Laura Lee Hope

“ 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." ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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!" ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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 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. ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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. [222]
"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." ”

“ 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!" ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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?" ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. [90]
"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." ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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 be 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?" ”