Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue in the Sunny South | Page 9

they would
freshen up."
"These seem quite fresh now," remarked Mother Brown, as she lifted
from the box, lined with moss, the fragrant orange blossoms. Their

perfume filled the whole room, and even Wango sniffed in delight, at
least so Bunny said.
The children were allowed to look at the beautiful waxlike white
blossoms, with their glossy green leaves, and then Mother Brown
carried them upstairs to immerse them in the bathtub full of water.
When they had freshened up they would be put in vases.
"Oh, I'd just love to see orange blossoms growing on a tree!" sighed
Sue, as she drew in a deep breath of the fragrance.
"I'd rather see oranges and eat 'em!" exclaimed Bunny. "Can I pick
oranges off a tree?" he asked his father.
"Well, yes. I suppose I might as well say I'll take you and then you'll
stop teasing," said Mr. Brown laughingly, as his wife came back,
having left the orange blossoms upstairs. "We'll all go to Florida!"
"When?" cried Bunny and Sue, eagerly.
"In about a week, I think," their father answered. "I shall have to go to
Georgia then, and after I get through my business there we can run
down to Florida for a few weeks."
There came a knock on the door just then, and when it was opened
there stood the old sailor, Jed Winkler.
"Is my monkey here?" he asked. "Yes, I see he is," he added, as he
caught sight of his pet near Bunny and Sue. "Come here, you rascal!"
he went on, pretending to be cross. "What did you want to run away
for?"
"Is that what he did?" asked Bunny.
"Yes," answered Mr. Winkler, as he came in. "My sister opened the
windows to-day when she was sweeping or dusting or doing something
like that, and she must have forgotten to lock one. Wango found it and
got out. I didn't miss him until a little while ago. I hope he hasn't been

into any mischief."
"Oh, no," answered Mr. Brown. "It looks as though a strange dog might
have chased him after he left your house. We heard a pounding on our
door a few minutes ago, and when I opened it Wango rushed in.
"There was a big, strange dog near the porch, but I drove it away. Your
monkey had a stick in his hand. He probably picked it up to hit the dog
with, and he used it to pound on our door."
"He pounded hard, too," said Sue. "Wango pounded very hard."
"Hope he didn't hurt the door," said the old sailor.
"Oh, I think not," Mr. Brown answered. "But he was cold and shivery,
so the children wrapped him up."
"Well, I'm much obliged," said Mr. Winkler. "Come along home,
Wango!" he called, and the monkey leaped into his master's arms,
dropping the stick, which he no longer needed. "What's that nice
smell?" asked Mr. Winkler, as he started for home. "Did somebody
break a bottle of perfume?"
"It's orange blossoms," explained Bunny.
"And we're going to Florida and pick oranges," added Sue. "But there
aren't any monkeys there."
"Then that's the place where my sister ought to go," laughed the old
man. "She hates monkeys, and I think sometimes she leaves the
windows open or unlocked on purpose so Wango'll get lost. But I
wouldn't want to tell her that," he went on. For Miss Winkler was of
rather a sour disposition, not at all as jolly and happy as her brother.
When the old sailor and his pet had gone and supper was over, Bunny
and Sue sat near their father and mother, talking happily about the
coming trip to the sunny South where the orange blossoms grow. The
flowers had been brought downstairs and filled the rooms with

fragrance.
"You'll be sure to take us now, won't you, Daddy?" asked Bunny, as he
and Sue started for bed a little later.
"Oh, yes, we shall all go South," promised Mr. Brown. "But you can't
make snow men or go coasting there, Bunny."
"Picking oranges will be more fun," decided the little boy.
He and Sue had happy dreams that night, and there were no visions of
alligators mingled with those of orange flowers.
In the night it snowed, so the next day there was more of the white
flaky substance on the ground.
"This'll make good sleighing," said Uncle Tad at the breakfast table.
"You children want to come for a ride with me?"
Did they? You should have heard Bunny Brown and his sister Sue
exclaim in delight at this!
"Where are you going?" asked Mrs. Brown, as Uncle Tad went out to
harness the horse to the small sleigh.
"Walter wanted me to go to the railroad depot and get some freight that