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 travel-
next 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)