er's dock.

Though the wharf was near the bay, where the water was deep, Bunny and
his sister were allowed to go there if they first stopped at the office,
on the land-end of the dock, and told their father they had come to see
him. In that way Mrs. Brown knew they would not fall into the water, for
Mr. Brown would have Bunker Blue, or some of his other helpers, stay
with the children until they were ready to go home again.

Bunny and his sister always liked to go to their father's dock. There
were many things to see--the boats coming in or going out, sometimes big
catches of fish being unloaded, to be afterward packed in barrels with
ice, so they would keep fresh to be sent to the big city. Once a boat
came in with a big shark that had been caught in the fish nets, and once
Bunker Blue was pinched by a big lobster that he thought was asleep on
the dock.

So down to their father's office went Bunny Brown and his Sister Sue,
but when they looked in the room where Mr. Brown was usually to be
found, he was not there. However, Bunker Blue was.

"Hello, messmates!" called the boy in greeting.

"Hello," answered Bunny. "Is my father here?"

"No, he just went home," said Bunker. "Didn't you meet him?"

"No," answered Sue, with a shake of her head. "We didn't see him, and we
just came from home."

"Well, maybe he had to stop at a store first," said Bunker.

"Did he have our pony?" asked Bunny eagerly. "Maybe he stopped in a
store to get the harness, Sue!"

"Or the cart!" added Bunny's sister.

Bunker Blue smiled and shook his head.

"No," he said slowly. "I'm sorry, but your father didn't get any pony.
He had a letter from a man he wrote to about one, but this man didn't
have any to sell."

"Oh, dear!" sighed Bunny. "I don't guess we're ever going to have that
pony!"

"I don't guess so, too," added the little girl. "What'll we do now,
Bunny?"

"Let's go home and ask daddy about it," suggested her brother. "Maybe
he's heard _something_ about a pony."

"Be sure to go straight home!" warned Bunker Blue. "Else I'll have to go
with you."

"We'll go straight home," promised Bunny, as he started off, his
sister's hand in his.

When they promised this Bunny and Sue were allowed to go back and forth
between their father's office and their home alone. For the street was
almost a straight one, and, as they knew the way and many persons living
along it knew the children, Mrs. Brown felt no harm would come to them.