lly fun
they had had in the country, on grandpa's farm.

After a while the sun, that had been shining brightly all day, began to
get ready to go to bed, down back of the hills where the clouds would
cover it up until morning. And it was time also, for Bunny Brown and his
sister Sue to go to bed. All the little folk of the town of Bellemere
were getting sleepy.

How long Bunny and Sue slept they did not know. But Bunny was dreaming
he had turned into a fish, and was going to flop into the water, and Sue
was dreaming that she and her doll were having a fine ride in a motor
boat, when both children were awakened by the loud ringing of a bell.

"Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!" went the bell.

"Is that our door bell?" asked Sue of Bunny, who slept in the room next
to hers, the door being open between.

"No, I guess it's a church bell," said Bunny, half awake.

Then he and his sister heard their father moving around his room.

"What is it, Walter?" asked Mrs. Brown.

"It's a midnight alarm," he answered. "I guess it must be a fire, though
it's the church bell that's ringing. I can't see any blaze from my
window, but it must be a fire, or why would they ring the bell?"

"And why should they ring the church bell, when we have a fire bell?"
asked Mrs. Brown.

"I don't know," answered her husband. "I guess I'd better get up, and
see what it is. I wouldn't want any of my boats to burn up."

CHAPTER II

BUNNY AND SUE GO OUT

Bunny Brown, in his little room, and Sue Brown, in hers, jumped out of
bed and ran to the window. They could hear the ringing of the church
bell more plainly now.

"Ding-dong! Ding-dong!" it sounded through the silence of the night. It
was not altogether dark, for there was a big, bright moon in the sky,
and it was almost as light as a cloudy day.

"Can you see any blaze?" Bunny and Sue heard their mother ask their
father.

"No, not a thing. But it's funny that that bell should ring. I'm going
out to see what it is."

"I'll come with you," said Mrs. Brown. "I'll just put on my slippers, a
bath robe and a cloak, and come along. It's so warm that I'll not get
cold."

"All right, come along," said Mr. Brown. "The children are asleep and
they won't miss us."

Bunny and Sue felt like laughing when they heard this. They were not
asleep, but their father and mother did not know they were awake. Pretty
soon Mr. and Mrs. Brown slipped quietly down the stairs and out of the
house--out