urt
anybody."

"But how did it get to school?" asked Miss Bradley.

"It's in my big pencil box," Bunny answered. "I brought my pencil box to
school this morning, but I didn't open it and----"

"Teacher! Teacher! I know!" exclaimed Sue, raising her hand to show that
she had something to tell.

"Well, how did it happen?" asked Miss Bradley.

"If you please, Teacher," said the little girl, "Bunny's pencil box was
out in the barn where we keep the alligators. He left it there when we
played school the other day. This morning Bunny couldn't find his pencil
box, but it was out in the barn. He brought it in from there and we came
to school."

"And I guess," said Bunny, finishing the story his sister had started,
"that Judy climbed into my pencil box in the night and went to sleep
there and I didn't see her."

This seemed to be as good an explanation as any, and was probably the
way it had happened. Anyhow there was the little alligator in the
pencil box inside Bunny's desk. The scaly creature had crawled in and
then out, and when Bunny went up to recite the little creature had
thrust its snout out beneath the partly raised lid. It was this that
Sadie West had seen and thought was a mouse.

"Well, Bunny," said Miss Bradley, "I know it wasn't your fault, so we'll
say nothing more about it. Only, after this, please look in your pencil
boxes before you bring them to school."

"I will," promised Sue's brother.

"And now I'll excuse you from class while you take your alligator home,"
went on Miss Bradley.

"I can help him, Miss Bradley, if he wants me to," offered Charlie Star.
"I know a lot about alligators."

"No, thank you," replied the teacher with a smile. "This alligator is so
little I think Bunny can manage it alone. Now we will go on with our
lessons!"

There was something like a sigh of disappointment among the children.
For they had all welcomed the happening, since it gave them a sort of
recess. But now they must pay attention to their books.

Bunny shut Judy up in his pencil box, as the easiest way of carrying the
little alligator, and soon he was on his way home with his pet.

"Why, Bunny! what's the matter?" his mother asked, as he came into the
house. "Why are you home?"

"I had to bring back one of the alligators," he explained.

"Ha! Ha!" laughed Uncle Tad. "Like Mary's lamb, the alligator followed
you to school one day, did it, Bunny?"

"She didn't 'zactly follow me," Bunny explained, as he