ut one of
his books in hurriedly, and the desk lid rested on this.

As the teacher raised the desk lid and looked in, the room was very
quiet. Some of the girls almost held their breaths. One of them covered
her eyes with her hands, lest she might, by accident, see the mouse.

Sadie West leaned forward eagerly, anxious, in a way, that a mouse
should be found, for that would make her story true, and she was sure,
in her own mind, that she had seen a mouse. Bunny, too, looked eagerly
at Miss Bradley, and so did Sue, from the other side of the room.

"Grab a book, everybody!" said Charlie Star in a hoarse whisper to the
other boys. "Grab a book, and if the mouse runs out we'll bang him!"

Charlie was an active little chap, almost as lively as Bunny Brown
himself.

Miss Bradley heard what Charlie said and, with the desk lid half raised,
she said:

"No, boys! No throwing of books, if you please! Should there be a mouse
in the desk I can call the janitor to get it out."

"Oh, let me get it out!" begged Bunny.

There was no time to say more, for now Miss Bradley had Bunny's desk lid
fully raised. She looked inside for a moment, then with a queer look on
her face she closed the desk again and moved away.

"Did you see it, Teacher? Did you see the little mouse--same as I did?"
eagerly asked Sadie.

"No," answered Miss Bradley. "There isn't a mouse in the desk, but there
is a little alligator!"

"Alligator!" cried the girls--that is, all but Sue.

"Alligator!" shouted the boys.

"Let's see it!" cried Charlie Star.

"Quiet, children! Quiet!" ordered Miss Bradley. Then, turning to Bunny
she asked: "Did you bring that little alligator to school?"

"No'm," Bunny answered.

"Is it yours?" went on Miss Bradley.

"Well, I have some pet alligators home," Bunny admitted. "Half of 'em's
Sue's. We got one of 'em down South, and Daddy bought the rest. But I
didn't bring any to school. If you let me look I can tell if it's mine
or Sue's."

"I'll help!" offered Charlie Star. "I know Bunny's alligators, too!"

"No, let Bunny manage his own pets," said the teacher. "Come here,
Bunny, and see what really is in your desk. I can't understand how an
alligator would get in there if you didn't bring it."

Bunny opened his desk cover, the other boys wishing they had his chance
to "show off" this way right in the school room. Bunny looked inside and
then laughed.

"Yes," he said, "it's Judy, the littlest alligator. She won't h