would bring splash a dog-biscuit. "you buy them in a store," she said. "papa buys them for our dog, and you can get puppy cakes, too. only of course splash is too big for a puppy cake." "you could bring him a lot of little puppy cakes, and they would be the same as one big dog-biscuit, maybe," said sue. "no, i'll bring him a regular cake, and i'll put a blue ribbon on it," decided helen, and then the little girls laughed to think what fun they would have at the party. chapter xv george watson's trick the day of the party for splash, the dog, came at last, though bunny brown and his sister sue were so anxious for the time to arrive that it seemed very long indeed. but everything comes if you wait long enough, so they say, and finally the time for the party came. "oh, what a fine day!" cried bunny, as he ran to the window on the morning of the day of the party. "the sun is shining, sue!" "that's good," answered his sister from her room. "a party is no fun in the rain." "and there's wind enough to fly the kites," went on bunny. he and some of his little boy friends had talked over what they would do at the party. "the girls will want to play with their dolls," said harry bentley. "well, we don't want to do that," observed charlie star. "what can we do?" "we can make kites, and fly 'em," bunny said, and so this was what he and the boys at the party would do while the girls were playing with their dolls. so bunny was now glad to notice, as he looked from the window, that the wind was blowing; not too hard, but enough to fly kites. the two children were soon dressed, and down at the breakfast table. but they did not eat as much as usual, and bunny left more than half his oatmeal in his dish. "why, bunny! what is the matter?" asked his mother. "i guess they are thinking so much about the party that they can't eat as they ought," aunt lu said. "oh, but that isn't right!" mother brown exclaimed. "come, bunny--sue, eat a nice breakfast, and then you may fix up the lawn in any way you like for your party." "i've a big bow for splash's neck," said sue. "and i'm going to make a harness, and hitch him up to the express wagon, so he can pull us around the yard," remarked bunny. "now please eat your breakfast!" begged their mother, and bunny and sue did their best. but it was hard work not to talk or think about their party. aunt lu helped them get the lawn in readiness. all about the brown house was a big grass plot, and in the back were a number of shade trees. the tables, which were made from boxes, with boards across the top, were to be set out there. there were to be sandwiches, cake, lemonade and ice cream, with aunt lu's lovely jam and jelly tarts besides. "it was the tarts that made us think about the party, so of course we want them," announced sue. splash, the dog, seemed quite proud of the big bow that sue tied on his neck, to make him look pretty. but splash did not care so much for the harness that bunny made. the little boy took some ropes and straps, and tied them about the dog's neck and front legs. then some ends of the ropes were made fast to the little express wagon, and bunny got in it, calling to splash to "giddap!" that was the way grandpa brown made his horses go, and so, of course, a dog ought to go when you said that to him. splash went all right, but just as when bunny had hitched him to the boat, that was stuck on the island, the harness was not strong enough, and it broke, so that splash ran off, with the straps and ropes dangling from him. "i guess i'm too heavy for him to pull," said bunny, as he got out of the wagon. "you could have one of my dolls to ride in the wagon," offered sue. "take an old one, and i don't care if she falls out. she wouldn't be too heavy for splash to pull." "i'll try it," bunny said. once again he tied the ropes about splash, and the little express wagon, and this time, when bunny walked along beside the dog, splash really did pull the wagon along, giving the doll a ride. but bunny did not think this was much fun. he wanted to ride in the wagon himself. "i'm going to make a big, strong harness," he said, and off he went to look for more rope. "well, i'm going to get the tables ready," sue said. "i'm going to pick some flowers for them." aunt lu, with the help of the cook, had made the wooden tables, which were boards over boxes. white cloths were now spread on them, for it was nearly time for the party. the things to eat would not be set out until the party guests came. sue loved flowers, and she picked them from the fields and woods whenever she saw any to gather. not far from the brown home, in fact in the next lot to the lawn, was a field in which grew daisies, buttercups, clover and other wild flowers. sue picked many of these, and then she and aunt lu put them in pitchers and vases of water, and set them on the tables. there were two tables, one for the girls and one for the boys. bunny had asked that this be done. "'cause the girls will bring their dolls to the table," he said, "and we fellows don't want to eat with a lot of dolls." "oh, you funny boy!" laughed his mother, but she had let him have his way. so aunt lu and sue had two tables to decorate with flowers. while they were doing this bunny was trying to make another harness for splash, so the dog could pull the express wagon with the little boy in it. but bunny did not have very good luck, or else splash pulled too strongly, for one harness after another broke, until bunny gave up. "i'll save my money and buy a harness at the store," he said. "there, i think we have flowers enough, sue!" exclaimed her aunt, as she looked at the tables. indeed they were very pretty, and they would look even better when the dishes, and the good things to eat, were put on. "isn't it 'most time?" asked bunny, after a bit. "i'm getting hungry." "oh, you must wait for the company," his mother told him. "they will soon be here." and, a little later, sadie west and helen newton came. when they saw how pretty the flowers looked on the table they exclaimed: "oh, how nice!" "where is splash?" asked sadie. "i've brought him a bone," and so she had, all wrapped in waxed paper from the inside of a cracker package, and on the bone, just as she had promised, was a pink ribbon. "here, splash! splash!" called bunny, who had given up trying to make his pet pull the express wagon. the dog came running up from the far end of the yard. "see what sadie has brought for your party!" laughed bunny. splash took the bone, but the ends of the ribbon got up his nose and he sneezed in the queerest way, which made the children laugh. "i guess splash doesn't like too much style," said sadie, who was older than bunny and sue. "i wonder how he'll like my dog-biscuit," remarked helen newton, as she unwrapped it from the paper. "i put a red bow on it. do you like red better than pink, splash?" the dog, who was gnawing the bone sadie had brought him, looked up and wagged his tail. he must have thought it was fine to have so many good things to eat, even though he did not understand about the party. he sniffed at the dog-biscuit, which is a sort of cake, with ground-up meat, and other good things in it that dogs like. then splash would gnaw a little on the bone, and, afterward, nibble at the hard biscuit. "well, splash is enjoying himself anyhow," said aunt lu, as she came out to begin setting the tables. soon after this a number of the boys and girls came. there were ten girls and six boys, though ten boys had been invited. but though all the girls came to the party given for splash, all the boys did not. it often is that way at parties; isn't it? more girls than boys. but the boys don't know what fun they sometimes miss. "play some games, children," said mrs. brown. "run about and play, and then it will be time to eat. aunt lu and i will put on the cake, and other goodies." "let's play tag!" said sue. "and after that hide-and-go-to-seek," bunny called. "and puss-in-the-corner," added sadie west. one after the other they played the games, running about on the grassy lawn, and having great fun. splash dug a hole and hid his bone, after gnawing on it as long as he cared to. he ate all the dog-biscuit, and then bunny got a ball which splash would run after when it was thrown. bunny and his boy friends played the ball game with the dog, while the girls, after having tired themselves with the lively games, like tag, brought out their dolls and dressed and undressed them. "when are we going to fly the kites?" asked charlie star. "we can do it now," bunny answered. each boy had made himself a kite, which he brought with him. bunny got his from the house, and, going to an open place, where the trees would not catch the strings, the boys put up their air-toys. the wind was good, as bunny had said, and soon there were six kites floating in the air. that is there were six for a time, and then bunny's string broke, and away flew his kite. "oh, dear!" he cried. "that's too bad!" exclaimed charlie star. "come on, boys, we'll haul down our kites and chase after bunny's!" they were just going to do this when mrs. brown came out to say that it was time to eat. "you can look for the kite, afterward," she said; "if you go now all the ice cream may melt, as we have taken it out of the freezer." of course the boys did not want anything like that to happen, so they said they would wait. down they sat at the tables, the boys at theirs and the girls at the one made ready for them. aunt lu, mrs. brown and the cook passed the good things, and, for a time, there was not much talking done. the children were too busy eating. "don't forget aunt lu's jam and jelly tarts!" called out bunny. "they're fine!" and when they had been passed around, all the guests at the party said bunny was right, and that the tarts were just fine! "i'm so glad you like them," said aunt lu, very much pleased. bunny wanted to give a punch and judy show, with sue, after the meal was over. he said he could wear the big, hollow lobster claw, and make himself look very funny. "but i think i wouldn't--not now," his mother remarked. "you would have to build a little booth, or place for you and sue to get inside of, and we haven't time for that. just play some easy games." "all right," agreed bunny. aunt lu had all the children sit in a ring on the grass while she told them a story. and it was just after the story was finished that george watson played his trick. george had not been invited to the party, because he was too old, mrs. brown said. perhaps this had made george rather angry. at any rate, when the children were thanking aunt lu for the nice story she had told them, there was suddenly tossed over the fence, right into the midst of them, a paste-board shoe box. it fell near bunny's feet, and he jumped back, he was so startled. "who threw that?" bunny asked. "george watson did," said charlie star. "i saw him walk up along the fence, and throw it over." "what is it?" asked sue. "maybe it's a present for splash," suggested sadie. "george watson would rather pull splash's tail, than give him a present," declared bunny. and indeed george often played rather mean tricks on animals, and little children. "open the box, and see what's in it," suggested helen newton. "i'll open it," offered bunny. the cover of the box was tied on, but bunny slipped off the string. as he lifted the cover, sue, who stood behind her brother, looking over his shoulder, exclaimed: "oh, it's alive! it's alive! look out, bunny! there's something alive in that box, and it might bite you!" chapter xvi the lemonade stand bunny brown tried to clap the cover quickly back on the box, but he did not quite do it. it went on crooked, and when charlie star tried to help he only made it worse, so that the cover went spinning to one side. suddenly some little green animals began hopping from the box. out they hopped, and then they began jumping in all directions, among the little boys and girls. "oh! oh! oh!" screamed the girls, as they started to run. some of the boys--the smaller ones--also ran, but they did not scream. bunny brown and charlie star were the only boys who did not run. "oh, bunny! what is it? what are they?" cried sue, looking over her shoulder as she ran toward the house. "it's snakes! i saw 'em! big green snakes," insisted sadie west. "oh, what a mean boy george is, to scare us so!" said helen. then bunny brown laughed, and so did charlie. hearing this the girls stopped screaming, and the boys stopped running. "what is it?" asked sue again. "did they bite you, bunny?" "nope," he answered, still laughing, "they can't bite me!" "why not?" his sister wanted to know. "'cause they're only frogs. they won't hurt anybody!" and that is what was in the box that george had tossed over the fence into the midst of the party-guests--a box of big, green frogs that he had caught at the mill pond. george wanted to scare bunny and sue for not asking him to their dog's party. but the little scare was soon over, and the children only laughed at the frogs. the green hoppers jumped this way and that, through the grass, and bunny and his friends did not try to catch them. "they're looking for water," bunny said. splash saw that something queer was going on, and he ran up to see what it was. he barked at some of the frogs, as they hopped through the grass, but did not try to bite them. "and to think george fooled us with frogs," laughed charlie. "when i see him i'll tell him we just like frogs, and they didn't scare us a bit." "i thought they were snakes, at first," sue said. "that's why i ran away." "it was not a very nice trick," said aunt lu. "but still it did no harm. now for another game, and i think there are a few more tarts left." "oh, goodie!" cried the children. there were enough tarts for each one to have another, and, when they had been passed around, after a lively game of puss-in-the-corner, the party was over. everyone said he had had a fine time, and when bunny brown and his sister sue asked their guests to come again, each one said: "i surely will!" "i guess everybody would be glad to come to another party like it," said sadie west to helen newton, as they walked home together. "i'm sure of it," answered helen. "and wasn't splash nice!" "yes, he's a lovely dog. i wish i had one i could have a party for." "you could give a party for your cat, some day," said helen. "oh, so i could! and i will, too--maybe next week. i wish sue's aunt lu would bake some tarts for me." "maybe she will." "i wonder if it would be polite to ask her?" inquired sadie. "i'll speak to mother about it." "well, did you like your party, splash?" asked bunny, as he patted the shaggy dog on the head, when all the little guests had gone. splash did not say anything, of course. but he wagged his tail, and walked over to where he had buried the bone sadie had brought him. so i guess splash did like the party as much as did the children. and he had several good things to eat, which, after all, is what most parties are for. one day aunt lu read a story from a magazine to bunny and sue. it told about some boys who, on a warm day, set up a lemonade stand under a shady tree, in front of their house, and sold lemonade at a penny a glass. the money they made they sent to a church society, that took poor children out of the hot city to the cool country for a week or so. sue noticed that bunny was very quiet after aunt lu had read the story, and, as the two children went out into the yard, the little girl asked: "what are you thinking about, bunny?" "lemonade," he answered. "were you thinking you'd like some? 'cause i would." "well, i would like some to drink," bunny admitted, "but i was thinking we could make a stand, and sell lemonade ourselves. i could fix up a box for a stand, and i could squeeze the lemons." "i'd put the sugar in," sue said. she was always willing to help. "but where would we get the ice and the lemons and the sugar?" "oh, mother would give them to us. i'm going to ask her." "and what would we do with the money, bunny?" the little fellow thought for a minute. there was in his town no church society, such as aunt lu had read about. the money made from selling lemonade must go to the poor, bunny was sure of that. all at once his eyes grew bright. "we could give all the money to old miss hollyhock!" he said. "she is terribly poor." "old miss hollyhock," as she was called, was an aged woman who lived in a little house down near the fish dock. her husband had been a soldier, and when he died the old lady was given money from the government--a pension, it was called. still she was very poor, and she was called "old miss hollyhock," because she had so many of those old-fashioned hollyhock flowers in her garden. her real name was mrs. borden. "we could give the money to her," bunny said. "oh, yes!" sue agreed. "she needs it." "then we'll have a lemonade stand," decided bunny. mrs. brown said she did not mind if bunny and sue did this. a number of the children in bellemere had done this, at different times, and some of the larger boys and girls had made even as much as five dollars, giving the money to the church, or to the sunday school. "of course you won't make as much as that, bunny," his mother said, "but you may take in a few pennies, and it won't do you any harm to sit in the shade and sell lemonade." "will you buy some?" asked sue. "oh, i guess so," mrs. brown answered, smiling. so she gave the children the ice, sugar and lemons, and they made a big pitcher of lemonade. bunny set up a box under a tree in front of the house, covering the box with a clean white cloth. then with the pitcher and glasses on a serving tray, he and sue were ready for business. "lemonade! lemonade!" they called, just as had done the children in the story. "lemonade, in the shade, nice and cold, just fresh made!" one man did stop and buy some. "my, that's good!" he said, as he finished the glass. "how much is it?" "a penny," bunny said. "oh, only a penny? why, that glass of lemonade was worth five cents anywhere! it was just sweet enough, and just cold enough. here!" and the man laid a five cent piece down on the stand and walked off. "oh, isn't that good!" cried bunny, his eyes fairly dancing with joy as he looked at sue. "it's just fine!" she answered. "what a lot of money!" but few were as generous as the kind man, and most of those who drank at the lemonade stand just laid down pennies. bunny and sue had taken in quite a few pennies, and the pitcher was nearly empty of lemonade. "i'll go in and make more as soon as we sell it all," bunny said. "we'll have a lot of money for old miss hollyhock," observed sue. "she will be rich, then, won't she, bunny?" "i guess sixteen cents isn't rich. but we did better than i thought we would. oh, look!" suddenly cried bunny. "there's a dog, and some one has tied a tin can to his tail!" down the street, yelping and barking, came a small yellow dog, and, bounding after him, bumping about and scaring him, was a big, empty tin can, tied to the dog's tail. "oh, bunny!" cried sue, "he's coming right here. he'll upset our lemonade stand!" "that's what he will," bunny agreed. "hi, there! stop! go the other way! shoo!" he cried, waving his arms at the dog, while sue took up the nearly empty lemonade pitcher. on came the frightened dog, straight for the stand and the two children. chapter xvii the moving pictures "oh, bunny! bunny! what are we going to do?" cried his sister sue. bunny swallowed a sort of lump in his throat that always seemed to come when he was a bit frightened. then he looked around. next he glanced at sue. "get under the box, sue!" he cried. "then the dog can't get you!" "but what will you do?" asked the little girl. "i don't want you to get hurt, bunny." "i--i won't be afraid," said the little boy. "i--i'll pour lemonade on the dog, and that will make him run away." "oh--oh!" gasped sue. "throw away our good lemonade?" "we can make more," said bunny. "there's only a little left, anyhow." he reached for the pitcher. at the same time sue started to crawl under the empty box they had made into a lemonade stand. but the yelping, yellow dog, with the tin can tied to his tail, was coming faster than either bunny or sue thought. before bunny could take up the nearly empty pitcher of lemonade, or before sue could crawl under the box, the dog was upon them. right under the box the poor, frightened creature ran, thinking, i suppose, that it would be a good place to hide and get away from that terrible tin can that was pounding after him, no matter how fast he went. so into the box he ran, and i think you can guess what happened. the dog was going so fast, and the box, not being held down to the ground, was so easily pushed over, that it toppled to one side. and, as bunny brown and his sister sue were standing near the box, it fell over on them, and the lemonade pitcher upset, and the lemonade in it splashed all over the little boy and his sister. the glasses bounced off into the grass, and the dog suddenly turned a somersault, and fell on top of bunny, sue, the box and the lemonade pitcher. and that's what happened, just as you must have guessed. for a few seconds there was such a tangle of dog, lemonade, pitcher, lemonade stand, to say nothing of bunny and sue, that if any one had been there to see he would hardly have known which was the dog, and which was bunny and sue. "oh! oh! oh!" cried the little girl. "what--what's the matter?" gasped bunny. the dog howled, barked and whined, and then the box rolled to one side, and so did the now empty pitcher of lemonade. sue found herself sitting on the grass, holding what she thought was her doll, but which was really one of bunny's chubby legs. bunny lay on his back, and in his arms he held--what do you think? why the little yellow dog, to be sure! and now the dog stopped howling and barking, for he must have known that bunny and sue would be his friends, and he was not afraid any more. and that is the way they were when aunt lu and splash, the big dog, came out to see how the two little lemonade sellers were getting along. "oh my goodness!" exclaimed aunt lu. "oh my goodness! what has happened?" at first she was a bit frightened, but when she saw that sue was smiling, and that bunny was just ready to laugh, aunt lu laughed also. "well, if none of you is hurt, and nothing broken, i think this is very funny!" aunt lu exclaimed. "oh, but what a mix-up!" splash, the big dog, seemed to think so too, for he barked--not a cross, ugly bark, but a sort of laughing kind--as if, he, also, felt that it was jolly fun. then splash saw the little yellow dog in bunny's arms, and the big dog went up to him, wagging his tail, while the two sort of rubbed noses--you know the way dogs do instead of shaking hands, or paws, i suppose i should say, and right away they were friends. "oh, look! look!" sue exclaimed, now laughing herself. "i thought i had my doll, and--it's bunny's leg!" "huh! i wondered what was holding me." exclaimed the little boy. sue let go of him, and bunny got up. then he rolled the lemonade box away from sue, for it was resting partly on her, and by this time the little yellow dog (which bunny had put down) was making better friends than ever with splash. [illustration: "get under the box, sue!" he cried.] then aunt lu saw the tin can tied to the yellow dog's tail, and she cried out: "oh, what a shame! who did that?" "we didn't!" bunny answered quickly. "oh, of course not! i know you wouldn't do such a thing," returned his aunt. "here, little dog, i'll cut it off for you," and she took her scissors out of her apron pocket, for she had been sewing just before coming out to look at the lemonade stand. "i'll cut it off for you," said aunt lu. "oh, don't cut off his tail!" begged sue. "of course not!" laughed aunt lu. "i meant i'd cut off the tin can. you poor little doggie! no wonder you were frightened. and now tell me all how it happened," she went on, as she snipped, with her scissors, the string around the little yellow dog's tail. he seemed very happy to be free of the tin can. "well, it just happened--that's all," said bunny. "he ran into our lemonade stand, and upset it." "but i guess he didn't mean to," remarked sue, who had, by this time, found her real doll in the long grass. "no, he was so scared that he didn't know where he was running," decided aunt lu. "well, now i'll help you pick things up, and then you had better come to the house. haven't you sold enough lemonade for one day?" "i guess so," answered bunny. "did you lose the money?" asked sue anxiously. "where is the money we got?" "in my pocket," bunny replied. it was lucky he had put it there, or, when the box was knocked over, the pennies and five cent pieces might have been scattered in the grass and lost. but everything was all right, and not a glass was broken, for they fell in soft, grassy places. the lemonade was spilled, of course, a little of it going on bunny and sue. but they did not mind that. and, best of all, the little dog no longer had a tin can tied to his tail. "i wonder who did it?" asked sue. "oh, some bad boys, i suppose," answered her aunt. "boys who tie cans to dogs' tails don't stop to think how frightened the poor animals may get. but i'm glad this was no worse. now, little yellow dog, you had better run home, that is if you have a home." the yellow dog seemed to have some place to go. for, after he had once more rubbed noses with splash, had barked, as if saying good-bye, and had wagged his tail joyfully, away he trotted down the street. now and then he looked back, as if to thank bunny and sue, and their aunt, for what they had done for him, or perhaps he was looking to make sure the banging, dangling tin can was no longer fast to his tail. but it was not, for aunt lu had tossed it away. then she helped bunny and sue carry in the pitcher and glasses, and put away the box that had been used for a stand. "we'll sell some more lemonade to-morrow," bunny said. "yes," agreed sue. "we want to get a lot of money for poor folks." "how much did you take in?" aunt lu wanted to know. bunny gave it to her to count, as he could not go higher than ten, and there was more money than that. "why you have twenty-one cents!" aunt lu exclaimed. "that's fine, children! i'll keep it for you, and if you do get more i'll put it all together, and give it to old miss hollyhock for you." but bunny brown and his sister sue did not sell lemonade next day. one reason was because it rained, and, for another, they found something else to do. the brown house was the nicest place you could think of in which to spend a rainy day, that is the big attic was, and it was up there that bunny brown and his sister sue were always allowed to play. the day after they had had the lemonade stand the rain came down very hard. bunny and sue stood with their noses pressed flat against the window panes. "oh dear!" sighed sue. "oh dear!" sighed bunny. "tut! tut!" exclaimed their mother. "i know what that means. up to the attic with you, and play some of your games!" "oh yes!" cried bunny joyfully. "we'll play trolley car with the spinning wheel!" said sue. this was only one of the games they played. there was a big spinning wheel up in the attic. it had belonged to mrs. brown's grandmother, and in the olden days, before yarn for socks and mittens was made by machinery, it was spun on a spinning wheel. this was a big wheel, as large as one on a wagon, but not so heavy. and it went around and around, very easily. bunny and sue would sit on a trunk, spin the wheel, and make believe they were in a trolley car. they would take turns being the motorman. sometimes bunny would have that place, while sue would be the conductor, and again bunny would collect the fare and let sue spin the wheel. all that rainy day bunny and sue played in the attic, making up many new games about which i shall tell you another time. they had so much fun that they could hardly believe it when night came, and it was time to go to bed. "and maybe the sun will shine to-morrow," said bunny. it did, the rain having gone somewhere else to water the flowers and trees. the next afternoon aunt lu promised to take bunny and sue down to their father's office, on the dock. they wanted to see the fish boats come in, and aunt lu had some shopping to do. bunny and sue, nicely dressed, freshly washed and combed, went out on the front porch to wait for aunt lu. she had said she would be down as soon as she changed her dress. but bunny and sue grew tired of waiting. "let's walk on a little way," said bunny. "we can go down to the corner, and back again, and aunt lu will be down then." sue was always ready to do just what bunny said, and soon the two children, hand in hand, went walking down the street. they did not intend to go far, but something happened, as it often did with them. just beyond the corner there was a moving picture theatre, lately opened. mrs. brown and aunt lu had taken bunny and his sister there once or twice, when there was a fairy play, or something nice to see, so bunny and sue knew what the moving pictures were like. "oh, let's just go down and look at the picture posters outside," said bunny, as they stood on the corner, from where they could see the theatre. "all right," said sue quickly. in front of the moving picture place were some big boards, and on them were pasted brightly colored posters, almost like circus ones, telling about the moving pictures that were being shown inside. there was a picture of a man falling in the water, and another of a railroad train. bunny loved cars and locomotives. not thinking anything wrong, the two tots ran across the street, looking carefully up and down first, to see that no automobiles were coming. they crossed safely. a little later they were standing in front of the moving picture theatre, looking at the gay posters. "wouldn't you like to go in?" asked bunny. sue nodded her curly head. "maybe aunt lu will take us," she said. "we'll ask her," decided bunny. then they heard, from down the side street, the sound of a piano. it came from the moving picture place, and the reason bunny and sue could hear it so plainly was because the piano was near a side door, which was open to let in the fresh air. "let's go down there and listen to the music a minute," bunny said. "then we'll go back and tell aunt lu." "all right!" agreed sue. a little later the two were standing at the open, side door of the place. they could hear the piano very plainly now, and, what was more wonderful, they could look right in the theatre and see the moving pictures flashing on the white screen. "oh! oh!" murmured bunny. "look, sue." "oh! oh!" whispered sue. and then bunny had a queer idea. "we can walk right in," he said. "the door is open. i guess this is for children like us--they don't want any money. come on in, sue, and we'll see the moving pictures!" chapter xviii wango and the candy bunny brown and his sister sue walked right into the moving picture theatre. the door, as i have told you, was open, there was no one standing near to take tickets, or ask for money, and of course the children thought it was all right to go in. no one seemed to notice them, perhaps because the place was dark, except where the brilliant pictures were dancing and flashing on the white screen. and no one heard bunny and sue, for not only did they walk very softly, but just then the girl at the piano was playing loudly, and the sound filled the place. right in through the open side door walked bunny and sue, and never for a moment did they think they were doing anything wrong. i suppose, after all, it was not very wrong. bunny walked ahead, and sue followed, keeping hold of his hand. pretty soon she whispered to her brother: "bunny! bunny! i can't see very good at all here. i want to see the pictures better." "all right," bunny whispered back. "i can't see very good, either. we'll find a better place." you know you can't look at moving pictures from the side, they all seem to be twisted if you do. you must be almost in front of them, and this time bunny and sue were very much to one edge. "we'll get up real close, and right in front," bunny went on. then he saw a little pair of steps leading up to the stage, or platform; only bunny did not know it was that. he just thought if he and sue went up the steps they would be better able to see. so up he went. the screen, or big white sheet, on which the moving pictures were shown, stood back some distance from the front of the stage. and it was a real stage, with footlights and all, but it was not used for acting any more, as only moving pictures were given in that theatre now. sue followed bunny up the steps. the pictures were ever so much clearer and larger now. she was quite delighted, and so was her brother. they wandered out to the middle of the stage, paying no attention to the audience. and the people in the theatre were so interested in the picture on the screen, that, for a while, they did not see the children who had wandered into the darkened theatre by the side door. the music from the piano sounded louder and louder. the pictures became more brilliant. then suddenly bunny and sue walked right out on the stage in front of the screen, where the light from the moving picture lantern shone brightly on them. "what's that?" cried several persons. "look! why they're real children!" said others. bunny and sue could be plainly seen now, for they were exactly in the path of the strong light. there was some laughter in the audience, and then the man who was turning the crank of the moving picture machine began to understand that something was wrong. he stopped the picture film, and turned on a plain, white light, very strong and glaring, just like the headlights of an automobile. bunny and sue could hardly see, and they looked like two black shadows on the white screen. "look! look! it's part of the show!" said some persons in front. "maybe they're going to sing," said others. "or do a little act." "oh, aren't they cute!" laughed a lady. by this time the piano player had stopped making music. she knew that something was wrong. so did the moving picture man up in his little iron box, and so did the usher--that's the man who shows you where to find a seat. the usher came hurrying down the aisle. "hello, youngsters!" he called out, but he was not in the least bit cross. "where did you get in?" he asked. by this time the lights all over the place had been turned up, and bunny and sue could see the crowd, while the audience could also see them. bunny blinked and smiled, but sue was bashful, and tried to hide behind her brother. this made the people laugh still more. "how did you get in, and who is with you?" asked the usher. "we walked in the door over there," and bunny pointed to the side one. "and we came all alone. we're waiting for aunt lu." "oh, then she is coming?" "i don't guess so," bunny said. "we didn't tell her we were coming here." "well, well!" exclaimed the usher-man. "what does it all mean? did your aunt lu send you on ahead? we don't let little children in here unless some older person is with them, but--" "we just comed in," sue said. "the door was open, and we wanted to see the pictures, so we comed in; didn't we bunny?" "yes," he said. "but we'd like to sit down. we can't see good up here." "no, you are a little too close to the screen," said the usher. "well, i'd send you home if i knew where you lived, but--" "i know them!" called out a woman near the front of the theatre. "that is bunny brown and his sister sue. they live just up the street. i'll take them home." "thank you; that's very kind of you," said the man. "i guess their folks must be worrying about them. please take them home." "we don't want to go home!" exclaimed sue. "we want to see the pictures; don't we, bunny?" "yes," answered the little fellow, "but maybe we'd better go and get aunt lu." "i think so myself," laughed the usher. "you can come some other time, youngsters. but bring your aunt, or your mother, with you; and don't come in the side door. i'll have to keep some one there, if it's going to be open, or i'll have more tots walking in without paying." "come the next time, with your aunt or mother," he went on, "and i'll give you free tickets. it won't cost you even a penny!" "oh, goodie!" cried sue. she was willing to go home now, and the lady who said she knew them--who was a mrs. wakefield, and lived not far from the brown home--took bunny and sue by the hands and led them out of the theatre. the lights were turned low again, and the moving picture show went on. bunny and sue wished they could have stayed, but they were glad they could come again, as the man had invited them. as mrs. wakefield led them down the street, toward their home, they saw aunt lu running to meet them. "oh, bunny! sue!" she exclaimed. "where have you been? i've looked all over for you!" "we went to the moving pictures," said bunny. "by the side door," added sue. "and we were on the stage, and the people all laughed; didn't they bunny?" "yes, they did. and the man said we could come back for nothing, and you are to bring us. when will you, aunt lu?" "why--why i don't know what to think of it all!" their aunt exclaimed. "in a moving picture show--by the side door--on the stage--to go again for nothing--i never saw such children, never!" "well, it all happened, just that way," said mrs. wakefield, and she told how surprised she, and all the others in the theatre were to see bunny and sue wander out on the stage into the strong light. "but you musn't do it again," aunt lu said, and of course bunny and sue promised they would not. "now come on down to the fish dock, and we'll see the boats come in," bunny begged, and off they started. there was much going on at mr. brown's, dock that day. some boats were getting dressed up in new suits of sails, and others were being painted. then, too, a number of fishing boats came in, well filled with different kinds of fish. some had lobsters in them and there was one big one, with very large claws. "that one's claws are bigger than the claw you have, to play punch and judy with, bunny," said sue. "yes," agreed her brother, "but that claw is too big for my nose." "i should think so!" laughed aunt lu. "your whole little face would almost go in it, bunny. oh dear!" she went on. "i don't like lobsters as much as i used to." "why not?" asked mr. brown, who came out of his office to see his children and their aunt. "i was going to have you take one up to the house to make into salad for dinner. why don't you like lobsters any more, aunt lu?" "oh, because whenever i see them, and remember the one we had for supper the first night i came here, i think of my lost diamond ring, that i never shall find." "yes, it is too bad," agreed mr. brown. "i thought you were going to find it, bunny?" "well, sue and i looked and looked and looked," said the little fellow, "but we couldn't find it anywhere!" "yes, they have tried," said aunt lu. "but never mind, we won't talk about it." they looked into the other fishing boats, and then bunker blue came along. as he had nothing much to do just then he took aunt lu and the children for a little ride in a motor boat, that went by gasoline, the same as does an automobile. only, of course, a boat goes in the water, and an automobile runs on land. bunny and sue had a pleasant afternoon with aunt lu, and when she told their father about the children having wandered into the moving picture show, he laughed so hard that tears came into his eyes. "if this keeps on," he said, "we'll have either to keep them home all the while, or else you'll have to be with them every minute, aunt lu. you can't tell what they are going to do next." it was a day or two after this that, as bunny and sue were going down the street, to buy a little candy at mrs. redden's store, something queer happened. they each had five cents, that aunt lu had given them, but they were allowed to spend only one penny of it this day, as their mother did not wish them to eat too much candy. "i'm going to buy a lollypop--they last longer," bunny announced. "i'll get one, too," agreed sue, as they entered the toy place. the door swung open, a bell over it ringing to call mrs. redden, for she lived in rooms back of the store, where she kept house. "how are you, bunny and sue?" asked the candy-lady as she smiled at them. "i was beginning to think you had forgotten me." "oh, no," bunny said. "we'd never forget you," declared sue. "i want a lollypop and so does bunny." mrs. redden opened the glass show-case in which the candy was kept. as she reached in her hand, to take out the lollypops, bunny and sue, standing in front, saw a brown, hairy paw also put into the case. and the brown paw, which was close to mrs. redden's hand, caught up a bunch of lollypops and quickly pulled them out. "oh! oh! oh, dear!" screamed mrs. redden. "oh, what is it?" a second later a brown, furry animal jumped up from back of the counter, and scrambled from shelf to shelf, until it was on the very top one. and there the animal sat, peeling the wax paper off a lollypop. "oh, what is it? what is it?" cried mrs. redden. "oh, take it away!" bunny and sue were not a bit frightened. they looked up at the furry figure, on the top shelf of the candy store, and bunny said: "why, it's only wango, mr. winkler's monkey! i guess he broke loose from his chain." "yes, it's wango!" echoed sue. "come down, wango!" she called, for both children had often petted the queer little monkey. wango accidentally dropped one of the lollypops he held. he had so many in his paws that it was hard to hold them all. he quickly reached for the falling candy, but he accidentally hit a glass jar filled with jelly beans. it crashed down to the floor, spilling the candy beans all over. "oh! oh, dear! what a mess!" cried mrs. redden, and she ran to get the broom to drive wango away. chapter xix bunny in a queer place wango was a queer monkey in more ways than one. he liked to make mischief, or what others called mischief, though to him perhaps it was only fun. and he did not seem to like ladies. he would let boys and girls and men pet him, and make a fuss over him, but he would very seldom allow ladies to do this. miss winkler, the sister of the sailor who had brought wango from a far-off land, was one of the ladies the monkey did not like. but then she did not like wango, and perhaps he knew this. and now it seemed that wango was not going to like mrs. redden, who kept the candy shop. and it was certain that, just then, mrs. redden did not like wango; at least she did not like to have him take her candy, break the jar and scatter the jelly beans all over the shop. "get down, wango!" she cried, shaking the broom at him. "get down off that shelf right away! and give me back my lollypops!" but wango did not get down, and he did not give back the lollypops. he had dropped one, and this made him hold, all the more tightly, to the others. he was very fond of candy, wango was. "oh dear! i'm afraid of him!" exclaimed mrs. redden. "why, he won't hurt you," said bunny. "he's a good monkey. he lets me and sue pet him; don't you, wango?" "you can't pet him now," said sue, "he's too high up." "oh, but look at the funny faces he makes!" exclaimed the lady who kept the toy and candy shop. wango was certainly making very odd faces just then. but perhaps it was because he liked the taste of the lollypops. he had taken the paper off two of them, and had them both in his mouth at once, while his busy paws were peeling the wax covering off a third one. of course it was not right for wango to put two lollypops in his mouth at once; at least it would not be nice for children to do so. but perhaps monkeys are different. "come down from there! come down from that shelf!" cried mrs. redden, reaching up and trying to touch the monkey with the broom. i think she did not intend to hit him hard, and, anyhow, a blow from a broom does not hurt very much. mrs. redden thought she simply must drive wango down. he might spoil a lot of candy. and now, instead of making faces wango chattered at the candy-shop lady. oh! what a queer noise he made, showing his white teeth. "oh dear! oh dear!" mrs. redden cried. "isn't this terrible? i never had a monkey in my candy shop before. at least not one that was loose, though an italian organ grinder did come in with one once, on a string. but he was a good monkey." "wango is good, too," said bunny. "only i guess he is scared, now. come on down, wango!" called bunny, "and i'll give you a peanut." "oh, yes, he'll come down for a peanut, or maybe two peanuts!" exclaimed sue. "wango loves peanuts. have you any, mrs. redden?" "yes," answered the store-lady. "but i'm not going to give him peanuts, after all the candy he has taken and spoiled. nearly half the jelly beans will be wasted, and the glass jar is broken, and he will spoil all those lollypops, too. oh dear!" "just give him two peanuts," said bunny, "and that will make him come down. then maybe he'll give back the lollypops." "well, child, we can try it," the candy-lady said. "i can't hit him with the broom, that's sure, unless i stand on a chair, and if i do that he may reach down and pull my hair, as he did mrs. winkler's one day. i'll get the peanuts." she brought a handful from another show case, and gave them to bunny, who held them up so the monkey could see them. "come and get the nuts, wango!" bunny called. the monkey chattered, and made funny faces, but he did not come down. he seemed to like the lollypops better, and, also, his perch on the shelf, he thought, was safer than one on the floor. "what shall we do?" asked mrs. redden. "bunny, could you run down the street, and ask mr. winkler to come and take his monkey away?" "yes'm, i'll do it," the little boy answered politely. but just then something else happened. wango, trying to peel the wax paper from another lollypop, dropped a second one. he reached for it, but he did keep hold of the shelf, and, the next second down he himself fell, knocking over several more candy jars. they crashed to the floor, smashing and spilling the candy all over. wango turned a somersault, and landed lightly on his feet, close beside mrs. redden. "oh, you bad monkey! you bad monkey!" she cried. "shoo! get out of here! out of my shop!" she brushed at wango with the broom, and the lively monkey made a rush for the back door of the store, as the front one was closed. "here! don't you dare go into my kitchen!" cried mrs. redden, as she ran after the monkey. "you'll upset everything there!" wango chattered, and made funny faces. then he turned and ran back, sliding right under mrs. redden's skirts, and nearly upsetting bunny. at that moment the front door opened, and there stood jed winkler, the old sailor, who owned the monkey. "have you seen anything of wango?" began mr. winkler, but there was no need for him to ask such a question. there was wango, in plain sight, holding some lollypops in one paw, and in the other some jelly beans and coconut candies he had grabbed up from the floor. and in his mouth, with the stick-handles pointing out, were three other lollypops! "take him away! oh, take him away!" begged mrs. redden. "he will spoil all the candy in my shop!" "this is too bad!" exclaimed the sailor, "wango, behave yourself! you are a bad monkey! up with you!" wango jumped up on his master's shoulder, and hung his head. i really think he was ashamed of what he had done. "he broke loose from his new chain," said the old sailor, "and i have been looking all over for him. i am glad i have found him, and i will pay for all the candy he spoiled." "well, if you do that i can't find any fault," said the store-lady. "but he certainly gave me a great fright." "and he wouldn't even come down for peanuts," cried bunny. "wango isn't very good to-day," said mr. winkler. "i must get a stronger chain for him, i think. now i'll take him home, and, mrs. redden, when you find out how much candy he spoiled, and how many jars he broke, i will come and pay you." "all right," answered mrs. redden. then the sailor took his monkey home, and the store-lady, after she had given bunny and sue the lollypops they came for, began to clean up her place. certainly wango had upset it very much. "he must have come in the store by the back way, when i was out hanging up the clothes," said the candy-shop lady. "he hid under the counter until he saw me open the showcase for you, bunny. then he put in his paw, and grabbed the lollypops." "yes, that's what he did--i saw him," said sue, who was now taking the paper off her candy. but she did not put two in her mouth, at once, as the monkey had done. of course sue wouldn't do anything like that. bunny and sue made all the folks at home laugh, as they told of wango's funny tricks. "well, it was quite an adventure," said aunt lu, "wasn't it?" "what's an ad--adventure?" sue wanted to know. "it's something that happens," her aunt explained. "then wango must be an adventure," said bunny, "for lots happened to him." it was two days after the monkey had gotten in the candy-store that harry bentley, charlie star, sadie west and helen newton came over to play with bunny and his sister sue. "what shall we play?" asked bunny. "hide-and-go-to-seek," said sadie. the others liked this game, so they began to play it. helen covered her eyes with her arms, so she could not see where the others hid, and began counting. "when i count up to fifty, i'm coming to find you," she said, "and whoever i find first will have to blind next time, and hunt for the rest of us." off they all ran to hide. sue stooped down to hide behind a lilac bush, near "home," which was the side porch. whoever reached "home" before helen did, after she had started on her search, would be "in free." "ready or not, i'm coming!" called helen, after she had counted fifty, and she began to look for the hiding ones. "she'll not find me," said bunny brown to himself. "i'm going to hide in a funny place. she'll never find me!" and where do you think he hid? it was in a queer place--down in an empty rain-water barrel, that stood back of the house. bunny climbed up into it by standing on a box, and, once inside, he crouched down on the bottom, where anyone would have had to come very close, and look over the edge, to see him. and there bunny hid. chapter xx splash runs away "where is bunny?" "bunny! bunny brown!" "come on in! the game is over and charlie star is it. he's going to blind next time, you won't have to!" "come on in, bunny brown!" thus called helen, sue and the others who were playing the game of hide-and-go-to-seek. for bunny had not been found, and he had not run up to touch "home," and be "in free." helen had not been able to find the little fellow, so well was he hidden. "i can't think where he is," she said. "i looked all over." "but you didn't find me!" cried sue, clapping her hands in fun. "no, you were so close to me, back of the lilac bush, that i never thought of looking there," said helen. sue had run "in free," as soon as helen's back was turned. "but where is bunny?" everyone asked. "come on in!" they called. but bunny did not come. "let's all look for him," suggested charlie star. "maybe he went away off down the street, or maybe he is out in the barn." there was a barn back of the brown house, in which bunny's father kept some horses used in his business. the children often played in the barn, especially on rainy days, when they did not go up to the attic. "let's look in the barn," charlie went on. "it wasn't fair to hide out there," helen said. "that is too far away." "maybe bunny didn't," suggested sue. "well, we'll look, anyhow," went on sadie. out to the barn trooped the children, but though they looked in the haymow, and in the empty stalls (for most of the horses were out at work) no bunny could be found. then they went back to look around the house, in some of the nooks and corners near which the others had hidden. "bunny! bunny!" they called. "why don't you come in, so we can have another game? you won't have to blind." but bunny did not answer. pretty soon sue began to get a little frightened, and her playmates, too, thought it queer that they could not find bunny, and that he did not answer. "maybe we'd better tell your mother, sue," sadie said. "yes, for maybe he fell down a hole, and can't get up," suggested helen. they called once more, and looked in many other places, but bunny was not to be found. then into the house they went. "oh, mother!" cried sue, her eyes opening wide, "we can't find bunny anywhere, and he won't answer us." "can't find him!" "won't answer you!" mother brown and aunt lu spoke thus, one after the other. "we were playing hide-and-go-to-seek," explained helen, "and bunny hid himself in such a queer place that we can't find him." "maybe it's just one of his tricks," said aunt lu. "no, it can't be a trick," charlie star explained, "because bunny likes to play the game, and he doesn't have to blind this time. we've hollered that at him, but he won't come in." seeing that the children were really worried, mrs. brown and aunt lu said they would come out and help search. they looked in all the places they could think of, and called bunny's name, as did the others, but the little fellow was not found. even mrs. brown was beginning to get a little anxious now, and she was thinking of telephoning for mr. brown to come home, when bunny was suddenly found. and it was the cook who found him. the cook came out to the back door, near which stood the empty rain-water barrel, into which bunny had climbed to hide. she took from the open top a large towel which, a little while before, she had thrown over the barrel to dry, and, looking down in, she cried out: "why here he is! here's bunny now!" and so he was! curled up on the bottom of the barrel, in a little round ball, and fast asleep, was bunny brown. "oh, we never looked in there!" exclaimed sadie west. "i thought of it," said helen, "but i saw the towel spread over the top of the barrel, and i didn't see how bunny could be under it, so i didn't look." "well, he's found, anyhow," said his mother, smiling. they had all gathered around the barrel to look into it, the littler ones standing up on the box, by which bunny had climbed in. then bunny, suddenly awakened, opened his eyes and saw his mother, his aunt lu, the cook and his playmates staring down at him. "why--why what's the matter?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. "oh, bunny, we couldn't find you!" cried sue. "why, i was right here all the while," bunny answered. "i climbed in the barrel to hide." "and didn't you hear us calling that you could come in free?" asked sadie. bunny shook his head. "he was asleep," said aunt lu. "he must have fallen asleep as soon as he curled up inside the barrel. that's why he didn't hear. oh, you funny bunny boy!" and she laughed and hugged bunny, who was helped out of the barrel by his mother. "i never saw him down in there when i came to the door a while ago, and threw the cloth over the barrel," explained the cook. "i thought the barrel would be a good place to dry the towel. and to think i covered bunny up with it!" "if it hadn't been for the towel we'd have looked in the barrel ourselves," said charlie star. "i guess it was so nice and quiet and warm in the barrel that i went to sleep before i knew it," bunny remarked. "i guess you did," laughed his mother. "shall we play some more?" asked helen. "oh, yes!" cried bunny. "and i won't hide in the barrel again." so the game went on, the children hiding in different places, some of which were easily found, while others were so well hidden that it was a long while before the one who "blinded" discovered them. "now let's play tag!" cried sue, after a while. she liked this game very much, though her legs were so short that she could not run very fast, and she was often "tagged" and made "it." "no, don't play any more just now," called aunt lu, coming down to the yard where the children were. "come up on the porch. i have a little treat for you." "oh, is it ice cream?" asked bunny eagerly. "i hope it is. i'm so hot!" "you'll have to wait and see," his aunt answered, with a smile. "oh, it's just as good as ice cream!" cried sue, when she saw where her aunt had spread a little table, on the shady side of the porch. "lemonade!" murmured bunny, as he saw the big pitcher which he and sue had used at their street stand. "and tarts--jam tarts and jelly tarts!" added sue. "oh! oh! oh!" and that was the treat aunt lu had made for the children. there were two plates of tarts, one with jam coming up through the three little round holes in the top crust, and others in which jelly showed. both were very good. and the cool lemonade was good also. "oh, i just love to come over to your house to play, sue!" said sadie west. "so do i!" chorused the other children. "we do have such good times!" added charlie star. "and such good things to eat," came from harry bentley. "those tarts are--awful good!" and he sighed. "would you like another?" asked aunt lu, with a laugh in her eyes and a smile on her lips. "if you please," answered harry, as he passed his plate. then, after the children had rested, they played more games, until it was time to go home. one day, when bunker blue came to the brown home, to bring up some fish mr. brown had sent, bunny, who was out in the yard with splash, the big shaggy dog, said to the red-haired youth: "bunker, you know lots of things; don't you?" "well, i wouldn't want to say that, bunny. there's lots and lots of things i don't know." "but you can sail a boat; can't you?" "oh, yes, i can do that," "well, i wish i could. and do you know how to make a dog harness, bunker? do you know how to harness up a dog so he could pull an express wagon?" "yes, i guess i know how to do that, bunny." "then i wish you'd harness splash to my wagon," bunny went on. "i've tried and tried, and i can't do it. the harness breaks all the while, and when i put the handle of the wagon between splash's legs he falls down--it trips him up." "of course," bunker said. "you ought to have two handles to the wagon, and splash could stand in between them, just as a horse is hitched to a wagon." "oh, could you fix my wagon that way, bunker?" "i might, if your mother said it was all right." "i'll ask her. and will you make me a harness for splash?" "i'll try, bunny." mrs. brown said she did not mind if bunker fixed the wagon and made a harness so bunny could hitch splash to the express wagon, for the big dog was kind and gentle. "oh, what fun sue and i will have!" cried bunny. "we'll get lots of rides in the wagon." it did not take bunker long to make two handles, or "shafts," as they are called, for bunny's wagon. then he made a harness for the dog--a harness strong enough not to break. one day, when all was finished, splash was hitched to the wagon, and bunny was given the reins. they went around the neck of splash, for of course you can not put in a dog's mouth an iron bit, as you can in that of a horse. bunny found that he could guide his dog from one side to the other by pulling on either the right or left rein. and splash did not seem to mind pulling the wagon with bunny in it. he went around the yard very nicely. "oh, give me a ride, bunny!" begged sue, who came in just then from having been down to sadie west's house, having a dolls' party. "yes, i'll give you a ride, sue," bunny said. "get in! whoa, splash!" he called. the dog did not "whoa" very well, but finally he stopped, and sue got in the wagon, sitting behind bunny. they drove around the yard for a while, and then sue said: "oh, bunny, let's go out on the sidewalk, where it's nice and smooth. it will be easier for splash to pull us then." bunny thought this would be fun, so he guided the dog out through the gate. the wagon did go more smoothly on the sidewalk, and splash trotted a little faster. "oh, this is fun!" cried bunny. "i like it!" laughed sue, who had her arms around bunny's waist, so she would not fall out backwards. they had not gone very far before sue cried: "oh, bunny! look! there's that yellow dog--the one that had the tin can tied to his tail--the one that upset our lemonade stand!" "so it is!" said bunny. and, just at that moment, splash also saw the yellow dog. with a bark and a wag of his tail, splash gave a big jump, nearly throwing bunny and sue out of the wagon. then the big dog began to run after the little one. "whoa! whoa!" cried bunny, pulling on the reins. but splash would not stop. faster and faster he ran. he only wanted to see his little yellow dog friend again, and rub noses with him. but i guess the yellow dog was frightened when he saw the express wagon, with the two children in it, following after splash. maybe the yellow dog thought the wagon was tied to the tail of splash, as the tin can had once been to his own. and maybe the little yellow dog thought some one would now tie an express wagon to his tail. at any rate he ran on faster and faster, and splash, who just wanted to speak to him, in dog language, ran on faster too. "bumpity-bump-bump!" went the wagon with bunny and sue in it. "whoa! whoa!" called bunny. but splash would not stop. he was running away, but he did not mean to. he just wanted to catch up to the little yellow dog who was running on ahead. chapter xxi how sue found the eggs "oh, bunny! can't you make him stop?" cried sue, as she clung with her arms about her brother's waist, while the wagon swayed from side to side. "i--i'm trying to," answered bunny, pulling as hard as he could on the reins. "but he won't stop. whoa! whoa!" and bunny called as loudly as he could. down the street splash kept running. he was getting nearer to the little yellow dog, for this dog had only short legs, and splash had long ones, and, of course, anyone with long legs can run faster than anyone with short legs. "i--i'm going to fall out!" sue cried. "i--i'm slipping, bunny! i'm falling!" "hold on! hold on tight!" bunny begged his sister, for the wagon was going very fast, and he knew if she fell out on the hard sidewalk she would get a hard bump. sue clasped her arms as tightly as she could about her brother's waist, but her arms were short, and bunny was rather fat, so it was not easy for her to hold fast. still she did her best. several persons on the other side of the street saw bunny and sue having a fast ride in the toy express wagon, drawn by the big dog, but they did not think the brown children were in a runaway, which is just what they were. "my! what fun bunny brown and his sister sue are having!" said one man, as he watched the express wagon bump along. "yes, they always seem to be having good times," replied a lady. if they had only known it was a runaway, they might have run across the street and stopped splash from going so fast. on and on went the big dog. he was almost up to the yellow one now, and the yellow dog began to yelp. perhaps he thought he was going to be caught and hurt. or maybe he feared bunny or sue would try to make him pull the big wagon, with them in it. but of course they wouldn't think of such a thing, and as for splash, i have told you that all he wanted to do was to rub noses with his little yellow friend. as the wagon rumbled past the house where lived mr. jed winkler, the old sailor, who owned wango, the monkey, came out to the front gate. i mean mr. winkler came out, not wango, for he had been tightly chained, after the fun he had had in mrs. redden's candy shop. "my! what a fine ride you are having!" called mr. winkler. "oh! it's not a nice ride at all!" answered sue. "we're being runned away with! please stop splash!" "goodness me!" exclaimed mr. winkler. "a runaway! well, i must stop it, of course!" out he ran from his yard to race after splash, but there was no need for the old sailor to catch the big dog. for, just then, the little yellow dog stumbled, and turned a somersault. and before he could pick himself up, and run on again, splash had caught up to him. now, this was all that splash wanted to do--catch up to the yellow dog and rub noses with him. and as soon as splash saw that the little dog had stopped, splash stopped also. but he stopped so suddenly that the wagon almost ran up on his back. it turned around, and then it went over on one side, so that bunny and sue were spilled out. but they fell on some soft grass, so they were not hurt a bit, though sue's dress was stained. and as soon as the little yellow dog found that he was not going to be hurt, but that splash was just going to be friends with him, why the two animals just sat down in the grass find rubbed noses and, i suppose, talked to each other in dog language, if there is any such thing. bunny helped sue get up, and then mr. winkler came running along. he could not go very fast, for he was aged, and he was a little lame, because of rheumatism, from having been out so many cold and wet nights when he was a sailor on a ship. "well, well, youngsters!" exclaimed mr. winkler. "you had quite a spill; didn't you?" "but we didn't get hurt," said bunny, who was looking at the wagon and harness to see that it was not broken. everything seemed to be all right. "we're not hurt a bit," bunny laughed. "well, i'm glad of that," went on mr. winkler, as he helped bunny put the wagon right side up and straight once more. "how did it happen?" "splash just runned away," replied sue, "he runned after the yellow dog." "and he caught him all right," laughed mr. winkler. "but they seem to be great friends now. who made your harness, bunny?" "bunker blue did. he can make lots of things." "yes, i guess he can," agreed the old sailor. "but i hope, after this, that splash won't run away with you when you go for a ride." "well, it didn't hurt much, to fall out," laughed bunny. "now we'll ride back again." splash went back very slowly. perhaps he was tired, or he may have been sorry that he had run so fast at first, and had upset the wagon. the yellow dog went off by himself, and he was glad, i guess, that he did not have to pull a wagon with two children in it. but splash seemed to enjoy it. mrs. brown and aunt lu had not seen the runaway, or they might not have wanted bunny and sue to take any more rides in the express wagon. but the two children had lots of fun the rest of the morning, riding up and down, and splash acted very nicely, stopping when bunny called "whoa!" and going on again when the little boy said, "giddap!" "oh, it's just like a real horse!" exclaimed sue, clapping her hands. "will you let me hold the lines, bunny?" "yes," answered her brother, and soon sue could drive splash almost as well as bunny could. for several days after that bunny brown and his sister sue had many good times with their dog and express wagon. they gave their playmates rides up and down the sidewalk, and never once again did splash run away. but then he did not see his friend, the little yellow dog, or he might have raced after him just as at first. when bunny and sue were eating breakfast one morning, mrs. gordon, whose husband kept the grocery store, came in to see mrs. brown. "i wonder if your children could not help me?" said mrs. gordon, as she sat down in a chair in the dining room, and fanned herself with her apron. she lived next door to the brown home. "well, bunny and sue are always glad to help," said their mother, smiling at them. "what is it you want them to do?" "do you want a ride in our express wagon, mrs. gordon?" asked bunny. "or maybe have us sell lemonade for you?" added sue. "bless your hearts! it isn't either of those things," answered mrs. gordon, with a laugh. "i just want you to help me hunt for a hen's nest. that's all." "look for a hen's nest!" exclaimed bunny. "yes," said mrs. gordon. "one of my hens has strayed off by herself and is laying her eggs in a nest i can't find. i've looked all over our yard for it, but perhaps it is in your barn," she went on to mrs. brown. "and if it is, maybe bunny and sue could find it." "oh, maybe we could!" bunny cried. "it will be fun to look!" said sue. "come on, bunny." "be careful you don't fall," their mother cautioned them, as they ran out, hardly waiting to finish their breakfast. hens, you know, often like to go quietly off by themselves, and lay their eggs in a nest that no one can find. and this is what one of mrs. gordon's hens had done. into the barn ran bunny and sue. "we'll see who'll find the nest first!" bunny shouted. "i think i shall," cried sue. and now you wait and see what happens. there were many places in the barn where a hen might lay her eggs. there were nooks under wagons, or under wheelbarrows, corners behind boxes, and any number of holes in the place where the hay for the horses was kept--the haymow, as it is called. bunny and sue looked in all the places they could think of. but they did not see a hen sitting in her hidden nest, nor did they find the white eggs she might have laid. "i guess the nest isn't here," said bunny after a while. "no, i guess not, too," echoed sue. "let's slide down the hay." the hay in the mow was quite high in one place, and low in another, like a little hill. bunny and sue could climb to the top, or high place of the hay, and slide down, for it was quite slippery. up they climbed, and down they slid, quite fast. they had done this a number of times, when finally sue said: "oh, bunny, i'm going to slide down in a new place!" she went over to one side of the hay-hill, and down she slid. and then something funny happened. there was a sort of crackling sound, and sue called out: "oh, bunny! bunny! i've found the hen's nest, and i'm right in it!" chapter xxii aunt lu is sad bunny brown quickly slid down on his side of the hay-hill. he could see his sister sue, who was sitting in a little hollow place. "what--what's the matter?" bunny asked, for sue had a funny look on her face. "i found mrs. gordon's hen's nest," answered the little girl, "and i'm right in it!" "in what?" bunny wanted to know. "in the nest. i'm sitting in it--right on the eggs, just like a hen. only," said sue, and the funny look on her face changed into a sort of smile, "only i--i've broken all the eggs!" and that is just what she had done. oh! how sue was covered with the whites and yellows of the eggs! she had slid down the haymow on a side where she and bunny did not often play, and she had slid right into the hen's nest. the children had not thought of looking there for it. but sue had found it. slowly she stood up. she and bunny looked into the nest and, just as sue had said, all the eggs were broken. "oh, it's too bad!" the little girl exclaimed. "mrs. gordon will be so sorry." "you couldn't help it," declared bunny, "you--you just slid into 'em!" "yes," went on sue. "i didn't see the nest at all, but i heard the eggs break, and there i was, sitting there on them just like a hen. oh, dear! look at my dress!" "it will wash out," said her brother. "you might go down and wade in the brook. but we couldn't, without asking mother, and then she'd see you anyhow." "oh, i'll tell her!" exclaimed sue. "we'd better go in, 'cause if egg-stuff dries on you it's awful hard to get off. aunt lu said so when she baked a cake yesterday." "well, we can come back and slide some more." "yes, after i get clean. and we'll have to tell mrs. gordon, too; won't we, bunny?" "oh, yes. but she has lots of hens and eggs, so she won't care." mrs. brown and aunt lu were much surprised when bunny brown and his sister sue came in, sue all white and yellow from the eggs. but sue's mother knew it was something that could not be helped, so she did not scold. she changed sue's dress, and then she said: "now you and bunny run over and tell mrs. gordon." when the grocery-store-keeper's wife saw bunny and sue coming over to her house she thought perhaps their mother had sent them on an errand, as mrs. brown often did. for the time mrs. gordon had forgotten about the hidden hen's nest. in fact, she had not thought that bunny and sue would really spend much time looking for it. so when sue said: "i--i found it, mrs. gordon!" mrs. gordon asked: "what did you find, sue, a penny rolling up hill?" that was the way mrs. gordon sometimes joked with bunny and sue. "no'm. i found your hen's nest, and i sat in it and broke all the eggs," said sue. "i--i'm sorry." "and i'm sorry with her," added bunny. "bless your little hearts! what's it all about?" asked mrs. gordon with a laugh. then bunny and sue told her, and she laughed harder than ever. bunny and sue smiled, for now they knew mrs. gordon did not mind about the broken eggs. "well, i'm glad you found the nest, anyhow, if you did break the eggs," said the storekeeper's wife. "maybe now my hen will not go over into your barn, but will make her nest in our coop, where she ought to make it. so it's all right, sue, and here are some cookies for you and bunny." the two children were very glad they had gone to tell mrs. gordon about the eggs, for they liked cookies. that afternoon, when sadie west, helen newton, charlie star and harry bentley came over to play with bunny and sue, they had to be shown the place in the hay where sue "found" the eggs. one of mr. brown's stable men had taken out the broken shells, for he did not want them to get in the hay that the horses ate. the inside of the eggs did not matter, for horses like them anyhow. the children saw a hen walking around on the hay, near the place where sue had slid into the eggs. "i guess that's the hen that had her nest here," said sadie. "and she is wondering where it is now," added bunny. "go on away, mrs. hen!" he exclaimed. "go lay your eggs in mrs. gordon's coop." and the hen, cackling, flew away. "let's all slide down," said charlie star. "let's slide in the hay." "oh, yes!" cried sue. "and maybe we'll find some more nests. but i don't want to slide in any if we do find some," she said. "i don't want to get this dress dirty." the children had great fun sliding down the hay-hill, but they found no more eggs. they played at this for some time, and then charlie star called: "let's go out and climb trees!" "girls can't climb trees," objected sadie. "some girls can," answered charlie. "i have a girl cousin, and she can climb a tree as good as i can. but she lives in the country," he went on. "oh, of course if a girl lives in the country she can climb a tree," helen newton said "but we live in a town. i don't want to climb trees." "i like it," said bunny brown. "i'm glad i know how to climb a tree, 'cause if a dog chased after me i could climb up, and he couldn't get me. dogs can't climb trees." "cats can," said sadie. "i saw our cat climb a tree once." "but cats don't chase after you," remarked charlie. "our cat chased a mouse once," observed sue. "can a mouse climb a tree, bunny?" "no, a mouse can't climb a tree," answered sue's brother. "but we fellows will go out and climb, though there aren't any dogs to chase us. splash won't, but he'll play tag with us." "well, if you are going to climb trees, we'll play dolls," said sue. "come on," she added to her two little girl friends. "we'll get our dolls, and have a play party." sadie and helen, who did not live far away, ran home and got their dolls. sue brought out hers, and the girls had a nice time on the shady side of the porch. mrs. brown gave them some cookies, and some crackers, which were cut in the shapes of different animals, and with these, and some lemonade in little cups, sue and her chums had lots of fun. bunny, charlie and harry went to the back yard, where there were some old apple trees, with branches very close to the ground, so they were easy to climb. bunny had often done it, and so had his two little boy friends. as they were near the trees george watson passed through the next lot, on the other side of the fence from the brown land. "i can climb trees better than any of you," george said. "if you let me come into your yard, bunny, i'll show you how to climb." "oh, don't let him in!" exclaimed charlie. "he threw the box of frogs at us the time you had your party. don't you let him in!" "no, i wouldn't, either," added harry. "oh, please!" begged george. "i won't throw any more frogs at you." "go on away!" ordered charlie. but bunny brown was kind-hearted. he had forgiven george for the trick about the frogs. and bunny wanted to learn all he could about climbing trees. "yes, you can come in, george," said sue's brother. george was very glad to do so, for he liked to play with these boys, though he was older than they were. and since his trick with the jumping frogs, in the box, george had been rather lonesome. "now i'll show you how to climb trees!" he said. "i can climb this one," declared bunny, going over to one in which he had often gone up several feet. "oh, that's an easy one," said george with a laugh. "you ought to try and climb a hard one, like this." up went george, quite high, in a larger tree. charlie and harry also each got into a bigger tree than the one bunny had picked out. and of course bunny, like any boy, wanted to do as he saw the others doing. "pooh! i can climb a big tree, too," he said. he got down from the one he had picked out, and started up another. he watched how george put first one foot on a branch and then the other foot, at the same time pulling himself up by his hands. bunny did very well until his foot slipped and went down in a hole in the tree, where the wood had rotted away, leaving a hollow place. down into this hollow, that might some day be a squirrel's nest, went bunny's foot and leg. then he cried out: "oh, i'm caught! i'm caught! my foot is fast, and i can't pull it loose!" and that was what had happened. bunny's foot had gone so deep down in the hollow place of the tree, and the hollow was so small, that the little boy's foot had become wedged fast. pull as he did, he could not get it up. "wait--i'll help you!" called george. he scrambled from his tree, and ran over to where bunny was caught. bunny could not get down, but had to stand with one foot on a branch, and the other in the hole, holding on to the trunk, or body, of the tree with both hands. "oh!" exclaimed charlie, "s'posin' he can't ever get loose!" "we could chop the tree down," said harry. but george thought he could get bunny loose easier than that. george got a box, so he could stand on it and reach up to bunny's leg without getting up in the tree himself. then george pulled and tugged away, trying to lift up bunny's foot. but it would not come. it was caught, as if in a trap, and the longer bunny stood up, pressing down on his foot, the more tightly it was wedged. "now for a good pull!" cried george, and he gave a hard tug. "ouch! you hurt!" said bunny, and george had to stop. "well, i don't know what to do," he said. "i'll have to get you loose some way. come on," he called to charlie and harry. "you get hold of his leg and we'll all pull." "then you'll hurt me more," said bunny. "go tell mamma. she will know what to do!" "yes, i guess that's best," george said. mrs. brown came running out when the three boys, who were a little frightened, told her bunny was caught in a tree. "oh, is he hanging head down?" asked aunt lu, as she hurried out after bunny's mother. "no, he's standing up, but his leg is down in a hole," said george. "we can't get him out." but mrs. brown easily set matters right. she put her hand down in the tree-hole, beside bunny's leg, the hole being big enough for this. then, with her fingers, mrs. brown unbuttoned bunny's shoe, and said: "now pull out your foot." bunny could easily do this, as it was his shoe that was caught, and not his foot. his foot was smaller than his shoe, you see. carefully he lifted his foot and leg out of he hole of the tree, and then his mother helped him to the ground. "but what about my shoe?" bunny asked, with a queer look on his face. "has my shoe got to stay in the tree, mother?" "no, i think i can get it out," said mrs. brown. once more she put her hand down in the hollow, and, now that bunny's foot was out of his shoe, it could easily be bent and twisted, so that it came loose. "there you are!" exclaimed aunt lu, as she buttoned bunny's shoe on him again, using a hairpin for a buttonhook. "now don't climb any more trees." "i'll just climb my own little tree," bunny said. "that hasn't any hole in it." and while the tree-climbing fun was going on bunny only went up his own little tree, where he was in no danger. after a time the boys became tired of this play, and when sue, sadie and helen invited them to come to the "play-party," bunny and his friends were pleased enough to come. "and we're going to have real things to eat, and not make-believe ones, bunny," said sue. "that's good!" laughed george. "i'm glad you let me play with you." the others were glad also, for george said he was sorry about the frogs, and would not play any more tricks. mrs. brown gave the girls some more cookies, and aunt lu handed out some of her nice jam and jelly tarts. then the girls set a little table, made of a box covered with paper, and the boys sat down to eat, pretending they were at a picnic. on several days after this the children had good times in the yard of bunny brown and his sister sue. it was now almost summer, and one morning aunt lu said: "well, children, this is my last week here." "oh, where are you going?" asked bunny. "back home, dear. to new york. and i want you to come and see me there. will you?" "if mamma will let us," said sue. "i'll think about it," promised mrs. brown. so aunt lu got ready to go back home. and as she walked about with bunny and sue, paying last visits to the fish dock, the river and the other nice places, aunt lu seemed sad. she looked down at the ground, and often glanced at her finger on which she had worn the diamond ring. "sue," said bunny one day, "i know what makes aunt lu so sad." "what is it?" "losing her ring. and i know a way that might make her glad, so she would smile and be happy again." "what way?" "let's give a punch and judy show for her," said bunny. "we'll get sadie and helen, and george and charlie and harry to help us. we'll give a punch and judy show!" "oh, what fun!" cried sue, clapping her hands. chapter xxiii an automobile ride bunny brown and his sister sue had often talked about giving a punch and judy show. they had often seen one, at picnics or at church sociables, and bunny knew by heart a few of the things mr. punch had to say. he did not stop to think that perhaps he could not get behind the curtain, and make the little wooden figures do the funny things they were supposed to do. and he did not know where he could get the queer little doll-like figures. "but i can do something, anyhow," said bunny, who was a very ambitious little boy. ambitious means he was always willing to try to do things, whether or not he was sure he could really do them. "what can i do?" asked sue. "i want to make aunt lu happy." "well, you can be mrs. judy part of the time," her brother answered, "and you can pull the curtains over when mr. punch has to change his clothes, and things like that. i'm going to be mr. punch." "and wear the lobster claw?" asked sue. "yes, on my nose. that's what i got it for. i can make little holes in each side, and put strings in them, and tie the lobster claw on my nose with the string around my head." "it will be fun, bunny. i wish it were time for the show now." "oh, we've got lots to do," said the little boy. "we've got to tell sadie and the rest of 'em, and we've got to get tickets, and put up a tent." "a tent!" cried sue. "where is a tent?" "that's so," admitted bunny, looking puzzled, "we haven't got a tent. but we can have the punch and judy show in our barn," he went on quickly, "and you can stand at the door and take the money, and sell tickets--that is, when you aren't being mrs. punch." "aunt lu won't have to buy a ticket, will she?" sue wanted to know. "course not!" bunny cried. "she's company. 'sides, we're making the show for her, so she won't be so sad about her ring." "i wish we could find it for her," sue sighed. "so do i," came from bunny. "but i guess we never shall. now we must go and tell sadie and helen and the others about the show." "are they going to be in it?" asked his sister. "no, they won't be mr. or mrs. punch, but we want them to buy tickets and come." "how much are tickets?" bunny thought for a moment. "we'll charge pins and money--money for the big folks, pins for children." "that will be nice," said sue, "'cause children can always get pins off their mothers' cushions, but they can't always get money. what will we do with the pins, bunny?" "sell 'em. mother will buy 'em, or maybe aunt lu will. no," he said quickly, "aunt lu is company, and we don't want her to buy pins. we'll give her all she wants for nothing." "and what will we do with the money, bunny?" "we'll give it to old miss hollyhock, same as we did the lemonade money. then she'll sure be rich." "that will be nice," sue murmured. the first thing to do was to tell the other children about the coming punch and judy show. this bunny and sue did, going to the different houses of their playmates. everyone thought the idea was just too fine for anything. "i'll lend you some of my old dresses, sue, so you can look real funny, like mrs. punch," said sadie. "and i have a red hat i got at a surprise party," said helen. "you can have that." "thanks," laughed sue. "oh, i know we'll have fun." harry and charlie said they would help bunny. "but making the box-place, like a little theatre, where mr. punch stands, is going to be hard," harry said, shaking his head. "i'll get bunker blue to help us," said bunny. "we could ask uncle tad, but we don't want any of the folks to know what it is going to be until it's time for the show." "oh, bunker can make the little theatre, all right," charlie said. "and we can help him." "george watson would like to help," suggested harry. "he has been real nice since he let the frogs loose on us." "we'll ask him, too," decided bunny. bunker blue was very glad to help the children build a punch and judy show. "and i won't tell anyone a thing about it," he promised. "we'll keep it for a surprise." bunker was just the best one bunny could have thought of to help. for bunker worked around mr. brown's boats, and could get pieces of wood, boards, nails and sail-cloth, to make a little curtain for the tiny theatre where bunny would pretend to be mr. punch. the day after bunny and sue had thought of the plan to make aunt lu not so sad, by giving a little entertainment for her, the children went out in the barn to practise. their playmates came over to help, though there was not much for them to do, since bunny and sue (and more especially bunny) were to be the "whole show." banker had not yet made the tall, narrow box, inside of which bunny was to stand, and pretend to be mr. punch, but they did not need it for practice. bunny and sue had told their mother they were going to have a "show" out in the barn, but they did not say what kind, nor tell why they wanted it. but they had to say something, so mrs. brown would let them play there, and also let them take some of their old clothes, in which to "dress-up." "have as much fun as you like," said mrs. brown, "but don't slide down in any hens' nests with eggs in them," she added to sue. "i won't, mother." bunny fixed the hollow lobster claw, with a string in a hole on either side of it, so he could tie it on his nose. bunker bored the holes for him with a knife, and cut the claw so it would fit, and when bunny put the queer red claw, shaped just like mr. punch's nose, on his face, the little boy was so funny that all his playmates laughed. then, too, when bunny talked, his voice sounded very different from what it did every day. if you will hold your nose in your hand, and talk, you will know just how bunny's voice sounded. "oh, it's too funny!" laughed sadie. "i know it is going to be a lovely show! your aunt lu will be very much surprised." when bunny practised in the barn he did not wear the lobster claw on his nose, except the first time, to see how it looked. "it's too hot to wear it all the while," he said, "and it makes me want to scratch my nose, and when i do that i can't talk. so i'll put the claw away, and i'll only wear it the day of the show." of course bunny and sue could not give a punch and judy play like the real one, which, perhaps, you have seen. they did not have the wooden figures, like dolls, to use, and they were too small to know all the things the real mr. punch says and does. but bunny knew some of them, and really, for a little boy, he did very well. at least all his playmates said so. in a few days bunker blue had the little theatre made, and as he brought it up to the brown barn in a wagon, carefully covered over, no one could see what it was. george watson had been asked to help, and he had made tickets for the play. the tickets, which george printed with some rubber type, read: fine big show by bunny brown and his sister sue in their barn five pins or five cents to come in pins are for children please come "they're fine tickets," said bunny, when george showed them to him. "i hope we sell a lot." and several persons did buy them, paying real money for them. bunny and the others said they were trying to help old miss hollyhock, which was one reason for giving the show. the other was to make aunt lu feel more happy. and when the people heard what bunny and sue planned to do, they gladly bought one ticket, and some even more. though not all of them would really go to the show. one day bunny and sue went down to mrs. redden's toy shop. she bought a ticket from them, and sue and bunny each bought a penny's worth of candy. coming out of the store, the children saw an automobile, belonging to mr. reinberg, who kept the dry-goods store. he was just getting out of the automobile. "oh, mr. reinberg, please give us a ride!" begged bunny. "all right," answered the store-keeper. "get in, and i'll give you a ride; that is if your mother will let you go," and he hurried into the post-office, which was near mrs. redden's store. "get in, sue," said bunny. "we'll have a fine ride." "oh, but he said if mamma would let us. we'll have to ask her." "well, we can ask him to ride us up to our house, and we can tell mamma, there, that we're going," said bunny. "then it will be all right." so he and sue got in the back part of the automobile, the door of which was open. the children sat up on the seat, waiting for mr. reinberg to come out of the post-office, but he stayed there for some time. bunny and sue thought it would be fun to sit down in the bottom of the car, and pretend they were in a boat. down they slipped, making a soft nest for themselves with the robes, or blankets, which they pulled from the seat. mr. reinberg came out of the post-office. he was in such a hurry that he never thought about bunny and sue's having asked him for a ride. he just shut the door of the car, took his place at the steering wheel and away he went. he did not see the children sitting down in the bottom, partly covered with the robe. for bunny and sue, just then, were pretending that it was night on their make-believe steamer, and they had "gone to bed." and there they were, being given an automobile ride, and mr. reinberg didn't know a thing about it. wasn't that funny? chapter xxiv the punch and judy show bunny brown and his sister sue, sitting down in the back part of the automobile, with the blanket around them, got through pretending they were asleep on a make-believe ship, and "woke up." they had felt the car moving, but they thought nothing of this, for they imagined mr. reinberg was taking them to their house so they might ask their mother if they could go for a ride. bunny looked at sue and said: "it takes this auto a good while to get to our house." "yes," sue agreed, "but maybe he is going around the block to give us a longer ride." "oh, maybe! that would be fun!" bunny stood up and looked over the side door of the back part of the car. he could not see his house, and, in fact, he could see no houses at all, for they were out on a country road. "why! why!" exclaimed bunny to his sister. "look, sue! we're lost again!" "lost?" "yes. we're away far off from our house. i don't know where we are; do you?" "no," and sue looked at the road along which they were moving in the automobile. "oh, bunny! are we really lost again?" sue spoke so loudly that mr. reinberg, who was at the steering wheel, turned around quickly. up to now bunny and sue had talked in such low voices, and the automobile had rattled so loudly, that the dry-goods man had not heard them. but when he did he turned quickly enough. "why, bless my heart!" he exclaimed. "you here--bunny and sue--in my automobile?" and he made the machine run slowly, so it would not make so much noise. he wanted to hear what bunny and sue would say. "you here?" he asked again. "how in the world did you come here?" "why--why," began bunny, his eyes opening wide. "you said we could have a ride, mr. reinberg. don't you remember?" "that's so. i do remember something about it," the man said. "i declare, i was so busy thinking about my store, and some post-office letters, that i forgot all about you. but i thought you were to ask your mother if you could have a ride." "why--why, we thought you would take us around to our house, in the automobile, so we could ask her," bunny said. mr. reinberg laughed. "well, well!" he cried. "this is a joke! you thought one thing and i thought another. after you spoke to me, and i went in the post-office, i supposed you had run home to ask your folks." "no," said bunny, "we didn't. we got in your auto 'cause we thought you wanted us to." "ha! ha!" laughed the dry-goods-store man. "this is very funny! and when i came out of the post-office, and didn't see anything of you, i thought your folks wouldn't let you go, as you hadn't come back." "and we were in your auto all the while!" exclaimed sue, in such a queer little voice that mr. reinberg laughed again. "and have you been in there ever since?" he asked. "yes," bunny replied. "we were playing steamboat, and we lay down to go to sleep while we went over the make-believe ocean waves. then, when we woke up, and couldn't see our house--" "or any houses," added sue. "or any houses," bunny went on, "why--why, we thought we were--" "lost!" exclaimed sue. "we don't like to be lost!" "you're not lost," mr. reinberg said, laughing again. "you're quite a way from home, though, for i have been going very fast. but i'll take care of you. now let me see what i had better do. i have to go on to wayville, and i don't want to turn around and go back with you youngsters. and if i take you with me your folks will worry. "i know what i'll do. i'll telephone back to your mother, tell her that you're with me, and that i'll take you to wayville, and bring you safely back again. how will that do?" "will you take us in the auto?" asked bunny. "of course." "oh, what fun!" cried sue. "we'll have a ride, after all, bunny." "yes," agreed her brother. "thank you, mr. reinberg." the dry-goods man found a house in which there was a telephone, and he was soon talking to mrs. brown in her home. he told her just what had happened; how, almost by accident, he had taken bunny and sue off in his automobile. then he asked if he might give them a longer ride, and bring them home later. "your mother says i may," mr. reinberg said, when he came back to the automobile, in which bunny and sue were waiting. "i'll take you on to wayville." "our uncle henry lives there," bunny told the dry-goods man. "well, i don't know that i shall have time to take you to see him, but we'll have a ride." "we 'most went to uncle henry's once," said sue. "on a trolley car, only splash couldn't come, and we had to go back and we got lost and--and--" "splash found the way home for us," finished bunny, for sue was out of breath. "well, we won't get lost this time," mr. reinberg said. "now off we go again," and away went the automobile, giving bunny and sue a fine ride. they soon reached wayville, where mr. reinberg went to see some men. bunny and sue did not have time to pay a visit to their uncle henry, but mr. reinberg bought them each an ice cream soda, so they had a fine time after all. then came a nice ride home. "well, well!" cried mrs. brown, when bunny and sue, their cheeks red from the wind, came running up the front walk. "well! well! but you youngsters do have the funniest things happen to you! to think of being taken away in an automobile!" "but we didn't mean to, mamma," protested bunny. "no, you never do," said aunt lu, smiling. "oh, bunny!" sue exclaimed a little later that day, "we didn't sell any tickets for the punch and judy show." "well, never mind," answered bunny. "i guess enough will come anyhow." you see he and sue had such a good time on the automobile ride that they forgot all about the tickets they had set out to sell. in three days more the punch and judy show would be held in the brown barn. everything was ready for it, bunny had gone over his part again and again until he did very well indeed. sue, also, was very, very good in what she did, so the other girls said. sadie west, who was older, helped sue. by this time, of course, the grown folks knew that some sort of a show was going on in the brown barn, and they had promised to come. and there were so many children who wanted to see what it was going to be like that bunny and sue did not know where they were all going to sit. "and oh! what a lot of pins we'll have," said sue, for all the children paid pins for their tickets. but bunker blue and george watson made seats by putting boards across some boxes, so no one would have to stand up. then came the day of the show. bunny was dressed up in some old clothes, and so was sue. she did not put hers on, though, until after she had helped take tickets, and sell them, at the barn door. then bunker blue took her place, and sue dressed to help bunny. bunny was inside the little theatre that bunker had made. it had a curtain that opened when bunny pulled the string. he had his funny lobster claw with him. "and am i to come in for nothing?" asked aunt lu, as she walked into the barn. "yes," said bunny, putting his head out between the curtains, for he was not all dressed yet. "the show is for you, aunt lu. so you will not feel so sad." "about your lost diamond ring," added sue. "bless your hearts! what dear children you are!" said aunt lu, and something glistened in her eyes as bright as a diamond--perhaps it was a tear--but if so it was a tear of joy. "all ready for the show now!" cried bunker. "please all sit down!" down they sat on the benches, some men and some ladies, but mostly children, friends of bunny and sue. "are you all ready, bunny?" asked bunker, going close to the little theatre. "yes, i'm all ready." "have you got your lobster claw on?" "yes. i'm going to open the curtain now." the curtain opened in the middle, and there stood bunny. you could only see down to his waist, but such a funny face as he had! the lobster claw, tied over his nose, made him look exactly like the pictures of mr. punch. bunny made a bow, and then, instead of saying some of the funny things that mr. punch in the show always says, bunny sang a little song, while bunker blue played on a mouth organ. this is what bunny sang: "this little show is for aunt lu. of course we're glad of others, too. we want to cheer, and make her glad, so she won't feel so very sad. we hope she finds her diamond ring, and this is all that i can sing!" that was what bunny sang, in his queer, "nosey" voice, to a queer little tune that bunker played on the mouth organ. and, when bunny had finished, he made a funny little bow, and said: "i didn't make up that song. bunker did!" then how everybody clapped their hands, and george watson called out: "three cheers for bunker blue!" then began the real punch and judy show--that is, as much of it as bunny and sue could manage. "i wonder where mrs. punch is?" asked bunny, twisting his head around. "here i is!" cried sue, and up she popped. she had been stooping down so she would not be seen until just the right time. "and where is the baby?" asked mr. punch, looking first on one side and then the other, of his big lobster claw nose. "here she is!" and sue held up one of her old dolls. "ah, ha! ah, ha!" said mr. punch. "she is a bad baby, and i am going to whip her!" and then, with a stick, he hit the doll until some of the sawdust came flying out. "don't do that!" begged sue. "you mustn't spoil my doll, bunny!" "i've got to do it," said bunny in a whisper. "i have to, sue, it's part of the show." but sue took her doll away from her brother. chapter xxv the lobster claw "don't, sue, don't!" begged bunny brown. "i must have the doll. you said i could take her," and he tried to pull the doll away from his sister. but sue did not want to give up even an old doll. "you mustn't knock out all her sawdust," she said. "she'll get sick." bunny did not know what to do. it seemed as if his punch and judy show would be spoiled, and he did so want to make aunt lu feel jolly about it. sue had really said, at first, that he could beat her old doll with a stick, just as mr. punch does in the real show, but now sue had changed her mind. "oh, dear!" said bunny, and he said it in such a funny way that everyone laughed again. "let him take your doll, sue dear," said her mother, from where she sat on a box in the barn. "if he spoils it i will get you a new one. it's only in fun, sue," for mrs. brown did not want to see bunny disappointed. "all right. you can take her, but don't hit her too hard," said sue. "i won't," promised her brother. and then the little show went on. mr. and mrs. punch had great times with the "baby," which was the sawdust doll. then sue stooped down, out of sight, and turned herself into a make-believe policeman, by putting on a hat, made out of black paper, with a golden star pasted on in front. george watson had made that for her. up popped sue, the pretend policeman, to make mr. punch stop hitting the sawdust doll baby. "go 'way! go 'way!" cried bunny punch, in his squeaky voice, as he tossed the doll out on the barn floor. "that's the way to do it! that's the way i do it!" then sue sang a little song, that bunker had made up for her, and he played the mouth organ. and next bunny and sue sang together. the children thought it was fine, and the grown folks clapped their hands, and stamped with their feet, which is what people do in a real theatre when they like the play. when bunny and sue made their bow, after singing the song together, they both bobbed out of sight behind the curtain. "is that--is that all?" asked tommie tracy, in his shrill little voice, from where he sat in the front row. "yep. that's all," answered bunny. "the show is over, and we hope you all like it; 'specially aunt lu." "oh, i just loved it," she answered. "and to think you got it all up for me! it was just fine!" "do it all over again!" said tommie. "i liked it too, but i want some more. do it again, bunny!" "i--i can't," bunny answered, as he came out from inside the box that bunker blue had made into a theatre. bunny had taken off his lobster claw nose, and held it dangling from the strings by which it had been tied around his head. suddenly one of the planks, across two boxes, broke, and some of the boys, who had been sitting on it, fell down in a heap. but no one was hurt. then all the children crowded around bunny and sue to look at the funny things the two children were wearing--old clothes, pinned up, and with make-believe patches on them. "let me take your funny nose, bunny," begged charlie star. "i want to see how it looks on me." bunny handed over the lobster claw, but it dropped to the barn floor, and before either he or charlie could pick it up, some one had stepped on it. "crack!" it went, for it was made of thin shell, not very strong. and there it lay in pieces on the floor. "oh, dear," cried charlie. "i've broken your nose, bunny!" "well, i'm glad it wasn't my real one," and bunny put his hand up to his face, while charlie stooped over to pick up the pieces of the lobster claw, hoping there was enough left to make a little nose for the next time. and then suddenly bunny, who was watching charlie, gave a cry, and reached for something that glittered among the pieces of the red lobster claw. "oh, look! look!" fairly shouted the little fellow. "it's aunt lu's diamond ring. it was in the lobster claw, and it came out when the claw broke. oh, aunt lu! i've found your diamond ring!" aunt lu fairly rushed over to bunny. she took from his hand the shiny, glittering thing he had picked up from the barn floor. "yes, it is my lost diamond ring!" she cried. "oh, where was it?" "down inside the lobster claw, that i had on my nose," bunny said. "only i didn't know it was there." "and no one would have known it if it had not broken," said mrs. brown. "how lucky to have found it." aunt lu slipped the diamond ring on her finger. it glittered brighter than ever. "i see how it all happened," she said. "that day when i was helping pick the meat out of the big lobster, my ring must have slipped from my hand, and fallen down inside the empty claw. it went away down to the small end, and there it was held fast, just as bunny's foot was caught in the hollow tree one day." "are you glad, aunt lu?" asked bunny. "glad? i'm more glad than i ever was in my life!" and she hugged and kissed him, and sue also. and everyone was glad aunt lu had found her ring. the show was over now, and the children and grown folks went out of the barn. they all said they had had a fine time. that night aunt lu gave bunny and sue each a dollar, for she said sue had done as much to find the ring as bunny had. "oh, what a lot of money!" cried sue, as she looked at her dollar. "we're rich now; aren't we, bunny? as rich as old miss hollyhock?" "we're richer!" answered bunny. "well, save some of your money, and when you come to new york to visit me you can spend part of it in the city," said aunt lu. "we will," promised bunny brown and his sister sue. but, before they visited aunt lu, the two children had other adventures. i will be glad to tell you about them in the next book, which will be named: "bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm." in that you may read what the two children did in the country, how they had a long automobile ride, and how they saw the gypsies. aunt lu went home the day after the punch and judy show. "did you like it?" asked bunny, as she kissed him and sue good-bye at the station. "indeed i did, my dear!" she answered. "i said we'd find your diamond ring, and we did," declared sue. "yes," agreed bunny, "but we didn't know it was in the lobster's claw." "no one would ever have dreamed of its being there," said aunt lu. "but oh! i am so glad i have it!" and then, with the diamond ring sparkling on her finger, aunt lu got on the train and rode away, waving a good-bye to bunny brown and his sister sue. and we will say good-bye, too. the end bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show by laura lee hope author of the bunny brown series, the bobbsey twins series, the outdoor girls series, etc. illustrated new york grosset & dunlap publishers [illustration: bunny began turning over and over. _bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show_. _frontispiece_ (_page 222_)] books by laura lee hope _12mo. cloth. illustrated._ =the bunny brown series= bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show =the bobbsey twins series= the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a houseboat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home the bobbsey twins in a great city the bobbsey twins on blueberry island the bobbsey twins on the deep blue sea the bobbsey twins in washington =the outdoor girls series= the outdoor girls of deepdale the outdoor girls at rainbow lake the outdoor girls in a motor car the outdoor girls in a winter camp the outdoor girls in florida the outdoor girls at ocean view the outdoor girls on pine island the outdoor girls in war service the outdoor girls at the hostess house =grosset & dunlap= publishers new york copyright, 1919, by grosset & dunlap _bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show_ contents chapter page i. "look at the skylight!" 1 ii. "let's give a show!" 13 iii. talking it over 24 iv. the climbing boy 33 v. a cold little singer 45 vi. general washington 55 vii. "down on the farm" 64 viii. the scenery 74 ix. bunny does a trick 83 x. getting ready 93 xi. the strange voice 108 xii. a surprise 116 xiii. "they're gone" 124 xiv. splash hangs on 131 xv. tickets for the show 137 xvi. upside downside bunny 145 xvii. sue's queer slide 154 xviii. mr. treadwell's wig 162 xix. uncle bill 171 xx. the dress rehearsal 181 xxi. "where is bunny?" 197 xxii. act i 206 xxiii. act ii 220 xxiv. act iii 231 xxv. the final curtain 239 bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show chapter i "look at the skylight!" with a joyful laugh, her curls dancing about her head, while her brown eyes sparkled with fun, a little girl danced through the hall and into the dining room where her brother was eating a rather late breakfast of buckwheat cakes and syrup. "oh, bunny, it's doing it! it's come! oh, won't we have fun!" cried the little girl. bunny brown looked up at his sister sue, holding a bit of syrup-covered cake on his fork. "what's come?" he asked. "has aunt lu come to visit us, or did wango, the monkey, come up on our front steps?" "no, it isn't mr. jed winkler's monkey and aunt lu didn't come, but i wish she had," answered sue. "but it's come--a lot of it, and i'm so glad! hurray!" bunny brown put down his fork and looked more carefully at his sister. "what are you playing?" he asked, thinking perhaps it was some new game. "i'm not playing anything!" declared sue. "i'm so glad it's come! now we can have some fun! just look out the window, bunny brown!" "but what has come?" asked the little boy, who was a year older than his sister sue. he was a bright chap, with merry blue eyes and they opened wide now, trying to see what sue was so excited about. "what is it?" asked bunny brown once more. "it's snow!" cried sue. "it's the first snow, and it's soon going to be thanksgiving and christmas and all like that! and we can get out our sleds, and we can go skating and make snow men and--and--and----" but she just had to stop. she was all out of breath, and she didn't seem to have any words left with which to talk to bunny. "oh! snow!" exclaimed bunny, and he said; it in such a funny way that sue laughed. just then in came her mother from the kitchen where she had been baking more cakes for her little boy. "oh, it's you, is it, sue?" asked mrs. brown. "do you want some more breakfast?" "no, thank you, mother. i had mine. i just came in to tell bunny it's snowing. and we can have a lot of fun, can't we?" "well, you children do manage to have a lot of fun, one way or another," said mrs. brown, with a smile. "is it snowing, mother?" asked bunny, too excited now to want to finish his breakfast. "yes, it really is," answered mrs. brown. "i was so busy getting enough cakes baked for you that i didn't notice the snow much. but, as sue says, it is coming down quite fast." "hurray!" cried bunny, even as sue had done. "do you think there will be lots of the snow?" "well, it looks as though there might be quite a storm for the first snow of the season," replied the mother of bunny brown and his sister sue. "it's a bit early this year, too. it's almost two weeks until thanksgiving and here it is snowing. i'm afraid we're going to have a hard winter." "with lots of snow and ice, mother?" asked bunny. "yes. and with cold weather that isn't good for poor folks." "oh, i'm glad!" cried bunny. "not about the poor folks, though," he added quickly, as he saw his mother look at him in surprise. "but i'm glad there'll be lots of ice. sue and i can go skating." "and there'll be lots of ice for ice-cream next summer," added sue. mrs. brown laughed. then, as she saw bunny racing to the window with sue, to push aside the curtains and look out at the falling white flakes, she said: "come back and finish your breakfast, bunny. i want to clear off the table." "i want to see the snow, first," replied the little boy. "anyhow, i guess i've had enough cakes." "oh, and i just brought in some nice, hot, brown ones!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "i'll help eat 'em!" offered sue, and though she had had her breakfast a little while before, she now ate part of a second one, helping her brother. it was saturday, and, as there was no school, mrs. brown had allowed both children to sleep a little later than usual. sue had been up first, and, after eating her breakfast and playing around the house, she had gone to the window to look out and wish that bunny would get up to play and have fun with her. then she had seen the first snow of the season and had run into the dining room to find her brother there eating his late meal. "may we go out in the snow and play?" asked bunny, when he had finished the last of the brown cakes and the sweet syrup. "yes, if you put on your boots and your warm coats. you don't want to get cold, you know, or you can't go to the play in the opera house this afternoon." "oh, we've got to see that!" cried bunny. "i 'most forgot; didn't you, sue?" "yes," replied the little girl, "i did. maybe it will snow so hard that they can't have the show, like once it rained so hard we couldn't play circus in the tent grandpa put up for us in the lot." "yes, it did rain hard," agreed bunny. "and it's snowing hard," he added, as he squirmed into his coat and again looked out of the window. "will it snow so hard they can't give the show, mother?" he asked. "oh, i think not," answered mrs. brown. "this play isn't going to be in a tent, you know. it's in the opera house, and they give shows there whether it rains or snows. i think you may both count on going to the show this afternoon." "oh, what fun!" cried bunny. "lots of fun!" echoed sue. then out they ran to play amid the swirling, white flakes; and it is hard to say whether they had more fun in the first snow or in thinking about the play they were to see in the opera house that afternoon. at any rate bunny brown and his sister sue certainly had fun playing out in the yard of their house and in the street in front. at first there was not snow enough to do more than make slides on the sidewalk, and the little boy and girl did this for a time. they made two long slides, and men and women coming along smiled to see the brother and sister at play. but these same men and women were careful not to step on the slippery slides made by bunny brown and his sister sue, for they did not want to slip and fall. as for bunny and sue, they did not mind whether they fell or not. half the time they were tumbling down and the other half getting up again. but they managed to do some sliding, too. "come on!" cried bunny, after a bit. "there's enough now to make snowballs!" "could we make a snow house, too?" asked his sister. "no, there isn't enough for that. but we can make snowballs and throw 'em!" "don't throw any at me!" begged sue. "'cause if you did, an' the snow went down my neck, it would melt and i'd get wet an' then i couldn't go to the show an' you'd be sorry!" this was rather a long sentence for sue, and she was a bit out of breath when she had finished. "no, i won't throw any snowballs at you," promised bunny. "oh, here come harry bentley and charlie star!" exclaimed sue. "i'll throw snowballs at them!" decided bunny. "hi!" he called to two of his boy chums. "let's throw snowballs!" "we're with you!" answered charlie. "i'm not going to play snowball fight," decided sue. "i see mary watson and sadie west. i'm going to play with them." so she trotted off to make little snow dolls with her girl friends, while bunny, with charlie and harry, threw soft snowballs at one another. the children were having such fun that it seemed only a few minutes since breakfast when mrs. brown called: "bunny! sue! come in and get washed for lunch. and you have to get dressed if you're going to the play!" "oh, we're going, sure!" exclaimed bunny. "are you?" he asked charlie and harry. "yes," they replied, and when sue ran toward her house with bunny she told her brother that sadie and mary were also going to the play that afternoon in the town opera house. "oh, we'll have a lot of fun!" cried bunny. "will it be a funny play?" he asked uncle tad, who had promised to take the two children. "well, i guess it'll be funny for you two youngsters," was the answer of the old soldier. "but i guess it isn't much of a theatrical company that would come to bellemere to give a show so near the beginning of winter. but it will be all right for boys and girls." "it's a show for the benefit of our red cross chapter," said mrs. brown. "that's why i asked you to take the children, uncle tad. i have to be with the other ladies of the committee, to help take tickets and look after things." "oh, i'll look after bunny and sue!" exclaimed uncle tad. "i'll see that they have a good time!" bunny brown and his sister sue were so excited because of the first snow storm and because of thinking of the play they were to see, that they could hardly dress. but at last they were ready, and they set off in the family automobile, which uncle tad drove. mrs. brown went along also, but mr. brown had to stay at the office. the office was at the dock where he owned a fish and boat business. it was still snowing, and the ground was now quite white, when the automobile drew up at the opera house, which was where all sorts of shows and entertainments were given in bellemere, the home of the brown family. "we can have a lot more fun in the snow to-morrow!" whispered sue, as she and her brother passed in, uncle tad handing the tickets to mrs. gordon, who smiled at them. she was one of the committee of ladies who, like mrs. brown, were helping with the entertainment. there were to be speeches by some of the men of bellemere, but what would be more enjoyable to the young folks was the performance of a number of vaudeville actors and actresses, said to come all the way from new york. "there's a jiggler who holds a cannon ball on his neck," whispered charlie star to bunny, when the brown children had found their seats, which were near those of some of their friends. "he means a juggler," said george watson. "yes, that's it--a juggler," agreed charlie. "and there are a little boy and girl who do tricks and sing," added mary watson. "i saw their pictures." "oh, it'll be lovely!" sighed sue. "i wish it would begin!" the boys, girls and grown folks were still coming in and taking their seats. the curtain hid the stage. and how the children did wonder what was going on behind that piece of painted canvas! the musicians were just beginning to "tune up," as uncle tad said. the ushers were hurrying to and fro, seating the late-comers. one of the men who worked in the opera house, sweeping it out, attending to the fires in winter, and sometimes selling tickets, got a long pole to open a skylight ventilator, to let in some fresh air. just how it happened no one seemed to know, but suddenly the long pole slipped and there was a crash and tinkle of glass. nearly every one jumped in his or her seat, and some one cried: "look at the skylight! it's going to fall!" bunny brown, his sister sue, and every one else looked up. true enough, something had gone wrong with the skylight the man had tried to open. it seemed to have slipped from its place in the frame where it was fastened in the roof, and the big window of metal and glass looked as though about to fall on the heads of the audience directly under it. "oh, bunny, let's run!" cried sue. "it's going to drop right on us!" and truly it did seem so. slowly the big skylight was slipping from its fastenings, and several in the audience screamed. chapter ii "let's give a show!" just when it seemed as if a bad accident would happen and that some one would be hurt by the fall of the roof-window, the man who had been using the long pole thrust it under the edge of the sliding skylight and held it there. then he called: "i have it! i can keep it from falling until somebody gets up on the roof and fixes it. hurry up, though!" "i'll go up and fix it!" said another usher. "guess the first snow was too heavy for the skylight! keep still, everybody!" he added. "there's no danger now!" the man had to shout to be heard above the screams of the frightened and excited people, but he made his voice carry to all parts of the opera house, and finally it became more quiet. then a man stepped from behind the curtain and stood on the front part of the stage. he held up his hand to make the people know he wanted them to be quiet, and when his voice could be heard he said: "there is no danger now. there was some, but it has passed. the man will hold the skylight in place until it can be fastened. and while he is doing that i wish those who are sitting under it would move quietly out into the aisles. don't crowd or rush. you children can pretend it is like the fire drill you have at school." "oh, we do have fire drill at our school, don't we, bunny?" cried sue, in a rather loud voice. her words carried to all parts of the theater and many laughed. this laugh was just what was needed to make the people forget their fright, and soon the place directly under the loosened skylight was clear. bunny and sue, with uncle tad and their boy and girl chums, moved out into the aisle, and soon the men began the work of fastening the skylight back in place. and you may be sure they fastened it tight. while this is being done i will take a few moments to tell my new readers something about the two brown children. as you may have guessed, there are other volumes which come before this one. the first is called "bunny brown and his sister sue." bunny and sue lived with their father and mother in a pretty house in the town of bellemere. bellemere was on the seacoast and also near a small river. mr. brown was in the boat and fish business, and he owned a dock, or wharf, on the bay and had his office there. he had many men to help, and also a big boy, who was almost a man. the big boy's name was bunker blue, and he was very good to bunny and sue. living in the same house with the browns was uncle tad. he was mr. brown's uncle, but bunny and sue thought they owned just as much of the dear old soldier as did their father. besides uncle tad, the children had other relations. they had a grandfather and a grandmother, and also an aunt, miss lulu baker, who lived in a big city. bunny and sue brown had many friends in bellemere. besides the few boys and girls i have mentioned there were many others. and there was also jed winkler, an old sailor who owned a monkey, and, lately, he had bought a green parrot from an old shipmate of his. jed winkler had a sister, a rather cross maiden lady who did not like the monkey very much. and the monkey, whose name was wango, seemed to know this, for he was always playing tricks on miss winkler. the second volume of the series is called "bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm." there, you can easily imagine, the little boy and girl had lots of fun. during their visit to the farm they got up a circus, and there is a book telling all about it. they had a real tent, which their grandfather got for them, and in it they and some of their friends gave a very funny performance. when bunny and sue went to aunt lu's city home they had many wonderful times, and when they went on a vacation to camp rest-a-while so many things happened near the beautiful lake that the children never tired talking about them. it was after the children had spent such a happy time in the camp that they went to the "big woods," as bunny and sue called them, and, after that, their father and mother took them on an auto tour, when many strange things happened. "bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony" is the name of the book just before the one you are reading now, and after many adventures with the little horse the two children planned for winter fun. going to the show in the opera house was part of this fun. it did not take very long for the man who had gone up to the roof to fix the broken skylight. the children could see him away up above their heads as they sat in the theater, or stood there, for those who had places directly under the skylight would not use the seats until the roof-window was fixed. "there! it's all right now," said the man on the stage. "there is no more danger. take your seats and the show will begin." from all over the opera house you could have heard delighted "ohs!" and "ahs!" from the children. there was a rustling of programs, a swish of skirts, several coughs, and one or two sneezes. then the fiddles squeaked, there was rumble and boom of the drums, and the orchestra played the star-spangled banner. every one stood up until the national air was ended and then the musicians began to play a dance tune which was so lively that the feet of every one, old and young, seemed to be tapping the floor. then came a pause, the lights in the opera house were turned low, and at last the curtain went up. bunny brown and his sister sue held tightly to the arms of their seats, lest they might slip out during the excitement that was to follow. and it was exciting for the children, as you may easily guess. the first act was the juggler, or the "jiggler," as one of the boys had called him. he placed a pole on his chin, and on top of the pole a glass of water. then with three balls he did a number of odd tricks. "and all the while, mind you!" exclaimed bunny, telling his father about it afterward, "the man held the water, on the pole on his chin and he didn't drop it once." "yes, that must have been wonderful," said daddy brown. "if he had dropped the pole he'd have broken the glass, wouldn't he?" "and he would have spilled the water, too!" exclaimed bunny's sister. "and it was real water!" "no!" cried mr. brown, in fun, making believe he didn't believe this. "yes it was, really!" declared sue, and bunny nodded his head also. the juggler did many other tricks, even tossing balls up into the air and letting them fall in a tall silk hat he wore. the hat had no crown to it, but it had a funny little door, or opening, cut in front, and as fast as the juggler would toss the rubber balls into his hat, they would roll out of the little door in front. my, how the children did laugh! but the juggler never even smiled. the next act was that of an old man who, on the programme, was called an "impersonator." "what's that mean?" asked bunny of uncle tad. "does he do juggles too?" "no, he dresses up like some persons you may have seen in pictures. he pretends he's general washington, or the president, or some great soldier. he tries to look as much like these persons as he can, so they call him an impersonator. watch, and you'll see." when the "impersonator" came out on the stage he did not look like any one but himself. he made a few remarks, but bunny and sue did not pay much attention. they were more interested in what he was going to do. the man, who wore a black suit, "like the minister's," as mary watson whispered to sue, suddenly stepped over to a little table, on which were two electric lights and a looking glass. the children could not see exactly what the man did. they noticed that his hands were working very quickly, but he had his back toward them. all at once his black hair seemed to turn white, and in a moment he caught up from a chair a coat of blue and gold; he slipped this on. then he turned suddenly and faced the audience. "oh, it's george washington!" cried a boy, and the audience laughed. and, to tell the truth, the man on the stage did look a great deal like our first president, as you see him in pictures. the man had put a white wig on over his black hair, and had put on the kind of coat george washington used to wear. i wish i had time to tell you all the different persons this actor made up to appear like, but i can mention only a few. from washington he turned himself into lincoln, and then into roosevelt. then he made up like some of the french and english generals, and afterward he made himself look like general grant, smoking a cigar. every one applauded as the man bowed himself off the stage. there was a thrill of excitement when the next number was announced. a little girl was shown on the stage. she did not seem much older than sue, but of course she was. she began to sing in a sweet, childish voice, and in the midst of her song a boy dressed in a suit of bright spangles suddenly appeared from the side. without a word the boy began turning handsprings and somersaults and doing flipflops in front of the girl. suddenly she stopped her song, stamped her little foot, and in pretended anger cried: "what do you mean by coming out here and spoiling my singing act?" "why, the man back there," said the boy, pointing behind the scenes, "told me to come out here and amuse the people," and he seemed, to smile right at bunny brown and sue. "he told you to come out and amuse the people, did he? well, what does he think i'm doing?" demanded the girl. "i don't know. i guess he thinks maybe you're making 'em cry!" was the boy acrobat's grinning answer. "well, i like that! the idea!" exclaimed the girl. "i'm going right back and tell him i won't sing another song in this show! the idea!" and she hurried off the stage. "oh, won't she sing any more?" whispered sue to uncle tad. "yes," answered the soldier with a smile. "that's just part of the act--to make it more interesting." "now that she is out of the way i'll have more room to do my flipflops," said the boy acrobat, and he started to do all sorts of tricks. but, just as uncle tad had said, the girl was only pretending, for pretty soon she came back again with a prettier dress on, and she danced and sang while the boy did handsprings to the delight of bunny brown, his sister sue, and all the others in the audience. i haven't room to tell you all that happened at the show that afternoon, for this story is to be about a show bunny and sue gave. but i will just say every one liked the entertainment, and when bunny was coming out, walking behind sue, he suddenly said: "i know what we can do!" "what?" asked the little girl. "let's give a show ourselves--like this!" bunny pointed toward the stage. sue looked at bunny to make sure he was not joking. then she answered and said: "we will! we'll give a show ourselves!" chapter iii talking it over one evening two or three days after the performance in the opera house, where bunny and sue had so much enjoyed the impersonator, the juggler, the boy acrobat, and the girl singer, a number of ladies called at the home of mrs. brown. as it was early bunny and sue had not yet gone to bed so they could hear the talk that went on. "i think we did very well, mrs. brown," said mrs. west, the mother of sue's playmate, sadie. "we cleared nearly two hundred dollars for our red cross chapter from the opera house show." "that's splendid!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "i didn't think we would make quite so much. but we could use still more money." "yes, if we had more money we could do more good," said mrs. bentley. "i don't suppose we could have another performance soon. the people would not come." bunny and sue, who were in another room looking at picture books, glanced at one another. then they smiled. bunny slid down off his chair, followed by sue. "shall we tell 'em?" asked bunny. "yes," nodded sue. so the two children walked slowly into the room where their mother and the other ladies were talking about the red cross society. mrs. brown was just saying something. "no," she remarked, "i hardly believe we could arrange to give another show right away. it would be too much like----" "mother!" interrupted bunny, speaking in a low voice. "yes, son!" answered mrs. brown. "but run away now, dear. mother is very busy. i'll speak to you in just a minute." "but we want to talk about the show, mother," persisted bunny. "oh, but i haven't time," said mrs. brown with a smile. "you saw the show, and that's enough. now run away, like a good boy. and you and sue must soon get ready for bed." "but it's about another show, mother!" insisted bunny. "we heard what you said, sue and i did--and we want to help you get more money." "isn't that sweet of them!" exclaimed mrs. bentley. "well, our red cross chapter certainly needs money," remarked mrs. brown, with a sigh; "but i'm afraid you can't help us any, bunny." "oh, yes we can!" said sue. "why, what are you children thinking of?" asked mrs. brown, in some surprise. "how can you help us get money for the red cross?" "by a show!" cried bunny, and he almost shouted the words he was so excited. "that's what we're going to do, mother--give a show--me and sue--i mean sue and i," he added quickly, as he saw his mother look strangely at him, for she had often told him he must learn to speak correctly. "what do the children mean?" asked mrs. newton. "i'll tell you!" went on bunny, speaking very fast, for he feared he and sue would be sent to bed before they had a chance to explain. "we thought of it after we saw the show in the opera house. we boys and girls can get up a show, and we can charge money to come in. we had a circus once, in a tent, didn't we, mother?" and bunny appealed to mrs. brown. "yes, they once gave a show in a tent at their grandpa's farm," said mrs. brown. "and it was quite good, too, for children. but i'm afraid a show like that, given in town here, wouldn't bring in much money for the red cross, my dears," and she smiled at bunny and sue. "oh, we weren't going to give a show like the circus one!" declared bunny. "this will be different! we'll have some singing, like the girl did in the opera house--i guess sue can sing. and i can do some somersaults, like those the boy did." "and maybe we could get uncle tad to dress up like general grant or washington," added sue. "they have it all thought out!" exclaimed mrs. west, with a smile. "oh, but that isn't all!" said bunny. "there's lots of other things we can do. we told some of the boys and girls about it and they want to be in it. please, mother, couldn't sue and i get up a show?" "no, my dears, i don't believe you could," mrs. brown answered with another smile. "it is very good of you to want to help the red cross, but getting up a show is very hard work. i hardly think little boys and girls could do it." "if ever we big folks get up another show we'll let you children have part in it," promised mrs. star. "oh, but we want to give a show of our own!" said bunny. "and i guess we can, too. how much does it cost to buy the opera house?" he asked. "oh, you don't have to buy it to give a show," said mrs. west. "it can be hired for one or two nights. but when are you going to give your show?" she asked bunny. "maybe 'bout christmas," he said. "folks have more money then, and we could get more for your red cross. please, mother, mayn't we give a show?" "oh, well, i'll see about it," said mrs. brown, more with the idea of getting bunny and his sister off to bed than because she really thought they could ever give a show. she had an idea they would forget all about it by morning. "oh, goodie!" cried sue, for when her mother said: "i'll see about it," it generally meant that something would happen. but of course giving a show was different, even though bunny and sue had once held a circus. you may read about that in the book of which i have spoken. "well, trot along to bed now, my dears," said mrs. brown. "we ladies have business to attend to. we'll talk about your show to-morrow." "it's going to be a fine one," declared bunny. "i'm going to learn how to do some back somersaults like that boy's on the stage." "well, be careful you don't get hurt," begged mrs. west. "cute little dears, aren't they," said mrs. bentley, as bunny and his sister sue went out of the room. "i should think they would keep you busy trying to guess what they will do next, mrs. brown," remarked mrs. star. "they do," sighed the mother of bunny brown and his sister sue. but she smiled as she sighed, for her little boy and girl never made her any real trouble. "do you think they really will give a show?" asked mrs. bentley. "you never can tell," was mrs. brown's answer. "we didn't think they'd actually give a circus performance, but they did. however, a show in a real theater is quite different, and i hardly believe bunny and sue will go on with the idea." but bunny and sue did--at least they started talking it over the first thing next day, and when school was over quite a gathering of boys and girls assembled in a room over the brown garage. "now, girls and fellows," said bunny, as he stood in front of the crowd of his playmates, who were seated on old boxes, broken chairs, and other things stored away in the garage, "we're going to get up a show to make money for the red cross." "do you mean a make-believe show, and charge five pins to come in?" asked harry bentley. "no, i mean a real show, like in a theater, and charge real money," went on bunny. "pins aren't any good for the red cross. they get all the pins they want. they need money--my mother said so. now we could get up a regular acting play--like that one we saw at the opera house. we could have some singing in it, and some jiggling and some of us could do tricks and stand on our heads." "going to have any animals in it?" one boy wanted to know. "yes, we could," answered bunny. "they have animals on the stage just like in a circus, only it's different, of course. we could have our dog and cat in it." "i've got a goat!" cried another boy. "he butts you with his horns, only maybe i could cure him of that." "we could use toby, our shetland pony," added sue. "he eats sugar out of my hand." "and we could have my trained white mice," said charlie star. "if you have mice in it i'm not going to play!" exclaimed sadie west. "i don't like mice at all!" "neither do i!" added jennie harris. "well, we could get mr. jed winkler's parrot, maybe," suggested bunny. "and his monkey!" some one added. "oh, yes!" cried all the children. suddenly the door of the room opened and in burst tom milton. "say!" he cried, "mr. jed winkler's monkey is loose in mr. raymond's hardware store, and you ought to see the place! come on! mr. jed winkler's monkey is loose again!" and he jumped up and down he was so excited. chapter iv the climbing boy tom milton had been invited by bunny brown to come to the meeting in the room over the garage and talk about the play which bunny and his sister wanted to give. but, for some reason or other, tom had not come with the other children. many, including bunny, had wondered what kept tom away, but now, when tom rushed in with the news that mr. jed winkler's monkey was loose, none of the children thought of anything but the long-tailed animal with his funny, wrinkled face. "how'd he get loose?" asked bunny brown, as he jumped down off a box on which he had been standing. "did he hurt any one?" asked sue. "is he smashing everything in mr. raymond's store?" charlie star wanted to know. "i should say so! you ought to see!" cried tom. "i was coming past on my way here when i heard a lot of yells and saw a big crowd in front of the store. i looked in, and the monkey was banging a frying pan on a coffee grinder and making a big racket. mr. raymond was trying to get him down off a high shelf, but wango wouldn't come. then i ran on here to tell you about it." "i'm glad you did," said bunny brown. "we'll have this meeting again after we see the monkey," he said. "the meeting is--it's--er--well, i don't know what it is my mother says when her meetings are stopped, but this meeting about the show we're going to give, is stopped while we go to see mr. jed winkler's monkey." "oh, won't it be fun to see him drum with a frying pan!" exclaimed sue. "maybe he won't be doing that when we get there," said tom milton. "but i guess he'll be doing something just as good." "that monkey is always doing something," declared charlie star. "how'd he get loose, tom?" "don't know!" "maybe miss winkler let him loose," suggested sadie west. "she doesn't like jed's monkey." "and i guess she doesn't like his parrot very much, either. it makes a lot more noise than her canary bird," said mary watson. "i was in there the other day, and the parrot screeched like anything!" "well, come on, we'll go see the monkey!" called sue. there was a scramble among the children for hats and coats, for the weather was cold, though there had been no more snow storms since the first one. as bunny, sue, and the others passed along the side of the house on their way out of the yard, mrs. brown called to them. "where are you going, children?" she asked. "to see mr. jed winkler's monkey," answered bunny. "are you going to have him in your show?" mrs. brown wanted to know, for she had not forgotten the circus the children once gave. "we were talking about it," explained sue, "when tom milton come and told us the monkey was loose." "and he is in the hardware store," added bunny. "we're going to see him!" he cried, his eyes shining. "well, button up your coats, for it's cold," warned mrs. brown. "i guess this will be the end of the show business," she added to mrs. watson who had stopped in for a few minutes' talk. "the children will forget all about their play after they see the monkey. and i shall be just as well pleased. their circus was fun, but it meant a lot of work, and if they give a show, as bunny and sue talk of doing, it will mean more work." "i don't believe they'll do it," answered mrs. watson. but she hardly knew bunny brown and his sister sue. on to the hardware store hurried the group of children. as soon as they turned the corner of the street leading to mr. raymond's place they saw a crowd in front of the store. "oh, come on! hurry!" cried bunny. "maybe he'll be all through doing things when we get there! hurry!" the boys and girls began to run, and when they reached the store they heard, from inside, a clanging and crashing sound. "i guess wango is doing things yet!" cried sue. "i guess so," agreed tom milton. "come on, let's go in the side door and we can see better," he proposed. tom seemed to know the best way to this "free show," and he led the others. bunny, his sister, and their boy and girl friends went down a little alley, and thus into the store by a side entrance. as they stepped into the hardware place there was another crash of pots and pans, and sue cried: "oh, i see him! he's got an egg beater now in one paw!" "and some pie pans in the other!" exclaimed bunny. "where is he? i don't see him!" said mary watson. "right up on the shelf by the cans of paint," replied bunny, pointing. "say, if he opens any cans of paint and splashes that around won't it be fun!" he laughed. "hi there, bunny brown!" called mr. raymond, the hardware man, when he heard the little boy say this. "don't be suggesting such things! that monkey might hear you and try it. i don't want my store all splashed up with red and green paint. come on down now, wango!" he called, snapping his fingers at the old sailor's queer pet. "come on down, and i'll give you a cookie." "i guess he'd rather have a cocoanut," suggested sue. "my mother has some cocoanut for a cake, and there's a picture of a monkey on the paper, and he's eating cocoanuts." "but i haven't any cocoanut to offer him," said mr. raymond. "i wish jed winkler would come and get his old monkey down! wango would come to him." "how'd the monkey get in here?" asked bunny. "i don't know," confessed mr. raymond. "first i knew, i heard the lady i was selling a coffee strainer to exclaim, and i looked up and there was wango skipping around on the shelves. i guess jed must have left a window open and the monkey got out, though he doesn't generally skip around outdoors in cold weather. then he must have come along the street until he got to my place, and, when he saw the door open, in he popped. jed's house is only a few steps from here. but i wish jed would come and get his wango." "here he is now!" cried a chorus of children's voices, and, looking toward the front of his store, mr. raymond saw the old sailor coming in. "what's all the trouble here?" asked mr. winkler. "it's your monkey again, jed," answered mr. raymond. "lucky my place isn't a china store, or you'd have a lot of damages to pay for broken dishes. as it is, wango can't break any of my pots and pans, though he certainly is mussing them up a lot!" well might this be said, for, as the hardware man spoke, the monkey leaped from one shelf to another and, in so doing, knocked down a lot of tin pans which fell to the floor with a clatter and a bang. "can't you do something to stop him?" cried mr. raymond. "well, yes, i suppose i can," said mr. winkler slowly. "i didn't know he was loose till a minute ago, when some one came and told me. i was down on the fish dock, talking with bunker blue. but i'll get wango down. i'm real glad he isn't in a china store, for he surely would break things! here, wango!" he called, holding out his hand to the monkey, now perched on a high shelf. "come on down, that's a good chap! come on down!" "he doesn't seem to want to come," suggested a man with a red moustache. "oh, i'll get him. he needs a little coaxing," returned the old sailor. "come on down, wango!" he went on. wango looked at the egg beater he held in one paw, and then, seeing the little handle which turned the wheel, he began to twist it. to do this he dropped the pie pans he held in the other paw and they fell to the floor with a crash. "land goodness, he certainly makes noise enough!" said one of the women in the store, covering her ears with her hands. perched above the heads of the crowd, and paying no attention to the calls of jed winkler, the monkey began turning the egg beater. he seemed to like that most of all. "maybe he thinks it's a hand organ," suggested bunny brown, and the people in the store laughed. "come on, wango! come down!" cried mr. winkler, but the monkey would not leap down from the high shelf. "guess you'll have to climb up and get him yourself, jed," suggested mr. reinberg, who kept the drygoods store next door. he had run in, together with other neighboring shopkeepers, to see what the excitement was about. "i could get him down if i had something to coax him with," returned the old sailor. "i promised him a cookie," said mr. raymond. "he'd rather have a piece of cake--cocoanut cake would be best," went on mr. winkler. "i'll go home and get some," offered bunny brown. "my mother baked a cocoanut cake yesterday, and i guess there's some left." "you don't need to go all the way back to your house after the cake," said mrs. nesham, who kept a bakery across the street from the hardware store. "i'll get one from my shelves." she hurried across the way, and soon came back with a large piece of cocoanut cake. "if the monkey doesn't take it i wish she'd give it to me," said tom milton. "oh, wango will take this all right," said jed winkler. "here you are, you little rascal!" he called to his pet. "come down and see what i have for you." he held up the piece of cake. wango saw it and this seemed to be just what he wanted. he dropped the egg beater, which fell to the floor with another clatter and clang, and then the monkey began climbing down the shelves. he had almost reached the old sailor, his master, when the front door of the hardware store opened to allow a new customer to come in. whether this frightened wango, or whether he thought he had not yet had enough fun, no one knew. but instantly he snatched the piece of cake from mr. winkler's hand, and, holding it in his paw, skipped out the door. "there he goes!" cried bunny brown. "he's loose again!" "and he's up in a tree out in front!" added tom milton, who had rushed out ahead of the others in the store. surely enough, when the crowd got outside, there was wango perched high in a big, leafless tree, eating cake. [illustration: there was wango perched high on a big tree. _bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show._ _page 42_] "well, how are you going to get him down out of there?" asked mr. snowden. "looks as if i'd have to climb after him," said mr. winkler. "when i was a sailor on a ship, and had wango for a pet, he used to climb up the mast and rigging and i'd go after him. that was when i was younger. i don't believe i could climb that tree and get him now." "do you want me to do it for you, mister?" asked a new voice. bunny, sue, and the other children turned to see who had spoken. they saw a boy about twelve years old, with bright, shining eyes standing beside mr. winkler and pointing up at the monkey in the tree. the strange boy seemed to have arrived on the scene very suddenly. "do you want me to climb the tree and get your monkey for you?" asked the boy. "i'll do it, if he doesn't bite." "oh, he doesn't bite--wango is very gentle," said mr. winkler. "but can you climb that high tree?" "i've climbed higher ones than that," was the answer. "and ropes and poles and the sides of buildings. i can climb almost anything if i can get a hold. i'll go up and get the monkey for you!" as he spoke he took off his coat; and though the day was cold bunny noticed that the strange boy wore no overcoat. hanging his jacket on a low limb of the tree which held wango, the boy began to climb. and, as he did so, sue pulled her brother's sleeve. "do you know who that is?" she whispered. "who?" asked bunny brown. "that boy climbing the tree. don't you 'member him?" "no. who is he?" "why, he's the boy who turned somersaults in the opera house show!" chapter v a cold little singer bunny brown was so excited in watching to see how the strange boy would climb up and get the monkey that, at first, he paid little attention to what sue said. the boy by this time was beginning to scramble up the trunk of the tree. sitting on a branch, high above the lad's head, was wango the monkey, eating the piece of cake. "it's the very same boy, i know it is!" declared sue. "what same boy?" asked sadie west, while the other boys and girls watched the climber. "the same one who was with the little girl that sang songs in the opera house show. don't you remember, bunny?" asked sue. this time bunny not only heard what his sister said, but he paid some attention to her. and, noting that the climbing boy was half way up the tree now, bunny turned to sue and asked her what she had said. "this is the number three time i told you," she answered, shaking her head. "that's the boy from the show in the opera house!" bunny looked closely at the climbing lad. "why, so it is!" he cried. "look, charlie--harry--that's the acrobat from the show!" the boy in the tree was in plain sight now, over the heads of the crowd, as he made his way upward from limb to limb, and several of bunny's chums were sure he was the same lad they had seen in the show. "but what's he doing here?" asked bunny. "mother read in the paper that the same show we saw here was traveling around and was in wayville last night. i wonder why that boy is here?" "and where's his sister that sang such funny little songs?" inquired sadie west. "we'll ask him when he comes down," suggested george watson, who used to be a mean, tricky boy, making a lot of trouble for bunny and sue. but, of late, george had been kinder. higher and higher, up into the tree went the "show boy," as the children called him. wango still was perched on the limb of the tree, eating his cake. he did not climb higher or try to leap to another tree, as jed winkler said he was afraid his pet might do. up and up went the boy, and a moment later he was calling in a kind and gentle voice to the monkey and holding out his hands. "come on, old fellow! come on down with me!" invited the climbing boy. "they want you down below! come on!" whether wango was tired of his tricks, or whether he had eaten all his cake and thought the only way he could get more was by coming down as he was invited, no one stopped to figure out. at any rate the old sailor's pet gave a friendly little chatter and then advanced until he could perch on the boy's shoulder, which he did, clasping his paws around the lad's neck. "that's the way! now we'll go down!" said the boy. "he's got him! he's got your monkey, mr. winkler!" cried the children standing beneath the tree. "he's a good climber--that boy!" said the old sailor. "he's as good a climber as i used to be when i was on a ship." down came the boy with the monkey on his shoulder. of course wango himself could have climbed down alone had he wished to, but he didn't seem to want to do this--that was the trouble. "there you are!" exclaimed the boy, as he slid to the ground, and walked over to mr. winkler, with wango still perched on his shoulder. "here's your monkey!" "much obliged, my boy," said the old sailor. "it was very good of you. do you--er--do i owe you anything?" and he began to fumble in his pocket as if for money, while wango jumped from the lad's back to the shoulder of his master. "no, not anything. i did it for fun," was the laughing answer. "i'm used to climbing and that sort of thing. i like it!" "didn't you used to be in the show that was in the opera house here last week?" asked harry bentley. "yes," answered the boy, as he put on his coat. "i was with the show." "why aren't you with it now?" asked bunny. "and where's your sister--the one that sang?" added sue. the boy's face turned red, and he seemed to be confused. "well, we--er--i--that is we left the show," he said. "maybe i ought to say that the show left us. it 'busted up,' as we say. there wasn't enough money to pay the actors, and so we all had to quit." "that's too bad," said jed winkler. "it was a pretty good show, too. but say, my boy, i feel that i owe you something for having gotten my monkey down out of the tree. if you haven't been paid by the show people, perhaps--maybe----" "oh, no, thank you! i don't take pay for doing things like climbing trees after pet monkeys," was the answer. the boy started to laugh, but he did not get very far with it. "you don't owe me anything. and now i must go and get my sister," he added. "where did you leave her?" asked mrs. newton, one of the ladies who had been in the store when the monkey began "cutting up." "i left her sitting on a bench in the little park down near the river front," answered the boy. "that's a cold place!" exclaimed mrs. newton. "why don't you take her where it's warm?" "well, to tell you the truth, i don't know where to take her," said the boy. "we just had money enough left to pay our trolley fare from a place called wayville, where we played last night, to this town. we thought we'd come back here." "to give another show?" asked the hardware man. "no, i guess our show is gone for good," was the boy's answer. "but i sort of liked this place, and so did my sister. i thought i might get work here, at least until i could make money enough to go back to new york." "got any folks in new york?" asked mr. winkler, as he stroked the head of his pet monkey. "well, no, not exactly folks," replied the show boy, as he brushed some bits of bark from his trousers. "but it's easier to get a place with a show if you're in new york. they all start out from there." "that boy looks to me as though the best place for him, right now, would be at a table with a good meal on it," said mrs. newton. "he looks hungry and cold." "he does that," agreed mrs. brown, who had followed bunny and sue to see that they did not get into mischief. "i'm going to invite him to our house." she stepped up closer to the lad who had got the monkey down out of the tree, and asked: "wouldn't you like to come home with me and have something to eat?" the boy's face flushed and his eyes brightened. "thank you," he said. "i really am hungry. i'll be glad to work for a meal. there wasn't money enough for breakfast and car fare too, but i thought there was a better chance for work here than in wayville, and so my sister and i came on." "and where did you say she was?" asked mrs. brown. "i left her sitting in the little park down by the water front, while i came up into the town to look for work. then i saw the crowd around the tree and----" "poor little girl!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "now, you two are coming home with me!" she went on. "we'll talk about work later. come along, my boy. i've got children of my own, and i know what's good for 'em. take me to where you left your sister. and don't all of you come, or you might bother the poor child," she added, as she saw the crowd about to follow. "i'll tell you all about it later." "can't we come, mother?" asked bunny brown. "yes, you and sue come with me. mrs. newton," she went on, turning to a fat lady, "i wish you'd go to my house and start to get something ready for these starved ones to eat. i'll be right along with them." "and i'll take my monkey back home," said jed winkler. "my sister might be worried about him," and he smiled as the crowd laughed, for it was well known that miss winkler did not like wango, though she was not unkind to him. "now show me where your sister is," said mrs. brown to the boy, as she walked along with him and her own two children. "by the way, what's your name?" "mart clayton," he answered. "that's my real name, but my sister and i sometimes have stage names. her real one is lucile." "that's a nice name," said sue. "i like it better'n mine. your sister sings, doesn't she?" "yes," answered the boy. "there she is, now!" he added, pointing to a bench in a little park that was not far from mr. brown's boat and fish dock. "the poor, cold little singer!" murmured mrs. brown. "i must take care of them both!" when they approached the bench the girl, who was about a year younger than her brother, looked up in surprise. "did you find any work?" she asked mart eagerly. "well, no, not exactly," he answered. the girl seemed much disappointed. "but we're going to eat!" he added. "this lady has invited us to her house. after that i'll have a chance to look around and get a job to earn money to pay her and take us back to new york." "oh, you are the guests of bunny and sue for the meal. guests don't pay," mrs. brown said, smiling at the strangers. "oh!" exclaimed lucile. "that is--it's very kind of you," she said. "you poor thing! you're cold!" exclaimed bunny's mother. "no wonder, sitting here without a jacket! where's your cloak?" "i--i guess it's with our other baggage," was the girl's answer. "the boarding house kept it because we couldn't pay the bill when the show failed!" and tears came into her eyes. "never mind! we'll look after you," said motherly mrs. brown. "come along, bunny and sue. mrs. newton will be at our house by this time." as the five of them started down the street bunny stopped suddenly. "what's the matter?" asked his mother. "i--i forgot something," he said. "i've got to see mr. winkler!" and he started off on a run. chapter vi general washington mart clayton, the boy who had climbed the tree to get down mr. winkler's monkey, looked first at funny bunny brown, who was trotting downstreet, and then he looked at bunny's mother. "shall i run after him and bring him back?" asked mart. "o, no. bunny will come back if i call him," was the answer. "but i wonder why he is in such a hurry to see mr. winkler? i'll find out," she went on. then, making her voice louder, she called: "bunny, come back here, please, come back." "but, mother, i've got to see mr. winkler!" exclaimed bunny, as he paused and turned around. "it's about our show." "that will keep until later," said mrs. brown with a smile. "i want you to come back with me now and help entertain the company," and she smiled and nodded to mart and lucile clayton. "oh, yes. i--i didn't mean to be impolite," said bunny, as he walked slowly back. "but i wanted to ask mr. winkler if we could have his monkey in our show." "oh, are you going to have a show?" asked lucile, as she walked along with sue, while mrs. brown, bunny and mart followed. "yes!" exclaimed bunny, who heard the question. "we had a circus once, and we made some money. and after we saw the opera house show you were in, we wanted to have one ourselves. so we're going to get one up. sue can sing and i can turn somersaults. not as good as you, of course," he said to mart. "and one boy has some trained white mice and if we could get mr. winkler's monkey and----" "and his parrot! he's got a parrot, too!" exclaimed sue. "yes, if he'll let us have the parrot we could have a dandy show!" agreed bunny. "i hope it will be a better show than the one we were in," said mart, with a sad little smile. "it isn't any fun to go traveling with a troupe and then have it 'bust up' on the road as ours did." "aren't you children very young to be traveling alone?" asked mrs. brown. "haven't you any--well, any folks at all?" she did not like to mention "father or mother," for fear both parents might be dead and to speak of them might cause sorrow to mart and lucile. but surely, mrs. brown thought, the boy and girl ought to have some one to look after them. "oh, we weren't exactly alone," said lucile, who was not as old as her brother. "we were like one big family until the show failed. mr. and mrs. jackson were in charge, and mrs. jackson was very good to us. but people didn't seem to like our performance, and we didn't make enough money to keep on playing." "i liked your show," said bunny. "so did i!" exclaimed his sister sue. "it was grand." "yes, if we had done as well everywhere as we did in this town i guess we'd have been all right," said mart. "but we didn't. we got stranded in wayville--that's the next largest town to this, i heard some one say, and we couldn't go any farther. some of our baggage had to go to pay bills. mr. and mrs. jackson left us at a boarding house while they went to new york to see if they could raise money." "but i guess they couldn't," added his sister. "anyhow they didn't come back, and we didn't have any money. so the boarding house lady kept what few things we had left, and mart and i came away." "i made up my mind i'd have to do something," went on the climbing boy, as bunny and sue thought of him. "i'm strong, and if i could get work i'd soon earn enough money to take me and my sister back to new york. perhaps you could tell me where i could get a job," he added to mrs. brown. "we'll talk about that after you get warm and have had something to eat," said she. "yes, maybe that would be better," agreed mart. "it makes you feel sort of funny not to eat." "i know it does," put in bunny. "once sue and i went to camp rest-a-while, and we got lost in the woods, and we didn't have anything to eat for a terrible long while." "it was 'most all day," sighed sue. "and we were terrible glad when daddy and mother found us!" "i should say you were--well, very glad," laughed her mother. "but here we are at our house. now come in, lucile and mart, and make yourselves at home." "and after you get warm, and have had something to eat, maybe you'll tell us about how to get up a show in a theater--not one in a tent like a circus," suggested bunny. "yes, we'll help you all we can," promised lucile. mrs. newton, coming to the brown house ahead of the others, had got a nice lunch ready, and from the way mart and his sister sat down to it and ate it was evident that they were very hungry. it was nice and warm in the brown house, too, and the children from the vaudeville troupe seemed to like to be near the fire. "now if you have had enough to eat, perhaps you will tell me a little bit more about yourselves," suggested mrs. brown, when the two visitors were ready to leave the table. "i want to help you," she went on, "and i can best do that if i know more about you. my husband is in the boat and fish business here in bellemere," she said, "and though he is not as busy in winter as he is in summer, he may find work for you," she added to mart. "i hope he can!" said the boy. "well, i'll tell you about myself and my sister. you see we come of a theatrical family. our father and mother were in the show business up to the time they died." "oh, then your father and mother are dead?" asked mrs. brown kindly. "yes," went on lucile. "we hardly remember them as they died when we were little. we were brought up by our uncle simon and aunt sallie. they were in the show business, too, and they traveled under several different names. "sometimes we traveled with them, and again we'd be off on the road by ourselves. but whenever we went alone that way uncle simon would always get some one, like mr. and mrs. jackson, to look after us and take charge of us. so we didn't have it so hard until uncle simon and aunt sallie went away." "went away!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "where did they go?" "that's what we can't find out," answered mart "they left their address for us with mr. jackson, but he lost it, and now we don't know where our uncle and aunt are." "but surely some one knows!" said mrs. newton. "well, yes, i guess uncle bill knows, but we can't find him," said mart. "you seem to belong to a lost family!" exclaimed mrs. brown, with a smile. "who is uncle bill, and where is he?" "we don't know where he is, but he's blind," put in lucile. "the last we heard of him he was going to some home for the blind, or to some hospital to be cured. but we don't know where he is. if we could find him he'd have uncle simon's address, for uncle simon used to always write to uncle bill. of course uncle bill had to get some one to read the letters to him. but we haven't seen either of our uncles for a long time." "you poor children!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "this is too bad! we must see what we can do to help you. where do you think your uncle simon and aunt sallie went to?" she asked. "it was over to england or france, or some place like that," answered mart. "it was just before the war started, and maybe their ship was sunk. anyhow, we haven't heard from them since then, and mr. jackson lost their address," he added. "but your uncle simon knew where mr. jackson was, didn't he?" asked mrs. newton with interest. "well, maybe he did and maybe he didn't," answered mart. "you see mr. jackson and his wife travel about a lot. lots of times letters get lost, so uncle simon may have written about us, and mr. jackson might never have got the letter." "yes, that's so," agreed mrs. brown. "well, when my husband comes home we'll talk with him and see what is best to do. you had better stay here until then and make yourselves at home. hark! there's the doorbell." "who do you suppose that is, mother?" asked sue. "i can't tell that, sue, from here." "i'll go and see who it is, mother," offered bunny, as he ran through the hall. the others heard the front door open and the sound of a man's voice mingling with that of bunny's. in a moment the little fellow came running back. "who is it?" asked his mother. "general washington," was the surprising answer. chapter vii "down on the farm" for a moment mrs. brown did not know whether to laugh at bunny for playing a joke or to tell him he must not do such things when there were visitors at the house. but bunny looked so serious that his mother thought perhaps he did not mean to be funny. "who is it?" she asked again. "general washington," replied the little boy. "bunny brown!" cried mrs. newton, "what do you mean?" "well, it's the man who made believe he was general washington in the opera house show, anyhow!" declared bunny. "'course he doesn't look like general washington now, but----" lucile and mart did not wait for bunny to finish. together they ran to the front door. "bunny brown, you aren't playing any jokes, are you?" asked his mother. "no'm! honest i mean it!" cried bunny, his eyes shining with excitement. "it's the same man who was general washington and general grant and a lot of other people at the show in the opera house! he's at our front door now, and he wants to know if the happy day twins are here." "the happy day twins?" exclaimed mrs. brown. "that's the name the boy and girl went under on the programme, you know," explained mrs. newton. "the same children you have been so kind to--lucile and mart clayton. they took the name of the 'happy day twins' on the stage you know. did the impersonator want them, bunny?" she asked. "i didn't see any 'personator," answered the little boy. "he was general washington, i tell you, only he wasn't dressed up." "i must go and see," declared mrs. brown. as she went down the hall she met the brother and sister coming back. they seemed much excited. "it's our friend, mr. treadwell," explained mart. "he heard we had started for this town, and he followed us. he heard about my climbing the tree after the monkey, and some one told him my sister and i had come to your house, mrs. brown. may i ask him in? it's mr. samuel treadwell, and he's a good friend of ours." "certainly, ask him in," said mrs. brown, with a smile. "perhaps he is hungry, too," she said to her friend mrs. newton, mart having gone back to the front door. "i've heard that actors are often hungry." "but he's general washington, too, isn't he?" demanded bunny, following mart. "yes, he pretends to be all sorts of famous people--on the stage," kindly explained mart to bunny. "you'll like him, he can do lots of tricks." "can he jiggle--i mean juggle?" "yes, but not as good as the other man in the play." by this time mrs. brown had reached the door. on the steps stood an elderly man, with a pleasant smile on his face. mrs. brown recognized him at once as the impersonator, though of course he had on no wig or costume now. he looked just like an ordinary man, except that his face was rather more wrinkled. "i'm sorry to trouble you, madam," said the man, "but i have been looking for my little friends, the 'happy day twins,' as they are billed. their real names are--well, i suppose they have told you," and he smiled at lucile and mart, who were standing in the hall. "yes, we have been learning something about them, but we would be glad to know more, so we could help them," said mrs. brown. "won't you come in? we have just been giving the children a little lunch, and perhaps, if you have not eaten lately, you will be glad to do so now." "more glad than you can guess, madam," said the man with a bow. "i am, indeed, hungry. we have had bad luck, as perhaps lucile and mart have told you." "yes, they spoke of it," said bunny's mother. "and now please come in, and while you are eating we can talk." "say, we could have a regular show here now!" whispered bunny brown to his sister sue. "we have three actors now, and you and i would make two more." "oh, i don't want to be in a show now," said sue. "i want to hear what they're going to tell mother." bunny did also, and when mr. treadwell had seated himself at the table the children listened to what followed. "when you rang i was just telling mart that perhaps my husband could give him some work, so enough money could be earned for the trip to new york," said mrs. brown. "is it true that no one knows where these children's uncle and aunt can be found?" "well, i guess it's true enough," said mr. treadwell. "there are two uncles and one aunt, according to the story. william clayton, who is a brother of mart's father, is blind, and in some home or hospital--i don't know where, and i guess the children don't either," he added. lucile and mart shook their heads. "simon weatherby and his wife, sallie, are brother and sister-in-law of mrs. clayton's," went on the impersonator. "the last heard of them was that they sailed for the other side--england, france or maybe australia for all i know. we theatrical folk travel around a good bit. anyhow, simon weatherby and his wife left in a hurry, and they gave the care of the children over to mr. and mrs. jackson. "now mr. jackson is all right, and a nice man, but he is careless, else he wouldn't get into so much trouble, and he wouldn't have lost the address of mart's uncle simon. but that's how it happened. so the children have some relations if we can only find them, and what they are to do in the meanwhile, now that the show is scattered, is more than i know." "well, i know one thing they're going to do, and that is stay right here with me until they are sure of a home somewhere else," said mrs. brown. "i'm glad to hear you say that!" exclaimed mr. treadwell, as he finished his lunch. "i heard they left the boarding house, and that they had no money. well, i haven't any too much myself, but i followed them, hoping i could find 'em and help 'em. now i've found my little friends all right," he said, looking kindly at lucile and mart, "but some one else has helped them." "they helped some one else first," said mrs. newton, with a smile. "mart got mr. winkler's monkey down out of a tree." "i heard about that," returned mr. treadwell, with a laugh. "well, now that i have located you, i suppose i'd better travel on, though where to go or what to do i don't know," he added with a sigh. "i'm not as young as i once was," he added, "and there isn't the demand for impersonators there once was. if i could get back to new york----" he paused and shook his head sadly. "why don't you stay here and look for work, just as i'm going to do?" asked mart. "if you get to new york there won't be much chance. all the theater places are filled now for the winter season." "that's so!" agreed the impersonator. "but i don't know what sort of work i could do here." "you--you could be in our show!" interrupted bunny, who, with sue, had been listening eagerly to all the talk. "we're going to have a show, and you three could be in it!" "going to have a show, are you?" asked mr. treadwell, with a smile. "yes, a real one," declared sue. "once we had a circus, but this show is going to be in the opera house, maybe, and we'll give all the money we make to our mother's red cross." "that will be nice," said mr. treadwell, with a smile. "but i'm afraid i'd be too big to fit into your show." "oh, no!" exclaimed bunny. "we're going to have bobbie boomer in it, and he's a big fat boy." mr. treadwell laughed and mrs. brown and mrs. newton joined in. "what sort of play are you going to have?" asked mr. treadwell. "well, we were just talking about it, in our garage, when tom milton told us that mr. winkler's monkey was loose," explained bunny, "and we didn't talk any more about it until just now. but the show is going to be different from the circus." "where are you going to have it?" asked mrs. newton. "i don't know," confessed bunny. "maybe my father will let us have it in the boat shop. that's a big place." a step was heard in the hall, and bunny and sue cried: "there's our daddy now!" mr. brown walked in, kissed the children and seemed quite surprised to see three strangers present. matters were quickly explained to him, however, and he welcomed mr. treadwell, lucile and mart. "do you think you could find work for them?" asked mrs. brown, when the stories had been told. "well, i might," slowly answered mr. brown. "i need some help down at the dock and office to get things ready for winter." "don't make 'em work so hard they can't help in our show," begged bunny. "oh, you're going to have another circus, are you?" asked his father, with a smile. "no, it isn't going to be a circus, it's going to be a regular opera house show!" cried sue. "what about?" her father wanted to know, as he caught her up in his arms. "we don't know yet," bunny said. "but maybe the play will be about pirates or indians or soldiers." "why don't you have some nice quiet play that would be good for christmas?" asked mr. brown. "why not have a play with a farm scene in it? you have been down to grandpa's farm, and you know a lot about the country. why not have a farm play and call it 'down on the farm'?" "that's the very thing!" suddenly cried mr. treadwell. "excuse me for getting so excited," he said, "but when you spoke about a farm play i remembered that we have some farm scenery in our show that failed. i believe you could buy that scenery cheap for the children," he said to mr. brown. "there are three scenes, one meadow, a barnyard with a barn and an orchard; and the last had a house with it." "oh, daddy! get us the farm theater things for our new play!" cried bunny brown. chapter viii the scenery daddy brown looked at his two children, and then, as he glanced across the table at the actor who made believe he was george washington and other great men, daddy brown laughed. "these youngsters of mine will be giving a real show before i know it, with scenery and everything," he said. "well, a show isn't much fun unless you have some scenery in it," said mr. treadwell, "and the scenery i spoke of, which was part of our show, can be bought cheap, i think." "say, daddy, is the sheenery in a show like the sheenery in a automobile or one of your motor boats?" asked sue. "oh, she's thinking of wheels and things that go around!" laughed bunny. "that's _ma_-chinery, sue, and _scenery_ is what we saw in the opera house--make-believe trees, and the brook, you know." "oh!" exclaimed sue. "well, can we have that--that _sheenery_ for our play?" she asked her father. "i'll see about it," he answered, and bunny and sue looked happy, for, like their mother, whenever their father said "i'll see," it almost always meant that he would do as they wanted him to. "i'm afraid, though," said mr. brown, "that getting up a show in town will be harder, bunny and sue, than getting up a circus. in the circus you could use your dog splash and some of the animals from grandpa's farm. but a theater show, or one like it, hasn't many animals in it. you ought to do more acting than you do trapeze work." "oh, we can do it!" cried bunny brown. "they're going to help, aren't you?" and he looked over at lucile and mart. "we'll help all we can," mart promised. "that is, if we're here, and i don't see how we can get away, for we haven't any money to pay our fare on the train." "that's my trouble, too," said mr. treadwell, with a smile. "i'd offer to help too, if i thought i was going to be here." "oh, then we'll be sure to have a show!" declared bunny. "you can be general washington and maybe some soldier, and we'll pretend you came down to the farm to see us. then i'll turn somersaults and sue can bring me out some cookies to eat, 'cause i get hungry when i turn somersaults. and you can do tricks like those you did in the opera house," he added to mart. "what do you want me to do?" asked lucile, with a smile. "oh, you--you can help sue bring out the cookies for mart and me," decided bunny. "and--oh yes--you can sing--those songs you sang in the show we went to see, you know." "all right, i'll help all i can--if i'm here," said lucile. "well, suppose we talk a little about the trouble you good theater folks are in," suggested mr. brown. "the show bunny and sue are going to give can wait for a while. now what do you want to do--get back to new york, all three of you?" "well, new york is the place almost all show people start from," said mr. treadwell, "but i don't know that there's much use going back there now. all the places in other shows will be taken. if i could get some sort of work here for the winter i'd stay." "so would i!" declared mart. "i like to stay in a place two or three weeks at a time, and not have to move to a new town every night, like a circus. have you any work you could let me do?" he asked mr. brown. "i was going to speak of that," replied the father of bunny and sue. "one of the young men in my office is going on leave, and i could hire you in his place. the wages aren't very big," he said, "but it would be enough for you to live on and take care of your sister." "i suppose i could board here in bellemere," suggested mart. "you can stay right here--you and lucile!" cried mrs. brown. "our house is plenty large enough, and there's lots of room. do stay here--at least until you locate your uncle and your aunt." "that's very kind of you," said lucile softly, and she reached over and stroked sue's curls. "oh, goodie!" cried bunny, when he understood that his father was going to hire mart clayton to work in the office at the dock. "then you can help us get up the show." "well, i'll do all i can," promised mart. "and i'll help, too," added lucile. "if you can find a place for me, mr. brown, i'll make the same promise," said mr. treadwell. "i don't care much about going back to new york, and if mart and lucile stay here i'd like to stay, too, and sort of look after them. i'll try to help them find their missing folks." "i guess i can find work for you," said mr. brown. "do you know anything about the fish or boat business?" "very little, i'm afraid. i once worked as a bookkeeper in a piano factory, though, if that would help any," he said. "keeping books is just what i want done," said mr. brown. "so you can have a place in my office. the man i have is going to leave, and you may take his place. he also has a room with mr. winkler and his sister, and you could get board there." "that suits me all right, and thank you very much," said mr. treadwell. "i'll send over to wayville and get what little baggage i have. but will it be all right for me to board at mr. winkler's?" he asked. "oh, yes. they'll be glad to have you." "and you can see mr. winkler's monkey wango and the parrot all the while!" cried bunny brown. "that will be a treat!" laughed mr. treadwell. so it was settled that both mr. treadwell and mart would work for mr. brown. the man who pretended to be george washington and other great men would board with the old sailor and his sister, while mart and lucile would live with the browns. "and we'll have lots of fun!" said sue to lucile. "and will you show me how to make flipflops?" asked bunny of mart. "yes," answered the boy actor and acrobat, "i will." while lucile remained at mrs. brown's house, mart, with mr. brown and the impersonator went over to wayville to get the baggage of the theatrical folk. mr. brown was going to pay the board bills. bunny and sue wanted to go also, but their father said: "i'll take you along when we go to look at the scenery. you'd only be in the way now, and wouldn't have a good time." that night lucile and mart stayed at the brown house, which was to be their home for some time, and mr. treadwell went to board with the winklers. "and when you come over in the morning tell us all about the monkey and parrot!" begged bunny, as the actor started for his boarding place that evening. "i will," was the promise. "when are we going to get the scenery for our play, daddy?" asked bunny brown, as he and his sister sue were getting ready for bed that night. "i'll take you over to-morrow after school," was the promise. and you can well imagine that the two children could hardly wait for the time to come. the air was clear and cold, and it seemed as if there would be more snow when mr. brown brought around the automobile in which the trip to wayville was to be made. bunny and sue, lucile and mart were to sit in the back, while mr. brown and mr. treadwell sat in front. they were going to the place where the theatrical scenery had been stored since the time the vaudeville troupe had got into trouble. "i'm glad winter is coming, aren't you?" asked bunny of mart, as they rode along the roads which were still covered with snow from the first storm. "well, yes, i like winter," was the answer. "it's always the best time for the show business--'tisn't like a circus--that does best in the summer time." "we had our circus in summer," said sue. "now we're going to have a real theater show in the winter." the automobile was going down a snowy hill into wayville, and mr. brown had put on the brakes, for, once or twice, the machine had slid from side to side. "i ought to have chains on the back wheels," said the fish merchant to mr. treadwell. "but if i go slowly i guess i'll be all right. do you think we need any more scenery than the three sets you spoke of--the barnyard, the orchard and the meadow?" "no, i think that will be enough," said the actor. "the children only want something simple. you can tell when you see it." "can we pick apples in the orchard?" asked sue. before mr. treadwell could answer something happened. mr. brown turned out to one side of the road to let another automobile pass, and, a moment later, his machine began sliding to one side at a place where there was a deep gully. "oh!" screamed lucile. "we're going to upset!" chapter ix bunny does a trick nearer and nearer to the side of the deep gully, across the road that was slippery with snow, slid mr. brown's automobile. bunny and sue's father's hands held tightly to the steering wheel, and he pressed his foot down hard on the brake pedal. "oh! oh!" cried the children. "sit still! it will be all right!" exclaimed mr. brown. "we won't be hurt!" and so well did he steer the automobile that in a few seconds more it was back in the middle of the road and going safely down the hill. the dangerous gully was passed. it had all happened so quickly that bunny and sue had had no chance to get really frightened. but they were so sure their father could do everything all right that i hardly believe they would have worried even if the auto had started to roll over sideways. bunny would probably have thought it only a trick, and he and sue were very fond of tricks. "the man in the other automobile didn't give you enough room to pass, did he, mr. brown?" asked the actor, when the danger was over. "not quite," was the answer. "we'll go home by another road that is wider, but i took this one because it is the shortest way." "i hope i didn't do wrong to cry out that way," lucile said, when they were on their way again. "no, you didn't do any harm," said mr. brown. "i was a bit alarmed myself at first. but we're all right now." "we were in a railroad wreck once," went on lucile. "did the trains all smash up?" asked bunny, his eyes wide open. "yes, they were badly smashed," answered lucile. "i don't like to think about it. mart was hurt, too!" "was you?" cried bunny, forgetting, in his excitement, to speak correctly. "say, you've had lots of things happen to you, haven't you?" "quite a few," answered the boy actor. "i've traveled around a good bit. but i think i like it here better than anywhere i've been." "i do too," said lucile. "traveling everyday makes one tired." a little later they reached wayville, and mr. treadwell told mr. brown where to go in the automobile to look at the scenery. it was stored away, for the company that had "busted up," as mart sometimes called it, had no further use for it. "oh, look! here's a little house!" cried bunny, when with their father and the others he and sue had entered the big room where the scenery was stored. "it's got a door to it," said sue, "but the window is only make believe," and she found this out when she tried to stick her fat little hand out of what looked like a window in the side of the small house. "most things on a stage in a theater are make believe," said the man who pretended to be different persons. "you'll find the scenery isn't as pretty when you get close to it as it is when you see it from the other side of the footlights." this the children noticed was true. the scenery was made of painted canvas stretched over a framework of wood. and the colors were put on with a coarse brush and was very thick, as bunny and sue saw when they went up close. "but it looked so pretty in the opera house," complained bunny. "that's because you were farther off, and because the lights were made to shine on it in a certain way," explained mart. "it will look just as pretty again when you use it in your show." bunny and sue were not so sure of this, but they were willing to wait and see. mr. brown and mr. treadwell looked over the scenery. as the actor had said, there were three "sets" as they are called. one was a scene painted to look like a meadow, with a big green field, a stream of water and, in the distance, cows eating grass. of course the cows were only pictured ones as was the grass and stream. the barnyard scene showed more cows and the end of a barn, and in this barn there was a real door that opened and shut. mr. treadwell explained that the boy and girl actors could go through this door to enter upon or leave the stage during the play. "there's a pump and a watering trough that goes with this scene," said the actor. "in the play as we used to give it the trough was filled with water and one of the actors had to fall into it." "and does the pump pump real water?" cried bunny. "yes, about a pail full," was the answer. "then we'll have it in our show!" cried the little boy. "i'll fall into the trough and get all wet, sue, and you can pump more water on me from the pump." "that'll be fun!" laughed sue. "we'll have to see about that act first," laughed mr. brown. "now let's find out what else we have for the great play 'down on the farm.' where's that orchard i heard you speak of, mr. treadwell?" "i guess the orchard is behind the barn," laughed the old actor. and when some of the men in the storage place had lifted away the painted canvas that represented the barn, a pretty orchard scene was shown. "there's the rest of the little house!" cried bunny, for at first he had only noticed one side of it. "yes, there is one end of a house shown in this scene, as one end of the barn is shown in the other," explained the actor. "and there is a real door, too, that opens and shuts. the orchard, as you see, is only painted." and so it was, but in such a way as to appear very pretty when set up and lighted. "here's a real tree!" cried bunny, who was rummaging about back of the stacked-up scenery. "well, it's meant to look like a real tree," said mr. treadwell, "but it isn't, really. it's a pretty good imitation of a peach tree, and i suppose you could use it in your show, children." "peaches don't grow in the winter," objected bunny, who had been on his grandfather's farm often enough to know this. "we could make believe our show was in summer," said sue. "yes, or you could make believe your play took place down south, where it's always warm," added mart, "and you could have this for an orange tree." "oh, no! that wouldn't do!" laughed mr. treadwell. "the leaves aren't anything like those of an orange tree. i remember once when we gave an act with this tree it was supposed to be on a tropic island, and one of the actors fastened a cocoanut on it, to make the audience think it really grew there." "what happened?" asked mr. brown, as he saw the actor laugh. "well, the cocoanut wasn't fastened on very well," was the answer, "and when the leading lady was standing under the tree, singing a sad song, the cocoanut fell off and dropped on her foot. she stopped singing right there, and the play was nearly spoiled. so don't have oranges grow on peach trees," he advised. "we could have peanuts," suggested bunny. "they wouldn't hurt if they fell on you." mr. brown and mr. treadwell laughed at that, and bunny wondered why they did. the children were delighted with the scenery, once they had got over their surprise at how coarse the paint looked when they were close to it. the barn and the house, with their real doors that opened and shut, were quite wonderful to bunny brown and his sister sue, and so was the tree. this was made of wood with what seemed to be real bark on it, and had limbs, branches, and twigs that seemed very natural. but mr. treadwell explained that it was all artificial, like the palms you see in some hotels and moving picture theaters. while bunny and sue waited, mr. brown talked with the man who had charge of the scenery, and in a little while the children's father said he would buy the set, which was offered at a low price. "and can we give our show with it?" bunny wanted to know when told what his father had done. "yes," said mr. brown. "it will be delivered in bellemere day after to-morrow, and stored away in our garage until you decide when and where you are going to give your show. there is a lot to be done before your first performance, children. i guess you know that, from the work you had getting up your circus." "we'll have a lot of fun!" declared bunny, not thinking of the hard work. "when we get back home i'll tell the boys and girls about the scenery and they can come over to see it. then we'll begin to practice for the show play." "you'll have to have a play written for you, bringing in all the scenery i've bought," said mr. brown. "i guess i can manage that part for them," suggested mr. treadwell. "i have written two or three little plays, and i guess i can do one more. i'll write out a little sketch and have parts to fit as many boys and girls as bunny and sue can get to act." "oh, i can get a lot of 'em!" cried bunny. "and will you make it so sue can pump water and i can fall in the trough and get all wet?" "it's pretty cold to fall into the water," said the actor. "but we'll talk of that later." you can imagine how excited the little friends of bunny brown and his sister sue were when they heard that mr. brown had bought some real scenery for the children's play. as soon as the house, the barn, the meadow, the barnyard, and the orchard had been brought to the garage a crowd of boys and girls was on hand to look at them. sue led a number of her girl friends up in the loft to look over the painted canvas, and bunny took charge of a throng of boys. sue was explaining about the make-believe tree, that once had had a cocoanut on it, when suddenly there came a cry of pain from behind the painted canvas barn. "oh! oh!" exclaimed a voice. "i'm stuck fast!" "that's bunny!" shouted sue. "what's the matter?" she asked. "bunny tried to do a trick and he's caught!" answered charlie star. "you'd better go and get your father or mother!" chapter x getting ready sue brown was too curious when she heard charlie say this to do as she had been told. "oh, bunny!" she called out, as she heard her brother's cries, "what's the matter, and where are you?" "he's stuck in the watering trough," explained harry bentley. "come on back here and you can see him!" "get me out! get me out!" begged bunny. "please get me out!" "better go get your father or mother," advised charlie again. "i've pulled and pulled, and i can't get bunny loose. his trick didn't work out right." but sue made up her mind that she would see what was the matter with bunny before she called on her father and mother to come and help. she and bunny had often been in little troublesome scrapes before, and often they got out by themselves. they might do it this time. so sue darted around the piled-up scenery, and there she saw a group of boys around the stage watering trough. this was made to look like the watering troughs you may have seen in the country, made from a big, hollowed-out log. only this one was made of sheet tin, and painted to look like wood. down in the trough was bunny brown. he was stretched out at full length and he seemed to be caught. in fact he was caught, and the reason for it was that bunny was a little too big to fit in the stage trough--that is his shoulders were too large. but his legs and feet were free, and with his shoes he was drumming a tattoo on the inside of the tin trough, which was somewhat like a bathtub. "oh, bunny brown, what have you done now?" cried sue, when she saw her brother in the trough and the crowd of boys standing around him. "i--i'm stuck fast!" bunny replied. "i was practising a trick, like the one i'm going to do on the stage when we give our play. i got in the trough, and now i can't get out." "it's a good thing we didn't put the water in as he wanted us to do," said george watson, "else he'd be soaking wet now." "yes, i'm glad you didn't put the water in," agreed bunny. "but say, i wish i could get out!" he wiggled and squirmed, but still he was held fast. "oh, if he has to stay stuck in there all the while bunny can't be in the show!" said sadie west. "we'll get him out!" declared charlie star. "come on, harry, you and george each take hold of him on one side, and bobby boomer and i'll pull his legs." "my legs aren't caught!" said bunny. "it's my shoulders!" "well, if i pull on your legs it'll help get your shoulders loose, i guess," returned charlie. "come on now, fellows!" "can't we girls help too?" asked sue. "well, maybe you could," charlie agreed. "all pull." "don't tear my clothes," protested bunny. "if i tear my clothes maybe my mother won't let me be in the show." "come on now, let's all pull together!" suggested charlie. [illustration: "come on now, let's all pull together!" _bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show._ _page 96_] as many of the boys and girls as could, gathered around the trough and tried to pull bunny loose. but he stuck fast in spite of all they could do. then sue said: "i'm going to tell mother. she'll know how to get him loose. once he was stuck in the rain water barrel, when it was empty, and my mother got him out. she can do 'most everything. i'll go for her." "yes, i guess you'd better," agreed bunny. "we've got a lot to do to get ready for the play, and i can't do anything while i'm stuck fast here." "it's a good thing this isn't in the play, or everybody in the audience would be laughing at us," said harry bentley. "i--i guess i won't get in the trough when we give our play real," decided bunny. "i might get stuck then. i'll think up some other trick to do." sue was about to hurry away, intending to call her mother, when some one was heard coming up the stairs that led to the loft over the garage. a moment later the head and shoulders of mart clayton came into view. "oh, mart!" cried sue, for she and bunny felt quite well acquainted with the boy and girl performers, "bunny is stuck in the trough and he can't get out!" "is there water in it?" asked lucile's brother quickly, as he jumped up the rest of the stairs. "no!" answered a chorus of boys and girls. "not a drop." "oh, then he's all right," said mart. "i'll soon have him out." and he did. it was very simple. mart simply pulled bunny's coat off, over the little fellow's head, and then bunny was small enough to slip out of the trough himself. he had so wiggled and squirmed after getting into the tin thing like a bath tub that his coat was all hunched up in bunches. this kept his shoulders from slipping out, but when the coat was off everything was all right. "what did you get in there for?" asked mart, when bunny was on his feet once more. "i was practising my act," was the answer. "i'm going to be a farmer boy in the play, and then i hide in the trough so i can scare an old tramp that comes to get a drink of water. only there isn't going to be any water in the trough when i do my act," said bunny. "i wanted there to be some, but mother won't let me." "i guess we can do that act just as well without water as with it," said mart with a smile. "an audience likes to see real water on the stage, but we can use some in the pump, i guess. now then, boys and girls, are you all going to be in the new play, 'down on the farm?'" "yes, i am! i am! so'm i!" came the answers, and mart laughed and put his hands over his ears. "i guess we'll have plenty of actors and actresses," he said. "mr. treadwell will be out here this afternoon and tell you something of the little play he is going to write for you--for all of us, in fact, for my sister and i are going to be in it with you. but now suppose i tell you a little about a stage, and how to come on and go off." "is bunny going to get stuck again?" asked sue. "if he is i'm going to tell mother so she can help get him out." "no, i won't get in the trough again," said bunny. "i only did it now to see if i'd fit. and i don't--very well," he added. then mart told bunny, sue, and the others something about how a stage in a theater is set, and something about the proper way to come on and go off. a little later lucile also came out to the garage and she drilled the girls in a little dance they were to give. then the two young performers showed the others how the stage scenery was set up to look as real as possible from the front. "where are you going to give your play?" asked mart, as they all sat down to rest. "oh, we don't know, yet," said bunny. "i guess we won't have it until around christmas, and by then my father will think up some place for us." "couldn't we have it up here?" asked sadie west. "all the scenery is here." "oh, there isn't room," said lucile. "we have to have a stage, and then there is no place up here for the audience to sit. and there isn't any use in giving a play unless you have an audience. that's half the fun. what are you going to do with all the money you make, bunny brown?" she asked the little chap. "oh, i--i guess we'll give it to mother's red cross," he answered. "but first we've got to find out what sort of acts we can give. our dog splash is a good actor--he was in our circus." "i guess mr. treadwell can work splash into the play in some way," said mart. "we'll ask him." that afternoon the actor gathered the children around him, out in the loft over the garage, and, by questioning them, he found out what each one could do best. some could recite little verses, others could sing and some could dance. "can't i have my trained white mice in the play?" asked will laydon. "they twirl around on a wire wheel and one of 'em stands up on his hind legs." "well, perhaps we can use them," said the actor. "now i'll tell you a little about the play i am going to write for you. it will be in three acts. one act will be in the meadow, as we have the scenery for that and must use what we have. another act will be in the barnyard, and we can use as many animals there as we can get. then we'll have the last act in the orchard, and you children can be in swings, in the trees, or playing around." "we've got only one tree and not many of us can get in that," objected charlie star. "well, perhaps i can rig up another tree--or something that will do," said mr. treadwell. "we'll decide about that later. now as to the play. i thought i'd have it very simple. it's about an old man and two children who have lived in the city all their lives. they are in the show business and they get tired of it. one day while traveling about they miss their train, and they are left in a lonely country town. "at first they don't like it, but when they see how quiet and peaceful it is, after the hot, noisy city, they decide to stay. they reach a farmhouse and find some children who are tired of the country and want to go to the city. the old man and the city children tell the country children about how hot it is in town, and advise them to stay in the fields and meadows. "then the old man and the children with him do some of the things they used to do in a city theater, and the country children do some of the things they do friday afternoons at school. and they all have a good time. then they hear about some poor people who live in a hospital, or some place like that, and they decide to get up a show to make money to give to the poor folks who haven't had much joy in life. so they give a little show, make some money and all ends happily. how do you like that?" no one spoke for a moment, and then bunny cried: "why--why that's just like you and--and us, mr. treadwell! it's almost real--like it is here." "yes," agreed the actor, "i thought i'd make it as real as possible, and as natural. it will go better that way. do you like it?" "oh, it's lovely!" said sue. "i hope sadie west will speak the piece about a dolly's prayer." "yes, she speaks that very nicely," said mary watson. "then we'll have her do it in our little play," decided mr. treadwell. "and now i'll start to work writing the play and we can soon begin to practice." "and we really can give the money to the blind home here, instead of to the red cross, maybe," said bunny. "once mother and some ladies got up an entertainment and they made 'most fifty dollars for the blind home." "i hope we can make as much," said lucile. "it's dreadful to be blind. i feel so sorry for our uncle bill. i wish we could find him." "and i wish we could find uncle simon and aunt sallie," added mart. "but still we like it here," he hastened to add, lest bunny and sue might think he and his sister did not care for all that mr. and mrs. brown had done for them. in the week that followed mr. treadwell, when he was not working in mr. brown's office, keeping books, wrote away at the little play. mart, too, when he was not busy at the dock, helping bunker blue, did what he could to get ready for the show. the children did not tell any one except their fathers and mothers what it was to be about. "it must be a secret," said bunny brown. "then everybody will buy a ticket to come and see it." "but where are we going to have the show?" asked sue of bunny one night. "i don't know," bunny answered. "i must begin to look around for a place for you," said mr. brown. "i did think we could use the old moving picture theater, but that has been sold and is being torn down. but we'll find some place. how are you coming on with the children's play?" he asked the impersonator. "very well, i think," was the answer. "we'll soon be ready for a trial, or rehearsal, as it is called. have you heard anything about the uncle and aunt of mart and lucile?" he asked. "no," replied mr. brown, "i haven't. i have written several letters hoping to get some word, but i haven't as yet. i can't even find out where mr. and mrs. jackson are. they might have found the address of the children's aunt sallie and uncle simon. but jackson seems to have vanished after his show failed." "yes, that often happens," said mr. treadwell. "if we could only find our uncle bill he could tell us just what we want to know," said mart. "but i don't know where he is." "could he, by any chance, be in this blind home just outside of your town?" asked the actor. "no, i thought of that, and inquired," said mr. brown. "there is no person named clayton in the place. well, we'll just keep on hoping." the weather was now getting colder. thanksgiving came, and there were jolly good times in the brown home. mart and lucile said they had never had such a happy holiday since their own folks were with them, and mr. treadwell, who was invited to dinner, told such funny jokes and stories, making believe he was a colored man, or an irishman, at times, that he had every one laughing. bunker blue came to dinner also, and he said he had had as much fun as if he had been to the theater. "you'll come to our show, won't you, bunker?" asked bunny, when he could eat no more. "oh, sure, i'll come!" said the fish boy. "and i'll clap as loud as i can when you get in the water trough." "i'm not going to get in," decided bunny. "i'm going to let charlie star do that--he's smaller 'n i am." the children were given their parts for the farm play, and they practiced whenever they had a chance over the garage. the scenery was still stored there, and mr. brown was trying to find a place in town large enough for the show to be given. it was one evening after a day of practice, and while bunny, sue, and the others in the brown house were talking about the play, that a ring came at the front door. "oh, maybe that's a special delivery letter to say our uncle and aunt have been heard from!" exclaimed lucile. "oh, if it should be!" murmured sue, hopefully. but it was mr. raymond, the hardware store keeper, in whose place wango the monkey had once got loose. "good evening, mr. brown," was mr. raymond's greeting as he came in. "i heard you were looking for a place for the children to give some sort of entertainment--is that so?" "yes," was the answer. "i did hope we might get the old moving picture theater, but that's been sold, and i really don't know what to do. we have the scenery, the children have nearly learned their parts, but we have no place to give the show." "well, i've come to tell you where you can find a place," said the hardware man, and bunny and sue clapped their hands in delight. chapter xi the strange voice "this is very kind of you, i'm sure, mr. raymond," said mr. brown. "i didn't know there was any place in town i hadn't thought of. the church will hardly do, and the opera house costs too much to hire for a simple little play. the town meeting hall is too small, and i was thinking we'd have to get a tent, perhaps. "no, you won't have to do that," said the merchant. "you know there's a big loft over my store, don't you?" "yes, but i thought you had that piled full of things," said mr. brown. "well, it was, but it's partly cleaned out now," was the answer. "i'm going to clean out the rest, and you can have that place for your show, and welcome. it won't cost you a penny for rent." "oh! oh!" bunny brown and his sister sue fairly squealed in delight. "i'm glad you like it," said mr. raymond with a smile. "i was up in my attic, as i call it, the other day, and after i got to thinking about cleaning it out i thought of you children and your show. i heard some one say that mr. brown couldn't get just the place that would suit, so began to measure around, and i think mine will do." "i'm sure it will," said mrs. brown. "but is there a stage and are there seats for the audience?" asked mart, who was the first to think of these things. "no, there isn't a stage, nor yet any seats," said mr. raymond, and at hearing this bunny and sue looked disappointed. but they brightened up when mr. raymond went on with a smile: "i'm going to build a stage in the place, and also put in seats. it's about time we had, in this town, some place where little shows and entertainments can be given. the town hall is too small, and the opera house is too big. i'm going to make mine in-between." "like the big bear and the little bear and the middle-sized bear!" laughed sue. "that's it," said mr. raymond. "i expect to make some money by renting out my hall after i get it fixed up. but i'm going to let you folks have it for nothing this time," he was quick to say. "it will advertise the place, and people will know about it. so now if you'd like it i'll go ahead and fix up the stage and the seats, and as soon as it's ready you can move your scenery in and have your show, bunny brown." "will it be ready in time for a christmas entertainment?" asked lucile. "oh, yes, i'll see to that!" promised mr. raymond. "well, i'm sure we can't thank you enough," said mr. brown. "i had promised the children a place for their show, but i was just beginning to think i couldn't find one. this will be just the thing." "and mr. raymond can come to our play for nothing!" cried bunny. "yes, i think that's the least we can offer him," laughed mrs. brown. there was great excitement in town the next day, especially among the boys and girls, when it became known that a new hall was to be built over the hardware store, and it can be easily believed that bunny, sue, and their friends who were to be in the play, "down on the farm," were more excited than any one else. while they waited for mr. raymond to have his "attic," as he called it, cleaned out and the stage built and seats put in, bunny and sue, with mart and lucile, had plenty of fun, as well as some work. for it was work to get up a play, as the children soon found out. mr. treadwell did his part, in writing the different parts the boy and girl actors were to speak, but the boys and girls themselves had to learn them by heart, and it was not as easy as learning to speak a "single piece" for friday afternoon at school. but every one did his or her best, and soon it was felt that the play was coming on "in fine shape," as the actor said. it was easier for mart and lucile to learn their parts, as they were used to appearing on the stage. when the children were not practicing they had fun on the snow and ice, for winter had set in early that year, and there was plenty of coasting and skating. one day mart and his sister came back to the brown house, having been downtown to see how the new hall for the play was coming on--raymond hall it was to be called. "is it 'most ready?" asked bunny, who opened the door for the boy acrobat and his singing sister. "yes," was the answer. "mr. raymond has had the stage built and they are putting in the seats to-day. was there any mail for us, bunny?" mart asked. "no," answered the little boy. "oh dear!" sighed lucile. "i don't believe we'll ever hear from our folks. i guess they've forgotten us!" "maybe you'll hear at christmas," said sue softly. "you get things at christmas you don't get in all the year, and maybe you'll get the letter you want, lucile." "i hope so," was the answer. "it's lonesome not to have any folks writing to you. but of course we love it here!" she made haste to add, for indeed the browns were very kind to the boy and the girl, and also to mr. treadwell, who seemed to like it in bellemere. at last the new hall was finished, the farm scenery mr. brown had bought was moved in, and one bright, sunny day, with the sparkling white snow on the ground outside, the boys and girls gathered over the hardware store for practice. "now we will try the first act," said mr. treadwell, when the meadow scene had been set up on the stage, and it "looked as real as anything!" as sue whispered to sadie west. "take your places!" said the actor. "remember now, bunny and sue are supposed to be picking daisies in the meadow, and you other children are picking buttercups. all at once an old tramp comes along the road--which is the front of the stage, as i've told you." "oh, i don't want to play if there's going to be an old twamp in it!" exclaimed little belle hanson. "i don't like twamps! they's awful dirty!" "it isn't a real tramp," said mr. treadwell. "i dress up like one, belle," for he had arranged to have a number of costumes for himself so he could take different parts in the little play. "well, if it's just a play twamp all wight," said belle. "they's wagged maybe, but not dirty." the children were told what they must do and say for the first act. they had practiced it over and over again, but even then some of them would forget at times. "now we're all ready," said mr. treadwell, at length. "start to pick daisies, bunny and sue, and the rest of you pick buttercups. then i'll make believe i'm a tramp and come along the road." as this was not what is called a "dress rehearsal" neither mr. treadwell nor the children had on any special costumes. they were wearing their everyday clothes. bunny, sue, and the others took their places, and spoke their proper lines. "oh, here comes a tramp!" suddenly cried sue to her brother, as she was supposed to do in the play when mr. treadwell appeared on the stage. "here comes a tramp!" now bunny was supposed to have a speech at this point, but no sooner had sue cried out just as she had been taught to do, than a strange voice answered her, saying: "a tramp is it! set the dog on him! here, towser! get after the tramp! no tramps allowed around here! bow! wow! wow!" and then came a shrill whistle as of some one calling a dog. chapter xii a surprise mr. treadwell, who was closely watching bunny brown and his sister sue, to see that they did their first part in the play all right, looked up in surprise as he heard the strange voice speaking about the tramp, calling the dog and whistling. "please don't do that," said the actor. "that isn't in the play. who said it?" "no--nobody--i guess," replied charlie star. "well, somebody must have said it, for i heard it," replied mr. treadwell, with a smile. "don't do it again! now bunny and sue try it again. make believe, sue, that you see a tramp coming down the road. i'm to be the tramp, you know, and on the night of the show i'll really dress up like one. now go on." bunny looked at sue and sue looked at bunny. the other children in the play also looked at one another. they were sure none of them had spoken, and yet mr. treadwell seemed to think the voice had been one of theirs. "oh, here comes a tramp!" cried sue once more, and bunny was just about to repeat his part, when, again, came the strange, shrill voice, saying: "no tramps allowed! no tramps wanted! give him a cold potato and let him go!" "oh, i'm not going to stay here!" suddenly cried sadie west. "there is something funny here," said bunny brown. "none of us is talking and yet we hear a voice." mr. treadwell, who had been looking over the papers on which he had written down the different parts of the play, looked up quickly when he again heard the strange voice. he was just about to ask who had called out when something fluttered down out of the stage tree which was to be set up in the orchard scene. the tree was off to one side, in what are called in theater talk, the "wings." out of the tree fluttered something with flapping wings. "it's a big owl!" cried george watson. "don't let it get hold of your hair or it'll pull it all out!" called sue. "owls feets gets tangled in your hair," and she put her hands over her head. "pooh! they don't either!" cried helen newton. the children were rushing here and there about the stage, and mr. treadwell was trying to see where the strange bird was going to light, when bunny brown cried out: "'tisn't an owl at all! it's mr. jed winkler's parrot!" and when the fluttering bird had come to rest on top of the stage barn, it was seen that it was just what bunny said--a big, green parrot. there it perched, picking at a make believe shingle with its hooked bill, and calling in its shrill voice: "no tramps allowed! no tramps allowed! call the dog! here, towser! give him a cold potato and let him go! bow wow!" then how all the children laughed! "why, it surely is mr. winkler's parrot!" exclaimed mr. treadwell, as he looked at the green bird. "he was safe in his cage when i came out this morning, but he must have got loose. i'd better go and tell miss winkler, for she likes the parrot as much as she doesn't like jed's monkey. she told me she was teaching the parrot to say some new words, but i didn't know they were about tramps or i would have known right away it wasn't any of you children speaking during the play. come on down, polly!" called the actor to the green bird. but polly seemed to like it up on top of the stage barn, and from the top of the roof it cried again: "no tramps! no tramps allowed! towser, get after the tramps!" the children laughed again, and mr. treadwell said: "it wouldn't do to have the parrot in the play, or he'd spoil the first scene. now i'd better go and tell miss winkler where she can find the bird." but he was saved this trouble, for just then miss winkler herself came up the stairs leading from the hall at one side of the hardware store. "is my parrot here, mr. treadwell?" she asked the actor who boarded at her house. "i let him out of his cage when i was cleaning it a while ago, and when i looked for him, to put him back, he was gone. one of my windows was open and he must have flown out. some of my neighbors said they saw a big bird flying toward the hardware store, so i came over. mr. raymond and i couldn't find him downstairs, and he told me to look up here. have you seen polly?" the big, green bird answered for himself then, for he cried out: "look out for tramps!" "oh, there you are!" exclaimed miss winkler. "aren't you ashamed of yourself, polly, to fly off like that? you'll catch your death of cold; too, coming out this wintry weather! here, come to me!" she held out her hand, and the parrot fluttered down to one finger. miss winkler scratched the green bird's head, and the parrot seemed to like this. "no tramps allowed!" he cried. "i taught him to say that!" said miss winkler. "i thought it would be a good thing for a parrot to say. often tramps come around when jed isn't at home, and if they hear polly speaking they'll think it's a man and go away. now, polly, we'll go home!" "no tramps allowed!" said the bird again. "i hope my parrot didn't spoil the play," said miss winkler to mr. treadwell and the children. "oh, no," answered the actor. "we didn't know he was in here, and when he began talking i thought it was one of the boys or girls speaking out of turn. but he did no harm." "i'm glad of that," said the elderly woman. "a parrot is a heap sight better than a monkey, i tell jed. he ought to teach wango to talk, and then he'd be of some use!" the children laughed as she went downstairs with the parrot on her finger, and sue said: "a monkey would be funny if he could talk, wouldn't he?" "i should say so!" exclaimed mr. treadwell. "but now, children, we'll get on with the play." miss winkler took her parrot home and shut him, or her, up in a cage. sometimes "polly" was called "him," and again "her." it didn't seem to matter which. the bird had got out of an open window when miss winkler was busy in another room, and, like the monkey, had gone to the store of mr. raymond, not far away. i need not tell you about the practice for the play, as it took so long for each boy and girl to learn his or her part, and how to come on and go off the stage at the right time. at the proper place i'll tell you all about the play, but just now i'll say that for several days there was hard practice with mr. treadwell, mart, and lucile to help, or "coach," as it is called, the children. "do you think we'll be ready by christmas?" asked bunny one day. "oh, surely," answered the actor. it was planned to have the play, "down on the farm," given christmas afternoon, and the money was to go to the home for the blind in bellemere, and not the red cross. "oh, it's snowing again!" cried bunny brown, as he ran into the house one afternoon, when he and sue came home from school. "may we take our sleds out, mother?" "yes, i think so," answered mrs. brown. "where's lucile?" asked sue. "can't she come and sleigh ride with us?" "she and mart are out in the pony stable," answered sue's mother. "your father let mart come home early from the office, and he and his sister have been out in the barn ever since. i can't say what they're doing. maybe you'd better go and see." "come on, sue!" cried bunny brown. "maybe they're practicing some new acts for the play." but when bunny and his sister entered the stable where the shetland pony was kept, a sound of hammering was heard. "are you here, mart?" called bunny. "yes," was the answer. "come and see what lucile and i have made for you and sue!" bunny and his sister hurried into the room where the little pony cart stood, and there they saw something that made them open their eyes in delight. chapter xiii "they're gone" the pony cart, which generally stood in the middle of the barn floor next to the stall of toby, the little shetland, had been rolled back out of the way, and in its place stood what first seemed to sue and bunny to be a large box. but when they looked a second time, they saw that the box was fastened on a large sled--larger than either of their small ones. "what are you makin'?" asked sue. "oh, something to give you and bunny a pony ride," answered mart. "oh, it's a pony sled, isn't it?" cried bunny. "well, yes, something like that," was the answer, given with a smile. "there wasn't much to do down at the dock to-day, so your father let me off early. on my way home i saw this large sled at mr. raymond's store. it was broken, so he let me buy it cheap. i brought it here, mended it, and fastened on it this drygoods box. lucile helped me, and she lined it with an old blanket your mother gave us. now what do you think of your sled?" and mart stepped back out of the way so bunny and sue could see what he had made. "oh, it's just--just dandy!" cried the little boy. "and it's a real seat in it!" exclaimed sue. "yes, we took a smaller box and put it inside the large one for a seat," explained lucile. "now don't you want to go for a ride?" "i--i--oh, it's dandy," cried bunny, his eyes round with pleasure. "see," went on mart, "i am going to take the thills off the pony cart and fasten them on this sled. then you can hitch up the shetland and go for a ride." "oh! oh!" squealed sue, in delight, as she jumped up and down on the barn floor. "say, this is more than dandy!" cried bunny. "it's _jim dandy_!" he went closer to look at the home-made sled while mart took the shafts from the pony cart and fastened them on the dry goods box at a place he had made for that purpose. "why, there's room for all four of us in the sled!" said bunny, as he noticed how large the box was. "and our pony can pull four. he's done it lots of times." "well, then i guess he can do it on the slippery snow," said mart. "we'll come if you want us to, bunny." "of course i want you!" said the little boy. "and lucile, too!" added sue, for she was very fond of the singing girl actress. "yes, i'll come," said lucile. "but if you drive, bunny, you must promise not to go too fast." "oh, i'll go slow," he agreed. "maybe the snow'll stop and then we can't go riding," sue said. "oh, go and look and see if it has!" cried her brother. "that would be too bad, wouldn't it, to have the snow stop after mart had made such a fine sled?" but a look out the window of the barn showed the white flakes still swirling down, and bunny and sue laughed and clapped their hands in delight as mart brought the pony from his stall. everything was just right. the pony backed in between the shafts, and soon drew the new sled outside where the newly fallen snow let it slip easily along. "it will look nicer when it's painted," said mart. "i think it's nice now!" said bunny. "terrible nice!" agreed sue. "well, get in, and we'll have a ride," suggested lucile. "can you drive, bunny?" "oh, yes!" was the answer; and bunny soon showed that he could by taking the reins and guiding the pony around to the front of the house. "come on out, mother, and see what we have!" cried sue, as bunny stopped the little horse. "oh, isn't that just fine!" laughed mrs. brown, as she came to the door. "what a nice surprise for you children! did you thank mart and lucile for making it?" "i--i guess we forgot," said bunny. "but we're glad you live with us," he said to the boy actor and his sister. "so are we!" laughed lucile. "this is more fun than going about from one place to another, and traveling half the night." "i'm glad, too," said sue. "now let's go for a ride." and they did, down the village street, stopping now and then to let some of their boy or girl friends look at the new pony sled mart had made from an old drygoods box and the broken "bob" from the hardware store. the white flakes sifted down, like feathers from a big goose flying high in the air, the bells on the shetland pony jingled, and bunny and sue thought that never had they been so happy. the snow lasted several days, and each day after school bunny brown and his sister sue went for a pony ride in the jolly sled. mart had painted it a bright red, and it really looked very nice. "that boy is handy with tools," said mr. brown to his wife one day, when they were talking about mart and wondering if he and lucile would ever find their relatives. "if he'd like to stay with me he would be good help around the boats in the summer. he and bunker blue are good friends, and one helps the other." "lucile is good help around the house," said mrs. brown. "i'd love to have them with me always, but of course if they have relatives it would be better for them to live in their own home. do you think the children's play will be nice?" "oh, i'm sure it will. mr. treadwell says they are doing nicely. i don't suppose they will make much money, but they'll have the fun of it, and it is good for children to try to help others, as bunny, sue, and their friends are hoping to help the home for the blind." "it's too bad about mart's blind uncle, isn't it? do you think he'll ever be found?" "well, we can only hope," said mr. brown. though bunny and sue had fun in the snow and on the ice they did not forget to practice for the new play, nor did the other children. one afternoon all the little actors and actresses were assembled in the new hall over the hardware store. a rehearsal was going on, and nearly all the mothers of the children were there, as mr. treadwell had asked them to come so he might talk to them about the costumes that had to be made for the little girls and boys. just after the second scene, which took place partly in the barnyard, and partly in the barn itself, will laydon came walking out to the middle of the stage where mr. treadwell stood. "they--they're gone!" exclaimed will, seemingly much excited. "just a moment," said the actor, who was talking to mrs. brown. "i'll attend to you in a minute, will." "but they're gone!" exclaimed the boy, and mrs. brown and the other ladies turned to look at him in some surprise. "my white mice got out of their cage just now," said will, "and they're running all over. my white mice are loose!" chapter xiv splash hangs on for a while there was a good deal of excitement and wild scampering about. mice ran here and mice ran there. children scrambled after them or scrambled to get out of their way. there were cries and shrieks and laughter. one little white mouse, frightened and not knowing where to go, ran up the dress skirt and into the lap of the mother of bunny brown and his sister sue. "come here, will, and come quick," called mrs. brown to the owner of the white mice. "i do not like your sort of pet, come and take it away--and come quick, i say!" "all right, i'll come," answered will. "don't be frightened," called out mr. treadwell. "i'm sure will's white mice are too well-trained to harm any one." "oh, we're not afraid!" "they won't hurt anybody," said the boy who owned the white pets, and who was going to have them do little tricks during the show. "why, they're so tame they'll crawl all over you and go to sleep in your pocket!" "oh, take 'em away! take 'em away!" cried one girl. "i wouldn't have come if i had known there were to be any mice!" "but they're white mice," said will, "and i didn't know they were out of the cage. somebody must have opened the door." "i'll help you hunt for the white mice," offered bunny brown. "i'm not afraid of 'em!" "i aren't, either," added sue. "i'm not zactly 'fraid of 'em," said helen newton, "but they make you feel so _ticklish_ when they crawl on you!" "they're nice," said bunny brown, as he crawled under a chair to coax a white mouse that was trying to hide behind a paper bag. "and they'll do some nice tricks in our show." it took some little time to catch all the white mice. will made sure, by counting twice, that he had every one of his pets back in their wire cage. then mr. treadwell told the mothers of the little girls what sort of costumes the young actresses and actors must have for the different parts in the play. everything was very simple, and no costly costumes need be bought. "you see we want to make all the money we can for the home for the blind," explained bunny. "that's a good idea," said mrs. west. "i think the children are just perfectly fine to do things like this. it teaches them to be kind." after the talk about the dresses and suits, mr. treadwell went on with, the rehearsal, or practice. i have told you something of what the play was to be about, but changes were made in it from time to time, during practice, just as changes are made in real plays. it was found that one boy could speak a piece better than another boy, so he was allowed to do this, while the first boy, perhaps, was given a funny dance to do. the same with the girls--some could sing better than others. most of the solo singing in the play was to be done by lucile clayton. she had a very sweet, clear voice, and of course she had had more practice than any of the others. of course all the boys wished they could do some of the acrobatic work that mart was to do on the stage. but though some of the lads of bellemere, like bunny brown, were pretty good at turning somersaults or flipflops, none of them was equal to mart, who had been on the stage for several years. but he was training bunny, harry bentley, charlie star and george watson to do a leap-frog dance which mr. treadwell said would be very funny. mr. treadwell was not only the author of the little play, but he was also the stage director; that is, he told the boys and girls what to do and when to do it. in this he was helped by lucile and mart. these three performers, who had been in such bad luck when the vaudeville troupe broke up, were now quite happy again. mr. treadwell and mart were working for mr. brown, and though they did not make as much money as when they had been acting in theaters, still they had an easier time. lucile, too, liked it at mrs. brown's. of course the two "waifs" as they were sometimes called, wished they could find out where there uncle and aunt were. they also wanted to find their blind uncle. but, so far, no trace of any of them was to be had, though many letters were written by mr. brown and mr. treadwell. mr. treadwell was a very busy man. after he finished work at mr. brown's office he would help the children rehearse for the farm play. in the play mr. treadwell was to take several parts. in one act he was a tramp, and in another a farmer. then, too, he took the character of a man from the city, and later he did a number of impersonations, using the costumes he had made use of in the various theaters. "don't you think we could have our dog splash in the play?" asked bunny of mr. treadwell one afternoon when the rehearsal was finished. "why, yes, i think so," was the answer. "i'll be thinking up a part for him. has he good, strong teeth?" "oh, yes!" exclaimed sue, who was standing beside bunny. "he has terrible strong teeth! you ought to see him bite a bone!" "well, i don't know that i want him to bite a bone on the stage," said mr. treadwell, with a laugh. "but we'll see about it." some days after that, during which time mr. treadwell spent many hours with splash alone in the stable, bunny and sue were quite surprised on coming from school to hear loud barking in their yard. "maybe splash is chasing a cat!" exclaimed bunny. "it must be a strange cat," said sue; "'cause he likes all the other cats around here." the children ran around the corner of the house and there saw a strange sight. mr. treadwell was running about the yard. after him ran splash, and the dog was holding tightly to mr. treadwell's coat, shaking the tails as if trying to tear it off the actor. "oh! oh!" screamed sue. "our splash is mad at mr. treadwell!" chapter xv tickets for the show back and forth across the snow-covered yard ran mr. treadwell, and after him went splash, the dog, holding to the flying coat-tails of the actor. "splash! splash! come here to me!" cried bunny. but the dog did not obey. "oh, mother, come quick!" called sue. "our dog is going to eat mr. treadwell all up!" splash, indeed, did seem very angry, for he barked and growled. he growled more than he barked, for he could not open his mouth wide enough to bark when he was holding to the coat. mrs. brown rushed to the kitchen door, and she was as much surprised as the children were at what she saw. "oh, call some one! get some man to make splash let mr. treadwell alone!" cried sue. the actor, with the dog still clinging to him, was running toward the children now, and, to his surprise, bunny saw that mr. treadwell was laughing. "is he--is he hurting you?" asked the little boy. "not a bit," was the answer. "is splash holding fast?" "he's holding tight!" said sue. "oh, is he mad at you?" before mr. treadwell could answer there was a ripping sound, and a piece of cloth came loose from his coat. the piece of cloth stayed in splash's teeth and the children's dog at once began to shake and worry it, as he might a big rat he had caught. and as splash shook the piece of cloth he growled louder than before. "oh, has he torn your coat?" asked mrs. brown. "i never knew splash to act that way before. he is always kind and gentle." "he's all right now," answered mr. treadwell, with a laugh. "this is only in fun and part of the play." "part of the play!" exclaimed bunny. "didn't he really tear your coat?" "no," answered the actor, and, turning around, he showed that his coat was not ripped a bit. yet splash certainly had a piece of cloth in his jaws. "it's just a trick i have been teaching splash during the last few days," explained mr. treadwell. "you see, i'm to take the part of a tramp in the first act. now, most dogs don't like tramps, so i thought i'd have that sort of dog in the farm play. "splash will make a good actor dog, i think. first i found a bit of old cloth that he was used to playing with and shaking as he might shake a rat. then i sewed this piece of cloth to my coat, so it would not pull off too easily. then i took splash out to the barn to train him. as soon as he saw his own private piece of cloth sewed on my coat he chased after me and wanted to get it. i ran away and we played at that game until splash did just what i wanted him to. "that is, he will run after me, grab hold of the piece of cloth sewed fast to my coat, and he'll hold on while i drag him about until the cloth tears loose just as you saw it. though splash barks and growls, it is all done in fun, and he likes the play very much." "is he going to do that on the stage?" asked bunny. "i hope that's what he'll do," said the actor, as he patted the dog, who came up to him, having given up, for the time, the teasing of the bit of cloth. "you see i'm to be a tramp in the first act of the play. i'll come walking down the road, and then, bunny, you'll let splash loose after me. "he'll run out from the wings--that is from the side, you know--and chase me, for i'll be dressed in a ragged suit and on my coat-tails will be fastened the piece of cloth your dog likes so to tease. he'll grab hold of that, hang on, and i'll drag him across the stage. that ought to make the people laugh." "i think it will," said bunny. "and they'll think splash is really mad at you, won't they?" "i think they will, if we don't let them know any different," said the actor, with a laugh. "we must keep this part of our play a secret." "oh, yes! i love a secret!" said sue. "we won't tell anybody." "splash is a smart dog," said bunny, as he patted his pet. "indeed he is!" declared mr. treadwell. "he learned this hanging on trick much sooner than i thought he would. he likes to chase after me and let me drag him by my coat-tails." after splash had had a little rest the actor put him through the trick again, and bunny and sue laughed as they saw their dog swinging about the yard, making believe to chase a tramp. of course, mr. treadwell was not dressed like a tramp now, though he would be in the first act of the play. if bunny and sue could have had their way they would not have gone to school at all during the days when they were getting ready to give the play, "down on the farm." all the other boys and girls who were to be in it, also, would have been glad to stay at home from lessons, but, of course, that would never do. but all the time they had to spare from their books, bunny, sue, and the others spent either in practicing their parts or going to the hall over the hardware store where the performance was to be given. bunny and sue had about learned their parts now, and so had most of the other children. some were slower than others, and had to be told over and over again what to do. but, on the whole, mr. treadwell said he was well pleased. school would close for the holidays a week before christmas, and then there would be more time to rehearse. meanwhile bunny, sue, and their friends had fun on the snow and ice as well as in practicing for the show. each day mart and lucile anxiously waited for the mail, to see if there were any replies to the letters sent out, seeking news of their uncles and their aunt. but no word came. "i don't believe we'll ever hear," said lucile with a sigh. "it doesn't seem so," agreed her brother. "i guess we'll soon have to begin looking for another place with some show company on the road. i have almost enough money saved to take us to new york." "oh, but we can't let you go yet a while," said; mr. brown. "i'm sure we'll get some word of your relatives some day. meanwhile, we are glad to have you stay with us. i like to have you work for me, mart." "well, i'm glad to work, of course. but i feel that the theater is the place where i belong. of course, it's harder work than in your office, but it's what my sister and i have been brought up to." "i'm not going to hold you back," said mr. brown, to the boy and girl performers. "but stay here until after the holidays anyhow. by that time the little play will be over and you can decide what you want to do. who knows? perhaps by then we may find not only your blind uncle bill, but your uncle simon and aunt sallie as well." but mart and lucile shook their heads. they did not have much hope. however, they were glad to help the children get ready for the farm play. one afternoon, when bunny and sue came in from school and were getting ready to go to the hall to practice, they heard their doorbell ring loud and long. "oh, maybe that's a telegram for us!" exclaimed lucile. she was always hoping for sudden good news. "no, it's charlie star," said bunny, who had gone to the door. "oh, come down and see what he's got!" he cried, and sue, mart, and lucile hastened down the stairs. "what is it?" asked sue, as she saw her brother and charlie looking at something which charlie held. "is it a mud turtle?" "it's tickets!" exclaimed bunny. "tickets for our show! charlie printed 'em on his printing press!" he held up for all to see a small square of pasteboard on which appeared: gra te show by bunny bwown and his sisteer s*ue come 1 come all and see "do$n onthe farn!! admishion $25 chapter xvi upside downside bunny for a few seconds bunny, sue, mart and lucile looked over the shoulders of one another at the ticket which charlie star had brought to show them. "i didn't know we were going to have real tickets!" exclaimed bunny. "this is lots more fun than i thought." "it's just like a real show, with real tickets an' everything!" exclaimed sue. "'course that isn't a very good ticket, yet," explained charlie. "i just got it set up and there's a couple mistakes in it. i'll have them fixed before the show." "yes, i guess it would be better to have the mistakes fixed before you print the tickets for the show," replied mart, with a smile. he knew something about show tickets, and he could see more mistakes in the one charlie had made than could the young printer himself. "but it's very nice," said lucile, not wanting charlie's feelings to be hurt. "only you aren't going to charge twenty-five dollars to come to the show, are you?" she asked with a smile. "oh, no, that ought to be twenty-five cents," said charlie, "only i made a mistake. or else harry bentley did. he helped me set the type." "where did you get the printing press?" asked mart. "it's one my father had when he was a little boy," answered charlie. "he had it put away in the attic, and he always said i could take it when i got old enough. so i asked him for it to-day. "he said i wasn't quite old enough, but when i told him about the show we're going to have for the blind home he said he guessed i could print the tickets. so i set up the type. harry helped me, and when we get it fixed right i'll print all the tickets for nothing." "that will be very nice," said mrs. brown, who came in to look at what charlie had brought over. "you did very well for the first time, i think." i suppose you children can see where charlie made the mistakes in setting up the type. but with the help of his father he corrected them, and when the tickets were printed for the show they were all right, even to the price to get in, which was twenty-five cents. but of course i haven't really reached the show part of this story yet. i just thought i'd mention the tickets. there was still much to be done before bunny, sue, and the other children were ready for the first act of the play, "down on the farm." mr. treadwell gave a great deal of his time to telling the boys and girls what to do, and in going over the little farm play. all the time he could spare away from mr. brown's office the actor gave to the show. if you have ever been in a play you know how often you must do the same thing over. finally the time comes when you are as nearly perfect as possible. it was that way with bunny and sue. sometimes they were tired of saying over and over again such things as: "here come a tramp!" or "let's call snap, he'll make the tramp go away!" those were only two "lines" in the play, but these, as well as others, had to be said over and over again, until mr. treadwell was sure the children would not forget. mart and lucile, also, had to practice their parts, but as the boy and girl actor and actress had been in plays before, it was not so hard for them. and though the two little strangers gave much of their time to getting ready for the performance they still had hours when they thought of their missing relations--uncle bill, uncle simon and aunt sallie. for, though many letters had been written by mr. brown and mr. treadwell, no answers had come, and at times lucile and mart were very sad. but no one could be sad very long when they were near bunny brown and his sister sue. these two were always doing such funny things and saying such funny things that mart and lucile laughed more often than they were sad. "do you think, we can have mr. winkler's monkey and miss winkler's parrot in the show?" asked bunny of mart one day. "i guess we can if mr. treadwell will write parts for them," answered mart. "but the trouble is, you can't be sure that wango and the parrot will do the things you want them to. the parrot might speak at the wrong time, and wango might cut up by chasing his tail or hanging by his hind paws from the ceiling, and so make the audience laugh when we didn't want them to." "that's so," agreed bunny. "then i guess we'll only just have our dog splash in the play. he'll do whatever you tell him." "he certainly chases after the tramp in a funny way," laughed lucile. "i should think mr. treadwell would be afraid the dog would tear his coat." "oh, splash only bites the old piece of cloth," said mart. "it's a good trick." a little while after this bunny saw mart going out to the garage with some ropes and straps under his arm. the garage was partly a barn, for the shetland pony was kept in it and some hay for toby, the pony, to eat was also stored in the same place. "what are you going to do?" bunny asked the boy acrobat. "practice a few of my new tricks that i'm going to do in the play," mart answered. "there's a new kind of back somersault i want to turn, and a new kind of flipflop i want to make. you know in the play i do some tricks in front of the stage barn to make the farmers laugh. i'm supposed to be a boy who has run away from a circus." "we knew a boy who really ran away from a circus once," said bunny. "and he was in our show when we had one down at grandpa's farm." "well, i'm going to do a few circus tricks, as well as i can, though i never was in a tent show," said mart. "please, may i come and watch you?" asked bunny. "yes," answered mart kindly. so the acrobat and bunny went out to the little barn, and there, with ropes and straps, mart made a trapeze, such as you have often seen on the stage or in a circus. on the floor of the barn mart spread a pile of hay. "is that for our pony to come out and eat?" bunny wanted to know. "oh, no," answered mart. "that's to make something soft for me to fall on, in case i slip. in the circus the performers have nets under them to catch them in case they slip. but you can't have nets in a garage very well, so i use the hay." bunny watched his friend swing to and fro, sometimes by his hands and sometimes by his toes, on the trapeze in the barn. and mart was so sure and careful that he didn't slip once. so he didn't fall down on the hay. "did you ever fall?" asked bunny, as he watched the young acrobat swing to and fro, with his head down. "oh, yes indeed! more than once. and once i broke my leg so i couldn't go on the stage for over a month." "i don't want to break my leg," said bunny. "i hope you never do," answered mart. "but, of course, as you aren't going on a trapeze you won't fall and break anything." "i wish i could go on a trapeze," murmured bunny. "i could do some of the things you do i guess." "i'm afraid not," laughed mart, with a shake of his head. "it isn't as easy as it looks, and you are not big enough. if you do your somersaults and part of a flipflop in the play, as you are going to do, you'll make a hit, bunny." "do you mean i'll hit the floor?" asked the little boy. "no," laughed mart. "though if you aren't careful that may happen. but when i say you'll make a 'hit' i mean that the audience will like the tricks you do and they'll clap." "like they did in the circus?" asked bunny. "just like that," said mart. bunny sat and watched his friend. it looked so easy when mart swung to and fro on the rope, twisting and turning this way and that. "i could do it," said bunny to himself. when mart was called to the house by his sister he forgot to take down the ropes and straps that made the trapeze in the barn. they hung right before bunny brown's eyes. "i believe i can do it!" said bunny to himself, as he looked at the swinging trapeze. "anyhow, if i do fall, there's some soft hay." and then bunny did what he should not have done. he pulled some boxes and rolled a barrel over to the middle of the barn floor until he had a sort of platform under the trapeze mart had put up to practice on. then bunny climbed up, got hold of the swinging bar and swung his legs over. then something queer happened, for the first thing bunny brown knew, there he was, hanging upside down with his legs over the trapeze and his head pointing to the pile of hay in the middle of the barn floor. chapter xvii sue's queer slide bunny brown was at first so frightened, when he found himself swinging upside downside from mart's trapeze, that he did not know what to do. he was too frightened even to call out, as he nearly always did when he found himself in trouble. nearly always his first thought was of his father or mother. but this time he hardly knew what to do. it had all happened so suddenly. he had not meant to get upside downside this way. all he wanted to do was to sit on the trapeze, as he had often sat in a swing, and sway to and fro. but something had gone wrong, something had slipped, and there bunny was, hanging by his knees with his head toward the floor. then bunny had a thought that he might let go with his clinging legs and drop to the pile of hay. that was what the hay was for--to fall on. it was a thick, soft pile, but, somehow or other, bunny did not like to think of falling on it head first. "if i could only land on it with my hands or feet it wouldn't be so bad," thought the little fellow to himself. "but if i hit on my head----" and when he thought of that he clung with all his force to the wooden bar. he was still swinging to and fro, and on this first swing bunny had knocked to one side the pile of boxes and the barrel with which he had made himself a sort of ladder so he could reach mart's trapeze, which was several feet above the barn floor. so, now that the boxes by which he had climbed up were out of reach, bunny could not get down by using them. and he wanted, very much, to get down. he tried to wiggle around in such a way that he could reach the wooden bar with his hands, but he could not, and the more he wiggled the more it felt as though he might fall. then bunny decided that he must call for help. he had hoped that mart might come back, but the acrobatic boy was in the house helping his sister learn a new song lucile was going to sing in the play. so mart knew nothing of what was happening to bunny. "mother! daddy! come and get me!" cried bunny as he swung to and fro on the trapeze, head downward. "come and get me! mother! daddy!" bunny might have called like this for some time, and neither his father nor his mother would have heard him. for mr. brown was down at his office on the dock, and mrs. brown was making a cake, beating up eggs with the egg beater. an egg beater, you know, makes a lot of noise, and even if bunny had been in the kitchen mrs. brown might not have heard him call out. and away out in the barn as he was, of course she couldn't hear him. i don't believe she could have heard him even if she hadn't been using the egg beater. so poor little bunny brown swung by his legs on the trapeze in the upper part of the garage and he did not know how to get down nor how to stop himself. "daddy! mother!" he called again, but no one heard him. on a summer day, when the windows were open, bunny's voice might have been heard from the barn to the house, but now no one heard him. but, as it also happened, sue was the means by which bunny's trouble was discovered, though sue, too, had an accident. soon after mart came to the house to help his sister, sue heard the doorbell ring, and when she went to see who was there she saw helen newton, one of her little playmates who was to act in the show with sue. "oh, sue!" exclaimed helen, "have you got a doll you could lend me? i have to have one in the play, and the only one i had isn't any good any more." "is your doll sick?" sue wanted to know. "she's worse than sick," said helen. "our puppy dog got hold of her the other day, and he dragged my doll all around the kitchen and all her clothes were torn off and she's chewed and she isn't fit to be seen. i can't have her in the play with me, though i did at first, before the puppy chewed her." "i guess sue can let you take one of her dolls," said mrs. brown, with a smile, as she came in from the kitchen where she had been doing her baking. "what one do you think would be best for helen, sue?" "oh, i guess my unbreakable doll, jane anna, would be best for in the play," sue answered. "if you drop her, helen, it won't hurt." "no, and it won't hurt much if our puppy dog gets hold of her," added helen. "course our dog won't come to the play and chew up any dolls, but he might get hold of one again when i'm practicing at home. i think the jane anna will be best." "i'll get her for you," offered sue. but when she went to look for the doll for helen, jane anna could not be found. "i wonder where it is!" exclaimed sue. "maybe your dog splash chewed her up," said helen. "no, he doesn't chew dolls," replied sue. "he chews up my school books, and bunny's, but he doesn't chew dolls." "i wish my dog would chew books," went on helen. "then i wouldn't have to study. maybe he will chew them after he finds there isn't any of my old doll left to bite." sue looked in different places in the house for her unbreakable doll, but could not find it. she asked lucile and mart about it, when the brother and sister took a rest from the song which lucile was to sing, though her brother had a part in it. "lost your doll, have you, sue?" asked mart. "well, maybe she is hiding under the umbrella plant!" "oh, you're teasing me!" said sue, and that's just what mart was doing. for though mrs. brown did have an umbrella plant, and a rubber plant also, sue's doll was not under either one. "the last time i saw you have your unbreakable doll was out in the hayloft of the barn," said lucile. "don't you remember? you were playing house with sadie west." "o, now i remember!" cried sue. "i left jane anna asleep in the hay in the corner of the loft. i'll go out and get her for you, helen. you wait here." so helen sat down in a chair in the dining room while sue ran out to the barn to look for her doll. mart and lucile began practicing the song again. now all this while bunny brown was swinging by his legs, upside downside on the trapeze. it seems to him a long while since he had started to hang head downward, but, really, it was not very long. for though it takes me quite a little while to tell you about it, really it all happened in a short while. so bunny brown had not been swinging very long, head downward, before sue ran out to the barn, or garage, whichever you like to call it, to look for her doll. up the stairs into the loft, where mart had fastened the trapeze, went sue. she had just reached the top step and was wondering if her doll were really there when, all at once, sue heard some one cry: "help me down! help me down!" "oh, my!" was the little girl's first thought, "can that by my doll?" then she knew it couldn't be. for, though some dolls have inside them a little phonograph that can say words, sue's jane anna had nothing like this. "but somebody yelled!" said sue to herself. just then the voice shouted again. "help me down! help me down!" "oh, it's bunny!" exclaimed sue, as she heard her brother's voice. "where are you, and what's the matter, bunny?" she asked. a moment later she looked toward the middle of the hayloft and saw the little boy swinging by his legs from the trapeze. "oh, bunny brown, are you doing circus tricks up here?" asked sue. "mamma wouldn't let you! oh, bunny brown!" "help me down, sue! help me down!" shouted bunny. "i daren't drop on the hay, and i want to get down!" sue took a step forward. she did not know just what she was going to do, but she wanted to help bunny. and just then sue's feet seemed to drop out from under her, and down she went in a funny slide. [illustration: down went sue in a funny slide. _bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show._ _page 161_] down and down and down, with a lot of hay all around her, and out of sight of bunny brown, who was still on the trapeze, went sister sue. chapter xviii mr. treadwell's wig bunny brown, swinging by his knees from the trapeze, had just one little look at his sister sue, and then he didn't see her again. at first bunny thought perhaps he had fallen asleep and had dreamed that he had seen sue. so many things had happened since he climbed up on the funny swing that it would not have surprised bunny to have learned that he had fallen asleep and dreamed. but a moment later he heard sue's voice, and then bunny felt sure it was not a dream. for as sue slipped and fell down a deep hole, together with a lot of hay, she called: "oh, oh! oh, bunny! oh, mother! oh, daddy!" she wanted all three of them to help her and she didn't know which one she wanted most. "oh, sue! sue!" cried bunny, as soon as he felt sure it was his sister he had seen and not a dream. "sue! come and help me!" "somebody's got to help me!" half sobbed sue, and her voice seemed very faint and far away. and no wonder! for sue had slipped down the little hole over the manger, or feed-box, in the stall of toby, the shetland pony. in this barn, as perhaps you have seen in barns at your grandpa's farm in the country, there is a little hole cut in the floor of the loft, or upstairs part, so hay can be pushed down from the mow into the stall of a horse or a pony. there was a little hay covering this hole, so sue did not see it when she went up to look for her doll. and it was down this hole that sue had fallen. right down she went, into the manger of the pony's stall, but as the manger was filled with hay sue didn't get hurt a bit. but the pony was very much surprised. it was just as if, when you were eating your bread and milk at the table some day, the ceiling over your head should suddenly have a hole come in it, and down through the hole, from upstairs, should slide a little horse. "oh! oh!" cried sue, in surprise. of course the shetland pony didn't say anything, but he was surprised just the same. sue wasn't hurt a bit, and soon she scrambled out of the manger and ran out of the stall. as she did so the little girl heard a bump, or thud, over her head. that bump made her think of bunny, and how he was swinging on the trapeze. "oh, bunny!" cried sue, running up the stairs again. "did you see me slide down the hay hole?" "yes," answered bunny, "i did. and did you hear me fall on the pile of hay under the trapeze?" "i heard a bumpity-bump sound!" said sue. "that was me," explained bunny. "i couldn't hold on any longer, so i had to let go. but i fell in the hay and i didn't hurt myself at all. i thought i would hurt myself, or i'd have let go before this. now i'm all right. i can do a trapeze swing almost as good as mart. i'm all right now!" certainly he seemed so to sue, who by this time had got to the top of the stairs and was looking across the loft at her brother. bunny wasn't hurt--the hay on which he had fallen was just like a feather bed. "well, we better go in now," said sue. "we both falled down but we both didn't get hurt." bunny stood looking up at the trapeze. he was thinking of getting on it again, but as he remembered how frightened he was he made up his mind that he had better let mart do those risky tricks. "oh, i almost forgot!" exclaimed sue, as she and bunny were going out of the barn toward the house. "i forgot my jane anna for helen. i was coming out to get her when i heard you holler." "i yelled a lot of times before anybody heard me," said bunny, and he told sue how he had climbed up on the pile of boxes, and how they had fallen so he could not get down off the trapeze. "well, you're down now," said sue. mrs. brown guessed that something was the matter when she saw bunny and sue coming back from the barn, looking rather excited, and she soon had the whole story. then she told bunny he must not get on mart's trapeze again, as he was too little for that sort of play. "even if there's a lot of hay under it can't i get on?" asked bunny. "no, not even if there's a lot of hay under it," answered mrs. brown. so that ended bunny's hopes of becoming a trapeze performer in the show. but mart still kept on practicing, and soon he could do a number of good tricks. lucile, too, practiced her songs, and those who heard the children at their rehearsals said the show, which had first been thought of by bunny and sue, would be a good one. charlie star fixed the mistakes in the tickets he was printing for the farm play and soon they were ready to be sold. all the fathers and mothers of the children who were to be in the play bought tickets, and so did other persons in bellemere. the tickets were put on sale in the hardware store, in the drug store, in the grocery of mr. sam gordon, and in other places about town. mr. treadwell also made some big posters, telling about the show. these posters were hung in the window of the barber shop, and one was tacked up in the railroad station and another on mr. brown's dock office. everything was being made ready for the show which would be given christmas afternoon. the children could hardly wait for the time to come, but, of course, they had to. meanwhile, they had as much fun as they could when they were not at school or practicing their parts in the new hall built over the hardware store. "how happy we could be living here and going to take part in a nice play if we only knew where our people were," said lucile to her brother mart one day. "yes, that's all we need to make us quite happy," said he. "but i guess we'll never see our uncles or aunt sallie again. why, we haven't even heard from mr. jackson since our vaudeville show busted up. "well, i'm going to write just one more letter," went on mart, and he got out pen, ink, and paper. "i'm going to write to that man in new york who used to act in the same play with uncle simon. mr. treadwell found that man's address the other day, and i'm going to write to him. he may know where uncle simon and aunt sallie are." "does he know where uncle bill is?" asked. lucile. "i don't know. i'll ask him," decided mart. when the letter had been written bunny and sue came in from school. it was snowing again, and the ground was white with the beautiful flakes. the coats of bunny and sue were also covered, for they had been throwing snowballs at one another. their cheeks were red and their eyes sparkling. "want to walk down the street with me while i mail this letter?" asked mart of the two children. "oh, yes!" cried sue. "can't we go in the pony sled?" bunny asked. "there's enough snow to make it slip easy now." "yes, i guess we could go in the pony sled," agreed mart. "and we can stop at mr. winkler's and ask mr. treadwell, if he's at home, if he wants us to come to rehearsal to-night." soon bunny, sue, mart, and lucile were riding down the street in the pony sled, having a fine time in the snow storm. it was quite a heavy fall of snow, but the weather was not very cold. after mailing the letter the four children drove to the home of mr. winkler. "i hope the monkey does something queer," said bunny. "i wish the parrot would sing a funny song!" exclaimed sue. "something seems to be the matter, anyhow," said lucile, as they got out of the little sled and walked toward the front door of mr. winkler's house, where the actor boarded. "look at miss winkler running around," and she pointed to the sister of the old sailor. miss winkler could be seen hurrying about the room from one window to another. "do you want us all to come to practice to-night, mr. treadwell?" asked mart, as he and the children entered the house and saw the actor hurrying around after miss winkler. "come to practice? oh, i don't know!" was the answer. "i can't talk to you right away, mart. something has happened!" "what is it?" asked lucile. "have you heard anything about----?" "oh, it isn't about your kin, i'm sorry to say," was the actor's answer. "it's just that one of my best wigs is missing--the one i wear when i dress up like general washington. those wigs are scarce, and i hardly ever let it out of my box. but now it is gone!" "and i've searched high and low for it all over this house, but i can't find it!" said miss winkler. bunny and sue did not know quite what to make of all the excitement over the lost wig which mr. treadwell wore on his head in certain parts of the play. so they stood to one side while the search went on. sue looked in the sitting room, while mr. treadwell and miss winkler went into the parlor that was hardly ever opened. something that bunny saw in a chair in front of the kitchen stove made him call out: "oh, miss winkler! there's a funny old man in your kitchen, and he's trying to open the cupboard door where you keep the cookies. come and see the funny old man!" chapter xix uncle bill "what's that, bunny brown?" called miss winkler, stepping to the door of the parlor, in which mr. treadwell was looking for his missing wig. "what's that you said about an old man?" "there's one in your kitchen now," added sue, for she was now looking at the funny "old man" in the kitchen. "one what in my kitchen?" asked miss winkler, in surprise. "a funny old man," said bunny again. "and he's after some of your nice sugar cookies." bunny knew miss winkler's sugar cookies were nice because she sometimes gave him and sue some. not too often, but once in a while. "an old man after my cookies, is there?" cried the sailor's sister. "well, i'll see about that!" down the hall she hurried, leaving mr. treadwell to look for the wig himself, and this he was doing. "i suppose it's some tramp!" exclaimed miss winkler. "wait until i take the broom stick to him! the idea of taking my cookies! i'd rather give 'em to you children than to an old tramp. i wish your dog was here, bunny brown!" "oh, so do i!" cried bunny. "splash would hang on to the tramp the way he hangs to mr. treadwell's coat in the play. oh, sue, let's go home and get our splash, and sic him on the tramp!" by this time miss winkler had reached the kitchen door. bunny and sue, with lucile and mart, stood to one side, so the sailor's sister could go in and stop the funny old man from taking her cookies. into the kitchen hurried miss winkler. there, surely enough, with his gray head just showing over the back of a hall chair on which he was standing, was what seemed to be an old man. he had on a black coat, and one hand appeared to be reaching up into the cookie closet. "hi there! get down out of that!" cried miss winkler. "the idea of you daring to take my cookies! get out of here! you tramp!" and the green parrot, in his cage hanging in the kitchen, cried in his shrill voice: "no tramps allowed! out you go! sic him, towser! bow wow!" bunny, sue, mart, and lucile hurried into the kitchen after miss winkler. they saw her quickly take a broom from a corner. and then, as the sailor's sister ran around in front of the chair, on which the old man tramp seemed to be standing, she gave a scream. "wango! you good-for-nothing monkey you!" cried miss winkler. "the idea of pretending you were a tramp! i've a good notion to take this broom to you, anyhow!" there was a chatter from the chair and the gray head dropped down out of sight. "oh, was it wango?" cried bunny brown. "indeed it was!" said miss winkler. "the idea of his fooling us all like that!" "but he looked just like an old man with gray hair," said sue. "indeed he did," chimed in mart and lucile clayton. just then mr. treadwell came through the hall into the kitchen. "it's no use, miss winkler," he said. "i can't find my big wig anywhere. if i use one like if in the play i'll have to send to new york for another. my wig is lost." "no, it isn't, either!" exclaimed miss winkler. "there it is--on wango!" she pointed to the monkey, which, just then, ran around from behind the chair on which he had been standing. and, surely enough wango had on the big, white wig for which mr. treadwell and miss winkler had been searching so long. the wig made wango look like an old man. "and he has on one of my jackets, too!" exclaimed the actor. "it's one i use in some of my stage plays, children, where i have to have a very short, little jacket. no wonder you thought a tramp was in miss winkler's kitchen! wango, are you trying to be an impersonator, such as i used to be?" asked mr. treadwell, laughing and shaking his finger at mr. jed winkler's monkey. wango made a funny little chattering noise, and took off the wig, which he held out to the actor. "see, he's saying he's sorry!" exclaimed lucile. next wango took off the jacket. it was one of the costumes mr. treadwell used on the stage. "i guess he won't dress up again," said mart. "i didn't know he was such a performer." "oh, wango is a regular pest for playing tricks!" said miss winkler. "i tell jed, every day, that i won't have the monkey around any longer, but i always give in and let him stay. now if he was as nice and quiet as the parrot it would be all right." and just then the parrot began to screech and to cry: "no tramps allowed! sic 'em, towser!" really the parrot made more noise than wango, but miss winkler did not seem to think so. "well, i'm glad to get back my wig, anyhow," said mr. treadwell, as he took that and the jacket from wango. "this little monkey must have gone in my room, found that i left my trunk open, and then he took out what he wanted." "do you really think he knew he was dressing up like a tramp?" asked lucile. "you never know what wango thinks he's doing," said miss winkler. "but i'm glad i caught him in time. there wouldn't have been a cookie left if he had got his paws in the jar." "are there any cookies left now, miss winkler?" asked bunny, with a funny little side look at his sister. "oh, yes, there's a whole jar full," answered the sailor's sister. "are you--aren't you going to give wango any?" asked bunny. "give wango any? give my good sugar cookies to that monkey? well, i guess not!" cried miss winkler. then, as she looked at bunny and sue, a more gentle look came over her face. "but i guess i'll give you children some," she said. "if it hadn't been that you saw wango he might have cleaned out my cupboard. yes, i'll give you children some cookies." so she brought the jar from the cupboard, and not only gave some of her cookies--which were really very good--to bunny and sue, but also to mart and lucile. and even mr. treadwell had some. as for wango--well, i'll tell you a little secret. he had some of the cookies, too. for when miss winkler wasn't looking, bunny and sue fed the jolly little monkey some bits of their cake. wango was very fond of sweet things. and so the lost wig was found, and miss winkler didn't have to drive the gray-haired tramp out of her kitchen with a broom, for which i suppose she was very glad. mr. treadwell had time, now, to talk to mart and the other children about the farm play, and he told them there would have to be a number of rehearsals, or practices, yet, before they would be ready to give a performance christmas afternoon. the children were drilled over and over again in their parts, until at last, a few days before christmas, the actor said: "well, now i am satisfied. i think we are ready for the show!" and, oh, how glad bunny, sue, and the others were! all their hard work would amount to something now. one night, about three days before christmas, mr. brown came home from the dock office one evening with mr. treadwell and mart, who had finished their work. "i had a letter from the home for the blind to-day," said mr. brown, as they sat at the supper table, for mr. treadwell had been invited to share the meal. "the superintendent would like to have me call, so he can tell me something about the work of the home and the poor people who have to stay there in the darkness. he thinks if i tell the audience that comes to see the children's play something about the home for the blind more people will be glad to help." "i think they would," said mrs. brown. "why don't you go over?" "i will," answered mr. brown. "there isn't much to do to-morrow, so i'll go and take bunny and sue with me. would you like to go?" he asked mart and lucile. they said they would, and the next day the five of them went over in mr. brown's automobile. mr. treadwell was invited, but he said he had to go to the hall to make sure all the scenery for the play was ready. the home for the blind was in a big red brick building on the side of a hill about two miles across the valley from bellemere. it did not take long to get there in the automobile, for though there was snow on the ground the roads were good. mr. harrison, the superintendent of the home, welcomed mr. brown and the children. "now please don't think this is a sad place," said mr. harrison. "though the men and women and the boys and girls here can not see, they get along very well, considering. so don't think it's too sad. "of course it is sad enough, but it might be worse. that's what all our blind folk have come to think--that it might be worse. they have ways of 'seeing,' even if they have eyes that are no longer any use to them. i just want you to go over our place, and then you will be more glad than ever, i hope, that you are going to help us with your little play. for we need many things. we need books, printed in the kind of type that the blind can read, and we need many things so that our blind men and women can work and make articles to sell. the money you are going to give us from your play will help to buy these things." then, indeed, bunny brown and his sister sue were very glad they had decided to have a play, and they saw men and women and boys and girls who did not seem to be without their sight, for they went about almost as quickly as bunny and sue did. "that's because they have learned their way," said mr. harrison. "our blind folks know their way around here just as you can walk around some parts of your house in the dark." he led them toward the music room, for there was one where the blind inmates played and sang, and as mr. brown and the children went through the door lucile uttered a low cry at the sight of a man who was just getting up from the piano. "uncle bill!" cried lucile. "uncle bill! oh, we have found you at last!" chapter xx the dress rehearsal bunny brown, who had been listening to the piano music of the blind man, looked quickly at lucile as she cried out about uncle bill. for bunny remembered how much the actress girl and her brother had wanted to find their blind uncle, so he might tell them where their other uncle and aunt were. sue just said: "o-oh!" "uncle bill!" cried mart, in the same sort of wondering voice as had his sister. "yes, that's our uncle bill!" he went on, as the blind man, who had been playing, came over toward them. there was a strange look on his face, and except for a queer look about his eyes, one would hardly have known he was blind. "who is calling me?" he asked. "i seem to know those voices, though i have not heard them for a long time. who is it?" lucile and mart stepped forward. mr. brown was right behind them, and bunny and sue were near their father. mr. harrison, who was in charge of the home, looked on in surprise. "do you know mr. clayton?" he asked lucile and mart. "yes, he is our uncle," mart answered in a low voice, but, low as it was, the blind piano player heard. holding out his hands toward the young theatrical players he cried, "now i know those voices. lucile! mart! i have found you at last!" "and we have found you!" cried lucile. "oh, how wonderful!" "can you tell us where uncle simon and aunt sallie are?" asked mart. "we've lost track of them, and we were stranded after the show failed. we didn't know where to find you, and----" "say, your trouble all came together, didn't it?" cried the blind man. "but now, perhaps, it is all over. let me sit down with you, and then we'll have a long talk." "but do you know where aunt sallie weatherby is?" asked lucile. "yes, of course! i have her address," said the blind mr. clayton. by this time he had managed to walk up to mart, clasping his hands. then he found lucile and kissed her. for, though he was blind, mr. clayton could tell by the sound of a person's voice just where they stood in a room, and walk over to them. "oh, how glad i am to find you again!" he said, as he felt around for a chair and sat down. "i have been waiting for a letter from mr. jackson so i might find you, but he has been a long time writing, and since my last letter to him i came to this place." "we don't know where mr. and mrs. jackson are," said lucile. "they left us, after the company broke up, and we haven't heard from them since. but we didn't know you were here!" "you weren't the last time we inquired," added mart. "we knew you were in some such place as this, but mr. brown asked and no one here had heard of you." "that's because i only came the other day," said the blind mr. clayton. "you see i am thinking of going back on the stage again, doing a funny piano act. i can play pretty well, even if i am blind," he said, turning toward mr. brown, for he seemed to know just where the children's father sat. "and as i don't like to sit around doing nothing i've decided to go back on the stage again." "we're going on the stage!" cried bunny, who, with sue, had been waiting for a chance to get in a word or two. "we're going to have a real play on a farm," said sue. "and you ought to see our dog splash hang on to mr. treadwell." "treadwell? is that the impersonator?" asked mr. clayton. "yes," answered mart. "he is helping us with the little play." "and maybe you could be in it and play the piano!" cried bunny. "we heard you play the piano terrible nice!" "well, i'm glad you liked it," said mr. clayton, with a laugh, "but i'm afraid i'm not quite ready to start a performance yet. i need more practice. oh, but i am glad you have found me, and that i have found you!" "mr. clayton only came to this home a few days ago," explained mr. harrison to mr. brown. "i had forgotten that you had asked about some one of his name, or i would have sent you word before that the children's blind uncle was here." "and if i had known they were so near me, and had been looking so long for me, i'd have sent them word," said uncle bill. "and now tell me all that happened, mart and lucile." their story was soon told, just as i have written it here--how they were "stranded" when the show broke up, and how mr. brown took care of them. the story of mr. treadwell was also told to mart and lucile's uncle bill, and how the impersonator had written the little play. "and once he lost his wig and wango the monkey had it!" cried sue. "indeed! wango must be a funny monkey!" said mr. clayton. "he's funny, and so's miss winkler," said bunny. they all laughed at this, and then mr. clayton told his story. he had been an actor as were many of his relatives, including mart and lucile. he had been stricken blind some years before, and had been in many homes and hospitals, trying to get cured. but at last he had given up hope, and settled down to make the best of life. he often wrote to lucile and mart, and also to their uncle simon and aunt sallie. but of late he had lost the address of the boy and girl actor, and they had also lost his. they all traveled around so much that one did not know where the other was, except that lucile and her brother always stayed together, of course. "but where is aunt sallie?" asked mart. mr. clayton said that she and her husband were many miles away, in a far country, traveling about and acting. but he knew their address, and he would at once send them word that lucile and mart wanted to hear from them. mr. clayton had not heard from the weatherbys for several months, he remarked. "very likely they've been trying as hard to find you as you have to find them," said mr. clayton. "they'll be glad to know that i have found you." "and we're glad we've found you!" cried lucile, as she kissed her blind uncle again. "oh, it's so good to have folks!" "we would be glad to have you come over to our house and stay with us," said mr. brown to the blind man. "thank you," he answered, "but i must stay here and finish learning to play the piano for the act i am to do. of course i'll come over and see lucile and mart, though. i call it 'seeing' them, but of course i can't use my eyes," he added. "however, i've grown used to that, and i don't seem to mind being in the dark." "you can't ever see anybody make faces at you--if they ever do--can you?" asked sue, as she patted his hand. "no indeed!" laughed mr. clayton. "i never thought of that. but i suppose some bad people like to make faces at me, and, as you say, if ever they do i sha'n't see them." "i don't guess anybody would make faces at you when you play on the piano," said bunny brown. "i don't guess so, either," added sue. there was more talk, and then it was time for mr. brown and the children to go back home. mr. clayton promised to write a telegram to lucile's other uncle and aunt. he could write even though he was blind, and mr. harrison, at the home for the blind, promised to send the message. "then you'll hear from uncle simon and aunt sallie soon," said the blind man. "i hope we hear before the play!" exclaimed lucile. "it will make me so much happier when i sing." "perhaps you'll come over to the hall the night or the performance," suggested mr. brown to mr. clayton. "you can hear what goes on." "i'll try to come," agreed the blind man. very happy, now that they had found their uncle, mart and lucile went home with mr. brown, bunny, and sue, promising to come often again to see mr. clayton. "wasn't it queer," said mart, "that, after all, he should come to the same home we're going to help with the farm play?" "very strange, indeed," said mr. brown. "and now, if we can only get word from uncle simon and aunt sallie, how happy we'll be!" exclaimed lucile. "oh, i'm sure you'll hear soon, my dear," said mrs. brown when they had reached home and told her the good news. then followed a time of anxious waiting, with lucile and mart looking almost every hour for a message from their uncle and aunt so far away. and they and the other children were kept busy getting ready for the play. for it was almost christmas and time for the great performance. the tickets had been printed, and all the mistakes corrected in the type that charlie star had set up. many tickets had been sold, and it looked as though everything would be all right. "i do hope we won't make any mistakes," said bunny to his sister one day, as they were talking about the coming play. "i hope so, too," she answered. "wouldn't it be terrible if we got on the stage and forgot what we were going to say?" "yes, it would," agreed bunny. "i'm going to keep on saying my lines over and over again all the while. then i won't forget." "don't be too anxious, my dears," said mrs. brown, as she heard the children talking this way. "sometimes the more you try to remember things like that, the more easily you forget. just do your best, put your whole mind on it, and i'm sure you will remember the right words to say, and the right actions to do." "it's easier to remember what to do than what to say," declared bunny. "mr. treadwell tells us to act just as we would if we weren't on the stage, but of course we can't say anything we happen to think of--we have to say the right words." "i remember once, when i was a little girl," remarked mrs. brown, as she threaded her needle, for she was mending one of sue's dresses, "i had to speak a piece in school, and i didn't know it at all well." "oh, tell us about it, mother!" begged sue. "please do!" cried bunny brown. for there was a funny little smile on his mother's face, and whenever the children saw that they knew there was a story back of it. "well, it was this way," went on mrs. brown. "when i was a little girl i lived in the country, and i went to school in a little red brick schoolhouse about half a mile down the road from our house. we had a very nice teacher, and one day she said we must all learn a piece to speak for the next friday afternoon. "well, of course we children were all excited. some of us had spoken pieces before, and some of us had not. and i was one that never had, but i was pleased to think i should get up in front of the whole school and speak a piece. "when i went home that night i asked my mother what i should learn as my recitation. she got down a book that she had used when she was a little school girl, and in it were a number of nice pieces. there was one about mary and her little lamb, but i thought that was too young for me to take, so i picked out one about a ship being wrecked at sea. there were about ten verses to the piece, and they told how a great storm came up and drove the vessel on the rocks." "i'd like to see a big storm!" exclaimed bunny. "please keep quiet!" begged sue. "mother can't tell about her speaking in school if you're going to talk all the while." "i won't talk any more," promised bunny brown. "please go on, mother. i'll be quiet." so mrs. brown continued: "i began to learn this piece about the wreck. i don't remember now, how it all went, but i know the first two lines were like this: "'the thunder rolls, the lightning flashes!' "i remember those lines very well," said the children's mother, "and i thought how wonderful it would be if i could get up there and speak them in a loud voice. i practiced hard, too--as hard as you have practiced for your play. and i thought i had the piece learned perfectly. finally friday afternoon came, lessons were finished, books put away and we got ready for the recitations in the main schoolroom. "i forget the different pieces that were spoken. there were all kinds, but none like mine. some were sad and some were funny, and some of the boys and girls got up and were so stage-struck that they couldn't think of a single word of the pieces they had learned. "then i was afraid this would happen to me, but when my name was called, and i walked up to the platform, i was glad to find that i could remember every single word--or at least i thought i could. "but dear me! as soon as i opened my mouth and began to speak it was just as though the bottom had opened and let everything fall out of everything. all i could think of was the first two lines: "'the thunder rolls, the lightning flashes!' "over and over again i repeated those lines, and i could not get past them. the teacher looked sorry for me, and some of the boys and girls began to laugh. this made it all the worse for me, and my face grew red. over and over again i told about the thunder and lightning, and at last i made up my mind i'd have to do something, or else go to my seat as some of the other girls had done, without finishing. and i didn't want to do that. "so i braced my feet on the platform, and then i stood straight up in front of the whole school and fairly shouted out this verse: "'the thunder rolls, the lightning flashes! it broke grandmother's teapot all to smashes!' "that's what i gave as my first recitation," went on mrs. brown, when bunny and sue had finished laughing. "how those words about my grandmother's teapot popped into my head i don't know. i don't even remember my grandmother's teapot, though i suppose she had one. but that's the verse i recited. and you should have heard the children laugh!" "what did the teacher say?" asked bunny. "at the time i thought she was rather angry," answered his mother, "thinking i had done it on purpose, to make fun of the speaking. but really i had not. the wrong two lines popped into my head all of a sudden. and of course; they spoiled the piece. i know now, too, that she was trying to keep from laughing, and that made her look stern." "i hope that doesn't happen to us," said sue, as she and bunny thought over the little story their mother had told them. "i hope not, either," agreed her brother. "come on--let's go up in the attic and practice." so they did, and for some time they went over the lines they were to speak on the stage. after a while lucile and mart came in and helped bunny and sue. the older boy and girl said the two little ones were doing very well. mr. treadwell, too, who heard bunny and sue go through their parts, said they did very well. "we'll have a good practice to-morrow," said the impersonator. then mr. treadwell called a dress rehearsal. that is generally the last one before the show, and it is really a complete performance in itself, though the audience isn't allowed to come in. the day before christmas bunny, sue, lucile, mart, and the other girls and boys assembled in the hall over the hardware store for the dress rehearsal. mr. treadwell was there, and the men who were to help set up the scenery were on hand. just before it was time for the rehearsal to begin george watson went up to mr. treadwell. "if you please," said he, "couldn't peter be in the play?" "peter? who is peter?" asked the impersonator. "i'm afraid it's too late to put any one else in, george. they wouldn't have time to practice, and, besides, we really have all the actors we need." "oh, peter wouldn't need any practice," said george. "he'd be just fine in the barnyard scene. i brought him with me!" "well, i'm sorry, for i'm afraid i'll have to disappoint your friend peter," said mr. treadwell. "but where is he?" "here in this basket," answered george, and he held up a small one in front of the stage manager. chapter xxi "where is bunny?" mr. treadwell looked first at george, then at the basket, and once more at george. "now look here, george," said the actor. "i don't mind your making fun or having jokes, but i'm very busy now, for the first act of the rehearsal is going to start. besides, you shouldn't bring your baby brother to the hall in a small basket like that." "my baby brother?" cried george with a laugh. "i haven't any baby brother! i have a sister mary, but----" "but you said peter was in there," said mr. treadwell. "and if peter is----" "oh, peter isn't a _baby_, and he isn't my brother," said george with another laugh. "he's only a----" but before he could say what peter was a loud crow sounded from inside the basket which george held up. "cock-a-doodle-doo!" sounded all through the hall, and bunny, sue, and the others who were getting ready for their parts in the dress rehearsal of the play, laughed. mr. treadwell looked surprised. "why--why--it's a rooster!" he exclaimed. "yes, peter is my pet bantam rooster," said george. "i brought him with me because i thought he could crow in the barnyard scene, and make it more natural like." "well, a crowing rooster would be a good performer to have in a barnyard scene on a stage," agreed mr. treadwell. "but the only thing about it is that we couldn't be sure that he would crow at the right time. he might crow when lucile was singing, or when bunny brown was doing some of his tricks, or when sue was making believe run away from me when i'm dressed up like a tramp." "yes," said george, "that's so. peter crows a lot, and you can't tell when he's going to do it. but, mr. treadwell, he always crows when he flaps his wings, and if somebody could hold his wings so they couldn't flap then he couldn't crow. i wish we could have him in the play!" "well, we might try him, anyhow," said mr. treadwell, with a laugh. "though i haven't anybody i could let stand near and hold the rooster's wings so he wouldn't crow." "i could do that," offered george. "my rooster likes me." "yes, i suppose he does," agreed the stage manager. "but you have to recite a piece in the play, george, and your rooster might start to crow when you were reciting." "that would make me laugh," said george, with a smile, "and i couldn't pucker up my mouth to whistle, and i have to do that in my piece." "then i guess we had better not have the rooster in the play," said mr. treadwell. "but since you have brought him we'll let him stay for the practice, and we'll see how he behaves. he certainly would be good in the barnyard scene, and make it quite natural, but i'm afraid he'll crow at the wrong time." "and did you really think george had a little baby brother in the basket?" asked sue, as the rooster was being shut up again. "yes, i really did," said mr. treadwell. "but now everybody get ready! the rehearsal will begin in a minute." it took a little while for all the boys and girls to find their right places. their mothers or big sisters were, in most cases, on hand ready to help them, to see that this little girl's dress was buttoned up the back, that her hair ribbon was prettily tied and that the little boys had their hair combed as it ought to be. but at last everything was finished, and the stage was set for the first scene, that of the meadow. everything was to go on just as if it was the real play--the scenery, the lights, the curtain being raised and lowered, and everything. out in front were the mothers, the big sisters, with, here and there, an occasional father of the children who were taking part. this was the audience. of course this audience didn't pay anything, but bunny, sue, and the others who were getting up the play, hoped a large throng would come christmas afternoon, when the real play would be given. i must not tell you, here, how the rehearsal went, for it was so like the play that if i set down all that took place i wouldn't have anything left to tell you about the main performance. all i will say is that after the meadow scene came the one in the barnyard. "now if the peter rooster will crow right this will be a good scene," said mr. treadwell. well, the scene was all right--at least at first. bunny and sue did their parts well, and so did the other children. the people sitting in front of the footlights--which glowed as brightly as they would in the real performance--said the show was going on finely. and peter crowed just at the right time, too, without any one telling him to. "that's great!" said mr. treadwell. "i think he can be in the play after all, george. it helps out the barnyard scene." george felt quite proud of his bantam rooster, and bunny and sue were glad the feathered actor was in their show. but alas! toward the end of the barnyard scene, when lucile was singing a sad little song, peter began to crow. he crowed and he crowed and he crowed, until lucile could hardly be heard, and everybody laughed instead of sitting quietly. "i'll go and hold his wings," offered george. but even that didn't quiet peter. he kept on crowing louder than ever. "i know what i'll do," said bunny brown. "i'll put peter in his basket and carry him down to the cellar. that'll be dark, and he'll think it's night and he'll stop crowing." "that will be just the thing!" said mr. treadwell. so as bunny brown didn't have anything to do just then in the barnyard scene, he put peter in the basket and carried the bantam rooster downstairs. "what have you got there?" asked mr. raymond, the hardware man, as he saw bunny with the basket. the little boy told. "yes, put him down in the cellar," said mr. raymond. "that ought to keep him quiet. i'll turn on the electric lights down there for you, so you can see. otherwise you might tumble downstairs in the dark." bunny had been down in the hardware store cellar before, once when his father was looking at a certain piece of iron for a boat, the iron being stowed away down in the basement, and at other times, when he himself wanted to buy some odds or ends from the hardware man to make some toy. so bunny knew his way down into the cellar. "i'll come and get you after the play," said bunny to peter, as he set the basket, with the rooster in it, on a big box. peter didn't answer. he didn't even crow. i guess he didn't like the dark. he might have thought it was night, when the electric lights were turned out after bunny had gone upstairs, and peter may have gone to roost. bunny tramped upstairs and went on with his parts in the play. everything went along nicely, and every one said the last act, the one in the orchard, was fine. bunny and sue did well, as did lucile, mart and the others. "i wish we could think of some way so my rooster would only crow at the right time," said george, when talking to bunny, after the rehearsal was over. bunny brown wished so, too, for he wanted the little play to be as real as it could, so the people who saw it would be glad they had come to pay money to help the home for the blind. mr. clayton sent word from the home that he would surely be on hand at the performance christmas afternoon. he also said he had not yet received any word from the other uncle and aunt of the two vaudeville children. "oh, dear," sighed lucile on christmas eve, as she and her brother sat in the brown home, "i do hope we can find uncle simon and aunt sallie!" "so do i hope you do," said sue. "but, oh, won't we have fun to-morrow at the play! and to-morrow is christmas. i'm going to hang up my stocking. are you going to hang up your stocking?" she asked mart and lucile. "well, i don't know," answered the boy slowly. "i guess, seeing that we haven't heard from uncle simon and aunt sallie yet, that maybe it wouldn't be any use for us to hang up our stockings, sue." "oh, i think it would," said mrs. brown, with a funny little smile. "you tell mart and lucile to hang them up, sue. i don't believe santa claus will forget them." "there!" cried sue. "you must do as mother says. come on, bunny!" she added. "let's get our stockings ready, and we'll go to bed early. christmas will come sooner then. why, where's bunny?" she asked, as she looked out in the kitchen where she had last seen her brother. "bunny!" she called. "come on, hang up our stockings!" but bunny brown did not answer. "bunny isn't here!" said sue. "where is bunny?" chapter xxii act i "what's that? isn't bunny here?" asked mr. brown, who was busy talking to mr. treadwell about the play. "this is the first i knew he wasn't here," answered mrs. brown. "did any one see him go out?" no one had. "perhaps he is upstairs," said lucile. "no, he wouldn't go up to bed without telling me," said mrs. brown. "besides, he's been teasing me all evening to get his stockings ready to hang up, and he wouldn't go without them. where can he be?" "he isn't in the kitchen," said sue, for she had gone out to look, and had come back again. "perhaps he is hiding away from you, just for fun," said mart. "he sometimes does play tricks," remarked mr. brown. "i'll take a look." they all looked, and they called, but bunny could not be found. he did not seem to be in the house. mr. brown even opened the back door and shouted, thinking perhaps bunny had gone out to see that the shetland pony was all right, as he sometimes did. "dear me!" exclaimed mrs. brown, "where can he be?" "oh, he's all right," said her husband. "it's early yet, even if it is dark, and maybe he went out to play in the snow, though of course he shouldn't at this hour." "it's snowing, too," said mrs. brown, as she stood in the back door beside her husband. "snowing hard! there's going to be a big storm, and if bunny is out in it--i wish bunny would not do such things!" "oh, will he get freezed?" cried sue, her eyes opening big and round. "no, dear, he'll be all right," replied her mother. "but he must be found." "maybe he went out with bunker blue," suggested mart. bunker blue, the boy, or rather, young man, who worked for mr. brown at the fish and boat dock, had been at the house shortly after supper, and later had said he was going back to the office to make sure it was locked, for it would not be open on christmas day. "perhaps bunny did go back with bunker," said mr. brown. "though he shouldn't have done that. but he was so excited about the play there is no telling what he might do." "bunker ought to be at the office about this time," said mrs. brown, looking at the clock. "call him on the telephone," she begged her husband, "and ask him if bunny is there. i hope he is." bunker blue answered the telephone a few minutes later, when mr. brown had called him on the wire. "no, bunny didn't come out with me," said bunker. "but i saw him in the kitchen with his cap, coat, and rubber boots on when i left. he seemed to be getting ready to go out." "then he's gone off somewhere without telling us anything about it!" cried mrs. brown. "maybe he went over to charlie star's house, to make sure there would be enough tickets for the show. oh, i wish he hadn't gone out!" "i can telephone to mr. star and ask," suggested mr. brown. but when he had done this, and no bunny brown was there, they all began to get quite excited. "i'll get on my coat and rubbers and go out with you," said mart, as mr. brown began to put on his overcoat. "he might be in the barn, practicing some of the tricks he is going to do in the play to-morrow." "oh, i don't believe bunny would go out to the barn alone after dark," said mrs. brown. her husband and mart were just starting out into the storm to look for the missing bunny when the tramp of feet was heard on the porch. "here comes somebody!" cried sue. "i hope it's bunny!" but it was not. instead it was bunker blue, and he was covered with snow flakes. his nose was red, too, even if his name was bunker blue. "has bunny come back yet?" asked bunker, as he stamped his feet on the porch, to get the snow off. "no, he hasn't," answered mr. brown. "we are getting very anxious about him, too, though the worst that can happen is that he may get cold. he shouldn't have gone out!" "well, i didn't see anything of him," said bunker blue. "i was quite surprised at what you told me, over the telephone, about his not being in the house in this storm." "oh, maybe he'll never come back, and then we can't have our nice christmas play!" exclaimed sue. "oh, bunny will come back all right--don't worry about that," said her father gently. "if he doesn't come we'll go and get him. in fact, now that you are here, bunker, we three might as well set out and look for the little fellow. he's got something on his mind, or he wouldn't go out as he did." "i'm sure i can't see what made him go out," said mrs. brown. "it's snowing very hard, too," she added, as she shaded her eyes from the light in the room and looked out of the window. "but it isn't very cold, that's one good thing," her husband added. "of course i wish bunny hadn't gone out, but, since he has, we must go out and find him." "could he, by any chance, be hiding somewhere in the house?" asked mart. "we'll look," decided mr. brown, "although we looked before." he and mart, as well as bunker blue, were dressed to go out into the storm to look for bunny, who was so strangely missing, but when mart said this mr. brown decided that it would be better to go over the house once more, to make sure bunny was not hiding away. "we'll take sue with us to help search," said her father, as he took off his overcoat, for he did not know how long he would stay in the house. "bunny and sue play hide-and-go-seek games in the different rooms," went on mr. brown, "and sue knows lots of hiding places; don't you, sue?" "yes, we hide in lots of places," the little girl answered. "but i don't guess bunny is hiding now." "oh, well, maybe he is, just to fool us," returned her father. "come now, we'll begin the search." and while the storm was getting more and more wild outside, with the wind blowing harder and the snowflakes coming down more and more thickly, mr. brown, bunker, and mart, with sue and mrs. brown to help them, began searching through the house after bunny. it was a good thing they took sue with them, for she knew many "cubby holes" in which she and her brother often took turns hiding. and some of these even her mother had forgotten about, though mrs. brown thought she knew every nook and cranny of the house. but bunny was in none of these places, and though they looked and called his name and called again, from attic to cellar, there was no sign of the little fellow. "he surely must have gone out!" decided mr. brown. "very likely he's gone to see some of the boys to talk about the play." "then let's go and find him!" cried bunker blue, putting on his coat again. "that's what i say!" came from mart. "this is no night for a little boy to be out. it's snowing harder than ever." so mr. brown, bunker, and mart started out to look for bunny. they went first to one house and then to another, and there were many houses where bunny brown and his sister sue were in the habit of calling. at most of the places were boys and girls with whom bunny and sue played, or who were to take part in the christmas show. but none of these boys or girls had seen bunny. "well, this is certainly strange!" declared mr. brown, when they had stopped at the last place where they thought it likely bunny would be. "i guess we'll have to tell the police about it and have them help hunt for him. i don't see what else we can do." "maybe it would be the best way," agreed bunker blue. "i'll go down and tell the chief of police." "no, we had better telephone--that's quicker," said mr. brown. so they stopped in the drug store and mr. brown talked to the police station on the wire. "all right," the chief answered back. "i'll start some of my men out on the search. you go back home and let me know as soon as bunny is found or comes back." this mr. brown promised to do, and soon he and mart and bunker were back at the brown home. mrs. brown looked very much disappointed and worried when her husband came in without bunny. "oh, where can he be?" she cried. just then the heavy tramp of feet was heard on the porch. "maybe this is bunny!" exclaimed mart. and bunny brown it was, all covered with snow flakes, his eyes shining and his cheeks red with the cold. he carried a small basket in one hand, and the other was clasped in that of mr. raymond, the man who owned the hardware store. "why bunny brown! where have you been?" cried his mother, as the lamp light shone on his flushed face, and made the snowflakes sparkle. "and what have you got in the basket?" asked sue. "that's peter," was the answer, and before any one could ask who peter was, if they had wished to, there came a loud crow from the basket. "a rooster!" cried mrs. brown. "yes," said bunny. "peter--he's george's pet bantam rooster. and he crowed at the wrong time in the practice to-day--i mean peter crowed--so i took him down into mr. raymond's cellar. and then i forgot all about him, and i left him there, and i thought of him after supper, and i guessed he'd be hungry, so i went back to get him." "yes, that's just what he did," said the hardware man. "i was busy waiting on late christmas eve customers, when in came bunny, all covered with snow. i didn't know what he meant when he told me he'd come back for the rooster, for i'd forgotten about the bird myself. "nothing would do but he must bring peter home, and, knowing what a bad storm it was, i came back with him. i'd have telephoned, but my wire's out of order, so i couldn't reach you, and i didn't want to stop to go anywhere else. so i brought him over in my auto." "it was very kind of you," said mr. brown. "and, bunny, it was very wrong of you to go away without telling us," said mrs. brown. "i'm sorry," answered the little boy. "but i thought maybe peter'd be lonesome all alone in the dark, and on christmas eve too." "that's so!" laughed mr. raymond. "i guess, mrs. brown, you'll have to forgive bunny on account of it's being christmas eve." "did you hang up your stocking, mr. raymond?" asked sue, and they all laughed at that, so that every one felt better, and bunny was not scolded, as perhaps he ought to have been. "well, i must get back to my store," said the hardware man. "merry christmas to you, and i'll see you all at the play to-morrow!" "yes, we'll all be there!" cried bunny. "you're going to have a free ticket, you know!" this had been decided on, because mr. raymond was so kind about letting the children have the new hall he had fitted up. "good-nights," and more "merry christmas" greetings were called back and forth, and then, as the hardware man left in his automobile, to go chugging through the storm, bunny brown and his sister sue hung up their stockings for santa claus and went to bed. "oh, i'm so happy; aren't you, bunny?" laughed sue. "christmas will be here in the morning, and we're going to have a play an'--everything lovely!" "yes," answered bunny. "i'm glad, and i'm glad i got peter so he won't have to stay all alone, too." the little rooster was taken out by mr. brown and put in the chicken house near the barn for the night. word was telephoned to george that his pet bantam was all right. in a little while every one in the house was in bed. if this book had started out to be a christmas story i could put in a lot about what nice presents bunny and sue got. and also how santa claus did not forget mart and lucile. but as this is a book about bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show, i must get to that part of my story. i'll just say, though, that the little boy and girl thought it was the finest christmas they had ever known. "i hope it won't snow so hard that nobody will come to the show," said sue, when, after breakfast, she stood with her nose pressed in a funny, flat way against the window. it was snowing, but not too hard. "o, i guess every one will come," said mrs. brown. "they have all bought tickets, anyhow, so you'll make some money for the home for the blind." "and i hope uncle bill doesn't forget to come," put in lucile. "i had word from him a little while ago," said mr. brown. "i'm going for him in my auto. and now we must have an early dinner and get ready for the play." i think bunny and sue were so excited that they did not eat as much roast turkey and cranberry sauce at that christmas dinner as at others. but they had enough, anyhow, and in due time they were at the hall, where they met all the other children. bunny had brought back the bantam rooster, thinking that perhaps, after all, peter might have some part in the play. will laydon had his trained white mice with him, splash was on hand, ready to cling to the piece of cloth on mr. treadwell's coat, and some other animal pets were ready to do their share in the play. there was a final looking over of every one, mothers and sisters saw to it that the dresses and suits of the girls and boys were all right, and mr. treadwell was here, there, and everywhere, back of the scenes and curtain. "oh, there's a terrible big crowd!" exclaimed bunny, as he looked out at the audience through a peep-hole in the curtain. "then we'll make a lot of money for the blind home," said sue. "i see uncle bill!" cried mart, as he, too, looked out. "oh, i'm so glad!" exclaimed lucile. "now if we could only hear from aunt sallie and uncle simon everything would be all right." the musicians were in their places. the hall was well filled, not only with boys and girls who had come to see their chums and playmates act, but with grown folks as well. "are you all ready?" asked mr. treadwell of bunny, sue and the others, as the musicians finished playing the opening piece. "yes," answered bunny. "i'm all ready." "is my hair ribbon on right?" sue wanted to know. "yes, you look sweet!" said lucile. "now all ready for act one!" exclaimed the impersonator as he made sure that snap was in his place. and then up went the curtain on the meadow scene! chapter xxiii act ii there was a moment of silence when the curtain first went up, and then as the audience, many of them for the first time, saw the pretty meadow scene, there was loud clapping. for the opening act was very nicely gotten up. the scenery mr. brown had bought from the stranded vaudeville company had been so set up by mr. treadwell that it looked very natural. "why, bless me, if that don't look jest like my south meddar!" exclaimed old mr. tyndell, as he looked at the stage. "hush, father! the people will hear you!" whispered his wife. "wa'al, i want 'em to!" he went on. "that's a fine piece of meddar!" several sitting near the old farmer laughed, but no one minded it. and then, as the musicians began to play softly, lucile stepped out from behind a make-believe stone in the meadow beside a pretend brook and began to sing her first song. every one grew quiet to listen. the play, "down on the farm," had been changed somewhat by mr. tread well from what he had first planned. this had to be done as he found out the different things the boy and girl actors could best do. and the first act had to do with lucile, a lost girl who wandered to a farm meadow near the house where bunny brown and his sister sue lived, only, of course, they had different names in the play. lucile sang her little song, and then she pretended she was so tired, from having walked a long way, that she must lie down and take a rest. it was while she was lying down on some green carpet that took the place of green grass in the meadow that bunny and sue were supposed to come along and find her. bunny and sue had a little act to themselves at this point. they stood on the stage and talked about the sleeping lucile. bunny said she looked sad and he was going to cheer her up. "how are you going to make her feel happy?" asked sue. "i--i'm going to turn a pepper--no, i mean a somersault!" cried bunny, stammering a trifle and making a little mistake, for this was the first time he had acted before such a large crowd. but no one laughed. "can you turn somersaults?" asked sue. "yes, i'll show you!" answered bunny. and then, on the stage, he began turning over and over. all this was part of the play, of course, and bunny was loudly clapped for the way in which he turned head over heels. he had practiced these somersaults many times, and mart had helped him. "well, if you can make her happy by doing that maybe i can make her happier by singing a song," said sue. "i'll practice my song while she's asleep as you practiced your somersaults." and so sue began to sing, while lucile pretended to be asleep. after sue's song mart was supposed to come along, being a boy who had run away from a circus, and he was to watch bunny try to turn a handspring. bunny was to make believe he couldn't turn a handspring very well, and mart would then take the center of the stage. "here! look at me do a flipflop!" cried mart, and then he really did some very good tricks for a boy acrobat. all this while lucile was pretending to be asleep, and when mart's tricks were over she was supposed to wake up suddenly. at this point sue was to see the pretend tramp, who, of course, was only mr. treadwell dressed up in old clothes. everything went off very well. along through the meadow walked the actor tramp, and then, when sue and bunny called for "snap," out rushed splash. "grab him!" cried bunny, and his dog caught hold of the loose piece of cloth sewed to mr. treadwell's coat. then began a funny scene, with the actor pulling one way and splash pulling the other, until, with a rip, the cloth came loose and splash began shaking it as he might a rat. well, you should have heard the people laugh and clap at that! they wanted that scene done over again, but of course this wasn't like a song, with two verses. mr. treadwell only had one patch sewed on his coat, and when that was torn off he didn't want splash to pretend to bite him again. finally the dog act came to an end and the little play went on with george and mary watson, harry bentley, fat bobbie boomer, sadie west, charlie star and helen newton, besides other boys and girls, taking part. they all did well, and the fathers and mothers and strangers, too, applauded very loudly. lucile's uncle bill could hear all that was said, though he could see nothing, and he seemed to enjoy it all very much. the first act came to an end with all the children joining in singing a chorus. "and now for act two!" exclaimed mr. treadwell, as the curtain went down. "this is in the barnyard, you know." "i hope peter crows at the right time!" said george, for it had been decided to try the rooster in that act. while the audience sat in front of the lowered curtain, waiting for it to go up again, the children behind the curtain were very busy. most of them had to dress in different clothes, or "costumes," as they are called, for the next act. and, for a time, there was much hurrying to and fro, much hunting here and there for things that had been mislaid. "where's my red hat?" called charlie star as he looked back of a piece of scenery that had a little brook painted on it. "has anybody got my red hat?" "is it a fireman's hat, charlie?" asked sue, who was looking for some one to help her pin her dress in the back. "no, it was a soldier's hat, but i'm going to make believe i'm a fireman, so i guess you could call it a fireman's hat," explained charlie. "has anybody seen my red hat?" "hush! not so loud!" called mr. treadwell to charlie. "the audience out in front will hear you, and they'll all be laughing at us." "oh!" said charlie more quietly. "but i've got to have my hat, or i can't be in the next act." "i'll help you hunt for it," said bunny brown. "i know where all my things are for the next act and i have time to help you, charlie, 'cause you helped me a lot by printing the tickets for our show." the two little boys began to hunt behind the scene, on the stage, for the missing red hat. they searched all around for it, but it seemed to have disappeared. even mr. treadwell helped look, for he knew the play would not go right unless charlie was dressed as had been planned for him. "did anybody see charlie's red hat?" finally the impersonator called, when he managed to stop all the others from talking for a moment. "please think, and see if you can remember seeing a red hat." then the buzz of talk broke out again, while the men who had been hired to do it kept on setting up the scenes for the second act. but all the children who had time to _do_ so helped bunny look for the red hat. "maybe splash took it," suggested sue, when she had finally gotten her dress pinned to suit her. "i saw him dragging something off to one corner a while ago." "was it a bone?" asked bunny. "i couldn't see very well, 'cause i was in a hurry," sue answered. "come on--we'll find splash!" called bunny to charlie and some of the others who were helping in the search. but even the dog seemed to have hidden himself. at last, however, he was heard growling in a dark corner, and bunny saw that his pet was chewing something, and tossing it up in the air, as he often tossed a bit of cloth or an old shoe. "splash! what have you got?" cried bunny. "bring it here!" at first the dog did not mind, but finally, when both sue and bunny told him to come, out he came, dragging something after him. "oh, it is my red hat!" cried charlie, when he saw it. "it's my nice red hat that mother made for me to wear in the show!" and that is what it was. but the red hat was nice and red no longer. splash had chewed all the red off it, and the hat was also very much out of shape. "splash! you're a bad dog!" cried bunny, shaking his finger at his pet, and splash slunk away with his tail between his legs. he always did that whenever any one called him a bad dog. "oh, see how bad he feels," said sue, in her gentle voice. "i guess he didn't mean to be bad and chew your hat, charlie." "but he did chew it!" replied the little boy who was to wear it in the next act. "look! i can't even get it on! it isn't a hat at all!" "let me see," said mr. treadwell, coming up just then. he looked at what splash had left of the hat. it was torn and chewed and the color was all gone, for the red had been only red ribbons pinned on an old cap, and splash had made them look very sad indeed. "what can i do?" asked charlie. "have i got to stay out of the play?" mr. treadwell thought for a moment. "no," he said. "i'll tell you what we'll do. you were to be a fireman and wear this red hat, weren't you?" "yes," answered charlie. "well, you can still be a fireman, but instead of a red hat you can wear a tin one. a tin hat will be just the thing for a fireman. it will keep the make-believe hot sparks, as well as the water, off his head." "but where can i get a tin hat?" asked charlie. "i'll have mr. raymond bring up a small tin pail from his hardware store downstairs." and that's what was done, and the new, shiny tin pail made a very funny hat for charlie. he liked it better than the red one that splash had chewed. after some delay the curtain went up again, showing the barnyard scene, and in this bunny and sue were to drive toby, their shetland pony, on the stage. it had been decided they could do this, as the pony was a very little one. up went the curtain again, and once more the big crowd clapped as they saw how pretty and natural it was. there was part of a barn with a real door that opened, and when it swung wide and out trotted the shetland pony on to the stage, drawing a little cart in which sat bunny and sue, why, then you should have heard the applause! and then something happened. just how it came about no one knew, but, all of a sudden, there was a loud crow, and out from his basket, which had been hidden back of the wings, flew peter, the rooster. at first no one paid much attention to this, as they all knew it was part of the play. but when peter suddenly flew out from back of the stage and alighted right on the pony's back, toby was much frightened. up he rose on his hind legs, and then he made a dash for the edge of the stage. straight for the footlights he started, dragging bunny and sue in the cart after him! men jumped to their feet and women screamed. it looked as if bunny and sue would be hurt. chapter xxiv act iii lucky it was for every one that mr. treadwell was an old actor and stage manager and that he was used to slight accidents happening during a show. just at the time bunny and sue, in the pony cart, were seemingly about to be run over the footlights. mr. treadwell was at one side of the stage, waiting for his turn to go on, dressed as an old soldier. when he saw what was happening to the little boy and girl he did not stop. rushing out he fairly slid across the smooth boards, in front of the make-believe barn, and he grabbed the pony's bridle in one hand. in the other he held the sword that he was supposed to use as a soldier. "halt!" cried the impersonator. "stop right where you are, and surrender to general grant!" mr. treadwell really was dressed up like general grant, but bunny and sue were surprised to hear him use these words, which were not in the play at all, "general grant" had quite a different part to perform, and at first bunny and sue could not understand it. all they knew was that mr. treadwell had caught the pony's bridle in time to stop the frightened animal from walking over the edge of the stage, when peter the rooster crowed so loudly from his back. perhaps the sharp claws of the rooster may have tickled the pony. i should think they would. anyhow the pony was stopped just in time. "don't be frightened, bunny and sue!" whispered mr. treadwell, as he motioned for the orchestra to play a little louder, so no one in the audience could hear what he said. then he went on: "just pretend it is all part of the show! make believe i was to rush out this way, and call on you to surrender. i'll take peter off the pony's back. the rooster makes him afraid. now, bunny, you say: all right general grant! i'll surrender if it takes all summer!" bunny had been told so many times by mr. treadwell just what other things to say that this time he did not waste a second. so, almost as soon as the impersonator, dressed as general grant, had rushed out, grabbed the pony's bridle, and called on bunny and sue to surrender, bunny answered: "all right, general grant. i'll surrender if--if it takes all summer!" bunny didn't know why some of the old men in the audience laughed so hard when he said this, but later on his father told him that some of them, like uncle tad, had fought under general grant in the civil war and that he had said words that were a "take-off" of one of general grant's real speeches. so, in less time than i have taken to tell you about it, the danger was over, mr. treadwell had turned the pony around so that it was headed back toward the make-believe barn, peter, the crowing rooster had been taken from the back of the little horse, and the play was going on as usual. lucile came out and sang another song, mart did some acrobatic feats, and the other boys and girls did their parts in the play, while "general grant" appeared again and amused the audience. "dear me, mrs. brown!" exclaimed mrs. newton, who sat next to the mother of bunny and sue, "i thought at first that was an accident--the way the pony started off the stage when the rooster got on his back--but i guess it was all part of the play." "it was clever of them to get up something to fool us like that--almost too real and life-like, i think, though," said the mother of one of the little boys in the play. mrs. brown knew, from the looks on the faces of bunny and sue, that it was an accident, and not intended, but she said nothing, for she did not want to spoil any one's pleasure in the show. and so the performance went on, the boys and girls doing simple little things they had been taught by mr. treadwell. there were dances and drills, for it was a sort of mixed-up play, without very much of what grown folks call "plot." but it was just the thing for bunny brown and his sister sue, and the only sort of play they could have given, for they were not very old. in one scene george watson, harry bentley, and charlie star played leapfrog, jumping over one another's backs. bunny also had a part in this. george tried to get his rooster to do a little trick in the barnyard scene. the boy stood near the barn door and held a piece of bread in his hand. he wanted peter, the rooster, to fly up, perch on his head, and eat the crumbs of bread. but the rooster seemed to think he had done enough by perching on the pony's back, and he wouldn't fly on top of george's head at all. so they had to leave that trick out of the second act. then the curtain went down on the second act, the barnyard scene, and the boy and girls got ready for the last, the third act, in the orchard. this was to be the prettiest of all, for it was supposed to be in apple-blossom time, and the scene was a beautiful one, though it was cold, snowy, and wintry weather outside. mr. treadwell had done his best on this act. it was hard work for some of the children, though most of them thought of it as play, but they had spent long hours in drilling. as i have told you, there was a real tree in the scene, and a house, and the play was supposed to end with every one saying how happy he or she was to be "down on the farm," when they all sang a song with those words in it. everything went off very nicely. bunny and sue did even better in this third act than in the first or second, and there was no little accident like that with the pony and rooster. they were coming to the climax of the third act. sue was supposed to be lost, and bunny was supposed to hunt for her. he was to look everywhere, and at last find her up in an apple tree--or what passed for an apple tree--on the stage. all went well until sue slipped out of the farmhouse, ran to the apple tree and climbed up in it to hide among the artificial branches. then bunny started to pretend to look for her. he stood under the tree, but didn't let on he knew she was there, though of course he really did know. "i wonder where she can be?" he said aloud, just as he was supposed to say in the play. "where can she have hidden herself?" and just then little weejie brewster piped up from where she was sitting with her mother: "dere she is, bunny! dere's sue hidin' up in de apper tree! i kin see her 'egs stickin' out! she's in de tree, she is!" of course everybody burst out laughing at hearing this, but the play was so near the end that what weejie said did not spoil it. bunny had to laugh himself, and so did sue. then bunny looked up among the branches, pretended to discover sue, and on he went with the rest of his talk. the little white mice performed once again. splash did another trick quite well, too. and then peter, the rooster, as if to make up for not behaving nicely in the second act, flew out on the head of george just as he was handing lucile a bouquet when she sang her "rose song." of course the rooster, coming out at that time, rather spoiled lucile's song, but she didn't mind, and when the audience got over laughing she went on with it as if nothing had happened. it was just before the last scene, where the whole company of boys and girls was to gather around mr. treadwell, in front of the house, and sing the farm song, that something else happened. down the aisle came mr. jed winkler, and in his hand he held a yellow telegram envelope. he marched up to mr. brown and said, so loud that every one could hear him: "this message just came! i was over at the telegraph office and the operator gave _it to_ me to bring to you." "oh, thank you," said mr. brown. there was a little pause in the play while the children were getting ready to sing the last song. mr. brown tore open the message. "i hope there is no bad news," some one said, and every one in the audience hoped the same thing, for they all liked mr. brown. bunny and sue, up on the stage, looked at their father in some wonderment, while lucile, who was to lead in the singing, glanced at her brother. could the telegram be about them? chapter xxv the final curtain mr. treadwell, who was off to one side of the stage getting everything ready for the last scene, came out now to tell bunny, sue, and the others to start the singing. "and sing good and loud," said the impersonator, who was dressed in a funny clown suit. "sing your best, so all the people will like the show that bunny and sue started." the piano player struck a few notes and then mr. brown, who had finished reading the telegram, held up his hand and stepped out into the aisle, walking toward the stage. "wait a minute!" called mr. brown, and the piano player stopped. "is there anything the matter?" asked mr. treadwell, and lucile's uncle bill seemed a bit uneasy, for, being blind, he could not so well take care of himself in case of accident as could the others. "don't you want bunny and me to sing any more, daddy?" called out sue, from where she stood on the stage, and nearly every one in the hall laughed. "oh, yes, indeed, i want you to sing," said mr. brown. "but i have some good news, and i might as well tell it to those to whom it comes before the show goes on. it will not take more than a few minute. lucile--mart--the good news is for you!" and mr. brown waved the telegram at the boy acrobat and his sister, the singer. "is it from our kin?" asked mart. "yes," answered bunny's father. "this message came to me because, i suppose, your uncle, mr. william clayton, gave my address when he telegraphed to your uncle simon and aunt sallie." "and is the message from them?" asked lucile. "yes," replied mr. brown. "it's from your uncle simon, and he says he and your aunt will be here in about a week. they have been giving a show in a far-off country, and they did not know you had lost track of them and your uncle bill. but everything is all right now. your uncle and aunt are coming to look after you, and they say they are sorry you had so much trouble." "we didn't have much trouble after we met you, and you took care of us," said mart. "well, i'm glad you feel that way about it," replied mr. brown. "and i'll be glad to have you and lucile stay with me until your uncle and aunt come back. it's well they telegraphed instead of waiting to send a letter, for the good news came more quickly. they say they just received the first letter your uncle bill sent, and they made haste to answer by telegraph." "so everything is all right, is it?" asked mart's uncle bill, from where he sat with a friend from the home for the blind. "yes," answered mr. brown. "lucile and mart have found their relatives, and i hope they never lose them again." "that's fine!" cried the blind man. "this will be a jolly christmas for everybody!" and so it was, and no one was happier than lucile and mart that they had found their missing uncle and aunt. "oh, i can sing my last song so much more happily now!" said lucile softly. "and i'm going to turn three flipflops instead of one!" cried mart. "and i'll help you!" added bunny brown, and every one laughed again. it was a merry, happy, jolly time, just right for christmas. "well, all ready now, children!" called mr. treadwell when mr. brown had taken his seat. "now for the last grand chorus then the final curtain and the play will be over!" once more the piano played, and then the children, led by lucile, lifted up their sweet voices in song. and it seemed to be a hymn of thanksgiving for the two children who had found their lost ones. circling around the tree in the stage orchard marched bunny brown, his sister sue, and the other children. then out danced mr. treadwell, in another funny suit, and then, all at once, out from the wings rushed splash the dog. he stood up on his hind legs put his paws on mr. treadwell's shoulders, and marched across the stage that way, while the audience clapped and bunny and sue stared with wide-opened eyes. "i--i didn't know my dog could do that trick!" cried bunny. "i taught it to him for a surprise," said the actor. "hi, splash! come on and have another dance with me!" and the dog walked across the stage again on his hind legs. and then, with another song, given as the children stood in a double row facing the audience, the show of "down on the farm" came to a close and the final curtain fell, while the crowd of fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts and friends applauded as loudly as they could. mr. brown gave a little talk about the home for the blind and many persons said they would help it. "well, from what i heard of it, i'll say that was a fine show!" said lucile's uncle bill. "and one of the best parts was that telegram mr. brown read." "yes, i think so myself," said bunny's father. back on the stage the children were hurrying to get off their costumes and into their regular garments, so they might go home and look at their christmas presents once more. "shall we ever give the show again?" asked charlie star. "well, we might, in a day or so," said mr. treadwell. "if the audience would like to see it, we might give it some afternoon next week." "oh, yes, let's do it!" cried bunny. "oh, yes!" cried sue and the others. while this talk was going on mr. raymond, the owner of the hall, came up to where bunny brown stood. "i guess you're the treasurer of this show, aren't you?" he asked, and sue noticed that the hardware man had something in his hand. "no--no," said bunny, shaking his head, "i wasn't a--a treasure. i was a farm boy in one act and i turned somersaults in another act." "well, i don't exactly mean that," said mr. raymond, with a laugh. "i mean you got up the show, didn't you?" "yes, bunny and sue really started it," said mr. treadwell. "that's what i thought," said the hardware man. "well, then, bunny, this money comes to you. it's what was taken in at the door, and what was paid for tickets. your father asked me to take charge of it, but, now that the first show, at least, is over, you'd better have it." he handed a box that seemed to be full of silver money and bills to bunny and sue brown. "oh! oh!" exclaimed sue. "it's most a thousand dollars i guess!" "no, not quite as much as that," said mr. raymond. "but your show was a great success, and there's ninety dollars and fifteen cents there. the fifteen cents is from a boy who couldn't raise the quarter admission, so i let him in for fifteen. i'd have let him in for nothing, but he said he wanted to do all he could to help the home for the blind." "yes, this money's for the blind home," said bunny. "i'm glad we got such a lot. i didn't think we'd get more than ten dollars." "indeed, you did very well, and i want to thank you on behalf of the blind people," said mr. harrison, manager of the home, to whom mr. brown handed the money, after bunny, sue, and the other children had all had a look at it. "this will buy many a little comfort for my people." then, indeed, bunny, sue and the others felt repaid for all they had done to get up the show; and some of them had worked very hard to give the audience a pleasant and amusing time. so everything came out well, and the finding of the uncle and aunt of lucile and mart was one of the nicest parts of the little play. soon the hall was deserted, and the children were on their way home. mr. bill clayton--though i presume his name was william, and not just bill--and mr. harrison went to the brown house to stay for supper, and there the telegram from their uncle simon was read again by lucile and mart. "i'm going to be a show actor when i grow up," declared bunny brown. "and i'm going to sing on the stage--i like it," said sue. "well, it will be a good many years before you are old enough to go on the real stage," said her mother, with a laugh. "you or bunny either." and so the show that bunny and sue gave came to an end--yet not quite an end, either. for the play was given over again the week after, and more money raised for the home for the blind. and among those in the audience were mart and lucile's uncle simon and aunt sallie. they had hurried their trip back to this country to look after lucile and mart, and they were glad to find their niece and nephew in such good hands. "and if it hadn't been for bunny brown, thinking of getting up a show, maybe you'd never have found us," said mart to his uncle simon. "maybe," agreed mr. weatherby. "bunny did a lot, and so did his sister sue! they're just the kind of children to do things!" and perhaps, if all goes well, you may read of other doings of bunny brown and his sister sue. the end. the bunny brown series by laura lee hope author of the popular "bobbsey twins" books * * * * * wrapper and text illustrations drawn by florence england nosworthy * * * * * =12mo. durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding= * * * * * these stories by the author of the "bobbsey twins" books are eagerly welcomed by the little folks from about five to ten years of age. their eyes fairly dance with delight at the lively doings of inquisitive little bunny brown and his cunning, trustful sister sue. bunny was a lively little boy, very inquisitive. when he did anything, sue followed his leadership. they had many adventures, some comical in the extreme. bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york= the moving picture girls series by laura lee hope author of "the bobbsey twins series." * * * * * =12mo. durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding= * * * * * the adventures of ruth and alice devere. their father, a widower, is an actor who has taken up work for the "movies." both girls wish to aid him in his work and visit various localities to act in all sorts of pictures. the moving picture girls or first appearance in photo dramas. having lost his voice, the father of the girls goes into the movies and the girls follow. tells how many "parlor dramas" are filmed. the moving picture girls at oak farm or queer happenings while taking rural plays. full of fun in the country, the haps and mishaps of taking film plays, and giving an account of two unusual discoveries. the moving picture girls snowbound or the proof on the film. a tale of winter adventures in the wilderness, showing how the photo-play actors sometimes suffer. the moving picture girls under the palms or lost in the wilds of florida. how they went to the land of palms, played many parts in dramas before the camera; were lost, and aided others who were also lost. the moving picture girls at rocky ranch or great days among the cowboys. all who have ever seen moving pictures of the great west will want to know just how they are made. this volume gives every detail and is full of clean fun and excitement. the moving picture girls at sea or a pictured shipwreck that became real. a thrilling account of the girls' experiences on the water. the moving picture girls in war plays or the sham battles at oak farm. the girls play important parts in big battle scenes and have plenty of hard work along with considerable fun. * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york= the outdoor girls series by laura lee hope author of the "bobbsey twin books" and "bunny brown" series. * * * * * =12mo. durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding= * * * * * these tales take in the various adventures participated in by several bright, up-to-date girls who love outdoor life. they are clean and wholesome, free from sensationalism, absorbing from the first chapter to the last. the outdoor girls of deepdale or camping and tramping for fun and health. telling how the girls organized their camping and tramping club, how they went on a tour, and of various adventures which befell them. the outdoor girls at rainbow lake or stirring cruise of the motor boat gem. one of the girls becomes the proud possessor of a motor boat and invites her club members to take a trip down the river to rainbow lake, a beautiful sheet of water lying between the mountains. the outdoor girls in a motor car or the haunted mansion of shadow valley. one of the girls has learned to run a big motor car, and she invites the club to go on a tour to visit some distant relatives. on the way they stop at a deserted mansion and make a surprising discovery. the outdoor girls in a winter camp or glorious days on skates and ice boats. in this story, the scene is shifted to a winter season. the girls have some jolly times skating and ice boating, and visit a hunters' camp in the big woods. the outdoor girls in florida. or wintering in the sunny south. the parents of one of the girls have bought an orange grove in florida, and her companions are invited to visit the place. they take a trip into the interior, where several unusual things happen. the outdoor girls at ocean view or the box that was found in the sand. the girls have great fun and solve a mystery while on an outing along the new england coast. the outdoor girls on pine island or a cave and what it contained. a bright, healthful story, full of good times at a bungalow camp on pine island. * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york= the girls of central high series by gertrude w. morrison * * * * * =12mo. durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding= * * * * * here is a series full of the spirit of high school life of to-day. the girls are real flesh-and-blood characters, and we follow them with interest in school and out. there are many contested matches on track and field, and on the water, as well as doings in the classroom and on the school stage. there is plenty of fun and excitement, all clean, pure and wholesome. the girls of central high or rivals for all honors. a stirring tale of high school life, full of fun, with a touch of mystery and a strange initiation. the girls of central high on lake luna or the crew that won. telling of water sports and fun galore, and of fine times in camp. the girls of central high at basketball or the great gymnasium mystery. here we have a number of thrilling contests at basketball and in addition, the solving of a mystery which had bothered the high school authorities for a long while. the girls of central high on the stage or the play that took the prize. how the girls went in for theatricals and how one of them wrote a play which afterward was made over for the professional stage and brought in some much-needed money. the girls of central high on track and field or the girl champions of the school league this story takes in high school athletics in their most approved and up-to-date fashion. full of fun and excitement. the girls of central high in camp or the old professor's secret. the girls went camping on acorn island and had a delightful time at boating, swimming and picnic parties. * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york= transcriber's notes: obvious punctuation errors repaired. table of contents: chapter xviii. mr. treadwell's wig 161 changed to 162. page 57: line ends travelnext line begins brown. "haven't you any words in between have been presumed and do not appear in the original. page 66: "hard" changed to "heard" (i've heard that) page 89: repeated word "a" removed (a cocoanut on it) page 127: "were're" changed to "we're" (we're glad you) page 157: "though" changed to "thought" (thought the little) page 162: "though" changed to "thought" (bunny thought perhaps) page 163: "did't" changed to "didn't" (hay sue didn't get) page 163: "break" changed to "bread" (bread and milk) page 164: "though" changed to "thought" (i thought i would) page 209: "yyet" changed to "yet" (come back yet) page 223: "teadwell" changed to "treadwell" (treadwell dressed up) page 226: "maye" changed to "maybe" (maybe splash took) page 237: "aound" changed to "around" (around mr. treadwell) page 237: "boquet" changed to "bouquet" (a bouquet when she) [illustration: "now where are your potatoes, uncle tad?" sue asked. "here they are!" said the old soldier. _frontispiece_ (_page_ 75.) _bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while._] bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while by laura lee hope author of the bunny brown series, the bobbsey twins series, the outdoor girls series, etc. illustrated by florence england nosworthy new york grosset & dunlap publishers made in the united states of america books by laura lee hope _12mo. cloth. illustrated._ the bunny brown series bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while the bobbsey twins series for little men and women the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a houseboat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home the outdoor girls series the outdoor girls of deepdale the outdoor girls at rainbow lake the outdoor girls in a motor car the outdoor girls in a winter camp the outdoor girls in florida the outdoor girls at ocean view the outdoor girls on pine island grosset & dunlap publishers new york copyright, 1916, by grosset & dunlap _bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while_ contents chapter page i. grandpa's tent 1 ii. grand surprise 12 iii. bunny and sue sleep out 23 iv. splash comes, too 35 v. off to camp 44 vi. putting up the tents 55 vii. a big black bear 68 viii. the ragged boy 78 ix. tom hears a noise 89 x. out in the boat 100 xi. tom sees a man 108 xii. the cross man 119 xiii. a bad storm 128 xiv. tom is gone 140 xv. looking for tom 150 xvi. "who took the pie?" 157 xvii. a noise at night 166 xviii. splash acts queerly 176 xix. in the smoke-house 184 xx. in bunny's trap 193 xxi. bunker goes ashore 203 xxii. in the woods 210 xxiii. in the cave 220 xxiv. "who is there?" 228 xxv. back in camp 237 bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while chapter i grandpa's tent "bunny! bunny brown! there's a wagon stoppin' in front of our house!" "is there? what kind of a wagon is it, sue?" the little girl, who had called to her brother about the wagon, stood with her nose pressed flat against the glass of the window, looking out to where the rain was beating down on the green grass of the front yard. bunny brown, who had been playing with a tin locomotive that ran on a tiny tin track, put his toy back in its box. "what kind of a wagon is it sue?" he asked his sister again. "it isn't a grocery wagon," sue answered slowly. "not a grocery wagon, like the one we rode in once, when we gave all those things to old miss hollyhock." "has it got any letters on it?" bunny wanted to know. he was on his way to the window now, having taken up the toy railroad track, with which he was tired playing. "yes, it's got a e on it," sue said, "and next comes the funny letter, bunny, that looks like when you cross your legs or fingers." "that's a x," said bunny. he knew his letters better than did sue, for bunny could even read a little. "what's the next letter, sue?" bunny could have run to the window himself, and looked out, but he wanted to pick up all the things with which he had been playing. his mother had always made him do this--put away his toys when he was through. "what's the next letter, sue?" bunny brown asked. sue was not quite sure of it. she put her little head to one side so she might see better. just then a man jumped off the seat, and splashed through a muddy puddle as he walked around to the end of the wagon. "oh, bunny!" sue cried. "the man's going to bring something here, i guess. he's taking out a big bundle." "maybe it's a wagon from the store," said bunny. and, as he looked out through the window glass, pressing his nose flat against it, as his sister sue had done, he spelled out the word: express "that's an express wagon, sue," said bunny. "what's express?" sue wanted to know. "that means when you're in a hurry," bunny said. "you know, when we're playing train, sometimes i'm an express train, and i go awful fast." "yes, i 'member that," said sue. "once, when we hitched our dog, splash, up to our express wagon, he went so fast he spilled me out." "well, that's express," bunny went on. "when you went out of the wagon so fast you were an express." "i don't like express, then," said sue. "i like to go slower. but that can't be an express wagon, then, bunny." "why not?" "'cause that's not goin' fast. it's jest standin' still." "oh, well, when it does go, it goes fast. that's an express wagon, all right. somebody's sent us something by express. oh, sue, i wonder what it is?" sue shook her head. she did not know, and she could not guess. she was watching the man out in the rain--the expressman who was trying to get something out of the back of his wagon. it was a big bundle, that was sure, because bunny and sue could see the end of it. "i wonder if it's a present for us?" sue asked. "it can't be a present," answered bunny. "it isn't christmas. don't you remember, sue, we had christmas at aunt lu's city home." "so we did, bunny. but it's _something_, anyhow." that was certain, for now the man was pulling a very large bundle out of his wagon. it was so large that he could not carry it all alone, and he called for sam, the stable man, to come and help him. with the help of sam, the expressman carried the package back into the barn. "oh, i wonder what it is?" said sue. "we'll go and ask mother," suggested bunny. "she'll know." together, the children fairly ran upstairs to their mother's sitting room, where she was sewing. "oh, mother!" cried sue. "there's a fast wagon out in front--a fast wagon and----" "a fast wagon, sue? what do you mean? is it stuck fast in the mud?" mrs. brown asked. "no, she means an express wagon," said bunny, with a laugh. "i told her express was fast, mother." "oh, i see," and mrs. brown smiled. "but the express wagon did stop," went on the little boy. "it stopped here, and sam and the man took out a big bundle. it's up in our barn. what is it, mother?" "i don't know, bunny. something your father sent for, perhaps. he may tell us what it is when he comes." "may we go out and look at it?" sue asked. "no, dear, not in this rain. can't you wait until daddy comes home?" "yes, but i--i don't want to, mother." "oh, well, we have to do many things in this world that we don't want to. now go and play with your dolls, or something. i think daddy will be home early to-night, on account of the storm. then he'll tell you what's in the bundle." "does sam know?" asked bunny, as he watched the express wagon drive away. "perhaps he does," answered mrs. brown. "then we can ask him!" exclaimed sue. "come on, bunny!" "no, dears, you mustn't go out to the barn in this rain. you'd get all wet." "i could put on my rubber coat," suggested bunny. "and so could i--and my rubber boots," said sue. both children seemed to want very much to know what was in the express package. but when mrs. brown said they could not go out she meant it, and the more bunny brown and his sister sue teased, the oftener mrs. brown shook her head. "no, you can't go out and open that bundle," she said. "and if you tease much more daddy won't even tell you what's in it when he comes home. be good children now." bunny and sue did not often tease this way, for they were good children. but this day was an unpleasant, rainy one. they could not go out to have fun, because of the rain, and they had played with all their toys, getting tired of them, one after another. "mother, if we can't go out to the barn, could we have our dog, splash, in here to play with us?" asked bunny, after a while. "we could hitch him to a chair, and make believe it was an express wagon." "oh, yes!" cried sue. "and you could be the driver, bunny, and you could leave a package at my house--make believe, you know--and then i wouldn't know what was in it, and i could guess, and you could guess. we could play a guessing game; will you, bunny?" "yes, i'll play that. may we have splash in, mother?" "no, dear." "oh, why not?" "because i just saw splash splashing through a puddle of muddy water. if he came in now he'd get you all dirty and he would spoil my carpet." "but what _can_ we do, mother?" sue asked, and her voice sounded almost as if she were going to cry. "we want to do _something_," added bunny. "oh, dear!" sighed mrs. brown, yet she could not help smiling. rainy days were hard when two children had to stay in the house all the while. "we can play 'spress wagon without splash!" exclaimed sue, for she was a good little girl, and did not want to make her mother worry. "all right," agreed bunny. "we'll just make believe we have splash with us to pull the pretend wagon." he and sue often played pretend, and make-believe, games, and they had much fun this way. now they turned one chair on the side, and put another in front. the turned-over chair was to be the wagon, and the other chair, standing on its four legs, was the horse. bunny got some string for reins, and the stick the washerwoman used to punch the clothes down in the boiler made a good whip, when another piece of string was tied on the end of that. "giddap!" cried bunny, sitting on a stool behind the chair-horse. "giddap! this is an express wagon, and we've got to hurry." "you must leave a package for me!" cried sue. "this is my house, over on the couch," and she curled up in a lump. "and this is my little girl," she went on, pointing to one of her dolls, which she had taken into her "house" with her. "if i'm asleep--make-believe, you know," said sue to bunny, "you tell my little girl to wake me up." "pooh! i can't talk to a doll!" cried bunny. "yes, you can, too," said his sister. "just _pretend_, you know." "well, even if i do, how can your doll talk to you, and wake you up?" "oh, bunny! i'm only going to be make-believe asleep, and of course a doll, who can pretend to talk, can make-believe wake me up as easy as anything, when i'm only make-believe asleep." "oh, all right, if it's only make-believe," agreed bunny. "giddap, splash! i've named the make-believe chair-horse the same as our dog," he explained to sue. then the game began, and the children played nicely for some time, giving mrs. brown a chance to finish her sewing. bunny and sue took turns driving the "express wagon," and they had left many pretend bundles at each other's houses, when a step was heard in the front hall, and bunny and sue cried: "daddy! daddy! oh, daddy's come home!" they made a rush for their father, and both together cried out: "oh, daddy, a express package came! what's in it?" "did a package come?" asked mr. brown, as he took off his wet coat, for it was still raining. "yep! it's out in the barn," said bunny brown. "oh, please tell us the secret!" begged sue. "i know it must be a secret, or mother would have told us." mrs. brown smiled. "the children have teased all afternoon to know what was in the bundle," she said. "well, i'll tell them," said daddy brown. "the package, that came by express, has in it grandpa's tent." "grandpa's tent!" cried bunny. "the one we played circus in, out in the country?" sue demanded. "the same one," answered daddy brown, with a laugh. "oh, are we going to have another circus?" cried bunny, joyously. "now sit down and i'll tell you all about it," said daddy brown, and he took bunny up on one knee, and sue on the other. chapter ii a grand surprise "don't you want to have supper first?" asked mrs. brown, as she saw her husband sit down in the easy chair, with bunny and sue. "oh, i'm in no hurry," he said. "i came home early to-night, because there were only a few boats out, on account of the storm. i might just as well tell the children about the surprise before we eat." "oh, then it's a surprise!" cried sue, clapping her hands. "why, yes, i rather think you'll be surprised when you hear about it," answered daddy brown. "and is it a secret, too?" bunny wanted to know. "well, you don't know what it is yet; do you?" inquired his father. bunny shook his head. "well, then," went on daddy brown with a smile, "if there is something nice you don't know, and someone is going to tell you, i guess that's a surprise; isn't it?" "oh, yes!" cried sue. "and now, daddy, don't tease us any more. just tell us what it is? will we like it?" "can we play with it?" bunny wanted to know. mr. brown laughed so hard that sue nearly fell off one knee, and bunny off the other. "what is it, daddy?" asked the little boy. "what's so funny?" "oh, just you--and sue," said mr. brown, still shaking up and down and sideways with laughter. "you are in a great hurry to have me tell you the surprise, and yet you keep on asking questions, so i have to answer them before i tell you." "you asted the most questions, bunny," said sue, shaking her finger at him. "no, i didn't. you did!" "well, we'll each just ask one question," went on sue, "and then you can tell us, daddy. i want to try and guess what it is--i mean what the tent is for. shall we each take one guess, bunny?" "yep. you guess first, sue. what do you say the tent is for?" sue thought for half a minute, shutting her brown eyes and wrinkling up her little nose. she was thinking very hard. "i--i guess the tent is for a house for our dog splash," she said, after a bit. "is it, daddy?" "no," and mr. brown shook his head. "it's your turn, bunny." bunny looked up at the ceiling. then he said: "i guess grandpa's tent is going to be for us to play in when it rains. is it, daddy?" "well, that's pretty nearly right," mr. brown answered. "and now sit quiet and i'll tell you the surprise." but before i let mr. brown tell the children the secret, i just want to say a few words to the boys and girls who are reading this as their first book of the bunny and sue series. there are four other books that come ahead of this, and i'll tell you their names so you may read them, and find out all about bunny and sue. of course those of you who have read the first, and all the other books in the series, do not need to stop to read this. you have already been introduced to the brown children. but to those who have not, i would say that bunny brown and his sister sue lived with their father and mother, mr. and mrs. walter brown, in the town of bellemere, which was on sandport bay, near the ocean. mr. brown was in the boat business--that is, he hired out boats to fishermen and others who wanted to go on the ocean or bay, sailing, rowing or in motor boats. mr. brown had men to help him, and also several big boys, almost as large as men. one of these last was bunker blue, a red-haired, good-natured lad, who was very fond of the two children. in the first book of the series, named "bunny brown and his sister sue," i told you the story of the little boy and girl, and what fun they had getting up a punch and judy show, and finding aunt lu's diamond ring in the queerest way. in the second book, "bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm," i told you how they went off to the country, in a great big moving van automobile, fitted up like a little house, in which they could eat and sleep. bunker blue went with them to steer the automobile, and they also took along the children's dog, splash, who was named that because he once splashed in the water and pulled out sue. on grandpa's farm bunny and sue had lots of fun. they got up a little show, which they held in the barn. after the little show had been given, bunker blue, and some larger boys, thought they could get up a sort of circus. they did, holding it in two tents, a big one and a smaller one. the smaller tent belonged to grandpa brown, when he was in the army. and it was this tent that had just come by express to the brown home in bellemere. "bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus" is the name of the third book, and in that you may read all about the show that bunny and sue took part in--how the tents were washed away, how ben hall did his queer tricks, and what happened to him after that. when the two brown children came back from grandpa's farm they received an invitation from aunt lu, to spend the fall and winter at her city home in new york. "bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home" is the name of the book telling all that happened when the two children went to new york. they met a little colored girl, named wopsie, they were lost in a monkey store, bunny flew his kite from the roof of aunt lu's house, and toward the end bunny and sue were run away with when in a pony cart in central park. at first they did not like being run away with, but after they were spilled out, and aunt sallie picked them up, and she and wopsie found out that they--but there! i mustn't put so much of that book in this book. you would much rather read it yourself, i am sure. so i'll just say that at aunt lu's city home bunny and sue had many good times, and enjoyed themselves very much. they were almost sorry when it was time to come home, but of course they could not always stay in new york. but now it was spring, and bunny and sue were once more back in bellemere. they had met all their old friends again, and had played with them, until this day, when, as i have told you, it was raining too hard to go out. before i go on with this story, i might say that bunny was about six years old, and sue a year younger. the two children were always together, and whatever bunny did sue thought was just right. it was not always, though, for often bunny did things that got him and sue into trouble. bunny did not mean this, but he was a brave, smart little chap, always wanting to do something to have fun, or to find out something new. he would often take chances in doing something new, when he did not know what would happen, or what the ending would be. and sue liked fun so much, also, that she always followed bunny. the children knew everyone in the village of bellemere, and everyone knew them, from old miss hollyhock (a poor woman to whom bunny and sue were often kind) to wango, the queer little monkey, owned by jed winkler, the old sailor. wango did many funny tricks, and he, too, got into mischief. sometimes it was hard to say who got oftener into trouble--bunny brown and his sister sue, or wango, the queer little monkey. now that i have told you all this, so my newest little children-reader-friends will feel that they know bunny and sue as well as everyone else, i will go back to the story. bunny and sue were still sitting on their father's knee. "well, tell us the surprise!" begged sue, reaching over and kissing her daddy. "and make it like a story," begged bunny. "i haven't time to make it like a story now, my dears," said mr. brown. "but the bundle you saw the expressman bring to the barn this afternoon was the tent from grandpa's farm." "the same one we played circus in?" bunny wanted to know. "the same one," answered his father. "i asked grandpa to send it to me." "what are we going to do with it, daddy?" sue asked. "i've tried and tried, but i can't guess." "well, this is the surprise," replied daddy brown, "and i hope you'll like it. we are going off into the woods camping--that means living in a tent. we'll cook in a tent--that is when it rains so we can't have a campfire out of doors--we'll eat in the tent and we'll sleep in it." "oh, daddy! shall we--really?" cried bunny, almost falling off his father's knee he was so excited. "yes, that's what we're going to do," said mr. brown. "we are going to spend the summer in camp, under a tent instead of in a cottage, as we sometimes do. will you like that?" "oh, i just guess we will!" cried bunny brown. "and can i take my dolls along--will there be room for 'em?" asked sue. "oh, yes, plenty of room," answered daddy brown. "and will splash come?" bunny wanted to know. "oh, yes, we'll take your dog along, of course. it wouldn't be like a real camp without splash. so now you know what the tent is for." "may we go out and look at it?" asked bunny. "oh, no, son. not to-night. it's still raining, and the tent is all wet. it will dry out in a few days. besides, you've seen the tent up." "it's just like when we had it for the circus," explained sue. "i don't want to go out to the barn and see it, bunny. i'm hungry, and i want my supper." "it's almost ready," said mother brown. "then we really are going camping?" she looked at her husband as she asked the question. "yes, i thought that would be a nice way to spend the summer vacation," said mr. brown. "grandpa's tent is very large. we can sleep in that one. i also have a smaller tent, in which we can set a table, and next to that will be one, still smaller, where we can cook on an oil stove in wet weather. we'll have a real camp!" "oh, fine!" cried bunny. "how nice!" exclaimed sue. "and where are we going to camp?" mother brown questioned. "up in the woods, about ten miles from here, near lake wanda," answered mr. brown. "and, now that i've told you all about the surprise, i think, we'll have supper." chapter iii bunny and sue sleep out after supper the two children, and their father and mother, as well, found so much to talk over, about camping out, that it was bed-time for bunny and sue almost before they knew it. "oh, can't we stay up just a _little_ longer?" begged bunny, when his mother told him it was time for him and sue to get undressed. "just let's hear daddy tell, once more, how he cooks eggs over a campfire," added sue. "not to-night; some other time," said mr. brown. "that's one of the things you must learn when going to camp--to obey orders." daddy brown set bunny and sue down on the floor--they had climbed up into his lap again after supper. he stood up tall and straight, like a soldier, and touched his hand to his head. "order number one!" he said. "time to go to bed. good-night!" "aye, aye, sir!" answered bunny, putting his hand to his head, as he had seen his father do. that was saluting, you know, just as a gentleman lifts his hat to a lady, or a private soldier salutes his officer. mr. brown laughed, for, though bunny had saluted as a soldier does, the little boy had answered like a sailor. you see, he knew more about sailors than he did about soldiers, living near the sea as he had all his life. whenever mr. brown wanted bunny to do anything, without asking too many questions about it, or talking too much, bunny's father would pretend he was a captain, and the little boy a soldier, who must mind, or obey, at the first order. this pleased bunny. "order number one!" said mr. brown again. "bunny brown report to bed. order number two, so must sister sue!" then everyone laughed, and off to bed and dreamland went the two children. they lay awake a little while, talking back and forth through the door between their rooms, but soon their eyes closed, and stayed closed until morning. mr. and mrs. brown sat up about an hour longer, talking about going to camp, and then they, too, went to bed. "i think the children will like it--living in a tent near the lake," said daddy brown, as he turned out the light. "yes," said mrs. brown. "they'll be sure to like it. i only hope they'll not fall in." "well, if they do, splash will pull them out," said daddy brown. bunny and sue were up early the next morning. even before breakfast they had thought of the good times they were going to have in camp at lake wanda. "daddy, may we go out and see the tent now?" asked bunny. "after a bit," answered mr. brown. "the tent got rather wet, coming by express through the rain, and i'm going to send bunker blue and some of the fishermen around to-day to put it up so it will dry out. then we'll roll the tent up again, tie it with ropes, and it will be ready to take with us to lake wanda." "when are you going?" asked mrs. brown. "oh, in about two weeks--as soon as the weather gets a little more settled." it was may now, and the flowers were beginning to bloom. soon it would be june, and that is the nicest month in all the year to go camping in the woods, for the days are so long that it doesn't get dark until after eight o'clock at night, and one has that much longer to have fun. when breakfast was over bunny and sue went out to the barn to look at the big express bundle which held the tent. it was too heavy for them to lift, or they themselves might have tried to put it up out on the lawn. bunny brown was that kind of boy. and sue would have helped him. but, as it was, they waited for bunker and some of the strong fishermen to come up from mr. brown's boat dock. in a little while the tent was put up on the lawn, and bunny and sue were allowed to play in it. "the dining room tent will come in a few days," said mr. brown, "and also the cooking tent. i bought them in new york." then he told bunny and sue how they would go camping. the tents and cots, with bed clothes, and dishes, pots, pans, an oil stove and good things to eat, would all be put in the big moving van automobile, in which they had traveled to grandpa brown's farm in the country. "we'll ride in that up to lake wanda," said daddy brown. "when we get to the woods, on the shore of the beautiful lake, we'll put up the tent, and make our camp. then we'll have good times." "oh, i can hardly wait; can you?" asked sue, speaking to her wax doll. "i wish the time would hurry up," said bunny. "but who is going to help you put up the tents, daddy? you can't do them all alone." "oh, bunker blue is going camping with us." "goodie!" cried bunny. "and we'll also take uncle tad along," went on daddy brown. "that's nice!" exclaimed sue, clapping her hands. she and bunny loved uncle tad. he was an old soldier, who had fought in the war. he was really mr. brown's uncle, but the children called him uncle too, and uncle tad loved bunny brown and his sister sue very much. the tent was not very wet from the rain, and bunny and sue had fun playing in it that day. splash, their dog, played in the tent too. splash asked nothing better than to be with bunny and sue. "bunny, are we going to sleep on the ground when we go camping?" sue wanted to know, as she and her brother sat in the tent that afternoon. "well, maybe we will," the little boy said. "but i think i heard daddy say we would take some cot beds with us. you _can_ sleep on the ground, though. mother read me a story about some hunters who cut off some branches from an evergreen tree, and put their blankets over them to sleep on. they slept fine, too." "could we do that?" asked sue. "yes," answered bunny. and then a queer look came on the face of bunny brown. sue saw it and asked: "oh, bunny, is you got an idea?" "yes," bunny answered slowly, "i has got an idea." "oh, goodie!" cried sue. "tell me about it, bunny, and we'll do it!" bunny often had ideas. that is, he thought of things to do, and nothing pleased sue more than to do things with her brother. they were not always the right things to do, but then the children couldn't be expected to do right all the while; could they? so, whenever bunny said he had an idea, which meant he was going to do something to have fun, sue was anxious to know what his idea was. "tell me, bunny!" she begged. bunny went over closer to his sister, looked all around the tent, as if to make sure no one was listening, and when he saw only splash, the big dog, he whispered: "sue, how would you like to practice sleeping out?" "sleeping out?" said sue. she did not just know what bunny meant. "yes, sleeping out," said the little boy again. "sleeping out in this tent, i mean. we'll have to do it, if we go to camp, and we might as well have some practice, you know." bunny and sue knew what "practice" meant, for a girl whom they knew took music lessons, and she had to go in and practice playing on the piano every day. bunny thought that if you had to practice, or try over and over again, before you could play the piano, you might have to practice, or try, sleeping out of doors in a tent. "how can we do it?" asked sue. "it's easy," bunny answered. "we'll bring our blankets out here and sleep in the tent to-night." "maybe daddy and mother won't let us, bunny." "they won't care," said the little boy. "'sides, they won't know it. we won't tell 'em. we'll just come out at night, when they've gone to sleep. we can slip down, out of our rooms, with our blankets, and sleep in the tent on the ground, just as we'll have to do in camp. 'cause we mayn't always have cot beds there. will you do it, sue?" "course i will, bunny brown!" sue nearly always did what bunny wanted her to. this time she was sure it would be lots of fun. "all right," bunny went on. "to-night, after it gets all dark, we'll come down, and sleep here." "s'pose--s'posin' i get to sleep in my own bed in the house, bunny?" "oh, i'll wake you up," said bunny. "i won't go to sleep, and i'll come in and tickle your feet." sue laughed. she always laughed when anyone tickled her feet, and even the thought of it made her giggle. "don't tickle 'em too hard, bunny," she said. "'cause if you do i'll sneeze and that will wake up daddy and mother." "i won't tickle you too hard," bunny said. that night, after supper, mrs. brown said to her husband: "bunny and sue are up to some trick, i know they are!" "what makes you think so?" asked mr. brown. "oh, i can always tell. they are so quiet now, they haven't teased for anything all afternoon, and now they are getting ready to go to bed, though it isn't within a half-hour of their time." "oh, maybe they're sleepy," said mr. brown, who was reading the paper. "no, i'm sure they are up to some trick," said mother brown. and now, if you please, just you wait and see whether or not she was right. bunny brown and his sister sue did go to bed earlier than usual that night. bunny, after supper, had whispered to his sister: "if we go to bed sooner we can be awake quicker and go down to the tent." "can you open the door?" asked sue. "yes, the back door opens easy." "but has you got the branches from the evergreen tree cut so we can spread our blankets over them?" sue wanted to know. bunny shook his head. "i didn't dast do it," he said. "they might see me cutting 'em, and then they'd guess what we were going to do. we can each take two blankets off our beds, sue, and that will make the ground soft enough. 'sides, if we're going to be campers, and sleep in the woods, we mustn't mind a hard bed. soldiers don't--for daddy said so." "girls aren't soldiers!" said sue. "but i'll come with you and we'll sleep on two blankets." "to practice for when we go camping," added bunny. sue nodded her head, and, with her doll, went up to bed in the room next to bunny's. "i just know those children are up to something," said mother brown, as she came down after tucking in bunny and sue. "i wish i knew what it was." "oh, i guess it isn't anything," laughed daddy. sue and her brother found it hard to keep awake. they had played hard all day, and that always makes children sleepy. in fact, bunny and sue did fall asleep, but bunny awakened sometime in the night, i suppose because he was thinking so much about going out into the tent. the little fellow sat up in bed. a light was burning out in the hall, so he could see plainly enough. he remembered what he had promised to do--wake up sue by tickling her feet. softly he stole into her room, after putting on his bath robe. he dragged after him two blankets from his bed. reaching under the covers he gently tickled sue's pink toes. "what--what's matter?" murmured sue, sleepily. "hush!" whispered bunny close to her ear. "wake up, sue! i don't want to tickle you any more, and make you sneeze. we're going to sleep out in the tent, you know." sue was soon wide awake. softly she crawled out of bed, slipped on her bath robe, which was on a chair near her bed, and then, dragging two blankets after her, she and bunny went softly down the stairs. carefully bunny opened the door, and he and sue went out on the side porch, and down across the lawn to where, in the moonlight, stood grandpa's tent. chapter iv splash comes, too the camping tent, which had been put up by daddy brown, so it would be well dried out, stood wide open. bunny and sue, with their bed-blankets trailing after them, slipped in through the "front door." of course, there was not really a "front door" to a tent. there are just two pieces of canvas, called "flaps," that come together and make a sort of front door. between these white flaps bunny brown and his sister sue went, and they found themselves inside the tent. "it--it's awful dark, isn't it, bunny?" whispered sue, softly. "hush!" returned her brother. "we don't want them to see us. it will be light pretty soon, sue." "i--i don't like it dark," she said. "shut your eyes and you won't see the dark," bunny went on. his mother had often told him that when she wanted him to go to sleep in a dark room, or when only the hall light was dimly burning. so bunny thought that would be a good thing to tell sue. "shut your eyes, and you won't see the dark," said bunny brown. but, really, it was not very dark in the tent, after the two children had stood there awhile. the moon was brightly shining outside, and, as the tent was of white canvas, some of the light came through. so as sue looked around she could begin to see things a little better now. there was not much to see. just the ground, and a box or two in the tent. during the day bunny and sue had been playing with the boxes, and had left them in the tent. "come on, now," said bunny. "we'll spread our blankets out on the ground, sue, and go to sleep. then we'll make believe we're camping out, just as we're going to do up at the lake." as he spoke bunny spread his two blankets out on the ground under the tent. he folded them so he could crawl in between the folds, and cover himself up, for it was rather chilly that spring night. "i--i want a pillow, bunny," said sue. "i want something to put my head on when i go to sleep." "hush!" cried bunny in a whisper. "if you speak out loud that way, sue, mother or daddy will hear us. then they'll come and get us and make us sleep in our beds." "well--well," answered sue, and bunny could tell by her voice that she was trying hard not to cry, "well, bunny brown, i--i guess i'd better like sleepin' in my bed, than out here without no pillow. i want a pillow, an' it's dark an' cold, an'--an'----" sue was just ready to cry, but bunny said: "oh, come on now, sue! this is fun! you know we're making-believe camp out!" "all right," sue answered, after thinking it over a bit. "but can i--can i sleep over by you, bunny?" "yes. put your blankets right down here by mine, and we'll both go to sleep. won't daddy and mother be s'prised when they find we've camped out all night?" "i--i guess they will," sue said. "it kinder s'prises me, too!" sue was dragging her blankets over toward the place when bunny had his spread out on the ground, and she was just going to lie down, when the flaps of the tent were suddenly shoved to one side, and something came in. "oh! oh!" cried sue, as she threw herself down in her blankets, and wrapped herself up in them, even covering her head. "oh, bunny! bunny! what is it? what's after us?" "i--i don't know," said bunny, and his voice trembled a little. then sue raised her head and peeped out from under her blanket. she saw something standing in the front door of the tent, half way in, and half way out. the moon was still shining brightly, and sue cried: "oh, bunny! it's a bear! it's a bear!" just then there came a loud: "bow-wow-wow!" bunny and sue both laughed then. then were frightened no longer. "oh, it's our dog, splash!" cried sue. "it's only splash!" "here, splash!" called bunny. then with a joyous bark the dog sprang inside the tent, and snuggled close up to his two little play-mates. "now i isn't afraid," said sue, as she put her arms around the big shaggy neck of her pet. "now i isn't afraid any more. splash can sleep with us; can't he, bunny?" "yes, sue. now go to sleep. isn't this fun?" "yes, it is when splash is here," sue said. though bunny did not say so, he, too, was glad their dog had come to spend the rest of the night with them. not that there was anything to be afraid of, oh, dear no! there were no bears, or wolves, or anything like that in bellemere. there were big fish in the bay and in the ocean, but of course they never came up on land. "and, even if they did," said sue sleepily to bunny when they were talking about this, as they lay close to the big dog in their blankets, "even if any fish did flop up, bunny, splash would catch them; wouldn't he?" "sure!" answered bunny. "you would; wouldn't you, splash?" asked the little girl, her chubby arm around the dog's neck. splash whined softly, and rubbed his cold nose first against the warm cheek of sue, and then against bunny's. that was his way of kissing them, i think. and so, strange as it may seem, bunny and sue went to sleep in the camping tent that night. they were well wrapped up in the warm blankets they had brought from their beds, and after the first few shivers they were not cold. and so they slept, and splash slept with them. all this while daddy brown and mother brown knew nothing about their children having gone out in the night. but mother brown soon found it out. i'll tell you about it. about two o'clock every morning (when it was still quite dark, and when it was yet night, though you could call it morning), mrs. brown used to get up, and slip into the rooms of the children to see if they were covered up. for little folk often kick off the bed clothes in the night, and so get cold. mother brown did not want this to happen to bunny and sue. this time, though, when mother brown went softly into sue's room, to see if her little girl was all right, she did not find sue in her bed. "why, this is queer," thought mrs. brown. "where can sue have gone? perhaps she slipped out and went in with bunny." sometimes sue used to do this, when she would awaken and become a little frightened. but when mother brown went into bunny's room sue was not there, nor was bunny. mrs. brown felt all over the bed, but there was not a sign of either of the children. "why--why!" exclaimed mother brown. "what can have happened to them? where can they be? bunny! sue!" she called, and she spoke out loudly now. "what is it? what's the matter?" asked daddy brown, as he awakened on hearing his wife call. "what has happened?" "why, i can't find bunny or sue! they're not in their beds! i came in to cover them up, as i always do, but they're not here. oh dear! i hope nothing has happened to them!" "of course nothing has happened!" said daddy brown. he sprang out of bed and lighted a light in bunny's room. as he took one look at the tumbled bed, and saw that two of the blankets were gone, mr. brown laughed. "what are you laughing at?" his wife asked him. "i don't see anything very funny to laugh at!" "it's those children!" said daddy brown, "i know where they are!" "where?" cried mother brown, eagerly. "where?" "out in the tent. they've taken their blankets and gone out there to sleep. they're playing camping out, i'm sure. we'll find them in the tent." and, surely enough, as you well know, there they found bunny brown and his sister sue, fast asleep on their blankets in the tent, with splash sleeping between them. splash looked up and wagged his tail as mr. and mrs. brown, wearing their bath robes and slippers, came softly into the little canvas house. splash seemed to say: "hush! don't wake up the children! they're sound asleep!" and bunny and sue were sound asleep. mr. and mrs. brown looked at one another, smiled, and then daddy picked up bunny, blankets and all, while mrs. brown did the same with sue. "we'll put them right in their own beds, in the house, without waking them up," whispered daddy brown. "yes," nodded mother brown. "what--what's matter?" sleepily murmured bunny as he felt himself being carried into the house. but that was all he said, and he did not even open his eyes. sue never said anything as her mother carried her. and as for splash, once he saw that the children were being taken care of, he curled up in a corner of the tent, and went to sleep again. chapter v off to camp bunny brown opened his eyes, and sat up in bed. then he blinked his eyes. next he rubbed them. then he looked all around the bed. yes, there was no doubt about it, he was in his own little room, with the pictures he so well knew hanging on the walls, with his toys on the box in the corner. it was his own room, and he had awakened in his own bed, and yet---"sue! sue!" called bunny in a whisper, looking toward the open door of the room in which his sister slept. "sue, is you there!" "yes, bunny, i'm here." "and are you in your own bed?" "yes, i is." sometimes bunny and sue did not speak just right, as perhaps you have noticed. "but, sue--sue," bunny went on, "didn't we go to sleep in the tent; or did we? did i dream it?" "i--i don't know, bunny," answered sue. "i 'members about being in the tent. and splash was there, too. but i'm in my bed _now_." "so'm i, sue. i--i wonder how we got here?" bunny looked all around his room again, as if trying to solve the puzzle. but he could not guess what had happened. he remembered how he and sue had gotten up in the middle of the night, and how they had crept inside the tent. then splash had come; and how funny it was when sue thought their dog was a bear. then they had all gone to sleep in the tent, and now---well, bunny was certainly in his bed, and so was sue in hers. "how--how did it happen?" asked bunny. he heard a laugh out in the hall. running to the door he saw his father and mother standing there. then bunny understood. "oh, you carried us in from the tent when we were asleep; didn't you, daddy?" asked bunny, pointing a finger at his father. "yes, that's what i did." "oh, bunny, what made you and sue do a thing like that?" asked mother brown. "i was so frightened when i came in to cover you and sue up, and couldn't find my little ones. what made you do it?" "why--why," said bunny slowly, "we wanted to get some practice at camping out, sue and i did--just like they practice piano lessons. so we went to sleep in the tent." "well, don't do it again until we really go camping," said daddy brown. "when we are in the woods, at lake wanda, you can sleep in the tent as much as you like, for then we'll have cot beds and everything right. anyhow, i'm going to take down the tent to-day and get it ready to pack up for camp." "when are we going?" asked bunny. "oh, in about a week, i guess," answered his father. "then i'm going to pack up," declared the little boy. "i've got lots of things i want to take to camp." "and so have i," called sue, who had run out of her own room. "i'm going to take two of my best dolls, and all their clothes." "you can take some of your toys and play-things but not too many," said mrs. brown. "you must remember that you'll be out in the woods a good part of the time, having fun among the trees, or perhaps on the lake. so you won't want too many home-toys." "are we going to have a boat on the lake?" asked bunny eagerly. "yes, but you're not to go out in it alone. bunker blue is coming with us, and he will look after you on the water, and uncle tad will look after you in the woods--that is when either daddy or myself is not with you children. now you'd better get dressed for breakfast, and don't go out in the middle of the night any more and sleep in a tent." "we won't," promised bunny brown and his sister sue. that week began the work of getting ready to go to camp. one of the first things daddy brown did was to get two other tents. one of these was to be the dining-room tent, where the table would be set for eating when in camp. another tent, smaller than either of the two, would do to cook in. besides the tents they must take with them things to eat, knives, forks, spoons, dishes, pots and pans, an oil stove and bed clothing. all these things daddy brown, or mother brown, with the help of uncle tad or bunker blue, packed. the big automobile, in which the brown family had eaten and slept when on their trip to grandpa's farm, was once more made ready for a journey. in this were packed the tents, the bedding, the stove, the good things to eat, and all that would be needed in camp. of course, they could not take with them all they would want to eat through the summer, for they expected to stay in camp until fall. but there were stores not far from lake wanda, and in them could be bought bread, butter, sugar, tea, coffee, or whatever else was needed. "are we going to sleep in the automobile this time?" asked bunny, as he looked inside the big moving van. "i don't see where we can make a bed," bunny went on, for the van was quite filled with the tents, cot-beds, chairs, tables, the oil stove and other things. "no, we're not going to sleep in the auto this time," said mr. brown. "it will only take us a day to get from here to lake wanda where we are going to camp. so we will get up here, in our own home in the morning, ride to camp, put up the tents, and that same night we will sleep in them." "oh, what fun it will be!" cried sue, joyfully. "it will be dandy!" exclaimed bunny. "and i'll catch fish for our supper in the lake." "i hope you won't catch them as you caught the turtle in the new york aquarium, the time we went to aunt lu's city home," said mother brown with a laugh. "no, i won't catch any mud turtles," promised bunny. in the book before this one i've told you about bunny catching the turtle on a bent pin hook with a piece of rag for bait. he had quite an exciting time. everyone at the brown house was busy now. there was much to be done to get ready to go to camp. bunny and sue were each given a box, and told that this must hold all their toys and playthings. "you may take with you only as much as your two boxes will hold," said daddy brown to bunny and sue. "so pick out the play-toys you like best, as the two boxes are all you may have. and when you get to camp i want you always, when you have finished playing, to put back in the boxes the toys you have finished with. "in that way you will always know where they are, when you want them again, and you won't have to be looking for them, or asking your mother or me to help you find them. besides, we must keep our camp looking nice, and a camp can't look nice if toys and play-things are scattered all about. "so pick out the things you want to take with you, pack them in your boxes and, after you get to camp, keep your toys in the boxes. that is one of our rules." "aye, aye, sir!" answered bunny making a funny little bob with his head as he had seen some of the old sailors, at his father's dock, do when they answered. "i'm just going to take my dolls, and some picture books for them to look at," said sue. "pooh! dolls can't look at picture books!" exclaimed bunny. "yes, they can too!" cried sue. "no, they can't!" "well, i mean make-believe, bunny brown!" "oh, well, yes; make-believe! i thought you meant _real_." "well, _i_ can look at them real," said sue, "and make believe i'm reading to my dolls." "oh, yes," agreed bunny. "what are you going to take?" asked sue of her brother. "oh, i'm going to take my fish pole, and my pop gun----" "that only shoots a cork!" cried sue. "you can't hit any bears with that." "i can scare 'em with it when it pops!" cried bunny. "that's all i want to do. i don't want to kill a bear, anyhow. i just want to scare 'em. and maybe when i scare a little bear i can grab it and bring it home and tame it." "oh, if you only could!" cried sue. "then we could make it do tricks, and we could get a hand-organ and go around with a trained bear instead of a monkey." "yes," said bunny. "we could until the bear got too big. i guess i wouldn't want a big bear, sue." "no, little ones is the nicest. maybe we'd better get a monkey, anyhow, 'cause they never grow big." "i don't believe any monkeys grow in the woods where we're going to camp," observed bunny. "but we'll look, anyhow, and maybe i can scare one of them with my pop gun." then the two children talked of what fun they would have in camp. they put things in their two boxes, took them out again and tried to crowd in more, for they found they did not want to leave any of their toys or play-things behind. but they could not get them all in two small boxes, so finally they picked out what they liked best, and these were put in the automobile. mr. and mrs. brown had done most of the other packing. the auto-moving van was quite full, there being just room enough for mrs. brown, uncle tad and the two children to ride in the back, while daddy brown and bunker blue sat on the front seat. at last everything was ready. the last things had been put in the automobile, and tied fast. the children took their places, and called to splash. of course he was to go with them. he would run along the road, until he grew tired, and then he could ride in the automobile. "all aboard!" called bunker blue as he sat at the steering wheel. "is everybody ready?" "i am!" answered bunny brown. "i've got my fishing pole, and i can dig some worms when i get to camp." "are you going to fish with worms?" asked sue. "sure i am! fishes love worms." "i don't!" sue said. "worms is so squiggily." she always said that when bunny spoke of worms. "well, i guess we're all ready," remarked daddy brown. "start off, bunker blue." "chug-chug!" went the automobile. "bow-wow!" barked the dog splash. "good-bye!" called bunny and sue to some of their little boy and girl friends who had gathered to wave farewell. "good-bye! good-bye!" then the big automobile rolled out into the road. the browns were off to camp. chapter vi putting up the tents "how long will it take us to get to lake wanda, mother?" asked bunny brown, as, with sue and uncle tad, he and his mother sat in the back of the big car that rumbled along the road. "oh, we ought to get there about noon," she answered. "just in time to eat," said uncle tad. "i suppose you children will be good and hungry, too." "i'm hungry now," said sue, "i wish i had a jam tart, mother." "so do i!" put in bunny. "i'll give you one in a few minutes," mrs. brown said. "we did have an early breakfast, and i suppose you are hungry now." "will we have to cook dinner as soon as we get to camp?" bunny wanted to know. "if we do i'll help," said uncle tad with a smile. "i can build a campfire. when i was a soldier, in the army, down south, we used to build campfires, and roast potatoes when we couldn't find anything else to eat." "did they taste good, uncle tad?" asked sue. "indeed they did, little girl. and we had roast ears of corn, too. they were even better than the potatoes." "i guess we'll have to make uncle tad the camp cook," said mother brown with a smile, as she brought out a basket of lunch for bunny and sue. in the basket were some cakes, sandwiches and a few of the jam and jelly tarts that aunt lu used to make. only, as aunt lu had gone back to her city home, mrs. brown had learned to make the tarts, and bunny and sue were very fond of them. as they rode along in the big automobile the children ate the little lunch, and enjoyed it very much. uncle tad took some too, for he had gotten up early, with the others, and he was hungry. "i wonder if daddy and bunker blue wouldn't like a tart," murmured sue, after a bit, as she picked up the last crumbs of hers. "perhaps they would," said mother brown. "but they are away up on the front seat, and i don't see how we can pass them any. there is too much in the auto, or i could hand it to them out of the little window back of the seat. but i can't reach the window." "i know how we could pass them a tart," said bunny. "how?" asked his mother. "climb up on the roof of the auto, and lower the lunch basket down to them with a string." "bunny brown! don't you dare think of such a thing!" cried his mother. "the idea of climbing onto the roof of this big automobile when it's moving!" "oh, i didn't mean when it was _moving_," bunny said. "i wouldn't do that, for fear i'd be jiggled off. i meant to wait until we stopped. then i could get up on the roof." "no need to do that," said uncle tad. "for when we stop, then one of you can get down, and run up ahead with something for daddy and bunker blue." and, a little later, the automobile did stop. "what's the matter?" called mrs. brown to her husband, who was up on the front seat. "did anything happen?" "no, only the automobile needs a drink of water," answered mr. brown. i have told you how automobiles need water, as much as horses do, or as you do, when you get warm. of course the automobile does not exactly _drink_ the water. but some must be poured in, from time to time, to keep the engine cool. and this was why bunker blue stopped the automobile now. while he was pouring water in, dipping it up with a pail from a cold spring beside the road, bunny and sue got out and took their father and the red-haired boy some jam and jelly tarts, and also some sandwiches. "my! this is fine!" cried mr. brown, as he ate the good things sue handed him. "i'm glad we're going camping; aren't you, children?" "oh, i should say we were glad!" cried bunny, as he took a drink from the spring. there was half a brown cocoanut shell for a dipper, and bunny thought he had never drunk such cool, sweet water. then, when bunker blue had eaten his sandwiches and tarts, they started off once more, rumbling along the country roads toward lake wanda. "i wish we'd hurry up and get there," said sue. "i want to see what camping is like." "oh, we'll soon be there," promised daddy brown, "and there'll be work enough for all of us. we'll have three tents to put up, and many other things to do." on and on went the big automobile. splash ran along the road, some time at the side of the car, sometimes behind it, and, once in a while, away up ahead, as if he were looking to see that the road was safe. after a bit the dog came back to the automobile, and walked along so slowly, with his red tongue hanging out, that sue said: "oh, poor splash must be tired! let's give him a ride, mother!" "all right. call him up here." "come on, splash!" called bunny and sue, for they each owned half the dog. they had pretended to divide him down the middle, so each one might have part of the wagging tail, and part of the barking head. it was more fun owning a dog that way. up jumped splash into the back of the auto-moving van. he stretched out on a roll of carpet that was to be spread over the board floor of the big tent, and went to sleep. but first bunny had given him some sweet crackers to eat. splash was very fond of these crackers. the automobile was going down hill now, and when it reached the bottom it came to a stop again. "what's the matter now?" asked mother brown. "does the auto want another drink?" "no, not just now," answered daddy. "something has happened this time." "oh, i hope nothing is broken!" said mrs. brown. "not with us," answered her husband. "but there is an automobile just ahead of us that seems to be in trouble. they are stuck in the mud, i think." bunny brown and his sister sue, their mother, uncle tad and even splash got out to see what the matter was. i don't really believe splash cared what had happened, but he always went where bunny and sue went, and when he saw them go this time he went with them. walking up toward the front part of the big automobile, where bunker blue and daddy brown sat, mrs. brown, uncle tad and the children saw, just ahead, a small automobile, off to one side of the road. the wheels were away down in the soft mud, and a man at the steering wheel was trying to make the car move up onto the hard road, but he could not do it. "you seem to be in trouble," said daddy brown. there were two ladies out on the road, watching the man trying to start the car. "i am in trouble," said the man down in the mud. "i turned off the road to pass a hay wagon, but i did not think the mud was so soft down here, or i never would have done it. now i am stuck and i can't seem to get out." "perhaps i can help you," said daddy brown. "i have a very strong automobile here. i'll go on ahead, keeping to the road, and i'll tie a rope to your car, and fasten the other end to mine. then i'll pull you out of the mud." "i'd be very thankful to you if you would." "yes, we'd be ever so much obliged," echoed the two ladies, whose shoes were all muddy from having jumped out of the automobile down into the ditch. it did not take daddy brown and bunker blue long to fasten a rope from their automobile to the one stuck in the mud. then when the big auto-moving van, in which the browns were going to camp, started off down the road, it pulled the small car from the mud as easily as anything. "thank you, very much," said the man when he saw that he and the ladies could go on again. "the next time i get behind a hay wagon i'll wait until i have room to turn out, without getting into a mud hole. i'm very much obliged to you, mr. brown, and if ever you get stuck in the mud i hope i can pull you out." "i'm afraid you couldn't do it with your small car, when my auto is such a large one." mr. brown answered, "but thank you just the same." then the man in his small automobile, rode off with the two women, and, a little later, the browns were once more on their way. it was a little before noon when they came in sight of a big lake, which they could see through the trees. it was not far from the road. "oh, what lake is that?" asked mrs. brown. "that is lake wanda, where we are going to camp," said mr. brown. "we'll turn in toward it, pretty soon, and begin putting up the tents." "you said we'd have dinner first!" cried bunny brown. "are you hungry again?" asked his mother. "i guess riding and being out in the air make them hungry," said uncle tad. "well, children must eat to grow big and strong." "then bunny and sue ought to be regular giants!" laughed mrs. brown, "for they are eating all the while." a little later the big automobile turned off the main road into a smaller one, that led to the lake. and when the children and mrs. brown had a good view of the large sheet of water they thought it one of the most beautiful they had ever seen. the lake was deep blue in color, and all around it were hills, and little mountains, with many trees on them. the trees were covered with beautiful, green leaves. "oh, this is a lovely place," cried mother brown. "just lovely!" "i'm glad you like it," said her husband. "i like it, too," echoed bunny. "so do i," added sue. "well, shall we begin putting up the tents?" asked mr. brown. "it will be night almost before you know it here. you see the hills are so high that the sun seems to go to bed sooner here than he does at home." "oh, let's rest awhile before we do anything," said mother brown. "just rest awhile and look at the lake." "hurrah!" suddenly cried daddy brown. "that's it! i've been trying to think what to call it, but you've done it for me. that's just what we'll call it! there couldn't be a better name!" "why, what are you talking about?" asked mrs. brown, in surprise. "the name of our camp," explained daddy brown, laughing. "i have been trying, ever since we started, to think of a good name for it. 'rest-a-while,' will be the very thing. that's just what you said a moment ago you know. 'let's rest awhile and look at the lake.' so we will call this camp rest-a-while! isn't that a good name?" "why, yes, it does sound very nice," said mother brown. "camp rest-a-while! that's what we'll call it then, though i didn't know i was naming a camp. well, children--uncle tad--bunker--and all of us--welcome to camp rest-a-while!" "hurrah!" cried bunny and sue, clapping their hands. and so the camp was named. mrs. brown set out a little lunch, and they gathered about one of the boxes, in which the bed clothes were packed, to eat. the box was set on the ground, under a big chestnut tree. "where are you going to put up the tents?" asked mother brown. "right where we are now," said daddy brown. "i think we could not find a nicer spot. here is a good place for our boat, when we get it. it is nice and dry here, and we can see all over the lake. yes, this is where we will put up the tents for camp rest-a-while." and, after they had all eaten lunch, including splash, who was as hungry as bunny or sue, the work of putting up the tents was begun. the canvas houses were unrolled, and spread out on the ground. then daddy brown, with bunker blue and uncle tad to help, put up the tent poles, and spread the canvas over them. by pulling on certain ropes, raising the poles, and then tying the poles fast so they would not fall over, the tents were put up. there was the big one, that could be made into two or even three rooms, for them all to sleep in, bunny, daddy brown, uncle tad and bunker blue in one part, and mother brown and sue in the other, with a third part for company. the big tent was almost up. only one more rope needed to be made fast. bunker blue was pulling on this when bunny and sue, who were helping, heard splash give a sudden bark. then the dog jumped into the lake, and the children, looking, saw a great commotion going on in the water near shore. splash seemed either to have caught something, or to have been caught himself. he was barking, howling and whining. "oh, a big fish has caught splash! a big fish has caught our dog!" cried sue, and, dropping the tent rope, of which she had hold, down to the edge of the lake she ran. chapter vii a big black bear something certainly seemed to be the matter with splash. bunny and sue had never seen their dog act in such a funny way. he would dash into the water, not going far from shore, though, and then he would jump back, barking all the while. once or twice he tried to grab, in his sharp teeth, something that seemed to be swimming in the water. but either splash could not get it, or he was afraid to come too close to it. "oh, daddy! what is it? what is it?" asked bunny and sue. mr. brown, who with bunker blue and uncle tad, was fastening the last ropes of the tent, hurried down to the shore of the lake. "what is it? what's the matter, splash? what is it?" asked mr. brown. splash never turned around to look at daddy. he again rushed into the water, barking and snapping his sharp teeth. then mr. brown, taking up a stick, ran toward the dog. "let it alone, splash! let it alone!" cried daddy brown. "that's a big muskrat, and if it bites you it will make a bad sore. let it alone!" daddy brown struck at something in the water, and bunny and sue, running down to the edge of the lake, saw a large, brown animal, with long hair, swimming out toward the middle. splash started to follow but mr. brown caught the dog by the collar. "no you don't!" cried bunny's father, "you let that muskrat alone, splash. he's so big, and such a good swimmer, that he might pull you under the water and drown you. let him alone." bunker blue, who had come down to the edge of the lake, threw a stone at the swimming muskrat. the queer animal at once made a dive and went under the water, for muskrats can swim under the water as well as on top, and bunny and sue saw it no more. splash rushed around, up and down the shore, barking loudly, but he did not try to swim out. i think he knew mr. brown was right in what he said--that it was not good to be bitten by a muskrat. "is that what it was, daddy--a rat?" asked bunny. "yes," answered his father. "splash must have seen the muskrat swimming in the water, and tried to get it. the muskrat didn't want to be caught, so it fought back. but i'm glad it got away without being hurt, and i'm glad splash wasn't bitten." "what's a muskrat?" sue wanted to know. "well, it's a big rat that lives in the water," said daddy brown. "it is much larger than the kind of rat that is around houses and barns, and it has fine, soft fur which trappers sell, to make fur-lined overcoats, and cloaks, for men and women. the fur is very good, and some persons say the muskrat is good to eat, but i would not like to try eating it. but this muskrat was a big one, and as they have sharp teeth, and can bite hard when they are angry, it is a good thing we drove it away." bunny and sue looked out over the lake. they could see the muskrat no longer, though there was a little ripple in the water where it had dived down to get away. "now we must finish putting up the tents," said daddy brown. "it will be night before we know it, and we want a good place to sleep in at camp rest-a-while." "and are we going to have a fire, where we can cook something?" asked bunny. "yes, we'll have the oil stove set up." "i thought we would have a campfire," said the little boy. "so we shall!" exclaimed uncle tad. "i'll make a campfire for you, children, and we'll bake some potatoes in it. we'll have them for supper, with whatever else mother cooks on the oil stove." "i'll get some sticks of wood for the fire!" cried sue. "so will i!" added bunny. and while the older folk were finishing putting up the tents, and while mother brown was getting out the bed clothes, bunny and sue made a pile of sticks and twigs for the fire their uncle had promised to make. soon the big sleeping tent was put up, and divided into two parts, one for sue and her mother, and the other for bunny and the men folk. cot-beds were put up in the tent, and blankets, sheets and pillows put on them, so the tent was really like a big bedroom. "it will be nicer sleeping here than on the ground, like we did in the tent at home that night," said bunny to sue. "yes, i guess it will," she answered. "my dollie won't catch cold in a nice bed." "did she catch cold before?" bunny wanted to know. "well, she had the sniffle-snuffles, and that's almost like a cold," sue answered. in the second-sized tent the dining table had been set up, and the chairs put around ready for the first meal, which would be supper. mother brown got the dishes out of the box, and called: "now, bunny and sue, let me see you set the table." she had taught them at home how to put on the plates, knives, forks, spoons, cups, saucers and whatever was needed, and now bunny and sue did this, as their share of the work, while bunker blue, and the older folk, were busy doing different things. in the cooking tent the oil stove was set up and lighted, to make sure it burned well. then camp rest-a-while looked just like its name--a place where boys and girls, as well as men and women could come and have a nice rest, near the beautiful lake. when everything was nearly finished, and it was about time to start getting supper, a man came rowing along the shore of the lake in a boat. he called to mr. brown: "hey, there! is this where you want your boat left?" "yes, thank you. tie it right there," answered daddy brown. "oh, is that going to be our boat?" asked bunny, in delight. "yes," answered his father, "i wrote to a man up here that has boats to let, to bring us a nice one. we'll use it while we are in camp. but you children must never get in the boat without asking me, or your mother. you mustn't get in even when it's tied to the shore." "we won't!" promised bunny and sue. once they had gotten in a boat that they thought was tied fast, but it had floated away with them. they landed on an island in the river, and had some adventures, of which i have told you in the first book of this series. bunny and sue remembered this, so they knew that sometimes it was not even safe to get in a boat which was tied fast, unless some older person was with them. the man left the boat he had brought for mr. brown. it was a large one and would easily hold bunny and sue, as well as all the others at camp rest-a-while. "now for the roast potatoes!" cried uncle tad. "come on, children! we'll start our campfire, for i see your mother getting the meat ready to cook, and it takes quite a while to roast potatoes out of doors." the campfire was built between two big stones, bunny and sue bringing up the wood they had gathered. uncle tad lighted the fire, for it is not safe for children to handle matches, or even be near an open fire, unless some older person is with them. bunny and sue had often been told this, so they were very careful. when the fire had blazed up good and hot, uncle tad let it cool down a bit. then he raked away the red hot embers and put in them some nice, big, round potatoes. these he covered up in the hot ashes, and put on more wood. "now the potatoes are baking," he said. "they will be done in time for supper." and what a fine supper it was--that first one in camp! bunny and sue thought they had never tasted anything so good. they all sat in the dining tent, and mother brown put the things on the table. "now where are your potatoes, uncle tad?" she asked. "here they are!" cried the old soldier, as he went to the campfire. he raked away the ashes and embers with a stick, and on a platter, made from a large piece of bark, off a tree, the old soldier poked out a number of round, black, smoking things. "why--why!" exclaimed sue, in surprise. "i thought you baked _potatoes_, uncle tad!" "so i did, sue." "they look like black stones," said bunny. "you wait--i'll show you," laughed uncle tad. he brought the bark platter to the table. taking up a fork he opened one of the round, black, smoking things. though the outside was burned black from the fire, the inside was almost as white as snow. "there's baked potatoes for you!" cried uncle tad. "put some salt and butter on them, and you never tasted anything better! but be careful--for they're very hot!" supper over, the dishes were washed and put away. then there was nothing to do but wait until it was time to go to bed. "and i think we're all tired enough to go early to-night," said mother brown. "but, before we go," said her husband, "i think we will have a little row on the lake in our boat. it is not yet dark." it was beautiful out on the water, and the sun, sinking down behind the hills, made the clouds look as though they were colored blue, pink, purple and golden. bunny and sue were almost asleep when the boat was headed back toward shore, and their eyes were tight shut, when daddy and mother lifted them out to carry them up to camp rest-a-while. the children hardly awakened when they were undressed and put to bed, and soon every one was sound asleep, for it was a dark night. bunny brown was sleeping in the outer part of the bedroom-tent, in a cot next to his father's. just what made bunny awaken he did not know. but, all at once the little fellow sat up on his cot, and looked with wide-open eyes toward the entrance. there was a lantern burning in the tent, and by the light of it bunny brown saw a big shaggy animal, standing on its hind legs, and sniffing with its black nose. at first bunny could not make a sound, he was so frightened, but finally he screamed: "oh, daddy! daddy! wake up! it's a bear! a bear! a big black bear in the tent!" then bunny slipped down between the blankets and covered up his head with the bed clothes. chapter viii the ragged boy daddy brown was used to being suddenly aroused in the night by either bunny or sue. at home the children often awakened, and called out. sometimes they would be dreaming, or perhaps they would want a drink of water. so daddy brown and mrs. brown were used to answering when they heard the children call out. but it was something new to hear bunny calling about a big, black bear. he had never done that before, though one time, when he ate too much bread and jam for supper, he screamed that there was an elephant in his room, and there wasn't at all. he had only dreamed it. but this time daddy brown had plainly heard his little boy say: "oh, it's a bear! it's a bear!" mr. brown awakened, and sat up in his cot. he looked over toward bunny's bed, but could see nothing of the little fellow, for as i have told you, bunny was covered up under the blankets and quilt. even his head was covered. then mr. brown looked toward the entrance, or front door of the tent. and, to his surprise, he saw just what bunny had seen, a big, shaggy, hairy animal, standing on its hind legs, with its black nose up in the air, sniffing and snuffing. "why--why!" exclaimed mr. brown, rubbing his eyes to make sure that he was wide awake, and that he was not dreaming, as he thought bunny might have been. "why--why! it _is_ a bear!" "sniff! snuff!" went the big, shaggy creature. "daddy--daddy!" cried bunny, his voice sounding faint and far off, because his head was under the covers. "daddy, is--is he gone?" "no, not yet," answered mr. brown. "what is it? what's the matter?" called mrs. brown, from behind the curtain, where she slept. "why," said mr. brown slowly. "it--it seems to be a----" then he stopped. he did not want to scare his wife or sue, by telling them there was a bear in the tent, and yet there was. "oh, what is it?" cried mrs. brown again. "i heard bunny crying! is anything the matter with him?" "no, he's all right," answered bunny's papa. that was true enough. there was really nothing the matter with the little boy. he was just a bit frightened, that was all. "but _something_ is the matter," said mrs. brown, "i know there is! why don't you tell me what it is?" daddy brown did not know just what to do. he sat up in bed, thinking and looking first at the bear and then at bunny. all mr. brown could see of bunny was a heap under the bedclothes. but the bear was in plain sight, standing in the doorway of the tent, sniffing and snuffing near the lighted lantern. mr. brown did not want to speak about the bear. he thought the big, shaggy creature looked quite gentle, and perhaps it would go away if no one harmed it. perhaps it was just looking for something to eat, and as it couldn't find anything in the bedroom tent it might go to the one where the cooking was done. bunker blue was still sound asleep, and so was uncle tad. nor had sue, sleeping next to her mother, in the other part of the tent, been awakened. just bunny brown, and his father and mother were wide awake. oh, yes, of course the bear was not asleep. i forgot about that. his little black eyes blinked, and opened and shut, and he wrinkled up his rubber-like nose as he sniffed the air. "well, aren't you going to tell me what it is? what's the matter in there? what happened?" asked mother brown. "if you don't tell me----" by this time bunny brown made up his mind that he would be brave. he uncovered one eye and peered out from beneath the bed clothes. his first sight was of the bear, who was still there. "oh! oh!" cried bunny. "it _is_ a bear! it's a big, black bear! i didn't dream it! it's real! a real, big, black bear!" mrs. brown heard what her little boy said. "oh, walter!" she cried to her husband. "throw something at it. here's my shoe--throw that. i've got two shoes, but i can only find one. throw that at the bear and make him go away!" mrs. brown threw over the curtain, that divided the tent into two parts, one of her shoes. she really had two shoes, but when she felt under her cot in the dark, she could only find one. you know how it is when you try to find anything in the dark, even if it's a drink of water in the chair at the head of our bed. you move your hand all over, and you think some one must have come in and taken the water away. and when you get a light you find that, all the while, your hand was about an inch away from the glass. it was that way with mrs. brown's other shoe. but she threw one over the curtain, calling out again: "hit him with that, walter! hit the bear with my shoe!" but there was no need for mr. brown to do anything. the shoe thrown by bunny's mother sailed through the tent. straight at the bear it went, and before the shaggy creature could get out of the way, the shoe hit him on the end of the nose. "bunk!" went the shoe. "wuff!" grunted the bear. now you know a bear's nose is his most tender part. you could hit him on his head, or on his back, or on his paw--that is if you were brave enough to hit a bear at all--but you would not hurt him, hardly any, unless you hit him right on the end of his soft and tender nose. that's the best place to hit a bear if you want to drive him away, out of your tent, or anything like that. hit him on the nose. "whack!" went mrs. brown's shoe on the end of the bear's nose. "wuff!" grunted the bear, and down he dropped on all four paws. now mrs. brown really did not mean to hit the bear. she was just tossing her shoe over the curtain so her husband might have something to throw at the bear, and, as it happened, she hit the bear by accident. of course it might have been better if one of mr. brown's shoes had hit the bear. i mean it would have been better for the brown family, but worse for the bear. because mr. brown's shoes were larger and heavier than his wife's. but then, it turned out all right anyhow. for, no sooner did the bear feel mrs. brown's shoe hit him on the nose, than he cried out: "wuff!" then he turned quickly around, and ran out of the tent. "did you throw my shoe at him? did you make him go away?" asked mrs. brown. "because if you didn't, walter, i've found my other shoe now, and i'll throw that to you." "you won't need to, my dear," said mr. brown with a laugh. "one shoe was enough. you hit the bear yourself!" "i did?" "yes, and he's gone. it's all right, bunny. you can put your head out now. the bear is gone." bunny peeped with one eye, and when he saw that the big, shaggy creature was no longer there, he put his whole head out. then, with a bound he jumped out of bed, and ran toward the back part of the tent, where his mother and sister were sleeping. "where you going, bunny?" asked his father. "there's no more danger; the bear has gone." "i--i'm just going in here to get my pop gun, so if the bear comes back----" bunny said, "my pop gun is in here." "oh," said mr. brown, "i thought you were going to crawl in bed with your mother." "oh, no--no!" bunny quickly answered, shaking his head. "i--i just want my pop gun. but," he went on, "if mother _wants_ me to get in bed with her, and keep the bear away, why i will. don't be afraid. i'll get in bed with you, mother!" "oh, i guess the bear won't come back," said mr. brown with a laugh. "well, i'll get in bed with mother anyhow," said bunny. "i'll have my pop gun all ready." by this time uncle tad, bunker blue and sue had been awakened by the talk. outside the tent splash could be heard barking, and there was a noise among the trees and bushes that told that the bear was running away. "i--i hope he doesn't bite our dog," said bunny. "oh, i guess splash will know enough to keep away from the bear," replied mr. brown. "besides, i think the bear was only a tame one, anyhow." "a tame bear?" asked uncle tad, as he was told all that had happened. "yes. he didn't act at all like a wild one. besides, there aren't any wild bears in this part of the country. this was a tame one all right." "where did it come from?" asked mrs. brown. "oh, i think it got away from some man who goes about the country making the bear do tricks. probably in the morning we'll see the man looking for his bear," answered her husband. and that is just what happened. there was no more trouble that night. everyone went to sleep again, bunny in the cot with his mother; though when he was asleep and slumbering soundly, she carried him back to his own little bed near his father. soon after breakfast the next morning, when they were talking about the bear scare in the night, along came a man, who looked like an italian organ-grinder. he said he had a pet, tame bear, who had broken away from where he was tied, in the night. and it was this bear who had wandered into the tent where bunny was sleeping. where the bear was now no one knew, but the italian said he would walk off through the woods, and see if he could not find his pet, which he had trained to do many tricks. two or three days later, mr. brown heard that the bear was safely found, so there was no more need to worry about his coming into the tent at night. that day daddy brown, with the help of uncle tad and bunker blue printed a big cloth sign which they hung up between two trees. the sign read: camp rest-a-while "there," said daddy brown, "now the postman will know where to find us when he comes with letters." "oh, do they have mail up here?" asked sue. "no, daddy is only joking," said her mother. "i guess we'll have to go to the post office for letters." one day, when they had been in camp about a week, bunny and sue, with the others, returned from a walk in the woods. as they came near the "dining-room tent," as they called it, they saw a ragged boy spring up from the table with some pieces of bread and meat, and dash into the bushes. "hold on there! who are you? what do you want?" cried daddy brown. but the ragged boy did not stop running. he wanted to hide in the bushes. chapter ix tom hears a noise bunny brown and his sister sue, with their father, mother, uncle tad and bunker blue, hurried on toward the tent under which was set the dining table. they could see where the ragged boy had made a meal for himself, taking the bread and meat from the ice box. for a refrigerator had been brought to camp, and the iceman came on a boat, once a day, to leave ice. "who is he?" asked bunny brown, looking toward the bushes behind which the strange boy had run. "what did he want?" sue asked. "i can answer you, sue, but i can't answer bunny," said mr. brown. "that boy was hungry, and wanted something to eat, but who he is i don't know." "poor little chap," said mrs. brown in a kind voice. "he didn't need to run away just because he wanted something to eat. i would be glad to give him all he wanted. i wouldn't see anyone go hungry." "he looked like a tramp," said bunker. "but he was only a boy," remarked uncle tad. "i wish he hadn't run away," said mother brown. "i don't believe he got half enough to eat. he took only a little." she could tell that by looking in the ice box. by this time splash, the big dog, who had not come up with the others, now rushed into camp. he sniffed around, and then, all of a sudden, he made a dash for a clump of bushes, and, standing in front of it began barking loudly. "oh, maybe the bear's come back and is hiding in there!" cried bunny. "more likely it's that ragged boy," said uncle tad. "that's where he made a rush for as soon as we came up." splash seemed about to go into the bushes himself, and drive, or drag, out whatever was hiding there. but mr. brown called: "here, splash! come here, sir!" the dog came back and then bunny's father, going over to the bushes, looked down among them. "you'd better come out," he said, to someone. the children could not see who it was. "come on out," said mr. brown, "we won't hurt you." out of the bushes came the ragged boy. in his hand he still had some of the bread and meat he had taken from the ice box. bunny and sue looked at him. the boy's clothes were very ragged, but they seemed to be clean. he had on no shoes or stockings, but one foot was wrapped up in a rag, as though he had cut himself. he limped a little, too, as he came forward. "i--i couldn't run very fast with my sore foot, or i'd a' got away from you," he said slowly. "but why should you want to get away?" asked mr. brown. "well, i took some of your stuff--i was hungry and i went through the ice box--and i s'posed you'd be looking for a policeman to have me arrested. that's why i ran. but i couldn't go very far, so i hid in the bushes. i thought i could get away when you weren't looking. here's your stuff," and he held out to mrs. brown what was left of the bread and meat. bunny and sue thought the ragged boy looked hungrily at the food as he offered to give it back. "you poor boy!" said mrs. brown, "i don't want it! you're welcome to that and more, if you need it. you must be hungry!" "i am, lady. i haven't had anything since morning. i started to go back to the city, but it's farther than i thought, and i lost my way. when i struck this camp, i saw the sign--'rest-a-while,' so i sat down to rest. then i saw the ice box, and i was hungry, and--and i--well, i just helped myself." his face was sunburned, so it could not be told whether he was blushing or not, but he hung his head as if ashamed of what he had done. he still held out the meat to mrs. brown. splash, who, now that he knew the boy was a friend of the family, did not bark any more, slid gently up, and began nibbling at the meat and bread in the boy's hand. "oh, look at splash!" laughed sue. "here, splash! that isn't for you!" cried mr. brown. "but you might as well give it to him now, now that he's had his tongue on it," said mr. brown to the ragged boy. "we'll give you some more." "yes, sit right up to the table," said mrs. brown. "i'll get you a good meal." the boy's eyes filled with tears, and he turned his head away so they would not be seen. "where did you come from?" asked daddy brown, as mrs. brown was setting out some food. "i come from benton," the boy answered, naming a city about twenty miles away. "i've lived there all my life until about a week ago, and i wish i was back there now." "how did you come to leave?" "well, all my folks died, and i couldn't make much of a living selling papers, running errands and blacking shoes, so when a farmer down in the city market, said he wanted a boy on his farm, i said i'd come and work for him. "i rode out on his wagon, after he had sold all his stuff one day, and i came to a place called fayetteville." "yes, i know where that is," said mr. brown. "it's on the other side of the lake." "i went to work for the farmer," said the ragged boy, who gave his name as tom vine, "but it was worse than being in the city. i never had a minute's rest and i didn't get enough to eat. i wasn't used to working out in the hot sun, and my legs and arms seemed as if they'd burn off me." "yes, i can see you're pretty well burned," said mr. brown. "then you ran away?" "yes, sir. i couldn't stand it any longer. the farmer and his hired man used to whip me if i made a mistake, or if i didn't get up early enough. and they used to get up before daylight. so i made up my mind to run away, and go back to the city. "i used to think the country was nice," the ragged boy went on, "but i don't any more. i don't mind working, but i don't want to be starved and whipped all the while. so i ran off, but i guess i got lost, for i can't find the way back to the city. i don't know what to do. when i got here, and saw that sign about resting, i thought that was what i needed. so i came in." "and i'm glad you did," said mrs. brown. "now you eat this and you'll feel better. then i'll look at your sore foot, and we'll see what to do with you." "you--you won't have me arrested; will you?" asked the boy. "no, indeed!" said mr. brown. "and you--you won't send me back to that farmer?" "no, i think not. he has no right to make you work for him if you don't want to. don't be afraid," said bunny's father. "we'll look after you." a little later the ragged boy had eaten a good meal. then he was given some of bunker blue's old clothes, for he was almost as large as the red-haired boy, and the old clothes were thrown away. mr. brown looked at the boy's sore foot, and found that there was a big sharp thorn in one toe. when this thorn had been taken out, and the toe bound up with salve, the ragged boy said he felt much better. perhaps i shouldn't call him a ragged boy any longer, for he was not, with bunker's clothes on. "mother, is he going to stay with us?" asked bunny that evening when it was nearly supper time, and the new boy--tom vine--had gone after a pail of water at the spring. "would you care to have him stay?" asked mrs. brown. "yes," said sue. "he's nice. i like him." "well, we'll keep him for a while," answered mrs. brown. "he needs help, i think." tom vine told more of his story after supper. he had never been away from the city's pavements in all his life before he went out to the country with the farmer who hired him. he had never seen the ocean, or the woods. he did not even know that cows gave milk until he saw the farmer's hired man milking one day. "i just don't know anything about the woods or the country," the boy said to bunny and sue, "so you can fool me all you like." "oh, we won't fool you," said bunny kindly. "we'll tell you all we know." "thanks," said tom vine. he had offered to travel on, after supper, and try to get back to the city. "i don't want to be a trouble to you folks," he said to mrs. brown. "in the city i know some fellows, and they'll lend me money enough to buy some papers, and start in business." "you had better stay with us awhile," said mrs. brown. "we have enough room for you, and you can help about camp." "i can wash and dry dishes!" cried tom eagerly. "i worked in a restaurant for a week once, and i know how to handle dishes." "then we can give you plenty of work," said mrs. brown, with a laugh. "for if there is one thing, in camp or at home, that i don't like it is washing dishes." "i'll do them for you!" cried tom, "and i'll be glad of the chance, too!" "all right then. you'll be the head dishwasher of camp rest-a-while," said mr. brown, smiling. and that is how tom vine came to stay with the browns while they lived in the woods near lake wanda. tom, indeed, knew very little about the country. as he said, he had never been away from the city pavements, winter or summer, in all his life before. the first night in camp, when he was sleeping next to bunker blue, in a little part of the tent that had been curtained off for them, tom awakened bunker, by reaching over and punching him in the ribs. "hey, listen to that!" cried tom. "to what?" asked bunker, only half awake. "somebody is outside the tent, calling: 'who? who? who?'" said tom. "i didn't do anything, did you? what do they holler 'who' for?" bunker listened. surely enough he heard very plainly: "who? who? too-who?" "hear it?" asked tom. "yes, it's only an owl," bunker answered. "there's lots of 'em in these woods." "what's an owl?" tom wanted to know. "oh, it's a bird with big eyes, and it can only see at night. it comes out to get mice and bugs. owls won't hurt you. go on to sleep." tom did not go to sleep at once. but he was no longer afraid of the owl. tom was just going to sleep once more, when he heard another funny noise. this time he was sure some one said: "katy did! katy did! katy did!" tom sat up in his cot. he reached over to punch bunker, to ask him what this was, when all at once, another voice cried: "katy didn't! katy didn't! katy didn't!" "listen to that, now, would you!" exclaimed tom. "bunker! bunker blue! wake up! there's two people outside, and one says katy did it, and the other says she didn't--who's right?" chapter x out in the boat bunker blue turned sleepily over on his cot. "what--what's that?" he asked of tom. "listen," tom answered. "don't you hear that, bunker? first someone is hollering about katy's doing something, and then somebody else yells that she didn't do it. say, i don't like it here." bunker blue laughed aloud. "what's the matter out there?" asked daddy brown. "oh, it's only tom," said the red-haired boy. "he doesn't like the song of the katydids." "song! is that a song?" asked tom. "some people call it that," said mr. brown, for he knew that a city boy might be just as frightened of sounds in the country as a country boy might of sounds in the city. "that noise is made by a little green bug, called a katydid," mr. brown explained. "it looks something like a grasshopper." "but they don't all say 'katy did,'" objected tom. "no, some of them seem to say 'katy didn't,'" agreed mr. brown. "of course they don't really say those words. it only sounds as if they did. now go to sleep. in the morning i'll show you a katydid." tom was not frightened any longer. he turned over and was soon sound asleep. mr. brown and bunker also closed their eyes and the tent in camp rest-a-while was quiet once more. bunny and sue had not awakened. early the next morning, before breakfast, tom was seen walking about among the trees of the camp. he seemed to be looking for something. "what are you looking for?" asked bunny. "for katy," tom answered. "there isn't any katy with us," said sue. "we have a cook, but her name is mary, and she isn't here with us, anyhow. she's at home." "no, i'm looking for a katy bug," explained tom, and then he told about the noises he had heard in the night. "i'll help you look," said bunny. "so will i," added sue. "i'd like to see a katy bug." but, though the children and tom looked all over, they could not find a katydid until mr. brown helped them. then on a tree he found one of the queer, light-green grasshopper-like bugs and showed it to the children. "why doesn't it cry now?" sue wanted to know. "make it cry, daddy, so i can hear it!" "oh, i can't do that," mr. brown said with a laugh. "the katydid cries, or sings, mostly at night. i guess they don't want anyone to see them. besides, i don't just know how they make the noises, whether they rub their rough legs together, or make a sound somewhere inside them. so i guess we'll have to let them do as they please." tom and the children stood for some little time, watching the pretty, green bug, and then came the sound of a bell. "there!" cried mr. brown, with a laugh. "i guess you all know who made that noise, and what it means." "it means breakfast!" cried bunny. "and mother rang the bell!" added sue. "that's right," said bunker blue, coming along just then. "and your mother doesn't want you to be late, either, for she's baking cakes, and you know how you like them!" "oh, cakes!" cried bunny, clapping his hands. "i just love them!" soon the little party, including the new boy, tom vine, were seated around the table under the dining tent, eating pancakes that mrs. brown cooked over the oil stove. bunny and sue said nothing for several minutes. they were too busy eating. then bunny, looking at tom, asked: "can you jump over an elephant?" "jump over elephants? i guess not!" the new boy cried. "i never saw an elephant, except in a picture." "we did," said sue. "we saw a real elephant in a real circus, and we had a make-believe circus with a pretend elephant in it." "and we knowed a boy named ben hall, who used to be in a real circus," went on bunny. "he could jump over an elephant, and i thought maybe you could, too." "no," said tom, with a shake of his head. "i'm sorry, but i can't do that. about the only thing i can do is wash and dry the dishes." "well, it's a good thing to be able to do even one thing well," said mrs. brown, "and i'm glad you're here to wash and dry the dishes. there are plenty of them." "i know something else you can do," said bunny, smiling at tom. "what is it?" "you can eat." "yes," and tom laughed. "i like to eat, and i'm hungry three times a day." "bunny and sue are hungry oftener than that," said uncle tad. "at least they say they are, and they come in and get bread and jam." bunny and sue looked at each other and laughed. after breakfast, just as he had said he would do, tom vine picked up the dishes, and got ready to wash them. mrs. brown watched him for a few minutes, until she was sure that he knew just how to go about it. then she left him to himself. "he is a very nice, neat and clean boy," she said to her husband. "i'm glad he came to us. but what are we going to do with him? we can't keep him always." "well, we'll let him stay with us while we are in camp here in the woods," said mr. brown, "and when we go back home, well, i can find something for him to do at the boat-dock, perhaps--that is, if he doesn't want to go back to the city." while tom was doing the dishes bunny and sue had gone off into the wood a little way, to where they had made for themselves a little play-house of branches of trees, stuck in the ground. it was a sort of green tent, and in it sue had put some of her dolls, while bunny had taken to it some of his toys. the children often played there. but they did not do anything for very long at a time, getting tired of one thing after another as all children do. so when sue had undressed and dressed her two dolls, combing and braiding their hair, she said to bunny: "oh, let's do something else now." "all right," replied her brother. "what shall we do?" "can't you think of some fun?" sue wanted to know. bunny rubbed his nose. he often did that when he was thinking. then he cried: "let's ask mother to let bunker blue take us out in the boat. i want to go fishing." "that will be nice," sue said. "i'd like a boat ride, too." back to the camp went the children, but when they reached the tents they saw neither their father nor mother, nor was uncle tad or bunker blue in sight. "they've gone away!" said sue. "yes, so they have," agreed bunny. "but i guess they didn't go far, or they'd have told us. mother knew where we were." "let's go find them," said sue. "maybe they went out in the boat." "we'll look," agreed bunny. the two children went to the edge of the lake, where a big willow tree overhung the water. the boat was kept tied to this tree. "oh, the boat's gone!" exclaimed sue, as she reached the place and did not see it. "the boat's gone, bunny!" "then they must have gone for a row, and they didn't take us!" and bunny was much disappointed. he looked across the lake, up and down, as did sue, and then both children cried out: "oh, look!" said sue. "there's the boat," added bunny. "and tom vine is in it all alone! he hasn't got any oars, either. look, sue!" surely enough, there was the boat, some distance out in the lake, and tom, the city boy, who knew nothing at all about boats, was in it. as he saw bunny and sue he waved his hands to them, and cried: "come and get me! i can't get back! i'm afraid! come and get me!" chapter xi tom sees a man bunny brown and his sister sue stood by the lake shore, and didn't know what to do. some distance out on the water floated the boat with tom vine standing up in it, waving his hands. and tom cried once more: "come and get me! come and get me!" bunny was the first to speak after that. and he said just the right thing. "sit down, tom!" cried bunny. "sit down, or you'll tip over, and then you'll be drowned, and we can't get you." bunny shouted loudly, and his clear, high voice could easily be heard by tom, for there was no wind, or at least only a little, to ruffle the water of the lake. tom heard, and he knew what bunny meant. very carefully he sat down on one of the seats in the boat. "are you coming to get me?" he asked. "i can't get back to shore, and i can't swim. i don't like it out here!" "just sit still, and we'll think up a way to get you," called bunny. "but don't stand up, whatever you do." "no, you must keep sitting down," added sue. mr. brown had often told his children how to act when in boats. small as they were they could both swim a little, bunny, of course, better than sue, because he was older. and they had both been told what to do in case they fell into the water--hold their breath until they came to the top, when someone might save them, if they could not swim out. but it was what mr. brown had told bunny about not standing up in a boat that the little fellow now first remembered to shout to tom. he did not want to see the new boy fall over into the lake. and tom must have known what bunny meant, for he was now sitting very quietly in the boat, looking toward the shore where bunny and sue stood. "how did you get out there?" bunny asked. he had not yet thought of a way to get tom back to land. "i--i didn't think the boat would float away," tom answered. "i got in it and untied the rope. then, the first thing i knew i was away out here. the wind blew me out, but it won't blow me back. i'll soon be out in the middle, i guess!" though there had been enough wind to blow tom, in the boat, away from shore, there was hardly any wind now, so the boy could not be blown back. and how to get him to shore was something that bunny and sue could not tell how to do, especially as there were no oars in the boat. "he can't row without oars," said bunny. "no, he can't," said sue. she knew enough about boats to tell that. "and he hasn't any sail," she added. "haven't you got a stick, so you can push yourself back to shore?" called bunny. "i have a little stick, but it won't touch bottom," tom answered. as he spoke he held up a short tree branch. bunny had used it the day before as a fishpole, and when through playing had tossed it into the boat. tom reached this stick over the side of the boat, and put it down into the water. but the lake was too deep there to let him touch the bottom, and so push himself to shore. "can't you swim out and get me, bunny?" tom cried. he was not as old a boy as was bunker blue, and so he was quite easily frightened, especially as he could not swim, and knew hardly anything about boats. "swim out and get me, bunny!" tom begged. bunny brown shook his head. "i couldn't swim that far," he shouted. "besides, i'm not let go in the water unless my father or mother, or uncle tad or bunker blue is with me, and they're not here now." "but how can i get back?" poor tom wanted to know. "we'll get you, somehow!" cried bunny. "won't we, sue?" "yes," answered the little girl. but neither she nor her brother knew how they were going to save tom. "anyhow, if i could swim that far, and daddy would let me," went on bunny, speaking to his sister, "i couldn't take the oars out, and if i didn't have oars to row with, i couldn't bring the boat back, or tom either." "no, you couldn't," sue said. she knew enough about boats to tell that, for she could row a little, with a light pair of oars. "call your father or mother!" called tom, who was now farther from shore than ever. "call them! maybe they can get another boat, and come after me." so bunny and sue called as loudly as they could, but neither mr. brown, his wife, bunker nor uncle tad answered. they had taken a walk back in the woods, when tom started to wash the dishes, and when bunny and sue were playing house in the leafy bower, and they had gone farther than they intended. so they could not hear bunny and sue calling. "it's no use," said bunny, after a bit. "we've got to save him ourselves, sue. but i wonder how we can do it." sue thought for a minute. she did not rub her nose as bunny had done. she could think without doing that. then sue said: "if we only had a string on the boat, bunny, we could pull tom right to us. we could stand on shore and pull him in, just as we did with your little sail boat." "that's right--we could!" cried bunny. then he called: "tom, has you got a rope on your boat? if you has throw it to me and sue, and we'll pull you in by it." tom looked in the bottom of the boat. "there's a rope here," he said, "but it isn't long enough to reach to shore." he held it up so the children could see. certainly it was not half long enough. it was the rope by which the boat had been tied to the tree. while bunny and sue stood there, wondering what to do, there came a rustling, cracking sound in the bushes back of them. they quickly turned, and saw their dog, splash. he had been roving about in the woods, and had now come back to camp. "oh, splash!" cried bunny. "you can do it, i know you can!" "what can he do?" asked sue. "he can swim out to tom in the boat, and pull him back to shore. go on, splash!" cried bunny, pointing to poor tom. "go on and get him! bring him back!" splash bounded around and barked. he looked to where bunny pointed, but though the dog could understand some of the things bunny said, he could not tell just what his little master wanted this time. tom was watching what was going on, and now he called: "i know a better way than that." "what?" asked bunny. "if you had a long cord, you could tie one end to a stick, and give it to splash to bring to me. then i could tie it to the boat, and you could pull me to shore." "oh, yes, we can do that!" cried bunny. "have you got a long cord?" tom asked. "yes, one i fly my kite with. i brought the cord along, but now i haven't any kite. i'll get that." bunny ran to the tent where he kept his box of playthings. he soon returned with a stick, on which was wound a long and very strong cord. "this will pull the boat," he said. he looked around for a stick to tie onto the end of the cord, and when he had done this he gave the stick to the dog. "take it out to tom!" ordered bunny. but splash only barked and dropped the stick. he wagged his tail, as if he were saying: "i'll do anything you want me to, little master, but i don't know just what you mean." once more tom called across the water. "throw the stick into the lake, bunny. then splash will bring it to me. he knows how to jump in after sticks you throw into the water; doesn't he?" "oh, yes, splash knows that all right," bunny said. "here, splash!" he called. into the lake bunny tossed the stick to which was fastened one end of his kite cord. "get it, splash!" cried the little boy. with a bark splash sprang into the water. but instead of swimming out to tom with the stick and string, he swam back to shore. that was what he had been taught to do, you see. splash dropped the stick at bunny's feet, and wagging his wet tail, spattered drops all over sue. the dog barked, looking up at bunny, and seeming to say: "there, little master! didn't i do that fine? wasn't that just what you wanted me to do?" "no! no!" cried bunny. "i don't want the stick, splash! take it to tom--out in the boat--take it to him!" and he pointed to tom. once more bunny threw the stick into the water, and once more splash sprang in and brought it to shore. it was not until bunny had told splash four times, that the dog knew what was wanted. then the fifth time, when bunny threw the stick into the water, splash jumped in after it and swam out to tom in the boat. tom kept calling: "here, splash! here, splash! come on, good dog!" up to the boat, with the stick and cord, swam the dog. tom made the string fast to the boat, and then bunny and sue, standing on shore, pulled on their end. they pulled slowly at first, so as not to break the cord. but, once the boat was started, it came along easily, and soon tom was on dry land again. splash swam along behind the boat. "there!" tom cried, as he tied the boat fast. "i'll never do that again!" "we're not let get in the boat," said bunny, "but i guess daddy forgot to tell you." "if he had i'd never have gotten in," tom said. "but i'm glad you pulled me to shore." the rest of the campers came back soon after that, and mr. brown got tom to promise never to get in the boat alone again. of course tom was not in any real danger as long as he kept still, and mr. brown might easily have gone out and rescued him in another boat. but i think it was very clever of bunny and sue, and splash, too, to get tom back to shore as they did; don't you? there were many happy, joyful days at camp rest-a-while. the children went on little picnics in the woods and often they were taken out in the boat by bunker blue. bunny had a real fishpole and line and hook now, with "squiggily" worms, as sue called them, for bait, and the little boy caught some real fish. it was about a week after tom's adventure in the drifting boat that one day, as he was walking through the woods with bunny and sue, on their way back from a farmhouse where they had gone after milk, that tom suddenly came to a stop along the path. "wait a minute!" he said in a whisper, to bunny and sue. "what's the matter?" bunny wanted to know. "you look afraid, tom. are you?" "yes, i am," said tom, and even sue could tell that he was when she looked at him. "did you--did you see a snake?" she asked, drawing closer to bunny, for sue did not like snakes, either. "no, it wasn't a snake," returned tom. "it was a man. here, come on back among the bushes, and he can't see us," and, as he spoke, tom drew bunny and sue away from the path, behind some thick bushes. tom seemed very much afraid of something. and he had said he had seen a man. bunny and sue could not imagine why tom should be afraid of a man. chapter xii the cross man "come on! come on!" whispered tom to bunny and sue, as he led them still deeper back in among the bushes. "don't let him hear you! come on, and we'll hide!" "who is it? what's the matter?" bunny wanted to know. "hush!" whispered tom. "it's that man! he's after me, i guess. i'll tell you about it when we get away. he's coming! hurry!" certainly someone, or something, was coming along the path from which tom and the two children had just stepped to go in among the bushes. tom was in such a hurry that he pulled bunny and sue along with him harder than he meant to. finally bunny said: "oh, tom, i'm spilling the milk!" bunny was carrying the pail of milk they had bought at the farmhouse, and, though the pail had a cover on it, some of the milk had splashed out, and was running down bunny's stocking. "set the pail down here, and we'll get it when we come back--after that man goes," tom said, in a whisper. bunny put the pail down on the ground, near a big stone, so he would know where to look for it again. then, to hide, they all squeezed as far back in the bushes as they could, and waited. "is he coming after us?" asked sue in a whisper. "no, i guess he's only after me," answered tom. "he won't touch you or bunny." "is it a gypsy man?" bunny wanted to know. "no, he isn't a gypsy," replied tom. "he's just a cross, bad man; and i don't want him to see me. keep your heads down." bunny and sue did so. like frightened rabbits they crouched among the bushes. tom kept hold of their hands, and though the children knew that tom was afraid, for he had said so, still bunny and sue were not very much frightened, as long as the man was not a gypsy and did not want them. "there! he's gone past!" exclaimed tom, as he stood up to look over the tops of the bushes. "he's gone, and we can come out. he didn't see us--he won't get me this time." "but who was he?" bunny wanted to know. tom, however, did not seem to hear him. still holding bunny and sue by the hand, tom led them back to the path. bunny picked up the pail of milk. "i'll carry it for you," tom said. "we've got to hurry back to camp." "why?" asked sue. "i can't hurry very much, for my legs hurt." "i'll carry you," said tom, "if bunny will take the milk pail." "yes, i'll do that," said the little boy. once more he took the pail, while tom hoisted sue up onto his shoulder. "give me a piggy-back!" sue begged, so tom carried her pickaback, while sue held tightly to her doll. tom marched ahead along the path, and soon they were safely at the tent. before tom could say anything, bunny and sue, seeing their father and mother, called out: "oh, tom saw a man, and we hid!" mr. and mrs. brown did not know what this meant. "what sort of man was he?" asked mrs. brown quickly. "he wasn't a gypsy man," bunny said. "but he was after tom, only he didn't see us," added sue. "and i had a piggy-back ride home, and some milk got spilled on bunny's stocking, but not much, and i'm hungry!" sue believed in telling everything at once, to have it over with. "what is it all about?" asked mr. brown of tom. "did you and the children really, hide from a man?" "yes, sir." "what man was it? i hope there aren't any tramps in these woods." "oh, no, he wasn't a tramp. he was the farmer i told you about--the one i worked for, and from whom i ran away. i guess he was looking for me," tom answered. "hum," said mr. brown. "well, i suppose we'll have to wait and see what he wants. was he coming this way?" "no, he seemed to be wandering through the woods, as if he didn't know where to go." "oh, well, maybe he won't find you," said mrs. brown. "i hope he doesn't," returned tom, looking over his shoulder. no strange man came to camp that night, and bunny and sue soon forgot all about the little fright tom had had. but two days later, just as dinner was finished, there came a man rowing in a boat to the little wooden camp-dock bunker blue had built out into the lake. out of the boat climbed a man with black whiskers. he had on big, heavy boots, and in one hand he carried a whip. he walked up the path from the lake, and when he saw mr. brown and his family at the table, under the tent, which was wide open, the man stood still. "camp rest-a-while, eh?" he said in rather a rough voice, as he read the sign. "well, maybe this is the place i'm looking for. have you seen a boy--a ragged boy--about fifteen years old in these woods?" he asked. before mr. brown could answer, tom vine, who had gone to the spring for a pail of water, came back. at the sight of the man tom dropped the pail, spilling the water. at the same time the "ragged boy" cried out: "there he is! there's the man! he's after me! oh, please don't let him take me away!" tom turned to run back into the woods, but mr. brown called to him: "stay right where you are, tom! this man won't hurt you. stay where you are." though he was much frightened, tom stood still. "now then, what do you want?" asked mr. brown of the man with the whip. "i want that boy!" answered the man, pointing the whip at poor tom. "i hired him to work for me, but he ran away. i want him back, and i'm going to have him!" and oh, what a rough, cross voice the man had! he wasn't at all nice, bunny and sue thought. "i've been looking for that boy, and now i've found him. i want to take him back with me," the cross man went on. "i was hunting all through these woods for him, and yesterday i heard that a boy like him was in a camp over here. so i came for to find out about it, and i've found him!" "is that the man you saw in the woods, when we went after milk the other day, tom?" asked bunny in a whisper. "yes," nodded tom. "well, if this boy doesn't want to go with you i'm not going to make him," said mr. brown. "he came to us, and said you had not treated him well. i'll not send him back to you. are you the farmer who hired him?" "yes, i'm that farmer," said the man, scowling. "jake trimble is my name, and when i want a thing i get it! i want that boy!" "oh, please don't make me go back to work for him!" begged tom. "he beat me, and he didn't give me enough to eat!" "don't be, afraid," said mr. brown. "he shan't have you!" "i say i will!" cried the cross man. "that boy hired out to work for me, and i want him!" "you can't have him," said mr. brown quietly. "and i want you to go away from here. this is my camp, and it is a private one. go. you can't have this boy." "but he ran away from me!" said the cross man. "perhaps he did. he said he could not stand the way you treated him. any boy would have run away," replied mr. brown. "i'm looking after this boy now, and i say you can't have him." "well, i'll get him, somehow, you see if i don't!" cried the cross man, as he turned to go back to his boat. and he shook his whip at tom. "i'll get you yet!" he said. "and when i do i'll make you work twice as hard. you'll see!" "don't be afraid, tom," said mr. brown, when the unkind man was gone. "i won't let him hurt you." tom picked up the overturned pail, and went again to the spring for water. when he came back he said: "that was the farmer i met in the city. he took me out to his place, and was very mean to me. i just had to run away. i didn't think he'd try to find me. but i knew he must be looking for me when we saw him in the woods that day. i hid away from him then, but now he knows where i am." "don't you care," said sue. "my daddy won't let him hurt you; will you, daddy?" and she put her arms around her father's neck. "we'll take care of tom," said mr. brown. "i guess that man won't come back." chapter xiii a bad storm bunker blue was sitting out in front of the big camp-tent, on a bench, one day, with a pile of long sticks in front of him. with his knife bunker was whittling the sticks to sharp points. bunny brown and his sister sue, who had been out in the woods, gathering wild flowers for the dinner table, came up to bunker, and bunny asked: "what you doing, bunker?" "why, i'm sharpening these sticks, bunny," was the answer. "what for?" asked sue, as she put her wax doll down in the shade, so the sun would not melt the nose. "oh, i know!" cried bunny. "you're making arrows! are you going to have a bow, and shoot the arrows like an indian, bunker?" bunker blue shook his head and smiled. "you'll have to guess again, bunny," he said. bunny took up one of the pointed sticks. "are they spears?" asked the little boy, as he put his finger gently on the sharp point. "indians use spears to catch fish. are you going to do that, bunker?" bunker shook his head. "you haven't guessed yet," he said. "oh, tell us!" begged sue. "is it a secret?" "sort of," said bunker. "oh, how nice!" cried sue. "i just love to guess secrets! let me have a turn, bunny." the two children sat down in the shade near the tent. bunker kept on making sharp-pointed sticks with his knife. over in the dining-tent tom vine was setting the dinner table. this was some days after the cross man had come to the camp and had gone away. he had not come back since. "well, what is your guess, sue?" asked bunker, as he kept on making the sharp-pointed sticks. "let me see," pondered the little girl. "oh! i know what they are for. you're going to put some other pieces of wood on the end of these sticks, bunker, and make croquet mallets of them so we can have a game!" "is that it?" asked bunny. "is it for croquet?" "no, that isn't what they're for," answered bunker, smiling. "anyhow," went on bunny brown, "we couldn't play croquet in the woods here, 'cause we haven't any croquet balls." "oh, we might use round stones, mightn't we, bunker?" sue asked. "yes, we might," replied bunker slowly, as he laid down one sharp-pointed stick and began whittling another. "we might, but that isn't the secret." "now, it's my turn to guess!" said bunny. "you had a turn, sue." "well, what do you say it is?" asked bunker. "go on, bunny." bunny thought for about half a minute. "are you going to make a trap to catch something?" the little boy asked. ever since he had come to camp rest-a-while he had begged bunker to make a trap to catch a fox, or a squirrel, or something like that. bunny did not want to hurt the wild animals, but he thought he would like to catch one in a trap, and try to tame it. "no, i'm not making a trap," answered bunker. "i don't believe you children could guess what these sticks are for if you tried all day. and, as it isn't my secret, i don't believe i'd better tell you. you go and ask your mother--it's mostly her secret--and if she wants to tell you--why, all right." "oh, we'll go and ask mother!" cried bunny. "come on, sue!" the two children found mrs. brown in the cooking-tent, getting dinner ready. "what's the secret?" cried sue. "what is bunker making all the sharp-pointed sticks for?" bunny wanted to know. their mother smiled at them. from a shelf over the oil stove she took down a large platter on which she put the eggs she was cooking. "what is the secret, mother?" begged bunny. "please tell us!" "yes," added sue. "we've guessed and guessed, but we can't guess right. bunker said you might tell us." mrs. brown laughed, and, after she had put the platter of eggs on the table, she pointed to two large, round, tin boxes on a chair in the big tent. "can you read what it says on those boxes?" mrs. brown asked bunny. bunny looked at the long word. "it begins with a 'm'," he said, "and the next letter is 'a' and then comes----" "oh, i know what's next!" cried sue. "it's a 'r.' i can tell by the funny little tail that kicks up behind. it's just like the 'b' for brown in our name, only the r has a kick-up tail at the end. that letter is a 'r'; isn't it, mother?" "yes," answered mrs. brown. "but what is the whole word, bunny? if you can tell what it is you'll know the secret." bunny could spell out each letter one after another and he did, until he had spelled this big word: marshmallow but he could not say it. the word was too big for him. so his mother said it for him. "those are marshmallow candies in the tin boxes," said mrs. brown. "now can you guess the secret?" "oh, i know!" cried sue. "we're going to have a marshmallow roast by the campfire to-night! is that it, mother? and the sharp sticks bunker is making are to put the marshmallow candies on to hold over the fire and roast! isn't that it?" "yes, sue, you have guessed it." "pooh! i was just going to say that," cried bunny. "well, sue said it first, dear," went on bunny's mother. "now get ready for dinner. after dinner we'll take a nice walk, and this evening, when it gets dark, uncle tad is going to build a campfire and we'll all roast marshmallows." "oh, what fun!" cried sue, clapping her hands. "jolly, jolly fun!" laughed bunny. and that was why bunker blue was making the pointed sticks. "now for our walk!" called mother brown, when the dinner things had been cleared away, and tom vine had washed and dried the dishes, bunny and sue helping. "we'll take a walk over near the waterfall. i want to take a picture of it." but, when they were all ready to start--bunker blue, splash and all--tom vine could not be found. "why, where is he?" asked bunny. "he was here a minute ago, for i saw him." "maybe he's losted," said sue. she and bunny got lost or "losted," as they called it, so often, that sue thought that trouble could very easily happen to anyone. "no, he isn't lost," said daddy brown. "tom! tom!" he called. "where are you?" "i'm here," was the answer, and tom stood up. he had been sitting behind a thick bush, down near the edge of the lake. "oh, we were looking for you," mr. brown said. "don't you want to come for a walk with us? we are going over toward the waterfall. it is very nice there." tom shook his head. "i don't believe i'll go, thank you," he said. "why not?" asked mrs. brown. "don't you feel well? don't you like to walk in the woods, tom?" "oh, yes'm, i like the woods, and i feel fine. i never had such good things to eat as i've had in this camp." "then why don't you want to come with us?" "well--er--well, because, you see that farmer i worked for lives over near the waterfall, and maybe he'll catch me if i go there." "oh, i won't let him catch you!" exclaimed mr. brown. "come along, tom. i'll look after you." then tom came out of his hiding place, where he had gone after he heard mrs. brown say they were going to the fall. soon the party of campers were marching through the woods, tom holding bunny's hand, while bunker blue looked after sue. the waterfall was very pretty, the water from a small river falling down over green, mossy rocks, into a deep glen, foaming and bubbling. mrs. brown took some pictures with her photograph camera, and then they sat down in a shady spot, and ate a little lunch they had brought with them. splash, the big dog, had his share, too. and that night was the grand marshmallow candy roast. uncle tad built a fire of wood in front of the big tent. when the smoke and the hottest flames had died away bunny and sue and the others, sitting on logs around the fire, toasted the candies, holding them over the fire on the pointed ends of the sticks bunker blue had made with his sharp knife. "oh, aren't they good!" cried sue, as she began to eat a candy she had roasted. "look out! they're hot!" called uncle tad. but he was too late. "ouch!" cried sue, as the hot candy burned her tongue. "oh, it hurts!" she sobbed. "it hurts me!" but mother brown put some cold, sweet cream on sue's tongue, and soon the burning pain stopped. after that sue waited until the brown and roasted candy had cooled before she ate any. "oh, dear!" suddenly cried bunny, as he was roasting a marshmallow for himself. "oh, dear!" "what's the matter with you?" asked his father. "did you burn your tongue, bunny?" "no, but my candy slipped off my stick, and it's all burning up in the fire." "never mind," said mother brown. "here's another candy. next time don't hold the marshmallow over the fire so long. that makes it soft, so it melts, and it won't stay on the stick." after bunny and sue learned how to do it they had no trouble roasting the marshmallows. everyone roasted some except splash, and he was very glad to eat the browned and puffed-up sweets, even if he could not hold them over the fire. but splash took good care not to burn his tongue, as sue had burned hers. when the candies were all roasted, and eaten, it was time to go to bed. after bunny and sue were tucked in their cots, bunny heard his father and bunker blue going about outside the tent. they seemed to be doing something to the ropes. "what are you doing, daddy?" bunny asked. "i think there's going to be a storm," answered mr. brown, "and i want to be sure the tents won't blow away. i'm making the ropes tight." pretty soon everyone at camp rest-a-while was in bed. it was not long before the wind began to blow and then, all at once, there came a bright flash of lightning, and a loud clap of thunder. "oh, what's that?" cried bunny, sitting up in his cot, for the noise had awakened him. "what's the matter?" he asked. "it's a thunder storm," replied his father. "go to sleep, for it can't hurt you." but bunny could not go to sleep, nor could sue. she, too, was awakened by the bright lightning, and the loud thunder. the wind, too, blew very hard, and it shook the sleeping tent as if it would tear it loose from the ropes. "do you think it is safe?" asked mother brown. "oh, i think so," answered her husband. "bunker and i put on some extra ropes before we came in. i guess the tent won't blow away." everyone was wide awake now. the storm was a very heavy one. the wind howled through the trees in the wood, and, now and then, a loud crash could be heard, as some tree branch broke off and fell to the ground. then, suddenly, it began to rain very hard. my! how the big drops did pelt down on the tent, sounding like dried corn falling on a tin pan! "oh, the rain is coming in on me!" cried bunny. "i'm getting all wet, daddy!" surely enough, there was a little hole in the tent, right over bunny's cot, and the rain was coming in there. "swish!" went the lightning. "bang!" went the thunder. "whoo-ee!" blew the wind. it was certainly a bad storm at camp rest-a-while. chapter xiv tom is gone "daddy! daddy!" cried sue, from behind the curtain, in the part of the tent where she slept with her mother. "daddy, do you think we'll blow away?" "oh, no," answered mr. brown. "don't be afraid. bunker and i fastened down the tent good and strong. it can't blow over." "but i'm getting all wet!" cried bunny. "the water's leaking all over my bed, daddy!" "yes, i didn't know there was a hole in the tent. i'll fix it to-morrow," said bunny's father. "you get in my bed, bunny!" "oh, goodie!" bunny cried. he always liked to get in his father's bed. but as bunny jumped out of his own little cot, and pattered in his bare feet across to his father's, he saw daddy brown getting up. mr. brown was putting on a pair of rubber boots, and a rubber coat over his bath robe, which he had put on when the storm began. "where you going, daddy?" asked bunny, as he crawled into the dry bed, and pulled the covers up over him, for the wind was blowing in the tent now. "where you going?" "i'm going out to see that the tent ropes are all right," said mr. brown. "going out? what for?" called mrs. brown. "you musn't go out in this storm. it's terrible!" "oh, but i must go!" answered daddy brown with a laugh. "i don't mind the thunder, lightning and rain. if some of the tent pegs come loose, the ropes will slip off, and the tent will blow over. bunker blue and i will go out and make sure everything is all right." "i could go with you," said uncle tad from his cot. "shall i?" "no, you stay where you are," daddy brown said. "you might get the rheumatism if you got wet." "i used to get wet enough when i was in the army," returned the old soldier. "many a time, when it stormed, i used to get up to fix the tent." "well, bunker and i will do it now, thank you," mr. brown went on. by this time bunker blue had on his rubber boots and coat. then, taking a lantern with them, mr. brown and bunker went outside. "fasten the tent door after us, tom," called mr. brown to the city boy, "or everything will blow away inside. tie the tent flaps shut with the ropes, and you can open them for us when we want to come in again." out in the storm went daddy brown and bunker blue. as they opened the flaps, or front door of the tent, a big gust of wind came in, and dashed rain in bunny's face, so that he covered his head with the bed clothes. he had one look at a bright flash of lightning, and he could see the ground outside all covered with water. "i'm glad i don't have to go out in the storm," he thought, and he felt sorry for his father and bunker blue. but mr. brown had often been out on the ocean in worse storms than this, and so had bunker, so they did not mind. with their lantern they walked all around the sleeping-tent, making sure that all the ropes were fast to the pegs, which were driven into the ground. some of the wooden pegs were coming loose, and these mr. brown and bunker hammered farther into the dirt. all the while the wind blew, and the rain pelted down, while the lightning flashed brighter, and the thunder rumbled so loudly that it scared sue. "i--i don't like it!" she sobbed, and she crept into bed with her mother. "please make it stop, mother!" "no one can make the thunder stop, sue, dear," said mrs. brown. "but the thunder won't hurt you, and the storm is almost over." just then there came a very loud clap. "oh, dear!" cried sue. "i'se afraid!" bunny heard his sister, and called out: "that sounded just like fourth of july; didn't it, sue? when the big boys fired the cannon on top of the hill." "isn't you afraid, bunny?" asked sue. "no, i--i like it," bunny answered. he tried to make himself believe he did, so sue would not be so frightened. "well, if you isn't afraid i isn't goin' to be, either," said sue, after a moment. and she stopped crying at once, and lay quietly in her mother's cot-bed. and then the storm seemed to go away. it still rained very hard, but the wind did not howl so loudly, and the lightning was not so scary, nor the thunder so rumbly. the rain still leaked in through the hole in the tent, but tom vine moved bunny's cot out of the way, and set a pail under the leak. all at once there sounded a banging noise, as if a whole store full of pots and pans and kettles had been turned upside down. "oh, what's that?" cried mother brown. "sounded as if something blew away," said uncle tad. "i'll get up and look." but he did not have to, for, just then, in came daddy brown and bunker blue, their rubber coats all shining wet in the lantern light. "what made that noise?" asked mother brown. "the cook-tent blew over," said daddy brown, "and all the pots, pans and kettles fell in a heap. but we'll let them go until morning, i guess, as the worst of the storm is over. now we'll all go to bed again." "this tent won't blow over; will it, daddy?" asked bunny. "no, it's all safe now. go to sleep." but it was some little time before they were all asleep again. nothing more happened that night, and bunny and sue were up very early the next morning to see what the storm had done. camp rest-a-while was not a pretty sight. besides the cook-tent having been blown over, there were broken branches of trees scattered about. the tents were covered with leaves blown from the trees, and there were many mud puddles. the oil stove, and the pots, pans and other things, with which mother brown cooked, were piled in a heap under the fallen cook-tent. the tent itself was soaking wet, and one of the poles that had held it up was broken. "oh, we can't ever have anything to eat!" said sue sadly, as she looked at the fallen tent. "we can build a campfire," said bunny. "uncle tad used to cook breakfast over one; didn't you?" and he turned to the old soldier. "yes, bunny, i did. but i guess we won't have to this time. we'll soon have the oil stove working." then he and daddy brown, with bunker blue and tom vine, set to work. the blown-down tent was pulled to one side, and it was seen that though everything under it was in a heap, still nothing was broken. soon some milk was being warmed for the children, and coffee made for the older folk. then mother brown even made pancakes on the oil stove, which was set up on a box at one side of the dining-tent. the day was a fine one, and there was not enough wind to make the stove smoke. so they had breakfast after all, and then began the work of making camp rest-a-while look as it had before the storm. a new tent pole was cut, and the tent put up again, stronger than before. bunny and sue helped by picking up the scattered pieces of tree branches, and piling them in a heap. then they swept up the torn-off leaves, and by this time the sun had dried up some of the puddles of water. by noon time the camp looked as well as it had before the storm. "and don't forget to fix the hole over my cot," cried bunny. "i don't want to be rained on any more, daddy." "i'll fix it," said mr. brown, and he did. "i didn't hear any fire engines last night," said tom vine as they sat at supper that evening, after coming in from a little sail around the lake, bunker having fixed a sail onto the rowboat. "fire engines!" exclaimed bunny. "why should you hear fire engines, tom?" "why, in the city, where i lived, before i went with that farmer, the fire engines used to come out after every storm. places would be struck by lightning, you know. i've seen lots of fires. but i didn't hear any engines last night." "there aren't any engines in these woods," said daddy brown. "of course trees are often struck by lightning, and lightning often sets fire to houses in the country, but there aren't any engines out in the woods." "and no policeman, either," added tom. "it seems funny not to see a policeman, and have him yell at you to move on, or keep off the grass." "do you like it better here than in the city?" asked mrs. brown. "oh, heaps better, yes'm! i love it here. i hope i don't ever have to go back to the city--or to that mean farmer." nothing had been seen of the man who wanted to get tom back, since that day when he had called at the camp. bunny and sue had almost forgotten him, but it seemed that tom had not. he was always a little bit afraid, thinking that the cross man might come back. one morning, two days after the big storm, when bunny, sue and all the others were gathered around the breakfast table, daddy brown asked: "where is tom vine?" "he was here a minute ago," bunny said. "i think he went to the spring to get a pail of water," put in uncle tad. "yes, that's where he went," said mrs. brown. "i said we would need some fresh water, and he went after it." "well, we won't wait for him," said daddy brown. "we'll eat, and he can have his breakfast when he comes." but the others had finished breakfast, and tom vine had not come back from the spring, though they waited for some time. "i wonder what's keeping him," said mrs. brown. "he couldn't have fallen in; could he?" asked uncle tad. "no, the spring isn't large enough," bunker blue answered. "i'll go to look for him." bunker ran off along the path that led to the spring. in a little while he came hurrying back. he carried a pail full of water, and he said: "i found the empty pail by the spring, but tom was gone!" chapter xv looking for tom bunker blue, with the pail of water, walked up to where bunny, sue and the others were still sitting at the breakfast table, though they had finished eating. "tom's gone," said bunker again. "gone where?" asked bunny. "i don't know," answered the red-haired boy. "i looked all around by the spring, but i couldn't see him. the pail was there, but tom wasn't." "could he have fallen in?" asked mrs. brown, just as uncle tad had asked. bunker blue shook his head. "the spring is only about big enough to dip a pail in," he said, "and tom is bigger than the pail." "but maybe he curled all up in a little heap when he fell in," said bunny. "oh, dear! i don't want tom to be lost!" bunny and sue had grown to like tom very much. once more bunker blue shook his head. "i could look right down to the bottom of the spring," he said. "it's quite deep, even if it isn't big. but tom wasn't in it. there was a big bullfrog in the water, though." "was the frog big enough to--to eat tom?" asked sue, her eyes wide open. sue's mother and father laughed, and bunny said: "a bullfrog couldn't eat anybody!" "they could if they was a big enough frog; couldn't they, daddy?" asked sue. "well, i don't know," replied mr. brown. "then you couldn't see anything of tom, bunker?" "no, sir, not a thing." "had he filled the pail with water?" uncle tad wanted to know. "the pail was empty, and it was tipped over," bunker said. "i don't know whether tom had filled it, and then something had knocked it over, or not. anyhow, the pail had no water in it, so i dipped it into the spring to fill it, and came on back to tell you." "that was right," said mr. brown. "we'll go over and look around. tom may have seen some new kind of bird, or something like that, and have wandered off in the woods, following it." "maybe he saw a bear, and ran," suggested bunny. "no, i guess the only bear around here is the tame one that came in our tent the first night," said mrs. brown. "oh, i do hope nothing has happened to tom!" they all hoped that, for the strange boy was very well liked. mrs. brown remained at the tent to wash the breakfast dishes, since tom was not there to do them, while the others--bunny, sue, their father, uncle tad and bunker--went to the spring. it was on the side of a little hill, where grew many trees, and was about three minutes' walk from camp rest-a-while. mr. brown and uncle tad looked all around the hole in the ground--the hole was the spring, and it was filled with clear, cold water. the bottom of the spring was of white sand, and sitting down there, having a nice bath, was a big, green bullfrog. with his funny eyes he looked up at bunny and sue as they leaned over the spring. "oh, look!" cried sue. "what a big frog!" "but he isn't big enough to swallow tom," said bunny. "no, that's so," agreed mr. brown. "we'll have to look for tom. bunny and sue, you stay with me. uncle tad, you and bunker walk around in the woods. it may be that tom fell and hurt himself, when running after a bird or butterfly, and can't walk. we'll find him." tom, having lived all his life in the city, thought the birds and butterflies were most wonderful creatures. every time he saw a new one he would run up to it to get a close look. he never tried to catch them, he just wanted to watch them fluttering about the flowers. but, though they looked all around in the woods by the spring, there was no sign of tom. up and down, back and forth, they walked, looking beside big rocks or stumps, behind fallen logs and under clumps of bushes they peered, but no tom could they find. "oh, he's losted, just like we was losted," said sue, sadly. "yes, i guess he is," agreed bunny. "splash, can't you find tom?" the big dog barked: "bow-wow!" but what he meant by that no one knew. splash, however, could not find tom. "let's call his name," said uncle tad. so they called his name. "tom! tom! tom vine! where are you?" but tom did not answer. "this is queer," said mr. brown. "i don't believe he'd run away and leave us. he liked it too much at our camp." "perhaps he saw that mean man," said bunker blue. "tom may have seen the cross farmer who wanted him to come back to work, and tom may have run away off and hid--so far off that he can't hear us calling." "yes, that's so. he _may_ have done that," agreed mr. brown. "we'll go back to camp, and wait for him. he may come when he thinks the man has gone away." back to camp they all went. bunny and sue felt bad about tom's being lost. so did the others. every time splash would stop in front of a clump of bushes, and bark, as he often did, bunny and sue would run up, thinking their friend had been found. but it would be only a bird, a rabbit or a squirrel that splash had seen, which made him bark that way. tom was not to be found. they waited in camp all the rest of that day, only going out a little way for a row on the lake. night came, and there was no tom. it grew very dark, and still he had not come. "oh, dear!" cried sue. "will he have to sleep out alone all night?" "perhaps he'll come back before you are awake in the morning," said mother brown. "anyhow, tom isn't afraid of the dark, and it is now so warm that anyone could sleep out of doors and not get cold. i think tom will be here in the morning." but morning came, and there was no sign of tom. a lantern had been left burning outside the tent all night, in case he should come. but he did not. "well," said mr. brown, after breakfast, "there's only one thing to do, and i'm going to do it." "what is that?" asked his wife. "i'm going over to farmer trimble's, to see if tom is there." "oh, trimble is the name of the man who wanted to take tom away; isn't it?" "yes, that's the man who came here, and tried to get tom. it may be that mr. trimble saw tom at the spring, getting water, and made him go away. so i'm going over to the trimble farm, and see." "oh, may we come?" asked bunny. "yes," said mr. brown. "i guess so. i'll take you and bunker blue with me. and if we find tom we'll bring him back with us. that man has no right to keep him!" chapter xvi "who took the pie?" the shortest way to go to the trimble farm was to row across the lake in the boat, and then to walk a little distance through the wood. mr. brown, with bunny and sue, started, with bunker blue at the oars, dipping them in the water, pulling hard on them, and lifting them out for another dip. "don't row too hard, bunker," said mr. brown. "it is a hot day, and i don't want you to get tired out. besides, we are in no hurry, so take it easy." at the last minute, splash, the dog, had run down the hill to the lake, and climbed into the boat. he did not want to be left behind. "may we take him, daddy?" asked bunny. "oh, yes. let him come along. he's a good dog, and maybe he can help us find tom." splash was a regular water-dog. he could swim across the lake, he could jump in and bring back sticks that bunny or sue would toss in, and he liked to be in a boat. splash knew that dogs, as well as boys and girls, must keep quiet in boats, especially small boats, so they would not tip over. and now splash perched himself up in the bow, or front part of the boat, and quietly sat there, looking across at the other shore. bunny looked down over the side, where he was sitting, and saw some fish swimming about, for the water of the lake was very clear. "i wish i had brought my fishpole," bunny said. "i could catch some fish for dinner." "we've something else to do besides catching fish to-day, bunny," replied his father. "we've got to find tom vine." "do you think we'll find him, daddy?" asked sue, as she hugged one of her dolls, which she had brought with her. "well, maybe so, little girl. i can't think of anything else that would happen to tom, except that he would be taken by mr. trimble. i think we'll find him." they were half way across the lake when sue suddenly cried: "oh, there she goes! oh, she's fallen in!" "what is it?" asked mr. brown, turning around quickly, for he was seated with his back toward his little girl. "it's my doll!" sue cried. "she jumped right out of my arms, and fell in the lake." i guess sue meant that her doll slipped out of her arms, for dolls can't jump--at least not unless they have a spring wound up inside them, like an alarm clock, and sue's doll wasn't that kind. "stop the boat, bunker! row back!" cried mr. brown. "sue's doll fell overboard, and we don't want to lose her!" bunker stopped rowing, and he was reaching out with an oar to pull in the doll, which was floating like a little boat on top of the water, not far away. but before bunker could save the doll, splash, with a loud bark, jumped in and swam out toward the plaything of his little mistress. seizing the doll in his mouth, splash swam back with her to the boat. bunny stretched out his hand to take the doll, but splash would not give it up to him. the dog knew that boys don't play with dolls, and that this one belonged to sue. so splash swam around to the other side of the boat where sue was anxiously waiting, and he let her take the doll from his mouth. "good dog!" cried sue, patting him with one hand. then she began to squeeze the water out of her doll's dress. "i'm glad i didn't bring my best doll," said sue. "this is only one of my old ones, and it won't hurt her to get wet. i was going to give her a bath, anyhow, but i didn't mean to leave her clothes on. anyhow, she'll soon dry, i guess." sue put the doll down beside her, on the seat, where the hot sun would dry up the water. splash put his two paws on the edge of the boat, and mr. brown and bunker blue helped him in. "now you be quiet, splash!" called mr. brown. "don't go shaking the water off yourself, as you always do when you come in from a swim. for we can't get far enough away from you in the boat, and you'll get us all wet. don't shake yourself!" i don't know whether or not splash understood what mr. brown said. at any rate, the dog went back to his place in the bow, and did not shake the water off his dripping fur. whenever he did that he made a regular shower. the boat was soon close to the other shore. bunker blue rowed up to a little dock, and tied fast. then mr. brown helped out bunny and sue. splash did not need any help. he jumped out himself and ran on ahead, now giving himself a good shake to get rid of the water drops. a short walk brought the party to mr. trimble's farm. the cross farmer was not in the house, but his wife said he was out in the barn, and there mr. brown found him. "well, what do you want?" asked mr. trimble in that cross voice of his. he seemed never to smile. "i came to see if you have that boy i'm taking care of--tom vine," said mr. brown. "did you take him away?" "no, i did not," said mr. trimble, crossly. "do you know where he is?" "no, i don't." "have you seen him at all?" asked bunny's father. "yesterday he went to the spring for a pail of water, but he did not come back. we are afraid something has happened to him. then i thought perhaps you might have taken him, though you had no right to." "well, i didn't take him, though i had a right to," growled the farmer. "i hired that boy to work for me, and i gave him a suit of clothes, besides feeding him. he didn't stay with me long enough to pay for what i gave him. and if i catch him i'll make him work out what he owes me. but i haven't seen him since he was in your camp. i wish i did have him now. i'd make him step lively, and do some work!" so mr. brown had his trip for nothing. tom was not at the trimble farm, that was sure. "i guess he ran away from you the same as he did from me," said mr. trimble as mr. brown turned away. bunny's father shook his head. "tom vine isn't that kind of boy," he said. "he may have run away from you because you didn't treat him well, but he would not run away from us. he liked it at camp rest-a-while." "that's all you know about boys!" laughed the farmer. "i treated him as well as he needed to be treated. boys are all lazy. they'd rather play than work. and you'll find out that tom vine has run away from you. he didn't want to work." "he didn't work very hard at our camp," said mr. brown. "all he had to do was to wash the dishes and help with little things. he liked it. i'm sure something has happened to him, and i'm sorry, for i intended doing something for him." "well, i haven't got him, though i wish i had," grumbled mr. trimble. "if i catch him, i'll make him work hard!" "then i hope you don't catch him," mr. brown said. he went down to the boat with the children and bunker blue, and they were soon back at camp. "did you see anything of him?" asked mrs. brown, coming down to the edge of the lake, as she saw the boat nearing the shore. "no," answered mr. brown. "mr. trimble said he isn't at the farm, and i don't believe he is. you didn't see anything of him while we were gone, did you?" mrs. brown shook her head. "uncle tad has been looking up around the spring again," she said, "but he couldn't find him." "oh dear!" sighed bunny. "poor tom is lost!" "he must have been frightened by something at the spring," said mr. brown, "and have run off." "well, there's one thing we don't have to worry about," said mrs. brown. "there aren't any wild animals in these woods. none of them could get tom." she said that so bunny and sue would not be thinking about it. two days and nights passed, and there was no sign of tom. one afternoon mrs. brown baked some pies in the oven of the oil stove. she was all alone in camp, for mr. brown, the children, and bunker blue had gone fishing. uncle tad had gone for a walk in the woods. mrs. brown put the pies on a table in the cooking-tent to cool, while she went to the spring for a fresh pail of water. when she came back she looked at the pies. then she rubbed her eyes and counted them. "why!" she cried. "one of the pies is gone! i baked four, and there are only three here. who took the pie?" she looked under the table, in boxes and on chairs, thinking perhaps a fox or a big muskrat might have come along and tried to drag the pie, tin and all, away. but the pie was not to be found. "who could have taken my pie?" asked mrs. brown. chapter xvii a noise at night when mr. brown, bunny, sue and bunker blue came back from their little fishing trip, they saw mother brown walking about the camp, in and out among the tents, looking here and there. "have you lost something, mother?" asked bunny. "well, yes, i have--sort of," she said, smiling. "i've lost a pie!" "oh, a pie!" cried sue. "did you drop it, mother, and did it fall down a crack in the board walk, like my penny did once?" "no!" laughed mrs. brown. "it wasn't that way." then she told of having made four pies, setting them on the table to cool while she went to the spring for a pail of water. "and when i came back, a whole pie was gone!" she said. "well, we certainly didn't take it, for we weren't here," said daddy brown. "and you were all alone in camp, mother?" "yes, even uncle tad was gone." "oh, maybe _he_ came back and took it!" exclaimed bunny. "no, he wouldn't do that," said his mother. "some animal, perhaps a big muskrat, like the one splash tried to catch, came up out of the lake and carried away my pie. i was just looking to see if i could find any marks of the rat's paws in the soft ground, when you came along. but i couldn't see any." "i don't believe it was a rat, or any other animal, that took your pie," said mr. brown, as he, too, looked carefully on the ground around the table where the pie had been placed. the three other pies were there, but the fourth one was gone. "there isn't a sign of any four-legged animal having been here," mr. brown went on. "i think it was some animal with only two legs who took the pie." "oh, you mean a--a man!" cried mother brown. daddy brown nodded his head for yes. "do you mean a tramp?" asked bunker blue. "well, yes, it might have been a tramp, though we haven't seen any around here since we've been in camp. however, if a pie is all they took we don't need to worry." "perhaps the poor man was hungry," said mrs. brown. "i'm sure i hope he enjoys my pie." "he couldn't help liking it," said bunny brown. "your pies are always so good, mother!" "i'm glad to hear you say that," exclaimed mrs. brown. "well, we have enough for the next two days, anyhow, and i'll bake again to-morrow." "splash didn't take the pie," said sue, "'cause he was with us in the boat." "then it must have been the tramp," mrs. brown said. "never mind, we won't worry any more about it. did you have a nice time?" then they told about their little fishing trip. when uncle tad came back from his walk in the woods, he, too, had to be told of the missing pie. uncle tad shook his head. "we'll have to lock up everything around our camp if tramps are going to come in and take our pies, and the other good things mother brown makes," he said with a smile. "or else one of us will always have to stay here to keep watch." "i wish we had tom vine back," said bunny. "i wonder where he is?" of course no one knew, and mr. brown began to think that, after all, tom had done just as mr. trimble had said--had run away. the next day, after breakfast, sue, who was changing the dress of one of her dolls, saw brother bunny walking along the path that led toward the spring. bunny carried a small wooden box. "what are you going to do, bunny?" she asked him. "get a box full of water?" "nope. this box won't hold water. it's got holes in." "but what are you going to do?" "i'm going to make a trap to catch a fox." "oh, bunny! can i help you?" "yes. come on. but you must keep awful still, 'cause foxes are easy scared." "i will, bunny. and may i bring my doll with me? i can put her to sleep on some soft dried leaves when you want me to help you." "yes, you may bring one doll," said bunny. "but don't bring one of the kind that cries when you punch it in the stomach, or it might make a noise and scare the fox. i'm going to catch one and train him to do tricks." "how are you going to catch him, bunny?" "in this box. come on, i'll show you." "i guess i won't bring any of my dolls," said sue, after thinking about it for a minute. "a fox might bite her." "yes, that will be better," said the little boy. so, carrying the box, and some other things, which sue helped him with, bunny and his sister went a little way into the wood. "don't go too far!" their mother called after them. "we won't!" they promised. since coming to camp rest-a-while bunny and sue had not been lost, and they did not now want to have that trouble if they could help it. "are there any foxes in here?" asked sue, looking around as she and bunny came near the spring. "hush! don't speak so loud," whispered her brother. "you might scare 'em." "is they any here?" asked sue, this time in a very soft whisper. "i guess so," answered bunny. "they must come to the spring to get a drink of water, same as we do. i'm going to put my trap near the spring." there was a large flat stone, near the place where the water for the camp was found. on this stone bunny put the box, bottom side up. it had no cover to it. one edge of the box bunny held up by putting a stick under it, and to the stick he tied a long string. "is that a trap?" asked sue. "yep," bunny answered. "now i'm going to put something under the box that foxes like. they'll crawl under to eat it, and when they're there i'll pull the string. that will make the stick come out and the box will fall down, and cover up the fox so it can't get away." "oh, that'll be fine!" cried sue. "but what're you going to give the foxes to eat, bunny?" "i'll show you," said the little fellow. from his pocket he took some bits of bread, a few crumbs of dried cake, a little piece of pie wrapped in paper, and half an apple. "there!" bunny exclaimed as he put these things under the raised-up box. "foxes ought to like all that. now we'll hide back here in the bushes, sue, and i'll have hold of the long string. as soon as we see a fox, or any other animal, go under the box, i'll pull away the little stick, and we'll catch him!" "all right," said sue. so, the trap having been set, bunny and sue hid themselves in the hushes to wait. but for a long time no fox, or any other animal, came along. bunny and sue grew tired of sitting in the bushes and keeping quiet. they could only whisper, and this was not much fun. "i--i guess i'll go home," said sue, after a bit. "oh, no, stay with me!" bunny begged. "maybe i'll catch a fox pretty soon. oh, look, sue!" he cried, this time aloud, he was so excited. "there's a bird going into the box. i'll catch the bird, to show you how my trap works." "you won't hurt the bird; will you, bunny?" begged sue. "no, i won't hurt it a bit," bunny replied. a sparrow was hopping along the flat stone, toward the upraised box, under which were the bread and cake crumbs, and other good things that birds like. closer and closer to the box went the bird, and finally it was all the way under, picking up the crumbs. "now watch me catch him!" cried bunny. he pulled the string, out came the stick, down came the box, and the bird was caught. "i've got him! i've got him!" cried bunny. "that's the way i'd catch a fox!" he and sue ran to the box trap. bunny lifted it up and out flew the bird, not at all hurt, and only a little frightened. bunny raised the box up again, and held it there with the stick. then he and sue went back among the bushes to wait; all ready to pull the string again. but though bunny's trap would catch a sparrow, there did not seem to be anything else he could catch. no foxes or other animals came to get a drink, and later bunny's father explained to him that nearly all wild animals wait until after dark to get water, for fear of being caught. after a while bunny and sue grew tired of waiting in the bushes. "i'll just leave the trap here," said bunny, "and maybe a fox will go in and knock the stick down himself. then he'll be caught." "but a fox could easy upset the box," said sue. "maybe he could," agreed bunny. "i'll put a stone on top of it." and he did. bunny and sue reached camp in time for dinner. in the afternoon they went with their mother to pick huckleberries, and helped fill two pails. "i'll make pies of these berries," said mother brown. "and i hope nobody takes any of the pie," said bunny. "'cause i like huckleberry pie myself an awful lot." that evening daddy brown built a campfire, and bunny and sue, with bunker blue, sat about it roasting marshmallows. "i wish tom vine was here to help eat them," said sue. "so do i," agreed bunny. but tom vine was not there. where was he? no one at camp rest-a-while could tell. bunny brown did not sleep well that night. perhaps he had eaten too many marshmallow candies. at any rate, he awoke soon after he went to bed. he was wishing he had a drink of water, and he was thinking whether he would best get up for it himself, or awaken his father, when the little fellow heard a noise outside the tent. it was a noise as if someone were walking around. at first bunny thought it was splash, but, looking over in the corner of the sleeping-tent, bunny saw his dog there. splash, too, had heard the noise, for he was getting up and growling deep in his throat. then, all at once, came a loud bang, as if someone had knocked down five or six tin pans. chapter xviii splash acts queerly "daddy! daddy!" cried bunny brown. "daddy, did you hear that?" "i couldn't very well help hearing it," said mr. brown sitting up on his cot, which was next to bunny's. "who's out there?" mr. brown cried, and with a jump he reached the flaps of the tent, which he opened, so he could look out. splash, who had jumped out, barking, when the noise sounded, rushed out of the tent. the tins had stopped rattling, and it was very quiet outside, except for the noise splash made. "what is it?" called mrs. brown, from her side of the tent. "i don't know," answered her husband. "someone--or some animal--seems to be making a noise. maybe it is someone after more of your pies, mother." "we'll take a look," said uncle tad. he got out of his bed, and went to stand beside daddy brown at the opening of the tent. "can you see anything?" mrs. brown asked. bunny could hear his sister whispering. sue also, had been awakened, and wanted to know what had caused the noise in the night. "no, i can't see anything," said mr. brown. "splash is coming back, so i guess it wasn't anything." he and uncle tad could see the children's dog walking back to his bed in the tent. splash slept on a piece of old carpet. the dog was wagging his tail. "what is it splash? did you see any tramps?" asked mr. brown. splash did not answer, of course, but he wagged his tail as he always did when he was with his friends. "i guess it couldn't have been anything," mr. brown went on. "maybe a squirrel or chipmunk was looking for some crumbs in the dining-tent, and knocked down the pans. i'll just take a look out there to make sure." mr. brown and uncle tad went outside the tent. splash did not go with them. he seemed to think everything was all right. "did you find him, daddy?" asked bunny, when his father came back. "no, son. i don't believe there was anyone. i saw where the pans had been knocked down, but that was all." bunny was given the drink of water he wanted and soon was asleep. the others, too, became quiet and slept. but in the morning mrs. brown, in getting breakfast, found that a piece of bacon and some eggs had been taken from the ice box. "the eggs and bacon were in the refrigerator all right when i washed up the supper dishes last night," she said. "i counted on having them for breakfast. now they're gone!" "then there must have been someone in our camp, snooping around last night," said daddy brown. "it was a tramp, after all. and when he helped himself to something to eat he knocked down the pans. that's how it happened." "i suppose so," said mother brown. "well, i'm sure if the poor tramp was hungry i'm glad he got something to eat. but i wish he had not taken my bacon and eggs." however, there was plenty else to eat in camp rest-a-while, so no one went hungry. "i wonder if it was the same tramp that took the pie," said bunny as he finished the last of his glass of milk. "he must be a hungry tramp to eat a whole pie, and all those eggs, and the big piece of bacon," said bunker blue. "oh, i guess the things he took lasted him for several meals," mr. brown said. "the funny part of it is, though, that splash did not bark. when he ran out of the tent last night the tramp could not have been far away. and yet splash did not bark, as he always does when strangers are around at night. i think that's queer." "so do i," put in uncle tad. "maybe splash knew the tramp." "splash doesn't like tramps," said bunny. "well, he must have liked this one, for he didn't bark at him," added bunker blue with a laugh. "maybe splash knew this tramp before you children found your dog, on the island where you were shipwrecked." for bunny and sue had found splash on an island, as i told you in the first book of this series. that was when bunny and sue were "shipwrecked," as they called it. nothing else had been taken from camp rest-a-while except the bacon and eggs, and as bunker blue was going to the village that day he could buy more meat for mother brown. the eggs they could get at the farmhouse where they bought their milk. so, after all, no harm was done. "the only thing is," said daddy brown, "that i don't like the idea of tramps prowling about our tents at night. i'd rather they would keep away." [illustration: bunny and sue often went bathing in the cool lake. _bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while._ _page_ 181.] it was so lovely, living out in the woods, near the beautiful lake, as the browns were doing, that they soon forgot about the noise in the night, and the tramps. bunny and sue were getting as brown as little indian children. for they wore no hats and they went about with only leather sandals on, and no stockings, their sleeves rolled up to their elbows, so their arms and legs were brown, too. they often went bathing in the cool lake, for, not far from the camp, was a little sandy beach. of course, it was not like an ocean beach, or the one at sandport bay, for there were only little waves, and then only when the wind blew. in the ocean there are big waves all the while, pounding the sandy shore. one day mrs. brown told daddy they needed some things from the village store--sugar, salt, pepper--groceries that could not be bought at the farmhouses near by. "i'll take the children, row over, and get what you want," said mr. brown, for it was easier to row across the lake, and walk through the woods, than to walk half-way around the lake to the store. with splash, bunny and sue in the boat mr. brown set off. they landed on the other shore, and started to walk through the woods. on the way they had to pass along a road that was near to the farm of mr. trimble, the "mean man," as bunny and sue called him. perhaps mr. trimble did not intend to be mean, or cross, but he certainly was. some folk just can't help being that way. "huh! are you coming over again to bother me about that runaway boy, tom vine?" asked mr. trimble, as he saw mr. brown. "no, i've given tom up," replied the children's father. "i guess he has gone back to the city. i'm sorry, for i wanted to help him." "boys are no good!" cried mr. trimble. "that tom is no good. but i'll pay him back for running away from me!" "did he come back to you?" asked mr. brown, thinking perhaps, after all, the "ragged boy," as sue sometimes called him in fun, might have thought it best to go back to the man who had first hired him. "you don't see him anywhere around here; do you?" asked mr. trimble. "no, i don't see him," said mr. brown, wondering why the farmer answered in that way. "well, he isn't here," said mr. trimble, and he went on hoeing his potatoes, for he was in a field of them, near the road, when he spoke to mr. brown. as bunny, sue and their father walked on, splash did not come with them. he hung back, and seemed to want to stay close to a small building, near mr. trimble's barn. splash walked around this building three or four times, barking loudly. "what makes splash act so funny?" asked bunny. "i don't know," answered mr. brown. "here, splash! come here!" he cried. but splash would not come. chapter xix in the smoke-house "what makes splash act so queer?" asked bunny again. "i'm sure i don't know," said his father. "i guess we'll have to go back and get him." certainly splash did not seem to want to keep on to the village with mr. brown and the children. the dog was running around and around the small house, barking loudly. mr. trimble seemed not to hear the dog's barks, but kept right on hoeing potatoes. "we'll go back and get splash!" decided mr. brown. he and the children walked slowly back. splash kept on barking. "you seem to have something in that little house which excites our dog," said mr. brown. "it doesn't take much to get some dogs excited," answered the farmer. he did not seem to care much about it, one way or the other. "what sort of house is that?" asked mr. brown. he looked at it closely. the little house had no windows, and only one door. and there was a queer smell about it, as though it had once been on fire. "that's a smoke-house," said mr. trimble. "it's where i smoke my hams and bacon. i hang them up in there, build a fire of corn-cobs and hickory wood chips, and make a thick smoke. the smoke dries the ham and bacon so it will keep all winter." "what a funny house!" said sue. "it hasn't any windows," observed bunny. "we have to have smoke-houses tight and without windows," explained mr. trimble, "so the smoke won't all get out." "are there any hams or bacon in there now?" asked mr. brown. "no, we don't do any smoking until fall, when we kill the pigs." "well, there's _something_ in there that bothers our dog," went on the children's father. for, all this while, splash was running around the smoke-house, barking more loudly than before. just then bunny brown thought of something. he pulled at his father's coat and whispered to him: "oh, daddy! maybe tom vine is shut up in there--shut up in the smoke-house!" mr. brown looked first at bunny and then at the strange little house which had no windows. the door of it was tightly shut. "that's so, bunny," said mr. brown. "perhaps tom is in there. that would make splash bark, for he knows where tom is." mr. brown thought as bunny did, that mr. trimble might have caught tom, and locked him up in the dark smoke-house. "oh, daddy! do you s'pose tom's in there?" asked sue in a whisper, for she had heard what bunny had whispered. daddy brown nodded his head. he walked up to mr. trimble and said: "now look here! there's something in that smoke-house, and i want to see what it is. our dog knows there's something there, and i'm pretty sure of it myself." "well, what do you think it is?" asked mr. trimble. "if there's anyone in there i don't know it. but i'll open the door, and let you see. your dog certainly is making a lot of noise." "have you got that poor boy, tom vine, locked up in there?" asked mr. brown. the farmer laughed. "tom vine locked up in there? certainly not!" he cried. "i wish i did have. i'd like to punish him for running away from me. but i haven't seem him since he was at your camp. no, sir! he isn't in my smoke-house. i don't believe anything, or anybody, is in there. but i'll open the door and let you look inside. why, the door isn't locked," the farmer went on, "and i guess i couldn't keep a boy like tom vine in a smoke-house without locking the door on him." mr. brown did not know what to think now. as for bunny and sue they thought surely their new friend, tom, was locked in the queer little house. "oh, now we'll see him!" cried sue, and she felt very glad. mr. trimble dropped his hoe across a row of potatoes, and walked to where splash was still barking away in front of the smoke-house. "will your dog bite?" asked the farmer. "no, he is very gentle," answered mr. brown. "but i'll call him away while you open the door." "i'll hold him," said bunny. "i'll hold him by his collar." by this time splash seemed to have barked enough, for he grew quiet. perhaps he knew the door was going to be opened. he came away when bunny called him, and the little boy held tightly to the dog's collar. "i'll help you hold him," cried sue, and she, too, took hold. "i'm sorry to disappoint you," said mr. trimble, with a sour sort of laugh, "but you won't see any boy, or anything else, as far as i know, in this smoke-house. i did pile in some bean poles last fall, and i guess they're there yet, but that's all. now watch close." he put his shoulder against the door, and pushed. as it swung open, an animal, something like a little red dog, with a sharp, pointed nose and a big, bushy tail, sprang out and ran down the little hill, on which the smoke-house stood. "why--why!" cried mr. trimble. "there _was_ an animal in there after all! i didn't know it." "a fox! it's a fox!" cried bunny brown. he had once seen in a book a picture of a fox, and this animal looked just like the picture. "yes, that's a fox sure enough, and i guess it's the one that's been taking my chickens!" cried mr. trimble. "i wish i had my gun! i'd shoot the critter!" he picked up a stone, and threw it at the fox, but did not hit the running animal. then something queer happened. splash, who was being held by bunny and sue, gave a sudden bark. then he gave a sudden jump. he went so quickly that he pulled bunny and sue after him, and they both fell down in the dirt. but it was soft, so they were not hurt. they had to let go of splash's collar, though, and the dog now began to run after the fox, barking again and again. "splash! splash!" cried bunny. "come back. the fox will bite you!" "don't worry," said daddy brown. "splash can never catch that fox. the fox can run too fast, and he has a good head-start. splash will soon get tired of running, and come back." "the idea! the idea," exclaimed mr. trimble, "of a fox being in my smoke-house! that's what made your dog all excited." "yes, that was it," said daddy brown. "but i thought you might have tom vine shut up in there. i'm sorry i made the mistake." "oh, well, that's all right," said mr. trimble. he did not seem so cross now. he even smiled at bunny and sue. "maybe i was too quick with that boy," he said. "but i'm a hard working man, and them as works for me has to work hard, same as i do. but maybe i was too hard on tom. i certainly was mad when he ran away and left me, and i made up my mind i'd punish him, if i could get him back. but i haven't seen him since he was at your camp. and you thought he was in the smoke-house?" he asked. "yes, i really did," replied mr. brown. "but i guess you didn't know a fox was in there; did you?" "no, i didn't," answered the farmer. "he must have gone in during the night, when the door was open. the place sort of smells of meat, you know. then the door blew shut, and the fox couldn't get out. "and splash smelled him!" cried bunny, who had gotten up and was brushing the dust off. sue was doing the same thing. "yes, your dog smelled the fox," said mr. trimble. "that was what made him bark and get all excited." "i'm going to catch a fox in my trap," said bunny. "i've got a trap set over by our spring. maybe this is the fox i'm going to catch," he went on. "i'm afraid not," said mr. brown. "this fox is so scared that he'll run for miles. he'll never come back this way again. well, we haven't found tom vine yet; have we?" and he looked at bunny and sue. "no, and you never will find him," said mr. trimble. "boys are no good. tom ran away from you same as he did from me. but maybe i was a little too harsh with him. i wouldn't lock him up in a dark smoke-house, though. that's no place for a boy." bunny and sue were glad to hear the farmer say that. "well, we'd better be getting on to the village," said mr. brown. "come along, children." "oh, let's wait for splash to come back," said bunny. "i don't want him to be lost." chapter xx in bunny's trap pretty soon splash was seen coming over the hills. he did not run fast, for he was tired from having chased the fox. the dog was wet and muddy, too. "oh, daddy! what happened to splash?" asked bunny, as the dog came slowly along, and stretched out in the shade of a tree. "did the fox bite him?" sue wanted to know. "if he did i don't like foxes, and i don't want bunny to catch any in his trap." "no, the fox didn't bite your dog," said mr. brown. "i guess he just ran away from splash. and splash tried to catch him, and ran through mud and water until he got all tired out. you don't like foxes, either, do you, splash?" splash barked once, and did not even wag his tail. that one bark must have meant "no." and i guess splash was too tired to wag his tail, as he always did when he was happy, or pleased. "maybe he'd like a drink of water," said the farmer. "i'll bring him some from the well. it's good and cold. i'm going to drink some myself, as it's a hot day. i could give the children a glass of milk," went on mr. trimble to daddy brown. "i've got plenty up at the house." "oh, i don't want to trouble you," said the children's father. "it's no trouble!" said the farmer. "my wife will be glad to give them some. come on, splash!" he called. "we'll get you a cold drink after your run. so the fox got away from you same as that boy tom vine ran away from me." mr. trimble was smiling and laughing now. somehow or other he did not seem as mean and cross as he once had. bunny and sue were beginning to like him now. he was quite a different man from the one who had called at camp rest-a-while looking for tom. splash eagerly drank the cool water, and then he rolled in the grass to get some of the mud off his coat. mrs. trimble brought out some milk for bunny and sue, and also a plate of molasses cookies, which they were very glad to have. "sit down under this shady apple tree," said mrs. trimble, "and help yourselves. maybe you'd like a glass of milk," she said to mr. brown. "well, i don't care much for milk, except in my tea and coffee," he said. "thank you, just the same." "how about buttermilk?" asked mr. trimble. "that's what i like on a hot day, and she's just churned." "yes, i should like the buttermilk," returned bunny's father, and soon he was drinking a large glass. "what funny looking milk!" remarked sue, as she helped herself to another molasses cookie from the plate in front of her. "it's got little yellow lumps in it, daddy." "those are little yellow lumps of butter," said mr. brown. "to make butter, you know, they churn the cream of sour milk. and when the butter is all taken out in a lump, some sour milk is left, and they call that buttermilk. would you like to taste it, sue?" sue, who had drunk the last of her glass of sweet milk, nodded her curly head. but when daddy brown put his glass to her lips, and just let her sip the buttermilk he had been drinking, sue made such a funny face that bunny laughed aloud. "oh--oh! it--it's sour--like lemons!" cried sue. "yes, it is sour!" said mr. brown. "but that is why i like it." "i like molasses cookies better," said sue, as she took a bite from one to cleanse away the sour taste in her mouth. "you can make just as good cookies as my mother or my aunt lu can," said sue to mrs. trimble. "can i? i'm glad to hear that," said the farmer's wife, with a smile. "have some to put in your pockets." "oh, i'm afraid you've given them too many already," objected mr. brown. "molasses cookies won't hurt children; nor milk won't either," the farmer said. "any time you're over this way stop in. i'm sorry you can't find that boy tom. and i'm sorry i was a bit cross with him, or maybe he'd be here yet. but i haven't seen him." splash was rested now, and clean. and he had had a good drink of cold water, so he was ready to start again. the children, too, felt like walking, and, after having thanked the farmer and his wife, mr. brown set off once more with bunny and sue, splash following behind. "come again!" mrs. trimble invited them. "we will, thank you," answered daddy brown. "she's real nice; isn't she?" asked bunny, when they were once more in the road. "yes," said daddy brown. "and i like that farmer, too," said sue. "i didn't like him at first, when he shook his fist and was so cross, but i like him now." "yes, he is different from what he was at first," returned her father. "but i'm afraid we've seen the last of tom. he must have run away. maybe he was afraid, after all, that mr. trimble would stay cross, and would try to get him back onto the farm. well, it's too bad, for tom was a nice boy, but it can't be helped." "i'd like tom back," said bunny. "so would i," added sue. "what's the matter, splash?" asked mr. brown, for the big dog had run up the side of a little hill along the road, and was barking at a hole in the ground. "maybe he thinks the fox lives there," said bunny. "maybe," said daddy. "come on, splash. even if that is the hole of the fox he isn't there now. you chased him too far away. come on!" but splash did not want to come. he pawed away the dirt at the side of the hole, and put his sharp nose down inside it. "there must be _something_ there, daddy," said bunny, standing still, and looking up the hill at the dog. "let's go and see what it is." "if it's a fox i'm not going!" cried sue, holding back. "i don't believe it's a fox," said mr. brown. "but we'll take a look. i'll carry you, sue, and then, even if it is some animal in the hole, you won't be afraid." sue didn't mind going closer if her father carried her, and soon the two children, and mr. brown, were looking down into the hole at which splash was barking. all at once a light brown animal, covered with fur, and larger than the muskrat splash had barked at in the lake, stuck its head out of the hole. "oh, look!" cried bunny. "it's a little bear!" "no, that's a ground-hog, or woodchuck," explained mr. brown. "they won't hurt you. this must be the old father or mother, and there may be little ones in the hole, or burrow, so the old folks want splash to go away." but splash did not want to go. he barked louder than ever at the sight of the woodchuck, and pawed at the dirt with his fore paws. but he could not reach the brown, furry animal. "come away, splash!" called mr. brown. still splash barked. then, all at once, the woodchuck thrust out his head quickly, and made a grab for one of splash's paws. the dog howled, and ran down the hill. "there!" exclaimed mr. brown. "now i guess you'll leave the woodchucks alone, splash." "oh, is splash hurt?" asked bunny, for the dog was running along on three legs, holding the other up off the ground. "oh, i guess he isn't hurt much," mr. brown said. "come here, splash, until i look at your foot." splash limped up. he was not badly bitten. the woodchuck had just pinched him to drive him away. splash looked at the hole and barked. but he did not offer to go near it again. so the old lady, or old gentleman, ground-hog--whichever it was--with the little ones, was left safe in the burrow on the side of the hill. mr. brown, bunny, sue and splash went on to the village. they bought the things mother brown wanted and then started for camp again. nothing much happened on the way back. mrs. brown was told of the visit to mr. trimble's, and how the fox ran out of the smoke-house. "and now," said bunny, as his father finished telling what had happened, "now i'm going up to see if we've caught a fox or a ground-hog in my box trap. come on, sue." "all right. i'm coming, bunny, but if it is a fox or a ground-hog, you won't let him bite me; will you?" "course i won't, sue!" said the little fellow, picking up a stick from beside the sleeping-tent. "come on!" bunny brown and his sister sue were soon at the place where bunny had set the box-trap, with the stone on top to hold it down, in case an animal got beneath. "now go easy, sue!" whispered bunny, as they crept through the bushes. "if there's a fox, or anything else, just going in, we don't want to scare him away." "no," said sue. "i won't make any noise." she walked along quietly behind her brother. now they were in sight of the box-trap bunny had made. "is--is anything in it?" sue asked. "yes, i think so," her brother answered. "don't make a noise. the box is down, and i guess something is under it. i hope it's a fox." "i don't," said sue. "foxes bite." "well, you can sell 'em for a lot of money," argued bunny. "and maybe i could train this one. but maybe it's only a ground-hog." "i don't like them either," said sue, "'cause one bit splash." "say, what kind of animals _do_ you like?" asked bunny, turning to look at his sister. "what would you like me to catch in my trap?" "a nice kitty cat," said sue quickly. "then i could have her to play with, and she'd like me and my dolls. couldn't you catch a nice white kitty cat, bunny?" bunny did not answer. he was looking at his box trap. his eyes opened widely. "oh, look, sue!" he cried. "look! my trap is moving! something big is under the box!" chapter xxi bunker goes ashore "bunny! bunny! i--i want to go home!" cried sue. "what for?" asked her brother. "it's nice here, and i've got something in the trap, sue." "i know it, bunny. i can see it move. that's why i want to go back to camp." "are you 'fraid, sue?" sue nodded her head, and clasped closer in her arms the doll she had brought with her. "wait until we see what's in the trap--under the box," said bunny. "i'll lift it up and look under. if it's a fox i won't let him out." bunny started toward the box that was still moving slowly about on the big flat rock where bunny had set his trap. "don't you touch it!" cried sue. "don't lift up the box, bunny!" "why not?" he asked. "'cause the fox might get out and bite us. let it alone." bunny stood still and looked at the box. it had stopped moving for a while. then it began again, going about in a sort of circle. "why--why!" cried sue. "it's just like blind man's buff!" and, really, that is how the box moved about, just like some boy or girl, with a handkerchief tied over his or her eyes, trying to move about to catch someone, and yet trying not to bang into a tree or the fence. "the fox, woodchuck, or whatever it is under my box," said bunny brown, "can't see which way he's going. that's why the box jiggles around so funny. but i'm going to see what's under it." "if you lift it up, i'm going back to camp," declared sue, turning back. "but i want to see what it is!" cried bunny. "i've caught an animal, and i want to look at it!" you remember i told you he had fixed up a box, raised at one end by a little stick. under the box were some good things to eat, such as animals and birds like. bunny had tied a long string to the stick, and he and sue had hid in the bushes, ready to pull the string, pull out the little stick, and let the box trap fall down on whatever was eating the bait. but all bunny caught were some sparrows, which he let go. then he had set the trap again, and had gone off. now there was something under the box, that was sure. "how do you think it got caught, bunny?" "i guess the fox--or whatever it is--crawled under the box to get the cake crumbs, and he bumped against the stick, knocked it away, and the box came down on him," bunny said. "sue, i do want to see what i've caught." "you--you might get bit," his sister said. bunny thought that over for a minute. "i know how i could do it," he said. "how?" sue wanted to know. "i could get a long stick, and lift the box up with that. then as soon as the fox came out, we could run, and we wouldn't be near enough for him to bite us." "oh, bunny! that would be a good way, i'll stay and watch if you do it like that." bunny found a long pole, like a fishing rod. holding this out in front of him, he walked toward the box. he tried to raise it up, but the stone on top made it too heavy. "push off the stone first," said sue. bunny had not thought of that. with two or three shoves of his pole he knocked the stone off the top of the box. then, once more, he tried to raise his trap to see what was under it. all at once the children heard some one calling: "bunny! sue! where are you?" "that's bunker blue," said bunny. "here we are!" answered sue. "bunny's got something in his trap! come and help us get it, bunker." there was a noise in the bushes, a dog barked, and along came the red-haired boy and splash. the box was moving about more quickly now, for the heavy stone was not on top. "say, you have caught something!" cried bunker. "there's surely something under the box, bunny." "it's a fox," said bunny. "or maybe a ground-hog," added sue. "maybe, and maybe not," went on bunker. "we'll have a look. here, let me take your pole, bunny. splash, you be ready to grab whatever it is!" with a sudden push bunker upset the box. out ran a gray and brown animal. "oh, look!" cried bunny. "is it a fox? oh, don't let it bite me!" cried sue, and she ran toward bunker, who caught her up in his arms. splash, with a bark, sprang toward the little animal that had run out of bunny's box trap. but the little animal, instead of running away, just curled up into a ball and stayed there. and splash stopped short. he barked at the animal but did not try to bite it. "he's afraid of it, and no wonder!" said bunker. "best leave that alone, splash!" "what is it?" asked bunny. "it's a hedgehog, or a prickly porcupine," said bunker. "that animal is all covered with sharp quills, like a lot of toothpicks. they aren't very tightly fastened to him, and if a dog, or some other animal, tries to bite, he gets his mouth full of sharp, slivery quills from the hedgehog. that makes the dog's mouth very sore, and he can't bite anything again for a long time. that's why the hedgehog curls himself up into a little ball. in that way he is all covered with quills that stick out in every way. no dog or any other animal, can bite without getting badly hurt. i guess you'd better let the porcupine go, bunny." "i will," said the little fellow. "i don't want splash hurt. come away, splash!" splash did not care very much about biting or worrying the hedgehog. the dog barked once or twice, and then came away. then the porcupine uncurled himself, and ran off into the wood. "well, i caught _something_ in my trap, anyhow," said bunny. "that's what you did," said bunker blue. "and the hedgehog, walking around under the box, kept pushing it along with his head. he was trying to find a way out. come on back to camp now. supper is ready and your mother sent me to find you." the next two days it rained, and bunny and sue did not have much fun at camp rest-a-while. they had to stay in the tents. but the third day it cleared off, and the wind blew away the storm clouds. that afternoon bunker took bunny and sue out in the boat, fishing. they took with them some lunch to eat, and a bottle of milk to drink if they got thirsty. sue also took an old umbrella to keep the sun off herself and her doll. bunker rowed the boat half way across the lake, and tied it to one of the trees that grew on a little island. there he and bunny fished, but they did not catch anything. "maybe if we went on the island we would catch something," said bunny. "may we, bunker?" "well, i don't know. we might," said the red-haired boy. "i'll tell you what i'll do. i'll go ashore on the island, and try fishing a bit. if i have any luck i'll come back and get you two. you and sue stay in the boat, bunny, until i come back." then the big boy got out and went ashore, leaving bunny and sue in the boat. chapter xxii in the woods bunker blue seemed to be gone a long time. five, ten--fifteen minutes went past and he did not come back. bunny and sue began to get tired. "he must be catching a lot of fish," said bunny, after a bit, while he dangled his own hook in the water. bunny wasn't catching anything--he didn't have even a nibble, though he was using the right kind of hook and line, and he had a real "squiggily" worm on his hook--bunker had put it there for him. "maybe bunker caught a big fish," said sue, "and it pulled him into the water, eh, bunny?" bunny shook his head. "no," he said. "that didn't happen." "maybe it might," went on sue. "there might be big fish in this lake. or maybe it was a muskrat, like the one splash barked at." splash, asleep up in the front of the boat, hearing his name spoken, looked up and wagged his tail. "i didn't call you," said sue. "but, oh, bunny! maybe bunker _did_ fall in!" bunny shook his head again. "no, he didn't fall in," said the little fellow. "if he had we'd have heard him holler, and he hasn't hollered." sue thought that over. it seemed all right. she knew she would "holler," as bunny called it, if she fell into the water, and of course if a big fish or a muskrat had pulled in bunker, he, too, would cry out. and it had been very still and quiet since the red-haired boy had gone ashore on the island. "i know what we can do," said bunny, after a bit. "what?" asked sue. "we can untie the boat, and row around to the other side of the island where bunker went," suggested bunny. "he told us not to get out of the boat until he came back, and we won't, 'cause mother told us to mind bunker. but he didn't tell us not to row the boat around where he is." "that's right," agreed sue. "we can do that." bunny and sue knew something about boats, and they could each row a little. so while bunny loosed the rope by which the boat was tied, sue took up one oar. then bunny took the other. he shoved the boat out a little way. it began to move, first slowly, and then faster. all at once sue cried: "oh, bunny! my umbrella!" it was open, and a gust of wind almost blew it out of the boat. bunny caught the umbrella just in time. to do this he had to let go of his oar, and it slid overboard, into the water. but bunny was not thinking about the oar just then. he had a new idea. as he held the open umbrella he felt the wind blowing strongly against it. the wind was almost strong enough to blow the umbrella out of his hands. but he held on tightly. "oh, bunny, your oar is gone!" cried sue, as she saw it float away. "i--i can't help it," answered her brother. "i can't reach it, sue. you get it." "i can't. it's too far away." "well, let it go!" cried bunny. "i know something else we can do, sue. oh, this will be fun! it's better than fishing!" sue was pulling, as best she could, on her one oar. but boats are not meant to be rowed with one oar, though you can scull, or paddle, with one. if you row with one oar your boat swings around in a circle, instead of going straight ahead. "i can't row this way, bunny!" called sue. she knew enough about boats for that. "you'll have to get your oar, bunny." "we won't need it, sue," called her brother. "take in your oar. we won't need that either. we're going to sail. look! the umbrella is just like a sail." and so it was. the wind, blowing on the open umbrella bunny held, was sending the rowboat along just as if a sail had been hoisted. the boat was moving quite fast now. bunny and sue were so pleased that they did not think about the lost oar, which had fallen overboard and had floated away. as bunny had said, they did not need oars now. "isn't this fun!" cried bunny. "yes," said sue. "i like it. my dolly likes it, too! do you like it, splash?" splash did not answer. he hardly ever did answer, except with a bark or a whine, when bunny or sue spoke to him, and the children did not understand dog language. anyhow, splash seemed to like the umbrella sail, for he stretched out in the bottom of the boat and went to sleep. bunny held the open umbrella, and sue held her doll. of course, the doll had nothing to do with the sailing of the boat, but sue kept her in her arms. "you aren't going to sail very far; are you, bunny?" asked sue as the boat kept on going faster and faster. "not very far," bunny answered. "we'll just sail around the end of the island where bunker went fishing." now this would have been all right if the children had sailed around the end of the island where bunker blue happened to be. but they did not. it was not their fault, either. for bunker had gone to the other end of the island, and he was sitting on a log, waiting for a fish to bite. you see, this is the way it was. bunker blue told about it afterward. he went off the island, leaving bunny and sue in the boat. bunker walked to the lower end of the island. bunny and sue saw him going. he was going to try for fish there. but when the red-haired boy got to that end of the island he saw that the water was so shallow that no large fish could be caught in it. "i'll just go to the other end," thought bunker. so, without calling to bunny and sue, bunker walked along the other shore of the island, to the upper end. and bunny and sue, being behind a lot of trees and bushes, did not know that bunker was not in the place where he had said he was going. bunker found the water deep enough at the upper end of the island, and there he sat down to fish. "i'll just see if they're biting good here," he said to himself, "and, if they are, i'll go back and get the children." bunker had to wait quite a while for his first bite, and by that time bunny and sue had decided to start off themselves in the boat. and so they did, with the umbrella for a sail, as i have told you. faster and faster they went, around the lower end of the island. they expected to see bunker there, but they did not, because he was at the upper end. "why--why--bunker isn't here," said sue, in surprise. "then we'd better go back," announced bunny, still holding to the umbrella. "stick your oar in the water, sue, and steer back to where we were." you can steer a boat with one oar, if you can't row it with one, and sue knew a little bit about steering. but the oar was too heavy for sue's little hands, and it soon slipped over into the lake. she tried to grab it, but was too late. the second oar was lost overboard. "oh, dear!" sue cried. "it's gone." "never mind," said bunny. "we don't need oars with the umbrella for a sail. only we can't sail back where we were unless the wind blows the other way. and i don't see where bunker is." "maybe he's gone home and left us," said sue. "he couldn't--not without a boat," objected bunny. "we'll have to sail over to camp and get daddy or uncle tad to row back for him." "yes, let's sail to our camp," agreed sue. "won't they be s'prised to see us come up this way with an umbrella?" "i guess they will," said bunny. the wind blew stronger. it was all bunny could do to hold to the umbrella now. the wind almost blew it from his hands. even with sue to help him it was hard work. "if you could only tie it fast," suggested sue. "maybe i can," said bunny. "here's a rope." the rope by which the boat had been tied to a tree on the island lay in the bottom of the boat. the umbrella had a crooked handle, and the tying of one end of the rope around this, helped bunny to hold the queer sail. the boat now went on faster and faster. "why, there's our camp, away over there!" cried sue, pointing. "why don't you sail to it, bunny?" bunny looked. indeed, the white tents of camp rest-a-while were on the other side of the lake--far away. and the wind was blowing the boat farther and farther off. bunny and sue could not get back to camp, for now they had nothing with which to steer their boat. of course, if the wind had been blowing toward the tents, instead of away from it, they could have gotten there without steering. but now they could not. "oh, dear!" cried sue. "where are we going, bunny?" "we are going to the woods, i guess," he said. they were sailing toward the wooded shores of the lake, away on the other side from their camp, and a long way down from the island where they had left bunker blue. harder blew the wind on the umbrella sail. faster went the boat. finally it ran up on shore, right where the woods came down to the edge of the lake. splash jumped out with a bark, and began stretching himself. he did not like to stay too long in a boat. he wanted to run about on shore. "bunny, where are we?" asked sue. "i don't know," answered her brother. "but we are on land somewhere, i guess. it's nice woods, anyhow." the trees and bushes grew thick all about. "let's get out," bunny went on. he shut down the umbrella sail, and took off the rope. then he tied the boat to a tree. he got out, and helped sue. "where's our camp?" the little girl wanted to know. bunny looked across the lake. he could not see the white tents. neither could sue. "bunny--bunny," said the little girl slowly. "i--i guess--we're losted again." "i--i guess so, too," agreed bunny brown. chapter xxiii in the cave splash, the big, shaggy dog, ran up and down the shore of the lake, poking his nose in among the bushes here and there, barking loudly all the while. "what's the matter with splash?" asked sue of her brother. "is there a wild animal here, bunny?" "no, i don't guess so," the little boy answered. "splash is wagging his tail, and he wouldn't do that if there were wild animals around. he doesn't like a wild animal. i guess splash is just glad 'cause he is out of a boat. splash doesn't like a boat." "i do," said sue. "but we didn't ought to have come away in the boat all alone, bunny. mother told us not to, you know." "i know she did, sue, but we couldn't help it. we were just going to look for bunker blue and the wind blowed us away from the island. we couldn't help it." "no, i don't guess we could, bunny. but what are we going to do now?" "i guess we'll have to walk back to camp rest-a-while," answered bunny. "we can leave the boat here, and bunker can come and get it." "can't we sail back in our boat, with the umbrella, same as we sailed down here?" sue wanted to know. "we could if the wind would blow right, but it isn't," said bunny. he had been among his father's boatmen often enough to know that you have to go with the wind, and not against it, when you're sailing a boat. "we'll have to walk, sue." "let's holler and yell," said the little girl, as she straightened out the dress of her doll. "what for?" "so daddy or mother can hear us," sue went on. "if we holler real loud they may hear us, and come and get us in another boat. if we hadn't lost the oars, bunny, we could row back." "yes, but the oars are lost. i guess we'll just have to stay here, sue. we're losted again. but i'm not afraid. it's nice here, and if we get hungry i can catch a fish. i have my pole, and there's a worm on my hook yet." "is he a squiggily worm?" sue wanted to know. "he _was_ kind of squiggily," answered bunny, "but i guess he's all done squiggling now. he's deaded." "then i wouldn't be afraid of him," sue said. "i could fish with him, too. i don't like squiggily worms. they tickle you so." bunny walked back to the boat, which the wind had blown partly up on shore. he looked for his fishing pole and line, and, after he had taken it out, he saw the little basket of lunch his mother had put up. it had not yet been opened. "oh, sue!" bunny cried. "look! we've got our lunch! and there's a bottle of milk, too! now we can have a picnic!" "and you won't have to catch any fish!" cried sue, clapping her hands. "i'm hungry bunny. let's have the picnic now!" bunny was willing, for he was hungry too, and the children, taking the basket of lunch, sat down in a shady place on the shore to eat. as sue was taking off the napkins, in which the sandwiches and cakes were wrapped, she happened to think of something. "oh, bunny!" sue said. "part of this lunch was for bunker blue." bunny thought for a second or two. "well, bunker isn't here now," he said, "and he can't get here, less'n he swims. i don't guess he'll want any lunch, sue." "and anyhow, he can catch a fish," said sue. "bunker is good at fishing, and he likes to eat 'em." "i wonder where bunker is now," pondered bunny. he looked back up the lake. he could not see the island where they had left bunker. it was out of sight around a bend in the lake shore. "do you think he'll swim down here and want some lunch?" asked sue. "no," answered bunny. "we can eat all this. bunker won't come." and so the children began on their lunch, sharing some of it with splash, who, after a bath in the lake, lay down in the sun to dry himself. by this time bunker blue, back on the far end of the island, had caught three fine, big fish. he was so excited and glad about getting them that, for a while, he forgot all about bunny brown and his sister sue. then he happened to remember them. "i'll go back to the boat and get the children," said bunker blue to himself. "they can catch fish here, and that will tickle bunny. he never yet caught real big fish like these." but when bunker went to the place where he had left bunny and sue in the boat, the children were not there, nor was there any sight of the boat. bunker had been fishing by himself longer than he thought, and by this time bunny and sue were out of sight around a bend in the shore. bunker rubbed his eyes. then he looked again. there was no doubt of it--the boat was gone, and so were the children. "where can they be?" asked bunker, aloud. but there was no one on the little island to answer him. then the red-haired boy happened to think that perhaps bunny might have taken the boat around to the other end of the island. bunker quickly ran there, but no boat was to be seen. "they've either drifted away," said bunker, "or else they've rowed themselves away. it's too bad; but they know how to behave in a boat, that's one good thing. they won't try to stand up, and so fall overboard. i wonder if i could call to them?" bunker shouted, but bunny and sue were too far away to hear him. bunker then sat down on a stone. he did not know what to do. he looked over to the main shore, where he could just see the white tents of camp rest-a-while. "well, if we don't come back pretty soon, mr. brown will know something is wrong, and he'll get another boat and come over here," thought bunker. "then i can tell him what has happened, and we can go and look for the children. i guess they'll be all right. all i can do is to wait." all this while bunny and sue were eating their lunch. they were not frightened now, and they very much enjoyed their little umbrella-sail excursion in the boat and the picnic they were having. but, pretty soon, it began to grow cloudy, and then it began to rain. "i don't like this," said sue. "i want to go home, bunny." bunny, himself, would have been glad to be in camp with his father and mother, but he thought, being a boy, he must be brave, and look after his little sister, so he said: "oh, i guess this rain won't be very bad, sue. we'll go back into the woods, under the trees. then we can keep dry. and we'll take the lunch, too. there'll be enough for supper." "will we have to stay here for supper?" asked sue. "maybe," answered bunny. "but if we do it will be fun. come on!" it was now raining hard. bunny carried the lunch basket, with the bottle of milk--now half emptied--in one hand. the other hand clasped sue's. they went back in the wood a little way, and, all at once, bunny saw something that made him call: "oh, sue! here's a good place to get in out of the rain!" "what is it?" sue asked. "a cave!" cried bunny. "it's a regular cave, like robbers live in! come on, sue! now we're all right! oh, this is fun!" and bunny ran forward into the dark hole in the side of the hill--right into the cave he ran. chapter xxiv "who is there?" sue did not run into the cave after her brother bunny. she stood, hugging her doll close to her, under a big, evergreen tree, so that only a few drops of rain splashed on her. bunny brown, standing in the "front door" of the cave, as he called it, looked at his sister. "come on in, sue!" he called. "it's nice here, and you can't get wet at all." "i--i don't want to," sue answered. "why not?" bunny wanted to know. "'cause," and that was all sue would say. then it began to rain harder, and the drops even splashed down through the thick branches of the evergreen tree. "oh, come on!" cried bunny. "it's nice here, and dry, sue. why won't you come?" "'cause i don't like those robbers!" answered sue at last. "i'd rather stay out in the rain than go in with those robbers." "what robbers?" asked bunny, his eyes opening wide. "you said that was a robbers' cave," declared sue, "and i don't like 'em." bunny laughed. "there's no robbers here, sue," he said. "i only meant that this _looks_ just like the pictures of a robbers' cave. there isn't any robbers here. come on in. it's nice and dry here." "are you sure there's no robbers?" sue wanted to know. "sure," said bunny. "listen!" he went back a little farther in the cave and cried: "robbers! robbers! go on away! that will drive 'em off, sue," he said. "now come on in." the little girl waited a half minute, to make sure no robbers came out after bunny's call. then she, too, ran into the cave. "isn't it nice here?" bunny asked. "ye--yes, i--i guess so," and sue spoke slowly. she was not quite sure about it. "but it--it's dark," she went on. "all caves are dark," bunny brown answered. "they have to be dark or they wouldn't be caves. nobody ever saw a light cave." "well, i like a light cave best," said sue. "how long has we got to stay here, bunny?" "till daddy comes for us, i guess," he said. "we can't walk back to camp all alone. i don't know the way. we'd get losted worse than we are now." "has we got to stay here all night?" sue wanted to know. "well, maybe," said bunny slowly. "but we could easy sleep here. there's some nice dried leaves we could make into a bed, and we've some of our lunch left. we can eat that for supper, and save a little for breakfast." "what will we give splash?" asked sue. she had looked over bunny's shoulder as he now opened the lunch basket. there did not seem very much left for two hungry children and a dog. splash was now nosing about in the cave. he did not bark, and bunny and sue knew there could be no one in the hole but themselves--no wild animals or anything. "there isn't enough to give splash much," said bunny slowly. "but maybe he can dig himself up a bone in the woods. we can leave the crusts for him. splash likes crusts." "i don't," sue said. "he can have all of mine." bunny brown and his sister sue had not yet learned to like the crusts of their bread. but splash was not so particular. the wind was now blowing harder, and the rain was flowing in the front of the cave. it blew in the faces of the children. "come on farther back," said bunny, as he saw sue wrapping her dress around her doll to keep off the rain. "it--it's too dark," sue answered. bunny walked back a little way. then he cried: "oh, sue. come on back here. it's real light here. there's a chimbly here and the light comes down it fine!" "you come and get me--i can't see--it's so dark," sue answered. bunny had left her standing near the front part of the cave, where it was still light, and he had run back into the dark part. there, half way back, he had found a place where there was a hole in the roof--a "chimbly," as bunny called it. through this hole, or chimney, light came down, but between that place, and the entrance, was a dark spot. and it was this dark patch that sue did not want to cross alone. "i'll come and get you," bunny called, and, a minute later, he and sue were standing together under the hole in the cave roof. some few drops of rain came down this chimney, but by standing back a little way the children could keep nice and dry, and, at the same time, they were not in the dark. "isn't this nice, sue?" asked bunny. "yes," she said. "i like it better here." it was a good place for the children to be in out of the storm. they were far enough back in the cave now so that the wind could not blow on them, and no rain could reach them. splash had come this far back into the cave with them, and was sniffing about. bunny walked around the light place, and found some boxes and old bags. in one of the boxes were some pieces of dried bread, and an end of bacon. there was also a tin pail and a frying pan. and, off to one side, were some ashes. bunny also saw where a pile of bags had been made into a sort of bed. "look, sue," said the little boy. "i guess real people used to live in this cave. here is where they made their fire, and cooked, and they slept on the pile of bags. we can sleep there to-night, if daddy doesn't come after us." "but i hope he comes!" exclaimed sue. bunny hoped so, too, but he thought he wouldn't say so. he wanted to be brave, and make believe he liked it in the cave. "i--i'm thirsty," said sue, after a bit. "i want a drink, bunny." "i'll give you some of the milk, sue. there's half a bottle of it left." "i'd rather have water, bunny." "i don't guess there's any water here, sue," answered bunny. then he listened to a sound. it was splash, lapping up water from somewhere in the cave. it did not sound very far off. "there's water!" bunny cried. "splash has found a spring. now i can get you a drink, sue. splash, where is that water?" splash barked, and came running to his little master. bunny walked to the place from which splash had come, and there he found a spring of water coming out of the rocky side of the cave. it fell into a little puddle, and it was from this puddle that splash had taken his drink. bunny held a cup under the little stream of water and got some for sue. then he took a drink himself. "say, this cave is fine!" he cried. "it's got water in it and a place for a fire. all the smoke would go up that hole. we'll get bunker and daddy and mother and uncle tad and come here and have a picnic some day. don't you like it, sue?" "i--i'd rather be back at camp rest-a-while," said the little girl. "can't we go?" "i'll go and see how hard it's raining," said the little boy. he went to the front door of the cave, and looked out. it was storming very hard now. the wind was blowing the limbs of the trees about, and dashing the rain all over. "we can't walk home in this storm," said bunny to sue. "we'll have to stay in this cave until they come for us." "all right," sue said. "then let's eat." the children ate some more of the lunch they had brought with them. "now let's make the bed," said sue. "we'll sleep on a pile of the bags, bunny, and pull some of 'em over us for covers. splash won't need any covers. he never sleeps in a bed." bunny and sue had often "played house," and they knew how to make the old blankets, and pieces of carpet they found in the cave, into a sort of bed. it was not so light now, for it was coming on toward night, and the sky was covered with clouds. "if we shut our eyes and go to sleep we won't mind the dark," said bunny. "all right--let's," agreed sue. they cuddled up on the bags, their arms around one another, with sue's doll held close in her hand, while splash lay down not far from them. bunny was not sure he had been asleep. anyhow he suddenly opened his eyes, and looked toward the chimney hole in the roof of the cave. a little light still came down it. but something else was also coming down. bunny saw a big boy--or a small man--sliding down a grapevine rope into the cave. first bunny saw his feet--then his legs--then his body. bunny wondered who was coming into the cave. he made up his mind to find out. "who is there?" he suddenly called. "who are you? what do you want in our cave?" the figure sliding down the piece of grapevine into the cave, through the chimney hole, suddenly fell in a heap on the floor, close to where bunny and sue were lying on the pile of bags. splash jumped up and began to bark loudly. chapter xxv back in camp bunny brown tried to be brave, but when he saw someone come into the cave in the darkness, in such a queer way, the little boy did not know what to do. he thought of sue, and felt that he must not let her get hurt, no matter what else happened. "oh, bunny!" cried sue. "is that one of the robbers? is it, bunny? if it is i don't want to stay here! you said there weren't any but picture book robbers in this cave, bunny brown!" bunny did not answer right away. he did not know what to tell sue. but the big boy who had dropped down through the chimney hole straightened up suddenly. bunny could see him patting splash on the head. and that was rather strange, for splash did not easily make friends with strangers. he would not bite them, but he would bark at them, until some of his friends had said it was all right, and that he need bark no more. but, after his bark of surprise this time, splash seemed to have suddenly made friends with the big boy who had come sliding down the chimney hole of the cave. "who--who are you?" asked bunny again. instead of answering the big boy laughed. then he asked: "are you bunny brown and his sister sue?" "ye--yes--yes, we are," bunny said. "but how did you know?" "oh, i can tell, all right." splash seemed very glad to meet the strange boy. there was still light enough coming down the chimney hole for bunny to see the dog's wagging tail. and splash did not wag his tail for persons he did not like. this must be a friend. "is--is you a robber?" asked sue. she had hidden her face in the pile of bags, and was holding closely to her doll. again the big boy laughed. "no, i'm not a robber," he said, "though i did take a piece of your mother's bacon. but i'll pay her back for it. how in the world did you find my cave, and where is your father, or bunker blue? and what are you doing out alone in this storm? are you----" but bunny brown broke in on the questions. "oh, i know who you are! i know who you are!" bunny cried. "you're tom vine who ran away from us! why did you run away? daddy has been looking for you. you are tom vine; aren't you?" "yes, bunny, i am. wait a minute and i'll light a lantern, and you can see me better. look out, splash, so i won't step on you." so that was why splash had made such good friends with the big boy who came down the cave chimney hole--splash knew tom vine, of course, even in the darkness. tom walked over to one of the boxes, and brought out a lantern. this he lighted. bunny and sue blinked their eyes at the sudden light, but they were soon used to it. then they looked at tom. yes, it was he. but he was even more ragged than when they had first seen him. he was laughing, though, and did not seem sad. "and to think when i came home, and slid down the chimney of my cave, which i sometimes do, when i don't want to go around to the front door--to think when i did this i should find bunny brown and his sister sue here!" said tom. "how in the world did you find me?" "we weren't looking for you," answered bunny. "we were in the boat, with bunker blue. he went on an island to fish, and we sailed away with the umbrella. we landed here and i found this cave, to get out of the rain. i told sue it was a make-believe robbers' cave." "well, i guess i'm the only robber who ever lived in it," said tom. "but what are you children going to do? tell me all about how you got here." this bunny and sue did, from the time they started out with bunker blue, until bunny opened his eyes to see tom sliding down the grapevine rope. "and now i'll tell you about myself," said tom. "have you been living here in this cave ever since you went away from our camp?" asked bunny. "yes," answered tom. "this has been my home. no one knew i was here. i wanted to keep out of sight of mr. trimble, for fear he'd make me go back to his farm." "oh, he won't make you go back," said bunny. "he's sorry he was so cross to you. he told daddy so; didn't he, sue?" "yes, he did. i'm glad we found you, tom," and she put her little hand in his big one. "and i'm glad i found you and bunny, sue. and i'm glad that mr. trimble isn't looking for me. i was getting tired of hiding out this way. i want to go back to your camp." "you can come," said bunny. "daddy wants you, i know, for he said he did. come on back now." "wait a minute," said tom. "first i'll tell you how i came here. and then, i guess, we'll have to stay until morning, as it is storming too bad to leave the cave now." tom then told that he had heard mr. trimble was looking for him, to make him go back to the farm. "and, as i was afraid he'd catch me, i ran away from your camp that day when i went for the pail of water," said tom. "as i was at the spring i saw mr. trimble going past behind some bushes. he didn't see me, because i stooped down. and when he got past i ran away. i didn't want him to get me. "i found this cave, and i've lived in it. i took some old boxes and bags from a barn. they were thrown away, so no one wanted them, i knew. then i found this lantern and i brought that here." "how did you get anything to eat?" asked bunny. "well, i took that," said tom. "in the night i went back to your camp, and took some things. i didn't think your folks would care very much." "they didn't," said bunny. "did you take the pie and the bacon and eggs?" "yes," said tom, "i did. i have earned some money, though, and i'll pay for them." "and did you knock down the pile of tins?" bunny asked, "and make the noise in the night?" "yes," laughed tom. "i thought sure your folks would catch me then, but i got safely away. and ever since then i've stayed in this cave. i found it by accident. it made a nice dry place. during the day i would go off to different farms and work enough to earn a little money to buy things to eat. all the while i was afraid mr. trimble would find me. he was such a mean man." "but he's turned good now," declared bunny, "and he's sorry he was bad to you. he wouldn't even shut you up in a smoke-house," and bunny told of finding the fox in the little house. "so then i can go back to your camp, and mr. trimble won't try to get me; will he?" asked tom. "nope, he won't hurt you at all," said bunny. "and please can't we go back to our camp now? daddy and mother will be so worried about us." "why, yes, i guess i can take you," said tom. "it isn't very far, and there's a good road. i see you have an umbrella. that will keep sue dry. you and i won't mind getting wet, bunny; will we?" "nope," said the little fellow. when they went to the entrance of the cave they found that the rain had stopped, and the moon was shining. it was quite light in the woods. leading bunny and sue by the hands, with splash following after, tom started for camp rest-a-while. he stopped for a moment on top of the cave, to show the children the chimney hole, and how he had slid down it by holding on to a long grapevine, that twined around a tree growing near the hole. the grapevine was like a long rope. through the woods went bunny, sue and tom. as they came near the camp they saw lanterns flashing, and voices called: "bunny! bunny brown! sue! sue! where are you?" "here we are, daddy! here we are!" cried bunny and sue together. "and tom vine is with us!" added bunny. those carrying the lantern rushed forward, and soon bunny and sue were clasped in their father's and mother's arms, while uncle tad and bunker were shaking hands with tom, and listening to his story of how he had found the children in the cave where he made his home. "and to think you two went off in a boat with an umbrella for a sail!" cried mother brown to the children. "don't you ever do it again!" "we won't!" promised bunny. "but what happened to you, bunker?" "well, after you left me on the island," said the red-haired boy, "i waited until i saw your father coming after me in a boat. he took me to camp, and i told him i thought you and sue had drifted down the lake. so we set out to find you, but you got here all right." "and i don't want to sleep in any more caves," said sue. "i like it," bunny said. "it was nice!" the children were soon asleep in their cots in the camp tent, and after tom had told his story to mr. and mrs. brown, he, too, was given his old bed. he had nothing more to fear from mr. trimble, and he need not have run away, only he was afraid of the farmer. and for that reason he did not go back to camp, or send any word to mr. brown. but everything came out all right, and mr. trimble came over and told tom how sorry he was for having been so unpleasant as to make him run away. bunny brown and his sister sue stayed at camp rest-a-while all that summer and they had much fun, and many more adventures, but i have no room to tell you about them in this book. perhaps i may write another volume about them later. as for tom vine, he was taken to live in bellemere, where he worked at mr. brown's boat business with bunker blue. he did not have to live in a cave any more, and had a good home. and now, having told all there is to tell, i will let you say good-bye to bunny brown and his sister sue. the end this isn't all! would you like to know what became of the good friends you have made in this book? would you like to read other stories continuing their adventures and experiences, or other books quite as entertaining by the same author? on the _reverse side_ of the wrapper which comes with this book, you will find a wonderful list of stories which you can buy at the same store where you got this book. =don't throw away the wrapper= _use it as a handy catalog of the books you want some day to have. but in case you do mislay it, write to the publishers for a complete catalog._ the bunny brown series by laura lee hope author of the popular "bobbsey twins" books, etc. * * * * * =durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding. each volume complete in itself.= * * * * * these stories are eagerly welcomed by the little folks from about five to ten years of age. their eyes fairly dance with delight at the lively doings of inquisitive little bunny brown and his cunning, trustful sister sue. bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at camp-rest-a-while bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove bunny brown and his sister sue in the sunny south bunny brown and his sister sue keeping store bunny brown and his sister sue and their trick dog bunny brown and his sister sue at a sugar camp bunny brown and his sister sue on the rolling ocean bunny brown and his sister sue on jack frost island bunny brown and his sister sue at shore acres bunny brown and his sister sue at berry hill * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, _publishers_, new york= the bobbsey twins books for little men and women by laura lee hope author of "the bunny brown series," etc. * * * * * =durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding. every volume complete in itself.= * * * * * these books for boys and girls between the ages of three and ten stand among children and their parents of this generation where the books of louisa may alcott stood in former days. the haps and mishaps of this inimitable pair of twins, their many adventures and experiences are a source of keen delight to imaginative children. the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a houseboat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home the bobbsey twins in a great city the bobbsey twins on blueberry island the bobbsey twins on the deep blue sea the bobbsey twins in the great west the bobbsey twins at cedar camp the bobbsey twins at the county fair the bobbsey twins camping out the bobbsey twins and baby may the bobbsey twins keeping house the bobbsey twins at cloverbank the bobbsey twins at cherry corners the bobbsey twins and their schoolmates the bobbsey twins treasure hunting * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, _publishers_, new york= six little bunkers series by laura lee hope author of the bobbsey twins books, the bunny brown series, the blythe girls books, etc. * * * * * =durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding. every volume complete in itself.= * * * * * delightful stories for little boys and girls which sprung into immediate popularity. to know the six little bunkers is to take them at once to your heart, they are so intensely human, so full of fun and cute sayings. each story has a little plot of its own--one that can be easily followed--and all are written in miss hope's most entertaining manner. clean, wholesome volumes which ought to be on the bookshelf of every child in the land. six little bunkers at grandma bell's six little bunkers at aunt jo's six little bunkers at cousin tom's six little bunkers at grandpa ford's six little bunkers at uncle fred's six little bunkers at captain ben's six little bunkers at cowboy jack's six little bunkers at mammy june's six little bunkers at farmer joel's six little bunkers at miller ned's six little bunkers at indian john's six little bunkers at happy jim's six little bunkers at skipper bob's * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, _publishers_, new york= the honey bunch books by helen louise thorndyke * * * * * =individual colored wrappers and text illustrations drawn by walter s. rogers= * * * * * honey bunch is a dainty, thoughtful little girl, and to know her is to take her to your heart at once. little girls everywhere will want to discover what interesting experiences she is having wherever she goes. honey bunch: just a little girl honey bunch: her first visit to the city honey bunch: her first days on the farm honey bunch: her first visit to the seashore honey bunch: her first little garden honey bunch: her first days in camp honey bunch: her first auto tour honey bunch: her first trip on the ocean honey bunch: her first trip west honey bunch: her first summer on an island * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, _publishers_, new york= the blythe girls books by laura lee hope * * * * * individual colored wrappers and text illustrations by thelma gooch every volume complete in itself * * * * * the blythe girls, three in number, were left alone in new york city. helen, who went in for art and music, kept the little flat uptown, while margy, just out of a business school, obtained a position as a private secretary and rose, plain-spoken and businesslike, took what she called a "job" in a department store. the blythe girls: helen, margy and rose a fascinating tale of real happenings in the great metropolis. the blythe girls: margy's queer inheritance the girls had a peculiar old aunt and when she died she left an unusual inheritance. the blythe girls: rose's great problem rose, still at work in the big department store, is one day faced with the greatest problem of her life. the blythe girls: helen's strange boarder helen goes to the assistance of a strange girl, whose real identity is a puzzle. who the girl really was comes as a tremendous surprise. the blythe girls: three on a vacation the girls go to the country for two weeks--and fall in with all sorts of curious and exciting happenings. the blythe girls: margy's secret mission of course we cannot divulge the big secret, but nevertheless the girls as usual have many exciting experiences. the blythe girls: rose's odd discovery a very interesting story, telling how rose aided an old man in the almost hopeless search for his daughter. the blythe girls: the disappearance of helen helen calls on the art dealer on business and finds the old fellow has made a wonderful discovery. the blythe girls: snowbound in camp an absorbing tale of winter happenings, full of excitement. * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, _publishers_, new york= * * * * * transcriber's notes: punctuation normalized. page 51, "exlaimed" changed to "exclaimed." page 147, "said tom vine" changed to "said tom vine." page 148, "forgotton" changed to "forgotten." note: project gutenberg also has an html version of this file which includes the original illustrations. see 16956-h.htm or 16956-h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/1/6/9/5/16956/16956-h/16956-h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.net/dirs/1/6/9/5/16956/16956-h.zip) bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus by laura lee hope author of the bunny brown series, the bobbsey twins series, the outdoor girls series, etc. illustrated by florence england nosworthy [illustration: then bunny and sue jumped through hoops covered with paper. _bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus._ frontispiece (p. 117).] new york grosset & dunlap publishers 1916 * * * * * books by laura lee hope * * * * * 12mo. cloth, illustrated. price, per volume, 50 cents, postpaid. * * * * * the bunny brown series bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while the bobbsey twins series for little men and women the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a houseboat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home * * * * * the outdoor girls series the outdoor girls of deepdale the outdoor girls at rainbow lake the outdoor girls in a motor car the outdoor girls in a winter camp the outdoor girls in florida the outdoor girls at ocean view the outdoor girls on pine island * * * * * grosset & dunlap publishers new york * * * * * bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus contents chapter page i. bunny is upside down 1 ii. let's have a circus! 10 iii. the poor old hen 21 iv. a strange boy 30 v. something queer 40 vi. ben hall helps 48 vii. bunny has a fall 56 viii. the doll in the well 65 ix. the striped calf 73 x. the old rooster 82 xi. practice for the circus 93 xii. the little circus 102 xiii. the wild animals 111 xiv. bunny and sue go sailing 121 xv. splash is lost 131 xvi. getting the tents 142 xvii. bunny and the balloons 152 xviii. the storm 163 xix. hard work 174 xx. the missing mice 185 xxi. the big circus 194 xxii. bunny's brave act 206 xxiii. ben does a trick 215 xxiv. ben's secret 227 xxv. back home again 238 bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus chapter i bunny is upside down "grandpa, where are you going now?" asked bunny brown. "and what are you going to do?" asked bunny brown's sister sue. grandpa brown, who was walking down the path at the side of the farmhouse, with a basket on his arm, stood and looked at the two children. he smiled at them, and bunny and sue smiled back, for they liked grandpa brown very much, and he just loved them. "are you going after the eggs?" asked sue. "that basket is too big for eggs," bunny observed. "it wouldn't be--not for great, great, big eggs," the little girl said. "would it, grandpa?" "no, sue. i guess if i were going out to gather ostrich eggs i wouldn't get many of them in this basket. but i'm not going after eggs. not this time, anyhow." "where are you going?" asked bunny once more. "what's a--a ockstritch?" asked sue, for that was as near as she could say the funny word. "an ostrich," answered grandpa brown, "is a big bird, much bigger than the biggest thanksgiving turkey. it has long legs, and fine feathers, and ladies wear them on their hats. i mean they wear the ostrich feathers, not the bird's legs." "and do ockstritches lay big eggs?" sue wanted to know. "they do," answered grandpa brown. "they lay eggs in the hot sand of the desert, and they are big eggs. i guess i couldn't get more than six of them in this basket." "oh-o-o-o!" exclaimed bunny and sue together, with their eyes wide open. "what big eggs they must be!" went on bunny. "and is you going to get hens' eggs or ockstritches' eggs now, grandpa?" asked sue. "neither one, little brown-eyes, i'm going out in the orchard to pick a few peaches. grandma wants to make a peach shortcake for supper. so i have to get the peaches." "oh, may we come?" asked sue, dropping the doll with which she had been playing. "i'll help you pick the peaches," offered bunny, and he put down some sticks, a hammer and nails. he was trying to make a house for splash, the big dog, but it was harder work than bunny had thought. he was glad to stop. "yes, come along, both of you," replied grandpa brown. "i don't believe you can reach up to pick any peaches, but you can eat some, i guess. you know how to eat peaches, don't you?" he asked, smiling again at bunny brown and his sister sue. "oh, i love peaches!" said sue. "and i do, too--and peach shortcake is awful good!" murmured bunny. "well, come along then. it's nice and shady and cool in the peach orchard." grandpa brown put the basket over his arm, and gave bunny one hand to clasp, while sue took the other. in this way they walked down the path, through the garden, and out toward the orchard. "bunny! sue! where are you going?" called their mother to the children. mrs. brown had come out on the side porch. "with grandpa," answered bunny. "i'll look after them," said grandpa brown. bunny and his sister, with their papa and mamma, were spending the summer on the farm of grandpa brown away out in the country. the children liked it on the farm very much, for they had good fun. a few days before they had gone to the circus, and had seen so many wonderful things that they talked about them from morning until night, and, sometimes, even after they got to bed. but just now, for a little while, they were not talking or thinking about the circus, though up to the time when grandpa brown came around the house with the basket on his arm, bunny had been telling sue about the man who hung by his heels from a trapeze that was fast to the top of the big tent. a trapeze, you know, is something like a swing, only it has a stick for a seat instead of a board. "i could hang by a trapeze if i wanted to," bunny had said to sue. "oh, bunny brown! you could not!" sue had cried. "i could if i had the trapeze," he had said. then along had come grandpa brown. "how many peaches do you think you can eat, bunny?" asked grandpa, as he led the children toward the orchard. "oh, maybe seven or six." "that's too many!" laughed grandpa brown. "we should have to have the doctor for you, i'm afraid. i guess if you eat two you will have enough, especially with shortcake for supper." "i can eat three," spoke up sue. "i like peaches." "but don't eat too many," said grandpa. "now i'll see if i can find a little, low tree, with ripe peaches on it, so you children can pick some off for yourselves." they were in the orchard now. it was cool and shady there, and the children liked it, for the sun was shining hot outside the orchard. on one edge of the place, where grew the peach trees, ran a little brook, and bunny and sue could hear it bubbling as it rippled over the green, mossy stones. the sound of running water made the air seem cooler. a little farther off, across the garden, were grandpa's beehives, where the bees were making honey. sue and her brother could hear the bees buzzing as they flew from the hives to the flowers in the field. but the children did not want to go very close to the hives, for they knew the bees could sting. "now here's a nice tree for you to pick peaches from," said grandpa brown, as he stopped under one in the orchard. "you may pick two peaches each, and eat them," went on the childrens' grandfather. "and don't you want us to pick some for you, like ockstritches' eggs, an' put them in the basket?" asked sue. "well, after you eat your two, perhaps you can help me," answered grandpa brown with a smile. but i think he knew that by the time bunny and sue had picked their own peaches he would have his basket filled. for, though bunny and sue wanted to help, their hands were small and they could not do much. besides, they liked to play, and you cannot play and work at the same time. but children need to play, so that's all right. leaving bunny and sue under the tree he had showed them, where they might pick their own peaches, grandpa brown walked on a little farther, looking for a place where he might fill his basket. "oh, there's a nice red peach i'm going to get!" exclaimed sue, as she reached up her hand toward it. but she found she was not quite tall enough. "i'll get it for you," offered bunny, kindly. he got the peach for sue, and she began to eat it. "oh, bunny!" she cried. "it's a lovely sweet one. i hope you get a nice one." "i will," bunny said. then as he looked at his sister he cried: "oh, sue! the juice is running all down your chin on your dress." "oh-oh-o-o-o!" said sue, as she looked at the peach juice on her dress. "oh-o-o-o!" "never mind," remarked bunny. "we can wash it off in the brook." "yes," said sue, and she went on eating her peach. "we'll wash it." bunny was looking up into the tree for a peach for himself. he wanted to get the biggest and reddest one he could find. "oh, i see a great big one!" bunny cried, as he walked all around the tree. "where is it?" asked sue. "i want a big one, bunny." "i'll get you another one. i see two," and bunny pointed to them up in the tree. "you can't reach 'em," asserted sue. "they're too high, bunny." "i--i can climb the tree," said the little boy. "i can climb the tree and get them." "you'll fall," sue said. "no, i won't, sue. you just watch me." the peach tree was a low one, with branches close to the ground. and, as bunny brown said, he did know a little bit about climbing. he found a box in the orchard, and, by standing on this he got up into the tree. up and up he went, higher and higher until he was almost within reach of the two peaches he wanted. grandpa brown was busy picking peaches at a tree farther off, and did not see the children. "look out, sue. i'm going to drop a peach down to you," called bunny from up in the tree. "i'll look out," said sue. "i'll hold up my dress, and you can drop the peach in that. then it won't squash on the ground." she stood under the tree, looking up toward her brother. bunny reached for one of the two big, red peaches, but he did not pick it. something else happened. a branch on which the little boy was standing suddenly broke, and down he fell. he turned over, almost like a clown doing a somersault in the circus, and the next moment bunny's two feet caught between two other branches, and there he hung, upside down, his head pointing to the ground. chapter ii let's have a circus! "bunny! bunny! what are you doing?" cried sue, as she saw her brother hanging, head down, in such a funny way from the peach tree branches. "don't do that, bunny! you'll get hurt!" "i--i didn't mean to do it!" cried bunny, and his voice sounded very strange, coming from his mouth upside down as it was. sue did not know whether to laugh or cry. "oh, bunny! bunny, is you playing circus?" she asked. "no--no! i'm not playing circus!" and bunny wiggled, and wiggled again, trying to get his feet loose. both of them were caught between two branches of the peach tree where the limbs grew close together. and it is a good thing that bunny could not get his feet loose just then, or he would have wiggled himself to the ground, and he might have been badly hurt, for he would have fallen on his head. "oh, bunny! bunny! you _is_ playing circus!" cried sue again. she had finished her first peach, and now, dropping the stone, from which she had been sucking the last, sweet bits of pulp, she stood looking at her brother, dangling from the tree. "no, i'm not playing circus!" and bunny's voice sounded now as though he was just ready to cry. "run and tell grandpa to help me down, sue!" he begged. "i--i'm choking--i can't hardly breathe, sue! run for grandpa!" bunny was almost choking, and his face, tanned as it was from the sun and wind, was red now--almost as red as the boiled lobster, the hollow claw of which bunny once put over his nose to make himself look like mr. punch, of the punch and judy show. for when boys, or girls either, hang by their feet, with their heads upside down, all the blood seems to run there if they hang too long. and that was what was happening to bunny brown. "are you _sure_ you isn't playin' circus?" asked sue. "no--i--i'm not playing," answered bunny. "hurry for grandpa! oh, how my head hurts!" "you look just like the circus man," said sue. for one of the men in the circus bunny and sue had seen a few days before had hung by his toes from a trapeze, upside down, just as bunny was hanging, with his head pointing toward the ground, and his feet near the top of the tent. but of course the circus man was used to it, and it did not hurt his head as it did bunny's. "hurry, sue!" begged the little boy. "all right. i'll get grandpa," sue cried, as she ran off toward the tree where grandpa brown was picking peaches. "oh, grandpa!" cried the little girl. "come--come hurry up. bunny--bunny--he----" sue was so out of breath, from having run so fast, and from trying to talk so fast, that she could hardly speak. but grandpa brown knew something was the matter. "what is it, sue?" he asked. "what has happened to bunny? did a bee sting him?" "no, grandpa. but he--he's like the circus man, only he says he isn't playin' he is a circus. he's upside down in the tree, and he's a wigglin' an' a wogglin' an' he can't get down, an' his face is all red an' he wants you, an'--an'----" "my goodness me!" exclaimed grandpa brown, setting on the ground his basket, now half full of peaches. "what is that boy up to now?" for bunny brown, and often his sister sue, did get into all sorts of mischief, though they did not always mean to do so. "what has bunny done now, i wonder?" asked grandpa. "he--he couldn't help it," said sue. "he slipped when he went up the tree, and now he's swinging by his legs just like the man in the circus, only bunny says he isn't." "he isn't what?" asked grandpa brown, as he hurried along, taking hold of sue's hand. "what isn't he, sue? i never did see such children!" and grandpa brown shook his head. "bunny says he isn't the man in the circus," explained sue. "no, i shouldn't think he would be a man in the circus," said grandpa. "he _looks_ just like a circus man, though," insisted sue. "but he says he isn't playin' that game." sue shook her head. she did not know what it all meant, nor why bunny was hanging in such a queer way. but grandpa brown would make it all right. sue was sure of that. "there he is! there's bunny upside down!" cried sue, pointing to the tree in which bunny was hanging by his feet. "oh, my!" cried grandpa brown. then he ran forward, took bunny in his arms, and raised him up. this lifted bunny's feet free from the tree branches, between which they were caught, and then grandpa brown turned the little boy right side up, and set him down on his feet. "there you are, bunny!" cried grandpa. "but how did it happen? were you trying to be a circus, all by yourself?" "n--n--no," stammered bunny, for he could hardly get his breath yet. "i--i slipped down when i was reaching for a big, red peach for sue. but i didn't slip all the way, for my feets caught in the tree." "well, it's a good thing they did, or you might have been hurt worse than you were," said grandpa brown. "but i guess you're not hurt much now; are you?" bunny looked down at his feet. then he felt of his own arms and legs. he took a long breath. his face was not so red now. "i--i guess i'm all right," he answered, at last. "well, don't climb any more trees," said grandpa brown. "you are too little." bunny thought he was quite a big boy, but of course grandpa knew what was right. "i--i won't climb any more _peach_ trees," said bunny brown. "no, nor any other kind!" exclaimed his grandfather. "just keep out of trees. little boys and girls are safest on the ground. but now you had better come over where i can keep my eyes on you. i have my basket nearly filled. we'll very soon go back to the house." bunny brown was all right now. so he and sue went over to the tree where grandpa was picking. they helped to fill the basket, for some of the peaches grew on branches so close to the ground that the children could reach up and pick them without any trouble. bunny brown and his sister sue had been on grandpa's farm since early summer. those of you who have read the first book in this series do not need to be told who the children are. but there are some who may want to hear a little about them. in the first book, named "bunny brown and his sister sue," i told you how the children, with their father and mother, lived in the town of bellemere, on sandport bay, near the ocean. mr. brown was in the boat business, and many fishermen hired boats from him. aunt lu came from new york to visit mrs. brown, the mother of bunny and sue, and while on her visit aunt lu lost her diamond ring. bunny found it in an awfully funny way, when he was playing he was mr. punch, in the punch and judy show. in the second book, "bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm," i told you how the brown family went to the country in a big automobile, in which they lived just as gypsies do. they even slept in the big automobile van. and when bunny and sue reached grandpa's farm, after a two days' trip, what fun they had! you may read all about it in the book. and bunny and sue did more than just have fun. the children helped find grandpa's horses, that had been taken away by the gypsies. the horses were found at the circus, where bunny and sue went to see the elephants, tigers, lions, camels and ponies. they also saw the men swinging on the trapeze, high up in the big tent. bunny brown and his sister sue always wanted to be doing something. if it was not one thing it was another. they often got lost, though they did not mean to. sometimes their dog splash would find them. splash was a fine dog. he pulled sue out of the water once, and she called him splash because he "splashed" in so bravely to get her. in bellemere, where bunny and sue lived, they had many friends. every one in town loved the children. even wango, the queer monkey pet of mr. winkler, the old sailor, liked bunny and sue. but they had not seen wango for some time now; not since coming to the farm in the country. they had seen a trained bear, which a man led around by a string. the bear climbed a telegraph pole, and did other tricks. bunny and sue thought he was very funny. but they did not like him as much as they did the cunning little monkey at home in bellemere. carrying the basket of peaches on his arm, and leading the children, grandpa brown walked back to the house. mrs. brown, the mother of bunny and sue, watched them come up the walk. "oh, sue!" cried her mother. "look at your dress! what did you spill on it?" "i--i guess it's peach juice, mother. it dripped all over. but bunny hung upside down in the tree, just like the man in the circus, only he wasn't." i guess sue was glad to talk about something else beside the peach juice stains on her dress. "what--what happened?" asked mother brown, looking at grandpa. "did bunny----?" "that's right," he said, laughing. "bunny was hanging, upside down, in a tree. but he wasn't hurt, and i soon lifted him down." "oh, what will those children do next?" asked their mother. "i--i didn't mean to do it," said bunny. "it--it just--happened. i--i couldn't help it." "no, i suppose not," said his mother. "but you must go and wash now. sue, i'll put a clean dress on you, and then i'll see if i can get the peach stains off this one. you ought to have on an old apron." a little later, bunny and sue, now nice and clean, were sitting on the side porch. it was almost time for supper. "bunny," asked sue, "did it hurt when you were playin' you were a circus man only you weren't?" "no, it didn't exactly _hurt_," he said slowly. "but it felt funny. did i really look like a circus man, sue?" "yep. just like one. only, of course, you didn't have any nice pink suit on, with spangles and silver and gold." "oh, no, of course not," agreed bunny. "but did i swing by my feet?" "yes, bunny, you did." for a moment the little chap said nothing. then he cried out: "oh, sue! i know what let's do!" "what?" "let's have a circus! it will be lots of fun! we'll get up a circus all by ourselves! will you help me make a circus?" chapter iii the poor old hen sue looked at bunny with widely-opened eyes. then she clapped her hands. sue always did that when she felt happy, and she felt that way now. "oh, bunny!" she cried. "a circus? a real circus?" "well, of course not a _real_, big one, with lions and tigers and all that," said the little boy. "we couldn't get elephants and camels and bears. but maybe grandpa would let us take his two horses, that he got back from the gypsies. they have lots of horses in the circus." "i'd be afraid to ride on a horse," objected sue, shaking her head. "you wouldn't if bunker blue held you on; would you?" "no, maybe not then." "well, we'll get bunker blue to hold us on the horse's back," said bunny. bunker blue was a big, red-haired boy--almost a man--and he worked for mr. brown. bunker was very fond of bunny and sue. bunker had steered the big automobile in which the brown family came to grandpa's farm, and he was still staying in the country. "do you think we could really get up a circus?" asked sue, after thinking about what bunny had said. "of course we can," answered the little boy. "didn't we get up a punch and judy show, when i found aunt lu's diamond ring?" "yes, but that wasn't as big as a circus." "well, we need only have a little circus show, sue." "where could we have it, bunny?" the little boy thought for a moment. "in grandpa's barn," he answered. "there's lots of room. it would be just fine." "would you and me be all the circus, bunny?" "oh, no. we'd get some of the other boys and girls. we could get tom white, nellie bruce, jimmie kenny, sallie smith and ned johnson. they'd be glad to play circus." "yes, i guess they would," said sue. "it will be lots of fun. but what can we do, bunny? you haven't any lobster claw to play mr. punch now, 'cause it's broke." "no, we don't want to give a punch and judy show, sue. we want to make this just like a circus, with trapezes and wild animals and----" "but you said we couldn't have any lions or tigers, bunny. 'sides, i'd be afraid of them," and sue looked over her shoulder as if, even then, an elephant might be reaching out his trunk toward her for some peanuts. "oh, of course we couldn't have any real wild animals," said bunny. "what kind, then?" sue wanted to know. "make believe kind. i could put some stripes on splash, and make believe our dog was a tiger, sue." "how could you put stripes on him, bunny?" "with paint." "no!" cried sue, shaking her head. "splash is half my dog, and i don't want him all painted up. you sha'n't do it, bunny brown!" "all right, then. i'll only paint _my_ half of splash," said the little boy. "_my_ half can be a striped tiger, and _your_ half can be just a plain dog." "that would be a funny wild animal," sue said. "a half tiger and half dog." "lots of folks would like to see an animal like that," bunny said. "i'll just stripe my half of splash, and leave your half plain, sue." "all right. but is you only going to have one wild make-believe animal, bunny?" "no, ned johnson has a dog. we can make a lion out of him." "but ned's dog hasn't any tail," said sue. "i mean he has only a little baby tail, like a rabbit. lions always have tails with tassels on the end." "well," said bunny, slowly. "we could make believe this lion had his tail bit off by an elephant." "oh, yes," said sue. "or else maybe i could tie a cloth tail on ned's dog," went on bunny. "and lions have manes, too. that's a lot of hair on their neck, like a horse," went on sue. "well, we could take some carpenter shavings and tie them on ned's dog's neck," said bunny. "we could make believe that was the lion's mane." "yes," agreed sue, "we could do that. oh, i think a circus is nice, bunny. but what else can we have besides the wild animals?" "oh, i can make a trapeze from the clothes-line and a broom handle. i could hang by my feet from the trapeze." "oh, bunny! wouldn't you be afraid?" "pooh! no! didn't i hang in the tree? and i was only a little scared then. i'll get on the trapeze all right." "and what can i do, bunny?" "oh, you can ride a horse when bunker blue holds you on. we'll get mother to make you a blue dress out of mosquito netting, and you can have a ribbon in your hair, like a real circus lady." "oh, bunny, do you s'pose mother will let us have the circus?" "i guess so. we'll tell her about it, anyhow. but we'll have to get some other boys and girls to help us. and we'll have to make a cage to keep splash in. he's going to be the wild tiger, you know." "oh, but i don't want splash shut up in a cage!" cried sue. "i sha'n't let you put my half of him in a cage! and i do own half of him, right down the middle; half his tail is mine, too. you can't put my half of him in any old cage!" bunny did not know what to say. it was easy enough to put make-believe tiger stripes on one side, or on half a dog, but it was very hard to put half a dog in a cage, and leave the other half outside. bunny did not see how it could be done. "oh, it won't hurt splash," said the little boy. "come on, sue. please let me put your half with my half of splash in a cage." "no, sir! bunny brown! i won't do it! you can't put my half of splash in a cage. he won't like it." "but, sue, it's only a make-believe cage, just as he's a make-believe tiger." "oh, well, if it's only a make-believe cage, then, i don't care. but you mustn't hurt him, and you can't put any paint stripes on my half." "no, i won't, sue. now let's go out to the barn and look to see where we can put up the trapezes and rings and things like that, and where i can hang by my feet and by my hands." "oh, bunny! are you going to do that?" "sure!" cried the little boy, as though it was as easy as eating a piece of strawberry shortcake. "you just watch me, sue." "well, i don't want to do that," said sue. "i'm just going to be a pretty lady and ride a white horse." "but grandpa hasn't any white horses, sue. they're brown." "well, i can sprinkle some talcum powder on a brown horse and make him white," said the little girl. "can't i?" "oh, yes!" cried bunny. "that will be fine! but it will take an awful lot of talcum powder to make a big horse all white, sue." "well, i'll just make him spotted white then. i've got some talcum powder of my own, and it smells awful good. i guess a horse would like it; don't you, bunny?" "i guess so, sue. but come out to the barn." grandpa brown had two barns on his farm. one was where the horses and cows were kept, and the other held wagons, carriages and machinery. it was in the horse-barn where the children went--the barn where there were big piles of sweet-smelling hay. "i can fall on the hay, 'stead of falling in a net, like the circus men do," said bunny. "anyhow, we haven't any circus net," suggested sue. "no," agreed bunny. "but the hay is just as bouncy. i'm going to jump in it!" he climbed up on the edge of the hay-mow, or place where the hay is kept, and jumped into the dried grass. for hay is just dried grass, you know. down into the hay bounced bunny, and sue bounced after him. the children jumped up and down in the hay, laughing and shouting. then they played around the barn, trying to pretend that they were already having the circus in it. "oh, it will be such fun!" cried sue. "jolly!" cried bunny. "let's go and ask mother now," said sue. the children started for the house. on the way they had to pass a little pond of water. on the edge of it stood a hen, clucking and making a great fuss. she would run toward the water and then come back again, without getting her feet wet. "oh, the poor old hen!" cried sue. "what's the matter? oh, see, bunny! all her little chickens are in the water. oh, bunny! we must get them out for her. oh, you poor old hen!" chapter iv a strange boy bunny brown and his sister sue stood on the shore of the little pond, looking at the old hen, who was fluttering up and down, very much excited, clucking and calling as loudly as she could. and, paddling up and down in the water in front of her, where the hen dared not go, for chickens don't like to get wet you know, paddling up and down in front of the hen were some soft, fluffy little balls of downy feathers. "oh, her chickens will all be drowned!" cried sue. "we must get them out, bunny. take off your shoes and stockings and wade in. i'll help you save the little chickens for the poor old hen." sue sat down on the ground, and began to take off her shoes. bunny began to laugh. "why, what--what's the matter?" asked sue, and she seemed rather surprised at bunny's laughter. "don't you want to save the little chicks for the hen?" sue went on. "maybe somebody threw them in the water, or maybe they fell in." "those aren't little chickens, sue!" exclaimed bunny, still laughing. "not chickens? they aren't? then what are they?" "little ducks! that's the reason they went into the water. they know how to swim when they're just hatched out of the eggs. they won't get drowned." sue did not know what to say. she had never before seen any baby ducks, and, at first, they did look like newly hatched chickens. but as she watched them she saw they were swimming about, and, as one little baby duck waddled out on the shore, sue could see the webbed feet, which were not at all like the claws of a chicken. "but bunny--bunny--if they're little ducks and it doesn't hurt them to go in the water, what makes the old hen so afraid?" sue asked. "i--i guess she thinks they are chickens. she doesn't know they are ducks and can swim," said bunny. "i guess that's it, sue." "ha! ha! yes, that's it!" a voice exclaimed behind bunny and sue. they looked around to see their grandpa brown looking at them and laughing. "the old hen doesn't know what to make of her little family going in swimming," he went on. "you see, we put ducks' eggs under a hen to hatch, bunny and sue. a hen can hatch any kind of eggs." "can a hen hatch ockstritches' eggs?" sue wanted to know. "well, maybe not the eggs of an ostrich," answered grandpa brown. "i guess a hen could only cover one of those at a time. but a hen can hatch ducks' or turkeys' eggs as well as her own kind." "so as we don't always have a duck that wants to hatch out little ones, we put the ducks' eggs under a hen. and every time, as soon as the little ducks find water, after they are hatched, they go in for a swim, just as if they had a duck for a mother instead of a hen. "and, of course, the mother hen thinks she has little chickens, for at first she can't tell the little ducks from chickens. and when they go into the water she thinks, just as you did, sue, that they will be drowned. so she makes a great fuss. but she soon gets over it." "i guess she's over it now," said bunny. indeed, the old mother hen was not clucking so loudly now, nor was she rushing up and down on the shore of the pond with her wings all fluffed up. she seemed to know that the little family she had hatched out, even if they were not like any others she had taken care of, were all right, and very nice. and she seemed to think that for them to go in the water was all right, too. as for the little ducklings, they paddled about, and quacked and whistled (as baby ducks always do) and had a perfectly lovely time. the old mother hen stood on the bank and watched them. pretty soon the ducks had had enough of swimming, and they came out on dry land, waddling from side to side in the funny way ducks do when they walk. "oh! how glad the old hen is to see them safe on shore again!" cried sue. and, indeed, the mother hen did seem glad to have her family with her once more. she clucked over them, and tried to hover them under her warm wings, thinking, maybe, that she would dry them after their bath. but ducks' feathers do not get wet in the water the way the feathers of chickens do, for ducks feathers have a sort of oil in them. so the little ducks did not need to get dry. they ran about in the sun, quacking in their baby voices, and the mother hen followed them about, clucking and scratching in the gravel to dig up things for them to eat. "they'll be all right now," said grandpa brown. "the next time the little ducks go into the water the old hen mother won't be at all frightened, for she will know it is all right. this always happens when we let a chicken hatch out ducks' eggs." "and i thought the little chickens were drowning!" laughed sue, as she put on her shoes again. "well, that's just what the mother hen thought," said grandpa brown. "but what have you children been doing?" "getting ready for a circus," answered bunny brown. "a circus!" exclaimed grandpa, in surprise. "yes," explained sue. "bunny is going to get a trapeze, and fall down in the hay, where it doesn't hurt. and he's going to paint his half of our dog splash, so splash will look like a tiger, and we're going to have a horse, and bunker blue is going to hold me on so i can ride and--and----" but that was all sue could think of just then. grandpa brown looked surprised and, taking off his straw hat, scratched his head, as he always did when thinking. "going to have a circus; eh? well, where abouts?" "in your barn," said bunny. "that is, if you'll let us." grandpa brown thought for a little while. "well," he said slowly, "i guess i don't mind. i s'pose it's only a make-believe circus; isn't it?" "yes," answered bunny. "just pretend." "oh, well, go ahead. have all the fun you like, but don't get hurt. are you two going to be the whole circus?" "oh, no!" exclaimed bunny. "we're going to have tom white and ned johnson----" "and nellie bruce and sallie smith," added sue. "all the children around here; eh?" asked grandpa. "well, have a good time. i used to have a trained dog once. he would do finely for your circus." "what could he do?" bunny wanted to know. "oh, he could pretend to say his prayers, make believe he was dead, he could turn somersaults and climb a ladder." "oh, if we only had him for our circus!" cried bunny. "where is that dog now, grandpa?" asked sue. "oh, he died a good many years ago. but i guess you can get your dog splash to do some tricks. have a good time, but don't get into mischief." "we won't!" promised bunny brown and his sister sue. and they really meant what they said. but you just wait and see what happens. the rest of that day bunny and sue talked about the circus they were going to have. grandma brown, as well as father and mother brown, said she did not mind if a circus was held in the barn, but she wanted bunny to be careful about going on the trapeze. "oh, if i fall i'll fall in the hay," said the little fellow with a laugh. "and what are you going to use to put stripes on your half of splash?" asked his mother. "paint, i guess," said bunny. "oh, no. paint would spoil splash's nice, fluffy hair. i'll mix you up some starch and water, with a little bluing in, that will easily wash off," promised mother brown. "blue stripes!" cried bunny. "a tiger doesn't have blue stripes, and my half of splash is going to be a tiger." "you can pretend he is a new sort of tiger," said grandma brown, and bunny was satisfied with that. that afternoon bunny and sue went to the homes of the neighboring children to tell them about the circus. nearly all the children said they would come, and take part in the show in the barn. "oh, we'll have a fine circus!" cried bunny brown that night when they were all sitting on the porch to cool off, for it was quite hot. "yes, i guess we'll all have to come and see you act," said daddy brown. "hark! what's that?" suddenly asked grandma brown. they all listened, and heard some one knocking at the back door. "i'll go and look," said grandpa. "maybe it's a tramp. there have been some around lately." bunny and sue thought of the tramps who had taken the big cocoanut-custard cake, about which i told you in the book before this one. perhaps those tramps had gotten out of jail and had come to get more cake. bunny and sue sat close to mother and father while grandpa went around the corner of the house to see who was knocking at the back door. they all heard grandpa speaking to some one. and the answers came in a boy's voice. "what do you want?" asked grandpa. "if--if you please," said the strange boy's voice, "i--i'm very hungry. i haven't had any dinner or supper. i'm willing to do any work you want, for something to eat. i--i----" and then it sounded as though the strange boy were crying. "that isn't a tramp!" exclaimed grandma brown, getting up. "it's just a hungry boy. i'm going to feed him." they all followed grandma brown around to the back stoop. there was a light in the kitchen, and by it bunny and sue could see a boy, not quite as big as bunker blue, standing beside grandpa. the boy had on clothes that were dusty, and somewhat torn. but the boy's face and hands were clean, and he had bright eyes that, just now, seemed filled with tears. "what is it?" asked grandma brown. "it's a hungry boy, mother. a strange, hungry boy!" said grandpa. "i guess we'll have to feed him, and then we'll have him tell us his story." chapter v something queer "come right in and sit down!" was grandma brown's invitation. and she said it in such a kind, pleasant voice that the strange boy looked around as though she were speaking to some one who had come up behind him, that he could not see. "come right in, and get something to eat," went on the children's grandmother. "do you--do you mean _me_?" asked the strange boy. "why, yes. who else do you s'pose she meant?" asked grandpa brown. "i--i didn't know, sir. you see i--i'm not used to being invited into places that way. i thought maybe you didn't mean it." "mean it? of course i mean it!" said grandma brown. "you're hungry; aren't you?" asked grandpa brown. "hungry. oh, sir--i--i haven't had anything since breakfast, and then it was only a green apple and some berries i picked." "land sakes!" cried grandma brown. "why didn't you go up to the first house you came to and ask for a meal?" "i--i didn't like to, ma'am. i thought maybe they'd set the dog on me, thinking i was a tramp." by this time splash, the big pet dog, had come around the path. the strange boy looked around as though getting ready to run. "he won't hurt you," said bunny quickly. "splash is a good dog." splash went up to the strange boy, rubbed his cold, wet nose on the boy's legs, and then splash began to wag his tail. "see, he likes you," said sue. "he's going to be in our show; splash is. he's going to be half a blue-striped tiger when we have our circus." "circus!" cried the strange boy. "is--is there a circus around here?" and he seemed much surprised, even frightened, bunny thought afterward. "no, there isn't any circus," said grandpa brown. "it's only a make-believe one the children are getting up. but we musn't keep you standing here talking when you're half starved. get him something to eat, mother. the idea of being afraid to go to a house and ask for something!" said grandpa brown, in a low voice. "that shows he isn't a regular tramp; doesn't it?" asked mother brown. "i should say so--yes," answered grandpa. "but there is something queer about that boy." by this time grandmother brown had gone into the kitchen. she told the strange boy to follow her, and soon she had set out in front of him some bread and butter, a plate of cold meat and a big bowl of cool, rich, creamy milk. "now you just eat all you want," said grandma brown, kindly. bunny and sue had come out into the kitchen, and they now stood staring at the strange boy. he had a pleasant face, though, just now, it looked pale, and all pinched up from hunger, like a rubber ball that hasn't any air in it. the boy looked around the kitchen, as though he did not know just what to do. in his hand he held a ragged cap he had taken off his head when he came in. "did you want something?" asked grandma brown. "i--i was looking for a place to hang my hat. and then i'd like to wash. i'm all dust and dirt." grandma brown smiled. she was pleased--bunny and sue could see that--for grandma brown liked clean and neat boys and girls who hung up their hats and bonnets, and washed their faces and hands, without being told to do so. "hang your cap over on that nail," said grandpa brown, pointing to one behind the stove. "and you can wash at the sink to-night. now you two tots had better go to bed!" grandpa went on, as he saw bunny and sue standing with their backs against the wall, watching the strange boy. "we--we want to stay and see him eat," objected sue. the boy smiled, and mrs. brown laughed. "this isn't a circus, where you watch the animals eat," she said. "you come along with me, and, when this young man has finished his supper, you can see him again." "oh, but--if you please--you're very good. but after i eat this nice meal i'll--i'll be going on," said the boy. "no you'll not!" said grandpa brown. "you'll just stay here all night. we can put you up. i think it's going to storm. you don't want to be out in the rain?" "oh, that's very good of you," the boy said, "but i don't want to be a trouble to you." "it won't be any trouble," grandpa brown said. then he went out of the kitchen with mother brown, bunny and sue, leaving grandma brown to wait on the strange boy. splash stayed in the kitchen too. perhaps the big dog was hungry himself. "that boy isn't a regular tramp," said grandpa brown. "but there is something queer about him. he seems afraid. i must have a talk with him after he eats." "he seems nice and neat," said mother brown. "yes, he's clean. i like him for that. well, we'll soon find out what he has to tell me." but the boy did not seem to want to talk much about himself, when grandpa brown began asking questions, after the meal. "you have run away; haven't you?" grandpa brown asked. "yes--yes, sir, i did run away." "from home?" "no, i haven't had any home, that i can remember. i didn't run away from home. i was working." "on a farm?" "no, sir. i didn't work on a farm." "where was it then?" "i--i'd rather not tell," the boy said, looking around him as though he thought some one might be after him. "look here!" said grandpa brown. "you haven't been a bad boy; have you?" "no--no, sir. i've tried to be good. but the--the people i worked for made it hard for me. they wanted me to do things i couldn't, and they beat me and didn't give me enough to eat. so i just ran away. they may come after me--that's why i don't want to tell you. if you don't know where i ran from, you won't know what to tell them if they come after me. but i'll go now." the boy got up from the table, as though to go out into the night. it was raining now. "no, i won't let you go," said grandpa brown. "and i won't give you up to the people who beat you. i'll look into this. you can stay here to-night. you can sleep in the room with bunker blue. he'll look after you. now i hope you have been telling me the truth!" "oh, yes, sir. it's all true. i did work for--for some people, and they half starved me and made me work very hard. i just had to run away, and i hope they don't catch me and take me back." "well, i hope so, too," grandpa brown said. "i can't imagine what sort of work you did. you don't look very strong." "i'm not. but i didn't have to be so very strong." "not strong enough to work on a farm, i guess." "oh, i'm strong enough for that--yes, sir! feel my muscle!" and the boy bent up his arm. grandpa brown put his hand on it. "yes, you have some muscle," he said. "well, maybe you will be all right. anyhow you'll be better off for a good night's sleep. i'll call bunker and have him look after you." the strange boy, who said his name was ben hall, went up stairs with bunker blue to go to bed. bunny and sue were also taken off to their little beds. "well, what do you think of the new boy?" bunny heard his father ask of grandpa brown, just before the lights were put out for the night. "well, i think there's something queer about him," grandpa brown said. "i'd like to know where he was working before he came here. but i'll ask him again to-morrow. he seems like a nice, clean boy. but he certainly is queer!" chapter vi ben hall helps early the next morning bunny and sue jumped out of bed, and ran down stairs in their bath robes. out into the kitchen they hurried, where they could hear their grandmother singing. "where is he?" asked bunny, eagerly. "did he have his breakfast?" sue wanted to know. "who?" asked grandma brown. "what are you children talking about? and why aren't you dressed?" "we just got up," bunny explained, "and we came down stairs right away. where is ben hall?" "did he go away?" asked sue, and she looked all around the kitchen. "bless your hearts!" exclaimed grandma brown. "you mean the strange, hungry boy, who came last night? oh, he's up long ago!" "did he go away?" asked sue. "i hope he didn't," cried bunny. "i like him, and i hope he'll stay here and play with us. he could help us with the circus." "did he go away?" asked sue again, anxiously. "oh, no," grandma brown answered. "he went out to help bunker blue feed the chickens and the cows and horses. he is very willing to work, ben is." "is grandpa going to keep him?" bunny asked. "for a while, yes," said his grandmother. "the poor boy has no home, and no place to go. where he ran away from he won't tell, but he seems badly frightened. so we are going to take care of him for a little while, and he is going to help around the farm. there are many errands and chores to do, and a good boy is always useful." "i'm glad he's going to stay," said bunny. "so'm i," added sue. "maybe he can make boats, bunny, and a water wheel that we can fix to turn around at a waterfall." "maybe," agreed bunny. "where is ben, grandma?" "oh, now he's out in the barn, somewhere, i expect. but you two tots must get dressed and have your breakfast. then you can go out and play." "we'll find ben," said bunny. "yes," agreed sue. "we'll have two boys to play with now--ben and bunker blue." "oh, you two children mustn't expect the big boys to play with you all the while," said grandma brown. "they have to work." "but they can play with us sometimes; can't they, grandma?" asked bunny. "oh, yes, sometimes." a little later the two children, having had their breakfast, ran to the barn, to look for ben and bunker. they found them leading the horses out to the big drinking trough in front. the trough was filled from a spring, back of the barn, the water running through a pipe. "oh, bunker, give me a ride on major's back!" cried sue, as she saw her father's red-haired helper leading the old brown horse. "put me on his back, bunker!" "all right, sue! come along. whoa, there, major!" major stood still, for he was very gentle. bunker lifted sue up on the animal's broad back, and held her there while he led the horse to the drinking trough. "do you want a ride, too?" asked ben hall of bunny. "yes," answered the little boy. "here you go then. we'll both ride this horse to water." ben hall did a strange thing. all at once he jumped up in the air, and before bunny or sue knew what he was doing the strange boy was sitting on the back of prince, the other horse. he had jumped up as easily as a bouncing, rubber ball. "now then, come over here, and i'll lift you up in front of me!" called ben to bunny, and soon the little fellow was sitting on the back of prince, while ben guided him to the drinking trough. "say, that's a good way to get up on a horse's back, ben!" called bunker blue, who had seen what ben had done. "where did you learn that trick of jumping up?" "oh, i--i just sort of learned it--that's all. it's easy when you practise it." "well, i'm going to practise then," said bunker. "i'd like to learn to jump on a horse's back the way you did." when the horses had had their water bunker lifted sue down from the back of major. "but i want to ride back to the barn," the little girl said. "and in a minute so you shall," promised bunker. "only, just now, i want to see if i can jump up the way ben did." bunker tried it, but he nearly fell. "i can't do it," he said. "it looks easy, but it's hard. you must have had to practise a good while, ben." "yes, i did." "how long?" "oh, about five years!" bunker blue whistled in surprise. "five years!" he cried. "i'll never be able to do that. let me see once more how you do it." ben lifted bunny down, and once more the strange boy leaped with one jump upon the back of the horse. "why, he does it just like the men in the circus!" exclaimed sue. "oh, bunny, ben will make a good jumper in our circus." "yes," agreed the little boy. "do you think, ben, you could show me how to get on a horse's back that way?" bunny asked. "well, i'm afraid not--not such a little boy as you," answered ben, as he lifted bunny up on prince's back once more for the ride to the barn. the horses were tied in their stalls again, after bunny and sue had been lifted from the backs of the animals. then bunny said: "you are going to stay here and help work on the farm, ben. my grandmother said so. and, if you are, will you come out and look at the barn where we are going to have our circus? maybe you and bunker can help us put up the trapeze." "not now, bunny boy," said bunker. "we have to go and pull weeds out of the garden. we'll look at the barn right after dinner." and this ben and bunker did. bunny and sue showed ben the mow, and the pile of hay, into which the trapeze performers were to fall, instead of into nets. "so they won't get hurt," bunny explained. "we haven't any nets, anyhow." "do you think we could have a circus here?" sue wanted to know. "why, i should think so," ben answered, looking up toward the roof of the barn. "yes, you could have a good make-believe circus here." "will you help?" asked bunny eagerly. ben hall laughed, and looked at bunny and sue in a queer sort of way. "what makes you think i can help you make a play-circus?" he asked. "oh, i guess you can, all right," spoke up bunker blue. "i guess you know more about a circus than you let us think. don't you now?" "oh, well, i've seen 'em," said ben, slowly. "and the way you jumped on the horse--why, you must have been watching pretty hard to see just how to do that," bunker went on. "i've seen lots of circuses, but i can't jump up the way you can, ben." "then he can ride a horse in our circus," said sue. "can you hang on a trapeze?" asked bunny. "well, maybe," the new boy answered. "but you haven't any trapeze here, have you?" "we can make one, out of a broom stick and some clothes line," said bunny. "i've got 'em all ready," and he showed where he had put, in a hole in the hay, the rope and stick. "good! that's the idea!" exclaimed ben hall. "now i'll just climb up to the roof beams, and fasten the rope of the trapeze." up climbed ben, and he was making fast the ropes, when, all at once bunny, sue and bunker blue, who were watching the strange boy, saw him suddenly slip off the beam on which he was standing. "oh, poor ben!" sighed sue. "he's going to get an awful hard bump, so he is!" chapter vii bunny has a fall down and down, from the big beam near the top of the barn, fell ben hall. and, as bunny brown and his sister sue watched the new, strange boy, something queer happened. for, instead of falling straight down, head first or feet first as you would think any one ought to fall, ben began turning over and over. over and over he turned, first his feet and then his head and then his back being pointed toward the pile of hay on the bottom of the barn floor. "oh, look! look!" cried sue. "what--what makes him do that?" asked bunny brown. "i guess he wants to," answered bunker blue. bunny and his sister thought they were going to be frightened when they saw ben slip and fall. but when the children saw bunker blue laughing they smiled too. it was queer to see ben turning over and over in that funny way. "i guess he likes to do it," said bunker. "whoop-la!" yelled ben as he came somersaulting down, for that is what he was doing; turning one somersault after another, over and over in the air as he fell. and then, in a few seconds, he landed safely on his feet in a soft pile of hay, so he wasn't hurt a bit. "oh!" exclaimed sue. "oh my!" cried bunny brown. "say, that was fine!" shouted bunker blue. "how did you do it?" "oh, i--i just did it," answered ben, slowly, for he was a little out of breath. "i slipped, and when i found i was going to fall, i began to turn somersaults to make it easier coming down." "i should think it would be harder," said bunny brown. "not when you know how," answered ben, smiling. "where'd you learn how?" bunker wanted to know. "oh, a man--a man showed me how," returned ben. "but never mind about that now. i must fasten the rope to the beam, and then we'll fix the trapeze so bunny can do some circus acts on it." "but not high up!" cried sue. "you won't go on a high trapeze, will you, bunny?" "not very high," he answered. "but i would like to turn somersaults in the air like you, ben. will you show me how?" "some day, when you get bigger. you're too small now." "i wouldn't want to turn somersaults," said sue, shaking her head. "they aren't for girls, anyhow," flung forth bunny. bunker blue looked at ben sharply. "i think i can guess where you learned to turn those somersaults in the air," said the boat-boy. "it was in a--" "hush! don't tell any one!" whispered ben quickly. "i'll tell you all about it after a while. now help me put up the trapeze." bunny heard what ben and bunker said, but he did not think much about it then. the little boy was looking up to see from what a height ben had fallen, and bunny was wondering what he would ever do if he tumbled down so far. bunker and ben climbed the ladder to the beam far above the hay pile, and soon they had fastened up the ropes of the trapeze. they pulled hard on them to make sure they were strong enough, so bunny would not have a fall. then the piece of broom handle was tied on the two lower ends of the ropes, and the trapeze was finished. "now you can try it, bunny," said bunker, after he had swung on the trapeze for a few times to make sure it was safe. bunny walked across the barn floor where some hay had been spread to make a sort of cushion. "we'll use hay, instead of a net as they do in a circus," bunny said. "anyhow we haven't got any net," put in sue. "we can make believe the hay is a new kind," said her brother. bunny hung by his hands from the wooden bar of the trapeze, just as he had seen the men do in the circus. then he began to swing slowly back and forth. "oh, bunny!" cried sue. "that's fine. now turn yourself inside out, like the circus man did." "no, bunny can't do that yet," said ben. "he must first do easy things on the trapeze. turning yourself inside out is too hard. bunny is not strong enough for those tricks." to and fro swung bunny, but soon his arms began to get tired. "i--i want to get down!" he called. "stop the swing--i mean the trapeze," for the trapeze was very much like a swing, as i have told you, only, instead of a board, it had only a stick to which the little boy was holding by his hands. "i want to get down," bunny called. "stop me, bunker." "let go and jump," advised ben. "oh, i--i'm afraid," said bunny. "you won't get hurt!" exclaimed the older boy. "you must learn to jump from the trapeze into the soft hay. that's what they do in a circus. jump while you're swinging. you won't get hurt." "are you sure, ben?" "sure. give a jump now, and see what happens." bunny wanted to do some of the things he had seen the circus men do, and one of them was jumping from the trapeze. the little boy looked down at the pile of hay below him. it seemed nice and soft, but it also looked to be a good distance off. "come on, bunny, jump!" called bunker. "all right. here i come!" bunny let go of the trapeze bar. he shot through the air, and, for a second or two, he was afraid he was going to be hurt. but, the next thing he knew, he had landed feet first on a soft pile of hay and he wasn't hurt a bit! "good!" cried bunker blue. "you did that well!" said ben hall. "just like in a circus," added sue. "did i do it good?" asked bunny brown. "you surely did. for the first time it was very good for such a small boy," answered ben. "now try again." "oh, i like it!" bunny cried. "i'm going to do it lots and lots of times, and then i'm going to turn somersaults." "well, not right away," advised ben. "try the easy part for a while yet." bunny swung on the trapeze some more, and dropped into the soft hay. he was not at all afraid now, and each time he did it he liked it more and more. sue, also, wanted to try it, and so she hung by her little hands. but bunker blue put his strong arms under her so, in case she slipped, she would be caught. sue did not swing on the trapeze, nor jump, as bunny had done. bunker and ben put up more trapezes in the barn--big ones for themselves. ben could swing and turn somersaults and drop off into the hay from away up near the roof of the barn. bunker could not do quite as well as this, but, for all that, he was pretty good. "will you two act in our circus?" asked bunny of bunker and ben. "why, yes, i guess i will, if your grandfather lets me stay here on this nice farm," ben answered. "oh, he'll let you stay," bunny said. "i'll tell him we want you in our circus." "all right," laughed ben. "bunker and i will practise some trapeze acts for your show." for a little while longer bunny and sue played about in the barn. bunny found an old strawberry crate, with a cover on. "this will make a wild animal cage," he said. "the slats are just like the bars of a cage, and the animal can look through." "what wild animal will you put in there?" asked bunker. "oh, i guess i'll put in splash. he is going to be half a blue striped tiger." "no! no!" cried sue. "that crate isn't big enough for splash. you'll squash him all up. i'm not going to have my half of splash all squashed up, bunny brown!" "well, then i'll get a bigger cage for splash. we can get a little dog, and put him in here." two or three days after this bunny and sue again went out to the barn to look at the circus trapezes, and play. bunker blue and ben were not with them this time, as the two older boys were weeding the garden for grandpa brown. bunny swung on his little, low trapeze, and then, after he had jumped off into the hay as ben had taught him, the little fellow began climbing the ladder to the beam on which was fastened the big and high trapeze. "oh, bunny! where you going?" asked sue. "up here. i want to see how high it looks." "oh, bunny brown! you come right down, or i'll go and tell mamma! she said you weren't to climb up high." "i--i'm not going very high, sue." bunny was half way up the ladder. and, just as he spoke to sue, his foot slipped, and down he fell, in between two rounds of the ladder. "oh! oh!" cried sue. "oh, bunny! you're going to fall!" but bunny did not fall all the way. as he slipped, his hands caught hold of a round of the ladder, and there he clung, just as if he had hold of the bar of his swinging trapeze. chapter viii the doll in the well bunny brown hung there on the ladder, swinging to and fro. on the barn floor below him, stood his sister sue, watching, and almost ready to cry, for sue was afraid bunny would fall. "oh, bunny! bunny!" she exclaimed. "don't fall! don't fall!" "i--i can't help it," bunny answered. "my fingers are slipping off!" and indeed they were. he could not hold to the big round stick of the ladder as well as he could to the smaller broom-handle stick of his trapeze. bunny brown looked down. and then he saw something that frightened him more than had sue's cries. for, underneath him was the bare floor of the barn, with no soft hay on which to fall--on which to bounce up and down like a rubber ball. "oh, sue!" cried bunny. "i'm going to fall, and--and--" he did not finish what he started to say, but he wiggled his feet and legs, pointing them at the bare floor of the barn, over which he hung. but sue saw and understood. "wait a minute, bunny!" she cried. "don't fall yet! wait a minute, and i'll throw some hay down there for you to fall on!" "all--all right!" answered bunny. he did not want to talk much, for it took nearly all his breath and strength to hold on to the ladder. but he was glad sue had thought of the hay. he was going to tell her to get it, but she guessed it herself. putting her doll carefully in a corner, on a little wisp of hay, sue ran to the edge of the mow, where there was a big pile of the dried grass, which the horses and cows eat. with both her chubby hands, sue began to pull the hay out, and scatter it on the barn floor under bunny. her brother hung right over her head now, clinging to the ladder. "haven't you got 'most enough hay there now, sue?" asked bunny. "i--i can't hold on much longer." "wait just a minute!" called sue, as she ran back to the mow. this time she managed to gather up a lot of hay in her two arms. this she piled on the other, and she was only just in time. "look out!" suddenly cried bunny. "here i come!" and down he did come. plump! right on the pile of hay sue had made for him. and it was a good thing the hay was there, or bunny might have hurt his legs by his tumble. he did not try to turn a somersault as ben did, the time he fell. bunny was glad enough just to fall down straight. "oh, bunny! bunny! did you hurt yourself?" cried sue, as she saw her brother sit down in the pile of hay. bunny did not answer for a minute. he looked all around, as though he did not know exactly what had happened. then he glanced up at the ladder to which he had clung. "that--that was a big fall," he said slowly. "i--i'm glad the hay was there, sue. i'm glad you put it under me." "so'm i glad," declared sue. "i guess you won't want to be in a circus, will you, bunny?" "sure i will. men fall in circuses, only they fall in nets. but hay is better than a net, 'cept that it tickles you," and bunny took from his neck some pieces of dried grass that made him wiggle, and "squiggle," as sue called it. "hello! what happened here?" asked a voice, and the children looked up to see, standing in the door of the barn, grandpa brown. "what happened?" asked the farmer. "did you fall, bunny?" i think he must have guessed that, from seeing the way bunny was sitting on the little pile of hay. "yes, i--i slipped off the ladder," said the little boy. "but i didn't get hurt." "'cause i spread hay under him," said sue. "i thought of it all by myself." "that was fine!" said grandpa brown. "but, after this, bunny, don't you climb up on any ladders, or any other high places. if you are going to use my barn for your circus, you must not get hurt." "we won't!" bunny promised. "then keep off ladders. your little low trapeze is all right, for you will fall in the hay if you slip off that. but no more ladder-climbing!" "all right, grandpa." bunny got up. sue picked up her doll, and grandpa brown put back the hay into the mow, for he did not like his barn floor covered with the dried grass, though, of course, he was very glad sue had put some there for bunny to fall on. bunny and sue went out of the barn, and walked around to the shady side. it was only a little while after breakfast, hardly time to go in and ask for something more to eat, which the children did every day about ten o'clock. at that hour grandma brown generally had some bread and jam, or jelly tarts, ready for them. "what can we do until jam-time?" asked sue, of her brother. "i don't know," he answered. "it's pretty hot." there was nothing more they could do about the circus just then. bunker and ben were to make some more trapezes, put other things in the barn, and make the seats. several other boys and girls had been asked to take part in the "show," but they were not yet sure that their mothers and fathers would let them. so, for a few days, bunny and sue could do no more about the circus. "but we ought to do _something_," said bunny. "it's so hot--" that gave sue an idea. "we could go paddling in the brook, and get our feet cooled off," said bunny's sister. "yes, but we wouldn't be back here in time to get our bread and jam." "that's so," sue agreed. it would never do to miss "jam-time." "my doll must be hot, too," sue went on. "i wonder if we could give her a bath?" "how?" bunny wanted to know. "why, down in the well," suddenly cried sue. "we could tie a string around her, and let her down in the well water. that would give her a bath. she's a rubber doll, and a bath won't hurt her. it will do her good." "we'll do it!" cried bunny. the well was not far from the house. a little later, with a string he had taken from his kite, bunny was helping sue lower her rubber doll down the big hole, at the bottom of which was the cool water that was pulled up in a bucket. "splash!" went the doll down in the well. by leaning over the edge of the wooden box that was built around the water-place, bunny and sue could see the rubber doll splashing up and down in the water far below them. "oh, she likes it! she likes it!" cried sue, jumping up and down in delight. "doesn't she just love it, bunny?" "i guess so," her brother answered. "but she can't talk and tell us so, of course." "course not!" sue exclaimed. "my dolls can't talk, 'ceptin' my phonograph one, and she says 'mamma' and 'papa,' only now she's broken, inside, and she can't do nothin' but make a buzzin' sound, but i like her just the same." "but if a doll can't talk, how do you know when she likes anything?" asked bunny. "why, i--i just know--that's all," sue answered. "all right," agreed bunny. "now it's my turn to pull her up and down, sue." there was a long string tied around the doll, and the two children were taking turns raising and lowering sue's play-baby, so the rubber doll would splash up and down in the water. "all right. i'll let you do it once, and then it's my turn again," sue said. "i guess she's had enough bath now. i'll have to feed her." "and we'll get some bread and jam ourselves, sue." just how it happened neither bunny nor sue could tell afterward, but bunny either did not get a good hold of the string, or else it slipped through his fingers. anyhow, just as sue was passing the cord to him, it slipped away, and down into the well went doll, string and all. "oh, bunny! bunny brown!" cried sue. "you've drowned my lovely doll! oh, dear!" chapter ix the striped calf bunny brown was so surprised at seeing the rubber doll and string slip back with a splash into the well, that, for a moment, he did not know what to do or say. he just stood leaning over, and looking down, as though that would bring the doll back. "oh, dear!" sighed sue again. "oh, bunny!" "i--i didn't mean to!" pleaded bunny sadly enough. "but i'll never get her back again!" went on sue. "oh, my lovely rubber doll!" "maybe--maybe she can swim up!" said bunny. "she--she can not!" sue cried. "how can she swim up when there isn't any water 'cept away down there in the bottom of the well?" "if she was a circus doll she could climb up the bucket-rope, sue." "yes, but she isn't a circus doll. oh, dear!" "and if i was a circus man, i could climb down the rope and get her!" bunny went on. "oh, don't you dare do that!" sue fairly screamed. "if you do you'll fall in and be drowned. don't do it, bunny!" and she clung to him with all her might. "i won't, sue!" the little fellow promised. "but i can see your doll down there, sue. she's floating on top of the water--swimming, maybe, so she isn't drowned. "oh, i know what let's do!" bunny cried, after another look down the well. "what?" sue wanted to know. "let's go tell grandpa. he'll get your doll up with the long-handled rake." "with the rake?" cried sue. "yes. don't you remember grandpa told us how once the bucket of the well got loose from the rope, and fell into the water. he fished the bucket up with the rake, tied to a long pole. he can do that to your doll." "but he might stick her with the teeth of the rake," said sue. she knew the iron teeth of a rake were sharp, for once she had stepped on a rake when bunny had left it in the grass, after raking the lawn at home. "well, maybe grandpa can tangle the rake in the string around the doll, and pull her up that way. it wouldn't hurt then." "no," agreed sue. "that wouldn't hurt." "then let's go tell grandpa," urged bunny once more. leaving the doll to swim in the well as best she could, the two children ran toward the house. they saw their grandpa coming from it, and at once they began to cry: "oh, grandpa, she fell in!" "come and get her out of the well!" "bring the long-handled rake, grandpa!" grandpa was so surprised, at first, that he did nothing except stand still and look at the children. then he managed to ask: "who is it? what is it? what happened? who fell down the well? did bunny fall in? did sue?" then as he saw the two children themselves standing and looking at him, grandpa brown knew nothing had happened to either of them. "but who is in the well?" he asked. "my rubber doll," answered sue. "bunny let the string slip when we gave her a bath." "but i didn't mean to," bunny said. "i couldn't help it. but you can get her out with the rake; can't you, grandpa. same as you did the bucket." "well, i guess maybe i can," grandpa brown answered. "i'll try anyhow. and, after this, you children must keep away from the well." "we will," promised bunny. the well bucket often came loose from the rope, and grandpa had several times fished it up with the rake, which he tied to a long clothes-line pole. in a few minutes he was ready to go to the well, with bunny and sue. grandpa brown carried the rake, and, reaching the well, he looked down in it. "i don't see your doll, sue," he said. "oh, then she's drowned! oh, dear!" "but i see a string," went on grandpa brown. "perhaps the string is still fast to the doll. i'll wind the string around the end of the rake, and pull it up. maybe then i'll pull up the doll too." and that is just what grandpa did. up and up he lifted the long-handled rake. around the teeth was tangled the end of the string. carefully, very carefully, grandpa brown took hold of the string and pulled. "is she coming up, grandpa?" asked sue anxiously. "i think she is," said grandpa slowly. "there is something on the end of the string, anyhow. but maybe it's a fish." grandpa smiled, and then the children knew he was making fun. "oh, dear!" said sue. "i hope my doll hasn't turned into a goldfish." but nothing like that had happened. up came the rubber doll, safely, on the end of the string. water ran from the round hole in the doll's back--the hole that was a sort of whistle, which made a funny noise when sue squeezed her doll, as she did when "loving" her. "there you are! your doll's all right," said grandpa brown. "now you children must not come near the well again. when you want to give your doll a bath, sue, dangle her in the brook, where it isn't deep. and if you put a cork in the hole in her back, she won't get full of water and sink." "that's so," said bunny brown. "the water leaked in through that hole. we'll stop it up next time, sue." "oh, no!" sue cried. "that hole is where she breathes. but i'll only wash her in a basin after this, so she can't get drowned." it was now time for bread and jam, and sue and bunny were soon eating it on the shady back porch. mother brown told them, just as their grandpa had done, to keep away from the well, and they said they would. bunny and sue then went wading in the brook until dinner time. and then they had a little sleep in the hammocks in the shade, under the apple tree. "what shall we do now, bunny!" asked sue when she awoke from her little nap, and saw her brother looking over at her from his hammock. sue always wanted to be doing something, and so did bunny. "what can we do?" asked the little brown-eyed girl. "let's go out to the barn again," said bunny. "maybe bunker blue, or ben, is out there now, making some more circus things." but when bunny and sue reached the place where they were going to have their show in a few weeks, they saw neither of the big boys. they did see something that interested them, though. this was the hired man who, with a big pot of green paint, was painting the wheelbarrow. "hello, henry!" exclaimed bunny to the man, who was working in the shade at one side of the barn. "hello, bunny!" answered henry. "how are you this afternoon?" "good. how is yourself?" "oh, fine." henry went on putting green paint on the wheelbarrow. then bunny said: "i couldn't do that; could i, henry? i mean you wouldn't let me paint; would you?" "no, bunny. i'm afraid not. you'd get it all over your clothes. i couldn't let you." "i--i thought you couldn't," returned bunny with a sigh. "but i just asked, you know, henry." "yes," said the hired man with a smile. "i know. but you'd better go off and play somewhere else." it was more fun, though, for bunny brown and his sister sue to watch henry paint, and they stood there for some time. finally the hired man stopped painting. "guess i'll go and get a drink of water," he said, putting the brush in the pot of green paint. "now don't touch the wheelbarrow." "we won't!" promised bunny and sue. just then, inside the barn, there sounded a loud: "baa-a-a-a-a!" "what's that, bunny?" asked sue. "one of the new little calves. want to see them?" of course sue did, and soon she and bunny were petting one of the calves. they were in little pens, by themselves, near the mother cows, and the children could reach over the sides of the pens, inside the barn, and pat the little animals. all at once bunny cried: "oh, sue. i know what we can do!" "what?" she asked. "we can stripe a calf green, with the green paint, and we'll have a zebra for our circus." "what's a zebra?" sue wanted to know. "it's a striped horse. they have 'em in all circuses. we'll make one for ours." "does zebras have green stripes, bunny?" "i don't know. but green paint is all we have, so we'll use that. a green striped zebra would be pretty, i think." "so do i, bunny. but henry told us not to touch the paint." "no, he didn't, sue. he only told us to keep away from the wheelbarrow, and i am. i won't go near it. but we'll get the pot of paint, and stripe the calf green." "all right," agreed sue. "i'll hold the paint-pot, and you can dip your brush in." not meaning to do anything wrong, of course, bunny and sue hurried to get the pot of paint. henry had not come back. leaning over the edge of the calf's pen, bunny dipped the brush in the paint, and began striping the baby cow. "baa-a-a-a-a!" went the little animal, and the old cow went: "moo!" chapter x the old rooster again and again bunny brown dipped the brush in the green paint the hired man had left, and stripe after stripe did the little fellow put on the calf. "she'll be a regular circus zebra when i'm done," said bunny brown to his sister sue. both children laughed in glee. "are you going to paint both sides of the calf, bunny?" "i am if i can reach. maybe i can't. anyhow, a zebra ought to be painted on both sides. not like we're going to do our dog splash; only on one side, to make a pretend blue-striped tiger of him." sue seemed to be thinking of something. "doesn't he look nice?" asked bunny of his sister. "isn't he going to be a fine zebra?" he stood back from the box-stall where the calf was kept, so sue could see how the little animal looked. "doesn't he look pretty, sue? just like a circus zebra, only of course they're not green. but isn't he nice?" "yes," said sue, "he is pretty." the calf, after jumping around some when bunny first put the paint on, was now standing very still, as though he liked it. of course the calf did not know that the paint would not wear off for a long time. then, too, the cow mother had put her head over from the next stall, where she was tied, and she was rubbing her big red tongue on the calf's head. the calf liked its cow mother to rub it this way, and maybe that is why the little calf stood still. "it's going to look real nice, bunny," said sue, as she looked at the green stripes bunny had put on. "i--i guess i'll let you put blue stripes on my half of splash, too. then he'll look all over like a tiger; won't he, bunny?" "sure. i'm glad you'll let me, sue. 'cause a dog, only half striped, would look funny. now i'll see if i can put some stripes on the other side of the calf." bunny tried to reach the side of the little animal he had not yet painted, but he could not do it from where he stood. "i'm going over in the stall with it," bunny said. "you hand me the pail of paint when i get there, sue." "oh, bunny! are you going right in with the calf?" "yes." "he--he'll bite you!" "no, he won't. calves haven't any teeth. they only eat milk, and they don't have to chew that. they don't get teeth until they're big. "i'm not afraid," said bunny brown, as he climbed over into the calf's pen. sue stood as near as she could, so bunny could dip his brush in the green paint. bunny was careful not to get any on his own suit, or on sue's dress. that is he was as careful as any small boy could be. but, even then, he did splash some of the paint on himself and on sue. but the children did not think of this at the time. they were so busy having fun, turning a calf into a circus zebra. [illustration: they were busy turning a calf into a circus zebra. _bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus_ _page 84._] bunny had put a number of green stripes on one side of the calf, and now he was ready to put some on the other. but the calf did not stand as still with bunny inside the stall with her, as when he had been outside. the calf seemed frightened. "baa-a-a-a-a!" it cried. "baa-a-a-a-a! baa-a-a-a-a!" and the old mother cow cried: "moo! moo! moo!" she did not like to see bunny so close to her baby calf, i guess. but the old cow did not try to hook bunny with her horns. she only looked at him with her big, brown eyes, and tried to reach her tongue over and "kiss" the calf, as sue called it. "stand still!" bunny said to the calf, but the little animal did not want to. perhaps it thought it had had enough of the green paint. it moved about, from one side of the box to the other, and bunny had hard work to put on any more stripes. "isn't that enough?" asked sue, after a bit. "it looks real nice bunny. you had better save some green paint for the other calf." "yes, but i'm only going to stripe one," answered bunny. "it's too hard. one zebra is enough for our circus. we'll make the other calf into a lion. a lion doesn't have any stripes." "all right," agreed sue. "then come on out, bunny, 'cause i'm tired of holding this paint for you." "in a minute, sue. i'll be right out. i just want to put some stripes on the calf's legs. they have to be striped same as the sides and back." and that was where bunny brown made one of his mistakes. he should have let the calf's legs alone. for, no sooner did the little animal feel the tickling of the paint brush on its legs than it gave a loud cry, and began to kick. out with its hind legs it kicked, and, as bunny happened to be stooping down, just then, near the calf's feet, the little boy was kicked over. right over he went, spilling some of the paint on himself, but the most of it, i am glad to say, went on the straw in the calf's box-stall. "oh, bunny!" cried sue. "oh, bunny brown!" her brother did not answer. he had fallen down on his face, and his mouth was full of straw. and when he did get up he saw that the calf had kicked open the gate of its stall, and was running around the barnyard, all green striped and spotted. "moo! moo!" cried the mother cow, when she saw her little one break out. then the old cow pushed very hard on the gate that shut her in. open went the gate, and out ran the cow to be with her little calf. "oh, bunny! look!" cried sue. "our circus zebra-cow will run away!" bunny jumped to his feet, and, leaving the overturned pot of paint behind him, out he ran into the barnyard. "whoa! whoa there, bossy-calf!" he cried. "you don't say whoa to cows, you say that to horses!" called sue to her brother. "what do you say to cows?" bunny wanted to know. "you call 'co boss! co boss! co boss'!" answered sue. "i know 'cause i heard grandma call them to be milked. call 'co boss!' bunny." the little boy did, but there was no need to, for the little calf, once it found that the mother cow was with it, did not run any farther. the mother cow put out her red tongue and "kissed" her little calf some more. she did not seem to mind the green paint, though perhaps if she had gotten some in her mouth she might not have liked it. "well, anyhow," said bunny brown, "we have a striped zebra for our circus. and when i get some blue paint i'll paint our dog splash, and make a tiger of him, sue." "did the calf-zebra hurt you when she kicked you over, bunny?" sue wanted to know. "no, hardly any. her feet are soft, and i fell on the straw. but all the paint is spilled." "maybe there's a little left so henry can finish the wheelbarrow," suggested sue. "i'll go and look," offered bunny. but he did not get the chance. for just then henry came into the barnyard. "have you seen my pot of green paint," he asked. "i left it--" then he saw the green striped calf. at first he laughed and then he said: "oh, this is too bad! that's one of your grandpa's best calves, and he won't like it a bit, painting him that way." "he's a zebra," said bunny. "no matter what he is," and henry shook his head, "it's too bad. i shouldn't have left the paint where you could get it. i'll have to tell mr. brown." bunny and sue felt bad at this. they had not thought they were doing anything wrong, but now it seemed that they were. "will--will grandpa be very sorry?" asked sue. "yes, he'll be very sorry and angry," answered the hired man, "he'll not like it to see his calf all streaked with green paint." but grandpa brown was not as angry at bunny and sue as he might have been. of course he said they had done wrong, and he felt bad. but no one could be angry for very long at bunny brown and his sister sue. they were so jolly, never meaning to be bad. they just didn't think. but of course you know that not thinking what you are doing often makes as much trouble as though you did a thing on purpose. "well, i guess i'll have to forgive you youngsters this time," said grandpa brown. "but don't paint any more of my farm animals without asking me. now i'll see if we can get the green paint off the calf." "oh, can't you leave it on, grandpa?" asked bunny. "it was awful hard to make him striped like a zebra, and we want him in our circus to be one of the wild animals. let the stripes stay on." and grandpa had to, whether he wanted to or not, for they would not come off. the hired man tried soap and water. but the calf would not stand still long enough to let him scrub her. "i guess we'll just have to let the green paint wear off," said grandpa brown. "but never do such a thing again, bunny." "i won't," promised the little boy. the calf and the mother cow were put back in their stalls. bunny and sue were cleaned of the green paint that had splattered on them, and henry found enough paint left in the can to finish the wheelbarrow. "well, we've got a start for our circus, anyhow," said bunny to sue a few days after he had painted the calf. the green stripes had dried now, and made the calf look very funny indeed. some of the other cows and calves seemed frightened at the strange, striped one, but the mother cow was just as fond of her little one as before. "you'll need other animals besides a striped calf, and your dog splash, in the circus," said bunker blue to bunny one day. "yes, i guess we will. i'll go and ask sue about it." bunny always liked to talk matters over with his sister. he found her on the side porch, making a doll's dress. "sue," said bunny, "we have to have more make-believe wild animals for our show." "yes?" asked sue. "what kind?" "well, maybe we ought to have a camel." "camels is too hard to make," said sue. "their humps might fall off. why don't you make a ockstritch, bunny? an ockstritch what lays big eggs, and has tail feathers for ladies' hats. make a ockstritch." "how?" asked bunny. sue thought for a minute. just then the old big rooster strutted past the porch. "he would make a good ockstritch, bunny," said sue. "he has nice long tail feathers. can you catch him?" "maybe," hesitated bunny. "oh, i know what i'll do!" he exclaimed. "i'll get the clothes line for a lasso, and i'll pretend to be a wild west cowboy. then i can lasso the rooster and make an ostrich of him." "oh, fine!" cried sue, clapping her hands. the rooster, who did not in the least guess what was going to happen to him, flapped his wings and crowed loudly. chapter xi practice for the circus bunny brown took a piece of clothes line that hung down from one of the posts. he was sure his grandma or his mother would not want this end, so he could take it. "anyhow, it isn't wash-day," said bunny to sue, "and as soon as i lasso the rooster i can put the line back again. i can tie on what i cut off." bunny had an old knife bunker blue had given him. it was a knife bunker had used to open clams and oysters, and was not very sharp. that was the reason bunker gave it to bunny. bunker did not want the little boy to cut himself. with this old knife bunny cut off a bit of clothes line. he had to saw and saw back and forth with the dull blade of the knife before he could cut the line. but at last he had a long piece of rope. "now i'll make a lasso just like the cowboys have in the wild west," said bunny. bunny had once seen a show like that, so he knew something of what the cowboys did with their lassos, which are long ropes, with a loop in one end. they throw this loop around the head, or leg, of a cow or a horse, and catch it this way, so as not to hurt it. "now see me catch the rooster, sue!" called bunny. "i'll help you," offered the little girl. "you stand here by the rose bush, i'll shoo the rooster up to you, then you can lasso him." "all right!" cried bunny, swinging the piece of clothes line around his head as he had seen the cowboys do in the show. "cock-a-doodle-do!" crowed the rooster, and then he made a funny gurgling noise, as he saw sue running toward him. the old rooster was not used to children, as, except when bunny brown and his sister sue came to their grandpa's farm, there were no little ones about the place. and when the old rooster saw sue running toward him, he did not know what to make of the little girl. "shoo! shoo!" cried sue, waving her hands. "shoo! scat!" "cock-a-doodle-do!" crowed the rooster, and it sounded just as if he said, "i don't know what to do!" "shoo! shoo!" cried the little girl, and she tried to drive the rooster over toward bunny, so he could lasso the big crowing bird. but the rooster was not going to be caught as easily as that. he ran to one side, around the rose bush and off toward the garden. "get him, bunny! get him!" cried sue. "i will!" shouted the little make-believe cowboy. after the rooster he ran, swinging his lasso. "whoa there! whoa!" called bunny. "shoo! shoo!" exclaimed sue. "no--no! don't do that!" begged bunny. "don't do what?" sue asked. "don't shoo him that way. that makes him run. i want him to stand still so i can catch him." "but you said cowboys catched things when they were running, like this rooster is," objected sue. "yes," agreed bunny, "but i haven't been a cowboy very long you see. i want the rooster to stand still so i can lasso him. so don't _shoo_ him--just whoa him!" then bunny called: "whoa! whoa there!" "that's what you say to a horse--not to a rooster," said the little girl. "i know," bunny answered. "but i guess this rooster knows horse talk, 'cause there's horses around here. whoa there!" but even if the rooster did understand horse talk, he was not going to stop and let bunny lasso him. that was sure. on and on the rooster ran, crowing and cackling. the hens and other roosters heard the noise, and crowed and cackled too, wondering what it was all about. "here he comes, bunny! here he comes!" cried sue, as the big old rooster, having run toward a fence, until he could go no farther, had to turn around and run back again. "get him, bunny!" "i will!" cried the little boy. "i'll get him this time." but the rooster was running very fast now, for he was very much scared. back and forth he went, from one side to the other. he did come close to bunny, but when the little boy threw his clothes line rope lasso it fell far away from the rooster. "oh, you missed him!" cried sue, much disappointed. "but i'll get him next time," said bunny, as he picked up his lasso and ran after the rooster. back and forth around the garden, under the lilac and rose bushes, ran bunny and sue after the old rooster. the rooster was getting tired now, and could not go so fast. neither could bunny nor sue, and bunny's arm was so tired, from having thrown his lasso so much, that he wanted to stop and rest. but still he wanted to catch the rooster. "here he comes now--get him, bunny!" cried sue, as she went around one side of the currant bush, while bunny came around the other side. the rooster was right between the two children, and as there was a fence on one side of him, and the bush on the other, it looked as if he would be caught this time. "oh, get him, bunny!" sue called. "get him!" "i--i will!" answered her brother. "i'll just grab him in my arms. i can put the lasso on him afterward." the rooster was running away from sue who was right behind him, and the rooster was heading straight for bunny. the little boy put out his arms to grab the big fowl, when the rooster, with a loud crow and cackle, flew up over bunny's head, over the fence and into the meadow beyond. and bunny was running so fast, and so was sue, that, before they could stop themselves, down they both fell, in the soft grass. for a moment they sat there, looking at one another. then sue smiled. she was glad to sit down and rest, even if she had fallen. and so was bunny. "well, we didn't get him," said bunny slowly, as he looked at the rooster, now safe on the other side of the fence. "no," said sue. "but you can climb over the fence in the meadow." "i--i guess i don't want to," said the little fellow. "hello! what's going on here? who's been chasing my old rooster?" asked grandpa brown, coming up just then, and looking at the two children. "we--we were chasing him grandpa," said bunny, who always told the truth. "we was goin' to make a ockstritch of him," sue explained. "a ockstritch for our circus in the barn." "oh, an ostrich!" laughed grandpa brown. "well, i'd rather you wouldn't take my best big rooster. i have some smaller, and tamer ones, you may take for your circus." "really?" asked bunny. "and can we pretend they are ostriches?" "yes, you can put them in wooden cages and make believe they are anything you like," said grandpa brown. "only, of course, you must be kind to them." "sure!" said bunny brown. "we won't hurt the roosters." "when are you going to have your show?" asked grandpa brown. "oh, next week," bunny answered. "some of the boys and girls are coming over to-day, and we're going to practise in the barn." "well, be careful you don't get hurt," said their grandpa. "and can we have the green-striped calf for a zebra?" bunny wanted to know. "oh, i guess so; yes. the stripes haven't worn off him yet, and they won't for some time. so you might as well play with him." "we don't want to play with him," bunny explained. "he--he jumps about too much. we just want to put him in a cage and make believe he is a wild animal." "like a ockstritch," added sue. the ostrich seemed to be her favorite. "an ostrich isn't an animal," carefully explained bunny. "it's a big bird, and it hides its head in the sand, and they pull out its tail feathers for ladies' hats." "well, it's wild, anyhow," said sue. "yes, it's wild," admitted bunny. grandpa brown showed the children two tame roosters, that would let bunny and sue stroke their glossy feathers. "you may put them in a box, and make believe they are any sort of wild bird or animal you like," said the farmer. the children promised to be kind to the roosters. they did not put them in cages that day, as it was too soon. that afternoon tom white, nellie bruce, jimmie kenny, sallie smith and ned johnson came over to see bunny and sue. they all went out to the barn, and there they got ready for the circus. bunny and sue, as well as the other children, were to be dressed up in funny clothes, which their mothers said they would make for them. bunny was to do some "acts" on the trapeze, and fall down in the hay. then he and sue were to do part of a little punch and judy show they had once given, though bunny, this time, had no big lobster claw to put on his nose. "all ready now!" called bunny, when his friends were in the barn. "all ready to practise for the circus!" chapter xii the little circus "bunny! bunny brown! what am i going to be in the circus? i want to be a clown!" "yes, i want to be a clown, too, and throw water over another clown, like i saw in a circus once!" "well, you're not going to throw any water on me!" "yes i can if bunny brown says so! it's _his_ circus!" tom white, jimmie kenny and ned johnson were talking together in one corner of the barn. ned wanted to be a clown, and throw water on some one else. jimmie did not want to be the one to get wet, nor did tom white. "bunny, can't i be a clown?" asked ned. "i'm going to be a wild animal trainer--make-believe!" exclaimed sue, "and i'm going to be near the cage where the blue-striped tiger is. i'm going to make him roar." sallie smith looked a bit scared. "oh, it's only make-believe," sue explained. "yes, i know," said sallie. "but--oh, dear! a blue-striped tiger!" "oh, it's only our big dog splash," went on sue. "first i was only going to let bunny stripe his half of splash. but a half a blue-striped tiger would look funny, so i said he could make my half of splash striped too. it will wash off, for it's only bluing, like mother puts on the clothes." "and we're going to have a striped zebra, too," said bunny. "oh, let's see it!" begged the three boys. "it's only one of grandpa's calves," cried sue, "but it really has green stripes on it. bunny put them on, and they're green paint, and they won't come off 'till they wear off, grandpa says, and the calf ran away, and kicked bunny over and----" "oh, sue, don't tell everything!" cried bunny. "you'll spoil the show." "let's see the striped calf!" begged the three boys. "no, we've got to practise for the circus," bunny insisted. "now i'll do my trapeze act," and he climbed up to the bar that hung by the long ropes from the beam in the barn. "i want to do a trapeze act, too!" cried tom white. "say, we can't all do the same thing!" bunny said. "that isn't like a real circus. it's got to be different acts." "oh, say!" cried ned johnson. "i know what i can do! i can ride you in a wheelbarrow, tom, and upset you. that will make 'em all laugh." "it won't make me laugh, if you upset me too hard!" declared tom. "i'll spread some hay on the floor, like the time i did when bunny fell," said sue. "then you won't be hurt. it doesn't hurt to fall on hay; does it, bunny?" "nope." "all right. ned can upset me out of the wheelbarrow if he does it on the hay," agreed tom. so those two boys began to practise this part of the circus, while bunny swung from the trapeze. jimmie kenny said he would climb up as high as he could and slide down a rope, like a sailor. "i'll have some hay under me, too, so if i slip i won't be hurt," he said. indeed, if it had not been for the big piles of soft hay in grandpa's barn i don't know what the little circus performers would have done. while the boys were practising the things they were going to do, sue and her little girl friends made up a little act of their own. each one had a doll, and they practised a little song which they had sung in school. it was about putting the dollies to sleep in a cat's cradle, and a little mouse came in and awakened them, and then they went out to gather flowers for the honey bees. just a simple little song, but sue and her friends sung it very nicely. "and i know something else you can do, sue, besides being a keeper of wild animals," said bunny. "what?" asked his sister. "you can ride in the wheelbarrow and drive ned and tom for your horses--make-believe, you know." "but i don't want to be upset, even on the hay!" sue said. "no, we won't upset you," promised ned. then they practised that little act with sue. "when we give our real circus," said bunny, "we can cover the wheelbarrow with flowers, and nobody will know what it is you're riding in, sue." "that will be nice!" as the days went on, bunny and sue found they would have to have more children in their little circus, so others were invited. one boy brought an old rocking horse, and another had one almost like it, so they gave a "pretend" horse race around the barn floor. bunker blue made a big sea-saw for the children, and every one who came to the show was to have a free ride on this. "we ought to have a merry-go-'round," said bunny one day. "i'll make you one," offered ben hall, the strange boy, who was still working on grandpa's farm. "oh, will you! how?" asked bunny. ben took some planks and nailed them together, criss-cross, like an x. then he put them on a box, and on the ends of the planks that stuck out he fastened some wagon wheels. when four children sat down on the planks, and some one pushed them, they went around and around as nicely as you please, getting a fine ride around the middle of the barn floor. "but we ought to have music," said sue. "i'll play my mouth organ," offered bunker blue. at last the day of the little circus came. bunny and sue had decided that it was to be free, as they did not want pins, and none of the country children had any money to spend. so the circus was free to old folks and young folks alike. "you'll come; won't you, mother?" asked bunny the morning of the circus. "oh, yes, of course." "and will you, daddy?" sue wanted to know. "yes, little girl. i want to see you ride in your chariot, as you call it." for bunny had named the wheelbarrow that was to be covered with flowers, a chariot, which is what they use to race with in a real circus. splash had been most beautifully striped with blue, and, though he did not like being shut up in a box, with slats nailed in front to serve as iron bars, still the big dog knew it was all in fun, so he stayed quietly where bunny put him. the striped calf was in another cage, and he was given a nice pail full of milk to keep him quiet, so he would not kick his way out. calves like milk, you know. the two roosters, which sue said were the wild "ockstritches," behaved very nicely, picking up the corn in their cage as though they had been in a circus many times before. grandpa also let the children take the old turkey gobbler and put him in a box. "what shall we call him?" asked sue, just before the show was about to begin. "oh, he'll be the elephant," said bunny. "see, he's got something hanging down in front like an elephant's trunk. and we didn't get time to dress the pig up like an elephant." "but a elephant has four legs, bunny, and the turkey has only two." "oh, well, we can pretend he was in a railroad wreck, and lost two of his legs. circuses do get wrecked sometimes." "all right, bunny." all the children who were to take part in bunny's and sue's show were in the barn, waiting for the curtain to be pulled back. for grandmother and mother brown had made a calico curtain for the children. bunker blue and ben said they would stand, one on either side, to pull the curtain back when the show started. bunker was going to play his mouth organ, while ben said he would make what music he could by whistling and blowing on a piece of paper folded over a comb. you can make pretty good music that way, only, as ben said, it tickles your lips, and you have to stop every once in a while. many children from nearby farms came to the little circus in the barn, and some of their fathers and mothers also came. it was a fine day for the show. "are you all ready, bunny?" asked bunker, who, with ben, stood behind the curtain. "all ready," answered the little boy. "here we go!" cried bunker. then he played on his mouth organ, ben tooted on the comb and the curtain slid back on the wires by which it was stretched across the stage, or platform, in the barn. "welcome to our show!" cried bunny brown, making a bow to the audience which was seated on boxes and boards out in front. "we will now begin!" he went on. "and after the show you are all invited to stay and see the wild animals. we have a blue-striped tiger, a wild zebra and an----" "an elephant, only he lost two legs in a accident," said sue in a shrill whisper, fearing bunny was going to forget about the turkey. chapter xiii the wild animals everyone laughed when sue said that, and sue herself blushed as red as the ribbon on her hair, and the sash her mother had pinned around her waist. "does your elephant eat peanuts?" asked daddy brown, smiling. "no, i don't guess so," answered sue. "he likes corn better." "now the show's going to begin!" cried bunny brown. "get ready everybody. the first will be a grand trapeze act! come on, boys! play some music, please, bunker!" bunker played a new tune on his mouth organ. then bunny, ned johnson and tom white got on the trapezes, for bunny had decided that his one act, like this, was not enough. it would look more like a real circus with three performers. back and forth on the flying trapezes swung bunny and his two friends. of course such little fellows could not do many tricks, but they did very well, so all the grown folks said. they hung by their hands, and by their legs, and ned johnson, who was quite strong for his age, "turned himself inside out," as he called it, by pulling up his legs and putting them over his head, and under the trapeze bar. suddenly bunny brown gave a call. "all ready now for our big swing!" "i'm ready!" answered tom. "so am i," added ned. the three boys swung back and forth. all at once bunny cried: "let go!" away they sailed through the air. "oh, they'll be hurt! they'll fall and be hurt!" cried grandma brown. "no, this is only part of the show," said mother brown. and so it was. for bunny, ned and tom landed safely on a big pile of hay, having jumped into the mow when they let go of the trapeze bars. "how was that?" cried bunny, laughing while bunker and ben played the music. "fine!" cried daddy brown. "it's almost as good a show as the one i paid real money to see," laughed grandpa. "what's next?" asked jimmie kenny's mother, who had come with her neighbor, mrs. smith. "it's your turn now, sue," whispered bunny to his sister. "do your act." so sue, and her little girl chums, sang their doll song. it was very much liked, too, and the people clapped so that the little girls had to sing it over again. the curtain was now pulled across the stage while ned and tom got ready for one of the clown acts. they were dressed in queer, calico suits, almost like those worn by real clowns in a circus, and the boys had whitened their faces with chalk, and stuck on red rose leaves to make red dots. ned came out in front, with tom in a wheelbarrow, for they had decided this between themselves. ned wheeled tom about, at the same time singing a funny song, and then, out from behind a barrel, rushed jimmie kenny. jimmie had a pail, and he began crying: "fire! fire! fire!" so loudly did he shout, and so much in earnest did he seem, that some of the farmers began to look about as though they were afraid grandpa brown's barn was on fire. "don't worry! it's only in fun," said grandpa. ned and tom did not seem to know what to make of jimmie's act. he was not supposed to come out when they did. "now this is where i upset you, tom," said ned in a low voice. "well, as long as you turn me over on the soft hay i don't mind," answered the other boy, for they had made this up between them. over went the wheelbarrow, and tom was spilled out. "fire! fire! fire!" cried jimmie again, and then dashed a pail of water over tom and ned. "waugh! ouch! stop that!" spluttered ned. "stop it!" "that--that wasn't in the show!" stammered tom, for some of the water went in his mouth. "i know it wasn't in it," laughed jimmie, "but i thought i'd put it in!" at first tom and ned were a little angry, but when each looked at the other, and saw how funny he was, with half the white and red spots washed off his face, each one had to laugh. the audience laughed, too. the water did no harm, for it was a hot day, and the boys had on old clothes. so they did not mind. but tom and ned decided to play a little trick on jimmie. so, while he was laughing at what he had done to them, they suddenly ran at him, caught him, and put him in the wheelbarrow. before he could get out they began wheeling him around the barn floor. "now dump him!" suddenly cried tom, and out shot jimmie on a pile of hay. before he could get up tom had dashed some water on him. "now we're even!" cried ned. "you're wet, too!" it was all in fun, and no one minded getting wet. then the circus went on. sue was ridden in the flower-covered wheelbarrow, driving ned and tom. the boys acted like very nice horses indeed, and went slowly or fast, just as sue called to them. she had a wreath of daisies on her hair, and looked like a little flower queen. after that bunker blue and ben hall played some music on the mouth organ and comb, while bunny and sue were getting ready to give their little punch and judy show, which they had played once before, back home. "why don't you do some of your tricks, ben?" asked bunker of the new boy, when bunny and sue were almost ready. "oh, i can't do any tricks," said ben, turning away. "yes you can! i guess you know more about a circus than you are willing to tell; don't you?" but ben did not answer, and then the curtain had to be pulled back to let bunny and sue be seen. i will not tell you about the punch and judy show here, as i have written about it in the first book. besides, it was not as well done by bunny and sue as was the first one. bunny forgot some of the things he should have said, and so did sue. besides, bunny had no big, red, hollow lobster claw to put over his nose, to make himself look like mr. punch. but, for all that, the show was very much enjoyed by all, especially the children. the race on the two rocking horses was lots of fun, and toward the end one of the boys rocked his horse so much that he fell over, but there was some straw for him to fall on, so he was not hurt. up he jumped, on to the back of his horse again, and away he rode. but the other boy won the race. then bunny and sue jumped from some carpenter horses, through hoops that were covered with paper pasted over them, just like in a real circus. "crack!" went the paper as bunny and sue jumped through. "oh, it's just like real; isn't it, mother?" called a little girl in the audience. it was very still when she said this, and everyone laughed so loudly that bunny brown looked around. and, as he did not look where he was jumping, he tumbled and fell off the saw-horse. but bunny fell in a soft place, and as a saw-horse is only made of wood, like a rocking horse, it did not kick, or step on, the little boy. so everything was all right. the performing part of the circus came to an end with a "grand concert." bunny, sue and all the others stood in line and sang a song, while bunker blue played on the mouth organ, and ben on the paper-covered comb. "and now you are all invited to come and see the wild animals!" called bunny. "seã±orita mozara will show you the blue striped tiger that does tricks. seã±orita mozara is my sister sue," he explained, "but wild animal trainers all have fancy names, so i made that one up for her." everyone laughed at that. "right this way, ladies and gentlemen, to see the wild animals!" cried sue. ben hall had told her what the circus men said, and sue tried, in her childish voice, to do it as nearly like them as possible. "right this way!" she cried. "you will see the blue-striped tiger--of course it's only our dog splash, and he won't hurt you," said sue quickly, as she saw some of the little children hanging back. "he will eat meat from my hand, and stand up on his hind legs. he will lie down and roll over. this way, everybody!" splash did look funny, all striped with bluing as he was. but he did the tricks for sue, and everyone thought it was a very nice part of the circus. "over this way is the striped zebra," went on sue, as she led the way to where the green-painted calf was shut in a little pen. the men, women and children were laughing at the queer animal, when something happened. splash got out of his cage. either some one opened the door, or splash pushed it open. and as splash bounded out he knocked over the cage where the turkey gobbler "elephant" was kept. "gobble-obble-obble!" went the turkey, as it flew across the barn. children screamed, and some of them backed up against the cage of roosters, so it broke open and the crowing roosters were loose. "baaa-a-a-a!" went the green striped calf, and giving a big jump, out of the box it came, and began running around, upsetting both bunny and sue. "oh, the wild animals are loose! the wild animals are loose!" cried a little girl, while the big folks laughed so hard that they had to sit down on boxes, wheelbarrows, boards or whatever they could find. it was very funny. chapter xiv bunny and sue go sailing certainly all the animals in the circus which bunny and sue had gotten up, were loose, though of course they were not exactly "wild" animals. the green-striped calf was wild enough when it came to running around and kicking up its heels, but then calves do that anyhow, whether they are striped like a zebra or not, so that doesn't count. "look out! look out, everybody!" cried bunny brown. for, just then, the calf, having run to one end of the barn and finding the doors there closed, had run back again, and was heading straight for the place where they were all standing. "somebody catch him!" cried ben hall. "it would take a cowboy to do that," spoke up bunker blue. "a cowboy with a lasso!" "i'll catch him! i'll get him!" cried bunny. "i had a lasso that i was trying to catch the old rooster with. i'll lasso the calf!" "no, little man. you'll not do anything of the sort!" exclaimed mr. brown, catching his son up in his arms. "you'd better stay away from that calf. it would not mean to hurt you, perhaps, but it might knock you down and step on you." the calf was now running back and forth, bleating and looking for some place where it could get out of the barn. for it did not like being in a circus, though, at first, it had been quiet enough. splash thought it was great fun. he ran here and there, barking loudly, and racing after the calf. the two roosters were crowing as loudly as they could, fluttering here, there, everywhere. one nearly perched on top of grandma brown's head. the horses could be heard neighing and stamping about in their stalls. perhaps they, too, wanted to join in the fun. "oh, dear!" cried sue. "i don't like this. let's go out, bunny." but with the calf running back and forth in the barn, crossing this way and that, it was not easy for bunny, sue and the others to keep out of its way. "i guess i'll have to take a hand in this," said grandpa brown. he knew how to handle cows, horses and calves you see. but there was no need for him to do anything. just then the hired man, who had been milking some of the cows, opened the barn door to see what all the noise meant. he had a pail of milk in his hand, and, no sooner had the calf seen this, than the striped creature made a rush for the hired man. "look out!" cried grandpa brown. "come back here!" cried sue, to the calf. perhaps she thought the calf would mind her, since sue had been the make-believe wild animal trainer in the circus. but all the green-striped calf thought of just then was the pail of milk it saw. right at the hired man it rushed, almost knocking him down. "here! here! look out! stop it! that milk isn't for you!" cried the hired man, trying to push the calf to one side. but the calf was hungry, and it had made up its little mind that it was going to have that milk. and it did. before the hired man could stop it, the calf had its nose down in the pail of nice, warm, fresh milk. "let him have it," said grandpa brown, with a laugh. "the milk will keep him quiet, and we folks can get out. the circus is over; isn't it, bunny?" "oh, yes, grandpa. but we didn't think the wild animals were going to get loose. how did you like it?" "do you mean how did i like the wild animals getting loose?" asked grandpa brown, with a laugh. "no, the circus," answered bunny. "was it good?" "it certainly was!" cried his grandfather. "i liked it very much!" "and so did i," said grandma. "but i was afraid you would be hurt when you jumped that time, bunny." "oh, that's just a circus trick," bunny said. "you ought to see ben jump. go on, ben, show 'em how you can turn over in the air." "not now, bunny. i haven't time. i'm going to help bunker clean up the barn." there were many things to be put away after the circus, for grandpa brown had said if the children used his barn they must leave it neat and clean when they finished. by this time the grown people who had come to the circus, and the boys and girls, too, began to leave. the calf was now standing still, drinking the milk from the pail. splash had stopped barking. the two roosters had gotten out of the barn, and everything was quiet once more. the circus was over, and everyone said he had had a good time. some of the little folks wanted to see it all over again, but bunny said that could not be done. the grown folks said bunny brown and his sister sue were very clever to get up such a nice little show. "but of course we didn't do it all," explained bunny, who like to have others share in the praise. "we never could have done it if grandpa hadn't let us take his barn, or if bunker and ben hadn't helped us. it was as much their show as it was ours." "yes, bunker and ben were very good to help you," said bunny's mother. "and now i think it is time for you and sue to wash and get ready for supper." "i'd like to have a bigger show, in a tent some day," said bunny. "yes, that would be nice," agreed sue. "well, if i'd known you wanted a tent instead of my barn, i could have given you one," said grandpa brown. "oh, have you really a tent?" asked bunny, eagerly. "yes, it's an old army tent. not very big, though. when i used to go camping with some old soldier friends of mine we took it with us. it's up in the attic now, i guess. but your circus is over, so you won't want a tent now." "maybe we'll have another circus some day," suggested bunny. "then could we take your army tent?" "oh, i guess so." and when bunny, sue and the children and the grown folks had left the barn, bunker blue said to ben hall: "say, it wouldn't be such a bad idea to get up a circus among us big boys; would it?" "yes, it might be fun." "if mr. brown has a tent we could use that, and we might borrow another. would you like to do that, ben?" "i might." "say, look here!" exclaimed bunker, "why don't you tell us more about yourself? you know something about a real circus." "what makes you think so?" ben asked. "oh, because i do. were you ever in one?" instead of answering ben cried: "look out! that plank is going to fall on your foot!" ben and bunker were putting away the boxes and boards that had been used for seats in the circus. and, as ben spoke, one of the boards slipped off a box. bunker pulled his foot away, but not in time to prevent being struck by the board. "ouch!" he cried, and then he forgot that he had asked ben about that boy's having been in a circus. ben was glad he did not have to answer that question. when bunker and ben had made the barn look as neat as it was before the little circus was held, and when the blue stripes had been washed off splash, the two big boys sat and talked until supper was ready. "what do you think about getting up a larger circus?" asked bunker. "why, i guess we could do it," said ben. "are there some big boys around here?" "lots of 'em. i've met some since i came here with bunny, sue and their family. we could get the big fellows together, and give a real show, in a tent." "would we have any little folks in it?" "well, we'd have bunny and sue, of course, because they started this circus idea. they're real cute; don't you think?" "they certainly are," agreed ben. "i like 'em very much. well, we'll think about another circus. we'll need a larger tent than the one mr. brown has. can we get one?" "i think so. the folks around here used to have a county fair in a tent, and we might get that. we could charge money, too, if we gave a good show." "that would be nice," said ben, with a laugh. "i'd like to earn some money." that night after supper, when bunny and sue were getting ready for bed, after having talked the circus all over again, they heard their grandfather saying to daddy brown: "i can't make out what sort of boy that ben hall is." "why, isn't he a good boy?" asked bunny's father. "oh, yes, he's a very good boy. i wouldn't ask a better. he does his work on the farm here very well. but there is something strange about him. he has some secret, and i can't find out what it is." that was all bunny heard. sue did not stop to listen to that much. but bunny wondered, as he was falling asleep, what ben's secret was. it was some time before he found out. "what are we going to do to-day, bunny?" asked sue, as she and her brother went outdoors, after breakfast next morning. bunny did not answer at first. he walked slowly down to the edge of the little pond where the ducks swam, and there he saw an old barn door that had been laid down so grandma brown would not have to step in a wet and muddy place when it rained. "what can we do to have some fun, bunny?" still bunny did not answer. he went closer to the old door, and then he suddenly said: "sue, we're going sailing!" "going sailing?" "yep. this will be our ship. all we'll have to do will be to put a sail on it and we'll sail across the duck pond. come on." bunny found an old bag that had held corn for the chickens. he nailed this bag to a stick, and fastened the stick up straight in a crack in the barn door, which lay down flat on the ground. then he and sue managed to get the door in the duck pond, on the edge of which it had been placed over a mud puddle. "there!" cried bunny. "get on the boat, sue." bunny and sue, who had taken off their shoes and stockings, stood up on the big door. it floated nicely with them. a little wind blew out the bag sail, and away they went. chapter xv splash is lost "bunny! oh, bunny! we're sailing! we're sailing!" joyfully cried sue, as she felt the barn-door raft moving through the water. "of course we're sailing," bunny answered, as he stood up near the mast, which is what the stick that holds the sail is called. the mast bunny had made was only a piece of a lima bean pole, and the sail was only an old bag. but the children had just as much fun as though they were in one of their father's big sail boats. the duck pond was not very wide, but it was quite long, and when bunny and sue had sailed across it to the other side, they turned around to go to the upper end. bunny had found a piece of board, which he had nailed to another short length of bean pole, and this made a sort of oar. this he put in the water at the back of the raft to steer with. bunny brown knew something about steering a boat, for he had often been out with his father or bunker blue. and bunny was quick to learn, though he was not much more than six years old. harder blew the wind on the bag-sail, and faster and faster went bunny and sue to the upper end of the pond. there were many ducks swimming on the water, or putting their heads down below, into the mud, to get the weeds that grew there. sometimes they found snails, which some ducks like very much. but when the ducks saw the barn-door raft sailing among them, they were afraid, and, quacking loudly, they paddled out of the way. "oh, bunny!" cried sue, as they sailed along, "there's the little ducks that were hatched out by the hen mother." "so they are!" exclaimed the little boy. the little ducks were swimming in the water, and the hen mother was clucking along shore. she would not go in the water herself, but stayed as near to it as she dared, on shore. perhaps she wanted to make sure the little ducks would not drown. of course they would not, unless a big fish pulled them under water, for ducks are made on purpose to swim. and there were no big fish in the pond, only little minnows, about half as big as a lollypop stick. "oh, bunny!" cried sue, as she saw the hen mother watching the little ducks paddle about, "oh, bunny, i know what we can do." "what?" "we can give the hen mamma a ride on our boat. poor thing! she never can go paddling or swimming with her family. let's take her on our boat, and she can sail with her little ducks then, and not get wet." "that's what we'll do!" bunny cried. "i'm glad you thought of it, sue. we'll give the old hen a sail, and the ducks can paddle around with us." bunny steered the raft over to the shore where the hen was clucking away, calling to her ducklings to come to dry land. perhaps she thought they had been in bathing long enough. "can we catch her?" asked sue. "you know it's hard work to catch a chicken. you couldn't catch the old rooster." "oh, this is easier," bunny said. "the hen mother won't run away from her little ducks." and, for a wonder, bunny was right. but then, as grandma brown told him afterward, the old hen was a very tame one, and was used to being picked up and petted. so when bunny and sue reached the shore the hen did not run away. she let bunny pick her up, and she only clucked a little when he set her down in a dry place on the door raft. "now we'll go sailing again," bunny said, as he pushed off from the shore. the old hen clucked and fluttered her wings. she was calling to her little ducks. and they came right up on to the raft, too. perhaps they wanted to see what sailing was like, and then, too, they may have had enough of swimming and paddling for a time. at any rate, there the old mother hen and her little ducks were on the raft, with the two children. "now we'll give them a fine ride!" cried sue. "aren't they cute, bunny?" "yes," said bunny. he steered the raft, while sue picked up one of the little ducks and petted it in her hand. "oh, you dear, cute, sweet little thing!" murmured sue. "i wish i had you for a doll!" on and on sailed bunny and sue, and i think it was the first time the old hen mother ever went sailing with her family of ducks. she seemed to like it, too, bunny and sue thought. finally, when the raft was in the middle of the pond, the little ducks gave some quacks, a sort of whistle and into the water they fluttered one after the other. "cluck! cluck! cluck!" went the hen mamma, fluttering her wings. "cluckity-cluck-cluck!" i suppose that meant, in hen talk: "come back! come back! stay on the boat and have a nice ride!" but the little ducks wanted to swim in the water. and they did. "never mind," said sue. "we'll keep on sailing, bunny, and we'll sail right after the little ducks, so the hen mamma can watch them." and this the children did. the little ducks paddled around in the water at the edge of the raft, and on the middle of it, in a dry place, perched the hen mother. it was great fun, and bunny and sue liked it very much. "she is just like a trained hen," said bunny. "if we have another and bigger circus, sue, we can have this hen in it." "are we going to have another circus?" "maybe--a big one, in two tents. bunker blue and ben are talking about it." "oh, that would be fun!" cried sue, clapping her hands. and then, all at once, as soon as sue did this, the little ducks took fright, and hurried toward the shore. perhaps they thought sue was shooing them away, as her grandmother sometimes shooed the hens out of the garden. anyhow, the little ducks, half swimming and half flying, rushed for the shore, and no sooner had the hen mother seen them go, than with a loud cluck she raised herself up in the air, and flew to shore also. she had had enough of sailing, and she wanted to be with her little duck family. "oh, i didn't mean to scare them," said sue. "never mind," bunny comforted her. "i guess they had ride enough. now we'll sail down to the other end of the pond." but the wind was quite strong now. it blew very hard on the bag-sail, and the raft went swiftly through the water. all at once there was a cracking sound, and the raft turned to one side. "oh, dear!" cried sue. "what's the matter?" something flew down over her head, covering her eyes, and she could see nothing. "stop! stop!" cried the little girl. "is that you, bunny?" but bunny did not answer. sue pulled the thing off her head. when she could see she noticed that it was the bag sail. the beanpole mast had broken off close to where it was stuck in a crack in the barn door, and the sail had fallen on sue. but where was bunny brown? sue looked all around and then saw her brother, off the raft, standing up in the water behind her. "what--what's the matter, bunny?" asked sue. "don't you want to sail any more? what makes you be in the water? oh, you're all wet!" she cried, as she saw that he had fallen in, right over his head. "i--i couldn't help it," said bunny. "i slipped in when the wind broke the sail. i--i fell on my back, and a lot of water got in my nose and mouth, but--but i got on my feet, and i'm all right now, sue." bunny's father had taught him a little about swimming, and bunny knew that the first thing to do, when you fall in water, is to hold your breath. then, when your head bobs up, as it surely will, you can take a breath, and stand up, if the water isn't too deep. so bunny stood up, with the muddy water dripping from him, looking at sue who was still on the raft, all alone. "oh, bunny!" cried the little girl. "what shall i do? i--i'm afraid!" "you're all right," bunny answered bravely. "i'll come and push you to shore. i'm all wet so i might as well stay wading now." the duck pond was not very deep, and bunny was soon wading behind the raft, pushing it, with sue on it, toward shore. so his sister did not get more than her feet wet, and, as she had on no shoes or stockings, that did not matter. "oh, bunny! what happened?" asked his mother, when she saw how wet he was, as, a little later, the two children came to the farmhouse. "what happened, bunny?" "oh, mamma. we gave the old hen a ride, so she could be with her little ducks," said sue, "and the wind broke our sail, and it fell on me, and the ducks flew away and so did the hen mother, and bunny fell in. that's what happened!" "mercy me, sakes alive! i should think that was enough!" cried grandma brown. "yes, perhaps you had better keep away from the duck pond after this," said mother brown. "now i'll have to change all your clothes, bunny." bunny was sorry his mother had so much work to do for him, but, as he said, he could not help it. washed and clean, bunny and sue, a little later, went down the road to the house of nellie bruce. "we'll take splash with us," said bunny. "where is he? here, splash! splash!" he called. "i didn't see him all to-day," said sue. "maybe he didn't like being a blue-striped tiger in a circus, and he's gone back to our home by the ocean." "he wouldn't go that far," said bunny. "besides, he liked being in the circus. he wagged his tail 'most all the while, and when he does that he's happy. here, splash!" he called again. but splash did not come, even when sue called, and the two children went off to play without him. for a time they did not think about their dog, as they had such fun at the home of nellie bruce. they played tag, and hide-and-go-seek, as well as teeter-tauter, and bean-bag. then mrs. bruce gave them some cookies and milk, and they had a little play-party. but, when it came time for bunny and sue to go home, they thought of splash again. "i wonder if he'll be there waiting for us," said sue, as they came within sight of their grandpa brown's house. "i hope so," said bunny. but no splash was there, and he had not been seen since early morning, before bunny and sue went sailing on the duck pond. "oh, dear!" sighed sue. "splash has run away. he's lost!" "dogs can't get lost!" bunny declared. "yes, he is too lost," and tears came into sue's eyes. chapter xvi getting the tents bunny brown himself thought it was strange that splash was not about to greet him and his sister as they came home from play. the big shaggy dog, that had once pulled sue from the water, was very fond of the children, and if he did not go with them (which he did nearly every time) he was always waiting for them to come back. but this time splash was not to be seen. bunny went about the yard, whistling, while sue called: "splash! here, splash! i want you! come here, splash!" but the joyful bark of splash was not heard, nor did he come bounding around the side of the house, to play with bunny brown and his sister sue, when they called. "it is queer," said mother brown. "i saw him early this morning, when i gave him his breakfast, and i thought he went with you, bunny, when you and sue went down to the duck pond." "no, splash didn't go with us," said bunny. and this was rather strange, too, for the dog loved water, and played near it whenever he could, dashing in to bring out sticks that bunny or sue would throw in for him. "and didn't he go down to nellie bruce's with you?" asked grandma brown. she was as fond of splash as anyone. "no, he didn't follow us," sue answered. "we wanted him, too. but we thought sure he'd be here waiting for us. but he isn't," and again the little girl's eyes filled with tears. "oh, we'll find him," said bunny. but that was easier said than done. all about the house and barns in the farmyard, down through the meadows and over the pasture they looked for splash. mother and grandmother brown helped search, but bunny and sue, with bunker blue and ben hall, went farther off to look. it was nearly time for supper, but bunny and sue did not want to wash and get clean ready for the meal until they had found splash. but splash, it seemed, was not to the found. "we'll have to ask some of the neighbors if they've seen him," said bunker. "we'll go down the road a way and ask everyone we meet." splash, by this time, was pretty well known at the houses along the road where grandpa brown lived, for the dog made friends with everyone, and was fond of children. but bunker, ben, bunny and sue had to ask at a number of places before they found anyone who had seen splash. "your dog lost; eh?" exclaimed mr. black, who lived about a mile from grandpa brown's house. "why, yes, i saw splash this morning. he was running over the fields back of my house. i called to him, thinking you children might be with him, and there's an old ram, over in my back pasture, that i didn't want to get after you. "but splash wouldn't come when i called to him, and when i saw you two youngsters weren't with him, i didn't worry about the ram. i knew splash could look out for himself." "did you see him come back?" asked bunker. "no. i didn't notice. i was too busy." "then we'll go over and look for him," said ben. "maybe the old ram got him after all." "well, maybe he did," said the farmer, "but i guess a dog like splash can run faster than a ram. anyhow we'll have a look." "are you going, bunny?" asked sue. "sure. aren't you? don't you want to find splash?" "yes--but--but i don't want a old ram to hook me with his horns." "i'll take care of you, sue," said farmer black. "i'll take a big stick with me, and the ram is afraid of that. we'll find splash for you." they all went over the field where mr. black had seen splash trotting early that morning. they saw the ram, who, at first, seemed about to run toward them. but when mr. black shook the stick at him the ram turned away and nibbled grass. "no sign of splash here," said the farmer, as he stood on the fence and looked across the field. "then he's just lost," said bunny. he was glad the ram had not hurt his dog. but where could splash be? they went on a little farther, and sue called: "splash! splash! where are you?" but there was no answer. then they went on a little farther, and bunny called: "splash! ho, splash!" hark! what was that? they all listened. from somewhere, a good way off, the faint barking of a dog could be heard. "there he is!" cried bunker blue. "that's splash!" "oh, i'm so glad!" cried sue. "but why doesn't he come to us?" bunny asked. "splash always comes when you call him. why doesn't he come?" no one could answer this. they listened and waited. they could hear the dog barking, but the sound was as far off as ever. "maybe he can't come," said ben. "maybe he's caught, or hurt, and can't walk. we'll have to go to him." "i guess that's right," said farmer black. "we'll find that dog of yours after all." they listened in order to tell where the barking came from, and then started off toward a little grove of trees. it seemed that splash was there. and, as they came nearer the barking sounded more plainly. "oh, splash! splash!" cried sue. the dog barked and whined now. "he's hurt!" said bunker blue. "he must be caught in a trap!" and it was there they found poor splash. he had stepped with one paw into a trap that was hidden under the leaves, and there he was, held fast. for the trap, which was a string spring one, was fastened by a chain to a heavy log. and as splash could not pull the log and trap too, he had had to stay where he was caught. "oh, you poor, dear splash!" cried sue, putting her arms around the dog's neck. splash licked her face with his red tongue, and whined. bunny, too, put his arms around his pet. "some boy must have set that trap here to catch musk rats," said farmer black. "i've told 'em not to, but they won't mind. let me see now if i can't set splash loose." this was soon done. the trap was not a sharp one, with teeth, as some are made, and though one of the dog's paws was pinched and bruised, no bones were broken, nor was the skin cut. but poor splash was quite lame, and could only walk on three legs. "splash, what made you run away from home?" asked bunny. of course the dog could not answer. but he may have found some other dog to play with, and run off to have some fun. then he had stepped into the trap, and there he was held until his little friends came to find him. "and it's a good thing you looked for him," said bunker blue, "or he might have been out here all night, caught in the trap." "poor splash!" said sue, as she hugged him again. as splash could not walk along very well, on three legs, mr. black said he would hitch up a wagon and take the dog, and everyone else, to grandpa's place. and, a little later, this was done. grandpa brown put some liniment on the sore leg, and bound it up in soft cloths. then splash went to sleep in the kitchen. "oh, i'm so glad he isn't lost!" sighed sue, as she and bunny went to bed that night. "so am i," echoed her brother. for several days splash had to go about on three legs, holding the lame one, with the cloth on, up in the air. then the pain and bruise of the trap passed away, and he could run around the same as before, on four legs, though he limped a little. soon he was over that, and as well as ever. "and you must keep out of traps," said bunny, shaking a finger at his pet. "bow-wow!" barked splash, and i guess that he meant he would. it was about a week after this that bunny brown and his sister sue saw bunker blue and ben hall out in a field with a big pile of white cloth. "oh, maybe they're going to send up a balloon!" exclaimed bunny, for he had once seen this done at a park. "let's go watch!" cried sue. they found the two big boys stretching out the white cloth, to which was fastened many ropes. "is it a balloon?" asked bunny. "no," answered bunker. "it's a tent." "a tent! what a big one!" "it's the army tent your grandfather used to sleep in when he went to camp. he let us take it. we're going to put it up and see how many it will hold." "what for?" bunny wanted to know. "are you going camping? can sue and i come?" "no, we're not going camping," answered ben. "but we want this tent, and perhaps another one, bigger, for the circus we are going to give." "oh, are you going to have a circus?" asked bunny. "well, we big boys are thinking of it," said bunker. "you young ones gave such a good one, that we want to see if we can't come up to you. that's why we're going to put up this tent." "we'll help," said bunny. then he and sue began pulling on ropes and hauling on the ends of the white canvas, of which the tent was made. the children thought they were helping, but i guess bunker and ben could have done better if left alone. still they liked the children, and did not want to send them away. but bunny, who had gone away from sue, soon grew tired of pulling on the heavy ropes. "i guess i'll come back when you have the tent up," said the little fellow. "come on, sue," and he looked around for his sister. but she was not in sight. "sue! sue!" called bunny. "where are you?" "maybe she's gone home," said ben. "no, she wouldn't go without me," bunny declared. "oh, maybe she's lost; or caught in a trap, just like splash was!" and bunny began to cry. chapter xvii bunny and the balloons bunker blue, ben, and some of the large boys from nearby farms, who had been invited to come over and help put up the big tent, stopped pulling on the ropes, or driving in stakes, and gathered around bunny brown. "what's the matter?" asked one big boy, who had a snub nose. "my--my little sister is lost," bunny explained, half crying. "who is your sister?" the big boy asked. he came from a farm a good way off, and was somewhat of a stranger. "she's sue--that's my sister," bunny explained. "she was here a little while ago, but now she's lost!" "this is bunny brown," explained bunker to the other boys. "he and his sister sue are staying at grandpa brown's farm. their grandfather let us take this tent," he said. "oh, i see!" exclaimed the big boy. "well, we'll help you hunt for your sister, bunny." they began looking all around the big tent, which was spread out on the ground and not yet up on the poles, as it would be later, so the people could come in it to see the show of the big boys. but sue was not in sight. nor could she be seen anywhere in the field where the tent was to be put up. "are you sure she didn't go back to the house, bunny?" asked ben. "i'm sure she didn't," said the little boy. "she was here with me a little while ago. if she'd gone she'd have told me so, and splash would have gone with her. he goes with her more than he does with me. and see, here is splash!" this was true. the big dog lay in the shade, watching what bunny and the others were doing, and wondering, i suppose, why people were so foolish as to work in hot weather, when they could just as well lie down in the shade, and stick out their tongues to keep cool--for that is what dogs do. "maybe splash can find sue," said bunker. "hi there, splash!" he called. "where's sue? find her!" splash jumped up with a bark, and ran to bunny. "you tell him what to do," said bunker. "he'll mind you better than he will me." "find sue, splash! find sue!" said bunny. splash barked again, looked up into bunny's face, as if to make sure what was wanted, and then, with a bark he ran to where a big pile of the white canvas was gathered in a heap. it was a part of the tent the boys had not yet unfolded, or straightened out. splash stood near this and barked. then he began poking in it with his sharp nose. "he--he's found something," said ben. "maybe it's sue," cried bunker. "come on!" taking hold of bunny's hand, bunker ran with him toward the pile of canvas. the other boys ran too. but before they got there sue was sitting up in the middle of it, and splash was standing near her, barking and jumping about now and then, as if he felt very happy. "why--why, sue!" bunny cried. "were you there all the while?" "how long is all the while?" asked sue, rubbing her sleepy eyes. "i was playing house here, bunny, and i pulled a bed spread over me, and went to sleep. splash put his cold nose on me and woke me up. what are you all lookin' at me for?" sue asked, as she saw the circle of boys, her brother among them, staring at her. "we--we thought you were lost, sue," said bunny. "and we came to find you." "i--i wasn't losted at all!" sue protested. "i was here all the while! i just went to sleep!" and that was what had happened. when bunny was busy helping ben and bunker pull on some of the tent ropes, sue had slipped off by herself, and had lain down on the pile of canvas. feeling sleepy, she had pulled a part of the tent over her. she made believe it was a white spread, such as was on her bed in her grandpa brown's house. this covered sue from sight, so bunny and none of the others could see her. and there she had slept, while the others looked. and had not splash known where to find the little girl, she might have slept a great deal longer, and bunny and the boys might not have found her until dark. "but i've slept long enough, now," said sue. "is the tent ready for the big circus?" "not yet," answered bunker blue. "we've got to use the piece of canvas you were sleeping on, so it's a good thing you woke up. but we'll soon have the tent ready, and then we'll go and get the bigger one." "oh, are you going to have two?" asked sue. "yes," answered ben. "oh, we're going to give a fine show! and we want you and your sister sue in it, too, bunny," went on the strange boy who had come to grandpa brown's so hungry that night. "you'll be in the big circus; won't you?" "to give the punch and judy show?" asked sue. "well, maybe that, and maybe some of the things you did in your own little circus," bunker said. "there's time enough to get up something new if you want." "all right. that's what we'll do," said bunny. "come on, sue, and we'll practise a new act for the big boys' circus." the little circus, gotten up by bunny and sue, had made quite a jolly time for the people in the country where grandpa brown lived. it was talked of in many a farmhouse, and it was this talk of the little circus that had made bunker, ben and the other big boys want to give a larger show of their own. some of the boys were quite strong, and they could do tricks on the trapeze that bunny and his little friends did not dare try. then, too, one of the boys had a trained dog, that had once been in a real city theatre show, and another had some white mice that could do little tricks, and even fire a toy cannon that shot a paper cap. "oh, it's going to be a real circus all right, in real tents," said bunker blue. as i have told you, grandpa brown let the boys take his old army tent, and they were to have another, and larger one, that had once been used at a county fair. leaving bunker, ben and the other big boys to put up their tent, bunny and sue, with splash, their dog, went back to the farmhouse. "what trick can we do, bunny?" asked sue. "what can we do in the circus?" "oh, we'll make up a surprise, so they'll all laugh," he said. "i wish i had another big lobster claw, so i could put it on my nose, and look funny." "maybe you could find something else to put on your nose," said the little girl. "oh, bunny, i know!" she suddenly cried. "i've just thought of something fine!" "what?" asked bunny. sue looked all around, to make sure no one was listening, and then she whispered to bunny. and what it was she told him i'm not allowed to tell you just now, though i will when the right time comes. anyhow, bunny and sue were very busy the rest of the day. they were making something out in the barn, and they kept the doors closed so no one could see what they were doing. it was the day after this that bunny and sue were asked by their grandma to go on a little errand for her. it was about half a mile down the safe country road, to a neighbor's house, and as the two children had been there before, they knew the way very well. hand in hand they set off, with splash following after them. they walked slowly, for there was no hurry. now and then they stopped to pick some pretty flowers, or get a drink at a wayside spring. once in a while they saw a red, yellow or blue bird, and they stopped to watch the pretty creatures fly to their nests, where their little ones were waiting to be fed. "oh, isn't it just lovely in the country," said sue. "don't you just love it, bunny?" "yes," he answered. "i do. and won't we have fun at our circus, sue, when i dress up like a----" "hush!" exclaimed the little girl. "don't tell anyone! it's a secret you know." "pooh! there's nobody here to tell!" laughed bunny. in a little while they were at the house of the neighbor to whom grandma brown had sent them. they gave in the little note grandma had written, and then mrs. wilson, to whom it was sent, after writing an answer, gave bunny and sue each a cookie, and a cool glass of milk. "sit down in the shade, on the porch, and eat and drink," said mrs. wilson. "then you will feel better when going home." bunny and sue liked the cookies and milk very much. they were just eating the last crumbs of the cookies, and drinking the last drops of milk, when bunny, looking out toward the road, saw, going past, a man with a large number of balloons, tied to strings, floating over his head. there were red balloons, and blue ones; green, yellow, purple, white and pink ones. "oh, look, sue!" cried bunny. "the balloons! that's just what we want for our circus." "what do we want of balloons?" asked the little girl. "i mean we ought to have somebody sell them outside the tents," bunny went on. "it won't look like a real circus without toy balloons." "that's so," agreed sue. "but how can we get 'em?" "we'll ask the balloon man," said bunny. he was not a bit bashful about speaking to strangers. setting down his empty milk glass, bunny ran down the front path toward the road, where the balloon man was walking along through the dust. sue ran after her brother. "hey! hi there!" called bunny. the man stopped and turned around. seeing the two children, he smiled. "you wanta de balloon?" he asked, for he was an italian, just like the one who had a hand organ, and whose monkey ran away, as i have told you in the book before this one. "we want lots of balloons," said bunny. "oh, sure!" said the man, smiling more than ever. "we want all the balloons for our circus," bunny explained. "circus? circus?" repeated the balloon man, and he did not seem to know what bunny meant. "what is circus?" he asked. "we're going to have a circus," bunny explained. "my sister sue says we must have toy balloons. you come to our circus and you can sell a lot. you know--a show in a tent." "oh, sure! i know!" the italian smiled again. he had often sold balloons at fairs and circuses. "where your circus?" he asked. "come on, we'll show you," promised bunny. then he and sue started back toward grandpa brown's house, followed by the man with the balloons floating over his head--red balloons, green, blue, purple, yellow, white and pink ones. chapter xviii the storm "bunny! won't it be just grand!" whispered sue to her brother, as they walked along ahead of the balloon man. "fine!" said bunny. "we'll have him stand outside the tent, and sell his balloons. it'll look just like a real circus then. it wouldn't without the balloons; would it, sue?" "no. and, oh, bunny! i've thought of something else." "what is it?" "pink lemonade." "pink lemonade?" "yes, we'll have the balloon man sell that, and peanuts. then it will be more than ever like a real circus." "but how can he sell pink lemonade and peanuts and balloons?" bunny wanted to know. "oh, he can do it," said sue, who seemed to think it was very easy. "he can tie his bunch of balloons to the lemonade and peanut stand, and when anybody wants one they can take it and put down the five cents. then the balloon man will have one hand to dish out the hot peanuts, and the other to pour out the pink lemonade." "yes, i guess he could do that," said bunny. "we'll ask him, anyhow. maybe he won't want to." bunny and sue stopped and waited for the balloon man to catch up with them. the man, seeing the children waiting for him, hurried forward, and stopped to see what was wanted. "well?" he asked, looking at his balloons to make sure none of them would break away, and float up to the clouds. "can you sell pink lemonade?" asked bunny. "penk leemonade," repeated the italian, saying the words in a funny way. "whata you calla dat? penk leemonade?" "you know--what they always have at a circus," said bunny. "this color," and he pointed to a pink balloon. "you drink it you know, out of a glass--five cents." "no can drinka de balloon!" the man exclaimed. "you put your teeth on heem and he go--pop! so--no good!" "no, i don't mean that!" cried bunny, laughing at the italian, who made funny faces, and waved his hands in the air. "i mean can you sell pink lemonade--to drink--at our circus?" "and peanuts?" added sue. "yes, we'd want you to sell peanuts, too," went on the little boy. "ha! peanuts? no! i used to pusha de peanut cart--make de whistle blow--hot peanuts. no more! i sella de balloon!" exclaimed the italian. "no more makea de hot peanuts!" "oh, dear!" sighed sue. "he won't do it! we'll have to get some one else, bunny." "well, we can easy do that," said bunny. "maybe the hired man will sell peanuts and lemonade for us. i asked him if he would like to be in the big circus, and he said he would. i asked him if he could do any acts." "what'd he say?" sue wanted to know, while the italian balloon peddler stood looking at the two children, as if wondering what they would do next. "well, the hired man said all he could do was milk a cow, and plow up the ground. he wanted to know if they were circus acts, and i said i guessed not," replied bunny. "so maybe he'd be glad to sell lemonade and peanuts." "i think he would," said sue. "you needn't do anything except blow up your balloons and sell 'em," she went on to the italian. "never mind about the peanuts and the pink lemonade." "alla right," said the man, with a smile that showed what nice white teeth he had. "me sella de balloon!" he and the children walked on a little longer. then the man turned to bunny and asked: "how much farder now--to de circus?" "not far now," said bunny. "the circus isn't quite ready yet, but you can stay at our grandpa's house until it is. you see we don't get many balloon peddlers out this way. you're the first one we've seen, so you'd better stay. it won't be more than a week, or maybe two weeks." "circus last all dat time?" asked the italian. "sella lot de balloons. buy more in new york--sella dem! mucha de money!" "we've an aunt in new york," said sue. "her name is aunt lu. if you sell all these balloons she'll buy some more for you in new york, so you won't have to go away." "yes," said bunny, "that would be best. we'll get aunt lu to send you more balloons. and when you haven't any to sell, while you're waiting, you could help the hired man sell pink lemonade and peanuts. 'cause, anyhow, maybe the hired man sometimes would have to go to milk the cows, and you could take his place." the italian shook his head. he did not quite know what bunny and sue were talking about. all he thought of was that he was being taken to a circus, where he might sell all his balloons, and make money enough to buy more to sell. "there's grandpa's house now," said sue, as they went around a turn in the road. "where de circus--where de tents?" the italian wanted to know. "oh, they're not all up yet," said bunny. "the big boys are doing that. you just come with us." and so bunny brown and his sister sue walked up the front path, followed by the italian with the many-colored balloons floating over his head. "mercy me! what's all this?" cried mother brown, when she saw the little procession. "what does this mean, bunny--sue?" "it's balloons, for the circus," explained bunny. "we saw this man down the road, and we invited him to come with us. he's going to stay here until it's time for the circus, next week, and then he's going to sell balloons outside the tent." "we wanted him to sell pink lemonade and peanuts," said sue, "but he wouldn't. so the hired man can do that. now, grandma," went on the little girl, "maybe this balloon man is hungry. we're not, 'cause we had some cookies and milk; didn't we, bunny?" "yep." "but he didn't have any," sue went on. "and he'll have to have a place to sleep, 'cause he's going to stay to the circus, and sell balloons. and if he sells them all aunt lu will send him more from new york and he can sell them. won't it be nice, mother?" mrs. brown did not know what to say. neither did grandma brown. they just looked at one another, and then at the italian, and next at bunny and sue. "me sella de balloon!" explained the italian, as best he could in his queer english. "little boy--little gal--say circus. me likea de circus. but me no see any tents. where circus tents?" "oh these children!" cried mrs. brown. "what in the world are we to do with this italian and his balloons?" "me sella de balloons!" said the dark-skinned man. "yes, i know," sighed mrs. brown. "but the circus is only a make-believe one, and it isn't ready yet, and--oh, i don't know what to do!" she cried. "bunny--sue--you shouldn't have invited the balloon man to come here!" "but you can't have a circus without balloons," said bunny. "yes, my dear, i know, but----" "what's all the trouble?" asked papa brown, coming out on the porch just then. bunny and sue, their mother and the italian, told the story after a while. "well," said mr. brown, to the italian, after he had listened carefully, "i'm sorry you had your trip for nothing. but of course the children did not know any better. it is only a little circus, and you would not sell many balloons. but, as long as you came away back here, i guess we can give you something to eat, and we'll buy some balloons of you for the children." "thanka you. mucha de 'bliged," said the italian with a smile. he seemed happy now, and after grandma brown had given him some bread and meat, and a big piece of pie, out on the side porch, he started off down the road again, smiling and happy. bunny and sue were each given a balloon by their father, who bought them from the italian. "and don't invite any more peddlers to your circus, children," said mr. brown. "we won't," promised bunny. "but we thought the balloons would be nice." "we can have the hired man sell pink lemonade and peanuts; can't we?" sue wanted to know. "yes, i guess so--if he wants to," laughed grandpa brown. "well, we have some balloons ourselves, anyhow," said bunny to his sister that night. the children had much fun with their balloons next day. they tied long threads to them, and let them float high in the air. once sue's nearly got away, but bunny ran after the thread, which was dragging on the ground, and caught it. the big boys had not forgotten about the circus, all this while. bunker, ben and their friends had put up the tent grandpa brown let them take, and bunny and sue went inside. "my! it's terrible big!" said sue, looking about the white canvas house. it was not so very large, but it seemed so to sue. "just wait until you see the other," said bunker. "the fair tent is three times as big as this." and so it was. when that was put up in the meadow, near the army tent of grandpa brown's, the place began to look like a real circus ground. "when are you going to have the show?" asked bunny of ben. "oh, in a few days now. have you and sue made up what you are going to do?" "yes, but it's a secret," sue answered. "so much the better!" laughed ben. "you'll surprise the people." the two tents were put up, and the big boys were getting ready for the circus. one night, about four days before it was to be held, bunker blue and ben came in from where they had been, down near the tents, and looked anxiously at the sky. "what's the matter," asked bunny. "well," said bunker, "it looks as if we would have a big rain storm. and if we do, and the meadow brook gets too full of water, it may wash the tents away." "oh, i guess that won't happen," said ben. but in the night it began to rain very hard. it thundered and lightened, and bunny and sue woke up, frightened. sue began to cry. "why, you mustn't cry just because it rains," said mother brown. "but i'm afraid!" sobbed sue. "and it will wash away our circus tents!" and she sat up in bed, and shivered every time it thundered. "oh, mother! it will wash away all the nice circus tents!" chapter xix hard work mrs. brown did not quite understand what sue said about the storm washing away the circus tents. so she asked the little girl to explain. "why, bunker blue said," sue told her mother, "that if the storm was too hard, the brook would get full of water, and wash away our circus tents. and i don't want that, 'cause me and bunny is going to do an act, only it's a secret and i can't tell you. only--oh, dear!" cried sue, as she saw a very bright flash of lightning. "it's going to bang again!" "but you musn't be afraid of the storm," said mother brown. "see, bunny isn't afraid!" "yes, i _is_ afraid too!" cried the little boy, who slept in the next room. "i _is_ afraid, but i wasn't goin' to tell!" "well, that's being brave--not to show that you are afraid," said mother brown. "come now, sue, you be brave, like bunny." "but i can't, mother! i don't want the circus to be spoiled!" "oh, i guess the tents are good and strong," said mr. brown, who had gotten up to see what sue was crying for. "they won't blow away." it was about eleven o'clock at night, and quite dark, except when the lightning came. then the loud thunder would sound, "just like circus wagons rumbling over a bridge," as bunny told sue, to try and make his little sister feel less afraid. but all sue could talk of was the circus tents, that might be blown over by the strong wind, which was now rattling the shutters and windows of the farmhouse. or else the white canvas houses might be washed away by the high water. while mr. and mrs. brown sat up, trying to comfort sue, by telling her and bunny a fairy story, there were sounds heard in another part of the house. "i guess that's grandpa brown getting up to see if his cows and horses are all right," said mother. "the cows and horses are not afraid in a storm, sue." "maybe they are, but they can't talk and tell us about it," said sue, who was not quite so frightened now. grandpa brown could be heard speaking to some one in the hall. "hello, bunker blue," he called, "is that you getting up?" "yes, mr. brown," was the answer the children heard. "and who is that with you?" "ben hall." "what are you going to do?" bunny brown heard his grandpa ask. "we're going down to see about our circus tents," said bunker. "we're afraid they may be carried away in the storm." "well, perhaps they may," said grandpa brown. "it's a bad storm all right, but we'll be safe and comfortable in the house. take a lantern with you, if you're going out, and be careful." "we will," promised bunker. bunny put on his slippers and bath robe and went to the bedroom door. it was open a little way, and out in the hall he could see bunker blue and ben hall. the two big boys had on rubber boots and rubber coats, for it was raining hard. "oh, bunker!" called bunny. "may i go with you?" "what, little shaver! are you awake?" bunker asked. "you'd better get back to bed. it's raining cats and dogs!" "really?" called sue, from her father's lap, where she was sitting all "cuddled up." "is it really raining cats and dogs? is it raining my dog splash? if it is i want to see it!" "no, i didn't exactly mean that," answered bunker with a laugh. "i meant it was raining such big drops that they are almost as large as little baby cats and dogs. but it is storming too hard for you two youngsters to come out. ben and i will see about the tents." "don't let them blow away!" begged bunny. "or wash down the brook," added sue. "we won't!" promised the big boys. then they went out into the storm. the wind was blowing so hard they could not carry umbrellas, for if they had taken them the umbrellas would have been blown inside out in a minute. but with rubber hats, coats and boots bunker and ben could not get very wet. bunny and sue, looking from their windows, saw the flicker of the lantern, as bunker and ben walked with it toward the circus tents. harder rumbled the thunder, and brighter flashed the lightning. the rain pounded on the roof as though it would punch holes in it, and come through to wet bunny and sue. but nothing like that happened, and soon the two children began to feel sleepy again, even though the storm still kept up. "i--i guess i'll go to bed," said sue. "will you stay by me a little while, daddy?" "yes," answered her father. "i'll sit right by your little bed." "and hold my hand until i get to sleep?" "yes, i'll hold your hand, sue." "all right. then i won't be scared any more. you can hold bunny's hand, mother." "pooh, i'm not afraid!" said bunny. "but i like you to hold my hand, mother!" he added quickly, for fear his mother would go away and leave him. "all right, i'll sit by you," she said, with a smile. bunny and sue soon fell asleep again. the thunder was not quite so loud, nor the lightning so bright, but it rained harder than ever, and as bunny felt his eyes growing heavy, so that he was almost asleep, he again thought of what might happen to the circus tents. "if they wash away down the brook, we can't have any show," he thought. "but maybe it won't happen." bunny roused up a little later, when some one came into the farmhouse. the little boy thought it was bunker and ben, but he was too sleepy to get up and ask. he heard some one, that sounded like his grandpa, ask: "did they wash away?" then bunker's voice answered: "yes, they both washed away. it's a regular flood down in the meadow. everything is spoiled!" "i wonder--i wonder if he means the circus?" thought bunny, but he was too sleepy to do anything more, just then, than wonder. in the morning, however, when the storm had passed, bunny brown and his sister sue heard some bad news. after breakfast bunker and ben came in and bunker said: "well, little folks, i guess we can't have any circus!" "no circus!" cried bunny, and he was so surprised that he dropped his fork with a clatter on his plate, waking up splash, the big dog, who was asleep in one corner of the room. "why can't we have a circus?" asked sue. she and bunny had almost forgotten about the storm the night before. "we can't have a circus," explained bunker, "because both our tents were washed away during the night. the brook, that is generally so small that you can wade across it, was so filled with rain water that it was almost turned into a river. it flooded the meadow, the water washed out the tent poles and pegs, and down the tents fell, flat. then the water rose higher and washed them away." "where did it wash them?" asked bunny. "oh, away down toward the river, i guess. i'm afraid we'll never get 'em back." "it's too bad," said ben. "just when we were all ready for the nice circus. but, bunker, we won't give up yet. we'll look for those tents, and maybe we can put them up again." "well, maybe we can do it," said the red-haired boy. "but i'm afraid everything is spoiled." "we'll help you look for the tents," said bunny. "won't we, sue?" "if--if the water isn't too deep," said sue. she was always afraid of deep water, though she, like bunny, was learning to swim. "oh, the water isn't deep now," bunker assured her. "it was a regular flood in the night when ben and i went out to look at it, but it has all gone down now, since the rain stopped." "was it deep when you were out last night?" bunny wanted to know. "it surely was," answered bunker. "it was almost over our boots. we couldn't get near the tents, and we had to watch them be knocked down by the flood, and carried away on the big waves. then we came back to the house." "we couldn't do anything in the dark, anyhow," remarked ben. "but now that it's daylight maybe we can find the tents." "we'll help--come on!" exclaimed bunny to his sister. they finished their breakfast, and, after promising to keep out of mischief, bunny and sue were allowed to go with bunker and ben to look for the missing tents. first they went down to the meadow where the white canvas houses had been first put up. the brook was higher than bunny or sue had ever seen it before, and the bent-over, twisted and muddy grass showed how high up in the meadow the water had come. there were some wooden pegs still left in the ground, to show where the tents had stood. "and now they're gone," said bunny sadly. "yes. carried away in the flood," remarked bunker. "but maybe we'll find them," said ben hopefully. they walked along the bank of the brook. about a mile farther on it flowed into a small river. "and if our tents have floated down the river we may never get them back," said bunker. "now everybody look, and whoever first sees the white tents, caught on a stone or on a log, tell us, and we'll try to get them," said bunker. you may be sure bunny and sue kept their eyes wide open, and were very desirous to be the first to see the tents. it was sue who had the first good look. as she and bunny, with ben, bunker and some other big boys who had come to help, went around a turn in the brook, sue, who had run on ahead, saw something white bobbing up and down in the water. "oh, there's a tent--maybe!" she cried. the others ran to her side. "so it is!" shouted bunker. "that's the small tent, caught fast on a rock in the brook. we'll get that out first!" he and the other boys took off their shoes and stockings, and waded out to the tent. it was hard work to get it to shore, but they finally managed to do it. the tent was wet and muddy, and torn in two places, but it could be dried out, mended and used. "and now for the big tent--see if _you_ can find that, bunny!" called ben. but bunny was not as lucky as was his sister sue. after they had walked on half a mile farther, it was bunker himself who saw the big tent, caught on a sunken tree, just where the brook flowed into the river. "now if we get that we'll be all right," he said. "yes, but it isn't going to be as easy to get that as it was the little one," commented ben hall. "we'll have to work very hard to get that tent to shore." "i'll help," offered bunny brown, and the other boys laughed. bunny was so little to offer to help get the big tent on shore. chapter xx the missing mice the big tent, once used at the fair, but which the boys had now borrowed for their circus, was all tangled up in the water. the ropes and cloth were twisted and wound around among the sticks and stones, where the tent had drifted, after the flood of the night before had carried it away. "oh, we'll never get that out so we can use it," said charlie tenny, one of the boys who was helping ben, bunker and the others. "yes, we'll get it out," said ben. "we've got bunny brown to help us you know." some of the boys laughed, and bunny's face grew red. "now i mean just what i say!" cried ben. "bunny brown is a brave little chap, and if it hadn't been for him and his sister sue we big fellows wouldn't have thought of getting up a circus show. so it's a good thing to have a chap like him with us, even if he is small." bunny felt better after this, and he thought ben was very kind to speak as he had done. "splash is here, too," said bunny. "he can get hold of a rope and pull like anything." "that's right," said bunker blue. "maybe splash can help us. he is a strong dog." "it's a good thing the tent didn't go all the way down to the river," said charlie. "otherwise we might never have found it." "yes," put in bunker. "and now let's see if we can get it to shore. it's not going to be easy." the boys worked hard, and bunny helped. he could wade out, where the water was not too deep, and pull on the ropes. there were a great many of these ropes to hold the tent together, but now they were all tangled. but ben hall seemed to know how to untangle them, and soon the work of getting the tent to shore began to look easier. splash did his share of work, too. he pulled on the ropes bunker blue handed him, shutting his strong, white teeth on them, and straining and tugging until you would have thought that splash, all alone, would pull the tent ashore. and, finally, with all the boys and the dog and bunny brown pulling and tugging, they got the tent out of the water. it was still all twisted and tangled, but now that it was on shore it was easier to make smooth. "we'll have to get a wagon to haul it back to the meadow where we are going to set it up again," said bunker. "my grandpa will let us take a horse and wagon," said bunny. "he wants to see the circus." "i guess we'll have to give him a free ticket if he lets us take a horse and wagon to haul the tent," said ben with a laugh. "you've a good grandpa, bunny brown." "yep. i like him, and so does sue," said the little fellow. grandpa brown very kindly said he would go down to the river himself, in his wagon, and help the boys bring up the tent. he did this, and he also helped them set it up again. this time they put the two circus tents farther back from the brook. "then if it rains again, and the water gets high and makes a flood, it won't wash away the tents," said bunker blue. "when is the show going to be?" asked sue. she was anxious to see it, and she and bunny were waiting for the time when they could let their secret become known. for they had told no one yet. "oh, we'll have to wait a few days now, before having the circus," said ben. "the tents are all wet, and we want them to dry out. then we've got to make the seats all over again, because the flood carried them away. i guess we can't have the show until next week." there was much more work to be done because the flood had come and spoiled everything. but, after all, it did not matter much, and the boys set to work with jolly laughs to get the circus ready again. bunny and sue helped all they could, and the older boys were glad to have the children with them, because both bunny and sue were so good-natured, and said such funny things, at times, that it made the others laugh. the seats for the circus were made of boards, laid across boxes, just as bunny and sue had made theirs when they gave their first punch and judy show in their barn at home. there were seats all around the outer edge inside the big fair tent. it was in this one that the real "show" was to be given. here the big boys would swing on trapezes, have foot and wheelbarrow races, ride horses and do all sorts of tricks. "the people will sit here and watch us do our funny things," said ben. "we're going to have clowns, and everything." "and what's going to be in the little tent--the army one grandpa let you take?" asked bunny. "oh, that's for the wild animals," said bunker blue. "are you going to have our dog splash striped like a blue tiger again?" asked sue. "no, i think we'll have some different wild animals this time," said ben. "there'll be some surprises at our show." "oh, i wish it were time now!" cried sue. "we've got a surprise too; haven't we, bunny?" "yep!" answered her brother. "come on out to the barn, sue and we'll practise it again." what it was bunny and sue were going to do, none of the big boys could guess. and they did not try very hard, for they had too much to do themselves, getting ready for the "big" circus as they called it, for the first one, gotten up by bunny and sue, was only a little one. so the smaller tent was made ready for the "wild" animals, though of course there would really be no elephants, tigers or anything like that. you couldn't have them in a boys' circus, and i guess the boys didn't really want them. "make-believe" was as much fun to them as it was to bunny and sue. there was nice, clear weather after the storm and flood, and soon the circus tents were dried out again. the boards were once more put across the boxes for seats. one day bunker and ben went into the big tent. there they saw bunny and sue tying some pieces of old carpet on to some of the planks down near the front sawdust ring. for there was a real sawdust ring, the sawdust having come from grandpa's ice-house. "what are you putting carpet on the planks for?" asked ben, of the two children. "to make preserved seats," answered sue. "reserved seats, sue. _re_served--not _pre_served seats, sue," corrected bunny. "well, it's just the same, 'most," said sue, as she went on tying her bit of carpet to a board. "we're making some nice, soft reserved seats for grandpa and grandma, and mother and daddy." "oh, i see!" laughed bunker. "that's a good idea. we can make soft seats for the ladies, ben. we'll get some more pieces of old carpet and have a lot of reserved seats." and this the big boys did. bunny and sue, little as they were, had given them a good idea. and now began the real work of getting ready for the circus. that is the boys began taking into the smaller tent queer looking boxes and crates. these boxes and crates were covered with cloth or paper, so no one could see what was in them. "what are they?" asked sue, as she and bunny stood outside the smaller tent, for bunker would not let them go inside. "oh, those are some of the wild animals," said the red-haired boy. "really?" asked sue, her eyes opening wide. "well--really-make-believe," laughed bunker. "and are the white mice there?" asked bunny. "yes, the white mice are in the tent," said bunker. one of the country boys, who had a lot of white mice had promised to lend them to the circus. he had taught them to do some little tricks, and this was to be a part of the show. "oh, i can hardly wait!" cried sue. "i want to see the circus." "well you can now, in a day or so," said bunker. "hi there! what have you?" he asked of a boy who came up to the tent with a box on a wheelbarrow. "this is the wild lion," was the answer. "oh-o-o-o-o!" exclaimed sue, getting closer to bunny. "a lion!" "oh, i've got him well trained," said the boy. "he won't hurt you at all. he won't even roar if i tell him not to." certainly the lion in the cage seemed very quiet, and the boy carried him very easily. "i guess maybe he's a baby lion," whispered sue to bunny. that afternoon there was a great deal of excitement down at the "circus grounds," as bunny and sue called the place in the meadow where the tents stood. one of the boys who had been helping bunker and ben, came running out of the tent crying: "they're gone! they're gone!" "what's gone?" asked ben. "my white mice! the cage door is open and they're all gone!" chapter xxi the big circus bunny brown and his sister sue looked at one another. if the white mice had escaped from the circus tent, some of the other animals might also get away. and suppose that should happen to the lion, which ben had said was in one of the boxes! just suppose! "i--i guess we'd better go home, bunny," said sue, in a whisper. "yes," he answered. "i--i guess mother wants us. come on!" "what's the matter?" asked bunker blue. "i thought you were going to stay and help us, bunny." "i--i was. but if those mice got away--" "oh, i see!" laughed bunker blue. "you're afraid some of the other animals might also get out. but don't be afraid. we haven't any of the other wild beasts in here yet." "but that--that lion," said bunny, looking toward the animal tent. "oh, he's asleep," said ben. "besides he wouldn't hurt anyone even if he was out of his cage. you needn't be afraid. he's the only animal, except the mice, that we've put in the tent yet. but how did your mice get out, sam?" he asked the boy who owned them. "i don't know. they were all right last night, but, when i went to feed them this morning, the cage door was open, and they were all gone." "will--will they bite?" asked sue. "no, they're very tame and gentle," answered sam. "white mice and white rats, you know, aren't like the other kind. i guess being colored white makes them kind and nice. they run all over me, in my pockets and up my sleeves. sometimes they go to sleep in my pockets. "why, even my mother isn't afraid of them, and she'll let them go to sleep in her lap, and she wouldn't do that for a black mouse or a black or gray rat. no sir!" "no, i guess not!" exclaimed bunker. "other rats and mice would bite. but it's too bad your white ones are gone. we'll have to find them. we can't have a good circus without them. everybody help hunt for sam's lost mice!" cried bunker. "i--i know how to get them," said sue. "how?" sam wanted to know. he and the others, including bunny and sue, had gone inside the tent to look at the empty mouse cage. "with cheese," answered sue. "don't you know the little verse: 'once a trap was baited, with a piece of cheese. it tickled so a little mouse it almost made him sneeze.' and when your mices sneeze, when they smell the cheese, you could hear them, and catch them, sam." "yes, maybe that would be a good plan," laughed bunker blue. "but do your mice like cheese, sam?" "yes, they'll eat almost anything, and they'll take it right out of my hand. oh dear! i hope they come back!" sam felt very bad, for he had had his white mice pets a long time, and had taught them to do many little tricks. "we'll all help you look for them," said ben. "did you ever teach any of them the trick of opening the cage door?" he asked. "no," replied sam. "i don't believe they could do that, for the door was fastened on the outside, and white mice haven't paws like a trained monkey. maybe i didn't fasten the cage door good last night." "oh, bunny!" cried sue. "wouldn't it be fun if we could send and get mr. winkler's monkey wango for our circus? wouldn't it?" "yes, maybe it would," replied bunny. "but i don't guess we could do it. come on, sue, i'm going to look for the white mice." "all right," sue said. maybe some little girls would be afraid of mice, white, black or gray. but sue was not. perhaps it was because she knew bunny was going to be with her. then, too, sue was very anxious to have the circus as good as it could be made, and if the mice were missing some of the people who came might not like it. so sue and bunny said they would help hunt for the lost white mice. with the big boys, the children looked all around the animal tent. the ground had been covered with straw, and the mice might be hiding in this, or among the boxes and barrels in the tent. but, look as every one did, the mice were not to be found. "what's in that box?" asked sue, pointing to one covered with a horse blanket. "that's the lion," answered bunker blue. "but don't be afraid," he went on, as he saw sue step to one side. "he's asleep now. besides he can't hurt anyone. you'll see, when we have the circus." no one knew where the white mice had gone. even splash could not find them, though both bunny and sue told their dog to look for sam's pets. "i guess splash isn't a rat dog," said ben. "no, and i'm glad he isn't," sam said. "rat dogs might think white mice were made for them to shake and kill, just as they shake and kill the other kind of rats and mice. i'd rather lose my white mice, and never see them again, than have them killed." but, even though the white mice were missing, the circus would go on just the same. and now began a busy time for all the big boys. the show would be given in two more days, and there was much to be done before that time. sam and bunker blue had painted some signs which they tacked up on grandpa brown's barn, as well as on the barns of some of the other farmers. everybody was invited to come to the circus, and those who wanted to could give a little money to help pay for the hire of the big tent. many of the farmers and their wives said they would do this. one by one the animal cages, which were just wooden boxes with wooden slats nailed in front, were brought into the animal tent. they were put around in a circle on the straw which covered the ground. in the other tent the boys had made a little wooden platform, like a stage. they had put up trapezes and bars, on which they could do all sorts of tricks, such as hanging by their hands, by their heels and even by their chins. no one except themselves knew what bunny and his sister sue were going to do. the children had kept their secret well. they had asked their grandma for two old bed sheets, and she had let them take the white pieces of cloth. bunny and sue were making something in the harness room of the barn, and they kept the door shut so no one could look in. it was the night before the circus, and bunny and sue had gone to bed. they were almost asleep when, in the next room, they heard their mother call: "oh, walter!" exclaimed mrs. brown to her husband. "there's something under my bed. i'm sure it's one of the animals from the boys' circus! do look and see what it is!" "oh, it can't be anything," said mr. brown. "all the animals are shut up in the tent. besides, they are only make-believe animals, anyhow." "well, i'm sure _something_ is under my bed!" said mrs. brown. "i heard it move. please look!" mr. brown looked. sue and bunny wondered what it was their papa would find. they heard him say: "oh, it's nothing but a piece of white paper. you heard it rattle in the wind. come and see for yourself." bunny and sue heard their mother cross the room. she stooped down to look under the bed. then she cried: "oh, walter! it's alive! it isn't paper at all. it's coming out!" "why, so it is!" said mr. brown. "i wonder what--?" then mrs. brown screamed, and mr. brown laughed. "oh, it's a mouse! it's a rat! it's a whole lot of mice!" said bunny's mother. "yes, it's a whole lot of mice, and they're white!" said mr. brown with a jolly laugh. "hurrah! we've found the lost white mice from the boys' circus! you needn't be afraid of them!" mrs. brown did not scream any more. she was not afraid of white mice. bunny and sue ran into the room where their mother and father were. there they saw their father picking up the white mice in his hands, and petting them. the mice seemed to like it. "oh, where did you find them?" cried bunny. "under our bed," his mother said. "oh, how glad sam will be!" said sue. "now we can have the circus all right." and so the white mice were found. they had gotten out of their cage in the tent, and had, somehow or other, found their way to the farmhouse. there they had hid themselves away, until that night when they came out into mr. brown's room. "well, i'm glad they are found," said mrs. brown. "give them something to eat, and put them in a box until morning." this mr. brown did, after bunny and sue had held in their hands the queer pets, which had such funny pink eyes. "i want to see them do some tricks," said sue. "sam can hitch them to a little cart and drive them," said bunny. "he told me so." the mice were put safely away ready for the circus the next day, and soon the house was quiet, with everyone asleep. the sun was brightly shining. there was just enough wind to make it cool, and the weather was perfectly fine for the circus. bunny, sue, bunker and ben were up early that morning, for there was still much to do. sam, the boy who owned the white mice, came over to ask if his pets had been found. and when told that they were safe in a box down in the cellar, he was very happy indeed. "i must put them back in their cage, and let them practise a few of their tricks," he said. "they may have forgotten some as they have been away from me so long." bunny and sue had to get their things ready. they were to have a little place in the big tent to dress and get ready for their act. they were the smallest folks in the circus, and everyone was anxious to see what they would do. on the big, as well as on the little, tent the boys had fastened flags. some were the regular stars and stripes of our own country, and other flags were just pieces of bright-colored cloth that the boys' mothers had given them. but the tents looked very pretty in the bright and sparkling sunshine, with the gay banners fluttering. just as in a real circus, the people who came were to go first into the animal tent, and from there on into the one with the seats, where they would watch the performance. soon after dinner the farmers and their wives, with such of their children who were not taking part in the show, began to come. "right this way to see the wild animals!" called ben hall, who was making believe he was a lion tamer. "this way for the wild animals! come one! come all!" the people crowded into the small tent. all around the sides were wooden boxes, with wooden slats. these were the "cages." "now watch the trained white mice!" cried ben. "the big circus is about to begin!" "over this way! over this way!" cried sam, as he stood on a box with his trained white mice in their cage in front of him. "right this way to see the wonderful trained white mice, which escaped from their cage and were caught by brave mr. brown and his wife!" everyone clapped and laughed at that. then sam made his pink-eyed pets do many tricks. they ran up his arms to his shoulders, and sat on his head. some of them jumped over sticks, and others through paper-covered hoops, like the horse-back riders in a real circus. one big white mouse climbed a ladder, and two others drew a little wagon, in which a third mouse sat, pretending to hold the reins. one big white mouse fired a toy cannon, that shot a paper cap. then sam made his mice all stand up in a line, and make a bow to the people. "that ends the white mice act!" cried sam. "we will now show you a wild lion. but please don't anybody be scared, for the lion can only eat bread and jam, and he won't hurt you." "what a funny lion--to eat bread and jam," laughed sue. "hush!" exclaimed bunny. "he's going to take the blanket off the cage." everyone looked to see what sort of wild lion there was in the circus. chapter xxii bunny's brave act "now, ladies and gentlemen, as well as boys and girls," began ben hall, who was a sort of ring-master, in the play-circus, "i am about to show you that this lion does really eat bread and jam, and that he is a very kind and gentle lion indeed, though he can roar. roar for the people!" cried ben, shaking the horse blanket that was hung in front of the "lion's cage." the next second there came such a real "roar," that some of the smallest children screamed. "don't be afraid!" cried ben. "he won't hurt you. i will now raise the curtain, and you can see the lion." slowly he pulled aside the blanket. and then everyone laughed--that is they did after a few seconds. for at first it did look like a real lion in the box. he had a real tail, and a big, shaggy mane, and his mouth was wide open, showing his red tongue and his white, sharp teeth. but when you looked a second time you saw that it was only the skin of a lion, which had been made into a rug for the parlor. and it was tom white, one of the boys with whom bunny played, who was pretending to be a lion, with the skin rug pulled over him, and the stuffed head over his head. underneath the open mouth of the lion peered out tom's smiling face, and as he looked through the wooden slats of the cage ben put in a piece of bread and jam, which tom ate as he knelt there on his hands and knees. "see! i told you this was a kind and gentle lion, and would eat bread and jam," announced ben. "i will now have him roar for you again, ladies and gentlemen. roar, lion, roar!" but instead of roaring, tom, for a joke, went: "meaou! meaou! meaou!" just like a pussy cat. of course everyone laughed at that. the idea of a big, savage lion meaouing like a kitten! tom had to laugh and then he couldn't pucker up his lips to meaou any more. "ladies and gentlemen, as well as boys and girls," went on ben. "we will now pass to the next cage. this is a real wild animal. he has sharp teeth, so do not go too close to his cage. he is the wild chicken-eater of the woods!" "oh, i wonder what that can be?" whispered sue. "we'll see in a minute," bunny answered. the two children, as well as the other boys who were to take part in the show in the big tent later on, were now following the crowd around to see the animals. "behold the wild chicken-eater of the woods!" cried ben, as he pulled aside a blanket from another wooden box-cage. this time there was a sort of snarl and bark. it was so real that everyone knew this was a real animal, and not a boy dressed up in a skin or fur rug. some of the little children tried to run out of the tent. "don't be afraid!" called ben. "he can't get loose. there he is!" he pulled the blanket aside and there everyone saw a small reddish animal, as big as a dog, with a large, bushy tail, a sharp pointed nose, and very bright eyes. "what is it?" asked sue. "oh! what is it?" "it's a fox," answered her brother. "i once saw one in the real circus where grandpa found his horses the gypsies took." "yes, it is a fox," said ben. "and a fox just loves to eat chickens and live in the woods." "where did you get him," bunny asked. "oh, one of the boys caught him in a trap, and saved him for the circus. he is going to tame him, but the fox is quite wild yet." and indeed the fox was. for he jumped about, and tried to bite and scratch his way out of the cage. but the wooden bars were too strong for him. the people who had come to the circus gotten up by the big boys, stood for some time looking at the fox, which was a real wild animal. some of the farmers, though they had lived in the country all their lives, had never seen a fox before. "now, if you will come down this way!" said ben, as he started toward a place in the tent that had been curtained off, "i will show you our trained bear." "oh, is it real?" asked sue. "you'll see," said ben, who seemed to know how to talk and act, just like a real ring-master in the circus. ben stood in front of the little corner of the tent, that was curtained off, so no one could see what was behind it. "are you all ready in there?" ben called, loudly. "yes, yes, all ready!" was the quick answer. and the voice did not sound like that of any of the boys from the nearby farms. "oh, i didn't know a bear could talk," cried sue, and everyone laughed, for the tent was very still and quiet just then, and sue's voice was heard all over. "that wasn't the bear talking," said ben. "it was his trainer. the man who makes the bear do tricks you know." "oh, is it a trick bear?" sue asked. "yes," answered ben. "a real truly one?" bunny wanted to know. "you'll see in a minute," ben told her. "all ready now, signore allegretti! we are going to have you do some tricks with your trained bear!" with that ben pulled aside the curtain, and there stood a real, live, truly, big brown bear, and with him was a man wearing a red cap. the man had hold of a chain that was fastened to a leather muzzle on the bear's nose. "oh! oh! oh!" cried the children. "why, he's real!" gasped sue. "of course he's real!" laughed ben. "he's just like the bear the man had out in front of grandpa's house last week, doing tricks," said bunny. a man had gone past grandpa brown's house with a trained bear, and he had stopped to make the big, shaggy animal do some tricks. bunny and sue had given the man pennies, and grandma brown gave him something to eat. the man gave part of his bread and cake to the bear. "this is the same man," said ben. "when i saw him, i thought he and his bear would be just the thing for our circus. so i asked him to come back to-day and give us a little show on his own account. and here he is. he came last night and stayed in the barn so no one would see him until it was time for the circus. i wanted him for a surprise." "well, he is a surprise," said bunny. "i didn't think it was a _real_ bear." "let's see him do some tricks!" called a boy. "all right. he do tricks for you," promised the man with the red cap. "come, alonzo. make fun for the children. show dem how you laugh!" the bear, who was named alonzo, opened his mouth very wide, and made some funny noises. i suppose that was as near to laughing as a bear could come. [illustration: there stood a real, live, truly, big brown bear _bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus. page 211._] "now turn a somersault!" cried the bear's trainer, and the big, shaggy creature did--a slow, easy somersault. then he did other tricks, such as marching like a soldier, with a stick for a gun, and he pretended to kiss his master. then the bear danced--at least his master called it dancing, though of course a big, heavy bear can not dance very fast. "now climb a pole!" cried the bear's master. "climb a pole for the little children, and they will give us pennies to buy buns." there was a big pole in the middle of the animal tent, and the bear trainer led the animal toward it. "i make him climb dis!" he said. "is the pole strong enough to hold him?" asked grandpa brown. "the bear is pretty heavy, i think." "oh, dat pole hold him! i make alonzo climb very easy," the italian bear-trainer said. "up you go, alonzo!" the bear stuck his long sharp claws in the pole. it was part of a tree trunk, for the regular tent pole had been broken when the tent was carried away in the flood. up and up went the bear, until he was half way to the top. the children looked on with delight and even the old folks said it was a good trick. and then, all of a sudden, something happened. the big centre pole, half way up which was the bear, began to tip over. some of the ropes that held it began to slip, because they were not tied tightly enough to hold the pole and the bear too. "look out!" called daddy brown. "the tent is going to fall! run out everybody!" "they haven't time!" said grandpa brown. "the tent will come down on our heads." bunny brown stood right beside one of the ropes that held up the pole. bunny saw the rope slipping, and he knew enough about ropes and sails to be sure that if the rope could be held the pole would not fall. "i've got to hold that rope!" thought bunny. then, like the brave little fellow he was, he reached forward, and grasped the rope with both hands. he knew he could not hold it from slipping that way, however, so he wound the rope around his waist as he had seen his father's sailors do when pulling in a heavy boat. with the rope around his waist, brave bunny found himself being pulled forward as the pole swayed over more and more, with the bear on it. chapter xxiii ben does a trick "look out!" "run, everybody!" "somebody help that little boy hold up the pole! he's doing it all alone!" "oh, bunny! bunny brown! you'll be hurt!" it was bunny's mother who called this last. it was some of the farmers in the circus tent who had shouted before that, not seeming to know what to do. daddy brown and grandpa were hurrying from the other side of the tent to help bunny hold the rope. the pole was slowly falling, the tent seemed as if it would come down, and the italian was calling to his bear. as for the bear, he seemed to think that he ought to climb higher up on the pole. he did not seem to mind the fall he was going to get. bunny brown, small as he was, knew what he was doing. he had seen that the rope, which help up the pole, ran around a little wooden wheel, called a pulley. if he could stop the rope from running all the way through the pulley, the pole would not fall down, and the tent would stay up. "and if i keep the rope tight around my waist, the end of it can't get over the pulley wheel," thought bunny. he had often seen sailors do this with his father's boats, when they slid down the steep beach into the ocean. and then, all of a sudden, bunny found himself jerked from his feet. he struck against the bottom of the tent pole, and his side hurt him a little, but he still held to the rope about his waist. "the pole has stopped falling! the pole has stopped falling!" some one cried. "yes, and bunny stopped it!" said sue. "oh, bunny, are you hurted?" bunny's breath was so nearly squeezed out of him that he could not answer for a moment. but his mother had reached him now. so had daddy brown, his grandpa and some other men. in another moment the rope that held up the big pole was unwound from bunny's waist and made fast to a peg in the ground. "now the pole can't fall!" said grandpa brown. "we're safe now!" "is--is the tent all right?" asked bunny, as his father picked him up in his arms. "yes, brave little boy. the tent is all right! you stopped it from falling on the people's heads." "and the bear--is the bear all right?" asked bunny. from where his father held him bunny could not see the shaggy creature. "yes, the bear is all right," answered mr. brown. "he is coming down the pole now." "that bear is too big and heavy to climb the tent pole," said grandpa brown. "he is too fat. but it's lucky bunny grabbed that rope." "i--i saw it slipping," said bunny, "and i--i just grabbed it!" the bear came to the ground, and made a low bow, as his master had taught him to do. the tent pole was now made tight and fast, and the circus could go on again. some of the ladies, with their little boys and girls, who had run out of the tent when they thought it was going to fall, now came back again. "the show in the animal tent is now over," said ben hall. "we invite you, one and all, into the next tent where we will do some real circus tricks." "and there's preserved seats for grandpa and grandma, and daddy and mother!" called out sue, so clearly that everyone heard her. "the preserved seats have carpet on," said sue. "reserved seats, sue, not preserved," said bunny in a shrill whisper, and everyone who heard him laughed. into the big tent, with its rows of seats around the elevated stage and sawdust ring the people walked. they were still laughing at the funny sights they had seen, the lion, made from a parlor rug, with a boy inside it. and they were talking about bunny's brave act, in stopping the pole of the tent from falling down. "you and sue go and get ready for what you are to do," whispered bunker blue to the two children. "i'll tell you when it's your turn to come out on the stage." "all right," answered bunny. "come on, sue. now's the time for our secret." he and sue went into a little dressing room that had been made especially for them. it was a part of the big tent, curtained off with blankets. in this little room bunny and sue, earlier in the day, had taken the things they needed to do their "trick." you will soon learn what it was they had kept secret so long. it took some little time for all the people to take their places in the "preserved" seats, as sue called them. daddy brown and his wife, and grandpa and grandma were given places well down in front, where they could see all that went on. "the first act!" cried ben hall, "will be some fancy riding on a horse, by ted kennedy! come on, ted!" he called. "oh, ben's dressed up like a real clown!" called bunny to sue, as they looked out between their blanket curtains, and saw what was going on. ben had made himself a clown suit out of some calico. with a pointed cap on his head, and his face all streaked with red and white chalk, he looked just like a real clown in a real circus. ben and some of the others had "dressed up," while the people were taking their seats in the big tent. "oh, look, bunny!" cried sue. "it's a real horse ted is riding!" and so it was. when ben called for the first act, in came ted riding on the back of one of his father's farm horses. ted wore an old bathing suit, on which he had sewed some pieces of colored rags, and some small sleigh bells, that jingled when he danced about on the back of the horse. for the horse was such a slow one, with such a broad back, that there was no danger of ted's falling off. around and around the sawdust ring rode ted. now he would stand on his hands, and again on his feet. then he would sit down and ride backwards. finally, when the horse was going a little faster ted jumped off, jumped on again, and then turned a somersault in the air. [illustration: out came bunny, the scarecrow boy, and sue, the jack-o'-lantern girl. _page 224._ _bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus._] "wasn't that great, bunny?" cried sue, who was watching. "it sure was. but hurry up, or we'll be late." the people clapped and laughed as ted rode out of the ring after his act. then came more of the circus tricks. two of the bigger boys pretended they were an elephant. one was the hind legs and tail and the other boy was the front legs and trunk. the boys were covered with a suit of dark cloth, almost the color of an elephant, and when they walked around the ring it was very funny. then a little boy was given a ride on the "elephant's back." he liked it very much. two other boys pretended they were horses, with long bunches of grass for tails. each one took a smaller boy on his back, and then these "boy horses" raced around the sawdust ring. two of the girls were dressed up like real circus ladies, one in a pink, and the other in a blue dress, made from mosquito netting. they sat on sawhorses, which bunker blue got from the village carpenter shop. and though the sawhorses could not run, or gallop, or even trot, the girls pretended they could, and they had such a funny make-believe race that everyone laughed. the girls even jumped through paper hoops, just as the real riders do in a circus. then there was a wheelbarrow race between two boys, each of whom had to push another boy around the tent. all went well until one of the clowns put a pail of water in front of one of the wheelbarrows. over this pail the boy stumbled, and he and the one he was wheeling got all wet. but it was only in fun, and no one minded. there were several boys who did fancy tricks on the trapeze bars. they hung by their arms and legs, and "turned themselves inside out," as bunny called it. other boys did some high and broad jumping, while bunker blue pretended he was the big strong giant man, who could lift heavy weights. but the weights were only empty pasteboard boxes, painted black to look like iron. bunker pretended it was very hard to lift them, but of course it was easy, for they were very light. one boy, tommie lutken, did a very good trick though. he walked on a tight rope stretched from one end of the tent to the other. this was a real trick, and tommie had practised nearly two weeks before he could do it. he walked back and forth without falling. but when the people clapped, and wanted him to do it again, tommie did not do so well. he slipped and fell, but he did not get hurt. "now, bunny and sue, it's your turn!" called ben to them, when he came out of the ring, after having done some funny clown tricks. "are you all ready?" "all ready!" answered bunny. "come on, sue." out of their dressing room the children came, and when the people saw them they laughed and clapped their hands. for bunny was dressed like a scarecrow out of a cornfield, with a suit of such ragged and patched clothes on that it is a wonder they did not fall off him. he had a black mask, cut out of cloth, over his face, and he held his arms and legs stiff, just as the wooden and straw scarecrow does in the cornfield. and sue! you'd never guess how she was dressed. she was a jack-o'-lantern. she and bunny had scooped the inside out of a big yellow pumpkin, and had made it thin and hollow. then they had cut a hole in the bottom, made eyes, a nose and mouth, and sue put the pumpkin over her head. from her shoulders to her feet sue was covered with an old sheet, and as she walked along it looked just as if a real, hallowe'en jack-o'-lantern had come to life. out on to the wooden platform of the circus tent went bunny, the scarecrow boy, and sue, the jack-o'-lantern girl. they made little bows to each other, and then to the audience, and then they did a funny dance, while bunker blue played on his mouth organ. "say, isn't that just fine of our children?" whispered mother brown. "it certainly is," said daddy. up and down the platform danced bunny and sue. they were the smallest ones in the circus, and everyone said they were just "too cute for anything." there were many more tricks done by the boys in the tent, and the circus was a great success. ben and the other clowns made lots of fun. they threw water on one another, beat each other with cloth clubs, stuffed with sawdust, which didn't hurt any more than a feather. "and now i will do my great jumping trick!" called ben, "and then the show will be over. i am going to jump over fourteen elephants and ten camels." at the end of the tent was a long board, which sprang up and down like a teeter tauter. it was called a spring-board, and some of the boys had made their jumps from it, turning somersaults in the air, and falling down in a pile of soft hay. ben asked some of the boys to stand in a line at the end of the spring board. "i'll just pretend these boys are elephants and camels," said ben, "as it's hard to get real camels and elephants this summer. but i will now make my big jump." ben went to the far end of the spring board. he gave a run down it, and then jumped off the springy end. up in the air he went, and, as he shot forward, over the heads of the boys standing in a line, ben turned first one, then two, and then three somersaults in the air. "oh, look at that!" "say, that's great!" "how did he do it?" "he must be a regular circus performer!" "do it again! do it again!" everyone was shouting at once, it seemed. ben landed on a pile of soft hay. he stood up, made a low bow, and kissed his hand to the audience, as performers do in the circus. a strange man, who had come into the circus a little while before, started toward ben hall. ben stood there bowing and smiling until he saw this man. "come here a minute, ben. i want to talk to you," said the man. but ben, after one look at the stranger, gave a jump, crawled under the tent and ran away, all dressed as he was in the clown suit. "why--why! what did he do that for?" asked bunny brown, very much surprised. chapter xxiv ben's secret everyone was looking at the place where ben hall had slid out under the edge of the tent and run away. why he had done it no one knew. then all eyes were turned toward the strange man who had come into the tent just in time to see ben's big jump, and his three somersaults. the man was a stranger. no one seemed to know him. this man stood for a moment, also looking at the place where ben had slipped under the tent. then he cried out: "well, he's got away again! i must catch him!" then the man ran out of the tent. "what is it all about?" asked mother brown. "is this a part of the circus, bunny?" but bunny did not know; neither did his sister sue. they were as much surprised as anyone at ben's strange act. and they did not know who the man was, at the sight of whom ben had seemed so frightened. "i'll see what it's about," said grandpa brown. he hurried out of the tent, but soon came back again. "ben isn't in sight," grandpa brown said, "and that queer man is running across the fields." "is he chasing after ben?" asked bunny. "well, he may be. but if i can't see ben, i don't see how the man can, either. i don't know what it all means." "maybe the man was a gypsy," said sue, "and he wants to catch ben, same as the gypsies took grandpa's horses." "gypsies don't take boys and girls," said mrs. brown. "besides, that man didn't look like a gypsy. there is something queer about it all." "i always said that boy, ben, was queer," asserted grandpa brown. "he has acted queerly from the time he came here so hungry. but he was a good boy, and he worked well, i'll say that for him. i hope he isn't in trouble." "will he--will he come back?" sue wanted to know. "i don't know, my dear," answered her grandfather. "i hope so." "i hope so, too!" declared sue. "i like ben." "he ran as soon as he saw that man," observed bunker blue. "did he ever tell you anything about himself?" asked mr. brown. "you were with ben most of the time, bunker." "no, sir, he never told me anything about himself. but he seemed to know a lot about circuses. i asked him if he was ever with one, but he would never tell me." "well, i don't know that we can do anything," said grandpa. "if ben comes back we'll treat him right, and if he is in trouble we will help him. but, since he is gone, there is no use trying to find him." the circus was over. the boys who had brought their pets to the show took them home again. it was now late afternoon, and grandpa brown said the boys could leave the tents up until next day, as there was no sign of a storm. "you can take them down then," he said to bunker blue. "my tent we'll store away in the barn, until bunny and sue want to give another circus. the big fair tent can also be taken down to-morrow and put away. but everyone is too tired to do all that work to-night." that evening, in grandpa's farmhouse, after supper, nothing was talked of but the circus, and what had happened at it. everyone said it was the best children's circus they had ever seen. "but poor ben!" exclaimed bunny. "i wonder where he is?" "did he have his supper?" asked sue. no one knew, for ben had not come back. it was dark now. the cows and horses had been fed. the chickens had had their supper, and gone to roost long ago. bunny, sue and all the others had had a good meal. but ben was not around. everyone felt sad. "i wonder why he ran away," pondered bunker blue, over and over again, "i wonder why he ran away, as soon as he saw that man." no one knew. early the next morning bunny brown and his sister sue arose and came down stairs to breakfast. "did ben come back?" was the first question they asked. "no," said grandma brown. "he didn't come back." "oh, dear!" sighed sue. "it's too bad!" said bunny. then he crooked and wiggled one of his fat little fingers at sue. she knew what that meant. it meant bunny had something to whisper to her. "what is it?" she asked, when grandma had gone out into the kitchen to get some more bread and butter. "hush! don't tell anyone," whispered bunny. "but we'll go and look for him and bring him back." "bring who back?" "ben hall. we'll go look for him, sue." "but we don't know where to find him." "we'll take splash," announced bunny. "splash likes ben, and our dog will find him. we'll go right after breakfast." and as soon as they had brushed their teeth, which they did after each meal, bunny brown and his sister sue started out to find ben hall, who had run away from the circus the day before. bunny and sue did not want to go very far away from grandpa's house. they, themselves, had been lost a number of times, and they did not want this to happen again. but they thought there would be no harm in just walking across the meadow where ben had last been seen. from the meadow grandpa's house was in plain sight, and if bunny and sue did not stray into the wood, which was at the further side of the meadow, they could not lose their way. "i hope we can find ben," said sue. "so do i," echoed bunny. "come on splash, find ben!" the big dog barked and ran on ahead. bunker blue, and some of the boys who had helped get up the circus, were now taking down the big tent. it was to be folded up, put on a wagon, and taken to the town hall where it was kept when not in use. "i'm going to be a circus man when i grow up," said bunny, as he looked back, and saw the white tent fluttering to the ground, as the ropes holding it up were loosened. "i'm not," said sue. "i--i'd be afraid of the wild animals. i'm just going to ride in an automobile when i get big." "you can ride in mine," offered bunny. "i'm going to have an automobile, even if i am a circus man." over the meadow went the two children and splash their dog, looking for ben hall. but they did not see him, nor did they see the strange man who had run after him out of the tent. bunny and sue went almost to the patch of woodland. then they turned back, for they did not want to get lost. "i guess we can't find him," said bunny sadly. "no," agreed sue. "let's go back." when the children reached grandpa's house again, the big tent was down, and bunker and the other boys were gone. they were taking the tent back. the smaller tent--the one grandpa brown had loaned--was still up. "let's go in it and rest," said bunny. "we can make believe we are camping out." "all right," agreed sue. into the tent they went. all the wooden boxes, that had been used as cages for the make-believe wild animals, had been taken out. there was only some straw piled up in one corner. "watch me jump!" cried bunny. he gave a run and landed on something in the pile of soft straw. something in the straw grunted and yelled. then some one sat up. bunny brown rolled over and over out of the way. "oh! oh!" cried sue. "what is it?" but she did not need to ask twice. she saw a big boy, dressed in a funny clown's suit, standing up in the straw. bunny was now sitting up, and he, too, was looking at the clown. "why--why," said sue, "it's ben! it's our ben!" "so it is!" cried bunny. "yes," answered ben, rubbing his eyes, for he had been asleep in the straw when bunny jumped on him. "yes, i've come back. i stayed in the field, under a haystack all night, but i couldn't stand it any longer. i had to come back." "what'd you run away for?" asked bunny. "because i was afraid he'd catch me," ben answered. "do you mean that--that man," whispered bunny. "yes." "he isn't here," said sue. "did you stay in this tent all the while, ben?" "no, sue. i ran across the field when i saw that man looking at me, after i made my big jump. i ran over to the woods and hid. then, when it got dark, i crept back and hid under the hay stack. a little while ago, when i saw bunker and the other boys drive away with the big tent, i came back here. i'm awfully hungry!" "we'll get you something to eat," said sue. "won't we, bunny?" "sure we will. but come on up to the house, ben. that man isn't there, and we won't let him hurt you. what's it all about, anyhow?" "i guess i'll have to tell your folks my secret," ben answered. "oh, have you a secret, too?" asked sue, clapping her hands. "how nice!" "no, it isn't very nice," said ben. "but i guess i will go and ask your grandmother for something to eat. i'm terribly hungry!" holding the hands of bunny brown and his sister sue, ben, the strange boy, who had been so queerly found under the straw in the tent, walked toward grandpa's house. "well land sakes! where'd you come from?" asked grandma brown, as she saw him. "and such a looking sight! you look as if you'd slept in a barn all night!" "i did--almost," said ben, smiling. "well, come in and get that clown suit off you," said mrs. brown. "then tell us all about it. what made you run away?" "i was afraid that man would get me," said ben. "why should he want to get you?" asked daddy brown. "because i ran away from his circus where i used to do tricks," ben answered. "that's my secret. i used to be a regular circus performer, but i couldn't stand it any longer, and i ran away. i didn't want you to know it, so i didn't tell you. but that man, who came into the tent when i was doing the same jump i used to do in the regular circus--that man knew me. i thought he had come to take me back, and i didn't want to go. so i ran away." "you poor boy!" said grandma brown. there came a knock on the door, and when mrs. brown opened it there stood the same man from whom ben had run away the day before. "oh, you're back again i see!" said the man. ben dropped his knife and fork on his plate, and looked around for a place to hide. everyone was silent, waiting for what would happen next. chapter xxv back home again "now don't be afraid, ben," said the man. "i'm not going to hurt you." "are you--are you going to make me go back to the circus?" ben asked slowly. "not unless you want to go, though we want you back with us very much, for we have missed you," the man replied. "i'll not go back to be beaten the way i was!" cried ben. "i can't stand that. that's why i ran away." "you can just stay with us; can't he mother?" pleaded sue. "he can work on grandpa's farm with bunker blue." "what does all this mean?" asked grandpa brown of the strange man who had knocked at the door. "are you after ben?" "yes, sir, i am after ben," was the answer, and the man smiled. "i have been looking for him for a long time, and i am glad i have found him. i will take him back with me if he will come, and i will make him a promise that he will no more be whipped. i never knew anything about that until after he had run away from my circus." "did you really do that, ben?" asked bunny. "run away?" "yes. that was where i came from that night i begged a meal here--a circus. but i'll go back, for i like being in a circus, if i'm not beaten." "tell us all about it," said grandpa. "i will," answered the man. "my name is james hooper. i own a small circus, with some other men, and we travel about the country, giving performances in small towns and cities. this boy, ben hall, has been in our show ever since he was a baby. his father and mother were both circus people, but they died last year, and ben, who had learned to do many tricks, and who knew something about animals, was such a bright chap that i kept him with us. i was going to make a circus performer of him." "and i wanted very much to be one--a clown," said ben. "but the head clown was so mean to me, and whipped me so much, that i made up my mind to run away, and i did." "i don't know that i blame you," said mr. hooper. "i never knew that you had such a hard time. i supposed you ran away just for fun, and i tried to find you. i asked about you in all the places where we stopped, but no one had seen you." "i have been here ever since i left your show," explained ben. "i like it here, but i like the circus better. how did you find me?" "well, our circus is showing in a town about three miles from here," said mr. hooper. "over there, in that town, i heard about a little circus some boys and girls were getting up here, and--" "bunny and i got up the circus first," said sue, "and then the big boys made one, but we acted in it." "i see!" laughed mr. hooper. "well, i heard about your circus over here, so i came to ask if any of you had seen ben. i walked into the tent, and there i saw him doing the jump and somersaults he used to do in our tent. i knew him right away, but before i could speak to him he ran away. "i ran after him, hoping i could tell him how much we wanted him back, but i could not catch up to him. so i went back to my circus, and made up my mind i'd come back here again to-day. i'm glad i did, for now i've found you, ben." ben told mr. hooper, just as he had told bunny and sue, about sleeping all night out in the field, under a pile of hay, and then of creeping back to sleep in the tent. "well, do you want to come back with me, or stay here on the farm?" asked mr. hooper. "i'll promise that you'll be well treated, ben, and the head clown, who was so mean to you, isn't with us any more. you won't be whipped again, and you'll have a chance to become a head clown yourself." "then i'll come back with you," said the circus boy. "i'm very much obliged to you, for all you've done for me," he said to grandpa brown and grandma brown, "and i hope you won't be mad at me if i go away." "not if you think it best to go," said grandpa. "you have been a good boy while here, and you have more than earned your board. i don't like to lose you, but if you want to be a clown, the circus is the best place for you." "all his folks were circus people," said mr. hooper. "and when that's the case the young folks nearly always stay in the same business. ben will make a good clown when he grows up, and he will be a good jumper, too." "i'm going to be a circus man," said bunny. "can i be in your show, mr. hooper?" "well, we'll see about that when you get a little older. but you and your sister can come and see our circus, any time you wish, for nothing. i watched you two do your scarecrow and pumpkin dance, and you did it very well." bunny brown and his sister sue were pleased to hear this. "yes, it was a pretty good circus for young folks to get up all by themselves," said grandpa brown. "but how soon do you have to take ben away with you, mr. hooper?" "as soon as i can, mr. brown. our show is going to move on to-night, and i'd like to have ben back in his old place if you can let him go." "oh, yes," said grandpa brown. "he can go. i hope you'll be happy, ben." "i'll look well after him, and he shall have no more trouble," said mr. hooper. then ben told what a hard time he had after he ran away from the circus. he had to sleep in old barns, and under hay-stacks, and he had very little to eat. and when he came to grandpa's house he did not tell that he had run away from the show, for fear some one would make him go back to the bad clown who beat him. but everything came out all right, you see, and ben was happy once more. of course, bunny and sue felt sorry to have their friend leave them, but it could not be helped. "but we'll be going back home ourselves pretty soon," said daddy brown. bunker blue and ben hall shook hands and said they hoped they would see each other again. "and to think," said bunker, "that you were from a circus all the time, and never told us! but i sort of thought you were, for you knew so much about ropes, and putting up tents, making tricks and acts and pretend wild animals, and all that." "yes," answered ben with a laugh, "sometimes it was pretty hard not to do some of the other tricks i had learned in the circus. i didn't want you to find out about me, but the secret came out, anyhow." "just like ours about the scarecrow and the pumpkin!" laughed bunny brown. "wasn't ours a good secret?" "it certainly was!" cried mother brown. that night ben hall said good-bye to bunny, sue and all the others, and went back to the real circus with mr. hooper. "i wonder if we'll ever see him again?" asked bunny, a little sadly. "perhaps you will," said his father. the vacation of bunny and sue, on grandpa's farm was at an end. in a few days they were to go back to their home, near the ocean. "oh, but we have had such fun here; haven't we, bunny?" cried sue. "indeed we have," he said. "jolly good fun!" "i wonder what we'll do next?" sue asked. "i don't know," answered her brother. but, as i happen to know, i'll tell you. bunny and sue went on another journey, and you may read all about it in the next book in this series, which will be named: "bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home." in that book i'll tell you all the funny things the little boy and girl saw, and did, when they were in the big city of new york. it was quite different from being on grandpa's farm in the country. one morning, about two weeks after the play-circus had been given, and ben hall had gone back to the real show, to learn to be a clown, bunker blue brought the great big automobile up to the farmhouse. "all aboard!" cried bunker. "all aboard for bellemere and sandport bay! come on, bunny and sue!" into the automobile, that was like a little house on wheels, climbed bunny and sue. mr. and mrs. brown also got in. bunker sat on the front seat to steer. there were good things to eat in the automobile, and the little beds were all made up, with freshly ironed sheets, so when night came, everyone would have a good sleep. splash sat up on the front seat with bunker. "good-bye! good-bye!" called bunny and sue, waving their hands out of a window. "good-bye!" answered grandma and grandpa brown. "good-bye!" called the hired man. "bow-wow!" barked splash. "chug-chug!" went the automobile, and, after a safe and pleasant journey, bunny brown and his sister sue safely reached home, ready for new fun and fresh adventures which they had in plenty. and so we will all say good-bye to them. the end * * * * * the bunny brown series by laura lee hope author of the popular "bobbsey twins" books * * * * * wrapper and text illustrations drawn by florence england nosworthy * * * * * 12mo. durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding * * * * * these stories by the author of the "bobbsey twins" books are eagerly welcomed by the little folks from about five to ten years of age. their eyes fairly dance with delight at the lively doings of inquisitive little bunny brown and his cunning, trustful sister sue. bunny was a lively little boy, very inquisitive. when he did anything, sue followed his leadership. they had many adventures, some comical in the extreme. bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at camp rest-a-while bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove * * * * * grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york the girls of central high series by gertrude w. morrison * * * * * 12mo. bound in cloth. illustrated. uniform style of binding. * * * * * here is a series full of the spirit of high school life of to-day. the girls are real flesh-and-blood characters, and we follow them with interest in school and out. there are many contested matches on track and field, and on the water, as well as doings in the classroom and on the school stage. there is plenty of fun and excitement, all clean, pure and wholesome. the girls of central high or rivals for all honors. a stirring tale of high school life, full of fun, with a touch of mystery and a strange initiation. the girls of central high on lake luna or the crew that won. telling of water sports and fun galore, and of fine times in camp. the girls of central high at basketball or the great gymnasium mystery. here we have a number of thrilling contests at basketball and in addition, the solving of a mystery which had bothered the high school authorities for a long while. the girls of central high on the stage or the play that took the prize. how the girls went in for theatricals and how one of them wrote a play which afterward was made over for the professional stage and brought in some much-needed money. the girls of central high on track and field or the girl champions of the school league this story takes in high school athletics in their most approved and up-to-date fashion. full of fun and excitement. the girls of central high in camp or the old professor's secret. the girls went camping on acorn island and had a delightful time at boating, swimming and picnic parties. * * * * * grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york the outdoor girls series by laura lee hope author of the "bobbsey twin books" and "bunny brown" series. * * * * * 12mo. bound in cloth. illustrated. uniform style of binding. * * * * * these tales take in the various adventures participated in by several bright, up-to-date girls who love outdoor life. they are clean and wholesome, free from sensationalism, absorbing from the first chapter to the last. the outdoor girls of deepdale or camping and tramping for fun and health. telling how the girls organized their camping and tramping club, how they went on a tour, and of various adventures which befell them. the outdoor girls at rainbow lake or stirring cruise of the motor boat gem. one of the girls becomes the proud possessor of a motor boat and invites her club members to take a trip down the river to rainbow lake, a beautiful sheet of water lying between the mountains. the outdoor girls in a motor car or the haunted mansion of shadow valley. one of the girls has learned to run a big motor car, and she invites the club to go on a tour to visit some distant relatives. on the way they stop at a deserted mansion and make a surprising discovery. the outdoor girls in a winter camp or glorious days on skates and ice boats. in this story, the scene is shifted to a winter season. the girls have some jolly times skating and ice boating, and visit a hunters' camp in the big woods. the outdoor girls in florida. or wintering in the sunny south. the parents of one of the girls have bought an orange grove in florida, and her companions are invited to visit the place. they take a trip into the interior, where several unusual things happen. the outdoor girls at ocean view or the box that was found in the sand. the girls have great fun and solve a mystery while on an outing along the new england coast. the outdoor girls on pine island or a cave and what it contained. a bright, healthful story, full of good times at a bungalow camp on pine island. * * * * * grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york the bobbsey twins books for little men and women by laura lee hope author of "the bunny brown" series, etc. * * * * * 12mo. durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding * * * * * copyright publications which cannot be obtained elsewhere. books that charm the hearts of the little ones, and of which they never tire. the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a houseboat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home the bobbsey twins in a great city the bobbsey twins on blueberry island the bobbsey twins on the deep blue sea the bobbsey twins in the great west * * * * * grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york the moving picture boys series by victor appleton * * * * * 12mo. bound in cloth. illustrated. uniform style of binding * * * * * moving pictures and photo plays are famous the world over, and in this line of books the reader is given a full description of how the films are made--the scenes of little dramas, indoors and out, trick pictures to satisfy the curious, soul-stirring pictures of city affairs, life in the wild west, among the cowboys and indians, thrilling rescues along the seacoast, the daring of picture hunters in the jungle among savage beasts, and the great risks run in picturing conditions in a land of earthquakes. the volumes teem with adventures and will be found interesting from first chapter to last. the moving picture boys or perils of a great city depicted. the moving picture boys in the west or taking scenes among the cowboys and indians. the moving picture boys on the coast or showing the perils of the deep. the moving picture boys in the jungle or stirring times among the wild animals. the moving picture boys in earthquake land or working amid many perils. the moving picture boys and the flood or perilous days on the mississippi. the moving picture boys at panama or stirring adventures along the great canal. the moving picture boys under the sea or the treasure of the lost ship. * * * * * grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york the boys of columbia high series by graham b. forbes never was there a cleaner, brighter, more manly boy than frank allen, the hero of this series of boys' tales, and never was there a better crowd of lads to associate with than the students of the school. all boys will read these stories with deep interest. the rivalry between the towns along the river was of the keenest, and plots and counterplots to win the champions, at baseball, at football, at boat racing, at track athletics, and at ice hockey, were without number. any lad reading one volume of this series will surely want the others. the boys of columbia high or the all around rivals of the school the boys of columbia high on the diamond or winning out by pluck the boys of columbia high on the river or the boat race plot that failed the boys of columbia high on the gridiron or the struggle for the silver cup the boys of columbia high on the ice or out for the hockey championship the boys of columbia high in track athletics or a long run that won the boys of columbia high in winter sports or stirring doings on skates and iceboats 12mo. illustrated. handsomely bound in cloth, with cover design and wrappers in colors. * * * * * grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york * * * * * transcriber's notes: varied usage of -and ---were retained as were haystack, hay stack and hay-stack. page 10: the word "tree" was inserted into the text as there was a space and no word. "...of the peach tree" extraneous punctuation was removed. such as "no, ned johnson has a dog. "we can ... incorrect punctuation repaired. "i am going to feed him," to "i am going to feed him." page 72: "agian" changed to "again". "my turn again," page 226: hyphens added to first jack-o'-lantern on page to conform to rest of text. bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony by laura lee hope author of the bunny brown series, the bobbsey twins series, the outdoor girls series, etc. illustrated by thelma gooch new york grosset & dunlap publishers books by laura lee hope * * * * * _12mo. cloth. illustrated. price, per volume, 50 cents, postpaid._ * * * * * =the bunny brown series= bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue at camp-rest-a-while bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony * * * * * =the bobbsey twins series= the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a house boat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home the bobbsey twins on blueberry island the bobbsey twins in a great city the bobbsey twins on the deep blue sea * * * * * =the outdoor girls series= the outdoor girls of deepdale the outdoor girls at rainbow lake the outdoor girls in a motor car the outdoor girls in a winter camp the outdoor girls in florida the outdoor girls at ocean view the outdoor girls on pine island the outdoor girls in war service * * * * * =grosset & dunlap, publishers, new york= copyright, 1918, by grosset & dunlap * * * * * _bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony_ [illustration: toby was ringing the bell. _frontispiece._ (_page 135._) _bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony._] contents chapter page i. in the ark 1 ii. the frightened pony 11 iii. mr. tallman 24 iv. looking for a pony 32 v. the short tallman 40 vi. bunny, sue and toby 51 vii. the first ride 61 viii. sue's handkerchief 69 ix. toby's new trick 80 x. toby walks away 92 xi. off to the farm 102 xii. the wrong road 111 xiii. toby finds the way 121 xiv. toby's other trick 129 xv. red cross money 139 xvi. in the woods 148 xvii. the dark man 159 xviii. toby is gone 166 xix. the search 176 xx. in a storm 184 xxi. the gypsy camp 194 xxii. "there's toby!" 204 xxiii. prisoners 216 xxiv. the red-and-yellow box 226 xxv. to the rescue 236 bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony chapter i in the ark "oh, bunny! here comes bunker blue!" "where is he? i don't see him!" bunny brown and his sister sue were playing on the shady side porch of their house one morning, when the little girl, looking up from a cracker box which had been made into a bed--where she was putting her doll to sleep--saw a tall boy walking up the path. "there's bunker!" went on sue to her brother, bunny, at the same time pointing. "maybe he's come to take us for a ride in one of daddy's fishing boats!" "have you, bunker?" asked bunny, standing up and brushing some shavings from his little jacket, for he had been using a dull kitchen knife, trying to whittle out a wooden boat from a piece of curtain stick. "oh, bunker, have you?" "have i what?" asked the tall boy, who worked on the dock where mr. brown, the father of bunny and sue, carried on a boat and fish business. "have i what?" bunker asked again, and he stood still and gazed at the two small children who were anxiously looking at him. "have you come to take us for a ride?" asked bunny. "in one of daddy's boats?" added sue, who generally waited for her brother to speak first, since he was a year older than she. "not this time, messmates," answered bunker blue with a laugh, calling the children the name one sailor sometimes gives to another. "not this time messmates. i've come up to get the ark." "oh, the ark!" cried bunny. "did you hear that, sue? bunker has come up to get the ark!" "oh! oh!" and sue fairly squealed in delight. "then we'll have a nice ride in that. wait, bunker, till i put my doll away, and i'll come with you. wait for me!" "and i'll come, too," added bunny. "i can bring my boat with me. 'tisn't all done yet," he added, "but i can whittle on it when we ride along, and then i can sail it when we get to the dock." "now avast there and belay, messmates!" cried bunker blue with a laugh, using some more of the kind of talk he heard among the sailors that came to mr. brown's dock with boats of fish. "wait a minute! i didn't say i had come to give you a ride in the ark. i just came to get it." "but you will let us ride, won't you, bunker?" asked bunny, smiling at the tall boy. "'cause we'll sit just as still as anything," added sue. "and i won't touch the steering wheel--not once!" promised bunny. "i guess you'd better not--not after you once got almost run away with in the big ark," said bunker. "i should say not!" "oh, please let us come with you!" begged sue. "we want awful much to ride in the ark, bunker!" while the two children were talking to the tall boy another little girl had crawled under the fence from the street, and was now standing near bunny and his sister. she was sadie west, one of sue's chums, and when she heard bunny's sister begging for a ride in the "ark" sadie said: "oh, sue! is he going to take your noah's ark away? i wouldn't let him if i were you!" "it isn't noah's ark at all," sue explained. "we call the big automobile, that we had such a long ride in, the ark. it looks a little like a noah's ark, but it's bigger, and we can all get in it," she added. "oh!" exclaimed sadie. "i thought bunker meant he was going to take your little ark, and all the wooden animals, away," she added. "not this time," said bunker blue. "your father sent me up, bunny, to get the big auto--the ark, as you call it. it's got to be fixed, and i'm to drive it to the shop over at east milford. that's why i came up. where's your mother? i want to tell her i'm taking away the ark, so she won't think some tramps or some gypsies have run off with it." "i'll call her," sue said, while bunny kept on brushing the tiny whittlings from his jacket and short trousers. and there was a queer look on the face of bunny brown. "what are you making, bunny?" asked bunker, as he waited for sue to go into the house and give her mother the message. "boat," bunny answered. "pretty small one, isn't it?" inquired bunker, who knew a lot about boats and fish, from having worked at mr. brown's dock a number of years. "awful small boat." "it's a lifeboat that i'm going to put on my big sailboat," explained bunny, for he had a large boat, with a real sail on it that could be raised and lowered. it was not a boat large enough for him and sue to ride on, though sue sometimes gave one of her dolls a trip on it. "i have to have a lifeboat on my sailboat," bunny went on, "'cause maybe a scrumbarine might sink my big ship." "that's so," agreed bunker. "well, bunny, you go in and tell your mother i'm going to take the ark, will you? i'm in a hurry, and i guess sue forgot what she went after. you go in and tell your mother." "yes, i'll do that," bunny promised. "but can't we have a ride in the ark with you, bunker?" "not this time, bunny!" "please, bunker!" "no, your father didn't say anything about taking you over to the east milford auto shop with me, and i don't dare do it unless he says so." "well, we can ask him," went on bunny eagerly. "no, i haven't time to run down to the dock again, and your father is busy there. a big load of fish came in, and he has to see that they get iced, so they won't spoil. hurry and tell your mother--oh, here she comes now!" exclaimed bunker blue, as mrs. brown came to the door. sue and sadie west stood behind her. "did you want to see me, bunker?" asked mrs. brown. "yes'm," answered the boy. "mr. brown sent me up to get the ark. he wants me to drive it over to simpson's garage, in east milford, to have it looked over and fixed. i thought if i went into the barn and took the machine out without telling you, maybe you'd think some gypsies ran away with it." "why! are there any gypsies around now, bunker?" asked mrs. brown. "yes, i heard the other day that a band of them was camping up along the creek. but i guess they won't come bothering around here." "if they do i'll sic splash, my dog, on 'em," said bunny. "yes, i guess splash will scare off the gypsies," agreed bunker blue with a laugh. then he added: "so, now i've told you what i'm going to do, mrs. brown, i'll go and get the ark and drive it over." "all right, bunker," said mrs. brown. "is my husband very busy?" "yes'm. a big boatload of fish just came in, and he's seeing to having 'em iced." "oh, then he can't come up. i was just going to telephone that i want the sideboard moved to the other end of the room, and it's too heavy for uncle tad to manage alone. i thought mr. brown might run up and help, but if he's so busy with the fish----" "i'll help," offered bunker. "i'm not in such a hurry as all that. i'll help uncle tad move the sideboard, and then i'll get the auto." "can't we go with you?" begged sue. "can't we have a ride in the ark, mother?" "oh, my, no!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "bunker can't be bothered with you children." "i wouldn't mind taking them, ma'am," said the fish boy. "in fact, i'd like to, but their father didn't say anything about it. besides, i'll have to walk back from east milford after i leave the ark there to be fixed. it'd be too far for them to walk back." "of course it would. run along now, bunny and sue, and have some fun by yourselves. don't bother bunker." bunny brown and his sister sue stood on the side porch looking at one another as bunker went in the house to help uncle tad move the sideboard. uncle tad was an old soldier who lived with the brown family. he was mr. brown's uncle, but bunny and sue thought they owned just as much of the dear old man as did their father. sadie west, who had crawled in under the fence instead of going around by the gate, ran home again, leaving bunny and sue by themselves. "say, sue," began bunny in a low voice, looking toward the house to make sure his mother and bunker blue had gone inside. "what, bunny?" asked the little girl. "i know what we can do," went on bunny. "what?" this time bunny whispered. "we can go out to the barn," he said in a low voice, his lips close to his sister's ear, "an' get in the ark when bunker doesn't see us. he can't see us 'cause he's in the house helping uncle tad move the sideboard. we can easy get in the ark." "what for?" sue wanted to know. "bunker said he wouldn't give us a ride." "yes. but if we're in there he'll have to!" "why?" asked sue. "'cause," whispered bunny, "he won't know we're in there at all, sue!" "won't he?" asked sue, her eyes shining. "nope! while bunker's in the house helping uncle tad move the sideboard, we'll crawl in the back end of the ark. and we'll keep awful still, and we'll have a nice ride over to east milford, and bunker won't know a thing about it!" "oh, let's do it!" cried sue, always ready to take part in the tricks bunny thought of. "let's do it! i'll take my doll!" "and i'll take my little lifeboat. 'tisn't all made yet, but that won't hurt! come on!" quietly the two children tiptoed down off the side porch. through the open dining-room windows they could hear bunker blue and uncle tad moving the sideboard. out to the barn went bunny brown and his sister sue. in the barn was the ark--the big auto--as large as a moving van. in it the whole brown family had made a tour the previous summer. it really was like an ark, for it had rooms in it where the children and grown-ups could sleep, and a place to cook and eat meals. "now don't make any noise!" whispered bunny to his sister. "we'll just crawl inside the ark and cover up with blankets, and bunker won't know we're here. then he'll start off and when we get to east milford we can----" "oh, we can jump out and holler 'boo!' at him an' scare him!" laughed sue, clapping her chubby hands in delight. "yes, we can do that. but not now!" whispered bunny. "hurry up an' crawl in, an' don't make any noise!" so the two children entered the ark by the rear door, and found some blankets with which they covered themselves in two of the bunks, built on the sides of the big auto. what would happen next? chapter ii the frightened pony bunker blue came whistling out of the house. he and uncle tad had moved the sideboard to the other end of the room, and now mrs. brown and the hired girl were putting the place to rights. "well, i wonder where bunny brown and his sister sue have gone?" said bunker, aloud, as he stopped whistling. "i don't see them," and he looked around. "i'd like to give them a ride in the ark," he went on, "but their father didn't say anything about it, and he might not like it. when the big auto gets fixed then i can take them for a ride." then bunker went out to the barn and took his seat at the steering wheel of the ark. "well, here i go!" he said, still talking aloud to himself, as he often did, and he put his foot on the self-starter, which made the engine of the auto go without any one having to get out in front and turn the handle, like the crank of a hand organ. "here i go, but i do wish i could give bunny and sue a ride." and back in the auto, under some blankets in the bunks, sounded two snickering noises. "hello! i wonder what that is?" exclaimed bunker, as he heard them. "is that you, splash?" he called, for sometimes, he knew, the big dog that bunny and sue so often played with, crawled into the auto to sleep. "is that you, splash?" no answer came. "i guess it was just the wind," said bunker blue, as he steered the auto out through the big barn doors. "it was only the wind." and inside the ark bunny brown and his sister sue had to stuff their chubby fists into their mouths to keep from laughing. oh, if bunker blue should hear them! as bunker steered the big auto down the driveway past the house, mrs. brown came running to the door, waving her hand. "bunker! bunker blue!" she cried. "wait a minute!" the auto was making such a noise that the fish boy could not hear what mrs. brown was saying, but he could see her. "whoa!" he called, just as if the big auto were a horse; and then he put on the brakes and brought it to a stop. "bunker," went on mrs. brown, "mr. brown just telephoned me to tell you to drive down to the dock and stop for him. he's going to east milford with you. he wants to talk to the garage man about fixing the auto," for the big machine needed some repairs after its long tour. "all right. i'll stop at the dock and get mr. brown," said bunker. "i guess he must have got the fish iced and put away sooner than he expected. now if i had bunny and sue i could take them with me," he went on. "take bunny and sue with you? what do you mean?" asked mrs. brown. "oh, when they heard i was going to east milford with the ark they wanted to come along. but i said i didn't believe their father would let them, and i didn't have time to go back and ask him. but now, as long as i have to go to the dock to get him, i could take them with me, and ask him now. maybe he'd let them go." "yes, it is too bad," said mrs. brown. "but i don't know where the children went. i guess they ran over to sadie west's house to play. but you haven't time to stop for them if mr. brown is in a hurry. they can ride some other time. drive along, bunker." now if bunny brown and his sister sue had heard this talk they might, then and there, have called out that they were already in the auto. and, if they had done so, perhaps a whole lot of things that happened afterwards might not have happened. but you never can tell what is going to take place next in this world. the reason bunny and sue didn't hear what their mother and bunker said was because they had their heads covered with the blankets, so their snickers and laughter wouldn't be heard outside the ark. and there they stayed, inside the big auto, as bunker started off once more, driving first to the boat and fish dock to get mr. brown, who was going to east milford with him. "it's too bad the children aren't here," said mrs. brown as she went back into the house. "they could have a nice ride. i wonder where they ran off to?" if mrs. brown could have seen bunny and his sister then, i think she would have been surprised. but she did not see them, and, for a little while, she gave them no further thought, as she was so busy straightening the room, after uncle tad and bunker blue had moved the sideboard to its new place. on rumbled the big auto, and bunny and sue lay in the bunks having a nice ride. they did not know just where they were going, and they certainly never thought they were on their way to the boat and fish dock, for they had not heard what their mother said. they kept covered with the blankets for some little time, afraid lest their occasional snickers and laughter might be heard by bunker blue. "hi, sue!" called bunny, after a while, during which the auto had rolled down the road some little way. "what is it?" sue asked. "it's too hot to keep under the covers. if we make only a little noise now bunker can't hear us." "all right," sue agreed. "but we mustn't make too much noise." "no," said bunny, and he threw off the covers and sat up in the bunk. his sister did the same thing, and then they went out in the main "room" of the ark. of course, it was not a very large room, but it was pretty big for being inside an auto. it had a little table and some stools in it, and when the browns were on their tour they often ate in that room, when it was too rainy to have their meals outside. after a time the auto stopped, and then, to the surprise of bunny brown and his sister sue, they heard the voice of their father. he was talking to bunker blue. "so you got my telephone message, did you, bunker?" asked mr. brown. "yes, sir. mrs. brown told me just as i was coming out with the ark. so i came here before going over to east milford." "that's what i wanted you to do. i want to ride over with you. i had the men ice the fish, so they'll be all right. is every one well up at my house--bunny and sue?" "yes, they're all right," answered bunker, as mr. brown climbed up to the seat of the big auto. "bunny and sue wanted to come with me," bunker went on, "but i didn't know whether you'd want 'em to, so i didn't let 'em come." "well, that's too bad," said mr. brown. "if i had known they wanted to come, and that i was going myself, i'd have let you bring them. but it's too late now and----" "oh, no, daddy! it isn't too late!" cried bunny, who had listened to what his father and bunker were saying. "it isn't too late! please take us with you!" "'cause we're here now!" added sue. and as her brother opened the big, rear doors of the auto, he and sue stepped out. "well, i do declare!" cried mr. brown, running around to the back of the big car and seeing his two little children. "where did you come from?" "we hid in the auto!" came from bunny. "we wanted a ride, and we didn't let bunker know we got in," added sue. "well, i certainly didn't know you were there!" cried bunker. "we got in when you and uncle tad were moving the sideboard," explained bunny. "that wasn't just the right thing to do," said mr. brown, shaking his head. "however, as i would have taken you if i had been there, we'll forgive you this time. open the little front window, bunker, and the children can ride in the front part of the auto, where they can look out and where i can talk with them." in the front part of the ark, just back of the seat, was a window cut in the end of the big car. it opened into a room near the bunks, and chairs could be placed under the window so those who sat in them could look out, just as in a regular auto. mr. brown and bunker blue took their places on the front seat, and once more the auto started off, and this time bunny brown and his sister sue did not have to stuff their fists in their mouths to keep from snickering and giggling. it was all right for them to have a ride in the ark. down the road they went, toward east milford, where the ark was to be left for repairs. "will we have to walk back?" asked bunny, talking through the front window to his father. "no, i guess we can come back by train. it's too far to walk on a warm day." "i like to ride in a train," said sue, as she held her doll in her lap, while bunny put aside his little wooden boat. the auto was no place to do any whittling, he found. as the big ark went around a bend in the road the children, looking ahead, suddenly saw something at which they cried: "oh, look!" "what a dandy little pony!" added bunny. "and it's afraid!" said sue. coming down the road toward the big ark was a small shetland pony, hitched to a basket cart, and in the cart sat a little man. he was not as large as bunker blue, who wasn't a grown-up man yet. something certainly seemed to be the matter with the pony. he reared on his hind legs, and tried to turn around and run back. the man stood up in the cart and shouted something, but the children could not tell what it was. "stop the ark, bunker!" cried mr. brown. "the big auto is frightening the little pony! stop!" but it was too late, for, a moment later, the shetland pony broke loose from the cart, turned around and started to run back up the road. the man, again shouting something, leaped out of the cart and ran back after the pony. "come on, bunker!" cried mr. brown. "this was partly our fault! we must help the man catch the pony!" "and we'll help!" said bunny and sue, as they, too, got out of the ark. so, while this is happening, i'll take just a moment to tell my new readers something about the two children, whose adventures i am to relate to you in this book. this volume is the eighth one in the series. the first, called "bunny brown and his sister sue," introduced you to the two children. in that first book i told you that they lived with their father and mother, mr. and mrs. walter brown in the seaport town of bellemere, on sandport bay. mr. brown was in the boat and fish business, and hired a number of men and boys, of whom bunker was one. with the family also lived uncle tad, of whom i have spoken, and then there was the hired girl, and splash, the dog. the children loved them both, and they also loved jed winkler, an old sailor of the town, but miss euphemia winkler, his sister, they did not love so well, though they liked the funny antics of wango, a monkey, that mr. winkler had brought back from one of his many voyages. bunny brown was about six years old, and sue was a year younger. she had brown eyes and curly hair, and bunny's eyes were blue, and his hair had once been curly, but now was getting straighter. bunny and sue were always having fun, and if you want to read about some of it just look in the second book, which tells about them on grandpa's farm. there bunny brown and his sister sue played circus and had even better times, as related in that volume. in aunt lu's city home they--well, i guess it will be best if you read that book for yourselves, instead of having me telling you partly about it here. in camp-rest-a-while the two children had more good times, and also when they went to the big woods. and just before the things that i am going to tell you about in this book, bunny and his sister, with their parents, went on an auto tour in the ark. they traveled, ate, and slept in the big moving van that mr. brown had had put on an automobile frame and there were no end of good times. and now, from the same ark, which was being taken to the shop, bunny and sue had seen the shetland pony so frightened that he ran away. "oh, daddy! do you s'pose he'll be hurt?" asked bunny, as he and his sister hurried after their father and bunker blue. "who, the man or the pony?" asked mr. brown, for both were now out of sight. "the pony," answered sue. "oh, how i could love him!" "so could i!" exclaimed bunny. "he was a dandy!" "i didn't think our ark could scare anything as much as it scared the little horse," said bunker blue. "i guess he'd never seen a big auto before." "perhaps not," replied mr. brown. "well, we must try to help the man catch the pony." the children, their father and bunker passed in the road the little basket cart from which the shetland pony had broken loose. the cart did not seem to be damaged any, but part of the broken harness was fast to it. "he must be a strong pony to get loose that way," said bunny. "maybe he was only tied with string, and he could easy break that," said sue. "maybe," agreed bunker blue. they went around a turn in the road, and, looking down a straight stretch, they could see that the man had caught the pony near a clump of willow trees. "there! he's all right!" said mr. brown. "but we had better go and ask the man if we can help him any. he may blame us for the running away of the pony." and as they all walked down the road bunny whispered something to sue. sue looked quickly at her brother and exclaimed: "oh, if he only would!" now what did bunny whisper to sue? chapter iii mr. tallman mr. brown, followed by bunker blue and the two children, went down the road toward the little, short man who was standing with the shetland pony. for, after walking back with him a little way, the man had stopped to let the pony drink from a brook that ran beneath the willow trees. "i'm afraid we caused you some trouble, my friend," said mr. brown, politely. "trouble?" repeated the short man. "you say you caused me trouble?" "yes. we were riding in the big auto which we have left just around the turn of the road. was it our auto that frightened your pony and made him run away?" asked mr. brown, while bunny and his sister sue looked with eager eyes at the pretty pony, which did not seem frightened now. "oh, yes, i guess your big moving van of an auto did scare my pony," answered the man. "i waved my hand, and tried to call to you to stop, so we could drive past, but i guess you didn't hear me." "no," said bunker blue, "we didn't. the engine made so much noise, i guess." "and then my pony ran away before i could stop him," went on the little man, who, as bunny and sue could now see, was not as tall as bunker blue. "you see, he is a trick pony, and used to be in a circus. but the men there did not treat him kindly, so i heard. i guess maybe he thought your big auto was a circus wagon, and when he remembered those wagons he thought of the unkind men and wanted to run away." "i'm sorry for that," said mr. brown. "we surely would not hurt your pony. in fact, my children would love him. did he break the harness when he turned to run away?" "i guess he did," answered the short man. "but it was an old harness, and easily broken. in fact, part of it was tied with bits of string. i knew it was strong enough for toby unless he should cut up a little, and that's just what he did, and broke some of the straps and strings." "is toby the name of your pony?" asked sue. "yes, little girl, toby is his name. and he is a nice little shetland pony," and he stroked the fluffy mane and rubbed the velvety nose of the little animal, that seemed to be all right now. "oh, daddy! will you?" suddenly exclaimed bunny. "will i what?" asked mr. brown, rather surprised and puzzled. "will you buy that pony for us?" eagerly begged sue. "bunny whispered to me that we could have a lot of fun with him if you would buy him." so that was what bunny whispered to his sister sue! "buy this pony for you?" exclaimed mr. brown. "is that what you mean?" "yes, please," said bunny. "we--we'd love it!" bunker blue went up to the little horse and patted its back. the shetland pony seemed to like the fish boy. "is he tame?" asked bunny. "very tame," answered the short man. "could i pat him?" sue questioned. "of course you could!" said the man. "come right up to him, toby loves children. it's only big autos, which remind him of circus wagons, that scare him." "we had a circus once," went on bunny, as he and sue approached the pony. "but we didn't have any little horses in it." "we had our dog, splash," added sue. "well, i guess that was nice," the man said. the children patted toby, who rubbed his velvety nose against them. "i'm sorry your harness broke," said mr. brown. "you must let me pay for having it fixed, since it was the fault of my big auto that your pony ran away, mr.----" and the children's father waited for the other man to tell his name. "i am mr. brown," went on the fish and boat dealer, after a moment of silence. "oh, yes, i have heard of you," replied the other. "well, i guess you'll laugh when you hear my name." "why?" asked mr. brown. "why should we laugh?" "because it's so different from what i am. you see, i am very short, do you not?" "you are certainly not a very tall man," said mr. brown, with a smile. "and yet i am," observed the other. "you are _what_?" "i am vera tallman," was the answer. "that really is my name, strange as it may sound," he went on, smiling at mr. brown, who was smiling at him. "vera is the last name of my grandfather, and i am called after him. tallman is my own last name, and i had to be called that though i am very short. it is quite a joke with my friends. i say to them i am a short tallman or a short man who is vera tallman." "oh, i see!" laughed mr. brown. "well, it's a good thing you can be so jolly about it." "there is no good in finding fault with what can't be helped," said the man with a kind smile, as he patted the pony. "i can't make myself tall by wishing, even though i have a long name. so i let it go at that. and, when any one says to me, 'you are not very tall,' i answer, 'oh, yes, i am vera tallman,' and then i have a joke on them." "yes, i should think you would," said mr. brown. "but let us get back to the broken harness. how much shall i pay you?" "nothing at all," answered mr. tallman. "it was my fault for driving toby in a harness mended with bits of string. i should have known better, but i did not think toby would meet with a moving van, that would make him think of the circus where he was so badly treated. you need not pay me anything." "but perhaps the cart is broken also," said mr. brown. "i hardly think so," returned mr. tallman, who was such a short man. "toby just twisted around and tore himself loose out of the harness. then he ran back along the road and i ran after him. he did not run far, as soon as he was out of sight of your big auto he stopped." "i am glad of that," said mr. brown. "now i will tell you what we had better do." "what?" asked mr. tallman, still patting the pony, a thing which bunny brown and his sister sue were also doing. "what had we better do?" "one of us had better go back and get the pony cart," went on mr. brown. "bunker blue can easily haul it here, and you can hitch toby to it out of sight of our big auto. then he won't be frightened any more. and perhaps you had better drive him around another road, or wait until we can take the auto another way. i wouldn't want to have toby break loose again." "well, maybe that would be a good plan," agreed mr. tallman. "if you will let bunker, as you call him, bring the pony cart here, i will harness toby to it. then i'll drive over the short-cut road and get past your auto without letting my pony see it." bunker ran back, and soon came trotting along the road with the basket cart, pretending he was a pony himself, which made bunny and sue laugh. it was found that only the string part of the harness was broken, and as bunker had some strong fish cords in his pocket, the straps were soon mended. "it is better than before," said mr. tallman, when toby was once again hitched to the basket cart. "i don't believe toby could break loose now." "and won't you let me pay you for the damage?" asked the fish merchant. "oh, no, indeed!" cried mr. tallman. "you have done more than your share now." bunny and sue were again whispering together. then bunny stepped forward and said: "daddy, we'll give you all the money in our banks." "all the money in your banks, bunny? what do you mean?" asked mr. brown. "to help you buy the pony for us," went on the little boy. "please, daddy, buy toby for us. sue and i would like him awful much!" "well, he certainly is a nice pony," said mr. brown, "and i remember, once i did half promise to get you a shetland pony. is toby for sale?" asked mr. brown. mr. tallman shook his head, while bunny and sue looked anxiously at him. "no," said the owner of toby, "i don't want to sell my trick pony. i am going to take him to the fair, and i think i shall win prizes with him, and get a lot of money when i show what tricks he can do. i wouldn't sell toby--not for anything!" "oh, dear!" sighed bunny brown. "oh, dear!" sighed his sister sue. and just then, along the road came driving a man in a light carriage. the man had a dark face and a very black beard. he scowled as he looked at mr. tallman and the shetland pony. then the black-bearded man said: "well, i've found you, have i? now, i want you to give me that pony! give him to me at once and have no more nonsense about it! i want that pony!" chapter iv looking for a pony bunny brown and his sister sue hardly knew what to make of the black-bearded man who seemed so angry about something. he jumped from his wagon and went up close to the shetland pony. the little animal was again harnessed to the basket cart. "give him to me!" exclaimed the black-whiskered man. "no, i will not!" answered mr. tallman. "he is not your pony, and you have no right to him." "well, if he isn't mine he soon will be!" said the dark man. "you owe me a lot of money, and if you don't pay pretty soon i'll take that pony away from you and sell him. then i'll get the money in that way." "perhaps you will," said the pony's owner. "but before you do that i may be able to pay you what i owe you, and then i can keep my little toby." "why don't you pay me now?" asked the black-whiskered man, whose name was mr. tang. "because i haven't the money," answered mr. tallman. "then give me the pony! come, now!" went on mr. tang, for such was his name. "if you will let me have your trick pony i'll not bother you about the money you owe me. i'll let you have a long while in which to pay me the last part of it. give me that pony!" and he seemed about to take toby away. "no, i'll not give him up!" said mr. tallman. "i'll try to get your money in some other way. i never can part with toby; especially to you." "why won't you let me have him?" asked tang. "because i'm afraid you wouldn't be kind to him." "i'd sell him, that's what i'd do!" said the dark man. "i'd sell him, after you gave him to me, and in that way i'd get back a part of the money you owe me. i'd sell toby, that's what i'd do!" "that's what i'd be afraid of," went on mr. tallman. "i'd be afraid you'd sell him back to the cruel men in the circus. no, sir! i'll not let you have my pony. i'll get your money in some other way, and pay you back." "well, see that you do!" growled mr. tang. "if you don't pay me soon, i'll come and take toby away from you! that's what i'll do!" with that he got back in his wagon, and, with a last look at toby, the shetland pony, the unpleasant man drove away. "oh," said bunny in a low voice, "i'm glad that man didn't buy the pony." "so am i," said sue. "and i'm glad i didn't give him up," added mr. tallman. "i'd never feel happy if i knew he had my pet pony." "he does not look like a kind man," said mr. brown, "and i saw him strike his horse with the whip. still he might not hurt the pony." "well, if he didn't hurt him he might send him back to the circus, where toby would be beaten," remarked mr. tallman. "of course, i know that in most circuses the ponies and other animals are kindly treated. but toby was not treated well in the circus where he was, and he'd never like to go back there. that's why i want to keep him." "if you sold him to me, for my children, we would treat him kindly," said mr. brown. "yes, i know that," said mr. tallman. "but i don't want to sell toby--least of all to mr. tang." "do you owe him money?" asked mr. brown. "yes. more, i fear, than i can ever pay. and if i don't pay him he may come and take toby away from me." "that would be too bad," said mr. brown, and bunny and his sister thought the same thing. "yes, it would," agreed mr. tallman. "i was on my way, just now, to see a friend, to get him to lend me some money to pay mr. tang," went on the pony's owner. "i'll go there now." "and if he can't help you, perhaps i can," called mr. brown to mr. tallman, as the latter drove away in the basket cart. "whatever happens, if you decide to sell toby, come to me first." "i will," mr. tallman promised, and then he drove along on another road, where the little horse would not see the big auto and be frightened again. "oh, dear!" sighed sue, as she and bunny walked back to the ark. "i did love that pony so!" "i did, too," added bunny. "don't you s'pose we can ever get him, daddy?" "well, i don't know," answered mr. brown. "if we can't buy that toby pony, though, perhaps we can find another." "really?" cried sue. "will you truly buy us another?" asked bunny. "if we can find one as nice as toby," promised mr. brown. bunny and sue sighed again. "what's the matter?" asked their father. "there won't ever be another pony as nice as toby," said the little girl. "never!" added bunny. "but he ran away," said mr. brown, not wishing the two children to fall too deeply in love with a pet they could not have. "i might find another pony that wouldn't do such a thing." "he didn't run away very _much_," stated bunny. "and that was only 'cause he thought our auto was a circus wagon. we could keep the auto in the barn, and then toby wouldn't be skeered." "yes, we might do that," said mr. brown, smiling. "but i'm afraid toby isn't for sale. we'll have to look for another pony." "and will you?" asked sue. "yes; i'll ask about one when we get to east milford," her father promised. "there aren't any shetland ponies for sale in bellemere; that i know. maybe we can find one in east milford." bunny, his sister, his father and bunker blue walked back to the ark. getting in, once more they set off, and then, without anything much happening, they rode to east milford. the big auto was left at a garage to be fixed, and then mr. brown said: "well, now we will go and get something to eat, for it is dinner time, and too far to wait until we get back home." "and after that shall we go and look for a pony?" asked bunny. "yes, after that i'll see if i can find a shetland pony for you," his father promised. they ate their lunch in a restaurant, and before coming out sue said: "ask the man if he knows where we can get a pony, daddy!" "what man, sue?" "the man in the restaurant. the man that brought us such nice things to eat." "oh, you mean the waiter! well, i will," said mr. brown with a smile. and, as he paid the bill, the fish dealer did ask the waiter if he knew whether any one in the town of east milford had ponies for sale. "well, there's a livery stable over in the next street," was the answer. "they might have some ponies." "oh, let's go and see!" begged bunny. "let's!" said sue, in a sort of chorus. as bunker blue was needed back on the fish dock, he did not go with bunny, sue and their father to the stable. instead he took a train back to bellemere, promising to telephone to mrs. brown so that she would know bunny and his sister were with their father, and were all right. "a shetland pony, is it?" repeated the livery stable keeper, when mr. brown had told what he wanted--a pet for his children. "no, i'm sorry, but i haven't any. in fact, i don't believe you'll find one in town." "do you know where i could find one?" asked mr. brown. the livery stable keeper thought for a few seconds, and then he said: "well, there's a farmer, living in the country about ten miles from here, who used to own one or two shetland ponies which his children drove. they are getting too big for ponies now. maybe that farmer would have some shetlands for sale." "oh, daddy! let's go and see!" begged bunny. "very well, we'll try," replied mr. brown. they hired an automobile in the village, and drove out to cardiff, where the livery man said the farmer, who might have some ponies for sale, lived. but alas for the hopes of bunny brown and his sister sue! when they reached the farm the man said: "well, now, i'm sorry! but i sold both my ponies last week! if i'd known you wanted them for your children, mr. brown, i might have kept them. but they're gone." "oh, dear!" sighed bunny. "i don't believe we'll _ever_ get a shetland pony!" but you just wait and see what happens. chapter v the short tallman mr. brown talked with the farmer a little while longer, asking him if he knew any other place where shetland ponies might be bought. "well, i don't know that i do," answered mr. bascomb, the farmer. "not many of us around here keep 'em. but if i hear of any i'll let you know." "i wish you would," said mr. brown. "i didn't know my little boy and girl were so eager for a pony." "we _always_ liked them!" said bunny. "but we didn't know how really-truly nice they were until we saw toby to-day," added sue. "please get us a pony, daddy!" "i will if i can find one," promised her father. but, though he inquired at many places in east milford, mr. brown could find no one who had ponies to sell. finally bunny and sue became tired, even with riding about in an auto looking for a possible pet, and mr. brown said: "well, we'll go back home now. your mother will be getting anxious about you. we'll try again to-morrow to find a shetland pony." "maybe we'll meet mr. tallman on our way back," remarked sue. "what good would that do?" asked bunny. "well, maybe he'd sell us toby now," went on his sister. "i like toby awful much!" "so do i," said bunny. "but i don't guess we'll get him." "i'm afraid not," put in mr. brown. "mr. tallman is too fond of his pet to part with him." riding home in the train from east milford to bellemere, bunny brown and his sister sue talked of little but the pony they had seen, and the one they hoped to get. they talked so much about ponies, in fact, that mr. brown feared they would dream about one perhaps, so he said: "to-night we will all go to a moving-picture show. that will take your mind off ponies and basket carts." "oh, it'll be fun to go to the movies!" cried sue, clapping her hands. "and maybe we'll see a picture of a pony!" added bunny, eagerly. mr. brown smiled and shook his head. "i'll certainly have to get them one," he thought. bunny and sue fairly rushed into the house when they reached home. they saw their mother telling tressa, the good-natured cook, what to get for supper. "oh, mother!" cried bunny, "did bunker blue tell you about us?" "do you mean about you and sue hiding away in the ark, when i didn't know it, and taking a ride?" asked mrs. brown, with a smile at the children, and a funny look at her husband. "yes, he told me that, bunny. and please don't do it again. i know you didn't mean to do wrong, but you did." "oh, i don't mean about our going away in the ark," said bunny. "i mean, did bunker tell you about the pony our auto scared, and how it ran away?" "the pony ran away, not our auto," explained sue, for fear her mother might not understand what bunny was talking about. "i know," said mrs. brown with another smile. "you saw a little pony, did you?" "oh, such a sweet little pony!" cried sue. "he was a dandy!" said her brother. "and daddy is going to get us one!" went on sue. mrs. brown looked at her husband. "bunker blue didn't tell me anything about that," she said. "no, he didn't know about it," replied mr. brown. "but i think we shall have to get the children a new pet, mother. otherwise they'll never be happy." then he told about trying to buy a pony in east milford, but there was none to be had. "i don't believe there are any in bellemere, either," said the children's mother. "where did this mr. tallman, who is so short, live?" "over in wayville," answered mr. brown, naming the town next to the one where he lived. "but i'm afraid he won't sell. i'll have to find some one else with a shetland pony." "what makes 'em call them shetland ponies, daddy?" asked sue, as they sat down to the table for supper. "are they all named shetland?" "they are called that," answered mr. brown, "because many of the little horses, for they are really that, come from the island of shetland, which is near scotland, many, many miles from here. "the island of shetland is rather cold and rugged, and the little horses that live there are small and rugged like the island. they have thick hair to keep them warm in winter, and, though the shetland ponies are so small, they are strong. that is why toby was able to draw mr. tallman in the cart, even though the pony was not much larger than a big newfoundland dog. "sometimes shetland ponies are called shelties, which means the same thing," went on mr. brown. "well, we'd like a shelty," said sue, with a smile. "and you shall have one, if i can find him for you," promised her father. "do _all_ ponies come from shetland?" asked bunny. "oh, no, not all of them," answered the children's father. for two or three days after that mr. brown made inquiries in and about bellemere for shetland ponies. but there seemed to be none for sale. mr. brown even wrote mr. tallman a letter, asking if the owner of toby knew any one else who had ponies for sale. but the letter was not answered. "i guess mr. tallman has so much trouble about the money he owes mr. tang that he has no time to write letters," said the children's father. bunny brown and his sister sue often talked about the pony they hoped to have. and one day, about a week after they had seen toby, bunny said: "come on, sue. let's go down and see." "go down where?" the little girl wanted to know. "down to daddy's wharf." "what for? to see the boats? i'd rather play with my doll." "no, not to see the boats," went on bunny. "let's go down and see if daddy has found a shetland pony for us yet." "oh, let's!" cried sue, and, hand in hand, she and her brother went down to their father's dock. though the wharf was near the bay, where the water was deep, bunny and his sister were allowed to go there if they first stopped at the office, on the land-end of the dock, and told their father they had come to see him. in that way mrs. brown knew they would not fall into the water, for mr. brown would have bunker blue, or some of his other helpers, stay with the children until they were ready to go home again. bunny and his sister always liked to go to their father's dock. there were many things to see--the boats coming in or going out, sometimes big catches of fish being unloaded, to be afterward packed in barrels with ice, so they would keep fresh to be sent to the big city. once a boat came in with a big shark that had been caught in the fish nets, and once bunker blue was pinched by a big lobster that he thought was asleep on the dock. so down to their father's office went bunny brown and his sister sue, but when they looked in the room where mr. brown was usually to be found, he was not there. however, bunker blue was. "hello, messmates!" called the boy in greeting. "hello," answered bunny. "is my father here?" "no, he just went home," said bunker. "didn't you meet him?" "no," answered sue, with a shake of her head. "we didn't see him, and we just came from home." "well, maybe he had to stop at a store first," said bunker. "did he have our pony?" asked bunny eagerly. "maybe he stopped in a store to get the harness, sue!" "or the cart!" added bunny's sister. bunker blue smiled and shook his head. "no," he said slowly. "i'm sorry, but your father didn't get any pony. he had a letter from a man he wrote to about one, but this man didn't have any to sell." "oh, dear!" sighed bunny. "i don't guess we're ever going to have that pony!" "i don't guess so, too," added the little girl. "what'll we do now, bunny?" "let's go home and ask daddy about it," suggested her brother. "maybe he's heard _something_ about a pony." "be sure to go straight home!" warned bunker blue. "else i'll have to go with you." "we'll go straight home," promised bunny, as he started off, his sister's hand in his. when they promised this bunny and sue were allowed to go back and forth between their father's office and their home alone. for the street was almost a straight one, and, as they knew the way and many persons living along it knew the children, mrs. brown felt no harm would come to them. so, after a little look about the dock, and not seeing anything to amuse them, bunny and his sister started back home again. they had hardly left their father's office, where bunker blue stayed to do some work, before the two children heard a voice saying: "hello there, little ones! can you tell me where mr. walter brown lives?" bunny and sue turned quickly around. they saw a small man smiling at them, and they knew they had seen him before. "why, it's my two little friends that were in the big auto!" cried the short man in surprise. "you're mr. brown's children, aren't you?" he asked. "yes, sir," bunny answered. "and is your father here?" the man went on. "no, sir," said bunny. then he added: "you're mr. shortman; aren't you?" "ha-ha! not quite right," was the laughing answer. "sometimes my friends call me that in fun. but my right name is tallman." "oh, yes, now i 'member!" exclaimed bunny. "do you want to see my father?" he asked. "i'd like to," replied mr. tallman. "he's just gone home," said sue. "we came down to see him ourselves, but he's gone. we came to see if he had a pony." "but he didn't," bunny said. "so we're going home ourselves to see him. you could come with us if you wanted to see my father," he added. "well, i will," returned the man who had been driving toby the day the big auto frightened the little pony. "i'll go home with you two little tots, and see your father." bunny and sue wanted very much to ask why mr. tallman wanted to see mr. brown, but they did not think that would be polite, so they did not do it. hand in hand bunny and sue started off again, mr. tallman following. in a little while, so fast did the children go, even with their short legs, all three were at the brown home. "oh, mother!" cried bunny, running into the room where mrs. brown was sitting, "where's daddy?" "he's out in the barn, little son," answered mrs. brown. "but why are you so excited, and why do you want daddy?" "'cause there's a short man to see him!" gasped bunny. "no, it's a tall man," added sue. "i mean his name is tallman, but he is a little, short man." "dear me!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "what is it all about? i don't understand. does some one want to see your father?" "yes," answered bunny. "a tallman." "and he's such a short man," went on sue. "excuse me, ma'am," said mr. tallman himself, following the children into the room. "but i guess they get mixed up about me. you see, i am really short, though i have a tall name. i'm the one who owned the little pony which i guess your children have told you about, and i would like to see mr. brown. i came with the children up from the dock. is your husband at home?" "he is out in the barn. won't you have a chair?" "thank you, i will," and mr. tallman sat down and looked at bunny and sue, while mrs. brown went to call her husband. at last bunny could keep still no longer. "mr. tallman," he asked, "did you come to tell daddy about a pony?" "that's what i did, little man! that's what i did!" was the answer, and the hearts of bunny brown and his sister sue beat high with hope. were they going to get a pony at last? chapter vi bunny, sue and toby "well, mr. tallman, i see you haven't grown any shorter," said mr. brown with a laugh, as he came in and shook hands with the visitor. "no, i'm thankful to say i haven't shrunk much," was the answer. "i stopped down at your dock, but you weren't there, and your two little children kindly led me here. piloted me, would be a better word, i suppose, since we are so near the ocean where men pilot the ships." "yes, bunny and sue are good little pilots between our house and the dock," agreed mr. brown. "i wouldn't want them to navigate all alone much farther than that, though. i'm glad to see you, mr. tallman!" bunny and sue could keep quiet no longer. they just couldn't wait! they must hear about that pony! so, as soon as there was a chance, when mr. tallman and mr. brown stopped speaking for a moment, bunny burst out with: "oh, daddy! he's come about the pony!" "the pony?" asked mr. brown, in some surprise, for he thought perhaps mr. tallman had called to see about buying some fish, or hiring a boat. "yes," added sue, her eyes shining as did bunny's. "he's come about the pony--_our_ pony, daddy! toby! don't you 'member?" "oh, yes; toby. the little pony that was frightened by our big auto!" said mr. brown. "well, mr. tallman, what about toby?" "i've come to see if you want to buy him for your children." "oh, daddy!" cried bunny brown and his sister sue. "wait a minute," said mr. brown with a smile. "let me hear what mr. tallman has to say. you tell me," he went on, "that you want to sell me your pony, toby, for my children?" "yes. i've got to sell him, and i'd rather sell him to you, who i know will be kind to him, than any one else." "but i thought you didn't want to part with him." "i didn't," said mr. tallman. "and i wouldn't sell toby now, only i just have to. you see it's this way, mr. brown. i owe a lot of money i can't pay. i owe some to that mr. tang we met the other day, and he's a hard man. he wants every penny, and i don't blame him for that. i'd pay if i could, but i can't. "i thought everything was going nicely, after i met you, and some friends let me take money to pay some of my debts. then i had bad luck. that's what i had, bad luck." "was it about toby?" asked bunny eagerly. "is he hurt?" "no, toby is all right," answered mr. tallman. "the only bad luck about him is that i have to sell him. i hope he brings you good luck. "no, the bad luck i speak of is that i have lost a lot more money. in fact, i have been robbed," said mr. tallman. "robbed!" cried mrs. brown, and she looked at the doors and windows as if to make sure they were fastened, though it was broad daylight, when no burglars would come. "yes, burglars, or thieves of some sort, got in my house the other night," went on mr. tallman, "and took a box of valuable papers. they were stocks and bonds on which i could have raised money, but which i was saving to the last minute," he said. "of course, you little tots don't know what stocks and bonds are," he added, speaking to bunny and sue, "so i'll just say that the thieves took away a box of papers that i owned. and the papers could have been sold for money." "oh, mr. tallman!" burst out bunny. "i know where there's a lot of paper. it's down at the printing office, where they make the _journal_ daddy reads every night." "yes, but the kind of paper the burglars took away from my house isn't that kind," said mr. tallman. "never mind about that. i want to tell you about the pony." and it was about the pony that bunny and sue most wanted to hear. "to make a long story short," went on mr. tallman, "the taking of my box of valuable papers has left me so poor that i've got to sell my house, and nearly everything else i own. and i've got to sell the pony, toby. i thought you would buy him, mr. brown." "indeed, i will!" cried the children's father. "i have been trying everywhere to find a shetland pony for bunny and sue." then mr. brown and mr. tallman talked about the price to be paid for toby. "yes, i'll gladly buy toby, mr. tallman," finished mr. brown. "i thought you would. that makes me feel easier, for i know toby will have a good home." "we'll just love him!" cried bunny. "and we'll give him lots of nice things to eat!" added sue. "and i'll let my dollie ride on his back." "he'll like that, i'm sure," said mr. tallman with a smile. "well, that's what i came to see you about, and as long as it's all settled i'll be getting back. i must see if the police have caught any of the robbers." "but when shall we have toby?" asked bunny. "can't we go with you and get him?" asked sue. "what sort of box was it that your papers were in?" asked mr. brown. "excuse us asking so many questions," he went on, "but i'd like to help you, if i can, and, of course, the children are eager to have the pony." "i don't blame them," said mr. tallman. "so i'll answer their question first. i'll bring toby over to-morrow. i'd do it to-day, but it's getting late now, and i have lots to do. so, little ones, you may expect toby to-morrow. i'll drive over in the basket cart with him, and after that he's yours." "for ever?" asked bunny. "yes, for ever." "won't you _ever_ want him back, even when you're rich again, and catch the burglars that took your things?" asked sue, wishing to make sure. "well, i don't believe i'll ever be rich," said mr. tallman with a smile, "even though the police may catch the burglars and get back my papers. but i promise that i'll never take toby away from you. when your daddy buys the pony he's yours as long as you want to keep him." "then we want to keep him for ever and ever!" exclaimed bunny. "and the next day after that!" added sue, as if for ever and ever were not long enough. "and now to answer your question, mr. brown," went on mr. tallman, "i'll say that i kept my stocks and bonds--those are the valuable papers," he told the children--"i kept them in a queer old box that used to belong to my grandfather. it was a brass box, but it was painted with red and yellow stripes. why it was my grandfather had the box painted that way i don't know. he used to tell me, when i was a boy like bunny here, and went out to his house, that he bought the box from an old gypsy man, and gypsies, you know, like bright colors. "anyhow, i kept my papers in that red-and-yellow-painted brass box. and the other day, when no one was at home at our house, some one got in and took the box. so now i'm very poor." "didn't a policeman see them take it?" asked bunny. "no, i'm sorry to say no one saw them. we don't know who it was," answered mr. tallman. "but never mind my troubles. i'll have to get out of them the best way i can. it makes me feel better, though, to know that toby will have a good home. i'll bring him over in the morning." "oh, goodie!" cried sue, clapping her hands. "now, we'll have a real pony and we can go for rides!" laughed bunny brown. "oh, i'm so glad!" mr. brown and mr. tallman talked a little longer, and mr. brown gave the man who had been robbed of the red-and-yellow box some money--part payment for toby. then mr. tallman went away, bunny and sue waving good-bye to him. "oh, i'm so glad we're going to have a shetland pony, aren't you, bunny?" asked sue. "terrible glad," he answered. "but i'm sorry mr. tallman lost his papers." "so'm i," said sue. "oh, bunny!" she cried, "wouldn't it be just fine if we could get mr. tallman's papers for him?" "how? what you mean?" asked bunny, for sometimes he did not think quite as fast as sue did, even though he was quicker in running about and getting into mischief. "what do you mean, sue?" "i mean, maybe when we're ridin' around with toby, in the basket cart, we could find the robbers that took his red-and-yellow box." "oh, yes, that would be nice," agreed bunny. "and we could ride back home to mr. tallman, just like in a fairy story, and tell him we found his box and his--and his--oh, well, whatever there was in it," said bunny, not able to think of "stocks and bonds." "it would be dandy!" cried sue, using a word of which her brother was very fond. "but, bunny, if we found all the things mr. tallman lost he'd be rich again--i mean partly rich." "well, wouldn't that be good?" "yes, but then he'd have a lot of money and he could buy back toby from daddy." bunny shook his head. "nope!" he exclaimed. "didn't you hear mr. tallman say that toby would belongs to us for ever and for ever, amen." "he didn't say amen!" declared sue. "well, that goes with it, anyhow," was bunny's answer. "we always say for ever and for ever, amen. so toby's going to belongs to us that way." "all right," agreed sue. "then we'll find mr. tallman's red-and-yellow box for him and make him rich again. and now let's go and tell bunker blue that we're going to have a pony." the children were so excited about what was going to happen that they hardly knew what they did. they told all their friends about their good luck, and promised every one a ride in the pony cart. "and you may have as many as ever you want," said bunny to bunker blue. "'cause you like ponies, don't you?" "oh, i just love 'em!" laughed the fish boy. bunny and sue thought the next day would never come! but it did, and they were up bright and early. after breakfast they sat out on the porch, waiting for mr. tallman to drive over with toby. every now and then they would run to the gate to look down the road. at last bunny cried: "here he comes, sue!" "oh, has he got toby?" "yep! he's driving him and the cart! oh! oh!" "oh! oh!" shouted sue, and then the two children ran down the street, and when they reached the pony, which mr. tallman brought to a stop, bunny brown and his sister sue threw their arms around toby's neck and hugged him. "oh, we're so glad!" they said. "now, we're going to ride and look for your red-and-yellow box, mr. tallman." "well, i hope you find it, but i'm afraid you won't. anyhow, here's toby for you, and now----" just then there was a sound of carriage wheels, grating in a sudden stop, near the little basket cart, while a harsh voice said: "ha! so, i've found you; have i? now give me that pony and don't make any more fuss about it!" and who do you suppose it was that said that? chapter vii the first ride bunny brown and his sister sue looked quickly up at hearing the harsh voice. they had been looking at toby, thinking how nice he was, and how glad they were to have him, but now---there they saw standing near the little horse mr. tang, the cross man who had said mr. tallman owed him money. "i am just in time, i see!" went on mr. tang. "i went over to your house to get this pony, mr. tallman, but they said you had driven here with him. i see you had." "yes, i brought the pony over to bunny and his sister," stated mr. tallman. "i have sold toby to their father." "you have?" cried mr. tang. "why, you shouldn't have done that! you should have given that pony to me in part payment of the money you owe me. when are you going to pay me?" "i can pay you something as soon as mr. brown gives me the money for toby," was the answer. "then, i am too late. i can't have toby, can i?" asked mr. tang. and, oh! how anxiously bunny and sue waited for the answer. suppose, after all, they could not have the pony? but the next words of mr. tallman made them feel better. he said: "indeed, you are too late. i have sold toby, and bunny and sue are going to have him after this. i will pay you as soon as i can, but i have been robbed, mr. tang. some burglars took my red-and-yellow box that had in it some valuable papers, and i can't pay you all i owe you until i get that box back." "but if you'd give me the pony you wouldn't have to pay me so much," went on mr. tang. mr. tallman shook his head. "it is too late," he said. "toby goes to bunny and sue." the little boy and girl were very glad, but mr. tang was angry. "i've got to have my money!" he exclaimed. "if i can't get it one way i'll get it another. you watch out, mr. tallman!" and with that he turned his horse and drove away, giving a last look toward toby, bunny and sue. "oh, he won't take toby, will he?" asked bunny. "no, indeed," answered mr. tallman. "the pony is yours now." mr. brown, who had not yet gone down to his fish dock, now came out of the house and paid mr. tallman for the shetland pony. and when bunny and sue saw that done they felt sure the pet was their very own. "for," said bunny to sue, as they stood patting toby, "when you buy anything at the store, and give your pennies for it, the storekeeper can't take it back." "yes, i guess that's so," said sue, as though not quite sure. "but mr. tallman isn't a storekeeper." "well, toby's ours now; isn't he, daddy?" asked the little boy. "yes, he surely is," said mr. brown. mr. tallman told bunny and sue what to feed the little horse, and how to treat him. "bunker blue will look after toby in the stable," said mr. brown. "bunker knows a lot about horses as well as about boats, and he'll harness the pony for the children until they get big enough to do it themselves. we have a nice little box-stall in the stable where toby can make himself at home." "and we'll put some soft straw in for his bed," added bunny. "and we'll pull grass and give it to him to eat," said sue. "will he like green grass, mr. tallman?" "oh, yes, very much. but he likes hay, too, and now and then a bit of apple or a lump of sugar." "we'll give him them, too!" cried bunny. "oh, we'll have lots of fun with our pony, won't we, sue?" "yes," answered the little girl, again patting toby. "we'll have heaps of fun!" "well, good-bye, little horse," said mr. tallman finally, when it was time for him to go. "good-bye! i'm sorry to have to sell you, but i need the money, and i'm sure you'll have a good home with bunny and sue. they will be kind to you. good-bye!" toby bowed his head up and down. it may be that he was saying "good-bye!" also, or perhaps he only happened to do that. but the two children thought it must be that he was bowing because mr. tallman was going away. bunny and sue looked down the road to make sure the cross mr. tang was not in sight, and they were glad when they did not see him. for, even though they knew their father had paid for toby, still they felt that, in some way, the gruff man might come and take him away. "when may we have a ride, daddy?" asked bunny as he saw his father getting ready to go down to the dock. he was going to walk along with mr. tallman, who would have to take a train back to his home, since he could no longer ride in the pony cart. "oh, so you want to _ride_, do you?" asked mr. brown with a smile, and a wink at mr. tallman. "why, i thought you wanted to have toby just to _look_ at." "oh, no, we want a ride! don't we, sue?" bunny cried. "lots of rides!" exclaimed the little girl. "when may we have one, daddy?" "i'll send bunker blue up as soon as i get to the dock," promised mr. brown. "he can take you for a ride in the pony cart." "oh, shall we have to wait _that_ long?" bunny cried. "couldn't we go for a ride by ourselves?" "not at first," mr. brown answered. "but after a while, when bunker has shown you how to drive, then i expect you and your sister will go off on little trips by yourselves--not too far, though. i suppose toby will be safe for the children to drive?" mr. brown asked mr. tallman. "oh, yes, of course," said that gentleman. "there is one nice thing about toby--he is very gentle and kind and he likes children very much. in fact, he's like a big dog. "but, mr. brown, if bunny and sue want a ride so much, why not let me drive them down to your dock? i know where it is, for i was there the other day. then they can take bunker blue in with them and he can teach them how to hold the reins, and other things they need to know about the pony and cart. i'll drive them down." "will you?" returned mr. brown. "that is kind. jump in, bunny and sue! get ready for your first pony ride! tell bunker blue i'll soon be there, and then you can all three go off together. get in!" "oh! oh!" exclaimed bunny and sue, filled with joy. "oh! oh!" mr. tallman helped them into the basket cart, and then got in himself. toby looked around as if to make sure that the children were safely seated before starting off, and he switched his long tail. "isn't his tail beautiful?" exclaimed sue. "awful nice," agreed bunny. "i guess no flies 'd better get on toby, or they'll wish they hadn't when he switches 'em off!" "get along, toby!" called mr. tallman to the little creature. "you are going to give bunny and sue their first ride. we could take you in the pony cart if you'd like it," he said to mr. brown. "toby can easily pull all four of us, as the road is smooth and down hill." "no," said mr. brown. "i have to stop at two or three places on my way to the dock. besides, it seems too much for one little pony to pull two men and two children." "oh, toby is strong!" replied mr. tallman. "he has often pulled heavier loads than that." "well, thank you, i'll not get in," again said mr. brown. "ride along, bunny and sue, and wait for me at the dock. then you and bunker may have a good time." off started toby, drawing mr. tallman, bunny and sue. the children looked with eager eyes at their new pony, whose little feet went "clap-clap!" on the hard road. and toby went quite fast, too, trotting so rapidly that his feet seemed to "twinkle," as sue said. "oh, i just love a pony!" said sue, as she sat beside bunny. "i just love toby!" "so do i!" agreed her brother. "we're going to keep him for ever and ever!" but neither bunny nor sue knew what was shortly going to happen to toby. chapter viii sue's handkerchief "well, well! what's all this?" cried bunker blue, as he saw bunny and sue sitting in the pony cart, being driven along the dock by mr. tallman. "what's all this?" "we got a pony!" said sue. "and he's all ours! to keep for ever! daddy bought him from mr. tallman," added bunny. "and daddy says you're going to show us how to drive him and hitch him up and all like that," went on sue. "oh, i'll like that!" exclaimed bunker blue. he had been painting a small boat, but he wiped the paint off his hands and came over to pat toby. "isn't he nice?" asked bunny. "very nice, indeed," answered bunker blue. "well, i think taking you children for a ride on such a fine day as this will be more fun than painting boats. am i to start off with the children at once?" he asked mr. tallman. "no, i believe mr. brown wants you to wait for him," answered the man who had sold the pony. "i'll get out now, as i need to hurry back home. i'll leave the pony with you." "i'll take good care of him, and bunny and sue also," promised bunker blue. "good-bye!" called mr. tallman for the second time, and now he really started away by himself. once more toby seemed to bow his head up and down. "good-bye!" answered bunny. "i hope you find your red-and-yellow box," added sue. "and all your money in it," went on her brother. "oh, it wasn't exactly money in the box that was taken from me," said mr. tallman. "the papers could be sold for money if i had them. but they're gone!" "if we find them, when we're riding around with toby, we'll save 'em for you," promised bunny. "all right," answered mr. tallman with a laugh. "i hope you do find them, but i'm afraid you won't." while bunker went to wash himself, in readiness for taking bunny and sue for a ride, having first tied the pony's strap to a post on the dock, bunny and sue sat in the basket cart, looking at their new pet. "oh, look! there's a fly on him!" suddenly exclaimed sue. "shall i shoo it off with my handkerchief, bunny?" "maybe toby can knock it off himself," replied bunny. and, surely enough, while the children watched, toby gave his tail a flicker and a twist, and the fly, which had been biting him, flew away. "isn't he cute?" cried sue. "yes," said bunny. "and his tail is so long that he can switch flies 'most anywhere on him." "his tail won't reach up to his front legs," said sue, leaning over the edge of the cart to look and make sure. "how does he get the flies off his front legs, bunny, when he can't reach 'em with his tail?" "i don't know," answered the little boy. "let's get out and watch," suggested sue. "daddy isn't here yet, and bunker can't take us for a ride till daddy comes. let's get out and see how toby makes the flies get off his front legs." "oh, yes, let's!" agreed bunny. out of the basket cart climbed the two children. they walked around where they could stand in front of toby, and stooped down so they could see his legs better. "there's a fly!" suddenly exclaimed bunny. "where?" asked sue eagerly. "right on his--his elbow," bunny answered, pointing to the middle part of toby's leg, where it bent. "there's a fly right on his elbow." "'tisn't his elbow," said sue. "that isn't!" "what is it then?" "it's his--his knee!" "well, it would be his elbow if his front legs were arms," insisted bunny. "and, anyhow, there's a fly!" surely enough, there was a fly on toby's leg, and it was out of reach of his tail, long as that was. "how'll he get the fly off?" asked sue. "let's watch and see," suggested bunny. they did not have long to wait. pretty soon the fly began to bite, as flies always do when they get on horses or ponies. but the fly did not bite very long, for toby stretched his leg out a little way in front of him, where he could reach it more easily, and then he leaned down his head and with his nose drove the fly away. "oh, look!" cried bunny. "he's scratching the itchy place with his nose!" and that is just what toby was doing. when he found that his tail would not reach the biting fly he drove the insect off another way. then, while bunny and sue still watched, a third fly, or perhaps it was the same one, lighted on toby's front leg in a place where he could neither reach it with his tail nor with his nose. "what'll he do now?" asked sue. "let's watch and see," said her brother. again they did not have long to wait. when toby found that the fly was biting him, he gave a queer wiggle to his skin, and the fly flew off. "oh, he shivered him away!" cried sue. "he just shivered him away!" and really it did seem as if toby had done that very thing. bunny and sue were laughing at the queer way their pony had got rid of the fly when they saw their father coming along the dock. "well, youngsters!" called mr. brown, "you haven't sold toby yet, i see!" "and we're not going to!" cried bunny. "we're never going to sell toby!" "all right," said mr. brown, laughing. "but where is bunker?" "he's washing so he can take us for a ride," answered sue. "and, daddy! you ought to see toby chase flies!" "does he run after them?" asked her father, smiling. "oh, daddy! of _course_ not!" cried sue. "but when a fly gets on the back part of our pony he switches his tail and knocks him off." "and when a fly gets on his front leg he scratches it off with his nose." "what?" cried mr. brown. "does toby scratch his leg off?" "no! the _fly_!" said bunny, laughing at the funny way his father spoke. "he brushes the fly off, and then he scratches the itchy place with his nose." "my! he's quite a pony!" "and when a fly gets on the back part of his front leg, how do you s'pose he gets the fly off then, daddy?" asked sue. "does he ask you to drive the fly off for him?" mr. brown wanted to know. "oh, daddy! course not! toby can't talk!" sue said. "but he just shivers his leg and the fly goes right away! what do you think of that?" "well, i think your pony is smarter than we knew," said mr. brown. "think of shivering off flies!" "and sometimes he stamps his feet and shakes them off," added bunny. "that's another way. how many does that make, sue? how many ways can toby drive off the flies?" bunny and sue counted up on their fingers, bunny saying: "he can switch 'em off with his tail, he can scratch 'em off with his nose, he can stamp 'em off and he can shiver 'em off!" "four ways," said sue, who was keeping track on her chubby fingers. "my! toby is a regular trick pony!" said mr. brown. "well, here comes bunker, and i guess he's ready to take you for a ride." the boat and fish boy had cleaned off some of the paint that had splattered on him, and now, with freshly washed hands and face, and with his hair nicely combed, he was ready to take charge of bunny and sue. "please, could we drive a little?" asked bunny. "i want to hold the reins," added sue. "i guess it will be all right," said mr. brown. "when you get on a quiet road, bunker, show the children how to drive, and let them take the reins." "oh, won't that be fun!" cried sue. "lots of fun!" echoed bunny. bunker had to go to the end of the dock to tell another boy something about a boat that had been taken out by a fishing party, and bunny and sue waited for their friend to come back before getting into the pony cart. "'member how we used to go out in the boats, bunny?" asked sue. "course i 'member. but i don't want to go out now. i'd rather go for a ride with our shetland pony." "oh, so'd i," went on sue. "i was just 'memberin'. maybe some day we could take toby for a ride on a boat." "maybe," agreed bunny. "he wouldn't have to jiggle any flies off his skin then, if we had him in a boat." "but maybe he wouldn't like a boat," went on sue. "he might kick and fall overboard. then we wouldn't have any pony." "that's so," bunny agreed. "lessen we fished him out." "we couldn't!" said sue. "i don't guess we'd better take him out in a boat." "maybe not," agreed bunny. "course, maybe daddy or bunker blue could fish him out, but i guess we won't take him. i wish bunker would hurry up and come back so we could go for a ride. let's go and see where he is." the two children, leaving toby hitched to the cart and tied by a strap to a post, walked a little way down to look for bunker. they saw him coming, and the fish and boat boy waved his hand to the children. "i'll be with you in a minute," he said. "tommy lost an oar off the dock and i had to get it for him." as bunny and sue turned to walk back toward toby they saw a funny sight. the little shetland pony started to come toward them, and in his mouth was a white rag. "oh, look what toby has!" cried bunny. "it's a piece of paper!" "no, it's my handkerchief!" exclaimed sue, "i dropped it out of my pocket," and, on looking, surely enough, her handkerchief was gone. "and toby picked it up and he's bringing it to you!" said bunny. "oh, sue! he's just like splash, isn't he? he brings things back to you!" the little pony walked as far toward the children as the strap would let him, and there he stood, holding sue's handkerchief in his teeth. [illustration: toby was holding sue's handkerchief. _bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony. page 78._] "it's just like he was handing it to me!" cried sue. "i wonder if he did it on purpose," said bunny. "we can find out," sue said. "i could drop it again, and we could see if he picked it up. shall we do it, bunny?" "oh, yes, let's!" said the little boy. "what is it you're going to do?" bunker blue asked, as he came along just then. "i thought you were going for a ride with me." "so we are," answered bunny. "but look! toby picked up sue's handkerchief that she dropped, and he started to bring it over to her, but he couldn't go any farther on account of the strap. do you s'pose he did it on purpose, bunker?" the fish boy scratched his head. "i shouldn't wonder but what he did," he answered. "didn't mr. tallman say toby was once in a circus?" "yes," answered bunny and sue together. "that settles it then!" cried bunker. "toby is a trick pony, and picking up handkerchiefs is one of his tricks." "honest?" asked bunny. "i think so," replied bunker. "but it's easy to tell for sure." "how?" asked sue. "we'll just loosen the strap, and you can drop your handkerchief again, sue, and see if he picks it up. here, toby," went on bunker, "i'll just take that handkerchief now, thank you, and we'll see if you can do the trick again--if it _is_ a trick. i'll loosen your strap." and as he was doing this bunny brown and his sister sue were wondering what toby would do. would he pick up the handkerchief again? chapter ix toby's new trick "we didn't know we had a trick pony, did we, bunny?" asked sue, as bunker blue got ready to see what toby would do next. "maybe we haven't," replied bunny. "he doesn't _look_ like a trick pony." "but he's terrible nice!" sue said. "and the way he picked up my handkerchief was nice, too. maybe he'll do it again." "maybe," said bunny. by this time bunker had loosed the strap by which the pony was fastened to the post on the dock. toby shook his head up and down, as well as sideways, as though showing how glad he was to be free again. "now, little pony!" called the fish boy, "let's see if you can really do this trick." bunker, who still held sue's handkerchief, walked back a little way, and dropped the bit of white cloth on the dock. toby looked at it a moment, as if to make sure what it was, and then he walked over to it, picked it up as he had done before, and then, to the surprise and delight of the children, walked with the handkerchief straight to bunker blue. "oh, he did it! he did it!" cried sue, clapping her hands. "he _is_ a trick pony, bunny!" "yes, but didn't he ought to bring the handkerchief to _you_, sue?" asked her brother. "he saw me drop it," explained bunker, "so he thought it must be mine. maybe if you were to drop it, sue, he would bring it back to you." "oh, let me!" she cried. bunker gave the little girl her handkerchief, and after sue had put her arms around toby, and patted him on the head, at the same time calling him pet names, she backed away and dropped her handkerchief where the shetland pony could see it on the dock. for a moment or two toby did nothing. he stood looking at the white rag and then he shook his head. but he shook it up and down, and not sideways, and, seeing this, sue cried: "oh, he's saying that he'll do it! he says he'll bring me the handkerchief!" and, whether or not toby really meant this, or whether it was the way he always did the trick, i don't know, but, anyhow, he stepped out, walked over to the handkerchief, pulling the basket cart after him, and then he picked up the white cloth and walked straight to sue with it, holding it out to her in his mouth. "oh, he did it!" cried the little girl, clapping her hands. "he brought the handkerchief to me, bunny! now, isn't he a trick pony?" "yes," said bunny, slowly, "i guess he is. i wonder if he'd bring me my handkerchief?" "try him and see," suggested bunker blue. "but i thought you wanted to go for a ride." "so we do," returned bunny, "but we can ride after we see if toby does the handkerchief trick for me." "yes, i guess we'll have time for that," said bunker blue. so bunny dropped his handkerchief on the dock, and, surely enough, toby picked it up and carried it to the little boy. "now," said sue, "we know for sure he's a trick pony. maybe he did that in a circus, bunker." "maybe he did," agreed the fish boy. "i wonder if he can do any more tricks," went on bunny. "we'll try him after a while," went on bunker. "if i'm going to take you for a ride, and show you how to drive your little horse, we'd better start, as i don't know when your father may want me back here on the dock. come on, we'll go out on the road, and, later on, we can try toby with some more tricks." so bunny and sue climbed into the basket cart, taking seats on either side, and bunker climbed up after them, to hold the reins. they drove down the wooden dock toward mr. brown's office, the feet of toby, the shetland pony, going: "plunk! plunk! plunk!" on the boards. "well, you've started i see!" called mr. brown to bunny and sue, as he looked out of the door of his office. "but what kept you so long?" "oh, toby was doing tricks," answered bunny. "doing tricks?" asked mr. brown. "he picked up my handkerchief," added sue, and she told her father all about it. "my! he certainly is a trick pony!" said mr. brown. "we must ask mr. tallman if toby can do anything else besides the handkerchief trick." then, as mr. brown watched, bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony went off down the road, bunker blue driving. "doesn't he go nice?" cried sue to her brother. "and doesn't his tail switch off the flies quick?" "terrible quick," agreed bunny, and he added: "oh, bunker blue! you ought to see how many ways toby can wiggle the flies off his legs." "how many?" asked the fish boy. "five," answered bunny. "course not all five flies off his legs, but some off his back he switches with his tail, and----" "you talk just like a dutchman!" laughed bunker. "well, anyhow, he can wiggle flies off lots of ways," bunny said. down the road they drove, and many a person, and not a few children, turned to look after the pony cart in which bunny and sue were having such a good time. as they drove past old miss hollyhock's cottage she came to the door and waved to them. a little farther on bunny saw charlie star, with whom he sometimes played. "oh, bunker!" cried bunny, "couldn't we take charlie for a ride?" "well, yes, but not just now. i want to give you children a little lesson in driving, and we don't want to be crowded. some other time we'll take charlie," said the fish boy. so, as he drove past his chum, bunny leaned out of the cart and called: "we'll give you a ride to-morrow, charlie!" "all right--thanks!" shouted the little boy in answer. a little later sue saw some of her girl playmates--mary watson and sadie west--and to them she said the same thing--that she would take them for a ride the next day. "don't promise too much," warned bunker blue. "we don't want to make toby too tired." but i guess the shetland pony liked to draw children about, at least as long as the roads were level, and he did not have to haul the cart uphill. coming to a quiet part of the road, just outside the village, where automobiles seldom came, bunker blue gave the two children their first lesson in driving. he showed bunny and sue how to hold the reins, and how to pull gently on the left one when they wanted the pony to turn that way. "and when you want him to go to the right just pull on the right-hand line," said the fish boy. "but be careful in turning all the way around that you don't turn too quickly, or you may upset the cart and spill out." "i spilled off my sled once," said bunny. "and i rolled all the way downhill. but i didn't get hurt, for i rolled into a bank of snow." "well, there aren't any snow banks here, now, to fall into," said bunker, "so be careful about rolling out." then the fish boy showed the children how to hold the reins gently, but firmly, when toby was trotting straight along, and he showed them how to pull in when they wanted the pony to stop. then, after a while, bunker let bunny take the reins himself, for a little while, and drive toby. the little boy was delighted to do this. he even guided the pony first to the right and then to the left, and then brought him to a stop. "fine!" cried bunker. "that's the way to do it, bunny!" "can't i do it, too?" asked sue, for she always liked to do the things her brother did. "yes, it's your turn now," said the fish boy, and the little girl took the reins. and toby was so gentle, and seemed so eager to do everything he could to make it easy for sue, that she soon learned to drive a little bit. then bunker showed them how to turn around, and how to make toby back up, in case they got to such a narrow place in the road that there was not room to turn. bunker knew a lot about horses and ponies, and he was the best teacher bunny and sue could have had. "now, let's drive back and show mother!" said bunny after a while. "let's drive past the house, bunker." "all right," agreed the fish boy. "i'll drive until we get there, for i see some automobiles coming, and we don't want them to run into us. but when we get near the house i'll let you take the reins, bunny." "couldn't i take 'em, too?" asked sue. "well, we'll let bunny do it first," suggested bunker. "and then, when we drive down to the dock, you can show your daddy how you drive, little girl." "oh, i'll love that!" cried sue, clapping her hands. and you can imagine how surprised mrs. brown was when she saw the pony cart coming up the drive, with bunny holding the reins, as though he had known for a long while how to make toby go. "look, mother! look!" cried the little boy. "i'm driving toby!" "so i see, bunny," said mrs. brown. "isn't it wonderful?" "and i can drive, too," added sue. "i'm going to show daddy down at the dock!" "oh, won't that be nice!" laughed her mother. "i'm sure you two children ought to be very happy with such a fine pony and cart!" and indeed bunny and sue were happy. bunny drove all around the house and out into the road again, and then bunker took the reins to guide the pony down to the fish and boat dock, for the children had not yet been taught enough about the pony to make it safe for them to drive him on the main street. "now, you take hold, sue," said bunker, as they turned into the yard that led to the dock. "there's your father at the window of the office, and he can see you drive." sue's cheeks glowed rosy in delight as she took the reins; and as she guided the pony past the little house on the end of the dock, where daddy brown had his office, the little girl cried: "see what i can do! see what i can do!" "oh, fine!" exclaimed mr. brown. "well, toby didn't run away with you, did he?" "oh, no! he'll never do that!" said bunny. "we had a dandy ride!" the children, with bunker blue, took turns telling mr. brown about their first ride, and then, not wishing to tire them out, or make toby too tired, either, mr. brown sent them home in the pony cart, with bunker to drive. "to-morrow you may go out again," said bunny's father. and so, for several days after that, bunker blue took the children out for rides in the pony cart. each day he let them drive alone for longer and longer times, until at last bunny and sue were very good at it. they learned how to keep to the right, out of the way of other wagons or automobiles, and as toby did not now seem to be afraid of anything he met, one night mr. brown said: "well, i guess bunny and sue are good enough drivers now to go out by themselves without bunker blue." "and drive all alone?" asked bunny, eagerly. "yes," his father said. "but keep on the more quiet streets, and don't go too far." the children promised they would be careful, and the next day they went for a ride by themselves. their mother was a little anxious about them at first, and watched them go up and down the street in front of the house. splash, the dog, ran along, too, barking and wagging his tail, as though having just as much fun as anybody. then, after a while, bunny and sue went a little farther away from the house. but they did not go too far at first, and as they were turning around to drive back, it being bunny's turn to hold the reins, they saw, walking toward them, mr. tallman. "oh, hello!" cried bunny. "don't you want a ride, mr. tallman?" "why, yes, thank you," he answered. "and so you are out all by yourselves? this is fine! i didn't think you'd learn so soon how to drive toby." "oh, he's easy to drive!" bunny said. "and he can do tricks!" added sue. "he picked up my handkerchief and brought it back to me!" "yes, i knew he could do that trick," said mr. tallman. "and that's what i came over to tell you about. i forgot it when i was here before, for i was thinking so much about my red-and-yellow box that was stolen." "have you got it back yet?" asked bunny, as the man who used to own toby got in the cart with the children. "no, i'm sorry to say i haven't," was the answer. "i'm afraid i shall never see it again. but how do you like toby?" "he's dandy!" declared bunny. "and we just love him!" added sue. "i'm glad you do," said mr. tallman. "but did you know he can do another trick besides the handkerchief one?" "oh, can he?" asked bunny. "yes, indeed! i'll tell you about his new trick. it's one i taught him." "oh, please show us!" begged bunny. "wait until we get back to his stable," said mr. tallman. "this trick has to be done in the stable where there's a bin of oats. there i can show you what else toby can do." and how bunny and sue wondered what it was their pony was going to do! chapter x toby walks away bunny brown and his sister sue drove mr. tallman in the pony cart along the road, and up the driveway that led to the stable back of their house. "why, you two children have learned to drive quite well," said the man who used to own toby. "oh, yes, bunker blue showed us how," answered bunny. mrs. brown looked from the window and saw the pony cart. "oh, you have brought back company!" she called, as she noticed mr. tallman. "i came over for a little while only," he said. "i forgot to tell the children about a trick toby can do, and i thought they might like to know of it. they told me that he picked up sue's handkerchief." "yes, i thought that was very smart of him," said mrs. brown with a smile. "is the other trick as nice as that?" "i think so," answered mr. tallman. "but i need some lumps of sugar to make toby do it right." "yes, i guess all ponies like sugar," said the children's mother, as she brought some out. then she went to the barn with mr. tallman and bunny and sue. bunny knew something about unharnessing his pet, and did so with the help of mr. tallman. then, as toby stood loose in the middle of the barn floor, mr. tallman gave him a lump of sugar. "is that the trick?" asked bunny. "no, that is only the start of it. now show me where your oat bin is and give me a wooden measure with which you dip out the oats you sometimes feed to toby." bunny ran to the box, or bin, where the oats were kept, and from it he took a little round measure, such as grocers, at the store, use for measuring two quarts of potatoes. "now," said mr. tallman, "i'll just put another lump of sugar in this wooden measure. then i'll put the measure under this basket," and this he did, letting toby see all that went on. "now," went on the man who used to own the pony, "i'll see if he'll do as i want him to. i want him to go over to the basket, lift it off the measure, and then carry the measure over to the oat bin. then i want him to open the top of the bin with his nose, and drop the measure inside, as though he wanted to take some oats out to eat." "will he do it?" asked bunny. "i think so," answered mr. tallman. "he used to do it for me, in his other stable. this one may be a bit strange to him. but we'll see what he does." the lump of sugar had been put in the measure, and the measure was covered with a bushel basket, turned upside down. then, stepping back, mr. tallman said: "now, toby, go and get your oats! go and get your oats!" the little shetland pony bobbed his head up and down, just as if he were saying that this is just what he would do. then he took a few steps toward the oat bin, which had a hinged cover like the boxes in the grocery where the coffee is kept. "no! no! don't go to the oat bin yet," said mr. tallman. "first, get the wooden measure, toby! i have to have that first, before i can dish you out any oats. take the measure over to the box." whether toby knew all that mr. tallman said to him, or whether the pony had learned to go for the measure because he knew there was a lump of sugar in it, i can't exactly say. perhaps it was a little of both. at any rate, he walked over to the bushel basket that covered the wooden measure. with a quick motion of his head toby knocked the basket to one side. then he reached down and took out the lump of sugar, which he chewed. "oh, he did it! he did it!" cried sue, clapping her hands. "but this isn't all," said mr. tallman. "this is only half the trick. watch and see if he does the rest." the children and mrs. brown waited until toby had chewed down the lump of sugar. and then, with a little whinny, which seemed as if he tried to talk, toby picked the two-quart measure up in his mouth. over to the oat bin he walked with it, and bunny and sue could hardly keep still, they were so excited. would toby open the box, as mr. tallman wanted him to? and that is just what the shetland pony did. dropping the wooden measure at one side of the wooden box where his oats were kept, toby lifted the cover with his nose. then he picked up the measure again, and dropped it in the box, on top of the oats that filled it nearly to the brim. "ha! that's the way to do it!" cried mr. tallman. "now you have done the trick, toby, and you shall have another lump of sugar!" and he gave the pony a large one. "was that what you wanted him to do?" asked mrs. brown. "yes, that was the trick i taught him in his own stable. i was afraid perhaps he might have forgotten it here, but i see he hasn't." "aren't you going to give him some oats now?" asked bunny. "well, i thought maybe you or sue would like to have him do the trick over again before he had any oats. usually i didn't let him have any until after i had made him do the trick three or four times. he has the habit of doing it like that. so you children take a turn. here is more sugar for him." bunny took a lump, and put it in the measure. then he hid it under the bushel basket, and, surely enough, toby went over to it again, took the measure out from under and dropped it into the oat bin. then bunny gave him the second lump of sugar. toby did the trick for sue, as well as for mrs. brown, and then the children's mother said: "well, now i am sure toby has earned his oats." "yes, now we'll give him some," agreed mr. tallman, and the little horse seemed to like them very much. "did he do this trick in the circus?" asked bunny. "no, i taught him this after that time," answered mr. tallman. "in the circus, though, toby used to stand on his hind legs with a lot of other ponies in a ring, and a monkey used to ride around on his back. we haven't any monkey now, so we can't do that trick." "mr. winkler has a monkey!" exclaimed bunny. "his name is wango--the monkey's name is, i mean. maybe we could get him to ride on toby's back." "not unless the monkey is taught to do it," replied mr. tallman. "i guess we hadn't better try that just yet." "no, indeed!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "wango is always getting into mischief, too. i don't want him around." "but could you make toby stand on his hind legs?" asked sue. "i think so," answered the visitor. and when the pony had finished his oats mr. tallman stood in front of him, and, holding out a broom handle, as the ring-master in a circus holds out his whip, called: "up, toby! up!" then, to the surprise and delight of bunny and sue, toby rose on his hind legs, and pranced around the barn floor, almost as well as splash, the dog, could stand on his hind legs. "oh, that's three tricks he can do!" cried bunny. "our pony can do three tricks! he can stand on his hind legs, he can open his oat box, and he can bring back a handkerchief." "and he can let a monkey ride on his back," added mr. tallman. "but we won't do that trick now." bunny and sue rather wished they could see wango riding on toby's back, but they knew, as well as did their mother, that mr. winkler's pet sometimes did mischievous as well as funny tricks. perhaps it was better not to have him ride toby. "well, i'm glad you like my pony, or, rather, the pony that used to be mine," said mr. tallman, as he was leaving. "if you are kind and good to him, as i know you will be, perhaps you can teach him other tricks." "oh, yes! that's what i'm going to do!" cried bunny. "and then we can take him to the circus!" "no!" cried sue. "you can't take my pony to the circus! i own half of toby, don't i, mother?" "well, yes, i suppose so. but i don't believe bunny would really take him to any circus." "oh, no, i only meant a make-believe circus, like we played once before," said the little boy. "oh, yes, we can do that," agreed sue. mr. tallman told bunny and sue some other simple tricks they might teach toby to do, and then he said good-bye to the pony and started back home. "and we hope you'll find your red-and-yellow box," said sue, as she waved her hand. "so do i," added the man who had been robbed, so that he was made poor and had to sell toby. "i hope so, too!" "every time we go out riding in our pony cart we'll look for your box," promised bunny, and mr. tallman said that was very kind of them. after the visitor had gone bunny and sue wanted to hitch toby up again, and drive down to their father's dock to tell him about the new trick the pony could do. but mrs. brown said it would be better to let the pony rest awhile and tell mr. brown about him when he came home in the evening. this bunny and sue did, and they took their father out to the barn and showed him how toby could take the measure out from under the bushel basket, and drop it in the oat box. "and maybe you can make him stand on his hind legs," added bunny. "i'll try," said mr. brown. and he did. and, surely enough, when the broomstick was held crosswise in front of him, up rose toby on his hind legs, just as when mr. tallman had told him to. it was about a week after this, and bunny and sue had learned to drive toby quite well, that their mother called to them: "children, will you go to the store for me in your pony cart? i need some sugar for a cake." "we'll get it, mother!" answered bunny, and he and sue hurried out to the barn. with the help of the hired girl they hitched toby to the cart, and soon they were driving down the street to the store, splash, their dog, who was called that because he had once splashed into the water after sue, who had fallen in, and pulled her out--but there! you can read all about that in the first volume of this series. so to go on: splash went with them, now running on ahead and again lagging behind, barking and wagging his tail. bunny and sue went in the store together to get the sugar, and, as they did not think they would stay very long, they did not fasten toby's strap to a hitching post, as their father had told them they must always do. but as there were quite a number of customers in the store it was some little time before bunny got what he wanted. then, as he and sue started out to ride back home in their pony cart, they heard some one say: "where is that bunny brown boy?" "here i am," he answered, stepping from behind one of the clerks that had asked the question. "what's the matter?" bunny asked. "why, your pony has walked away from in front of the store," the clerk replied. "there he goes down the street!" chapter xi off to the farm at first bunny and sue were so surprised at what the grocery store clerk told them that they did not know what to do. bunny almost dropped the bag of sugar he was carrying. "what about my pony?" asked the little boy. "i just happened to look out and noticed your pony walking away," went on the clerk. "i knew he was yours, bunny brown, for i saw you and sue drive up in the little cart. it's a good thing he isn't running away. if you hurry you can catch him." "come on!" cried bunny to his sister. "we've got to get toby 'fore maybe an automobile runs into him and smashes our cart." "oh, yes! get him!" begged sue. "oh, what made toby walk away?" "maybe he got tired of waiting," said the clerk, "or perhaps something frightened him. if you can't get him i'll run after him for you as soon as i wait on miss winkler." "land sakes! what's the matter now? has that monkey got loose again?" asked the woman who was sister to the sailor who owned the tricky monkey. "no, it isn't your monkey that's loose--it is our pony," said bunny, as he and sue hurried out of the door. they saw going slowly down the street, their shetland pony. toby did not appear to be in a hurry. he was just walking. "i guess he just got tired of waiting--there didn't anything frighten him," announced bunny. "but we must get him," said sue. "of course!" said her brother. "come on!" they started to run down the street, on which there were not many wagons or automobiles just then, and, as there were only a few persons on the sidewalk, bunny and sue could easily keep their pony and cart in sight. but before they could reach it something queer happened. with a bark and a wag of his tail, their dog splash came rushing along. straight down the street he trotted, and up into the pony cart he jumped, for the back door had been left open, when bunny and sue got out. into the cart jumped splash and he barked: "bow-wow!" it was just as if he said: "whoa, now!" i don't know whether or not toby understood dog talk. but he did understand the next thing that happened. for splash reached over and took hold of the reins in his teeth, pulling back on the lines. toby had been taught to stop whenever he felt a pull on the reins, whether any one said "whoa!" or not. and this time, feeling himself being pulled back, and not knowing it was only splash who was doing it, toby stopped. "bow-wow!" barked splash again, sort of down in his throat, for he was still keeping his place in the cart, and holding to the reins. "bow-wow!" it was as if he said: "see what i did now!" bunny and sue, hurrying down the street after their pony that had walked away, saw what their dog had done. "oh, he stopped toby for us!" cried bunny, and he was so excited that he almost dropped the bag of sugar. "that's what he did!" exclaimed sue. "oh, isn't he a good dog?" "he's smart, and so's toby!" said bunny. "but next time we'll fasten our pony." "yes, that's what you'd better do," said the clerk from the store who had, after waiting on miss winkler, run down the street to see if the children needed help. "even a tame pony had better be tied when he is left to stand in the street," the clerk said. "are you all right now?" "yes, thank you, we're all right," answered bunny. "our dog splash stopped toby for us." "indeed? he's a smart dog!" said the clerk with a laugh, as he patted the shaggy head. "here's a sweet cracker for him, and one for your pony." splash quickly chewed down the treat the clerk gave him, and bunny let toby take another cracker off the palm of his hand. "and here are some for yourselves," went on the clerk, taking some more from his pocket. "oh, thank you!" said bunny brown and his sister sue. they got into the pony cart, and they let splash stay in, too, because he had been so smart as to catch toby, and then the children drove back past the store. miss winkler was just coming out. "land sakes!" she cried, "what's goin' to happen next? have you youngsters a pony cart?" "and he's a trick pony!" exclaimed bunny. "he can let a monkey ride on his back." "maybe some day we could take wango, your monkey," added sue. "land sakes, child! don't call him _my_ monkey!" exclaimed miss winkler. "i wish i'd never seen the beast! only this morning he knocked down a jar of my strawberry preserves, and the pantry looks as if i'd spilled red ink all over it! i wish to goodness jed winkler would put him on some pony's back and ride him to the land of goshen!" "is that very far from here?" asked bunny. "'cause if it isn't too far maybe we could ride wango away for you on toby's back." "land sakes, child! no, i wouldn't want that good-for-nothing monkey wango to have a ride on the back of such a nice pony as yours. i'll make jed sell him to a hand-organ man--that's what i will!" wango was a mischievous little chap, but jed winkler used to say this was so because miss winkler never treated him kindly. the truth was that miss winkler didn't like monkeys. "maybe some day mr. winkler will let us take wango to do a circus trick on toby's back," said sue to her brother, as they turned toby around and started for home. "maybe," agreed bunny. "anyhow, i'm glad toby didn't walk away very far this time." "so'm i," added sue. "and splash is an awful good dog, isn't he?" went on bunny, as he turned down a side street and let sue take the reins. "yes, he caught toby just as good as a policeman could," sue said, as she guided the shetland pony along the road. "we love you, splash," she went on, and the dog wagged his tail so hard that he brushed all the dust off bunny's shoes. then he tried to "kiss" sue, but she hid her face down in her arms, for she didn't like the wet tongue of the dog on her face, even if he only did it to show how much he liked her. "hi, bunny! hi! give me a ride!" called a voice from the yard at the side of a house as the children passed. "give me a ride." "it's charlie star!" exclaimed bunny, looking back. "shall we give him a ride, sue?" "yes, we promised, and we've room if splash gets out." "we've room anyhow," bunny said, as sue pulled on the reins and called: "whoa!" toby stopped. splash must have been tired of riding in the cart, for out he jumped, and charlie got in. "our pony walked away, but splash caught him," bunny explained, telling what had happened in front of the store. "he did!" cried charlie. "say, your dog's smart all right." "an' so's our pony!" added bunny. "you ought to see him do tricks!" "i'd like to," said charlie. "you can, when we have another play circus," went on bunny. "and maybe we'll get mr. winkler's monkey, wango, and let him ride on toby's back--maybe," said sue, who now let her brother take the reins again. "say, that'd be great!" cried charlie with sparkling eyes. "but maybe mr. winkler won't let us take his monkey," said bunny, who didn't want charlie to count too much on seeing that trick. "but if he won't, we can tie one of sue's dolls on toby's back, and make believe that's a monkey." "no, you can't!" exclaimed sue. "none of my dolls is going to be a monkey!" "oh, i mean only make believe," said bunny. "oh, well, if it's just make believe that's different," agreed sue. "i'll let you take my old rag doll for that." bunny and sue gave charlie a ride around the block in which his house was, and then he jumped out, after thanking them. back home they drove with the sugar, splash running on ahead. "after this, you must always tie your pony when you let him stand in front of a store," said mrs. brown, when the children told her what had happened. bunny and sue had many nice rides behind their shetland pony. sometimes uncle tad went with them. they learned to manage him quite well, and mrs. brown was not afraid to let the children go even on rather long drives. one day she said to them: "do you think you could drive toby to the farm, and bring me back some new butter?" "oh, yes, mother!" cried bunny. "we'd love to!" the farm, of which the children's mother spoke, was a place about two miles out of town, where a man sold butter, eggs and chickens. mrs. brown often sent there for fresh things for the table. "well, if you're sure it won't be too far for you, you may go," she said to the children. "but be very careful of autos and wagons." "we will," they promised. "we'll keep on one side of the road all the way," bunny added. he and sue knew the road to the farm quite well, or they thought they did, and they were quite delighted to start off, not knowing what was going to happen to them. "i'll put you up a little lunch to eat on the way," said mrs. brown, "for it may take you some time to go and come." "won't toby get hungry, too?" asked sue. "yes, but he can eat the grass alongside the road while you are taking your lunch. i won't have to put up any for the pony. but you might have a lump of sugar or a sweet cracker for him." "that's what we will," said bunny. then he and sue got ready to start for the farm. and what do you suppose happened to them before they got home again? chapter xii the wrong road toby, the shetland pony, stamped his feet in the soft grass in front of the home of bunny brown and his sister sue. then he "shivered" off some flies that were biting his legs, and switched some off his back with his long tail. "and now we're ready to start!" cried sue, as she sat on the cushion near her brother, who was to drive the first part of the way. "and don't drop the butter when you're coming back," said mrs. brown, as she saw that the children's lunch was safely put in the cart, together with a few lumps of sugar and some sweet crackers for toby. "we won't," promised bunny. "gidap, toby!" he called, and away trotted the pony. down the village street went toby, and bunny and sue smiled and waved their hands to some of their boy and girl friends who watched them driving away, wishing they were going. "we'll give you a ride when we come back," promised sue. she turned to wave her hand to sadie west, and then sue saw splash, the big dog, trotting along behind the pony cart. "oh, bunny!" exclaimed sue, "do we want to take splash along?" "no, i don't guess we do," bunny answered. "there's a big dog at the farm, and he might fight our dog like he did once before." this had happened. for once, when mr. brown took bunny and his sister to the place to get some fresh eggs and butter, splash had trotted along with them. and splash and the other dog at the farm did not seem to be friends, for they fought and bit one another, and mr. brown and mr. potter, the man who owned the farm, had hard work to make the animals stop. "whoa, toby!" called bunny to the pony, and he stopped. "now you go on back, splash!" ordered his little master. but splash did not want to go back. he sat down on the grass, thumped his tail up and down, and then sort of looked off to one side, as though to see how tall the trees were. he didn't look at bunny or sue at all, and when their dog didn't do this the children knew he didn't want to mind them. "go back home, splash!" ordered bunny. "'cause we don't want you fighting with that other dog," added sue. "go home like a nice doggie." but splash didn't seem to want to be a nice dog. he just sat thumping his tail and looking off at the trees. "oh, dear!" exclaimed bunny, with a sort of sigh. "what'll we do? i guess i'll have to get out and take him back." "if you do that," said sue, "maybe toby will walk away again." "you could stay in the cart and hold the lines," said bunny. "i don't want to stay here if you're not going to," went on bunny's sister. "then we can both get out and take splash home," decided the little boy, after a while. "he'll go back if we go back a little way with him. he likes to be with us. and we can tie toby to something so he can't walk away." "what could we tie him to?" asked sue. bunny looked all around. there were no hitching posts near by--only some big trees. "we could tie him to one of them," he said. "or to a stone." "toby could pull a stone right along with him," objected sue. "you'd better tie him to a tree." "maybe he could pull up a tree, too," said bunny. "once i saw a picture of an elephant pulling up a tree." "toby isn't as strong as an elephant," sue said. then she exclaimed: "oh, bunny, i know what we can do!" "what?" "we can throw a stick for splash to run after. and when he goes back after the stick we can drive on with toby and get so far away that splash can't find us." "that's so! we can do that!" exclaimed bunny. "i'll do it. i'll throw a stick for splash to go after, and you hold the reins," and he passed the pony reins to his sister. as bunny got down out of the pony cart splash jumped up and ran toward his little master, wagging his tail. "no, i'm not going to play with you!" bunny said, trying to speak crossly, but finding it hard work, for he loved splash. "you've got to go on back home! next time we'll take you with us, but now we're going to the farm, and there's a bad dog there that'll bite you. you've got to go back, splash!" of course, bunny's dog did not understand all the little boy said. but splash knew what it meant when bunny stooped and picked up a stick. splash was used to running after sticks and stones that the children threw, and he would bring them back, to have them thrown over again. "now go and get this, splash!" ordered bunny, as he got ready to toss the stick. at the same time the boy looked to make sure he did not have to run too far to get back to the cart and drive off with sue. "go get it, splash!" cried bunny, as he threw the stick. "bow-wow!" barked the dog, and away he ran as the stick sailed through the air. then bunny turned and raced back toward the cart, where sue was waiting for him. "we must hurry," said the little girl. "splash is a terrible fast runner." "gidap, toby!" cried bunny, as he took the reins, and once more away trotted the little pony. then sue looked back, and she cried: "oh, bunny! it's no good! here comes splash after us!" and, surely enough, the dog was coming after them. he had found the stick bunny had thrown, and then, taking it in his mouth, had started back after the pony cart. "you didn't throw it far enough," said sue. "i threw it as far as i could," said bunny. "well, here comes splash. what are we going to do now?" sue asked. "i guess we've got to drive back and take him home." "that'll take a long time," bunny said, "and we ought to be going after the butter. oh, splash! you're a bad dog!" he exclaimed. splash sat down on the grass, near where toby had come to a second stop, and flopped his tail up and down on the grass. that's what splash did. and he dropped the stick at his feet and looked down at it, every now and then, as if he were saying: "well, that was a pretty good throw, bunny. but throw it again. i like to run after sticks and bring 'em back to you." "oh, dear!" exclaimed sue. "what are we going to do now?" "what's the matter?" asked a voice the children knew, and there was bunker blue, walking along with an axe over his shoulder. he was going to the woods to cut some stakes for the big fish nets. "what's the matter, bunny and sue?" asked the boat boy. "oh, splash is following us, and we're going to the farm, and there's a big dog there that bites him," explained bunny. "we can't make splash go back home." "and bunny threw a stick and--and everything," added sue. "well, i'll take him with me," offered bunker blue. "he always likes to go to the woods. i'll take him with me and then he won't bother you. here, splash!" he called. with a bark and a joyful wag of his tail, splash sprang up and ran toward bunker. "come on now! off to the woods!" cried the fish boy. splash turned once to look back at bunny and sue in the pony cart, and then he glanced at bunker. it was as if he said: "well, i like you both, and i don't know which one to go with." "go on with bunker!" said bunny to his dog. and, with a final wag of his tail and a good-bye bark, splash did. "i'll take care of him. he won't follow you any more," said bunker, and then he marched off toward the woods, the big dog tagging after. "now we can go to the farm," said bunny, and he and sue drove on. they knew the way to the farm, for they had been there many times before, though this was their first visit in the pony cart. mr. potter saw them coming up the drive, and called out: "my! you certainly are coming in style this time. are you going to buy my place?" "no, only some butter, if you please," replied bunny. and while it was being wrapped up he hitched toby to a post, and then the little boy and girl went into the house, where mrs. potter gave them each a glass of sweet milk. "we have some cookies and things to eat that mother gave us," said bunny, "but we're going to have a little lunch in the woods going home. we've a lump of sugar for toby, too." "my! you're well off!" laughed mrs. potter. "now, there's your butter. don't spill it on the way home." "we won't," promised the children, and soon they were driving back again. "when are we going to eat our lunch?" asked sue, after a bit. "we can eat it now," said bunny. "i was just looking for a shady place." "there's some shade over there," went on sue, pointing to a clump of trees a little distance away. "we can drive off on that other road and have a picnic." "all right," bunny agreed. and then, forgetting that his mother had told him not to get off the straight road between the farm and home, bunny turned the pony down a lane and along another highway to the wood. there, finding a place where a little spring of water bubbled out near a green, mossy rock, the children sat down to eat their lunch. but first they tied toby to a tree and gave him his piece of sugar and the crackers. after that he found some grass to nibble. bunny and sue had a good time playing picnic in the woods. they sat under the trees and made believe they were gypsies traveling around. "i wonder if they is any gypsies around here?" asked sue. "george watson said there were some camping over near springdale," answered bunny. "let's don't go there," suggested sue. "no, we won't," agreed her brother. "and i guess we'd better start for home now. mother told us not to be late." they fed toby some cookie crumbs left in one of the boxes, and then started to drive out of the wood. but they had not gone very far before they came to a bridge over a noisy, babbling brook. "why, bunny," cried sue, "this isn't the way we came! we didn't cross over this bridge before!" "whoa!" called bunny. he looked at the bridge and at the brook. then he said: "that's right, sue. we didn't. i guess we're on the wrong road." "does that mean we--we're lost, bunny?" asked sue. chapter xiii toby finds the way bunny brown did not at once answer his sister sue. he sat in the pony cart, looking around. it was a pretty spot. behind them were the woods, and, on either side, green fields. before them ran the brook. but there were no houses in sight. "are we lost, bunny?" asked sue again. that seemed to wake bunny up from his daydream. "lost! no, of course not!" he exclaimed. "how could anybody be lost in the day time?" "well, sadie west was lost once in the day time," said sue. "she was in a big city, and she couldn't find her mamma nor her house nor anything!" "well, this isn't a city," said bunny. "this is the country and i know how to get home." "oh, do you?" asked sue, much relieved. "how, bunny?" "why--why, all i've got to do is turn around and go back," he said. "we came the wrong way after we drove out of the woods, that's all. now i'll turn around and go back. come on, toby!" he called to the shetland pony. "back up and we'll go home." but toby did not seem to want to back up. he pulled the cart and the children in it, on toward the brook. at one side of the bridge was a little slope, leading down to the water. there were marks to show that horses and wagons had crossed there, driving through the stream. "whoa, toby!" cried bunny. "where are you going?" the little pony was headed straight for the brook. "oh, i guess he wants a drink of water," said sue. "maybe he does," agreed bunny, as he saw that the pony was not going to stop. "he pulls terrible hard on the reins," he went on. "i guess he does want a drink, sue. we'll let him have it, and then we'll turn around and drive back." toby walked along until his front feet were in the water. then, as he did not have on a cruel check-rein, which hurts horses and ponies, toby could lean his nose right down into the water and take a drink. when horses have a check-rein on they can't lower their heads to drink or eat until the strap is loosened. so if ever you have a horse or pony, don't put a check-rein on him. toby's neck was free to bend any way he wanted it to, which is as it should be. "oh, bunny, i know what let's do!" cried sue, as toby raised his head, having drunk enough water. "what'll we do?" asked bunny. "let's drive right on through the water! it won't come up over our cart, and it will wash the wheels nice and clean." "all right. we'll do it," agreed bunny. he remembered that once, when he and sue were at grandpa's farm, the old gentleman had driven his horses and the wagon, with the children in it, through a shallow brook, after letting the horses drink. this was at a place called a "ford," and bunny and sue were at a ford in this brook. "gidap, toby!" called bunny, and the pony waded on into the water, pulling the cart after him. he seemed to like it, as the day was warm and there had been a lot of dust in the road. the water washed and cooled the pony's legs, and also cleaned the wheels of the basket cart. the brook was not deep, not coming up to the hubs of the wheels, and the bottom was a smooth, gravel one, so toby did not slip. "oh, that was fun!" cried sue, as bunny drove out on the other side of the ford. "and now we can cross back over on the bridge and go home, can't we, bunny?" "yep. that's what we'll do," said her brother. there was plenty of room to turn around on the other side of the stream, and soon toby was clattering over the bridge, under which the stream ran. down the road he went, and along a patch of woods, bunny and sue talking over what a good time they had had. but, pretty soon, the little girl said: "bunny, i don't see any houses." bunny looked around. he didn't see any either. "maybe we'll come to some pretty soon," he told his sister. but, as they drove on, the trees on either side of the road became thicker. they grew more closely together, and were larger, their leafy tops meeting in an arch overhead, making the road quite dusky. the road, too, instead of being hard and smooth as it had been, was now soft sand, in which toby could not pull the cart along very fast. "bunny," said sue, and her voice sounded as though she were a little frightened, "are we lost yet?" bunny did not answer for a moment or two. he looked all around while the shetland pony plodded slowly on. then he called: "whoa!" "what are you stopping for?" asked sue. "i guess this is the wrong road again," bunny answered. "we didn't go right, even after we came back from the brook." "oh, bunny! are we really lost?" cried sue. "i guess so," her brother answered. "but we're not lost very much. we can easy find our way back again." "how?" sue demanded. "we can turn around." "but we turned around once before, bunny, and we didn't get where we wanted to! i want to go home!" "well, i don't guess this way is home," said the little boy. "we never came through so much sand before. toby can hardly pull us. we've got to go back, out of this." "but where shall we go after this?" sue wanted to know. "oh, dear! i wish we'd let splash come along!" "why?" asked bunny. "'cause then he could show us the way home. dogs don't ever get lost, bunny brown!" and sue seemed ready to cry. "maybe ponies don't, either," said bunny, feeling he must do something to make his sister feel better. "i guess toby can find his way home as easy as splash could." "oh, do you really think so?" asked sue, smiling again, and seeming much happier. "can toby find the way home, bunny?" "i guess so. anyhow, i'm going to let him try. but first i'll turn around so we can get out of this sand." toby seemed glad enough of this, for it was hard pulling with the soft ground clinging to the wheels. in a little while the cart was back on the hard soil again, though still the trees met overhead in an arch and made the place dark. "do you know where we are, bunny?" asked sue. her brother shook his head. "do you know where our home is?" sue went on. once more bunny shook his head. "oh, dear!" sighed sue. "but i guess toby knows," said the little boy. "i'm going to let him take us home. go on home, toby!" he called, and let the reins lie loosely on the pony's back. the shetland looked around at the children in the cart, which he could easily do, having no "blinders" on the sides of his head. blinders are almost as bad as check-reins for horses and ponies. never have them on your pets, for a pony needs to see on the sides of him as well as in front. toby looked back at the cart and then he gave a little whinny. "oh, bunny!" cried sue, "what do you s'pose he looked at us that way for?" "i guess he wanted to see if we had fallen out," said bunny. "but we haven't. we're here, toby!" he called to the pony. "now take us home, please!" whether toby understood or not, i cannot say. probably the little pony was hungry, and he wanted to go on to his stable where the oats and hay were. crackers and sugar might be all right, he may have thought, but he needed hay and oats for a real meal. and perhaps he really did know the way home. lots of horses do, they say, even on a dark night, so why shouldn't a pony in the day time? that's what bunny and sue thought. bunny never touched the reins. he let them rest loosely on toby's back, and on the pony went. when he came to a hard, level road toby began to trot. and pretty soon sue cried: "oh, bunny! toby has found the way out! we're not lost any more!" "how do you know?" asked bunny. "'cause i can see miss hollyhock's house, and we both know the road home from there! see it!" and sue pointed down the road. chapter xiv toby's other trick bunny brown stood up in the pony cart and looked to where sue pointed. across a little green valley he could see another road, at one point was a small cottage, nestled among the trees, and with vines growing about it. "yes, that's where miss hollyhock lives," he said. "and then we aren't lost any more, are we?" asked sue. "no, i guess not," bunny said. "but we have to get on that other road." this the children soon did, taking a highway that cut across the valley. toby had taken them out of the woods on a new path, but it was just as good as the one they had driven on in going to the farm, though longer. and in a little while they were going past the cottage where lived the elderly woman, known all around as "old miss hollyhock." this was because so many of those flowers blossomed near her cottage. "well, my dears, where have you been?" she asked. "oh, we went to the farm to get some butter for mother," answered bunny, "but we got lost." "we're found now, though," went on sue. "now we know the way home." "are you sure?" asked miss hollyhock. "oh, yes," said bunny. "we've been on this road lots of times." "well, trot along home then," said miss hollyhock. "if you've been lost you must have been away from home quite a long while, and your mother may be worried about you. trot along home, pony!" and toby trotted along home with bunny brown and his sister sue. mrs. brown, standing at the gate, and looking down the road, saw them coming. "where have you children been?" she asked, coming out to meet them. "i have been quite worried about you! where were you?" "we were lost, mother!" answered bunny. "lost? couldn't you find your way to the farm?" "oh, yes," he answered. "but coming home we took the wrong road. but toby found the right one for us." "he's as good as splash," added sue. "splash wanted to come with us, but bunker took him to the woods. oh, we had such a good time!" "even with getting lost?" asked mrs. brown, with a smile. she felt better, now that the children were safe at home. "oh, we weren't lost very long," explained sue. "it was only a little while, and then toby brought us home, but it was on a new road," and, taking turns, she and bunny told what had happened. "well, i'll feel better about having you go out for rides, if i know that toby can always bring you back," said mrs. brown. "but don't try too many new roads. stick to the old paths that you know until you get a little older. did you bring my butter?" "yes, here it is," and bunny handed it out, nicely wrapped up as mrs. potter had given it to him. "has splash come home yet?" sue asked. the dog had not. he was off in the woods having a good time with bunker. at least he looked as though he had had a good time when he did come home, for he was covered with mud and water, and there were a lot of "stickery" briars and brambles on his back and legs. "he ran into every bush and every puddle of water he could find," said bunker blue. "i couldn't stop him." "well, he can come with us next time," said bunny. "it's only when we go to the farm, where the cross dog lives, that we can't take splash." the next day bunny brown and his sister sue were "playing house" in their side yard. they made a sort of tent under the trees with an old carriage cover they found in the barn, and sue pretended she was the housekeeper. "and you must come to call on me," she said to bunny. "all right, i will," he agreed. "but there isn't any door to knock on, nor any bell to ring when i call. you ought to have a bell to your house, sue." "that's so--i ought," she agreed. "i know how i can make one," went on bunny, after a while. "how?" asked sue. "well, there's an old bell that the milkman used to have--the milkman who kept his horse and wagon in our barn," explained the little boy. "the bell is in the barn now." "oh, yes, i 'member," sue said. about a year before a milkman, whose barn had burned, had asked mr. brown for permission to stable his horse and keep his wagon in the barn back of the house where bunny and sue lived. and, as they then had no pony and the barn was nearly empty, mr. brown had said the milkman might use it. he did, for a time, and then he gave up the milk business, and sold his horse and wagon. but he left the bell behind--the bell he used to ring in front of people's houses to let them know he was there with milk and cream. "we can take his bell for your house," went on bunny. "you mean set it outside on a box, and ring it when you come to call?" asked sue. bunny thought for a moment. "maybe i can make it better than that," he said. "i could fasten the bell up in the tree back of your tent-house, and then tie a string to it--to the bell, i mean. i can let the string hang down outside here, and when i come i can yank on the string, and that will jingle the bell." "oh, let's do it!" cried sue. so bunny got the milkman's bell, and fastened it to a low limb in a tree back of the tent-house where sue pretended she was living. then bunny tied a string to the bell handle and ran the string out in front, letting it hang loose, so that a pull on it would set the bell to swaying and jingling. to make it easier to take hold of the string, bunny fastened to it a piece of wood. then he and sue began the playing-house game. they had lots of fun at it. the bell rang just like a "truly-really" one, as sue said, and when bunny jingled it, and came in to sit down on a box (which was a chair), sue would give him cookies. they were sitting like this, wondering what next to play when, all at once, there came a loud jingle on the bell that was hung in a tree back of the tent. "are you doing that?" asked sue of her brother. "no!" he answered. "how could i? the bell string is outside and i'm in here." "i thought maybe you had hold of the string in here," went on sue. then the bell was rung again. "oh, it's some of the boys and girls come to play with us--i mean they've come to call," said sue, remembering that she was supposed to be a housekeeper. "i'll let 'em in," said bunny. he went to the flap of the tent, which, being down, did not give a view outside. and what bunny saw made him cry: "oh, sue! it isn't anybody at all!" "it isn't anybody?" repeated the little girl. "how could _nobody_ ring the bell?" "i mean it isn't george watson, or sadie west, or any of the boys or girls," added bunny. "oh, sue, it's--it's----" "what is it? who is it?" asked the little girl. "who is it if it isn't anybody to play with us? who is it, bunny?" "it's toby!" he answered. "what, toby? our pony?" "yes, it's toby. and, oh, sue! he's ringing the bell!" "oh, how can he?" asked sue, wonderingly. bunny, who was looking out of the tent, answered: "he's got hold of the stick i tied on the end of the bell string, and he's shakin' his head up and down, and that rings the bell. oh, come and look, sue!" then sue went out from under the carriage-cloth, which was the tent-house, to look. surely enough, there stood toby, and in his mouth was the piece of wood that bunny had tied to the string that was fast to the bell which hung in a tree back of the tent. every time toby raised and lowered his head--"bowing" bunny and sue called it--he pulled on the string and rang the bell. "oh, how do you s'pose he came to do it?" asked sue. "i don't know," bunny answered. "we never told him, and we never showed him. i guess it's a new trick he's learned!" "but how did he get out of his stable to come to do it?" sue went on. that was easy to answer. bunker blue, who came up every day from the dock to clean out the stall and brush toby down, had left the door open, and, as the pony was not tied in his box-stall, he easily walked out. he strolled over to where the children were playing, and rang the bell. "just zactly like he was coming to call," sue said afterward. when toby saw the children come out of the tent he went up to them and rubbed his velvety nose against them. that was his way of asking for sugar or other things that he liked. "i haven't any sugar," said bunny, "but i can give you a piece of cookie. maybe you'll like that." and toby seemed to like it very much. "maybe he'll do the bell-ringing trick again, if you put a piece of cookie on the stick," said sue. "maybe," agreed bunny. he fastened a bit of cookie on the wooden handle, and, surely enough, toby nibbled it off, ringing the bell as he did so. "but what made him ring it first, when there wasn't any cookie on?" asked sue. bunny did not know this, but he said: "we'll ask mr. tallman, the next time we see him, if he taught toby this trick." "maybe he did," said sue. "anyhow, we love you, toby!" and she put her arms around the pony's neck. bunny and sue were wondering how toby learned to ring the bell, and they were just going to make him do it again, when sadie west came running into the yard. "oh, sue!" exclaimed the little girl. "there's a great, big, shiny wagon out in the front of your house!" "a shiny wagon!" exclaimed bunny. "what do you mean?" "i mean it's got all looking glasses on it! come and see!" the three children, forgetting all about toby for the moment, hurried around the side path. what were they going to see? chapter xv red cross money surely enough, in front of the brown house was a wagon, painted red and yellow, and, as little sadie west had said, it had on the sides many bright pieces of looking glass, which glittered in the sun. "i wonder what it's for?" asked bunny. "it makes your eyes hurt," added sue, shading hers with her hand as she looked at the bright wagon. "maybe it's your grandpa or your aunt lu come to see you," suggested sadie, for she had heard bunny and sue tell about their relations. "they wouldn't come in a wagon like _that!_" bunny exclaimed. "but who is in it?" asked sue. "maybe it's a circus!" ventured sadie. "nope! 'tisn't a circus," bunny said. "'cause if it was a circus there'd be an elephant or a camel, and you don't see any of them, do you?" "no," said sue, "i don't." "i don't, either," agreed sadie. just then a tall, dark man, whose face looked like that of tony, the bootblack down at the cigar store, came from the wagon, the back of which opened with a little door, and from which a flight of three steps could be let down. "oh, i know what it is!" cried bunny. "what?" asked sue. "it's gypsies," bunny went on, as the tall, dark man, who had a red handkerchief around his neck, walked slowly toward the brown home. "that's a gypsy wagon!" "how do you know?" sadie questioned. "'cause i see the earrings." "a wagon hasn't got earrings!" exclaimed sue. "i didn't mean the _wagon_, i mean the _man_--that man that looks as dark as tony the bootblack," said bunny. "see 'em!" then, indeed, the two little girls noticed the shiny rings of gold in the man's ears. and when he smiled, which he did at the children, they saw his white teeth glisten in the sun. "that wagon's red and yellow," said sue in a whisper. "it's just like mr. tallman's box, isn't it, bunny?" "what box?" asked sadie west. "the one he lost with all his money in," explained sue. "no, it wasn't money, it was--it was--oh, well, he lost something, anyhow," she said, "and he had to sell toby to us." "yes, and i'm glad he did," said bunny. "yes, his box was red and yellow, i 'member he said so. maybe it's some relation to this gypsy wagon." "are you sure it's a gypsy cart?" asked sadie, as the dark man kept on walking from his gaily painted wagon toward the brown front gate. "sure, it's a gypsy wagon," said bunny. "charlie star, or one of the boys, i forget who, told me some gypsies were camping over by the pond at springdale, and maybe this is some of them." "i'm not afraid," said sue. "pooh! course not! nobody need be skeered of gypsies," said bunny in a low voice, so the dark man could not hear him. but perhaps it was because he was in his own yard that bunny was so brave. the dark man--he really was a gypsy, as bunny and sue learned later--came up to the fence, and touched his cap, almost as a soldier might salute. he smiled at the children, showing his white teeth, and asked: "excuse me, but has your father, maybe, some horses he wants to sell?" "my father doesn't sell horses, he sells fish, and he rents boats," said bunny. "oh, yes, i saw the fish dock," went on the gypsy. "and you must be the brown children." "yes, i'm bunny, and this is my sister sue," said the little boy. "and her name's sadie west," he added, pointing to their playmate. "how'd he know your name was brown?" asked sadie in a whisper of sue. "he saw it painted on my father's boat house," said bunny. "everybody knows our name--i mean our last name," and this was true, at least of the folks in bellemere. they all knew bunny brown and his sister sue. "i know your father does not sell horses for a business," went on the gypsy with the gold rings in his ears; "but perhaps, maybe, he has a horse he drives, and would like to get another for it, or sell it. we gypsies, you know, buy and sell horses as your father buys and sells boats and catches fish." "do you ever catch any horses?" asked sue. "and do you catch them in a net?" "well, no, not exactly," and the gypsy smiled at her. "we get them in different ways--we trade for them. perhaps your father has a horse he wants to trade." "no, he hasn't any horse, except the one that pulls the fish wagon down to the depot," said bunny, for mr. brown did own a slow, old horse, that took the iced fish to the train. "but i don't guess he'd sell him," bunny went on. "all right, i ask next door," said the gypsy, and he was turning away when, back in the yard, sounded the ringing of a bell. the gypsy turned quickly, and looked at the children. "oh, that's toby, and he's ringing for us to come back and play with him!" cried sue. "is toby your brother?" asked the gypsy. "no, he isn't our brother," bunny answered, and he was laughing at the funny idea when toby, the shetland pony himself, came walking around the corner of the house. "this is toby--he's our pony!" explained sue, as she put her arms around her pet, who came up to her, rubbing his velvety nose against her sleeve, as though asking for a lump of sugar or a bit of sweet cracker. "oh, ho! so that is toby!" cried the gypsy, and his eyes seemed to grow brighter. "ah, he is a fine little horse. perhaps you will want to sell him?" "sell toby? i guess not!" cried bunny. "not for anything!" added sue. "he can ring a bell," remarked sadie, for she felt that she wanted to say something about the pet pony. "oh, ho! so he can ring a bell, can he?" asked the gypsy. "well, that's nice. and did he ring the bell i just heard?" "that's who it was," said bunny, a bit proud of his pony. "and he can stand on his hind legs and he can pick up a handkerchief." "ah, he is one fine trick pony then," the gypsy said. "of course, you do not want to sell him then. but, if you ever do, come to me and i will give you good money for him. my name is jaki kezar, and i have my tent over at a place called springdale. bring me the trick pony there if ever you sell him." "we will never sell him," declared bunny. "never!" added sue. "well, good-bye!" said the gypsy, and with another touch of his cap, like a soldier saluting, he turned back to his red-and-yellow wagon, and drove off. "wasn't he nice?" asked bunny. "i'd like to be a gypsy and live in a wagon like that." "he wasn't nice to want our pony," declared sue. "it was funny to see a man with rings in his ears," remarked sadie. "i thought only ladies wore them." "gypsies are different," said bunny. "anyhow, he can't have our toby." "never!" cried sue. they watched the gypsy wagon driving down the street. mrs. brown saw the children in the front yard with toby, and she came to the door of the house. "haven't i told you children," she began, "that you mustn't bring toby around here? he might trample on my flower beds." "we didn't bring him, mother," said bunny. "we ran out to look at the gypsy wagon, and toby came out himself." "was there a gypsy wagon here?" asked mrs. brown quickly. "yes. and he wanted to buy toby--i mean the gypsy man did," explained bunny. "but we wouldn't sell him." "and he can do a new trick, mother!" cried sue. "i mean our pony can. he can ring a bell, and he rang it and the gypsy man heard it, and then toby came running around to find us." "well, better take him around back where there aren't any flower beds," said mrs. brown. by this time the red-and-yellow wagon, which was painted the same colors as was the box mr. tallman had lost, had been driven out of sight around the corner of the street. and, having nothing more to look at, bunny, sue and sadie went back to their play-tent with toby. that evening, after daddy brown had been told about the call of the gypsy, he said to his children: "have you two youngsters thought anything about earning any money for the red cross?" "money for the red cross? what do you mean, daddy?" asked bunny. "well, you know we are going to raise a lot of money here in bellemere for the red cross. it's to help our soldiers, and the men and women in charge want boys and girls, as well as grown-ups, to help. and they want boys and girls to give their own money--not the pennies or dollars they might get from their fathers or mothers." "but we haven't any money, 'ceptin' what's in our savings banks," said sue. "no, they don't want you to take that," said her father with a smile. "the red cross wants some money--it needn't be much--from every boy and girl in bellemere, and they want the boys and girls to earn that money. now, can you two think of a way to earn money for the red cross?" bunny looked at sue and sue looked at bunny. then the little boy exclaimed: "oh, sue! i know a dandy way to earn red cross money!" "how?" asked his sister. and what do you suppose bunny told her? chapter xvi in the woods mr. brown was quite surprised when he heard his little boy bunny say he knew how to earn money for the red cross. "how are you going to do it, bunny?" he asked. "with toby," bunny answered. "and sue can help me." "what do you mean, bunny?" asked the little girl. "i've some money in my bank for the red cross, but that's all i have." "no, you mustn't take that money," her father said. "let us hear what bunny has to say. how can you and sue earn money with your shetland pony?" he asked. "we can give rides," answered bunny. "don't you 'member once, in a park, we saw a boy giving children rides in his goat wagon, and he charged five cents a ride." "yes, i 'member that," sue said. "well, that's how we can make money for the red cross," went on bunny. "lots of times the boys and girls around here ask us for rides, and once georgie watson said he'd give me a penny for a ride." "did you give it to him?" asked mrs. brown. "yes, i did," answered bunny. "did you take the penny?" mr. brown inquired, smiling at his little boy. "no," bunny said. "i had a penny then, and i didn't need another, 'cause i want only one lollypop at a time. so i gave georgie a ride for nothing. but if we want to make money for the red cross i wouldn't give anybody a ride for nothing. me and sue could drive toby up and down, and let boys and girls get in the cart and make 'em give us five cents apiece!" "and maybe ten cents!" added sue. "yes, and maybe ten cents if we gave 'em a longer ride," bunny agreed. "couldn't we do that, daddy, and make money for the red cross?" mr. brown thought for a moment. then he said: "well, yes, i think maybe you could. i have seen goat wagons in parks, and the children paid five and ten cents to ride in them. there are plenty of children in bellemere, and i don't see why they wouldn't pay money, too, for pony rides. are you really going to do it, bunny?" "yep!" answered the little boy. "me and sue--we'll give pony rides to the children and save the money for the red cross!" "i think that's just splendid, daddy!" said mother brown. "it's good of bunny to think of it, isn't it? but don't you think you had better say 'sue and i,' bunny?" and she smiled at the excited little boy. "indeed, it is a good idea," said mr. brown. "i'll tell the lady who asked me what my children were going to do to raise money, that they're going to give pony rides, and all the boys and girls in bellemere will hear about it and you'll have lots of patrons." "when does it start?" asked mrs. brown. "i mean--when do the children have to begin earning money for the red cross?" "oh, they can start to-morrow, if they like," answered mr. brown. "then we will!" cried bunny. "and can i drive part of the time?" asked sue. "we'll take turns," promised bunny, who was hardly ever selfish with his sister. the next day, when they had had their breakfast, bunny brown and his sister sue started out with toby, their shetland pony, to give rides to boys and girls to earn money for the red cross. they had not ridden far down the street, sitting in the cart, the upper part of which was woven like a basket, when they met georgie watson. he was on his way to the store, and he called, as he often did: "give us a ride, bunny?" "whoa!" said bunny to the pony, and toby stopped. georgie was just going to get in the pony cart when bunny asked: "have you got five cents, georgie?" "five cents? no, i've got two cents. that's all a yeast cake is--two cents--and i'm going to the store to get my mother a yeast cake." "well, you must pay five cents for a ride in our pony cart to-day," said bunny. "it's five cents a ride." [illustration: "it's five cents a ride. it's for the red cross." _bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony._ _page 151._] "five cents a ride!" cried georgie in surprise. "five cents!" "yes," said bunny. "it's for the red cross you know. sue and i are earning money that way." "oh, yes! for the red cross!" cried georgie. "i see. i'm going to earn some money for that, too. but i'm going to sell peanuts." "that's a good way," said bunny. "we'll ask our mother to buy some peanuts of you," added sue. "will you?" cried georgie. "then i'll ask my mother to give me five cents for a ride in your pony cart." "that's dandy!" cried bunny. "say," he went on, "you get in our cart now, georgie, and we'll take you down to the store to get the yeast cake." "but i haven't five cents to pay you for the ride," georgie replied. "i've only two cents for the yeast cake." "that's all right," said bunny, as he had heard his father say at the dock, when some man, wanting fish, did not have the money just ready to pay for it. "get in, georgie. it's all right. we'll drive you down to the store, and then we'll take you home. and you can ask your mother for five cents to pay for a red cross ride." "i'll do it!" georgie exclaimed. into the pony cart he scrambled, and sat down beside bunny. they drove toward the store to get a yeast cake, and on the way they met charlie star. "hi!" cried charlie. "give us a ride, will you, bunny?" "whoa!" said bunny, and toby came to a stop, switching his long tail. "you want a ride?" bunny asked of charlie. "sure i do," answered charlie. "got five cents?" bunny went on. "five cents? no. what for?" "to pay for the ride. it's for the red cross," went on bunny. charlie shook his head. "i've only a penny," he said, "and i was going to buy some gum with that." "well, give me the penny," said bunny, "and then you can go up to your house and get four pennies more from your mother. me and sue--sue and i--we're earning red cross money with our pony." "did georgie pay you?" charlie wanted to know. "he's going to," said bunny. "but he's only got two cents now for a yeast cake." "a yeast cake!" cried charlie. "you can't eat a yeast cake!" "it's for my mother," explained georgie. "i'm going home and get five cents for a red cross ride." "all right. i won't get any gum," decided charlie. "i'll ride up home and get four cents for a ride myself." "get in," said bunny, and now, as the pony cart had four children in it, and was comfortably filled (though it would hold six) bunny made toby trot, and along they went to the store to get a yeast cake, not stopping again, though several other children begged for rides. "you can ride after us!" said charlie. "this is for the red cross, and it costs five cents." some of the other boys and girls said they'd try to get the money later and have a ride in the pony cart. toby stopped in front of the store, and georgie got out and went in after his yeast cake. then he came back and bunny and sue drove toby, their shetland pony, on again until they came to the house where georgie lived. "oh, ma!" he cried, running into the kitchen. "here's your yeast cake, and i want five cents for a red cross ride!" "a red cross ride?" exclaimed mrs. watson. "is that anything like a hot cross bun?" "oh, no'm! it's a ride in a pony cart--bunny brown's pony toby. and charlie star has a penny and he's got to get four cents more, and please hurry up and give me five cents--it's for the red cross!" mrs. watson looked out of the window and saw the pony cart in front, with bunny and his sister sue and charlie star in it. then she began to understand, for she, too, was helping raise money for red cross work. "here's your five cents," she said to her little boy. "and wait a minute!" she cried, as georgie was about to rush away. "wait? what for?" he asked. "you can take your sister mary with you. she's little and won't crowd you any, and that will be five cents more for bunny's red cross. come on, mary, have a pony ride!" called mrs. watson, and down came a little girl, somewhat younger than sue. the time had been when bunny and george were not such good friends, for george used to play tricks on bunny and sue. but he had gotten over that and was now very good, and the children played together and had good times. georgie and mary, each with five cents, ran out to the pony cart. "is there room for five in it?" asked mrs. watson. "oh, yes, lots of room," said bunny. "i'm glad you came, mary," said sue to the other little girl. "say, we'll make a lot of money!" went on bunny, as he took the five cent pieces georgie and mary handed him. "when i get your five, cents, charlie, i'll have fifteen." "here's my one cent now," said charlie. "i'll get four more when i go home." then they drove to mr. star's house, and mrs. star gave her little boy a five-cent piece, so he got his penny back from bunny, and could buy the gum after all. "now, i'll give you a long ride," said bunny to his passengers, and he did, up and down the village streets. several other boys and girls saw what was going on, and said they'd get five-cent pieces and have rides, too. and they did, later that day and the next day. "we'll earn a lot of money for the red cross!" cried bunny. "it's lots of fun," said sue. the two brown children with their shetland pony took in almost a dollar during the week, and they gave it to their father to keep for the red cross. the boys and girls had two weeks in which to make money to help the soldiers, and they must really earn the money--not beg it from their fathers, mothers, uncles or aunts. some sold cakes of chocolate, and others peanuts, while some of the larger boys ran errands or did other work to earn dimes and nickles. one day bunny and sue got in the pony cart and started off. "where are you going?" asked their mother. "to get more red cross money," bunny answered. "that will be nice," said mrs. brown. instead of going along the main street, as he had done before when he gave the children rides for money, bunny soon turned toby down a side street, that led to the woods. "where are we going?" asked sue. "i'll show you," bunny answered. "but this is the woods," went on sue, when, in a little while, she saw trees all about them. "we're in the woods, bunny." "yes, i know we are," he said. "and we're going to get some money here for the red cross." sue thought for a moment. then she exclaimed: "oh, bunny! you're not going to sell toby to the gypsies, are you, and give that money to the red cross?" "course not!" exclaimed bunny. "you just wait and see!" i wonder what bunny brown was going to do? chapter xvii the dark man even though bunny had said he was not going to sell toby to the gypsies--who sue knew were in the woods--the little girl could not be sure but what her brother was going to do something strange. he had a queer look on his face--as though he had been thinking up something to do quite different from anything he had done before, and was going to carry it through. bunny was sometimes this way. sue looked around, up at the trees and down at the green moss, which was on both sides of the woodland path along which bunny was driving toby. "how are you going to get any red cross money here, bunny?" she asked. "there aren't any children to take five-cent rides." "you just wait and see," said bunny with a laugh. sue did not quite know what to make of it. bunny was acting very strangely. suddenly, through the quiet forest, where, up to this time had only been heard the chirping of the birds, sounded another noise. it was the shouting and laughter of children. "what's that, bunny?" asked sue in surprise. "that's a sunday-school picnic," answered her brother. "what sunday school?" sue wanted to know. "the methodist church," bunny went on. "they're having their picnic to-day. our picnic is next saturday. harry bentley told me about this one--he goes to the methodist church--and he said if we came here with toby we could maybe make a lot of money for the red cross, giving rides in the woods." then sue knew what bunny's plan was. "oh, that's fine!" she cried. "i guess we can make a lot of money. but is there a smooth place where you can drive toby? it's kinder rough in the woods, if there's a lot of children in the cart." "there's a smooth path around the place where you eat the picnic lunch," said bunny. and then sue remembered. the woods, in which she and her brother were now riding along in the pony cart, were the ones where all the sunday-school picnics of bellemere were held. in the middle of the woods was a little lake, and near the shore of it was a large open-sided building where there were tables and benches, and where the people ate the lunches they brought in boxes and baskets. around this building ran a smooth path, and it was on this path that bunny was going to drive toby, giving rides to the children so he could make red cross money. as bunny brown and his sister sue drove along under the trees the shouting and laughter of the children sounded more plainly. then some of them could be seen, running back and forth over the dried leaves and green moss. soon the pony cart was near the picnic ground, and some of the laughing, playing boys and girls saw it. "oh, look!" they cried. "give us a ride!" others shouted. "rides are five cents apiece!" said bunny. "i'd give you all rides for nothing," he added, for bunny was never stingy, "only i'm making money for the red cross, and so is sue. five cents apiece for a red cross ride!" some of the children turned away, on hearing that pony rides cost money, but others ran to find their fathers or mothers, or uncles or aunts, to beg the nickel from them. "well, you came, just as i told you to, didn't you, bunny?" said harry bentley. "yep, we're here," said bunny. "well, i'll take a ride with you," harry went on. "i got five cents on purpose to have a pony ride." he got into the basket cart, and so did another boy and a girl. "that's all we can take now," said bunny. "this road isn't as smooth as the one in town." he did not want to tire his pony, you see. "i'll get out," offered sue. "that'll make room for one more, bunny. i don't want a ride very much, and i see sadie west. i can go over and play with her." "all right," agreed bunny. "you can get out and wait for me, sue. that'll make room for one more." and as sue got out another girl got in, so there were four besides bunny in the cart, and this meant twenty cents for the red cross. around the woodland path bunny drove his shetland pony, and the boys and girls, who had each paid five cents, had a good time. they laughed and shouted, and that made others inquire what was going on, so that soon quite a number were ready to take their turn riding. bunny brown and his sister sue had done well to come to the sunday-school picnic in the woods to make money. they made more than if they had gone up and down the streets, looking for passengers. toby did not seem to mind how many times he went around the pavilion where the picnic lunches were to be eaten. it was cool and shady in the woods, and though the path was not particularly smooth, it was not up hill. and toby didn't mind anything so much as he did hills. bunny did not drive the pony too fast, and several times he let him rest and have a drink of water from the lake. some of the boys and girls had bits of sweet crackers or cookies which they fed to toby, and he liked them very much. when noon-time came bunny and sue were going home to dinner, for they had not brought a lunch. but one of the sunday-school teachers said: "it will take you quite a while, bunny, to go home and come back. and it will tire your pony, too. i like to see you and sue earn money for the red cross, so you stay and i'll give you part of my lunch. i have more than i need. my little nephew and niece were coming, but, at the last minute, they had to stay at home." "is there enough for sue to have some lunch?" asked bunny. "oh, of course," answered the sunday-school teacher. "tie toby in a shady place, and come and have lunch with me." there was grass for the pony to eat, and soon he was enjoying his meal, while bunny brown and his sister sue were having a nice one with the teacher. "after dinner you can give our boys and girls more rides," she said, "and earn more money for the soldiers." bunny liked this very much. at first he was afraid his mother would be worried because he and sue did not come back home. but the man who brought the ice-cream to the picnic said he would stop when he went back, and tell mrs. brown where her children were, and that miss seaman, the teacher, was looking out for them and seeing that they were well fed. so mrs. brown did not worry, knowing where they were. the lunch was almost over, and bunny was thinking about putting the bridle back on toby and starting his riding business again, when some boys and girls, who had gone over to a little spring in the woods, came running back, very much excited. "oh! oh!" one of the girls cried. "we saw him! we saw him!" "whom did you see?" asked a teacher. "be quiet and tell us what it was." "was it a snake?" asked one excited little girl. "no, it wasn't a snake," said a boy somewhat older than bunny. "it was a great big man--awful dark-looking--and he had a red handkerchief on his neck, and gold rings in his ears, and he was asleep by the spring." i wonder who the man was? chapter xviii toby is gone three or four of the sunday-school teachers gathered around the boys and girls who had come back from the spring and were so excited about having seen a dark man asleep under a bush. "what did he look like?" asked one teacher. "oh, he--he was _terrible_!" said one little girl. "he looked like an organ grinder only he was--was--sort of nicer," observed a little boy. "and he had gold rings in his ears," added another. "maybe he was an organ grinder," suggested miss mason, who was the superintendent in charge of the infant class of the sunday school. "but he didn't have an organ or a monkey," objected a little girl. "maybe the monkey was up in a tree," said bunny brown. "that's where monkeys like to go. mr. winkler's monkey, named wango, goes up in trees. let's look and see if this monkey is climbing around while the man's asleep." "oh, yes, let's!" exclaimed sue, always ready to do what her brother suggested. "oh, let's!" cried all the other boys and girls, who thought it a fine idea. miss mason smiled at the other teachers, but, as bunny, sue and some of the boys and girls started toward the spring, they were called back by the superintendent. "better not go unless some of us are with you," she said. "you can't tell what sort of man that might be. wait a minute, children." the children turned back, and bunny said: "i guess i know who that man is." "what makes you think so?" asked miss mason. "i can't tell until i see him," went on toby's little master. "well, we'll go and look," miss mason said. "but i think i'll call one of the men teachers. it might be better to have a man with us." some of the men who taught the sunday-school classes came up at this moment, wanting to know what was going on, and miss mason told them: "some of the children saw a dark-complexioned man, with gold rings in his ears, asleep by the spring. we thought perhaps we had better see who it is. bunny brown, who has been giving pony rides for the red cross, thinks he might know who he is." "oh, ho!" cried mr. baker, a very jolly teacher, "so it's a dark man, with gold rings in his ears, is it?" "and a red handkerchief around his neck," said a little boy who had seen the sleeping person. "oh, ho! once again then i say!" cried the jolly teacher. "this man must be a pirate; don't you think so, bunny brown? pirates always have gold rings in their ears and red handkerchiefs on their necks, or on their heads, don't they? do you think you know this pirate, bunny?" "no, sir," answered the little boy, shaking his head. "but i don't guess he's a pirate, 'cause pirates are always on ships. anyhow, in all the pictures i ever saw of them they were always on ships." "i believe bunny is right," said another man. "pirates are only on ships. and though there may be some land-pirates, they are not regular ones, and can't be counted. and surely there can't be a ship in these woods." "there are boats on the lake," said a little girl. "yes, my dear, but they're not regular pirate-boats," went on mr. baker. "no, i don't believe we can count this sleeping man as a regular pirate. but we'll go and see who it is." "i wish you would," said miss mason. "you men are laughing, i know, but we don't want the children frightened by a tramp, and probably that's what this man is." "perhaps," said mr. baker. "well, we will go and have a look at him. come, gentlemen, we'll go and capture the man with the gold rings in his ears." the men sunday-school teachers walked on ahead, and after them came the women. then marched bunny brown and his sister sue, and a number of other boys and girls. toby, the shetland pony was left tied to a tree. in a little while the party came to the spring. mr. baker pushed aside the bushes and looked in. at first he could see nothing, but soon the sun came out from behind a cloud, making the little glen light, and then the sunday-school teacher could see a big man, his face very dark, as though tanned by years of living at the seashore. in his ears were gold rings, and around his neck was a red handkerchief. "hello, there!" suddenly exclaimed mr. baker. and, just as suddenly, the man awakened and sat up. for a moment he stared at the circle of men, women and children standing about him, and then, as he caught sight of bunny and sue, he smiled at them, showing his white teeth. "hello, pony-children!" he called to them, "have you come to sell me your little horse?" "we're never going to sell toby! are we, bunny," asked sue. "no;" said bunny, "we never are." "oh, then you children know this--this----" and mr. baker did not seem to know just what to call the dark man. "he's a gypsy," said bunny. "but i don't know him very well. his wagon stopped in front of our house one day, and he wanted to buy our pony. he's a gypsy." "ah, that's what makes him look so much like a pirate," said mr. baker in a low voice to one of his friends. "yes, i am a gypsy," said the man, as he shook the leaves out of his clothes and stood up. "my name is jaki kezar, and my camp is over near springdale. we have permission to camp there, and have done so for a number of years. i was walking about the country, looking for horses to buy, as that is our business, and when i reached here i felt tired. so i took a drink from the spring, sat down and must have fallen asleep before i knew it." "yes, you--you were asleep an'--an' you _snored_," said one little girl, who felt quite brave, now that so many sunday-school teachers were near her. "oh, i snored, did i?" asked jaki kezar with a smile, and some of the men smiled, too. this gypsy did not seem at all cross or ugly, and his face was pleasant when he smiled. "i hope i didn't scare any of the little ones," the gypsy went on. "i wouldn't have done that for anything. i thought this was a quiet place to rest." "oh, you didn't scare them very much," said mr. baker. "they just saw you asleep and we didn't know who you might be. this part of the woods is not the picnic ground, and you have a perfect right here." "but i must be walking on," said jaki kezar. "i must try to find some horses to buy. you are sure you will not sell me your pony?" he asked bunny again. "we will never sell toby!" exclaimed the little boy. "never!" added sue. "he is a trick pony." "and he was in a circus," added bunny, "but he is never going there again because they did not treat him nice, mr. tallman said." "well, if you won't sell me your pony i must go and see if i can find another to buy," said jaki kezar, the gypsy. "good-bye, boys and girls, and ladies and gentlemen," he added, as he walked away. "i hope i didn't frighten any of you. and if ever you come to our camp at springdale we will tell your fortunes." then, taking off his hat and making a bow to miss mason and the others, the gypsy walked off through the woods. "there! i'm glad he's gone!" exclaimed one of the older children. "he made me nervous!" "but he was a polite gypsy," said mr. baker. "i think he would have made a nice pirate, too. don't you, bunny?" "i guess so," agreed the little boy. "but he can't have my pony." "i should say _not_!" cried mr. baker. "you want that pony for yourself, and to make money for the red cross." this reminded bunny that he ought to start in again giving rides to the picnic children. toby had had his dinner and a good rest, and was once more ready to trot along the shady paths of the picnic lake. not so many took rides in the afternoon as did in the morning, for some of the children went home. but bunny, who did most of the driving, though sue did some also, took in a little over a dollar after lunch. and this, with the dollar and eighty-five cents which he had taken in during the morning, made almost three dollars for red cross. "my, you did well," cried miss mason, when bunny and sue told her they were going, and showed her their money. "i should say they did!" said mr. baker. "no wonder that gypsy wanted their pony. he could start in business for himself. be careful you don't lose that money, bunny." "i will," promised the little boy. calling good-byes to their friends, the sunday-school teachers and the children, bunny brown and his sister sue started off through the woods on their way home. they were a little tired, but happy. "did you think we'd make so much money for the red cross, bunny?" asked sue, as they drove along. "no," said bunny, "i didn't. but i knew this sunday-school picnic was in the woods. and it was a good place for us, wasn't it?" "fine," agreed sue. and when they got home they found their father and mother waiting for them, as it was late in the afternoon. "and you made three dollars! that's fine!" said daddy brown. during the rest of the week bunny and sue made another dollar by giving children rides in the pony cart. and they drove on an errand for uncle tad who gave them a quarter, so they had a nice sum to turn over to the red cross society when the time was up. it was about a week after the picnic, when one morning, bunny, who was up first, ran out to the barn to see toby, as he often did before breakfast. but, to the surprise of the little boy, the pony was not in his stall, though the barn door was locked, bunny having to open it with a key before he could get in. greatly excited, when he did not see his pet in the box-stall, bunny ran back to the house. "oh, mother! mother!" he cried. "toby's gone!" "what?" "toby's gone!" cried bunny again. "he isn't in his stable! oh, come out and look!" and i wonder where the shetland pony was? chapter xix the search mrs. brown hurried out of the house after bunny, who ran back to the stable. sue, looking out of the window of her room upstairs, saw her brother and called: "what's the matter, bunny?" "oh, sue," he answered, not stopping even to look back, "toby is gone! our nice pony isn't in his stable!" "oh! oh!" cried sue, and she could think of nothing else to say just then. but you can guess that she very quickly finished dressing in order to go down and look for herself to see what had happened to toby. meanwhile mrs. brown and bunny reached the stable. "are you sure toby isn't here?" asked bunny's mother. "i--i looked everywhere for him," answered the little boy, who was slightly out of breath from running. "i looked all over and i can't see him anywhere." mrs. brown looked, but no toby was to be seen. the barn was not a large one, and there were not many places where a horse, or even a small pony, could be hidden. bunny and his mother looked in all the places they could think of--in the harness room and wagon room, and they even went upstairs to the haymow. "for toby is a trick pony, and he might have walked upstairs," said bunny. "i didn't look there." "i hardly think he would climb up where the hay is, but still he might," said mrs. brown. but no toby was to be seen. and, really, being a trick pony, he _might_ have walked up the stairs, which were strong, and broad, and not very steep. i have seen a big horse, in a circus, go up a flight of steps, so why couldn't a pony go upstairs? but, anyhow, toby was not in the haymow. "was the barn door locked when you first came out to see toby?" asked mrs. brown of bunny. "yes, mother, it was," he answered. "i took the key from off the nail in the kitchen, and i opened the lock and the door. but toby wasn't there!" "are you sure you locked him in the stable last night?" went on mrs. brown. "oh, yes, of course, mother!" said bunny. "don't you 'member bunker blue was up here and looked at toby, and said he'd have to take him to the blacksmith shop to-day to have new shoes put on--i mean new shoes on toby." "oh, yes, i do remember that!" exclaimed mrs. brown. "and that is just what has happened, i think." "what has happened, mother?" "why, bunker blue came up here early, and took toby out of the stable and down to the blacksmith shop to have the new shoes nailed on. that must be it," said mrs. brown. "i'll telephone down to your father's office, and ask him if he didn't send bunker up to get toby. daddy went down before breakfast this morning in order to get some letters off on the early mail." "oh, i hope bunker has our pony!" exclaimed bunny with a sigh, and, though he very much wanted to believe that this was what had happened, still he could hardly think that it was so. bunker blue, thought bunny, would have said something before taking toby away, even if it was early. "did you find toby?" asked sue, as she ran out, tying her hair ribbon on the way. she was in such a hurry that she had not waited to do that in her room. "no, he isn't in the stable," answered bunny. "but bunker must have taken him to the blacksmith's shop," said mrs. brown. "i'm going to telephone to find out." and just what bunny feared would happen did happen. mr. brown said bunker had not been up to the house, and he had not taken toby away. "and is toby really gone?" asked mr. brown over the telephone wire. "he can't be found," answered mrs. brown. "i'll come right up and see what i can do," said bunny's father. and then the only thing to do was to wait. bunny and sue, with tears in their eyes, looked again in the barn and all around the house. "but where can toby be?" asked sue, over and over again. "maybe he ran away," said tressa, the maid. "he couldn't run away, 'cause the barn was locked," declared bunny. "well, maybe he could open the lock, being a trick pony," went on tressa, who wanted to say something so the children would not feel so bad. "no, he couldn't do that," said bunny. "toby could do lots of tricks, but there wasn't any hole in the barn door so he could reach out and open the lock. besides, the key was hanging in your kitchen all night, tressa." "yes, that's so. well, maybe he jumped out of a window," went on the kind-hearted maid. "i see one of the barn windows is open, and it is near toby's stall." "oh, maybe he did get out that way, and he's off playing in the woods!" exclaimed sue, who felt very sad about the pet pony's being gone. "oh, but he couldn't," said bunny, after thinking it over a bit. "there's a mosquito wire screen over the window, and if toby had jumped out the screen would be broken." "yes, that's so," admitted tressa. "well, i guess you'll find him somewhere. maybe he'll come home, wagging his tail behind him, as bo-peep's sheep did." bunny shook his head. "i guess somebody took our pony," he said. "but how could they when the door was locked?" asked sue. bunny did not know how to answer. mr. brown came up from the fish and boat dock, and with him was bunker blue. "did you find him?" asked mr. brown, meaning toby, of course. "no, he isn't to be found around here," answered mrs. brown. "we have looked everywhere, but there is no toby!" "oh, daddy! do you think you can find him?" asked sue, and there were tears in her eyes. "of course i'll find him!" said daddy brown, and, somehow, it did the children good just to hear their father say that. "now, we'll begin at the beginning," went on the fish merchant, "and have a look at the barn door. you know there's an old saying not to lock the stable door after the horse is stolen, but this time the door was locked before toby was taken away. we are sure of that. now, i'll have a look at the lock and key." mr. brown looked carefully at these and also at the door of the stable. there was nothing to show that any one had gotten in, and yet the lock must have been opened or the door could not have been swung back to let toby out. and toby was surely gone. "he couldn't have gotten out, or been taken out, any way but through the door," said mr. brown, as he walked around the stable. "the window is too small, even if there wasn't any wire screen over it to keep out the flies and mosquitoes." "what do you think happened?" asked mrs. brown. "well," answered her husband, "i think some one, with another key, must have opened the lock and have taken the pony away in the night." "but who could it be?" "oh, some thief. perhaps a tramp, though i don't believe tramps would do anything like that. they are generally too lazy to go to so much work. and whoever took toby did it very quietly. they took him out of his stable without waking any of us up, and then they carefully locked the door again." "i never heard a sound all night," declared mrs. brown. "nor did i," added her husband. "it's funny, though, that splash didn't bark. he sometimes sleeps in the shed near the stable, and if strange men had come around one would think the dog would be sure to make a fuss." "unless it was some one he knew," added mrs. brown, "or some one that knew how to be friendly with a dog." "yes, some horse thieves might be like that," admitted mr. brown. "they could make friends with our dog, and he wouldn't bite them or growl at them to make a noise. then they could walk off with toby." "i haven't seen splash around this morning," said tressa. "generally he comes early to get his breakfast, but i haven't seen him this morning." "oh, daddy!" cried bunny, "do you s'pose they stole splash, too?" chapter xx in a storm mr. brown hardly knew what to say. it was certainly strange that the dog should be missing as well as the pet pony. certainly something out of the ordinary had been going on during the night. "maybe splash has just run away for a little while, to play with some other dogs," said mrs. brown. "bunny and sue, take a look around and see. call him, and perhaps he'll come." so bunny and sue did this, walking up and down the road and calling for splash. they went a little way into the meadow, and over toward a clump of trees where, sometimes, the dog played with others. but there was no sign of splash or toby. "oh, dear!" sighed sue. "i wonder where they can be?" and then, suddenly, bunny gave a loud cry. "oh, do you see him?" eagerly asked sue. "do you see toby and splash?" "no," answered bunny, his eyes shining with eagerness, "but i think i know who took him. come on, we'll go and tell daddy!" sue did not quite understand what bunny meant, but she trotted after him as fast as her little legs would take her. the children found their father and mother, with bunker blue, still looking in and around the stable, for any signs of the person who must have taken toby away. "did you find splash?" asked mr. brown. "no, daddy, we didn't," bunny answered. "we couldn't find our dog anywhere. but i came to tell you i know where toby is!" "you do!" cried mr. brown, greatly excited. "did you see toby under the trees?" "oh, i didn't exactly _see_ him," bunny explained, "but i think i know who took him. i just thought of it." "who took him?" asked the little boy's father. "that gypsy man!" exclaimed bunny. "don't you 'member--the one with the funny name? he liked toby terrible much, and i guess maybe he took him." "say!" cried mr. brown, "i shouldn't be surprised but what you are right, bunny. maybe that gypsy man did come and take toby, when he found we wouldn't sell him the pony. gypsies are great for horses and ponies! i must see about this right away." "what are you going to do?" asked mrs. brown. "i am going over to the gypsy camp, and see if they have toby," answered mr. brown. "that would be just the very place where i'd expect to find him. i'm glad you thought of it, bunny. how did you do it?" "it--it just sort of came to me," explained the little boy. "i saw a red flower and a yellow one in the woods when we went to look for splash, and then i thought red and yellow was the color of the gypsy wagon. and then i thought of the man with the funny name." "jaki kezar was the name," said mrs. brown. "i remember, now, hearing the children speak of it. well, it's too bad if he took the pony, but i'd be glad to find toby even at the gypsy camp. there's one thing sure, if he did take the pony that man would treat him kindly, for gypsies are good to their horses." "well, bunny," went on mr. brown, "we'll see how nearly you have guessed it. i'll go to the gypsy camp." "may i come?" asked bunny. "and i want to come, too," begged sue. "oh, no, i'm afraid you're too little," said the little girl's father. "i'll take bunny and bunker blue. we'll go in the motor boat across the bay, as it's shorter than going around by land." "we can't bring toby home in the boat, though, can we?" asked bunny. "well, hardly," answered his father with a smile. "i'm afraid he'd kick overboard. but don't count too much on finding toby at the gypsy camp, bunny. he may not be there at all." "you mean they'll take him away to some other place?" asked the little boy. "well, maybe not that so much, as it is that we're not sure this mr. jaki kezar really has taken your pet," answered mr. brown. "we'll just _hope_ toby is at the camp, bunny, but we mustn't be too sure about it." "no," said bunny, "i s'pose not." "though perhaps if the pony isn't exactly with the gypsies they may know where he is," said mrs. brown. "will you have that dark man arrested, daddy, for taking the children's pony?" "i don't know just what i will do, yet," answered mr. brown with a smile. "first i want to find out where toby is." "and i'm coming with you in the boat!" cried bunny. sue wanted, very much, to go with her father and brother, but her mother told the little girl there might be a long walk to take in the woods to get to the gypsy camp, and that she would get tired. "i wouldn't be tired if i could see toby," she said, tears still in her eyes. "and, anyhow, if i did get tired i could ride on toby's back." "that is if they find him," remarked mrs. brown. "no, sue, dear, i think you'd better stay with me. how will you get the pony back if you go in the boat?" she asked her husband. "oh, bunker can walk him back, and bunny can ride. i'll come back in the boat," said mr. brown. "they didn't take the pony cart, did they?" "no, that's in the barn all right. it will be all ready for toby when he comes back," said bunny. there was nothing more that could be done at the brown home toward finding the lost or stolen pony, so mr. brown, with bunker blue and bunny, after eating a very hasty breakfast, got ready to take a motor boat trip across the bay to springdale. this was a town, somewhat smaller than bellemere, and it could be reached by going around a road that led along the shores of sandport bay. but a shorter journey was by water across the bay itself. and it was in this way that mr. brown had decided to go this time. the fish merchant owned a number of boats, some of which had sails, others oars, and some were moved with gasolene engines. "we'll go in the _spray_," said bunny's father, that being the name of the boat. "we could go faster in the _wave_," said bunker blue, naming a smaller boat. "yes, but it wouldn't be quite so safe," said mr. brown, who was always very careful about the water, especially if any of the children were with him. "there is quite a sea on, and the wind is blowing hard." "it looks a little like a storm," observed bunker blue. "yes, it does," agreed mr. brown. "and that's another reason we ought to take the _spray_." bunny brown did not care much in which boat they went as long as he had a ride and was on the way to find toby. he was almost sure the shetland pony would be at the gypsy camp, and he had no doubt but that his father could easily take the little horse away from the bad men who had stolen him. as they went down to the dock, leaving sue at home with her mother, bunny said: "as soon as i saw the red and yellow flowers, which was just the color of the gypsy wagon, i thought the dark man might have taken toby." "and, very likely he did," said mr. brown. "only we must not be too sure." "red and yellow are nice colors," said bunker blue. "didn't you tell me, bunny, that the box of papers mr. tallman lost was painted that way?" "yes, it was," said the little boy. "it had red and yellow stripes on it. but mr. tallman isn't a gypsy." "oh, i know that," replied bunker blue. when they reached the dock and were getting ready to go aboard the _spray_, mr. brown looked across the bay, and, noting the rather high waters and the way the wind blew, said: "i wonder if, after all, we hadn't better go by land?" "oh, no, daddy!" cried bunny. "let's go in the boat! it's nicer, and we'll get to the gypsy camp quicker to find toby." "yes, we'll get there more quickly," said mr. brown. "but that isn't saying we'll find the pony, though i hope we shall. anyhow, i guess we can go and come before the storm breaks. get aboard, bunny. have we plenty of gasolene, bunker?" "the tank is full," answered the fish and boat boy. "well, then i guess we'll be all right. ready, bunny?" "yes, daddy!" and the little boy looked eagerly across the bay toward springdale, where, in the gypsy camp, he hoped to find toby. "all aboard, then!" announced mr. brown, and one of his men pushed the _spray_ away from the dock. bunker blue started the gasolene motor, and the boat went out into the bay, with mr. brown at the steering wheel. "oh, i do hope we'll find toby! i do hope we will!" said bunny over and over again to himself. as the motor boat went out beyond the dock the full force of the wind and waves was felt. the _spray_ bobbed up and down, but mr. brown was a good sailor, and bunker blue had lived most of his life on and about salt-water, so he did not mind it. nor did bunny, for he, too, had often been on fishing trips with his father, and he did not get seasick even in rough weather. "like it, bunny?" asked his father, as the little boy stood beside him in the cabin, while mr. brown turned the steering wheel this way and that. "lots, daddy!" was the answer. "shall we get there pretty soon?" "yes, if the storm doesn't hold us back." but that is just what the storm seemed going to do. the wind began to blow harder and harder, and the waves, even in the sheltered bay, were quite high. but the _spray_ was a fairly large boat, and stout; able to meet any weather except the very worst out on the open ocean. on and on she chugged across the bay toward springdale, and as they got farther and farther out in the middle, the storm grew much worse. "i don't know about this, bunker!" called mr. brown to the fish boy, who was looking after the motor. "i don't know whether we can get across or whether we hadn't better turn back for our dock." "oh, daddy! don't go back! you're not going back before you get toby, are you?" bunny asked. chapter xxi the gypsy camp anxiously bunny brown waited for his father's answer. the little boy looked out of the cabin windows at the storm which was roughing-up the waters of sandport bay. but bunny was very much concerned about losing toby, or not going on to find the pony. "well, i guess as long as we have come this far," said mr. brown, "we might as well keep on. you're not afraid, are you, bunny?" "not a bit, daddy! i like it!" "you're a regular old sea-dog!" cried the fish merchant. "and maybe we'll find our dog, splash, at the gypsy camp, too," bunny added. "maybe," agreed mr. brown. then he asked bunker blue: "what do you think of it?" "oh, i've seen it blow worse and rain harder," answered the boy who was attending to the motor. "i guess we can keep on." it was raining very hard now, and the big drops, mixed with the salty spray blown up from the water of the bay, were being driven against the glass windows of the cabin. "it's a good thing we brought the big boat," said bunker blue, as he put some oil on the motor. "yes," said mr. brown. "i'm glad we didn't try to come in the small one. we surely would have had to turn back." bunny brown did not say anything for quite a while. he stood looking out of the cabin windows. "what are you thinking of, bunny?" asked his father, as he steered the _spray_ to one side to get out of the way of a fishing boat and was coming in, to get away from the storm. "oh, i was thinking of toby," answered the little boy. "i hope he isn't out in the rain." "well, it won't hurt him very much," returned mr. brown. "the rain is warm, and toby has a good thick coat of hair. all ponies have. but i guess the gypsies have some sort of barn for their horses--the ones they own and the ones they take from other people." "i don't believe they have a barn," said bunker. "they travel around so much they don't have time to build barns. all i ever saw 'em have was some wagons that looked as if they had come from a circus and a few tents." "oh, well, maybe if they have toby they'd let him stay in one of the tents," said mr. brown, for he did not want bunny to feel bad about toby being out in the storm. "yes, they could do that," agreed bunny. "toby isn't much bigger than a great big dog, and he could get in a tent. anyhow, i hope the gypsies will be nice to him." "i guess they will be," said bunny's father. "well, we'll soon know, for we'll be there shortly." though the storm was a hard one, the motor boat kept on making her way over, or through, the waves toward the landing on the other side of the bay, where mr. brown, bunny, and bunker were to get out and walk to the place where the gypsies were camped. "did you bring any umbrellas?" asked bunny of his father. "yes, there are some in one of the lockers. also rain coats and rubbers. i put them in when i saw that it was likely to rain." mr. brown kept everything needed in stormy weather at his office on the dock, for often mrs. brown, or bunny and sue would go for a ride in one of the boats, and a storm would come up while they were out on the bay. mr. brown was always ready for all sorts of weather. at last, after some hard work on the part of the gasolene motor, the _spray_ got close to the other side of the bay. here she was somewhat sheltered from the wind, and it was easier to get along. mr. brown headed for a public dock, and, a little later, the boat was made fast and the fish merchant, bunker, and bunny got out, ready to go to the gypsy camp. it was well that umbrellas, coats and rubbers were in the boat, or the little party would have soon been wet through. as it was, the wind blew so hard that one umbrella was turned inside out. "i guess we'd better leave them in the boat," said mr. brown. "i think if we wear our coats and sou'westers we'll be dry enough." a southwester, which is usually pronounced and sometimes spelled "sou'wester," is a hat made from yellow oilskin, waterproof, and it can be tied on under the chin so it won't blow off. and so, with yellow caps on their heads, with yellow coats which came almost to their feet, and with rubber boots, bunny brown, his father and bunker blue set off through the rain to find the camp of the gypsies, and, if possible, to get toby. bunny had a special set of "oilskins," as they are called, for himself. sue had a set also, but, of course, she was not along this time. "and i'm glad we left her at home," said mr. brown. "she is a stout little girl, but this storm would have been too much for her. i'm afraid it is almost too much for you, bunny." "oh, no, it isn't," said sue's brother. "i like it!" and i really believe he did. the _spray_ was left tied to the dock, and a watchman there said he would look after her until mr. brown and the others came back. the boat was dry inside, though the outside, like everything else around her, was dripping wet, for the rain still came down hard. "hello!" exclaimed mr. brown, as he looked at his watch when they were walking up the dock. "it took us longer to come across the bay than i thought it would. it is almost noon. we had better stop in town and have some dinner. i don't believe the gypsies will feel like feeding us if we take toby away from them." "do the gypsies eat in the rain?" asked bunny. "of course," his father answered. "they have to eat then the same as a sailor does. and i suppose they know how to keep dry in their tents and wagons as well as we do in our boats. but we won't depend on them for our meal. we'll get it in the restaurant." there was a small one on the shore, at the end of the dock, where fishermen and boatmen, many of whom mr. brown knew, took their meals. there bunny, his father and bunker blue had some hot clam chowder, with big crackers called "pilot biscuit," to eat with it. after they had eaten the chowder and the other good things the keeper of the restaurant set before them, they were ready to start out in the rain again. "the gypsy camp; eh?" remarked a farmer of whom they asked how to get to the place. "well, you go along this road about a mile, and then turn into the woods at your right. you can't miss it, for you'll see their tents and wagons. but take my advice, mister, and don't buy any horses of the gypsies. you can't trust 'em." "i'm not going to buy any horses," said mr. brown with a smile. "we're only going to try to get back this little boy's pony which we think the gypsies may have taken." "oh, that's different. well, i wish you luck!" "did you see my pony?" asked bunny. "he was awful nice, and he could do tricks!" "no, little man, i'm sorry to say i haven't seen your pony," answered the farmer of whom mr. brown inquired the way. "i haven't been to the gypsy camp, but a friend of mine bought a horse and it was no good. i don't like gypsies." "well, perhaps some of them are good," suggested mr. brown. "did you happen to see, among them, one tall, dark man, who wears a red handkerchief around his neck, has gold rings in his ears and when he smiles he shows his white teeth." "a lot of the men are like that, and some of the women," said the farmer. "is that so?" asked mr. brown. "i hoped you might know this particular man. he called himself jaki kezar, and he wanted to buy our pony." "only i wouldn't sell toby to him," put in bunny. "and so," went on mr. brown, "we think this man may have come to our stable in the night and taken away the children's pet." "well, that's too bad," said the farmer. "i hope you get the pony back. just go on for about a mile, and then turn into the woods. you can't miss the place, but you'll find it terribly muddy and wet." "well, we're ready for that sort of thing," said mr. brown with a smile from under his yellow hat. bunny's father took hold of his little boy's hand on one side, and bunker blue on the other, and together the three plodded along through the storm, the mud, and the rain. it was rather hard walking for little bunny brown, but he was a brave, sturdy chap, and he was not going to complain or find fault, especially after he had begged to be taken. but his legs did get tired, for the rubber boots were heavy, and, at last, with a sigh, he said: "i'm glad we didn't bring sue along." "why?" asked mr. brown, with a smile at bunker blue. "because she'd get awful tired, and she'd have to be carried," said bunny. "i guess you or bunker would have to carry sue, if she was with us, daddy." "maybe we would," said mr. brown with another smile. "maybe you would like to be carried yourself, bunny?" "me? oh, no. i'm a _boy_!" said bunny quickly. but, all the same, his father noticed that the little fellow's legs were moving more and more slowly, and finally mr. brown said: "i'll carry you a little way, bunny boy! it will rest you!" and how glad bunny brown was to hear his father say that! though he never, never would have _asked_ to be carried. but, of course, if daddy offered to do it that was different; wasn't it? picking his little boy up in his arms, mr. brown carried him along the road, perhaps for five minutes, and then bunker blue, peering through the mist, exclaimed: "i see some tents and wagons over in a field near some woods!" he pointed, and mr. brown said: "i guess that's the gypsy camp all right! yes, that's what it is!" "then please let me walk," said bunny quickly. "i'm not tired now." he did not want the gypsies to see him in his father's arms. mr. brown, bunker and bunny turned into a field, and walked toward the tents. they could be seen more plainly now, with some wagons drawn up among them. as the three walked along they saw a tall man come from one of the tents toward them. "that's the gypsy!" exclaimed bunny in a whisper. "that's the man that wanted to buy our pony!" it was, indeed, jaki kezar, and he smiled his pleasant smile. "ah, ha!" he said, as he caught sight of bunny. "it is the little boy who owns the trick pony! have you come to sell him to me?" he asked. bunny brown did not know what to say. was toby in the gypsy camp? chapter xxii "there's toby!" standing in the storm, at the edge of the gypsy camp, bunny brown, his father and bunker blue looked at the dark man with the gold rings in his ears. this man--a gypsy with white teeth--did not seem to mind the rain, though he had on no yellow coat, "sou'wester," cap or rubber boots. but then, perhaps, he had just come out of the tent. "did you come to tell me you would sell me the little trick pony?" he asked again. "if you did i am glad, for i would like to have him. but i am sorry you came in such a storm." bunny did not know what answer to make, and so turned to his father. mr. brown did not smile as did the gypsy man. maybe bunny's father felt a bit angry. "is your name kezar?" asked mr. brown of the gypsy man. "it is, yes, sir, mr. brown. my name is jaki kezar, and i am the chief of these gypsies. sometimes they call me the gypsy king, but we have no kings. i am just a leader, that is all." "you are, then, the man i am looking for," went on mr. brown. "we have come all the way through the storm to find my little boy's pony. it's name is toby and it has been stolen from the stable--it was taken some time in the night, and a dog, named splash, seems to be gone also. i don't say you, or any of your gypsies, took the dog and pony, but i would like to know if you know anything about them. "you were once at my house, asking to be allowed to buy the trick pony," went on bunny's father, "and we have come a long way to ask if you have seen it." jaki kezar seemed quite surprised. he looked first at mr. brown and then at bunny and bunker. "your pony stolen?" he exclaimed. "he's gone," bunny answered. "and i guess he was stolen. for he was locked in the barn, but when i went out to look at him, as i always do, he wasn't there." "that's too bad!" exclaimed the gypsy. "i am sorry. and let me tell you, mr. brown," he went on, "that i did not steal toby, and nobody in my camp did. i know that some gypsies are not honest, and they may take things that do not belong to them. but _we_ do not. come, you shall look all through our camp and see for yourself that toby is not here, nor the dog, splash, either. we do not steal things! come and look for yourselves. you shall see that toby is not here!" "then where is he?" asked bunny, whose heart seemed to sink away down in his rubber boots when he heard the gypsy say this. "i don't know where he is, little man," the gypsy replied. "but he is not here. i wish he was. that is, i wish you had sold him to me, but i would never take your pony from you if you did not want me to have him. come and see that he is not here." the gypsy turned to lead the way up along the path toward the wagons and tents, and, as he did so, the barking of dogs was heard. "maybe one of them is splash," said bunker blue. "no," answered the gypsy, "those are all our dogs. there is not a strange one among them. if there was, our dogs would fight him--at least they would until they made friends. no, neither your pony nor dog is here, i'm sorry to say, though i would like to own that pony for myself. but come and see!" so bunny, his father and bunker blue went up to the gypsy camp. they saw the tents and wagons, in which lived the dark-skinned men, women and children who traveled about from place to place, buying and selling horses, baskets and other things, and telling fortunes; which last, of course, they don't really do, it being only make-believe. the wagons, gay in the red, golden and yellow paint, seemed bright and fresh in the rain, and the backs of some of them were open, showing little bunks, like those in a boat, where the people slept. some wagons were like little houses--almost like the ark--only not as large, and in them the gypsies could eat and sleep. but most of the dark-skinned travelers lived in tents which were put up among the trees, alongside the wagons. some of the tent flaps were folded back, and in one or two of the white, canvas houses oil stoves were burning, for the day was chilly. there were chairs, tables and beds in the tents, and all seemed clean and neat. "we keep all our horses at the back of the camp," said jaki kezar as he led the way. "you shall see them all, and be sure that your pony is not with them." as he walked on, followed by bunny, mr. brown and bunker blue, gypsy men, women and children came to the entrance of the tents, or to the back doors of the wagons, and looked out. they stared at the visitors, in the shiny, yellow oilskins, but said nothing. a little way back in the woods were a number of horses tied to the trees. they were under a sort of shed, made by cut, leafy branches of trees put over a frame-work of poles, and this kept off some of the rain. the horses seemed to like the cool and wet, for it kept the flies from biting them. eagerly bunny looked for a sight of toby, but the pony was not there. neither was splash among the dogs, some of which barked at the visitors until jaki kezar told them to be quiet. then the dogs sneaked off into the woods. mr. brown and bunny looked carefully among the horses, thinking, perhaps, that toby might be hidden between two of the larger steeds. but the pony was not there. "i tell you true," said the gypsy man, earnestly, "we have not your pony!" "but where is he?" asked bunny, almost ready to cry. "that i do not know, little man," answered the gypsy. "if i did i would tell you. but he is not here." and it was evident that he was not. there was no sign of the trick pony at the gypsy camp, and, after looking about a little more, mr. brown and bunny, followed by bunker blue, turned away. "perhaps there are more gypsies camped around here," said mr. brown to jaki kezar. "perhaps," admitted the man with the gold rings in his ears. "but i do not know of any. if i hear i will tell you. i am sorry about your little boy's pony." "yes, he and his sister sue feel bad about losing their pet," said mr. brown. then he and bunny and bunker tramped back through the mud and rain to the motor boat. bunny felt so bad he did not know what to do, but his father said: "never mind. if we don't find toby i'll get you another pony." "no other would be as nice as toby," said bunny, half sobbing. "oh, yes, i think we could find one," said his father. "but we will not give up yet. i'll write to the police in several of the towns and villages around us, and ask them if any gypsies are camped near them. if there are we'll go and see if any of them have toby." bunny felt better after hearing this, though he was still sad, and did not talk much on the way home across the bay. the storm was not so bad now, and, as the wind blew toward bellemere, the _spray_ went home faster than she had gone away. "did you get toby?" cried sue, running to the door as she heard the steps of bunny and her father on the porch, late that afternoon. mr. brown shook his head to say "no." "he--he wasn't there!" said bunny, hardly able to keep back his tears. and sue didn't keep hers back at all. she just let them splash right down on the floor, until her mother had to pick the little girl up in her arms--perhaps to keep her feet from getting wet. "never mind, sue," said mrs. brown. "we'll get you another pony." "i want toby!" sobbed sue. "maybe we can find him," said bunny, who felt that he must be brave, when he saw how sorry his little sister felt. "maybe there are more gypsy camps, and we'll look in some of them; won't we, daddy?" "that's what we will, son! we'll find toby yet." it rained during the night, and all that bunny and sue could think of, until they fell asleep, was that toby and splash might be out in it, cold, wet, and hungry. they even put something in their prayers about wanting to find the lost dog and pony. the next day, down at his office, mr. brown wrote a number of letters to the police in neighboring cities, asking if there were any camps of gypsies in their neighborhood, and, if there were, to let him know. "then we'll go there and see if we can find toby," he said to the children. bunny and sue did not know what to do. there was no school, so they took walks in the woods and fields. without splash and toby they were very lonesome. uncle tad said, one day, that perhaps mr. tang, the very cross man to whom mr. tallman owed money, might have taken toby. but when asked about it mr. tang said: "indeed, i'd like to have that trick pony very much, but i'd never steal him. and, much as i wanted him from mr. tallman, i wouldn't take him from bunny and sue." so toby was not found in mr. tang's stable. it was about three days after the pony had been taken away that, as bunny and sue were walking on a hill, about a mile from their house, they saw a boy coming toward them. the boy seemed to know them, but, at first, bunny and his sister did not know him. "hello!" said the boy. "where's your pony?" "pony?" repeated bunny. "do you know anything about him?" "know anything about him?" asked the boy in turn. "why, i saw you giving rides with him at the sunday-school picnic to make red cross money. my little brother had a ride. don't you remember? he was red-headed, and he wanted to hold the lines himself." "oh, yes, i 'member him!" said sue. "so do i," added bunny. "but where's your pony now?" asked the boy. "why aren't you riding in the cart with your pony to pull you along." "because he's been stolen!" exclaimed bunny brown. "what! your pony stolen?" "yep! and our dog splash, too!" added sue. "whew!" whistled the boy. "how'd it happen?" then bunny and sue told about what had taken place. "we went to one gypsy camp looking for toby," said bunny, "but he wasn't there. now daddy is trying to find more gypsy camps." "does he know about the one over near pickerel pond?" asked the boy, naming a place about three miles from bellemere. "is there a gypsy camp at pickerel pond?" bunny asked. "sure there is--a big one, too. maybe that's where your pony is, bunny. why don't you look there?" "i--i guess i will," declared the little boy. "come on, sue. we'll go to pickerel pond." "but we don't know the way," objected sue. "i can show you," offered the boy. "i'm going that way myself. not all the way, but pretty near. i can show you the camp from the top of the hill, and all you'll have to do will be to go down to it and ask if they have your pony." "oh, come on, bunny! let's go!" cried sue. "all right," agreed her brother. "we'll get toby back, maybe." "i don't know if he's there," went on the boy, "'cause i didn't see him. but i know there are gypsies there." then he started off, leading the way, and bunny and sue followed, never, for one instant, thinking they were doing wrong to go off and try to find the lost toby pony by themselves. it was rather a long way from the hill near their house to the one from which the boy had said the gypsy camp could be seen, but bunny and sue never thought of getting tired. on and on they went and, after a bit, the boy stopped and said: "this is as far as i'm going. but you can see the gypsy tents and wagons down there in the hollow. you go down and see if toby is there. i'll stop on my way back and help you drive him home if you find him. i have to go on an errand for my mother, but i'll stop at the camp on my way back. i'm not afraid of the gypsies." "i'm not, either," said bunny. then, as the boy turned away, bunny brown and his sister sue, hand in hand, darted down toward this other gypsy camp. and, as they came closer to the tents and wagons, sue gave a sudden cry. "look, bunny!" she exclaimed. "there's toby!" and she pointed to a little pony that was eating grass under a clump of trees where some other horses were tied. was it their missing pet? chapter xxiii prisoners their eyes shining bright in anticipation and hope, bunny brown and his sister sue walked down the grassy hillside to the little glen, in which was the gypsy camp. the nearer they came to where they saw the pony grazing the more sure were they that it was toby himself. "oh, we've found him! we've found him!" cried sue. "yes, it _is_ him!" added bunny. "won't daddy be s'prised when he sees us coming home with toby?" "and maybe splash, too," went on sue. "do you see him anywhere, bunny?" "no," answered her brother, "i don't." bunny did not look around very carefully for splash. he loved the dog, of course, but, just then, he was more interested in toby. at first the children did not see any of the gypsies themselves--the men, women or boys and girls. but there were the groups of horses, and with them a pony--their pony, they hoped. and, when they were within a short distance of the little horse, bunny gave a cry of delight. "oh, sue!" he exclaimed. "it _is_ toby! it _is_! i can see his one white foot!" "and i can see the white spot on his head," added the little girl. "it is our toby!" and then they ran up to the shetland pony and threw their arms around its neck, and sue even kissed toby, while bunny patted his glossy neck. "oh, toby! we've found you! we've found you!" said bunny in delight. "and we're never going to let you be tooken away again!" added sue. as for toby--and it really was the children's pet--he seemed as glad to see them as they were to see him. he rubbed his velvety nose first on bunny and then against sue's dress, and whinnied in delight. "now, we'll take you right home!" declared bunny. "but we'll find splash first," added his sister. "oh, yes, we want our dog, too," said bunny. he was trying to loosen the knot in the rope by which toby was tied to a stake in the ground, and sue was helping, when a shadow on the grass told the children that some one was walking toward them. they looked up quickly, to see a ragged gypsy man, with a straggly black moustache, scowling at them. in his hand he held a knotted stick. [illustration: a ragged gypsy man was scowling at them. _bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony._ _page 218._] "here! what you young'uns doin' with that pony?" he fairly growled. "if you please," answered bunny politely, "he's our pony, and we're taking him home. his name is toby and he was in our stable, but some one took him away. now we've found him, and we're going to take him home again." "oh, you are, are you?" asked the man, and his voice was not very pleasant. "well, you just let that pony alone; do you hear?" "but he's _ours_!" said sue, not understanding why they could not take their own pet. "he's my pony--that's whose he is!" growled the gypsy man, who was not at all nice like jaki kezar. "let him alone, i tell you!" and he spoke in such a fierce voice that bunny and sue shrank back in fright. just then the barking of some dogs was heard, and bunny took heart. perhaps splash was coming, and might drive away the bad gypsy man as he once had driven off a tramp. "this is our pony," said bunny again, "and we want to take him. he isn't yours. our father bought him from mr. tallman for us. mr. tallman's red-and-yellow box was stolen and he got poor so he had to sell the pony." "what was stolen?" asked the gypsy quickly. "mr. tallman's red-and-yellow box," repeated bunny. "it didn't have money in it, but it had papers, like money. and it made mr. tallman poor. but this is our pony. his name is toby and he can do tricks." "and we're a dog named splash," added sue. "is he here?" "i don't know anything about your dog," growled the man. "and i don't know anything about a red-and-yellow box, either," and as he said this he looked around, as though in fear lest some one would hear what he was saying. "but this is our toby pony," insisted bunny. "we want him." "what makes you think he's your pony?" growled the gypsy, and as he turned to look back toward the tents and wagons bunny and sue saw a gypsy woman coming toward them. "i know he's our pony, 'cause he's got a white spot on his head," answered sue. "and he's got one white foot," added bunny. "and he can do tricks. if i had a handkerchief i'd show you how he can pick it up." "here's my handkerchief!" offered sue. bunny took it and dropped it on the grass near toby. at once the little shetland pony picked it up and held it out to bunny, as he had been taught to do. "and here's a lump of sugar for you!" cried bunny, as he gave toby a piece, for the little boy had lately always carried some in his pocket, hoping toby might be found. "see!" went on bunny. "he _is_ our pony, and he can do more tricks than this. he can ring a bell." by this time the gypsy woman had come up. she did not smile as she asked the man: "what's the matter here?" "oh, these children think this is their pony," he said, and he laughed, but it was not a nice laugh. "their pony! why, the very idea!" cried the woman. "this is _my_ pony, and i'm going to keep him." "but he's our toby!" exclaimed sue. "our daddy bought him from mr. tallman." the man and woman talked in a low voice. what they said bunny and sue could not hear, but soon the woman remarked: "perhaps this may look like your pony, my dears, but he can't be, because he's mine. lots of ponies look alike, even with white feet and white marks on their heads. this one isn't yours. now you run along home. maybe your pony will be in your stable when you get there." "no, this is our pony!" said bunny in a brave voice, "and we're going to take him with us. a boy showed us where your camp was, and he's going to stop for us on his way back and help us take toby home. this is our pony and we're going to have him." "and we want splash, our dog," added bunny's sister sue. "and if you don't let us take toby maybe splash will bite you!" nothing could have made bunny and sue braver than to think they were not going to have their pony after they had found him. they did not feel at all afraid of the scowling gypsies. and the gypsies were scowling now, and seemed angry. again they talked together in low voices. bunny walked close to toby once more, and took hold of the rope that tied him. "here! what are you doing?" cried the gypsy. "i'm going to take our pony," said the little boy. "he's ours, and you can't have him! did you take him out of our stable? if you did my daddy will send the police after you. he wrote to some policemen to find our pony, but we've found him ourselves and we want him!" suddenly the gypsy woman smiled at the children. she said something quickly to the man--what it was bunny and sue could not hear--and then she spoke to the little boy and girl. "well, perhaps this is your pony," she said. "but, of course, you may be wrong. we have some other ponies back of the tents. will you come and look at them? maybe one of them is yours." "no, i'm sure this is our toby," said bunny. "oh, well, come and look at the other ponies," said the woman, and her voice seemed much kinder in tone now. "this pony may look like yours, and you may find another that looks more like your toby. come and see," she invited. and, though bunny and sue were sure this pony was theirs, still the gypsy woman spoke so nicely, and seemed so kind, they did not know just what to do. "come on," she invited, holding out her hands to bunny and sue. "i'll show you the other ponies, and the dogs, too. maybe you can find your dog." "oh, i hope we can!" cried sue. "come on, bunny!" "but i'm sure this is toby," said the little boy. "we'll go and look at the other ponies," he agreed, "but we'll come back to this one, for he's toby." "all right--you can come back," said the woman, and she made a sign with her head at the gypsy man, who turned away. "come," urged the woman, and bunny and sue walked with her. "we'll come back to you, toby!" promised bunny. the pony looked after them as the children walked away, as though wondering why they left him. through the woods, under the trees of which were tents and wagons, the gypsy woman led the children. other gypsies came out to look at them, and none seemed very friendly. "where are the other ponies?" asked bunny. "i don't see any." "oh, just over here," answered the woman. "here, come through this tent with me. they're just beyond here!" before bunny and sue knew what was happening they had followed the dark-faced woman inside a tent. it was like the ones at jaki kezar's camp. "there! sit down!" said the woman, and she suddenly pushed bunny and sue into some chairs. "sit down here awhile!" "where are the ponies?" asked bunny. "we don't want to sit down. we want to see the other ponies, but i'm sure the first one was toby." "never mind about the other ponies!" growled the woman, and her voice suddenly changed and was ugly and harsh again. "you'll just stay here for a while!" bunny and sue did not know what to make of it. they had felt so sure they could take toby and go home with their pony. and now to be all alone in a tent with a gypsy woman! it was too bad! "i--i don't want to stay here!" said sue, almost ready to cry. "well, you've got to stay whether you want to or not!" snapped the gypsy woman. "we can't let you go to bring the police after us. you'll have to stay here! we'll just keep you prisoners awhile until we can pack up and move! now don't be afraid, for i won't hurt you! you'll just have to stay until we can get away, that's all!" what was going to happen to bunny and his sister sue? chapter xxiv the red-and-yellow box the gypsy woman sat down in a chair in front of the two children and looked at them. and bunny and sue, their hearts beating fast, and not knowing what was going to happen to them, looked at the woman. they did not like her at all. she did not smile as jaki kezar had done, and her teeth, instead of being white and shining, were black. "if you don't cry nothing will happen to you," she said. "we--we're not going to cry!" said bunny, as bravely as he could. "we--we're not afraid and we want our pony!" to tell the truth, bunny had been on the point of crying, and there were tears in sue's eyes. but when the little girl heard her brother say that, she just squeezed the tears back again where they belonged--that is all except two, and they "leaked out," as she said afterward. as for bunny, the gypsy woman had hurt him a little when she shoved him down into the chair, and he had been going to cry a bit for that, but, when she told him not to, he just made up his mind that he would not. "we--we want to go home and take our pony," said sue, and she gave a twist as though she was going to get up. "and we want our dog, too," she added. "now, you just sit still where you are!" exclaimed the woman. "if you're good maybe you can have your dog--that is, if i can find him." "and our pony, too? can we have toby?" asked bunny eagerly. "i don't know anything about your pony," said the woman, in a sort of growling voice. "that wasn't your pony you saw--he belongs to me and my husband. we bought him!" "but he is our pony!" said bunny. "he knows us and we know him, and he's got white spots on, just like toby." "lots of ponies have white spots," answered the gypsy woman. "that one isn't yours, i tell you." "but he knows us," went on bunny, "and he did the handkerchief trick. we want our pony and we want to go home!" and, for just a moment, bunny felt very much like crying. "you can go home after a bit," said the woman, as she looked out of the tent. "now be good and don't make a fuss. if you're good you can have a dog. and then i'll let you look at some other ponies, and you can tell which is yours--maybe. just keep still!" there was nothing else for bunny and sue to do. the gypsy woman looked so big and tall and so fierce that they were afraid of her. and she sat in front of them so they could not run past her to get out of the tent. something strange seemed to be going on in the gypsy camp. there was the sound of men's voices shouting, and the rattle of wagons and carts could be heard. there was also the sound of pans and dishes being packed up, for all the world, as bunny said afterward, as though the camp was moving--and it really was. for perhaps an hour the woman sat in front of the children in the tent, and then she got up and looked out. "i'm going to leave you here awhile," she said. "if you'll promise to be good, and not make a fuss, i won't tie you to your chairs. but if you act bad, i'll tie you up. now will you be good?" bunny and sue were nearly always good, and it did not take this threat to make them promise now. they just nodded their heads at the woman. she started out of the tent, but turned to shake her finger at them and say: "now, i'm going to tie the tent flaps shut, and don't you try to come out. if you do i'll see you, or some of us gypsies will, and if we don't the dogs will. so you'd better stay right here. you needn't be afraid, nobody is going to hurt you, and we're only going to keep you here until we can get away. we don't want the police after us. we haven't done anything, but we don't like the police. so don't you dare to run out of this tent. remember, i'll be watching, and so will the dogs!" with that she slipped out, and bunny and sue could see her shadow in front. she was tying the flaps as they had often seen their father or mother tie the tent at night in camp-rest-a-while. then bunny and sue were left to themselves. they looked at one another for a moment and then bunny said: "that _is_ our pony toby!" "i know it is!" exclaimed sue. "oh, bunny, how are we going to take him home?" "i--i'll think of a way--maybe," said bunny. the little boy felt that he must be brave and not let sue know he was afraid. really he was not as much afraid as some other boys of his age might have been, because he was thinking so much about toby. he was so anxious to get his pony and take the pet home that he did not think about himself. "can we get out of here without her seeing us--or the dogs?" asked sue, after a while. "i don't know," answered bunny, and he whispered, as his sister had done. "i--i'll take a look," he went on. slipping softly from his chair he peeped out through a little crack between the tent flaps. "is she there?" sue asked. "no, but that man is--the one that wouldn't let us take toby. he's lying on the grass right in front of the tent." "can you see toby?" asked sue. bunny peered out a little longer. "no, i can't see the pony," he answered. "you come and look, sue. the crack's big enough for both of us." sue stood beside her brother. she, too, saw the gypsy man stretched on the grass, and near him were some dogs. "splash isn't there," she said. "no, maybe he's tied up in the woods," said bunny. "i wish we could find him. oh, i wish daddy knew we were here. he'd make the gypsies let us go, and he'd take toby for us." "maybe he'll come and get us," suggested sue, hopefully. "maybe," agreed her brother. "oh, i wish we could see toby!" the children looked out as well as they could between the tent flaps. they dared not make the crack any wider for fear the man in front might see them. they saw gypsy men, women and children hurrying to and fro, and loading wagons. some tents were being taken down. "i guess they're moving," said sue. "they're afraid we'll tell the police on them--that's what the woman said," remarked bunny. "i guess they did steal our pony, and they're afraid they'll be arrested. yes, they are moving the camp, sue." and this was just what the gypsies were doing. they were going away in a hurry, too. every one, except the man on the grass in front of the tent where the children were held prisoners, seemed to be busy. "do you think they'll take us with them when they go?" asked sue, after a bit. "no, they wouldn't take us along," said bunny. "but gypsies do take children," went on sue. "don't you 'member that story about the little boy and girl that were tooken by the gypsies and had to live with them a long while, until they looked just like gypsies themselves?" "that was in a book!" said bunny. "they won't take us away. but i'd like to get out of this tent." "maybe we could, without the man seeing us," suggested sue. "if he didn't the dogs might," bunny answered. "oh, i wish we were in our pony cart now! we could ride away from the gypsies." "i wish so, too!" said sue, with a sigh. bunny looked out of the crack again. "there's a dog with the man now," said the little boy. "but it isn't our splash. we wouldn't dast go out the front of the tent, sue. but i could untie the flap ropes; i know i could." "oh, maybe we could go out the _back_ of the tent!" suddenly cried sue. "there's nobody out there to watch us, maybe, and we could get out that way. come on, bunny! let's do it!" "say! that's right!" bunny quickly cried. "come on, we'll try the back of the tent!" as in camp-rest-a-while, there was a board floor in the gypsy tent, and the canvas sides, as well as the back and front, were fast to nails driven in the edges of the board floor. it was not very hard work for bunny and sue to slip off some of the rope loops from the nails. then the cloth back of the tent could be raised and they could slip out. "come on, sue!" whispered bunny, when he had made a place big enough for him and his sister to get through. "now we can get out and they won't see us!" he went first, and sue followed. but, to the surprise of the children, instead of finding themselves outside the tent, they saw that they were in a little wooden room which was built right against the tent. in fact, it was part of the tent, there being no wooden side against the back of the cloth house. bunny and sue had slipped underneath the tent and were in a little slab-sided room which had a door, and through the chinks and cracks of it the sunlight streamed. "why, we didn't get out at all!" said sue in surprise. "no," said bunny. "we didn't. but maybe we can get out of this cabin." "look out of the door and see if there is a man there, or any dogs," suggested sue in a whisper. bunny looked through one of the cracks. "it's right near the woods," he said. "i guess we can get out if we can open the door." he pushed on it, and so did sue, but, to their disappointment, they found it was locked on the outside. "there's a window," sue said, pointing to one rather high up, on one side of the cabin. "maybe we can open that and crawl out, bunny." "yes, we could, if we had something to stand on," said the little boy. "let's look for something." he went over to a pile of blankets in one corner of the cabin and lifted one. as he did so he gave a cry of surprise. for there, in plain view, was a small red-and-yellow-striped box, and, at the sight of it, sue exclaimed: "oh, is that the one mr. tallman had? oh, bunny, maybe it is!" "maybe!" cried the little boy. "maybe it is!" as he and his sister leaned over it they heard some one at the door of the cabin. there was a rattle of a key in a lock, and a voice said: "i'll bring the box out, and then we can hurry away!" who was coming into the place where bunny and sue were? chapter xxv to the rescue suddenly the door of the cabin opened, and in came the same gypsy man who had stopped bunny from loosening the rope by which toby was fastened to the stake. "hello!" cried the man, in great surprise. "what are you young'uns doing here? trying to run off, eh? well, we'll soon stop that! here, sal!" he called, and the woman come running up. "ha! so they crawled out of the tent, did they?" she exclaimed. "i didn't think they'd be smart enough for that." "and look what they uncovered!" added the man, as he pointed to the red-and-yellow box. "that--that's mr. tallman's box!" said bunny boldly. "he was looking all over for it. that's what made him poor and he had to sell his pony--'cause some one took his red-and-yellow box. now we can tell him where it is." "oh, you can, can you?" asked the woman. "well, maybe you can if we let you, but i guess you won't! we'll have to take 'em with us now," she said to the man. "otherwise they'll have the police right after us." "yes, take 'em along, though it's going to be a bother!" growled the man. "come on, you!" he cried to some one outside the tent. "get this place cleared out and pack the stuff on a wagon! then take down the last tent. leave the shack stand. "here sal, you take the young'uns!" he added. "we'll have to keep 'em out of sight for a while!" "now you come with me!" ordered the woman, and she roughly caught bunny and sue by the hands. "i told you we'd let you go if you kept still, but you didn't," she said, "and now you'll have to be kept a while longer." "we're not going with you!" suddenly cried bunny, pulling his hand away from the woman's. "we're not going with you! we want our toby pony and we want to go home!" "and we want our dog splash!" sobbed sue, for she was crying in earnest now. "we're not going with you!" and she, also, pulled away from the gypsy woman. "say, they're plucky little tykes!" said the man. "don't be too rough with 'em, sal. but keep 'em quiet until we can get away. put 'em in a wagon and shut the door! lively now!" "here! you carry one and i'll carry the other!" said the woman who was called "sal." then she lifted sue up in her arms, in spite of her screams, kicks and struggles, and ran with her out of the shack. the gypsy man caught bunny up in the same way, though the little fellow tried to strike with his fists, and carried him out. then, as the two children were carried toward one of the gaily painted wagons, bunny caught sight of a man running out of the wooden cabin with the red-and-yellow box under his arm. "there! i guess you won't get out of that place in a hurry!" snapped the woman, as she thrust sue into the wagon. bunny was shoved in after his sister, and the door slammed shut. it was not altogether dark inside the wagon, which was fitted up something like the ark, and bunny and sue could dimly see chairs, tables, sleeping bunks and a little stove. the next moment the wagon started off, and they could hear the thud-thud of the feet of the horses that were drawing it. "oh, bunny!" sobbed sue, "the gypsies are taking us away and we'll never see daddy, or mother, or toby again! oh, dear!" bunny wanted to sob as sue was doing, but he felt that he must not. he must be brave and see if he could not get out and help his sister to get out also. so he held back his tears, and pounded on the doors of the gypsy wagon. "let us get out! let us get out of here!" he cried. but no one answered, the doors were locked, and the wagon rumbled on faster than before. "what are we going to do?" asked sue. "i don't know," answered bunny brown. on and on rumbled and swayed the wagon, with the two children inside. they found some chairs to sit on, and kept close to one another. bunny made his way to a window in the side, and tried to look out. but the window was of frosted glass, and he could not see through it. nor could he push it back or open it. he could hear the horses' feet plainer now, and they seemed to be on a road, and not on the soft grass of the fields or the leafy mould of a forest. "where are they taking us?" asked sue. "i don't know," answered bunny brown again. after what seemed like many hours to the children, they suddenly heard loud shouts and calls. who made them they could not tell. then bunny, creeping close to the front of the wagon heard the driver snapping his whip, as though trying to make the horses go faster. and then, all at once, bunny heard a voice say: "hold on there! stop now! don't try to get away, we've got you!" a thrill of hope came to bunny's heart. "oh, sue!" he said, "maybe it's somebody arresting the gypsies!" "is it daddy, do you think?" asked the little girl, whose face was streaked with dirt from the tears she had shed and tried to wipe away. "maybe," said bunny hopefully. "anyhow, this wagon is stopping!" and so it was. they could feel and hear the horses going more and more slowly, until the gypsy van at last came to a stop. then some one pounded on the doors and cried: "here now, i'll break these doors open if you don't unlock 'em. i guess the children are in here!" there was a sort of growling answer, and then the doors flew open, letting in the light of the setting sun. a kindly-faced man--not a gypsy--looked in at bunny and sue, and cheerfully cried: "are you the brown children?" "yes--that's who we are," said the little boy. "i'm bunny brown and this is my sister sue." "then you're the ones we've come to rescue!" was the man's reply. "hold those gypsies, boys. don't let any of 'em get away! you are all right now," he told bunny and sue. "come on out of the wagon. you're with friends, and these gypsies will soon be in jail!" "is--is our daddy here?" asked sue, ready to cry again, but this time from joy. "well, he isn't here just this minute," said the kind-faced man, "but he'll be here pretty soon. he's on his way. he telephoned us to stop this gypsy caravan and see if you weren't in one of the wagons and, sure enough, you were!" "and have you got our pony toby, and our dog splash?" asked bunny, who was smiling now. "well, we've captured a lot of dogs, ponies and horses, as well as gypsies," said another man, "and i guess if any of yours are with 'em you can have 'em back. land sakes! to think that these gypsies tried to kidnap the children!" "no, no! we would not have taken them away far!" exclaimed a voice, and bunny and sue saw the woman called "sal." "what were you going to do with 'em?" asked one of the rescuers. "just going to keep them with us until we could get away." "well, you didn't get away, and it will be some time before you do, after this," said the kind-faced man. "you gypsies will all go to jail." bunny and sue got out of the wagon and looked about them. they were on the edge of a little village, and quite a crowd had gathered. there were a number of gypsy wagons, and the dark-faced men, women and children, who had been in them, seemed to be in charge of the village police. "oh, there's toby!" cried bunny, as he saw the pet trick pony tied behind one of the wagons. "there's toby, sue!" and he rushed up to the shetland pony and threw his arms around its neck. "and here's splash!" cried sue, laughing now, as a dog scrambled out of another wagon and fairly leaped on her and bunny. "we got our dog and pony back!" and so they had. "take these gypsies to the jail," said the man who had first looked in on sue and bunny when the locked doors were opened. "take 'em to jail--every one of 'em--and we'll store their wagons, horses and stuff until we see who it belongs to." "there's a red-and-yellow box!" cried bunny, from where he stood beside toby. "it's mr. tallman's and he won't be poor if he gets it back. it's in one of the wagons. mr. tallman wants it!" "well, then we'll see that he gets it back," said the constable. "search the wagons, boys, for a red-and-yellow box," he ordered, "and hold on to it for this mr. tallman, whoever he is. then lock up the gypsies. and bring the children to my house. they can stay there until their father comes for them." "and can we take toby and splash?" asked bunny. "sure, you can!" cried mr. roscoe, the constable. "they're yours to do what you like with, now that we've got them away from the gypsies for you." "oh, i'm so glad!" said sue. "so am i," said bunny brown. and, as the gypsy band was led away to jail, and when bunny and sue were leading toby toward mr. roscoe's house, with splash following, along came an automobile, in a cloud of dust, and, before it had quite stopped, out jumped mr. brown. "did you get my children?" he cried. "here we are, daddy!" answered bunny and sue for themselves. "here we are and we got back toby and splash!" and then a woman's voice cried: "oh, i'm so glad!" and mrs. brown quickly followed her husband, clasping bunny and sue in her arms. "what happened to you, bunny?" asked his mother. "where were you? what did you do and where did you go?" "we went to find toby," answered the little boy. "a boy told us where the gypsy camp was, and we went there, and we found toby. but the man and woman wouldn't let us come away,--and we saw mr. tallman's red-and-yellow box and----" "good gracious, bunny brown!" cried his father. "if you tell any more you won't have breath enough left to eat your supper!" "but how did you find us, daddy?" asked sue. "how did you and mother know where to come for us and take us away from the gypsies?" "the little boy who showed you the gypsy camp told us about you," said mr. brown. "after he showed you where the camp was, and went on the errand for his mother, he stopped back where the gypsies were camped to see if you had found your pony and were all right. "but instead of finding you he saw the last of the gypsy wagons hurrying away, and then he thought maybe something was wrong. so he hurried and told me and i went to the gypsy camp. then i met a farmer who said he had seen two little children walking up to the gypsy tents, but he hadn't seen them come away before the gypsies left. then i guessed they must have taken you with them, though i didn't know they had toby and splash. "i found out which way the gypsies were going, and i telephoned on ahead of them to have the constable arrest them. he did; and here you are, and mother and i came on as fast as we could in an automobile to get you. and now you're all right!" "and so is toby!" said bunny, laughing now. "and so is splash!" added sue, her tears also changed to laughter. "but what's this about a red-and-yellow box?" asked mr. roscoe, the constable. "we did find it in one of the gypsy wagons," he added, "and it seems to have a lot of papers in it--stocks and bonds." "they're mr. tallman's," said bunny to his father. "don't you 'member he lost 'em, and he got poor and had to sell toby? we found the box in the cabin when we crawled through the gypsy tent," and bunny told all about it. and, surely enough, when the box was opened it did have in it the papers stolen from mr. tallman, so he did not lose all his money after all, and could pay all he owed mr. tang and others. some of the gypsies had taken the box from his house and meant to keep it. but bunny and sue found it just in time. and the same gypsy band, one night, had opened the brown stable and taken toby, afterward locking the door. one of the gypsy men had made friends with splash, the dog, and had taken him away also, so that's why splash didn't bark and give the alarm. so bunny and sue found their pet pony just in time, for, as some of the gypsies said afterward, they were going to move away that day, to a distant part of the country, and only that the little boy happened to tell the two children about the camp, toby and splash might have been taken far away and never found. but everything came out all right you see. bunny and sue soon got over their fright, and went home with their father and mother in the automobile, a man driving toby over to their house the next day. splash rode in the auto, there being room for him. as for the gypsies, they were punished for taking mr. tallman's red-and-yellow box, as well as for taking toby and splash. and bunny and sue had a great, happy time, for many days afterward, telling their playmates about having been held prisoners by the dark-faced people. "weren't you awful scared?" asked sadie west. "oh, not so very much," said bunny. "i kept thinking it was an adventure, like mother reads to us about from books." "i was scared," said sue. "but i'm glad i got toby back." "so'm i," said bunny. "and we're going to teach him a lot of new tricks." and so, while bunny and sue are doing this we will say good-bye to them. the end this isn't all! would you like to know what became of the good friends you have made in this book? would you like to read other stories continuing their adventures and experiences, or other books quite as entertaining by the same author? on the _reverse side_ of the wrapper which comes with this book, you will find a wonderful list of stories which you can buy at the same store where you got this book. _=don't throw away the wrapper=_ _use it as a handy catalog of the books you want some day to have. but in case you do mislay it, write to the publishers for a complete catalog._ the bunny brown series by laura lee hope author of the popular "bobbsey twins" books, etc. * * * * * =durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding. each volume complete in itself.= * * * * * these stories are eagerly welcomed by the little folks from about five to ten years of age. their eyes fairly dance with delight at the lively doings of inquisitive little bunny brown and his cunning, trustful sister sue. bunny brown and his sister sue bunny brown and his sister sue on grandpa's farm bunny brown and his sister sue playing circus bunny brown and his sister sue at camp-rest-a-while bunny brown and his sister sue at aunt lu's city home bunny brown and his sister sue in the big woods bunny brown and his sister sue on an auto tour bunny brown and his sister sue and their shetland pony bunny brown and his sister sue giving a show bunny brown and his sister sue at christmas tree cove bunny brown and his sister sue in the sunny south bunny brown and his sister sue keeping store bunny brown and his sister sue and their trick dog bunny brown and his sister sue at a sugar camp bunny brown and his sister sue on the rolling ocean bunny brown and his sister sue on jack frost island bunny brown and his sister sue at shore acres bunny brown and his sister sue at berry hill * * * * * grosset & dunlap, _publishers_, new york the bobbsey twins books for little men and women by laura lee hope author of "the bunny brown series," etc. * * * * * =durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding. every volume complete in itself.= * * * * * these books for boys and girls between the ages of three and ten stand among children and their parents of this generation where the books of louisa may alcott stood in former days. the haps and mishaps of this inimitable pair of twins, their many adventures and experiences are a source of keen delight to imaginative children. the bobbsey twins the bobbsey twins in the country the bobbsey twins at the seashore the bobbsey twins at school the bobbsey twins at snow lodge the bobbsey twins on a houseboat the bobbsey twins at meadow brook the bobbsey twins at home the bobbsey twins in a great city the bobbsey twins on blueberry island the bobbsey twins on the deep blue sea the bobbsey twins in the great west the bobbsey twins at cedar camp the bobbsey twins at the county fair the bobbsey twins camping out the bobbsey twins and baby may the bobbsey twins keeping house the bobbsey twins at cloverbank the bobbsey twins at cherry corners the bobbsey twins and their schoolmates the bobbsey twins treasure hunting * * * * * grosset & dunlap, _publishers_, new york six little bunkers series by laura lee hope author of the bobbsey twins books, the bunny brown series, the blythe girls books, etc. * * * * * =durably bound. illustrated. uniform style of binding. every volume complete in itself.= * * * * * delightful stories for little boys and girls which sprung into immediate popularity. to know the six little bunkers is to take them at once to your heart, they are so intensely human, so full of fun and cute sayings. each story has a little plot of its own--one that can be easily followed--and all are written in miss hope's most entertaining manner. clean, wholesome volumes which ought to be on the bookshelf of every child in the land. six little bunkers at grandma bell's six little bunkers at aunt jo's six little bunkers at cousin tom's six little bunkers at grandpa ford's six little bunkers at uncle fred's six little bunkers at captain ben's six little bunkers at cowboy jack's six little bunkers at mammy june's six little bunkers at farmer joel's six little bunkers at miller ned's six little bunkers at indian john's six little bunkers at happy jim's six little bunkers at skipper bob's * * * * * grosset & dunlap, _publishers_, new york * * * * * transcriber's notes: obvious punctuation errors repaired. page 19, the bottom right corner of the page did not print so the words "to" and "one" are presumed. (relate to) (eighth one) page 36, "sue" changed to "sue". (you?" asked sue.) page 77, "hankerchief" changed to "handkerchief". (handkerchief was gone) page 92, faded print replaced with "pet". (pet, and did so) page 94, "you" changed to "your". (get your oats) page 118, "of" changed to "if". (butter, if you) page 152, word "they" missing and presumed. (on the way they met) page 193, ink was unclear, word "our" presumed. (for our dock) 