and hurt his leg,
so he and Sue gave it up.

[Illustration: THE CHILDREN SAW MANY WONDERFUL THINGS IN THE STORES.
_Page 243._

_Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue at Aunt Lu's City Home._]

Two weeks passed. It would soon be Christmas now. Bunny and Sue were
taken through the New York stores by their mother and aunt, and the
children saw the many wonderful things Santa Claus's workers had made
for boys and girls--dolls, sleds, skates, toy-airships, Teddy bears,
Noah's arks, spinning tops, choo-choo cars, electric trains, dancing
clowns--little make-believe circuses, magic lanterns--so many things
that Bunny and Sue could not remember half of them.

The children had written their Christmas letters, and put them on the
mantel one night.

In the morning the letters were gone, so, of course, Santa Claus must
have taken them.

Then it was the night before Christmas. Oh, how happy Bunny and Sue
felt! They hung up their stockings and went to bed. Their rooms were
next to one another with an open door between.

"Bunny," whispered Sue, as Mother Brown went out, after turning low the
light; "Bunny, is you asleep?"

"No, Sue. Are you?"

"Nope. I don't feel sleepy. But does you think Santa Claus will surely
come down that little chimney, when Aunt Lu hasn't got a fireplace for
him?"

"I--I guess so, Sue."

"Come, you children must get quiet and go to sleep!" called Mother
Brown. "It will be Christmas, and Santa Claus will be here all the
quicker, if you go to sleep."

And at last Bunny Brown and his sister Sue did go to sleep. The sun was
not up when they awoke, but it was Christmas morning.

"Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!" cried Bunny and Sue as they ran to
where they had hung their stockings.

They found many presents on the chairs, over the backs of which hung
their stockings, which were filled with candy and nuts.

"Oh, Santa Claus came! Santa Claus came!" cried Sue.

"Yep! He found the chimney all right!" laughed Bunny.

And such a Merry Christmas as the children had! There were presents for
Mother Brown, and Aunt Lu, and some for Mary the cook, and Jane, the
housemaid, and later in the day, when Sallie and her aunt came, there
were presents for them, also.

And when dinner time came, and the big turkey, all nice and brown, was
taken from the oven, and put on the table, Mother Brown said:

"And now for the best present of all!"

She opened a door, and out stepped Daddy Brown!

"Merry Christmas, Bun