Part 19 (1/2)

Mrs. Brown did not stop to ask how it had happened. She took hold of Bunny on one side, and Mrs. Madden took hold of him on the other. Then, while Sue helped them hold down on the barrel, they pulled up on the little fellow and soon had him out. Luckily the edge of the barrel was smooth and without any nails, so that Bunny was not scratched nor were his clothes torn.

”Now tell me about it,” said his mother, as she set him on the floor and led him and Sue out of the small pantry.

”Well, I--I was climbing up on the barrel to see if there was anything to eat on the shelves,” explained Bunny Brown. ”And some boards were on the barrel. I stepped on them, but they slipped; and then----”

”And then Bunny slipped!” broke in Sue. ”I saw him slip, but I couldn't stop him.”

”And then I went right on down into the barrel,” resumed Bunny. ”And I was stuck there, and Sue hollored like anything, and--well, I didn't find a single thing to eat,” he ended.

”No, I didn't order any food for you, as I didn't know just what you'd want,” explained Mrs. Madden. ”If you're hungry,” she said to the children, ”you can come over to my cottage--it isn't far--and I can give you some bread and milk.”

”Oh, I am hungry!” said Bunny.

”So'm I,” added Sue.

”I couldn't think of troubling you,” put in Mrs. Brown. ”We have some things on the boat, and----”

”I've just baked some cookies,” went on Mrs. Madden, who lived at Christmas Tree Cove all the year around. ”I'm sure the children would like them. My boy and girl, who are about the same age as yours, like my cookies very much;” and she smiled at Bunny and Sue.

”Oh, Mother,” began Bunny, ”couldn't we----”

”Let me take them over and give them a little lunch while you are getting things to rights,” urged the kind woman to Mrs. Brown. ”It will be no trouble at all, and Rose and Jimmie will be glad to see them.”

”Are they your children?” asked Bunny.

”Yes, dear. And they'll be glad if you'll play with them.”

”Very well, they may go. And thank you very much for the invitation,”

said Mrs. Brown. ”It will be better to have them out of the way when the men are bringing in the trunks and things. But I hope they will give you no trouble. Don't fall into any more barrels, Bunny!”

”I won't,” promised the little boy. ”I wouldn't 'a' fallen in this one if the boards hadn't slipped.”

”It's the flour barrel,” explained Mrs. Madden. ”The family that was here last year used to have a regular cover for the barrel, but one of the boys took the cover to make a boat of, and after that they put some loose boards back on.”

”I'll have Mr. Brown make a new cover for the barrel,” said Mrs. Brown.

”But that doesn't mean, Bunny, that you may climb on it again,” she added.

”Oh, I won't,” he agreed. ”I was just climbing up to see if there was anything to eat on the pantry shelves. But I won't have to do that if you're going to give us some cookies,” he added, looking at Mrs. Madden.

”Yes, I'm going to give you some cookies,” she laughed. ”Come along.

I'll bring them back safely,” she added.

So, while Mr. Brown, Captain Ross, Bunker Blue and Uncle Tad carried the things up to the bungalow from the boat and dock, Bunny and Sue followed Mrs. Madden to her cottage not far from the bungalow. Mr. Madden was a clammer and fisherman, and his wife did some work for the summer colonists.

Bunny and Sue saw a little boy and girl of about their own ages looking at them as they neared the cottage.

”Here are some new playmates for you, Jimmie and Rose,” said their mother. ”They are hungry, too.”

”And my brother Bunny fell in a barrel when he was looking for something to eat on the pantry shelves,” explained Sue.