Bunny Brown and his Sister Sue Giving a Show | Page 5

there were many others. And there was
also Jed Winkler, an old sailor who owned a monkey, and, lately, he
had bought a green parrot from an old shipmate of his. Jed Winkler had
a sister, a rather cross maiden lady who did not like the monkey very
much. And the monkey, whose name was Wango, seemed to know this,
for he was always playing tricks on Miss Winkler.
The second volume of the series is called "Bunny Brown and His Sister
Sue on Grandpa's Farm." There, you can easily imagine, the little boy
and girl had lots of fun. During their visit to the farm they got up a
circus, and there is a book telling all about it. They had a real tent,
which their grandfather got for them, and in it they and some of their
friends gave a very funny performance.
When Bunny and Sue went to Aunt Lu's city home they had many
wonderful times, and when they went on a vacation to Camp
Rest-a-While so many things happened near the beautiful lake that the
children never tired talking about them.

It was after the children had spent such a happy time in the camp that
they went to the "Big Woods," as Bunny and Sue called them, and,
after that, their father and mother took them on an auto tour, when
many strange things happened. "Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue and
Their Shetland Pony" is the name of the book just before the one you
are reading now, and after many adventures with the little horse the two
children planned for winter fun. Going to the show in the Opera House
was part of this fun.
It did not take very long for the man who had gone up to the roof to fix
the broken skylight. The children could see him away up above their
heads as they sat in the theater, or stood there, for those who had places
directly under the skylight would not use the seats until the
roof-window was fixed.
"There! It's all right now," said the man on the stage. "There is no more
danger. Take your seats and the show will begin."
From all over the Opera House you could have heard delighted "Ohs!"
and "Ahs!" from the children. There was a rustling of programs, a
swish of skirts, several coughs, and one or two sneezes. Then the
fiddles squeaked, there was rumble and boom of the drums, and the
orchestra played the Star-Spangled Banner.
Every one stood up until the national air was ended and then the
musicians began to play a dance tune which was so lively that the feet
of every one, old and young, seemed to be tapping the floor.
Then came a pause, the lights in the Opera House were turned low, and
at last the curtain went up. Bunny Brown and his sister Sue held tightly
to the arms of their seats, lest they might slip out during the excitement
that was to follow. And it was exciting for the children, as you may
easily guess.
The first act was the juggler, or the "jiggler," as one of the boys had
called him. He placed a pole on his chin, and on top of the pole a glass
of water. Then with three balls he did a number of odd tricks.

"And all the while, mind you!" exclaimed Bunny, telling his father
about it afterward, "the man held the water, on the pole on his chin and
he didn't drop it once."
"Yes, that must have been wonderful," said Daddy Brown. "If he had
dropped the pole he'd have broken the glass, wouldn't he?"
"And he would have spilled the water, too!" exclaimed Bunny's sister.
"And it was real water!"
"No!" cried Mr. Brown, in fun, making believe he didn't believe this.
"Yes it was, really!" declared Sue, and Bunny nodded his head also.
The juggler did many other tricks, even tossing balls up into the air and
letting them fall in a tall silk hat he wore. The hat had no crown to it,
but it had a funny little door, or opening, cut in front, and as fast as the
juggler would toss the rubber balls into his hat, they would roll out of
the little door in front. My, how the children did laugh! But the juggler
never even smiled.
The next act was that of an old man who, on the programme, was called
an "Impersonator."
"What's that mean?" asked Bunny of Uncle Tad. "Does he do juggles
too?"
"No, he dresses up like some persons you may have seen in pictures.
He pretends he's General Washington, or the President, or some great
soldier. He tries to look as much like these persons as he can, so they