STORY XXXIII--BILLY BUNNY AND OLD MOTHER MAGPIE
As I told you in the last story, little Billy Bunny stopped to restafter escaping from the Miller's Boy, and while he stood on his hindlegs and looked around, who should fly down from a tree but Old MotherMagpie. And the very first thing she said to the little rabbit was, "Mygoodness, what a dirty little bunny you are."
And this of course made Billy Bunny very angry, for he didn't think hewas dirty. So he opened his knapsack and took out a little mirror whicha lady bunny had dropped one day in the Friendly Forest and looked athimself, and sure enough there was a great black smudge right across hisface.
"Ha! Ha!" laughed Old Mother Magpie. "You wouldn't believe me, wouldyou?" And then she laughed again.
"No, I wouldn't believe anything you said," answered the little rabbit,"for you've told more untruths about people than anybody I know, andthat's the reason they call you 'Old Mother Mischief.'"
Well, sir! This made her so mad that she flew at the little rabbit, andmaybe she would have pecked his eyes out if he hadn't put on a pair ofgoggles that belonged to his dear, kind Uncle Lucky.
"Please go 'way," said the little rabbit, "I can't help being rude toyou because you're so rude to other people," and he hopped away as fastas he could before she could say another unkind word, and by and by hecame across Squirrel Nutcracker.
Now the old gentleman squirrel had grown pretty old and was very hard ofhearing, and when Billy Bunny said "Good morning" he never heard him atall, but just sat there on the old log and ate a peanut which he hadsaved from the last circus.
So Billy Bunny hopped up behind him and leaned over and called out quiteloud right in his left ear, "Good morning!" And this so startled OldSquirrel Nutcracker that he swallowed the peanut shell, and then hebegan to choke until he got black and blue in the face.
And, of course, this frightened the little rabbit, too, for he felt itwas his fault, so he patted Old Squirrel Nutcracker on the back, and byand by the old gentleman squirrel stopped coughing, although he wasdreadfully mad to think that he had swallowed the circus peanut withouteven tasting it.
"Look here, young rabbit," he said with a scowl, "don't you ever againshout in my ear! If you do I'll pin back both your ears with a pineneedle and send you home to your mother!" Wasn't that a dreadful thingfor him to say?
Well, sir, after that Billy Bunny thought it was time to be going, so hebowed to the old squirrel and hopped away, and after maybe a millionhops, skips and jumps, he reached the Old Brier Patch, where he foundhis dear mother standing in the doorway of her little house waiting forher bunny boy.
And that's a good place to leave him for to-night, don't you think so?For we'll know he's safe and sound with his own dear mother, so go tosleep and to-morrow I'll tell you another story; yes, I will, if you aregood.
STORY XXXIV--BILLY BUNNY AND DICKEY MEADOW MOUSE
Ting-a-ling! went the rising bell, and Billy Bunny opened his left eyeand twinkled his nose and stretched his right hind leg, and then he waswide awake.
But before he got out of bed he pulled out his gold watch and chain, thewatch which his kind Uncle Lucky Lefthindfoot had given him, youremember, from under his pillow, for he was so sleepy he wondered if hismother hadn't made a mistake. But, no, she hadn't.
It was half past fourteen o'clock and Mr. Happy Sun was laughing throughthe little window. So up jumped Billy Bunny and combed his fur andparted it in the middle down his back, and after that he was almostready for breakfast, except to brush his teeth with a new toothbrushwhich he had bought at the Three-in-one-cent store.
After breakfast he started right out to play on the Pleasant Meadow, andthe first person he saw was little Dickey Meadow Mouse. He had just comeout of his little grass ball house and was looking around to see what hewould do.
"Good morning," said Billy Bunny, "how are you this lovely day?"
And of course Dickey Meadow Mouse said he was well, for the littlepeople of the Pleasant Meadow are never ill unless some enemy injuresthem, for they know how to take very good care of themselves, you know,and kind Mother Nature always provides them with enough to eat, andsometimes more.
And while they stood there laughing and talking Tommy Turtle passed bywith his little shell house on his back, which always goes with him,rain or shine. Isn't it nice not to have to move out of your house, butalways have it go with you?
"Come with me, Billy Bunny," cried Tommy Turtle, "I'm going down to theOld Mill Pond for a swim." So the little rabbit said good-by to DickeyMeadow Mouse and went with Tommy Turtle, and by and by they came to thepond where Old Uncle Bullfrog sat all day on his log and caught fliesuntil he grew so fat that his white waistcoat bulged out till thebuttons nearly popped off.
"Kerchunk! Kerchunk! Kerplunk! Kerplunk! I'm king of this Old Mill Pond. I never care to go anywhere, Not even a foot beyond.
For I'm contented to stay right here Where the cattails wave in the at-mos-phere, And the Darning Needles and Bottle Flies Dart and skim 'neath the summer skies."
And then the old frog blinked his eyes and swallowed a foolish fly thatcame too near.
"Top of the morning to you, Uncle Bullfrog," said little Billy Bunny."Does the Miller's Boy throw stones at you nowadays?"
"Sometimes," said the old gentleman frog, "but not so often of late, forhis father is away and he doesn't have the time. He has to look afterthe Old Mill, you know."
And just then a stone splashed in the water, but I'll let you guess whothrew it until the next story.
STORY XXXV--BILLY BUNNY AND BIG BROWN BEAR
If you haven't guessed who threw the stone at Old Uncle Bullfrog in thelast story, I'll tell you right now. It was that bad Miller's Boy.
Yes, siree. There he stood, not very far away, and he was just going tothrow another, when the old gentleman frog thought it was time to take adive and the little rabbit thought it was time to take a hop, and TommyTurtle to take a swim and soon Uncle Bullfrog was deep down on the muddybottom where he ate his breakfast without a thought of the Miller's Boy.
Well, after a few short hops Billy Bunny found himself in the FriendlyForest close to Timmy Chipmunk's little store, where he sold candycarrots and lettuce sandwiches and lemon soda.
So the little rabbit opened his knapsack and took out a handful ofcarrot pennies and bought a lovely apple pie, which the littlechipmunk's mother had baked that very morning. And as soon as the piewas all gone Billy Bunny hopped away and by and by he came to the cavewhere the Big Brown Bear sold honey.
Now Mr. Bear was very cross this particular morning, for the day beforewhile he was looking over a bees' nest some of the bees had been veryrude and had stung him on the nose.
And now it was all swollen up so that he couldn't find a pockethandkerchief big enough to tickle it with, and so of course he was verymiserable.
"I don't feel at all sociable," which means friendly, you know, he saidto the little rabbit. "So you had better be on your way and leave acrusty old bear to himself." But do you think Billy Bunny did this? Nosiree, and a no sireemam.
He just opened his knapsack and took out some lettuce cold cream andrubbed it gently over the bear's nose and pretty soon it felt so wellthat Mr. Bear said, "Come with me, Billy Bunny, and we'll go down to theThree-and-one-cent store to buy a handkerchief, for now that my nose iswell again, I don't care if I spend all my money to buy a handkerchief."
So off they started, and when they reached the store the bear forgot allabout his nose and bought a little blue tin whistle instead. Wasn't thatfine, for it's lots more fun to blow on a whistle than on ahandkerchief, don't you think so?
"Well, now that you are happy again," said the little rabbit, "I'll gomy way, for I'm seeking adventures, you know, and I want to see thewide, wide world so as to grow up a learned rabbit," and he hopped offdown the Friendly Forest trail.
And in the next story, if the ink-well on my desk doesn't stub my quillpen when I sign my name to this story, I'll tell you more about
littleBilly Bunny.
STORY XXXVI--BILLY BUNNY AND PROFESSOR CROW
Let me see. I left off in the last story just as little Billy Bunny washopping down the Friendly Forest path. Well, he hadn't gone very farwhen he saw old Professor Crow.
Now, the professor wasn't very busy, you know, for school was over andthere were no little people to teach how to crow--I mean how to read andwrite--so he had plenty of time to himself, and as soon as he saw thelittle rabbit he flew down from the tree and began to talk. "I'm sorryto have to tell you," he began, "that my little boy, Blackie Crow, hasthe measles."
And you know that's a dreadfully uncomfortable kind of a thing to have,for you have to be so careful of your eyes. Now, when an owl gets themeasles it doesn't make so much difference, for they don't want to goout in the sunlight, but with a crow, oh dear me and oh dear you! it'sthe hardest thing in the world to keep in the dark, and Professor Crowgave a tremendous sigh and looked very sad.
"I'm very sorry for Blackie Crow," said the little rabbit. "Won't youtell him I'm sorry?" and then the generous little rabbit took a lollypopout of his knapsack and told Professor Crow to take it home to hislittle boy.
Wasn't that nice? I think I know a little boy who would be glad to havethe measles every day if he could get a lollypop.
And after that Billy Bunny shut up his knapsack and swung it over hisshoulder and hopped away, and by and by, not so very long, he heard alittle bird singing:
"Up in my nest I've five little birds, Waiting for mother to feed them. What would I do if I should lose two? I'd be too unhappy to heed them. So that is the reason I look everywhere When I fly from my nest in the bright morning air."
And then she looked down at little Billy Bunny with his striped candycane in his right paw and his knapsack over his shoulder.
And then she laughed out loud, and her laugh sounded just like music,for it was a mother bird's laugh, you know, and that always has themusic of love in it.
"Good morning, Mrs. Bird," said the little rabbit. "I won't hurt yourlittle ones."
"I know that," said the mother bird, "for you are a kind little rabbit.But there are lots of four-footed little animals who are very unkind tobirds, so that is the reason I sing this song to let them know that I amalways watching over my nest."
And after that Billy Bunny hopped away, but before he went he left a bigpiece of chocolate cake on a clean white stone for Mrs. Bird to crumbleup for her little ones. Wasn't that nice of the little rabbit, for hewas very fond of chocolate cake, I know, for he once told me so.
STORY XXXVII--BILLY BUNNY AND MRS. GROUSE
Well, before I go any further, I'll tell you that the little birds wereso delighted with the chocolate cake which the little rabbit left forthem on the clean white stone, as I told you in the last story, thatthey went right to sleep after eating it and dreamed of a little whitecandy bunny and a big birthday cake with seven pink candles in it.
And after that little Billy Bunny hopped away, lippity, lip, clippityclip, and by and by he came to the Old Brush Heap where CousinCottontail lived before she moved next door to his mother in the OldBrier Patch at Snake Fence Corner.
And just as he reached the little patch that led into the Old Brush Heaphe met Mrs. Grouse with her brood of little brown birdies.
"Good morning, Billy Bunny," she said, while her small brood hidthemselves in the dry leaves that strewed the ground. "Come here,children," she called, "Billy Bunny won't hurt you. He's a friend." Sothe little brown birds came out from their hiding places and stood in arow and bowed as nicely as you please, and the little rabbit opened hisknapsack and gave them each a candy carrot.
Wasn't that kind of him? And after that he said a little poem, and how Icame to hear it was because a little wild canary, who was sitting closeby, told it to me.
And this is the way it went:
"I am Billy Bunny from Old Snake Fence Corner Town, So don't be worried, don't be hurried, Little birds of brown. Mother knows I will not harm you; I'm no cruel snake to charm you, So be merry; here's a cherry From the Circus Clown."
And then he gave them a big red cherry, a candy cherry, you know, whichhis friend the Clown at the circus had given him a long time ago.
"Well, I must be hopping along," said the little rabbit after the littlebirds had picked the cherry candy all to pieces until there was nothingleft but the stone.
So away he went again to seek more adventures, and after a little while,not so very long ago, he came to the railroad bridge where you rememberhe and his brother, Bobby Tail, had taken a ride one day, oh, so longago, maybe one hundred stories back, in a big empty freight car. Andjust then a train came by, and when the engineer saw Billy Bunny hestopped the train, for I suppose he thought the little rabbit wanted toget aboard.
And the brakeman helped him on and away went the train, over the railsthat went clunkity, clunk, clunkity clunk, while the smoke from theengine trailed out behind, like a long gray feather. And the traindidn't stop until the brakeman called out Lettuceville, where a thousandlittle rabbits raised lovely green lettuce in a big field.
And in the next story you shall hear how the little rabbit scratched hisear and had some lettuce salad, too, all covered o'er with sugar dew.
STORY XXXVIII--BILLY BUNNY AND THE CARLOAD OF LETTUCE LEAVES
You remember in the last story I left off just as Billy Bunny got out ofthe train at Lettuceville, where there was a big family of rabbits whoraised lettuce leaves for all the bunnies in the big U. S. A.
And the first person he saw was an old gray-haired rabbit, who said:"Glad to see you, Mr. William Bunny. Do you want to buy a car-load oflettuce leaves?"
"How much?" asked the little rabbit.
"Five million carrot cents," replied the old gentleman bunny, "andthat's very cheap, for the leaves are big and juicy and will keep allwinter if you put them in the ice house."
THE RABBITS JUMPED INTO THE CUPBOARD AND CLOSED THE DOOR.]
Well, sir, this was a very cheap price, don't you think so? And BillyBunny thought so, too, for he opened his knapsack and took out fivemillion carrot cents and gave them to the old gray-haired bunny, andafter that all the farmer bunnies loaded a big freight car just full oflettuce leaves and marked on the outside in chalk:
"MR. WILLIAM BUNNY, Brier Patch, Old Snake Fence Corner, U. S. A."
"RUSH! Fast Freight."
And then it was time for lunch, so the old rabbit said to his newcustomer, which was Billy Bunny, of course:
"Come with me to my home and we'll have something to eat." And as BillyBunny had a great big appetite by this time, and I might say right herethat rabbits always are hungry, he hopped away with the lettuce rabbitfarmer, and by and by they came to a little green house in a raspberrypatch with a lovely clover field on one side and a peach orchard on theother.
"I've brought my friend, Billy Bunny, home to lunch," said the oldgray-haired bunny to a nice-looking lady rabbit whose gray hair wasparted in the middle and held down on each side by two red coral combs.
"Why, it's Billy Bunny," she said. "I know his mother and his cousin,Mrs. Cottontail." And she led them into the little green house. Afterthey had eaten all they wanted she made the pianola play this song:
"The clover patch is in full bloom With juicy red-topped clover. Across the lea the honey bee Looks like a golden rover."
And it might have kept on playing some more, only just then who shouldlook into the door but Daddy Fox. As soon as the pianola saw him itstopped right then and there, and the rabbits jumped into the cupboardand closed the door and turned the key on the inside before you couldsay "Jack Rabbit."
"Ha! ha!" laughed Daddy Fox. "I'll stay here till you get so tired ofthat cupboard prison that you'll come out. And when you do, you knowwhat will happen, for I don't like lettuce leaves and I just loverabbits."
Wasn't that a dreadful thing to hear? But, never mind. I'm not going tolet that wicked fox get the best o
f Billy Bunny and his friends. No,sir. Not if I have to go there myself to-morrow and scare him away witha gun.
But this book won't hold any more, and I'll have to tell what happenedfurther to our animal friends in the next one, which is entitled "BillyBunny and Uncle Bull Frog."
THE END
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