Part 24 (2/2)

AT ORANGE BEACH

The happy reunion had taken place on the platform of the little railroad station just outside the village where Mr. Black, the switchman, lived.

As soon as telegrams had been sent and received, Mr. Black took Bunny and Sue to the station to wait for the arrival of the train carrying their father and mother to them.

Coming in a pa.s.senger car, and not on a freight train in which the children had ridden, Mr. and Mrs. Brown soon arrived at the place. And then you can imagine how happy every one was.

”But whatever possessed you two children to climb into a freight car and let yourselves be carried away?” asked Mrs. Brown, as she hugged Bunny, while Mr. Brown took Sue in his arms.

”We wanted to get the kitten, Mother,” Sue explained. ”And he's at Mrs.

Black's now, and please can't we take him with us to Florida?”

”It's Nutty's cat,” objected Bunny.

”But he ran away and left him,” went on Sue. ”Please, Mother, can't we take Toddle with us?”

”Who is Nutty?” asked Mr. Brown.

Then, by turns, the children told the whole story, which included how they had met the queer old tramp in the boxcar.

”And you ought to see Bruno do tricks!” cried Bunny, when it came his turn to tell something.

”Who is Bruno, another tramp?” asked Mrs. Brown.

”He's a dog!” exclaimed Bunny. ”And you ought to see him dance!”

”You children seem to have had a better time than your mother or I had,”

said Mr. Brown, after he had thanked the kind switchman for the care he and his wife had given Bunny and Sue. ”We were certainly worried about you.”

Mr. and Mrs. Brown paid a little visit to Mrs. Black to thank her, and then it was time for the travelers to resume their journey to Orange Beach, where they expected to spend some time with Mr. Halliday, with whom Daddy Brown had business to talk over.

”Can't we take Toddle?” begged Sue again, as she held Nutty's little cat in her arms.

”No, my dear,” answered her mother. ”We could not take him to Florida with us.”

”I'll keep him here with my dog and cat,” offered Mrs. Black.

”And when I see Nutty, as I often do,” added the switchman, ”I'll tell him where he can get his cat again.”

”Well, I s'pose he will want Toddle,” sighed Sue. So the p.u.s.s.y was left behind.

Once more Bunny Brown and his sister Sue were on the train traveling.

This time they were in a sleeping car, in which, at night, beds were made from the seats.

”This is better than riding in a freight car, isn't it?” asked Sue's mother.

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