Part 29 (1/2)

”I guess you did,” laughed his mother.

”Shall we play some more?” asked Helen.

”Oh, yes!” cried Bunny. ”And I won't hide in the barrel again.”

So the game went on, the children hiding in different places, some of which were easily found, while others were so well hidden that it was a long while before the one who ”blinded” discovered them.

”Now let's play tag!” cried Sue, after a while. She liked this game very much, though her legs were so short that she could not run very fast, and she was often ”tagged” and made ”it.”

”No, don't play any more just now,” called Aunt Lu, coming down to the yard where the children were. ”Come up on the porch. I have a little treat for you.”

”Oh, is it ice cream?” asked Bunny eagerly. ”I hope it is. I'm so hot!”

”You'll have to wait and see,” his aunt answered, with a smile.

”Oh, it's just as good as ice cream!” cried Sue, when she saw where her aunt had spread a little table, on the shady side of the porch.

”Lemonade!” murmured Bunny, as he saw the big pitcher which he and Sue had used at their street stand.

”And tarts--jam tarts and jelly tarts!” added Sue. ”Oh! oh! oh!”

And that was the treat Aunt Lu had made for the children. There were two plates of tarts, one with jam coming up through the three little round holes in the top crust, and others in which jelly showed. Both were very good. And the cool lemonade was good also.

”Oh, I just love to come over to your house to play, Sue!” said Sadie West.

”So do I!” chorused the other children.

”We do have such good times!” added Charlie Star.

”And such good things to eat,” came from Harry Bentley. ”Those tarts are--awful good!” and he sighed.

”Would you like another?” asked Aunt Lu, with a laugh in her eyes and a smile on her lips.

”If you please,” answered Harry, as he pa.s.sed his plate.

Then, after the children had rested, they played more games, until it was time to go home.

One day, when Bunker Blue came to the Brown home, to bring up some fish Mr. Brown had sent, Bunny, who was out in the yard with Splash, the big s.h.a.ggy dog, said to the red-haired youth:

”Bunker, you know lots of things; don't you?”

”Well, I wouldn't want to say that, Bunny. There's lots and lots of things I don't know.”

”But you can sail a boat; can't you?”

”Oh, yes, I can do that,”

”Well, I wish I could. And do you know how to make a dog harness, Bunker? Do you know how to harness up a dog so he could pull an express wagon?”

”Yes, I guess I know how to do that, Bunny.”