Just after the second scene, which took place partly in the barnyard, and partly in the barn itself, Will Laydon came walking out to the middle of the stage where Mr. Treadwell stood.

“They—­they’re gone!” exclaimed Will, seemingly much excited.

“Just a moment,” said the actor, who was talking to Mrs. Brown.  “I’ll attend to you in a minute, Will.”

“But they’re gone!” exclaimed the boy, and Mrs. Brown and the other ladies turned to look at him in some surprise.  “My white mice got out of their cage just now,” said Will, “and they’re running all over.  My white mice are loose!”

CHAPTER XIV

SPLASH HANGS ON

For a while there was a good deal of excitement and wild scampering about.  Mice ran here and mice ran there.  Children scrambled after them or scrambled to get out of their way.  There were cries and shrieks and laughter.

One little white mouse, frightened and not knowing where to go, ran up the dress skirt and into the lap of the mother of Bunny Brown and his sister Sue.

“Come here, Will, and come quick,” called Mrs. Brown to the owner of the white mice.  “I do not like your sort of pet, come and take it away—­and come quick, I say!”

“All right, I’ll come,” answered Will.

“Don’t be frightened,” called out Mr. Treadwell.  “I’m sure Will’s white mice are too well-trained to harm any one.”

“Oh, we’re not afraid!”

“They won’t hurt anybody,” said the boy who owned the white pets, and who was going to have them do little tricks during the show.  “Why, they’re so tame they’ll crawl all over you and go to sleep in your pocket!”

“Oh, take ’em away!  Take ’em away!” cried one girl.  “I wouldn’t have come if I had known there were to be any mice!”

“But they’re white mice,” said Will, “and I didn’t know they were out of the cage.  Somebody must have opened the door.”

“I’ll help you hunt for the white mice,” offered Bunny Brown.  “I’m not afraid of ’em!”

“I aren’t, either,” added Sue.

“I’m not zactly ’fraid of ’em,” said Helen Newton, “but they make you feel so ticklish when they crawl on you!”

“They’re nice,” said Bunny Brown, as he crawled under a chair to coax a white mouse that was trying to hide behind a paper bag.  “And they’ll do some nice tricks in our show.”

It took some little time to catch all the white mice.  Will made sure, by counting twice, that he had every one of his pets back in their wire cage.

Then Mr. Treadwell told the mothers of the little girls what sort of costumes the young actresses and actors must have for the different parts in the play.  Everything was very simple, and no costly costumes need be bought.

“You see we want to make all the money we can for the Home for the Blind,” explained Bunny.

“That’s a good idea,” said Mrs. West.  “I think the children are just perfectly fine to do things like this.  It teaches them to be kind.”