Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue

by Laura Lee Hope

  CHAPTER XVIII

  WANGO AND THE CANDY

  Bunny Brown and his sister Sue walked right into the moving picturetheatre. The door, as I have told you, was open, there was no onestanding near to take tickets, or ask for money, and of course thechildren thought it was all right to go in.

  No one seemed to notice them, perhaps because the place was dark, exceptwhere the brilliant pictures were dancing and flashing on the whitescreen. And no one heard Bunny and Sue, for not only did they walk verysoftly, but just then the girl at the piano was playing loudly, and thesound filled the place.

  Right in through the open side door walked Bunny and Sue, and never fora moment did they think they were doing anything wrong. I suppose, afterall, it was not very wrong.

  Bunny walked ahead, and Sue followed, keeping hold of his hand. Prettysoon she whispered to her brother:

  "Bunny! Bunny! I can't see very good at all here. I want to see thepictures better."

  "All right," Bunny whispered back. "I can't see very good, either. We'llfind a better place."

  You know you can't look at moving pictures from the side, they all seemto be twisted if you do. You must be almost in front of them, and thistime Bunny and Sue were very much to one edge.

  "We'll get up real close, and right in front," Bunny went on. Then hesaw a little pair of steps leading up to the stage, or platform; onlyBunny did not know it was that. He just thought if he and Sue went upthe steps they would be better able to see. So up he went.

  The screen, or big white sheet, on which the moving pictures were shown,stood back some distance from the front of the stage. And it was a realstage, with footlights and all, but it was not used for acting any more,as only moving pictures were given in that theatre now.

  Sue followed Bunny up the steps. The pictures were ever so much clearerand larger now. She was quite delighted, and so was her brother. Theywandered out to the middle of the stage, paying no attention to theaudience. And the people in the theatre were so interested in thepicture on the screen, that, for a while, they did not see the childrenwho had wandered into the darkened theatre by the side door.

  The music from the piano sounded louder and louder. The pictures becamemore brilliant. Then suddenly Bunny and Sue walked right out on thestage in front of the screen, where the light from the moving picturelantern shone brightly on them.

  "What's that?" cried several persons.

  "Look! Why they're real children!" said others.

  Bunny and Sue could be plainly seen now, for they were exactly in thepath of the strong light. There was some laughter in the audience, andthen the man who was turning the crank of the moving picture machinebegan to understand that something was wrong.

  He stopped the picture film, and turned on a plain, white light, verystrong and glaring, Just like the headlights of an automobile. Bunny andSue could hardly see, and they looked like two black shadows on thewhite screen.

  "Look! Look! It's part of the show!" said some persons in front.

  "Maybe they're going to sing," said others.

  "Or do a little act."

  "Oh, aren't they cute!" laughed a lady.

  By this time the piano player had stopped making music. She knew thatsomething was wrong. So did the moving picture man up in his little ironbox, and so did the usher--that's the man who shows you where to find aseat. The usher came hurrying down the aisle.

  "Hello, youngsters!" he called out, but he was not in the least bitcross. "Where did you get in?" he asked.

  By this time the lights all over the place had been turned up, and Bunnyand Sue could see the crowd, while the audience could also see them.Bunny blinked and smiled, but Sue was bashful, and tried to hide behindher brother. This made the people laugh still more.

  "How did you get in, and who is with you?" asked the usher.

  "We walked in the door over there," and Bunny pointed to the side one."And we came all alone. We're waiting for Aunt Lu."

  "Oh, then she is coming?"

  "I don't guess so," Bunny said. "We didn't tell her we were cominghere."

  "Well, well!" exclaimed the usher-man. "What does it all mean? Did yourAunt Lu send you on ahead? We don't let little children in here unlesssome older person is with them, but--"

  "We just comed in," Sue said. "The door was open, and we wanted to seethe pictures, so we comed in; didn't we Bunny?"

  "Yes," he said. "But we'd like to sit down. We can't see good up here."

  "No, you are a little too close to the screen," said the usher. "Well,I'd send you home if I knew where you lived, but--"

  "I know them!" called out a woman near the front of the theatre. "Thatis Bunny Brown and his sister Sue. They live just up the street. I'lltake them home."

  "Thank you; that's very kind of you," said the man. "I guess their folksmust be worrying about them. Please take them home."

  "We don't want to go home!" exclaimed Sue. "We want to see the pictures;don't we, Bunny?"

  "Yes," answered the little fellow, "but maybe we'd better go and getAunt Lu."

  "I think so myself," laughed the usher. "You can come some other time,youngsters. But bring your aunt, or your mother, with you; and don'tcome in the side door. I'll have to keep some one there, if it's goingto be open, or I'll have more tots walking in without paying."

  "Come the next time, with your aunt or mother," he went on, "and I'llgive you free tickets. It won't cost you even a penny!"

  "Oh, goodie!" cried Sue. She was willing to go home now, and the ladywho said she knew them--who was a Mrs. Wakefield, and lived not far fromthe Brown home--took Bunny and Sue by the hands and led them out of thetheatre.

  The lights were turned low again, and the moving picture show went on.Bunny and Sue wished they could have stayed, but they were glad theycould come again, as the man had invited them.

  As Mrs. Wakefield led them down the street, toward their home, they sawAunt Lu running to meet them.

  "Oh, Bunny! Sue!" she exclaimed. "Where have you been? I've looked allover for you!"

  "We went to the moving pictures," said Bunny.

  "By the side door," added Sue. "And we were on the stage, and the peopleall laughed; didn't they Bunny?"

  "Yes, they did. And the man said we could come back for nothing, and youare to bring us. When will you, Aunt Lu?"

  "Why--why I don't know what to think of it all!" their aunt exclaimed."In a moving picture show--by the side door--on the stage--to go againfor nothing--I never saw such children, never!"

  "Well, it all happened, just that way," said Mrs. Wakefield, and shetold how surprised she, and all the others in the theatre were to seeBunny and Sue wander out on the stage into the strong light.

  "But you musn't do it again," Aunt Lu said, and of course Bunny and Suepromised they would not.

  "Now come on down to the fish dock, and we'll see the boats come in,"Bunny begged, and off they started.

  There was much going on at Mr. Brown's, dock that day. Some boats weregetting dressed up in new suits of sails, and others were being painted.Then, too, a number of fishing boats came in, well filled with differentkinds of fish. Some had lobsters in them and there was one big one, withvery large claws.

  "That one's claws are bigger than the claw you have, to play Punch andJudy with, Bunny," said Sue.

  "Yes," agreed her brother, "but that claw is too big for my nose."

  "I should think so!" laughed Aunt Lu. "Your whole little face wouldalmost go in it, Bunny. Oh dear!" she went on. "I don't like lobsters asmuch as I used to."

  "Why not?" asked Mr. Brown, who came out of his office to see hischildren and their aunt. "I was going to have you take one up to thehouse to make into salad for dinner. Why don't you like lobsters anymore, Aunt Lu?"

  "Oh, because whenever I see them, and remember the one we had for supperthe first night I came here, I think of my lost diamond ring, that Inever shall find."

  "Yes, it is too bad," agreed Mr. Brown. "I thought you were going tofind it, Bunny?"

 
"Well, Sue and I looked and looked and looked," said the little fellow,"but we couldn't find it anywhere!"

  "Yes, they have tried," said Aunt Lu. "But never mind, we won't talkabout it."

  They looked into the other fishing boats, and then Bunker Blue camealong. As he had nothing much to do just then he took Aunt Lu and thechildren for a little ride in a motor boat, that went by gasoline, thesame as does an automobile. Only, of course, a boat goes in the water,and an automobile runs on land.

  Bunny and Sue had a pleasant afternoon with Aunt Lu, and when she toldtheir father about the children having wandered into the moving pictureshow, he laughed so hard that tears came into his eyes.

  "If this keeps on," he said, "we'll have either to keep them home allthe while, or else you'll have to be with them every minute, Aunt Lu.You can't tell what they are going to do next."

  It was a day or two after this that, as Bunny and Sue were going downthe street, to buy a little candy at Mrs. Redden's store, somethingqueer happened.

  They each had five cents, that Aunt Lu had given them, but they wereallowed to spend only one penny of it this day, as their mother did notwish them to eat too much candy.

  "I'm going to buy a lollypop--they last longer," Bunny announced.

  "I'll get one, too," agreed Sue, as they entered the toy place. The doorswung open, a bell over it ringing to call Mrs. Redden, for she lived inrooms back of the store, where she kept house.

  "How are you, Bunny and Sue?" asked the candy-lady as she smiled atthem. "I was beginning to think you had forgotten me."

  "Oh, no," Bunny said.

  "We'd never forget you," declared Sue. "I want a lollypop and so doesBunny."

  Mrs. Redden opened the glass show-case in which the candy was kept. Asshe reached in her hand, to take out the lollypops, Bunny and Sue,standing in front, saw a brown, hairy paw also put into the case. Andthe brown paw, which was close to Mrs. Redden's hand, caught up a bunchof lollypops and quickly pulled them out.

  "Oh! oh! oh, dear!" screamed Mrs. Redden. "Oh, what is it?"

  A second later a brown, furry animal jumped up from back of the counter,and scrambled from shelf to shelf, until it was on the very top one. Andthere the animal sat, peeling the wax paper off a lollypop.

  "Oh, what is it? What is it?" cried Mrs. Redden. "Oh, take it away!"

  Bunny and Sue were not a bit frightened. They looked up at the furryfigure, on the top shelf of the candy store, and Bunny said:

  "Why, it's only Wango, Mr. Winkler's monkey! I guess he broke loose fromhis chain."

  "Yes, it's Wango!" echoed Sue. "Come down, Wango!" she called, for bothchildren had often petted the queer little monkey.

  Wango accidentally dropped one of the lollypops he held. He had so manyin his paws that it was hard to hold them all. He quickly reached forthe falling candy, but he accidentally hit a glass jar filled with jellybeans. It crashed down to the floor, spilling the candy beans all over.

  "Oh! oh, dear! what a mess!" cried Mrs. Redden, and she ran to get thebroom to drive Wango away.