But, as soon as the squirrel with the big tail saw Bunny running toward him, he scampered away and Bunny followed.  So did Sue, leaving the pail of milk standing in the grass beside the road.

The squirrel could run on the fence much faster than Bunny Brown and his sister Sue could run along the road, and pretty soon they saw him scamper up a tree.

“Now we can’t get him,” said Sue, sorrowfully.

“No, I guess not,” answered Bunny.  “We’d better go back to camp and play with your Teddy bear and my toy train.  Come on.”

They walked back toward the place they had left the pail of milk.  As they came in sight of it Sue cried: 

“Oh, Bunny, look!”

Bunny looked, and at what he saw he cried: 

“Oh dear!”

For a big, shaggy dog had his nose down in the pail of milk, and as he looked up, at hearing Bunny’s cry, he knocked the pail over, spilling what he had not taken himself.

“Oh, our milk’s all gone!” cried Bunny.

“What shall we do?” asked Sue, in dismay.

CHAPTER III

THE OLD MAN

For a moment the two children did not know what to do.  They stood still, looking at the dog who had just drunk the milk from the pail which they had set down in the road so they could chase the squirrel.  Then Bunny, made bold by thinking of what might happen if he and his sister went home with the empty pail, thinking also of the pudding which his mother could not make if she had no milk, gave a loud cry.

“Get away from there, you bad dog!” cried the little boy.  “Leave our milk alone!” and he started to run toward the shaggy creature.

“Oh, come back!  Come back!” cried Sue.  “Don’t go near him, Bunny!”

“Why not?” her brother asked in some surprise.

“’Cause he might bite you.”

“Huh!  I’m not afraid of him!” declared Bunny.  “He doesn’t look as savage as our Splash, and he never bites anybody, though he barks a lot at tramps.”

So Bunny ran on toward the shaggy dog.  The animal stood looking at the little boy for a moment and then, with a sort of “wuff!” as if to say, “Well, I’ve taken all the milk, what are you going to do about it?” away he trotted down the road.  Bunny ran on and picked up the milk pail.  Only a few drops were in the bottom.

“See I told you he wouldn’t bite me!  I’m not afraid of that dog!” the little boy called to his sister.

“Yes, you did drive him off,” said Sue, proud of her brother.  “You are awful brave, Bunny—­just as brave as when you played soldier and I cured you of the Indian fever, and——­”

“It was arrow fever, I keep tellin’ you!” insisted Bunny.

“Well, arrow fever then,” agreed Sue.  “But is there any milk left, Bunny?”

“Not a drop, Sue,” and Bunny turned the pail upside down to show.

“Well,” said the little girl with a sigh, “then I guess you weren’t brave in time, Bunny.  You didn’t save the milk!”