Part 9 (1/2)

”I'm glad you didn't pull him out, Walter,” Mrs. Brown said. ”I'd be anxious if he had bitten you.”

”I didn't give him the chance,” her husband said. ”Well, now that d.i.c.kie is safe we can settle down.”

And so the travelers made themselves as comfortable as possible, for they had rather a long trip ahead of them. They would be on the train all night and a large part of the next day.

”I'm glad that woman with the dog isn't in our car,” said Mrs. Brown to her husband, when Bunny and Sue were contentedly looking from the windows. ”She probably makes a fuss over the animal all the while.”

”Yes, it's just as well for us she isn't here,” agreed the children's father. ”Though if it were the kind of dog they could play with it would make the time pa.s.s more quickly for Bunny and Sue.”

”Oh, I think they'll manage to keep themselves amused,” said their mother. ”They like traveling.”

Bunny and Sue certainly did, and it was a pleasure for them to look from the windows at the scenery.

No very remarkable adventures happened on the journey to Georgia. To be sure, Sue did fall out of the berth once, and her mother had to pick her up. But the little girl scarcely awakened, and as the carpet on the floor of the sleeping car was soft and thick she was not hurt in the least.

Bunny had a little accident, too. During the day he went to the end of the car to get Sue a drink, taking a folding silver cup his mother carried in her handbag. But when the little boy was half way down the aisle the train gave a swing around a curve, Bunny almost fell, and the cup closed, spilling the water all over him.

However, it was not a great deal, and as the car was warm no harm resulted. Bunny himself laughed at the happening, and insisted on going back and filling the cup for Sue. This time he brought it to her nearly full of water.

And so, with looking out of the windows, reading some of their best-loved books which they had brought with them, eating and sleeping, the time pa.s.sed most happily for Bunny Brown and his sister Sue.

As mile after mile was reeled off by the train, the children began to notice a difference in the scenery.

The weather was cold, and there was much snow on the ground when they left Bellemere, and the snow continued to cover the ground for some distance. But as the train went farther and farther south the snow seemed to disappear--melting away until, when the children looked from the windows of their car toward the end of their journey, they saw green leaves on the trees.

”Oh, are we down South now, Daddy?” called Sue.

”Yes, we are in the southern part of Georgia,” was the answer. ”We have left winter behind us. In a little while, especially when we get into Florida, you will be in the sunny South.”

”Oh, what fun we'll have!” cried Sue.

”Where are the oranges?” demanded Bunny. ”I don't see any,” and he looked at the trees.

”Oranges don't grow in Georgia, at least not in the open,” said Mr.

Brown. ”Some may be raised in hothouses, but to grow them in the open air warmer weather than Georgia has in winter is needed. We shall have to wait until we get to Florida to gather oranges.”

”What about peanuts?” asked Bunny.

”Oh, I think I can promise you plenty of peanuts,” answered his father.

”And shall we see cotton growing?” asked Mrs. Brown. ”I have always wanted to see a cotton field, with the darkies singing and picking the white, fluffy stuff.”

”There is plenty of cotton in Georgia,” her husband answered, ”but there may be none where we are going. However, I hope you will have your wish.

If we can't have oranges we may have peanuts and cotton.”

”We'll not eat the cotton though, shall we, Daddy?” asked Sue.

”You won't have to unless you want to,” he laughed in answer.