Bunny Brown

“ 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." ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 [Pg 204] 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. ”

“ Just then a little girl, carrying a doll under one arm, walked up to the shade tree under which the play store was. She went to the counter and looked at the piles of sand, pebbles, and the clam shells. But Bunny Brown did not seem to think she was a little girl. He bowed to her and asked:
“What will it be to-day, Mrs. Anderson?”
“Oh, Bunny! You sound just like Mr. Gordon in the real grocery store!” laughed Sue, clapping her hands. As she did this her doll fell down on the grass. “You’re just like Mr. Gordon!” cried the little girl again. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 [Pg 16] 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. ”

“ Brown, by turns, with Bunny and Sue putting in words now and then, told the story.
[Pg 235]
“There’s no doubt of it,” said Harry Pott when the story was finished. “The man who was thrown off his horse when your children were playing store is my father. I hope he wasn’t badly hurt!”
“I think he will get well,” said Mr. Brown. “And he surely will when he hears that you are alive. It will be good news to him.”
“And he wants the treasure, too,” said Bunny Brown. “Don’t forget about the treasure!”
“Treasure?” repeated Harry Pott. “I don’t know anything about any treasure. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 [137] lonesomeness coming over them. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ Anderson,” he said to his sister. Sue took it but cried:
“Oh, Bunny, there’s a hole in the paper and all the sand is running out! Look!”
Bunny Brown raised his hands in the air.
[Pg 6]
“There you go again!” he cried. “Didn’t I tell you to call me Mr. Gordon and not Bunny? And that isn’t sand—it’s sugar! If you aren’t going to play right—”
“Oh, Bunny—I mean Mr. Gordon—I forgot!” gasped Sue. “Truly, I did! Come on and play!” she begged, for Bunny started to walk out from behind the counter. “I won’t do it again! Really, I won’t, Bun—I mean Mr. Gordon! ”

“ 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 [24] all they wished, got their sleds and soon joined Sue and the other girls on the hill. ”

“ I can climb almost anything if I [Pg 44] 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!" ”

“ 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 [Pg 117] 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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. [Pg 239]
"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? ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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. [Pg 107]
"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. ”

“ 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." ”

“ 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 [Pg 207] 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. ”