Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue Part 26

"But you musn't do it again," Aunt Lu said, and of course Bunny and Sue promised they would not.

"Now come on down to the fish dock, and we'll see the boats come in,"

Bunny begged, and off they started.

There was much going on at Mr. Brown's, dock that day. Some boats were getting dressed up in new suits of sails, and others were being painted.

Then, too, a number of fishing boats came in, well filled with different kinds of fish. Some had lobsters in them and there was one big one, with very large claws.

"That one's claws are bigger than the claw you have, to play Punch and Judy with, Bunny," said Sue.

"Yes," agreed her brother, "but that claw is too big for my nose."

"I should think so!" laughed Aunt Lu. "Your whole little face would almost go in it, Bunny. Oh dear!" she went on. "I don't like lobsters as much as I used to."

"Why not?" asked Mr. Brown, who came out of his office to see his children and their aunt. "I was going to have you take one up to the house to make into salad for dinner. Why don't you like lobsters any more, Aunt Lu?"

"Oh, because whenever I see them, and remember the one we had for supper the first night I came here, I think of my lost diamond ring, that I never shall find."

"Yes, it is too bad," agreed Mr. Brown. "I thought you were going to find it, Bunny?"

"Well, Sue and I looked and looked and looked," said the little fellow, "but we couldn't find it anywhere!"

"Yes, they have tried," said Aunt Lu. "But never mind, we won't talk about it."

They looked into the other fishing boats, and then Bunker Blue came along. As he had nothing much to do just then he took Aunt Lu and the children for a little ride in a motor boat, that went by gasoline, the same as does an automobile. Only, of course, a boat goes in the water, and an automobile runs on land.

Bunny and Sue had a pleasant afternoon with Aunt Lu, and when she told their father about the children having wandered into the moving picture show, he laughed so hard that tears came into his eyes.

"If this keeps on," he said, "we'll have either to keep them home all the while, or else you'll have to be with them every minute, Aunt Lu.

You can't tell what they are going to do next."

It was a day or two after this that, as Bunny and Sue were going down the street, to buy a little candy at Mrs. Redden's store, something queer happened.

They each had five cents, that Aunt Lu had given them, but they were allowed to spend only one penny of it this day, as their mother did not wish them to eat too much candy.

"I'm going to buy a lollypop--they last longer," Bunny announced.

"I'll get one, too," agreed Sue, as they entered the toy place. The door swung open, a bell over it ringing to call Mrs. Redden, for she lived in rooms back of the store, where she kept house.

"How are you, Bunny and Sue?" asked the candy-lady as she smiled at them. "I was beginning to think you had forgotten me."

"Oh, no," Bunny said.

"We'd never forget you," declared Sue. "I want a lollypop and so does Bunny."

Mrs. Redden opened the gla.s.s show-case in which the candy was kept. As she reached in her hand, to take out the lollypops, Bunny and Sue, standing in front, saw a brown, hairy paw also put into the case. And the brown paw, which was close to Mrs. Redden's hand, caught up a bunch of lollypops and quickly pulled them out.

"Oh! oh! oh, dear!" screamed Mrs. Redden. "Oh, what is it?"

A second later a brown, furry animal jumped up from back of the counter, and scrambled from shelf to shelf, until it was on the very top one. And there the animal sat, peeling the wax paper off a lollypop.

"Oh, what is it? What is it?" cried Mrs. Redden. "Oh, take it away!"

Bunny and Sue were not a bit frightened. They looked up at the furry figure, on the top shelf of the candy store, and Bunny said:

"Why, it's only w.a.n.go, Mr. Winkler's monkey! I guess he broke loose from his chain."

"Yes, it's w.a.n.go!" echoed Sue. "Come down, w.a.n.go!" she called, for both children had often petted the queer little monkey.

w.a.n.go accidentally dropped one of the lollypops he held. He had so many in his paws that it was hard to hold them all. He quickly reached for the falling candy, but he accidentally hit a gla.s.s jar filled with jelly beans. It crashed down to the floor, spilling the candy beans all over.

"Oh! oh, dear! what a mess!" cried Mrs. Redden, and she ran to get the broom to drive w.a.n.go away.

CHAPTER XIX

BUNNY IN A QUEER PLACE

w.a.n.go was a queer monkey in more ways than one. He liked to make mischief, or what others called mischief, though to him perhaps it was only fun. And he did not seem to like ladies. He would let boys and girls and men pet him, and make a fuss over him, but he would very seldom allow ladies to do this.

Miss Winkler, the sister of the sailor who had brought w.a.n.go from a far-off land, was one of the ladies the monkey did not like. But then she did not like w.a.n.go, and perhaps he knew this. And now it seemed that w.a.n.go was not going to like Mrs. Redden, who kept the candy shop.

And it was certain that, just then, Mrs. Redden did not like w.a.n.go; at least she did not like to have him take her candy, break the jar and scatter the jelly beans all over the shop.

"Get down, w.a.n.go!" she cried, shaking the broom at him. "Get down off that shelf right away! And give me back my lollypops!"

But w.a.n.go did not get down, and he did not give back the lollypops. He had dropped one, and this made him hold, all the more tightly, to the others. He was very fond of candy, w.a.n.go was.

"Oh dear! I'm afraid of him!" exclaimed Mrs. Redden.

"Why, he won't hurt you," said Bunny. "He's a good monkey. He lets me and Sue pet him; don't you, w.a.n.go?"

"You can't pet him now," said Sue, "he's too high up."

"Oh, but look at the funny faces he makes!" exclaimed the lady who kept the toy and candy shop.

w.a.n.go was certainly making very odd faces just then. But perhaps it was because he liked the taste of the lollypops. He had taken the paper off two of them, and had them both in his mouth at once, while his busy paws were peeling the wax covering off a third one.

Of course it was not right for w.a.n.go to put two lollypops in his mouth at once; at least it would not be nice for children to do so. But perhaps monkeys are different.

"Come down from there! Come down from that shelf!" cried Mrs. Redden, reaching up and trying to touch the monkey with the broom. I think she did not intend to hit him hard, and, anyhow, a blow from a broom does not hurt very much. Mrs. Redden thought she simply must drive w.a.n.go down. He might spoil a lot of candy.

And now, instead of making faces w.a.n.go chattered at the candy-shop lady.

Oh! what a queer noise he made, showing his white teeth.

"Oh dear! oh dear!" Mrs. Redden cried. "Isn't this terrible? I never had a monkey in my candy shop before. At least not one that was loose, though an Italian organ grinder did come in with one once, on a string.

But he was a good monkey."