e, and while Mrs. Madden was showing Mrs. Brown about the
house Bunny and Sue ran off by themselves to see what they could find.

Mrs. Madden was just pointing out to Mrs. Brown what a pleasant place
the dining-room was, giving a view of the bay, when suddenly a great
crash sounded throughout the house. It was followed by silence, and then
Sue's voice rang out, saying:

"Oh, Mother! Come quick! Bunny's in! Bunny's in!"

CHAPTER XIV

IN THE DARK

Mrs. Brown, who had been looking at the beautiful view of Christmas Tree
Cove from the window of the bungalow dining-room, turned to Mrs. Madden
when Sue's cry rang out.

"Something has happened to those children!" exclaimed Mrs. Brown. "Where
are they calling from? I must go to them."

"That cry sounded as if it came from the pantry," answered the other
woman. "It's just through that door," and she pointed.

As Mother Brown started for the place Sue called again:

"Please come quick! Bunny's in and he can't get out!"

"What can't he get out of?" asked Mrs. Brown.

Mother Brown pushed open the door leading into the pantry, and there
she saw a strange sight. Sue was standing beside Bunny and trying to
pull him out of a barrel in which he was doubled up in a funny way,
almost as a clown in a circus sometimes doubles himself up to slide
through a keg. Only Bunny was not sliding through. He was doubled up and
stuck in the barrel.

"He's in," explained Sue, "and I can't get him out."

"And I can't get out either!" added Bunny. "I'm stuck!"

"Are you hurt?" asked his mother.

"No, not 'zactly," he replied. "'Cept it sort of pinches me."

Mrs. Brown did not stop to ask how it had happened. She took hold of
Bunny on one side, and Mrs. Madden took hold of him on the other. Then,
while Sue helped them hold down on the barrel, they pulled up on the
little fellow and soon had him out. Luckily the edge of the barrel was
smooth and without any nails, so that Bunny was not scratched nor were
his clothes torn.

"Now tell me about it," said his mother, as she set him on the floor
and led him and Sue out of the small pantry.

"Well, I--I was climbing up on the barrel to see if there was anything
to eat on the shelves," explained Bunny Brown. "And some boards were on
the barrel. I stepped on them, but they slipped; and then----"

"And then Bunny slipped!" broke in Sue. "I saw him slip, but I couldn't
stop him."

"And then I went right on down into the barrel," resu