"Yes, it was against the rule for the lamb to follow Mary to school, and I suppose it"s just as much against the rule for the pony to follow Bunny Brown and his sister Sue."
"Please, Teacher, he didn"t follow me!" said Bunny.
"Nor me!" added Sue. "We didn"t know he was coming! He was in the stable when we came from home."
This was very true, and they were all wondering how it had happened that Toby had followed the children. It was something he had never done before, and, though he was a great pet, he was not exactly Mary"s lamb--he did not follow Bunny and Sue everywhere they went.
"Suppose, Bunny, you take Toby out of the room," suggested Miss Bradley, for the Shetland pony did not seem to want to go of his own accord. "Can you manage him?" the teacher asked.
"Oh, yes, I can ride home on his back, if you"ll let me," said the little boy.
"School is almost over for the day, and also for the term," said the teacher with a smile. "You may be excused."
But Bunny did not have to leave. For just then in came Bunker Blue, the young man who worked for Mr. Brown at the fish and boat dock.
"Oh, you"re in here, are you?" asked Bunker, speaking to Toby and taking hold of the thick mane of the little horse.
"Did he run away?" asked Bunny of Bunker. "Did he get out of his stall?"
"Not exactly," explained the tall young helper. "I was taking him down to the blacksmith shop to have new shoes put on him. I left him in front of the hardware store while I went in to get something for your father, Bunny, and when I came out Toby had slipped from his halter. I didn"t know where he was until some one said they saw him come into the schoolhouse."
"He hasn"t done any harm," remarked Miss Bradley.
"How did he get loose from the pony cart?" Sue asked.
"He wasn"t hitched to the pony cart," answered Bunker Blue. "I was just leading him by the halter, but I guess I didn"t have it strapped tight enough. Come along, Toby," he added. "I guess you"ve said your lessons,"
and the whole cla.s.s, teacher and all, joined in the laugh which Bunker Blue started.
Toby whinnied, which was his way of laughing, I suppose, and then Bunker Blue led him forth from the cla.s.sroom. So Bunny didn"t have to leave school to ride his pet home, though I believe the little boy would have been very glad to do so--as would, in fact, any boy in the cla.s.s.
"Well, now we will go on with our exercises," said Miss Bradley. "Can you remember your recitation now, Bobbie?"
The appearance of Toby seemed to have had a good effect, for Bobbie began again about Mary and her lamb, and gave all the verses, without forgetting a single line. Every one clapped his or her hands when he finished and made his bow.
In turn the other children recited. Then came the singing of some songs in which the whole school joined in the big a.s.sembly hall, and the "last day," ended.
"Now for the long vacation!" cried Bunny Brown, as he raced out of the schoolyard with the other boys.
"And lots of fun!" added Charlie Star.
"We"ll go camping!" said George Watson.
"And sail boats!" added Harry Bentley.
The girls, too, were no less joyful. They talked of what they would do, of the play parties they would have and of picnics in the woods.
"Will you play store any more?" asked Mary Watson of Sue.
"Oh, I guess so," was the answer. "Bunny and I like that fun. Bunny wants to keep a real store when he grows up. Sometimes he lifts things down from the shelves for Mrs. Golden in her store."
Laughing, shouting, tagging each other, and running away, talking of what they would do during the long vacation, the school children ran on through the streets of Lakeport.
"Let"s have a race!" cried Bunny.
"I can beat you!" declared Charlie Star.
Off they ran, feet fast flying, and Bunny was first to reach the hitching post in front of his house, this being the end of the race course for that particular time.
"Did Bunker Blue come back with Toby?" asked Bunny of his mother, after he had been given a piece of bread and sugar by Mary.
"No," was the answer. "But how did you know Bunker had Toby out? He didn"t come for him until after you went to school," said Mrs. Brown.
"Oh, Toby came to school!" explained Sue, laughing.
"Toby came to school?" repeated her mother.
And then the story was told amid much laughter.
Just before supper Bunker Blue came back with Toby, and the children were allowed to hitch the Shetland pony to the basket cart.
"Do you want anything from the store?" asked Bunny, as he took his seat beside Sue and grasped the pony"s reins.
"Better ask Mary," was the reply.
And, as it happened, Mary wanted some sugar.
"We"ll get it at Mrs. Golden"s," called Bunny, as he drove out of the yard.
"My, the children are getting fond of that old lady store keeper," mused Mary, as she went back to her kitchen work.
"I"m glad to have them," said Mrs. Brown. "It does children good to learn to be kind and thoughtful toward others. And, from what I hear, Mrs. Golden needs help. Her son works, but does not earn much, and she can"t make a very good living from so small a store. We must buy what we can from her."
"Trust the children for that!" laughed Mary. "They"d run there all the while if we"d let them. Bunny was telling me Mrs. Golden had something the matter with one of her legs."
"Oh, no. He said she expected a legacy," explained Mrs. Brown. "That means she hopes to get a little property or some money from a relative who has died."
"Oh, I thought it was her legs, poor old lady!" said Mary. "Rheumatism, or something like that."
"Mrs. Golden isn"t very well able to get around," admitted Mrs. Brown.
"But that has nothing to do with a legacy."
Bunny and Sue drove up to the door of the little corner store.
"My, but you"re coming in style!" exclaimed Mrs. Golden, when she saw them. "Are you going to buy me out?"
"No, we just want some sugar," said Bunny. "We"re going to get five pounds, "cause we can carry it in the pony cart."
"Yes, if it wasn"t for the cart I"d be a bit afraid to give you so much as five pounds," said Mrs. Golden, as she went slowly behind the counter to weigh out the sweet stuff. "You might drop it. But it"ll be safe in the pony cart. You"ll be like a regular grocery delivery."