ammering a trifle and making a little mistake, for this was the first
time he had acted before such a large crowd. But no one laughed.

"Can you turn somersaults?" asked Sue.

"Yes, I'll show you!" answered Bunny. And then, on the stage, he began
turning over and over.

All this was part of the play, of course, and Bunny was loudly clapped
for the way in which he turned head over heels. He had practiced these
somersaults many times, and Mart had helped him.

"Well, if you can make her happy by doing that maybe I can make her
happier by singing a song," said Sue. "I'll practice my song while she's
asleep as you practiced your somersaults."

And so Sue began to sing, while Lucile pretended to be asleep. After
Sue's song Mart was supposed to come along, being a boy who had run away
from a circus, and he was to watch Bunny try to turn a handspring. Bunny
was to make believe he couldn't turn a handspring very well, and Mart
would then take the center of the stage.

"Here! Look at me do a flipflop!" cried Mart, and then he really did
some very good tricks for a boy acrobat.

All this while Lucile was pretending to be asleep, and when Mart's
tricks were over she was supposed to wake up suddenly. At this point Sue
was to see the pretend tramp, who, of course, was only Mr. Treadwell
dressed up in old clothes.

Everything went off very well. Along through the meadow walked the actor
tramp, and then, when Sue and Bunny called for "Snap," out rushed
Splash.

"Grab him!" cried Bunny, and his dog caught hold of the loose piece of
cloth sewed to Mr. Treadwell's coat. Then began a funny scene, with the
actor pulling one way and Splash pulling the other, until, with a rip,
the cloth came loose and Splash began shaking it as he might a rat.

Well, you should have heard the people laugh and clap at that! They
wanted that scene done over again, but of course this wasn't like a
song, with two verses. Mr. Treadwell only had one patch sewed on his
coat, and when that was torn off he didn't want Splash to pretend to
bite him again.

Finally the dog act came to an end and the little play went on with
George and Mary Watson, Harry Bentley, fat Bobbie Boomer, Sadie West,
Charlie Star and Helen Newton, besides other boys and girls, taking
part. They all did well, and the fathers and mothers and strangers, too,
applauded very loudly.

Lucile's Uncle Bill could hear all that was said, though he could see
nothing, and he seemed to enjo