When the other children heard this plan they were much delighted.  Soon the store was ready for business.  Boards had been placed across the boxes and a tier of shelves made, the top one so high that a long box had to be used like a stepladder to reach it.  On the shelves were placed different things picked up around the barn, in the yard, and in the patch of woods not far away, or brought from the shore of the brook.

Then the boys and girls divided themselves up, some were to be customers to buy things in the store, while others were to be clerks to wait on the customers.  Charlie took his place at the end of the tier of shelves to act as cashier.  From the end of the shelves to his box ran a long narrow plank on which the auto change-carrier was to run.

Finally everything was ready, even to torn pieces of newspaper in which the things bought were to be wrapped.  Splash was on hand with a basket tied to his neck to deliver the goods.  And each customer had picked out a certain part of the barn as his or her “home” where the things were to be delivered.

“All ready!” called Bunny Brown.  He and Sue were to be clerks in the store at first; afterward they would take a turn at being customers.

“I want a pound of sugar!” ordered Sadie West, coming up to Bunny, standing behind his part of the front counter.

“Yes, Ma’am.  A pound of sugar!” repeated Bunny, scooping up some sand in a clam shell.  “Nice day, isn’t it—­Mrs. er—­Mrs.——­”

“Snyder is my name,” said Sadie.  “I’m Mrs. Snyder and I live at 756 Oatbin Avenue,” she added, as she looked toward the part of the barn she had picked out for her “house.”  It was near Toby’s oat bin.

“Yes, Ma’am,” answered Bunny.  “I’ll send it right over to Oatbin Avenue.”

He wrapped up the sand-sugar in a piece of paper and took the black mussel shell which Sadie handed him as her “five-dollar bill.”  Bunny placed the shell in the automobile, and started it up the plank to where Charlie waited.  Taking out the large shell, Charlie put in two smaller ones and a white stone.  This was “change.”

Back whizzed the auto down the plank until it reached Bunny, who took out the “change” and handed it to “Mrs. Snyder.”

“Please send my sugar right over,” she ordered.

“Yes, Ma’am, it will go on the first delivery,” Bunny answered, as he had heard Mr. Gordon, the real grocer, often say.

“Here, Splash!” called Bunny, and his dog, with the basket on his neck, came running up, wagging his tail.

“Oh, look out!” cried Sue, who was acting as a clerk next to Bunny.

“What’s the matter?” Bunny asked.

“Splash is wagging his tail so hard that he’ll knock down my eggs!” complained Sue.

Of course the “eggs” were only pine cones from the woods near by, but when you are playing store you must pretend everything is real, or else it isn’t any fun.

“Keep your tail still, Splash!” cried Bunny.  But the dog seemed only to wag it the harder.