Laura Lee Hope

“ 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!" ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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?" ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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!" ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 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 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. ”

“ 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? ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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. ”