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.