“Daddy!  Daddy!  Oh, daddy’s come home!”

They made a rush for their father, and both together cried out: 

“Oh, Daddy, a express package came!  What’s in it?”

“Did a package come?” asked Mr. Brown, as he took off his wet coat, for it was still raining.

“Yep!  It’s out in the barn,” said Bunny Brown.

“Oh, please tell us the secret!” begged Sue.  “I know it must be a secret, or mother would have told us.”

Mrs. Brown smiled.

“The children have teased all afternoon to know what was in the bundle,” she said.

“Well, I’ll tell them,” said Daddy Brown.  “The package, that came by express, has in it grandpa’s tent.”

“Grandpa’s tent!” cried Bunny.

“The one we played circus in, out in the country?” Sue demanded.

“The same one,” answered Daddy Brown, with a laugh.

“Oh, are we going to have another circus?” cried Bunny, joyously.

“Now sit down and I’ll tell you all about it,” said Daddy Brown, and he took Bunny up on one knee, and Sue on the other.

CHAPTER II

A GRAND SURPRISE

“Don’t you want to have supper first?” asked Mrs. Brown, as she saw her husband sit down in the easy chair, with Bunny and Sue.

“Oh, I’m in no hurry,” he said.  “I came home early to-night, because there were only a few boats out, on account of the storm.  I might just as 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 something nice you don’t know, and someone is going to tell you, I guess that’s a surprise; isn’t it?”

“Oh, yes!” cried Sue.  “And now, Daddy, don’t tease us any more.  Just tell 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 Bunny off 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 and sideways with laughter.  “You are in a great hurry to have me tell you the surprise, and yet you keep on asking questions, so I have to answer them before I tell you.”

“You asted the most questions, Bunny,” said Sue, shaking her finger at him.

“No, I didn’t.  You did!”

“Well, we’ll each just ask one question,” went on Sue, “and then you can tell us, Daddy.  I want to try and guess what it is—­I mean what the tent is for.  Shall we each take one guess, Bunny?”