The play, "Down on the Farm," had been changed somewhat by Mr. Tread well from what he had first planned. This had to be done as he found out the different things the boy and girl actors could best do. And the first act had to do with Lucile, a lost girl who wandered to a farm meadow near the house where Bunny Brown and his sister Sue lived, only, of course, they had different names in the play.
Lucile sang her little song, and then she pretended she was so tired, from having walked a long way, that she must lie down and take a rest.
It was while she was lying down on some green carpet that took the place of green grass in the meadow that Bunny and Sue were supposed to come along and find her.
Bunny and Sue had a little act to themselves at this point. They stood on the stage and talked about the sleeping Lucile. Bunny said she looked sad and he was going to cheer her up.
"How are you going to make her feel happy?" asked Sue.
"I—I'm going to turn a pepper—no, I mean a somersault!" cried Bunny, stammering a trifle and making a little mistake, for this was the first time he had acted before such a large crowd. But no one laughed.
"Can you turn somersaults?" asked Sue.
"Yes, I'll show you!" answered Bunny. And then, on the stage, he began turning over and over.
All this was part of the play, of course, and Bunny was loudly clapped for the way in which he turned head over heels. He had practiced these somersaults many times, and Mart had helped him.
"Well, if you can make her happy by doing that maybe I can make her happier by singing a song," said Sue. "I'll practice my song while she's asleep as you practiced your somersaults."