“That was kind of you.  But you, too, must be careful, son,” his mother told him.

On their way to school the next day Bunny and Sue went past Mrs. Golden’s store to ask how she was.  They found her smiling and cheerful, little the worse for her tumble.

“My son Philip is going to make me some lower shelves,” she said.

“Then I can help reach things down for you,” exclaimed Sue, with a smile.

“Yes, dearie,” murmured Mrs. Golden.

“Wouldn’t it be fun if we had a little store like that?” said Sue to Bunny, as they hurried along, to school.  “I mean a real store, with real things to sell, and we could take in real money.”

“Yes, it would be lots of fun!” agreed Bunny.  “But I don’t s’pose it will ever happen.”

However, something very like that was to happen, almost before the children knew it.

“Yes,” went on Bunny, when they had almost reached the school, “it would be dandy to have a store like Mrs. Golden’s!”

“Maybe you will have some day—­when you grow up,” replied Sue.

“That’s a long way off,” sighed Bunny, as he looked down at his little, short legs.

There was nothing to disturb the school classes that morning.  No pet alligators were found in the desk of Bunny or any of the other pupils, and neither Sadie West nor any of the other girls thought she saw a mouse.

However, something happened in the afternoon.  It was a warm day, early in summer, though the long vacation had not yet come.  The windows were open and the bright sun streamed in.

After a period of study Miss Bradley called the first class in spelling.  Bunny and Sue were in this division, and they went up to the front seats where Miss Bradley heard all recitations.

“Sadie West, please spell church,” called Miss Bradley.  Sadie spelled the word right.

“Sue Brown, please spell horse,” called the teacher, and Sue did not make a miss.

“Now, Bunny, it is your turn,” said the teacher, with a smile.  “Your word is cracker.”

Bunny paused a moment.

“C—­r—­a——­” he began.

Then suddenly, sounding throughout the school room, a harsh voice cried: 

“Cracker!  Cracker!  Give me a cracker!”

Miss Bradley hurriedly stood up beside her chair.  What pupil had thus dared to speak aloud in school?

CHAPTER VI

A BUSY BUZZER

Bunny, Sue and the other children were just as much surprised as was Miss Bradley when that strange, harsh voice called out.  And it needed but a look at the faces of her pupils to show the teacher that none of them had broken one of the rules of the classroom.

Bunny still held his mouth open, for he was half way through the spelling of the word “cracker.”  He was about to keep on, when once more the voice called: 

“Cracker!  Cracker!  Polly wants a cracker!”