Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue Page 14

  CHAPTER XIV

  A LITTLE PARTY

  "Sue! Sue! I'm coming! Don't be afraid!"

  Bunny cried this as he hurried up to the fence, through the pickets ofwhich he could see the goat walking toward his sister. Sue was screamingnow.

  But, after he had said this, Bunny did not know exactly what to do. Hedid not know much about goats, and this was a big one, with long, sharphorns. The goat belonged to an Italian family in town, and the Italianman used to ask those who owned vacant lots to let his goat go into themand eat the grass. That was how the goat happened to be in this lot. IfSue had known the animal was there, she would not have taken the shortcut, but would have gone, with her brother, along the street.

  "Bunny! Bunny!" Sue cried. "He's coming closer!"

  Bunny began to crawl through the hole in the fence as his sister haddone. As he did so, he saw, lying on the ground, several stones. Hepicked up two, one in each fist.

  "I won't let him hurt you, Sue!" he called, but, even as he said that,Bunny did not know what he was going to do. "I wish I had a red rag," hethought, "I could wave it at the goat and maybe scare him."

  Bunny had heard his mother read from a book how bulls and turkeygobblers do not like red rags waved at them, and Bunny thought a goatwas something like a bull. They both had horns, at any rate.

  "And if I could wave a red rag at him, maybe it would make him so madthat he'd run away and leave Sue alone," thought Bunny as he foundhimself in the vacant lot with his sister.

  Bunny was not quite right about the red rag, so perhaps it is just aswell he did not have one. For bulls run TOWARD a red rag, instead ofAWAY from it, and perhaps goats might do the same; though I am not sureabout this.

  But, at any rate, Bunny had no red rag; and the goat, instead of runningaway, was coming toward Sue, who was too frightened to move. She juststood there, crying:

  "Bunny! Oh, Bunny! Make him go away."

  "I will," said her brother. "Go on away, you old goat you!" he cried."Go away or I'll throw a stone at you. I don't want to hurt you, but I'mnot going to let you hook my sister with your horns. Go on away!"

  But the goat only bleated, like a sheep, and came on. Seeing Bunnycoming toward her made Sue a little braver. At least she found that shecould run, so she did, hiding behind her brother.

  "I'll take care of you," he said bravely.

  On came the goat. Bunny's heart was beating fast. He raised one hand inwhich he held a stone.

  "Look out! I'm going to throw it, you old goat!" cried the littleblue-eyed boy.

  "Whizz!" went the stone toward the goat. It struck him on the horn, andof course it did not hurt, for a goat's horns have no feeling on theoutside, any more than have your finger-nails.

  "Bounce!" went the stone off the goat's horn. The animal shook his head,as if he did not like that.

  "Go on away!" called Bunny. "I got another stone for you if you don'tgo!"

  But the goat still came on. Bunny threw the second stone, but it did nothit the goat. The little boy was looking around for another stone, whenhe and Sue heard a loud barking behind them, and up rushed Splash, theirbig dog.

  "Oh, good! Now he'll drive the goat away!" cried Sue. "Oh, Bunny; aren'tyou glad!"

  "That's what I am!" Bunny answered. "Drive him away, Splash!"

  Splash rushed, barking, at the goat, and the horned animal at onceturned about and ran to the other end of the lot, kicking up his heels.Splash kept on after him, barking, but not trying to bite, for the dogwas gentle.

  "Splash! Splash!" called Bunny. "Come back! Come back!"

  Splash minded very well and back he came, quite proud, no doubt, athaving driven off the goat.

  "Hurry and get out of here!" begged Sue, as she ran toward the hole inthe fence. Bunny turned to follow her. He looked back to see if the goatwas coming, feeling not half afraid, now that Splash was with them.

  In another minute Bunny, Sue and their dog were safely out in thestreet. The goat, at the far end of the lot, looked toward them and madehis queer, bleating noise.

  Afterward Bunny Brown and his sister Sue learned that the goat was avery kind one, and used to playing with children. It would not have hurtSue at all, and the reason it walked up to her was because it thoughtshe was going to feed it, as the little Italian children often did. SoBunny and Sue had their fright for nothing, though of course, at thetime, Bunny thought the goat might hurt his sister.

  "And I'm sorry I hit him with a stone," said Bunny, when, afterward, hewas told how gentle the goat was.

  "Oh, well, you didn't hurt him," said Aunt Lu.

  Bunny, Sue and Splash were late for their dinner that day.

  "My! What kept you?" asked Mrs. Brown, as they entered the house. "I didnot want you to stay so long away."

  "It was the goat that made me," Sue said, and then she and Bunny told oftheir adventure.

  "Well, of course you couldn't help that," Mrs. Brown said with a smile."Something new always seems to be happening to you children. Now washand come to your meal."

  There were jam tarts for dessert that day, and as Bunny ate his, theraspberry jam coming up through the three small holes in the top crust,the little fellow said:

  "These are so good! Who made them?"

  "Aunt Lu did," answered his mother. '"Aren't they nice?"

  "Lovely!" murmured Sue. "May I have another, Mother?"

  "I think so, as they are small."

  "And I want one!" Bunny exclaimed. "They taste just like--just like aplay-party!" he finished.

  "So they do!" cried Sue. "I was trying to think what it was they tastedlike--but it's a party!"

  "What a queer way for jam tarts to taste!" laughed Aunt Lu. "But I amglad you like them. I'll make some more some day."

  "Oh, fine!" exclaimed Bunny. "And oh, Mother! Maybe we could have one!"His eyes were shining brightly.

  "Have one what?" asked Mrs. Brown.

  "Why, one party," Bunny replied. "Could Sue and I have a little party,and would Aunt Lu bake some jam tarts for us?"

  "I'll bake the tarts, if your mother wants you to have the party," AuntLu answered.

  Mrs. Brown thought for a moment.

  "Well," she said slowly, "I suppose you could have a little party. Not avery big one, as I am so busy. Just a few of your friends to eat on thelawn under the trees."

  "Oh, that would be lovely!" Sue cried.

  "And we'll have some boys, and not all girls!" Bunny declared.

  "Half girls and half boys," Aunt Lu suggested. "And I'll make half jamtarts and half jelly ones, so they may take their choice."

  "And I'll bake a cake for Splash!" exclaimed Sue. "He likes cake. Wemight give the party for him," she went on. "That would be fun!"

  "And they could all bring our dog presents--bones and things like that,"laughed Bunny.

  And so it was decided. The party would be for Splash, though of coursehe would not be allowed to eat all the good things. Bunny Brown and hissister Sue wanted those for themselves and their playmates.

  The next day Bunny and Sue went around to the different houses, wheretheir little friends lived, and each one was asked to come to the party."Oh, I'm so glad you asked me!" cried Sadie West, when Sue told aboutthe fun they would have.

  "I want you more than anyone," was Sue's reply.

  "And how funny to have the party for Splash!" Sadie went on.

  "Well, dogs like nice things."

  "Of course they do. I think it's just fine!" and Sadie clapped herhands. "I'll tie a little pink ribbon on the bone I bring your dog."

  Helen Newton said she would bring Splash a dog-biscuit.

  "You buy them in a store," she said. "Papa buys them for our dog, andyou can get puppy cakes, too. Only of course Splash is too big for apuppy cake."

  "You could bring him a lot of little puppy cakes, and they would be thesame as one big dog-biscuit, maybe," said Sue.

  "No, I'll bring him a regular cake, and I'll put a blue ribbon on it,"decided Helen, and then the little girls laughed t
o think what fun theywould have at the party.