rings."

"Is Toby the name of your pony?" asked Sue.

"Yes, little girl, Toby is his name. And he is a nice little Shetland
pony," and he stroked the fluffy mane and rubbed the velvety nose of the
little animal, that seemed to be all right now.

"Oh, Daddy! will you?" suddenly exclaimed Bunny.

"Will I what?" asked Mr. Brown, rather surprised and puzzled.

"Will you buy that pony for us?" eagerly begged Sue. "Bunny whispered to
me that we could have a lot of fun with him if you would buy him."

So that was what Bunny whispered to his Sister Sue!

"Buy this pony for you?" exclaimed Mr. Brown. "Is that what you mean?"

"Yes, please," said Bunny. "We--we'd love it!"

Bunker Blue went up to the little horse and patted its back. The
Shetland pony seemed to like the fish boy.

"Is he tame?" asked Bunny.

"Very tame," answered the short man.

"Could I pat him?" Sue questioned.

"Of course you could!" said the man. "Come right up to him, Toby loves
children. It's only big autos, which remind him of circus wagons, that
scare him."

"We had a circus once," went on Bunny, as he and Sue approached the
pony. "But we didn't have any little horses in it."

"We had our dog, Splash," added Sue.

"Well, I guess that was nice," the man said.

The children patted Toby, who rubbed his velvety nose against them.

"I'm sorry your harness broke," said Mr. Brown. "You must let me pay for
having it fixed, since it was the fault of my big auto that your pony
ran away, Mr.----" and the children's father waited for the other man to
tell his name. "I am Mr. Brown," went on the fish and boat dealer, after
a moment of silence.

"Oh, yes, I have heard of you," replied the other. "Well, I guess you'll
laugh when you hear my name."

"Why?" asked Mr. Brown. "Why should we laugh?"

"Because it's so different from what I am. You see, I am very short, do
you not?"

"You are certainly not a very tall man," said Mr. Brown, with a smile.

"And yet I am," observed the other.

"You are _what_?"

"I am Vera Tallman," was the answer. "That really is my name, strange as
it may sound," he went on, smiling at Mr. Brown, who was smiling at him.
"Vera is the last name of my grandfather, and I am called after him.
Tallman is my own last name, and I had to be called that though I am
very short. It is quite a joke with my friends. I say to them I am a
short Tallman or a short man who is Vera Tallman."

"Oh, I see!" laughed Mr. Brown. "Well,