wouldn't have a good time."

That night Lucile and Mart stayed at the Brown house, which was to be
their home for some time, and Mr. Treadwell went to board with the
Winklers.

"And when you come over in the morning tell us all about the monkey and
parrot!" begged Bunny, as the actor started for his boarding place that
evening.

"I will," was the promise.

"When are we going to get the scenery for our play, Daddy?" asked Bunny
Brown, as he and his sister Sue were getting ready for bed that night.

"I'll take you over to-morrow after school," was the promise. And you
can well imagine that the two children could hardly wait for the time to
come.

The air was clear and cold, and it seemed as if there would be more snow
when Mr. Brown brought around the automobile in which the trip to
Wayville was to be made. Bunny and Sue, Lucile and Mart were to sit in
the back, while Mr. Brown and Mr. Treadwell sat in front. They were
going to the place where the theatrical scenery had been stored since
the time the vaudeville troupe had got into trouble.

"I'm glad winter is coming, aren't you?" asked Bunny of Mart, as they
rode along the roads which were still covered with snow from the first
storm.

"Well, yes, I like winter," was the answer. "It's always the best time
for the show business--'tisn't like a circus--that does best in the
summer time."

"We had our circus in summer," said Sue. "Now we're going to have a real
theater show in the winter."

The automobile was going down a snowy hill into Wayville, and Mr. Brown
had put on the brakes, for, once or twice, the machine had slid from
side to side.

"I ought to have chains on the back wheels," said the fish merchant to
Mr. Treadwell. "But if I go slowly I guess I'll be all right. Do you
think we need any more scenery than the three sets you spoke of--the
barnyard, the orchard and the meadow?"

"No, I think that will be enough," said the actor. "The children only
want something simple. You can tell when you see it."

"Can we pick apples in the orchard?" asked Sue.

Before Mr. Treadwell could answer something happened. Mr. Brown turned
out to one side of the road to let another automobile pass, and, a
moment later, his machine began sliding to one side at a place where
there was a deep gully.

"Oh!" screamed Lucile. "We're going to upset!"

CHAPTER IX

BUNNY DOES A TRICK

Nearer and nearer to the side of the deep gully, across the road that
was sl