"Oh, no!" answered Bunny, as if he and Sue never did such a thing as that. And really, they never, at any time, exactly intended to run away.

It was always an accident!

"Well, come along to supper!" Mr. Brown said. "We're glad you're home."

Then Mrs. Brown happened to notice the horse that Bunny was leading.

"Oh my goodness me!" she cried. "That horse! Is it chasing you, Bunny--Sue!"

"No'm!" answered Bunny, quite proudly. "I'm leading it. We found it.

It's a lost horse. It's one of grandpa's! We'll take it home to him!"

For a moment Mr. Brown did not speak. Mrs. Brown did not know what to say, either. She just stood there, looking at Bunny and Sue. Then Mr.

Brown began to laugh.

"Well, what will you youngsters do next?" he cried. "Why, you're as bad as the Gypsies, taking horses that don't belong to you!"

"But we found this one, Daddy!" said Bunny. "He was all alone on the road, and when I told him to whoa he whoaed."

"Just like grandpa's horses," explained Sue.

"So I took him," went on Bunny. "He's one of grandpa's horses, and to-morrow Sue and I are going to find the other one."

Mr. Brown laughed harder than ever.

"Oh, do take that horse away from Bunny!" begged Mrs. Brown. "He may run away, or bite the children, or do something! Take him away!"

"Why, he's an awful nice horse," Bunny said. "He didn't step on us, or run away, or do anything. And Splash likes him, and so do I and Sue.

We're going to take him to grandpa."

"Bunny is lucky," said Sue. "He found Aunt Lu's diamond ring, and now he has found one of grandpa's horses; haven't you, Bunny?"

"Yep. But I guess the horse is hungry, Daddy. Shall I tie him to the automobile where he can get some gra.s.s?"

"No indeed!" cried Mr. Brown. "If we tie the horse to our auto he may run off with it. I'll just tie him to the fence, as I did the cow, and when the man who owns him comes along he can take him away."

"Take him away!" cried Bunny. "Why, it's grandpa's horse!"

"Oh, no, son!" said Mr. Brown kindly. "I don't like to make you feel bad, but this isn't grandpa's horse. It belongs to some one around here, and it probably strayed away, just as the cow did last night. Some one will be along after it soon, so I'll tie it to the fence."

"Oh, dear!" sighed Sue, as her father fastened the horse. "I thought it was grandpa's, and he'd be so glad; didn't you, Bunny?"

"Yes, but never mind. Maybe we can find another horse, to-morrow, that _will_ be grandpa's. Anyhow I'm hungry now."

It did not take much to make Bunny think of something new.

"I'm hungry, too," said Sue. "We'll look for another horse to-morrow."

The one they had found straying down the road was now eating gra.s.s near the fence. He did not seem to mind where he was. Splash lay down near him, as though to watch, so he would not stray off again.

"Shall we eat outside?" asked Mr. Brown of his wife, "or do you think it will rain?"

"I think not. We'll have an early supper. And unless it rains too hard we won't go to the village hotel. We'll stay here."

"And let Bunker put his cot in the dining room," added Mr. Brown, "if it's too wet under the auto."

"Oh, I don't mind the rain," said Bunker, who was washing the potatoes for supper.

The little table was set out under a tree, and there supper was eaten.

It was almost over when a man came along the road.

"Good evening!" he called, and he looked surprised to see the big automobile, and the little supper party. "Good evening. Have you folks seen a stray horse? One of mine ran away----"

Then he saw the one Bunny had found, which Mr. Brown had tied to the fence.

"Why, there's my horse now!" the man cried. "How'd it get here?"

"I found it," said Bunny. "I thought it was my grandpa's, but it isn't, daddy says. Is it yours?"

"Why, yes, little man, it is. And I'm glad you found him. He might have gone off a good way if you hadn't stopped him."

Then Bunny told how he had led the horse along the road, and Mr. Brown explained why it was he and his family were traveling in the big automobile to grandpa's farm.

"If you'll send over to my place," promised the farmer, as he led his horse away, "I'll give you some peaches and pears."

"Thank you," answered Mr. Brown. "We'll be glad to get them."

And, after supper, Bunker Blue went over, coming back with a nice basket of fruit.

"So it's a good thing, Bunny, that you found the horse after all," said his mother, "even if it wasn't grandpa's."

Bunny thought so too, as he looked at the nice peaches and pears which the farmer had sent over.

It did rain that night, but not very hard, and Bunker, instead of coming into the automobile to sleep, hung some canvas curtains around his cot under the car, and slept there. He said he liked to be out in the rain, and he had often been on one of Mr. Brown's boats, all night, out on the bay in a storm.

It was bright and clear in the morning, and, after a good breakfast, they started off again. Bunny and Sue, looking from the windows of the automobile, hoped to see some other horses, which might really be grandpa's missing ones, but they were disappointed.

Nothing much happened for the rest of the trip, which lasted another day. If Mr. Brown had wished to hurry he could have gone to grandpa's in two days, but he took his time.

On the afternoon of the third day Bunker Blue steered the big machine down a little hill. At the foot was a big white house, with a red barn back of it.

"There's grandpa's!" called Mr. Brown.

"Yes, and there is grandpa himself standing at the gate to meet us!"

Mrs. Brown said. "Wave your hands to him, Bunny and Sue!"

The children did, from the windows of the automobile. Then Bunker steered it up the driveway. Bunny and Sue jumped out.

"h.e.l.lo, Grandpa!" cried Bunny.