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"Yes, now we'll give him some," agreed Mr. Tallman, and the little horse seemed to like them very much.
"Did he do this trick in the circus?" asked Bunny.
"No, I taught him this after that time," answered Mr. Tallman. "In the circus, though, Toby used to stand on his hind legs with a lot of other ponies in a ring, and a monkey used to ride around on his back. We haven't any monkey now, so we can't do that trick."
"Mr. Winkler has a monkey!" exclaimed Bunny. "His name is Wango -- the monkey's name is, I mean. Maybe we could get him to ride on Toby's back."
"Not unless the monkey is taught to do it," replied Mr. Tallman. "I guess we hadn't better try that just yet."
"No, indeed!" exclaimed Mrs. Brown.
"Wango is always getting into mischief, too. I don't want him around."
"But could you make Toby stand on his hind legs?" asked Sue.
"I think so," answered the visitor. And when the pony had finished his oats Mr. Tallman stood in front of him, and, holding out a broom handle, as the ring-master in a circus holds out his whip, called:
"Up, Toby! Up!"
Then, to the surprise and delight of Bunny and Sue, Toby rose on his hind legs, and pranced around the barn floor, almost as well as Splash, the dog, could stand on his hind legs.
"Oh, that's three tricks he can do!" cried Bunny. "Our pony can do three tricks! He can stand on his hind legs, he can open his oat box, and he can bring back a handkerchief."
"And he can let a monkey ride on his back," added Mr. Tallman. "But we won't do that trick now."
Bunny and Sue rather wished they could see Wango riding on Toby's back, but they knew, as well as did their mother, that Mr. Winkler's pet sometimes did mischievous as well as funny tricks. Perhaps it was better not to have him ride Toby.
"Well, I'm glad you like my pony, or, rather, the pony that used to be mine," said Mr. Tallman, as he was leaving. "If you are kind and good to him, as I know you will be, perhaps you can teach him other tricks."
"Oh, yes! That's what I'm going to do!" cried Bunny. "And then we can take him to the circus!"
"No!" cried Sue. "You can't take my pony to the circus! I own half of Toby, don't I, Mother?"
"Well, yes, I suppose so. But I don't believe Bunny would really take him to any circus."
"Oh, no, I only meant a make-believe circus, like we played once before," said the little boy.
"Oh, yes, we can do that," agreed Sue.
Mr. Tallman told Bunny and Sue some other simple tricks they might teach Toby to do, and then he said good-bye to the pony and started back home.
"And we hope you'll find your red-and-yellow box," said Sue, as she waved her hand.
"So do I," added the man who had been robbed, so that he was made poor and had to sell Toby. "I hope so, too!"
"Every time we go out riding in our pony cart we'll look for your box," promised Bunny, and Mr. Tallman said that was very kind of them.
After the visitor had gone Bunny and Sue wanted to hitch Toby up again, and drive down to their father's dock to tell him about the new trick the pony could do. But Mrs. Brown said it would be better to let the pony rest awhile and tell Mr. Brown about him when he came home in the evening.
This Bunny and Sue did, and they took their father out to the barn and showed him how Toby could take the measure out from under the bushel basket, and drop it in the oat box.
"And maybe you can make him stand on his hind legs," added Bunny.
"I'll try," said Mr. Brown. And he did. And, surely enough, when the broomstick was held crosswise in front of him, up rose Toby on his hind legs, just as when Mr. Tallman had told him to.
It was about a week after this, and Bunny and Sue had learned to drive Toby quite well, that their mother called to them:
"Children, will you go to the store for me in your pony cart? I need some sugar for a cake."
"We'll get it, Mother!" answered Bunny, and he and Sue hurried out to the barn. With the help of the hired girl they hitched Toby to the cart, and soon they were driving down the street to the store, Splash, their dog, who was called that because he had once splashed into the water after Sue, who had fallen in, and pul...
Bunny and Sue went in the store together to get the sugar, and, as they did not think they would stay very long, they did not fasten Toby's strap to a hitching post, as their father had told them they must always do. But as there were quite a number of customers in the store it was some little time before Bunny got wha...
Then, as he and Sue started out to ride back home in their pony cart, they heard some one say:
"Where is that Bunny Brown boy?"
"Here I am," he answered, stepping from behind one of the clerks that had asked the question. "What's the matter?" Bunny asked.
"Why, your pony has walked away from in front of the store," the clerk replied. "There he goes down the street!"
Chapter XI
Off To The Farm
At first Bunny and Sue were so surprised at what the grocery store clerk told them that they did not know what to do. Bunny almost dropped the bag of sugar he was carrying.
"What about my pony?" asked the little boy.
"I just happened to look out and noticed your pony walking away," went on the clerk. "I knew he was yours, Bunny Brown, for I saw you and Sue drive up in the little cart. It's a good thing he isn't running away. If you hurry you can catch him."
"Come on!" cried Bunny to his sister. "We've got to get Toby 'fore maybe an automobile runs into him and smashes our cart."
"Oh, yes! Get him!" begged Sue. "Oh, what made Toby walk away?"
"Maybe he got tired of waiting," said the clerk, "or perhaps something frightened him. If you can't get him I'll run after him for you as soon as I wait on Miss Winkler."
"Land sakes! what's the matter now? Has that monkey got loose again?" asked the woman who was sister to the sailor who owned the tricky monkey.
"No, it isn't your monkey that's loose -- it is our pony," said Bunny, as he and Sue hurried out of the door.
They saw going slowly down the street, their Shetland pony. Toby did not appear to be in a hurry. He was just walking.
"I guess he just got tired of waiting -- there didn't anything frighten him," announced Bunny.