med Bunny. "And I
was stuck there, and Sue hollored like anything, and--well, I didn't
find a single thing to eat," he ended.

"No, I didn't order any food for you, as I didn't know just what you'd
want," explained Mrs. Madden. "If you're hungry," she said to the
children, "you can come over to my cottage--it isn't far--and I can give
you some bread and milk."

"Oh, I am hungry!" said Bunny.

"So'm I," added Sue.

"I couldn't think of troubling you," put in Mrs. Brown. "We have some
things on the boat, and----"

"I've just baked some cookies," went on Mrs. Madden, who lived at
Christmas Tree Cove all the year around. "I'm sure the children would
like them. My boy and girl, who are about the same age as yours, like my
cookies very much;" and she smiled at Bunny and Sue.

"Oh, Mother," began Bunny, "couldn't we----"

"Let me take them over and give them a little lunch while you are
getting things to rights," urged the kind woman to Mrs. Brown. "It will
be no trouble at all, and Rose and Jimmie will be glad to see them."

"Are they your children?" asked Bunny.

"Yes, dear. And they'll be glad if you'll play with them."

"Very well, they may go. And thank you very much for the invitation,"
said Mrs. Brown. "It will be better to have them out of the way when the
men are bringing in the trunks and things. But I hope they will give you
no trouble. Don't fall into any more barrels, Bunny!"

"I won't," promised the little boy. "I wouldn't 'a' fallen in this one
if the boards hadn't slipped."

"It's the flour barrel," explained Mrs. Madden. "The family that was
here last year used to have a regular cover for the barrel, but one of
the boys took the cover to make a boat of, and after that they put some
loose boards back on."

"I'll have Mr. Brown make a new cover for the barrel," said Mrs. Brown.
"But that doesn't mean, Bunny, that you may climb on it again," she
added.

"Oh, I won't," he agreed. "I was just climbing up to see if there was
anything to eat on the pantry shelves. But I won't have to do that if
you're going to give us some cookies," he added, looking at Mrs. Madden.

"Yes, I'm going to give you some cookies," she laughed. "Come along.
I'll bring them back safely," she added.

So, while Mr. Brown, Captain Ross, Bunker Blue and Uncle Tad carried the
things up to the bungalow from the boat and dock, Bunny and Sue followed
Mrs. Madden to her cottage not far from the bungalow. Mr. Madden was a
clammer