nza," was Mr. Bunn's answer.
"Then here it is back again," said Mr. Brown, and he gave to the
alligator farmer the paper Bunny had picked out of the snow some weeks
before.
Then the whole story was told, and you can imagine how glad and
surprised Mr. Bunn was. He had never expected to see his nephew's
property again, and he had not told about the loss nor notified the oil
company, for fear his nephew would hear of it and be angry.
"I was just going to let it go and say nothing," said Mr. Bunn. "I
thought I could make enough extra on my alligators to pay my nephew back
for the loss. But now I don't have to! I'm so glad I met you children!"
he added. "But for that I would never have this back," and he put into
his pocket the green and gold certificate. He wanted to give Mr. Brown a
reward for the children, but their mother said rescuing them from the
alligators was reward enough.
"But they were my own 'gators, and, really, Bunny and Sue were in no
great danger," said Mr. Bunn. "They could have scared the 'gators away."
But Mr. Brown would accept no reward, though later Mr. Bunn did send
Bunny and Sue a tiny live alligator for a pet, and they kept it for some
time, for it grew quite tame and would eat bits of meat from their
fingers--at least from Bunny's, for Sue never learned to like their
scaly pet.
Meanwhile Mr. Bunn had gone back down the river to his alligator farm.
He said he would get his men together and capture the big lizards that
had got away.
Bunny and Sue had many more days of fun in the sunny South, and they ate
all the oranges they wanted.
But what Bunny talked about most when he and Sue reached their Northern
home was the adventure with the alligators on the little island.
Before they went home, however, Bunny and Sue went to Mr. Bunn's queer
"farm," and saw hundreds of alligators where they were kept in pens.
Most of those that broke away had been captured again. Mr. Bunn's nephew
came down to help his uncle, and was given his oil stock certificate,
never knowing how nearly it had been lost.
"Well, we must soon think of going back North again," said Mr. Brown one
day, as he saw Bunny and Sue playing out under the orange trees.
"Oh, not just yet!" begged the children. "We want to have a little more
fun!"
And so, while Bunny Brown and his sister Sue are having fun, we will
take leave of them.
THE END
* * * * *
THE BUNNY BROWN SERIES
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