ed Sue.

"That's Peter," was the answer, and before any one could ask who Peter
was, if they had wished to, there came a loud crow from the basket.

"A rooster!" cried Mrs. Brown.

"Yes," said Bunny. "Peter--he's George's pet bantam rooster. And he
crowed at the wrong time in the practice to-day--I mean Peter crowed--so
I took him down into Mr. Raymond's cellar. And then I forgot all about
him, and I left him there, and I thought of him after supper, and I
guessed he'd be hungry, so I went back to get him."

"Yes, that's just what he did," said the hardware man. "I was busy
waiting on late Christmas Eve customers, when in came Bunny, all covered
with snow. I didn't know what he meant when he told me he'd come back
for the rooster, for I'd forgotten about the bird myself.

"Nothing would do but he must bring Peter home, and, knowing what a bad
storm it was, I came back with him. I'd have telephoned, but my wire's
out of order, so I couldn't reach you, and I didn't want to stop to go
anywhere else. So I brought him over in my auto."

"It was very kind of you," said Mr. Brown.

"And, Bunny, it was very wrong of you to go away without telling us,"
said Mrs. Brown.

"I'm sorry," answered the little boy. "But I thought maybe Peter'd be
lonesome all alone in the dark, and on Christmas Eve too."

"That's so!" laughed Mr. Raymond. "I guess, Mrs. Brown, you'll have to
forgive Bunny on account of it's being Christmas Eve."

"Did you hang up your stocking, Mr. Raymond?" asked Sue, and they all
laughed at that, so that every one felt better, and Bunny was not
scolded, as perhaps he ought to have been.

"Well, I must get back to my store," said the hardware man. "Merry
Christmas to you, and I'll see you all at the play to-morrow!"

"Yes, we'll all be there!" cried Bunny. "You're going to have a free
ticket, you know!"

This had been decided on, because Mr. Raymond was so kind about letting
the children have the new hall he had fitted up.

"Good-nights," and more "Merry Christmas" greetings were called back and
forth, and then, as the hardware man left in his automobile, to go
chugging through the storm, Bunny Brown and his sister Sue hung up their
stockings for Santa Claus and went to bed.

"Oh, I'm so happy; aren't you, Bunny?" laughed Sue. "Christmas will be
here in the morning, and we're going to have a play an'--everything
lovely!"

"Yes," answered Bunny. "I'm glad, and I'm glad I got Peter so he won't
have to