Chapter 25

GRANDPA'S HORSES

"Well, well! You children do the queerest things!" cried Grandpa Brown, when Mr. and Mrs. Kendall drove up to the farmhouse with Bunny Brown and his sister Sue in the wagon, Splash standing up in the back, and barking as though he had done it all. "Yes, you certainly do queer things! The idea of running off to a circus!"

"We--we didn't run--we walked," corrected Sue.

"And we saw the elephants, but I didn't water any," said Bunny.

"Oh, I was _so_ worried about you!" cried Mrs. Brown, as she put her arms around Bunny and Sue. "Why did you do it?"

"We--we wanted to see the circus," said Bunny.

"And oh! we saw grandpa's horses!" cried Sue. "Two Gypsy mans had them!"

Every one looked surprised on hearing this.

"What's that? What's that?" cried Grandpa Brown. "You saw my two horses that the Gypsies borrowed, and didn't bring back?"

"Yes, we saw them," said Bunny. "Anyhow they _looked_ like your horses, 'cause they weren't circus horses."

"What about this, Mr. Kendall?" asked Grandpa Brown of the kind farmer who had brought Bunny and Sue home.

"I don't know anything about it," was the answer. "My wife and I went to the circus, and when we were standing around, waiting for the show to begin, we saw these tots there. They were all alone, so we knew something must be wrong. They told us they'd run away, and we brought them back. But I didn't see your horses, though I did see two Gypsy men hanging around one of the tents."

Grandpa Brown thought for a few seconds. Then he said:

"Well, it might be that the Gypsies came back with my team, and are trying to sell them to the circus. I guess I'd better go over and see about it."

"You can ride back with us," said Mr. Kendall. "My wife and I are going right back to the circus."

"Oh, can't we go?" cried Bunny.

"Please!" begged Sue.

"Not this time, my dears," said Mother Brown. "But if all goes well, you shall go to-morrow, when daddy comes back. The circus will be here for two days."

Bunny and Sue were glad to hear this. Grandpa Brown rode off with Mr. and Mrs. Kendall; and Bunny and Sue were given a good dinner and put to sleep that afternoon, for they were tired, sleepy and hungry.

It was late in the afternoon when Bunny and Sue awoke. They went out on the porch, and the first thing they saw was Grandpa Brown coming down the road, riding on one horse and leading another which trotted by the side of the first.

"Oh, look!" cried Bunny. "Grandpa did get his horses back from the Gypsies!"

"That's just what I did, little man!" cried Grandpa Brown, as he rode up the drive. "Those were my horses you saw the Gypsy men have, though of course you only guessed it."

"Are they really yours?" asked Mother Brown.

"Yes, the same ones the Gypsies took. If it had not been for Bunny and Sue I might never have gotten them back."

"I thought we'd find them!" cried Bunny. "We found Aunt Lu's diamond ring, and now we have found grandpa's horses."

"Good luck!" cried Sue, clapping her hands.

And the horses did really belong to Grandpa Brown. He told how he got them back.

"The Gypsy man, who borrowed my team, just before you folks came to the farm," grandpa said to Bunny, Sue and Mother Brown, "that Gypsy man really meant to bring my horses back, when he got through with them, but he was taken ill. Then some of the bad Gypsies in the tribe ran away with the team--they took them far off and kept them.

"Where they went I don't know, but to-day they came back, and, seeing the circus, the Gypsies thought they could sell my horses, to do tricks, maybe, though I never trained them to do any more than pull a plow or wagon.

"Anyhow, when I got to the circus I found one of the circus men was just going to buy my horses from the Gypsies. I told him the team was mine, and that the Gypsies had no right to sell it to him. The Gypsies ran away when they saw me, and the circus man gave me my horses. So I have them back. But if Bunny and Sue had not gone to the circus I never would have known about my horses."

"And did you see the elephants?" asked Sue.

"No, I didn't have time to look at them," said her grandfather with a laugh. "I was too glad to get my horses back."

"I--I wish we could go to the circus," begged Bunny.

"So you shall--to-morrow!" cried Grandpa Brown. "My goodness you certainly shall go! You must have a reward for finding my horses for me, so I'll take you and Sue and everybody to the circus to-morrow. We'll all go and have a good time!"

"Will you take Bunker Blue?" asked Bunny.

"Yes, Bunker shall go."

"And can I get a blue balloon?" Sue wanted to know.

"Yes, or a red or green or yellow one."

"And me, too?" asked Bunny.

"Of course."

"And can we have peanuts, and more pink lemonade, 'cause it was awful good, and can we feed the elephant, and--and----"

Sue had to stop, for she was all out of breath.

"You can have the best time ever!" cried Grandpa Brown, giving her a hug and a kiss.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" cried Sue, and that was all she could say, she felt so happy. Bunny was happy too, and, a little later, he and Sue went out to the barn to see grandpa's team of horses the Gypsies had taken, but which were now safe in their stalls.

Of course Papa Brown was surprised when he came to the farm the next day, and heard that Bunny and Sue had found grandpa's horses for him.

"My, such children!" he cried. But I think he was proud of them just the same.

"Oh, Bunker! We're going to the circus!" cried Sue. "And you're going too!"

"And so am I!" shouted Bunny. "And maybe we'll get up a circus of our own, Sue!"

"Oh, will we?"

"Maybe!"

And what sort of show the two children gave you may read about in the next book of this series, which will be called: "Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue Playing Circus."

In a big farm wagon, the children, Mr. and Mrs. Brown, Grandpa and Grandma Brown, and Bunker Blue went to the big circus on the baseball grounds. Bunny and Sue saw the elephants, the camels, the lions, and the tigers. And the children did not have to carry water to get in to see the show, for Grandpa Brown bought tickets for them.

Bunny and Sue sat looking at the men and women turn somersaults in the air, and fall down safely into the big nets. They saw the races, when monkeys rode on the backs of ponies and dogs. They saw the cages of wild animals, and they fed the elephants peanuts by the bagfull.

"Oh, Bunny! Bunny!" cried Sue when they came out, each carrying a toy balloon. "Wasn't the circus wonderful!"

"Fine!" cried Bunny Brown. "But you just wait until we get up our circus! That will be better yet!" And we will all wait and see what happened.

THE END

_This Isn't All!_

Would you like to know what became of the good friends you have made in this book?

Would you like to read other stories continuing their adventures and experiences, or other books quite as entertaining by the same author?

On the _reverse side_ of the wrapper which comes with this book, you will find a wonderful list of stories which you can buy at the same store where you got this book.

=_Don't throw away the Wrapper_=

_Use it as a handy catalog of the books you want some day to have. But in case you do mislay it, write to the Publishers for a complete catalog._

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By LAURA LEE HOPE

Author of "The Bunny Brown Series," Etc.

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These books for boys and girls between the ages of three and ten stands among children and their parents of this generation where the books of Louisa May Alcott stood in former days. The haps and mishaps of this inimitable pair of twins, their many adventures and experiences are a source of keen delight to imaginative children everywhere.

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SIX LITTLE BUNKERS SERIES

By LAURA LEE HOPE

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THE FLYAWAYS AND GOLDILOCKS

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* * * * *

GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK

* * * * * Transcriber's Notes:

Obvious punctuation errors repaired.

Table of Contents, "189" changed to "187."

Page 43, "aster" changed to "faster". (and faster.)

Page 190, "if" changed to "of". (of the little)

Page 212, "th" change to "the". (believe any of the) "bu" changed to "but". (myself, but I)

Page 230, "man" changed to "men". (The two men)