Splash was on hand with a basket
tied to his neck to deliver the goods. And each customer had picked out
a certain part of the barn as his or her "home" where the things were to
be delivered.
"All ready!" called Bunny Brown. He and Sue were to be clerks in the
store at first; afterward they would take a turn at being customers.
"I want a pound of sugar!" ordered Sadie West, coming up to Bunny,
standing behind his part of the front counter.
"Yes, Ma'am. A pound of sugar!" repeated Bunny, scooping up some sand in
a clam shell. "Nice day, isn't it--Mrs. er--Mrs.----"
"Snyder is my name," said Sadie. "I'm Mrs. Snyder and I live at 756
Oatbin Avenue," she added, as she looked toward the part of the barn she
had picked out for her "house." It was near Toby's oat bin.
"Yes, Ma'am," answered Bunny. "I'll send it right over to Oatbin
Avenue."
He wrapped up the sand-sugar in a piece of paper and took the black
mussel shell which Sadie handed him as her "five-dollar bill." Bunny
placed the shell in the automobile, and started it up the plank to where
Charlie waited. Taking out the large shell, Charlie put in two smaller
ones and a white stone. This was "change."
Back whizzed the auto down the plank until it reached Bunny, who took
out the "change" and handed it to "Mrs. Snyder."
"Please send my sugar right over," she ordered.
"Yes, Ma'am, it will go on the first delivery," Bunny answered, as he
had heard Mr. Gordon, the real grocer, often say.
"Here, Splash!" called Bunny, and his dog, with the basket on his neck,
came running up, wagging his tail.
"Oh, look out!" cried Sue, who was acting as a clerk next to Bunny.
"What's the matter?" Bunny asked.
"Splash is wagging his tail so hard that he'll knock down my eggs!"
complained Sue.
Of course the "eggs" were only pine cones from the woods near by, but
when you are playing store you must pretend everything is real, or else
it isn't any fun.
"Keep your tail still, Splash!" cried Bunny. But the dog seemed only to
wag it the harder.
Splash might have knocked down all the "eggs" and done other damage in
the store had not Bunny placed Mrs. Snyder's sugar in the basket and
sent his pet to deliver the make-believe sweet stuff.
And Splash delivered it very carefully, too. Sadie had gone back to her
home at "756 Oatbin Avenue" to wait for her sugar, and when it came she
took it from the basket on Splash's neck. Then the dog went back to the
barn store to
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