"Oh, bless you, no," said their mamma. "It _was_ all right." And then Jacko told her how he and his brother had played the music and done the tricks, and how the little girl had given them ten cents and the other children pennies and five-cent pieces, and how delighted all the children were to see them.
"It was clever of you," said Mrs. Kinkytail.
"How much money did you make?" asked their papa, laughing behind his paper.
"We took in one dollar and seventeen cents," said Jacko, as he counted it, "and we would have had eighteen cents, only I dropped one penny down a crack in the board walk of a house. But maybe we can get it some day."
"And now may we go down town and buy our auto?" asked Jumpo eagerly. "It's early yet and the stores will be open for some time. Please may we, mother?"
"You can't get an automobile for a dollar and seventeen cents," said their papa.
"Well, we can try, can't we?" asked Jacko.
"Oh, let them go," whispered their mamma to Mr. Kinkytail. "It will do no harm, and they will very soon find out their mistake."
"I guess so," agreed their papa, as he looked in the paper to see if it was going to be nice weather Sunday.
So Jacko and Jumpo having carefully wrapped their money in a piece of paper, started down town. And on their way they met Sammie Littletail, the boy rabbit, who wanted to know where they were going. So they told him.
"Ha, ha! Ho, ho!" laughed Sammie. "You can't get an auto for that money. Why an automobile costs as much as three dollars and fifteen cents, and then there's the gasoline to make it go--that costs money, too."
"Don't mind him," spoke Jacko, pulling his brother by the sleeve. "We'll get that auto anyhow."
So they kept on down town, and pretty soon they could see the lights in the stores, and they hurried faster than ever, for they were very anxious to get their auto.
"Have you got the money safe?" asked Jumpo.
"Yes," said Jacko, and just then, as they turned around a corner they saw a poor little mousie girl. Oh, she was such a poor little girl, and she had on such a ragged dress, and her shoes were so full of holes that there was hardly room for her tiny feet in them. And she was crying and shivering with the cold.
"Why, what is the matter?" asked Jacko, kindly.