CHAPTER II
A GRAND SURPRISE
"Don't you want to have supper first?" asked Mrs. Brown, as she saw herhusband sit down in the easy chair, with Bunny and Sue.
"Oh, I'm in no hurry," he said. "I came home early to-night, becausethere were only a few boats out, on account of the storm. I might justas well tell the children about the surprise before we eat."
"Oh, then it's a surprise!" cried Sue, clapping her hands.
"Why, yes, I rather think you'll be surprised when you hear about it,"answered Daddy Brown.
"And is it a secret, too?" Bunny wanted to know.
"Well, you don't know what it is yet; do you?" inquired his father.
Bunny shook his head.
"Well, then," went on Daddy Brown with a smile, "if there is somethingnice you don't know, and someone is going to tell you, I guess that's asurprise; isn't it?"
"Oh, yes!" cried Sue. "And now, Daddy, don't tease us any more. Justtell us what it is? Will we like it?"
"Can we play with it?" Bunny wanted to know.
Mr. Brown laughed so hard that Sue nearly fell off one knee, and Bunnyoff the other.
"What is it, Daddy?" asked the little boy. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, just you--and Sue," said Mr. Brown, still shaking up and down andsideways with laughter. "You are in a great hurry to have me tell youthe surprise, and yet you keep on asking questions, so I have to answerthem before I tell you."
"You asted the most questions, Bunny," said Sue, shaking her finger athim.
"No, I didn't. You did!"
"Well, we'll each just ask one question," went on Sue, "and then you cantell us, Daddy. I want to try and guess what it is--I mean what thetent is for. Shall we each take one guess, Bunny?"
"Yep. You guess first, Sue. What do you say the tent is for?"
Sue thought for half a minute, shutting her brown eyes and wrinkling upher little nose. She was thinking very hard.
"I--I guess the tent is for a house for our dog Splash," she said, aftera bit. "Is it, Daddy?"
"No," and Mr. Brown shook his head. "It's your turn, Bunny."
Bunny looked up at the ceiling. Then he said:
"I guess grandpa's tent is going to be for us to play in when it rains.Is it, Daddy?"
"Well, that's pretty nearly right," Mr. Brown answered. "And now sitquiet and I'll tell you the surprise."
But before I let Mr. Brown tell the children the secret, I just want tosay a few words to the boys and girls who are reading this as theirfirst book of the Bunny and Sue series. There are four other books thatcome ahead of this, and I'll tell you their names so you may read them,and find out all about Bunny and Sue.
Of course those of you who have read the first, and all the other booksin the series, do not need to stop to read this. You have already beenintroduced to the Brown children. But to those who have not, I would saythat Bunny Brown and his sister Sue lived with their father and mother,Mr. and Mrs. Walter Brown, in the town of Bellemere, which was onSandport Bay, near the ocean.
Mr. Brown was in the boat business--that is, he hired out boats tofishermen and others who wanted to go on the ocean or bay, sailing,rowing or in motor boats. Mr. Brown had men to help him, and alsoseveral big boys, almost as large as men. One of these last was BunkerBlue, a red-haired, good-natured lad, who was very fond of the twochildren.
In the first book of the series, named "Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue,"I told you the story of the little boy and girl, and what fun they hadgetting up a Punch and Judy show, and finding Aunt Lu's diamond ring inthe queerest way. In the second book, "Bunny Brown and His Sister Sueon Grandpa's Farm," I told you how they went off to the country, in agreat big moving van automobile, fitted up like a little house, in whichthey could eat and sleep.
Bunker Blue went with them to steer the automobile, and they also tookalong the children's dog, Splash, who was named that because he oncesplashed in the water and pulled out Sue. On Grandpa's farm Bunny andSue had lots of fun. They got up a little show, which they held in thebarn.
After the little show had been given, Bunker Blue, and some larger boys,thought they could get up a sort of circus. They did, holding it in twotents, a big one and a smaller one. The smaller tent belonged to GrandpaBrown, when he was in the army. And it was this tent that had just comeby express to the Brown home in Bellemere.
"Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue Playing Circus" is the name of the thirdbook, and in that you may read all about the show that Bunny and Suetook part in--how the tents were washed away, how Ben Hall did hisqueer tricks, and what happened to him after that.
When the two Brown children came back from grandpa's farm they receivedan invitation from Aunt Lu, to spend the fall and winter at her cityhome in New York.
"Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue at Aunt Lu's City Home" is the name ofthe book telling all that happened when the two children went to NewYork. They met a little colored girl, named Wopsie, they were lost in amonkey store, Bunny flew his kite from the roof of Aunt Lu's house, andtoward the end Bunny and Sue were run away with when in a pony cart inCentral Park.
At first they did not like being run away with, but after they werespilled out, and Aunt Sallie picked them up, and she and Wopsie foundout that they--but there! I mustn't put so much of that book in thisbook. You would much rather read it yourself, I am sure.
So I'll just say that at Aunt Lu's city home Bunny and Sue had many goodtimes, and enjoyed themselves very much. They were almost sorry when itwas time to come home, but of course they could not always stay in NewYork.
But now it was spring, and Bunny and Sue were once more back inBellemere. They had met all their old friends again, and had played withthem, until this day, when, as I have told you, it was raining too hardto go out.
Before I go on with this story, I might say that Bunny was about sixyears old, and Sue a year younger. The two children were alwaystogether, and whatever Bunny did Sue thought was just right. It was notalways, though, for often Bunny did things that got him and Sue intotrouble.
Bunny did not mean this, but he was a brave, smart little chap, alwayswanting to do something to have fun, or to find out something new. Hewould often take chances in doing something new, when he did not knowwhat would happen, or what the ending would be. And Sue liked fun somuch, also, that she always followed Bunny.
The children knew everyone in the village of Bellemere, and everyoneknew them, from Old Miss Hollyhock (a poor woman to whom Bunny and Suewere often kind) to Wango, the queer little monkey, owned by JedWinkler, the old sailor. Wango did many funny tricks, and he, too, gotinto mischief. Sometimes it was hard to say who got oftener intotrouble--Bunny Brown and his sister Sue, or Wango, the queer littlemonkey.
Now that I have told you all this, so my newest littlechildren-reader-friends will feel that they know Bunny and Sue as wellas everyone else, I will go back to the story.
Bunny and Sue were still sitting on their father's knee.
"Well, tell us the surprise!" begged Sue, reaching over and kissing herdaddy.
"And make it like a story," begged Bunny.
"I haven't time to make it like a story now, my dears," said Mr. Brown."But the bundle you saw the expressman bring to the barn this afternoonwas the tent from grandpa's farm."
"The same one we played circus in?" Bunny wanted to know.
"The same one," answered his father. "I asked grandpa to send it to me."
"What are we going to do with it, Daddy?" Sue asked. "I've tried andtried, but I can't guess."
"Well, this is the surprise," replied Daddy Brown, "and I hope you'lllike it. We are going off into the woods camping--that means living in atent. We'll cook in a tent--that is when it rains so we can't have acampfire out of doors--we'll eat in the tent and we'll sleep in it."
"Oh, Daddy! Shall we--really?" cried Bunny, almost falling off hisfather's knee he was so excited.
"Yes, that's what we're going to do," said Mr. Brown. "We are going tospend the summer in camp, under a tent inst
ead of in a cottage, as wesometimes do. Will you like that?"
"Oh, I just guess we will!" cried Bunny Brown.
"And can I take my dolls along--will there be room for 'em?" asked Sue.
"Oh, yes, plenty of room," answered Daddy Brown.
"And will Splash come?" Bunny wanted to know.
"Oh, yes, we'll take your dog along, of course. It wouldn't be like areal camp without Splash. So now you know what the tent is for."
"May we go out and look at it?" asked Bunny.
"Oh, no, son. Not to-night. It's still raining, and the tent is all wet.It will dry out in a few days. Besides, you've seen the tent up."
"It's just like when we had it for the circus," explained Sue. "I don'twant to go out to the barn and see it, Bunny. I'm hungry, and I want mysupper."
"It's almost ready," said Mother Brown. "Then we really are goingcamping?" She looked at her husband as she asked the question.
"Yes, I thought that would be a nice way to spend the summer vacation,"said Mr. Brown. "Grandpa's tent is very large. We can sleep in that one.I also have a smaller tent, in which we can set a table, and next tothat will be one, still smaller, where we can cook on an oil stove inwet weather. We'll have a real camp!"
"Oh, fine!" cried Bunny.
"How nice!" exclaimed Sue.
"And where are we going to camp?" Mother Brown questioned.
"Up in the woods, about ten miles from here, near Lake Wanda," answeredMr. Brown. "And, now that I've told you all about the surprise, I think,we'll have supper."