ere picked
up, and then Bunny and Sue went on playing, using only the low ironing
board shelf, which was made over the seats of two chairs. They took
turns keeping store and doing the buying, and had a great deal of fun.

But even making believe keep a hardware store gets tiresome after a
while, especially if there are only two playing, and after a while Bunny
Brown and his sister Sue wanted something else to interest them.

"'Tisn't raining quite so hard now," Sue observed, after a look from the
window.

"That's right!" cried Bunny. "Oh, say! Maybe we can go out in the barn
and feed our alligators!"

"That'll be fun," agreed Sue. "And I guess they're hungry; don't you,
Bunny?"

"Yes, I guess so. Let's go ask mother if we can feed 'em."

"I know she'll say yes, so I'll get some scraps of meat from Mary," said
Sue.

As the rain was slackening and as Mrs. Brown knew that the alligators
might need food, she told the children they could go out to the barn if
they put on their rubber boots and coats.

"Aren't you afraid the alligators will bite you?" asked Mary, as she cut
up some bits of meat for the children.

"Course not; we aren't afraid!" boasted Bunny. "They're only little
alligators, and they're real tame."

One of the long-tailed, scaly pets given to the children by Mr. Bunn had
been brought from the South where the Browns spent part of the winter,
and later Mr. Brown had gotten some others. The alligators were kept in
a tank of water in the barn. Bunny and Sue wanted the alligators kept in
the house, but Mrs. Brown insisted that the barn was the place for pets
of that sort.

Out into the rain storm, which was now almost over, went Bunny Brown and
his sister Sue to feed the alligators. There were three or four of the
scaly creatures, and as the children drew near the tank the alligators
came crawling out of the water up on some bits of wood and stone that
made a resting place for them. For alligators cannot stay under water
all the while, as can a fish. They must come out every now and then to
get air.

"Oh, look at Judy!" cried Sue, dangling a piece of meat in front of the
nose of one of the queer pets. "She's awful hungry!"

"And so is Jim!" said Bunny, feeding another of the creatures. They
lifted up their long snouts, opened their mouths, and took in the pieces
of meat.

"Where's Jumbo?" suddenly asked Sue. "I don't see him!"

"Maybe he got out!" said Bunny, for the largest of the pet alligato