Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue in the Big Woods | Page 9

of the shed was in two parts, and the children opened the upper half.
"Moo!" called the cow as she stuck out her head.
"Oh, see, one of her horns is crumpled!" cried Bunny.
"Let's wait, and maybe she'll jump over the moon," suggested Sue, who remembered the nursery rhyme of "Hey-diddle-diddle."
But though the children remained standing near the cow shed for two or three minutes, the cow, one of whose horns was twisted, or crumpled, made no effort to jump out of her stable and leap over the moon.
Bunny and Sue were not afraid of cows, especially when they were kept in a stable, so they were soon rubbing the head of the ragged man's bossy.
"Well, you have made friends, I see," came a voice behind the children, and there stood the ragged man with their pail full of milk. "I am glad you like my cow," he said. "She is a good cow and gives rich milk. Any time you spill your milk again come to me and I'll sell you some."
"We didn't spill this milk," explained Bunny carefully. "A dog drank it."
"Well, then come to me whenever you need milk, and you can't get any at the farmhouse," went on the old man, as Bunny gave him the six pennies.
"All right, sir," said Bunny.
"Where do you live?" asked the ragged man.
"At Camp Rest-a-While," answered Sue.
"Oh, you're the children who live in the tents. I know where your place is."
"And to-night my father brought me a toy electric train from the city," said Bunny Brown. "It runs on a track with batteries, and you can switch it on and off and it--it's won'erful!"
"So is my Teddy bear!" exclaimed Sue. "It has real lights for eyes and they burn bright when you press a button in Teddy's back."
"Those are fine toys," said the ragged man. "We never had such toys as that when I was a boy. And so your train runs by an electrical battery, does it, my boy?" he asked Bunny, and he seemed anxious to hear all about it.
"Yes, and a strong one. Daddy said I must be careful not to get a shock."
"That's right. Electric shocks are not very good. Except for folks that have rheumatism," said the old man. "I have a touch of that myself now and then, but I haven't any battery. But now you'd better run along with your milk, or your father and mother may be worried about you. Do you know your way back to camp all right?"
"Oh, yes, thank you," said Bunny.
"And we're much obliged to you for letting us have the milk," added Sue.
"Oh, you paid me for it, and I was glad to sell it. I need the money because I can't earn much any more. I should thank you as a store keeper thanks his customers. And I'll say 'come again,'" and with a smile and a wave of his hand the ragged man said good-bye to the children.
"Now we mustn't set our pail down again," said Bunny; "not even if we see a squirrel."
"That's right," agreed Sue.
In a little while they were safely back at camp again, just as Uncle Tad was about to set off in search of them.
"What kept you so long, children?" asked Mrs. Brown, anxiously.
"Oh, we saw a squirrel," said Bunny.
"And we set the milk pail down and chased it--chased the squirrel I mean," added Sue.
"And then a dog drank up the milk," went on Bunny.
"And we couldn't get any more at the farmhouse," said Sue, speaking next.
"But the ragged man, who lives in a cabin in the woods, and has a cow with the crumpled horn though she didn't jump over the moon--he gave us more milk for six cents," said Bunny, all in one breath.
"What's this about a ragged man?" asked Mr. Brown quickly, "and where does he live?"
The children explained. Mr. and Mrs. Brown looked at one another and then Mr. Brown said:
"Well, the ragged man meant all right, and he was very kind. But I wouldn't go off into the woods with strangers again, Bunny and Sue. They might get lost, or you might, and there would be a dreadful time until we found you again. After this don't set your milk pail down, and you won't have to hunt around for milk for supper. Now wash and get ready to eat the surprise."
"Can't I play with my electric train a little while?" asked Bunny.
"And can't I play with my Teddy bear?"
"Yes, I guess so," answered Mrs. Brown.
"I've got your train in running order," said Mr. Brown. "You can play with it outside, near the campfire. But at night we'll have to take it into the tent, for there might be rain."
Mr. Brown soon showed Bunny how to start and stop the electric train by turning a switch. The