ow!"
Bunny was willing, for he was hungry too, and the children, taking the
basket of lunch, sat down in a shady place on the shore to eat. As Sue
was taking off the napkins, in which the sandwiches and cakes were
wrapped, she happened to think of something.
"Oh, Bunny!" Sue said. "Part of this lunch was for Bunker Blue."
Bunny thought for a second or two.
"Well, Bunker isn't here now," he said, "and he can't get here, less'n
he swims. I don't guess he'll want any lunch, Sue."
"And anyhow, he can catch a fish," said Sue. "Bunker is good at fishing,
and he likes to eat 'em."
"I wonder where Bunker is now," pondered Bunny.
He looked back up the lake. He could not see the island where they had
left Bunker. It was out of sight around a bend in the lake shore.
"Do you think he'll swim down here and want some lunch?" asked Sue.
"No," answered Bunny. "We can eat all this. Bunker won't come."
And so the children began on their lunch, sharing some of it with
Splash, who, after a bath in the lake, lay down in the sun to dry
himself.
By this time Bunker Blue, back on the far end of the island, had caught
three fine, big fish. He was so excited and glad about getting them
that, for a while, he forgot all about Bunny Brown and his sister Sue.
Then he happened to remember them.
"I'll go back to the boat and get the children," said Bunker Blue to
himself. "They can catch fish here, and that will tickle Bunny. He never
yet caught real big fish like these."
But when Bunker went to the place where he had left Bunny and Sue in the
boat, the children were not there, nor was there any sight of the boat.
Bunker had been fishing by himself longer than he thought, and by this
time Bunny and Sue were out of sight around a bend in the shore.
Bunker rubbed his eyes. Then he looked again. There was no doubt of
it--the boat was gone, and so were the children.
"Where can they be?" asked Bunker, aloud. But there was no one on the
little island to answer him.
Then the red-haired boy happened to think that perhaps Bunny might have
taken the boat around to the other end of the island. Bunker quickly ran
there, but no boat was to be seen.
"They've either drifted away," said Bunker, "or else they've rowed
themselves away. It's too bad; but they know how to behave in a boat,
that's one good thing. They won't try to stand up, and so fall
overboard. I wonder if I could call to them?"
Bunker shouted, but Bunny and Sue w
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