Part 8

By and by, after a while, but not quite a mile, he came to the dear Old Bramble Patch, in the center of which safe and secure stood the little bungalow in which Little Jack Rabbit lived with Lady Love, his bunny mother.

“Honk, honk!” went the Luckymobile horn, and the next minute out hopped Little Jack Rabbit.

“Has Dr. Quack been here?” asked the old gentleman bunny, taking out his gold watch and chain.

“He just left,” answered his bunny nephew. “He vaccinated me. Mother gave me a carrot cent afterwards to buy a lollypop with ’cause I didn’t make a fuss.”

“You’re a good bunny boy,” said Uncle Lucky, patting the little rabbit’s ears. “Let’s hop in to see mother.”

Side by side the little rabbit boy and the dear old gentleman bunny hopped along the path through the thick brambles until they reached the little bungalow. On the back porch sat Lady Love, the little rabbit’s mother, shelling peas.

“Well, well, well!” exclaimed Uncle Lucky, “how busy we are! And how pretty we look in the blue apron and string of red beads!” Sitting down on the step, the old gentleman bunny filled his old corncob pipe with cabbage leaf tobacco and smoked away to his heart’s content.

By and by the little rabbit grew restless. “Let’s listen in on the radio,” he suggested, tickling dear Uncle Lucky’s ear.

“Come along,” answered the obliging old gentleman rabbit, hopping into the sitting room.

Professor Crow was just announcing to his radio audience that “This is Station ABC, Old Crow County, Tall Pine Tree. The first number on our program is David Cory, the Jack Rabbit Man, who will tell his famous Little Jack Rabbit stories to the furry and feather-coated people of the Shady Forest and Sunny Meadow. Tune in and let us know how the story is going over. Step into the Hollow Stump Telephone Booth and call us up: ‘One, three, five, Sakes Alive; Pine Tree Top, Lollypop! Here is Uncle Dave.’”

“Hello! boys and girls. Guess where I am. Maybe I’d better tell you before you grow tired thinking of a million different places. I’m up in Professor Crow’s tall Pine Tree House. He has asked me to broadcast a Little Jack Rabbit story. Isn’t that a compliment? Well, I just guess yes three times and a half. But, dear me! It’s some job to climb a tall pine house. I’m not as young as I used to be, but now that I’m up at the top and have brushed off my trousers and straightened my tie I’ll tell you something nice and true, for it’s pretty up here under the blue and sunny sky with Merry Sun winking his big gold eye.

“Goodness me! dear boys and girls, there goes the telephone bell and Squirrel Nutcracker’s voice is shouting over the wire: ‘Ask Mr. Cory to put me in the story.’

“‘All right,’ promised Professor Crow, but before I could broadcast a word the bell rang again.

“‘Busy Beaver talking,’ came over the wire. ‘Ask David Cory to say something about me.’

“‘All righto,’ answered the old crow, hanging up. But jingle, jingle, tinkle, tink went the bell before I could wink.

“‘This is the Big Brown Bear talking. Ask David Cory to put me in the story,’ I heard him say, and then Professor Crow answered, ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

“‘Hurry up and commence,’ said the worried old black bird, turning to me. Again tinkerly tink, jingerly jell went that dreadful telephone bell, and Granddaddy Bullfrog begged to have me mention him over the wire.

“‘All righto, Mr. Bullfrog,’ answered Professor Crow, but even before he had hung up the receiver, Chippy Chipmunk was requesting that I say ‘Hello’ to him.

“‘Goodness me!’ said Professor Crow, ‘if they keep this up there’ll be no story at all.’

“‘Never mind,’ I answered, ‘I’ll just say hello to everybody. Next Thursday will be time enough for a story.’”

All of a sudden the little rabbit shouted, “He just said hello to me!” and the next minute, “He just said hello to you!”

“Did he?” asked dear Uncle Lucky. “Well, that is kind of him,” and as the radio talk was now over the two bunnies hopped into the kitchen.

“What have you for supper?” asked dear Uncle Lucky.

“Stewed lollypops!” answered busy Lady Love, placing a steaming dish upon the table. “Nice fresh lollypops. The Big Brown Bear was here yesterday.”

“Did he ask for me?” asked Little Jack Rabbit.

“To be sure,” replied Lady Love, “I told him that Uncle Lucky was coming to-day.”

“Yes, I’ll stay here for a while,” laughed the old gentleman bunny, picking up a big juicy yellow lollypop by the stick, just the way people eat asparagus. But, oh, dear me! down ran the juice all over his nice clean napkin. Wasn’t that a shame?

“Goodness gracious meebus!” exclaimed Uncle Lucky, “that was a very ripe lollypop!”

Just then his small rabbit nephew brought his spoon down on the table with a whack.

“What’s that?” shouted the old gentleman bunny, dropping the lollypop stick on his little left hind toe, the one with the rheumatiz, you know.

“A mosquito tried to sting my ear!” cried the little bunny boy, carefully lifting the spoon to peep underneath, “Where did he go?”

“If you would catch a skeeter You must be lightning quick. My name is Skeeter Peter And I’m on to every trick,”

sang a squeaky, buzzy voice.

“Did you hear that?” asked Lady Love.

“No, but maybe I’m getting a little deaf,” sighed dear Uncle Lucky, tucking a clean napkin under his chin and picking out a fresh lollypop.

“There goes Skeeter Peter out of the window,” shouted his small nephew bunny.

“Catch him!” cried the old gentleman rabbit, hopping over to the open window. But, oh, dear me! The Old Red Rooster, who was raking up the leaves on the lawn wasn’t quick enough, and away flew Skeeter Peter to the Old Duck Pond where Mrs. Skeeter Peter was waiting at the door of their tiny house in the long grass.

“Dear me! I’m all out of breath,” sighed dear Uncle Lucky, sitting down in the rocking chair by the open window to read the _Bunnybridge Bugle_. After a while he fell asleep and dreamed he was a boy again and had sent a pretty valentine to a lovely bunny girl.

BUNNY TALE 16

DANGER

“It’s growing cold! I must turn up my coat collar,” said Little Jack Rabbit, hopping out on the Sunny Meadow. He had just finished polishing the front doorknob and maybe his little pink nose was pinker than usual. Maybe Jack Frost had pinched it when the little bunny boy wasn’t looking.

It certainly was cold out on the Sunny Meadow! Billy Breeze was romping over the frosty grass, bending the leafless bushes and trees.

Turkey Tim strutted about the Old Barnyard, spreading his big tail like a Japanese fan.

“Although the sky is clear and blue, Oh, dear me and oh, dear you! How cold and chilly Billy Breeze. He makes me shiver at the knees!”

sang Cocky Doodle trying to pull down his feather knickerbockers. But he couldn’t. Neither could he pull up his feather stockings. Dear me! again. Wasn’t that too bad? Well, I should say so, although I’ve seen lots of little boys and girls with bare legs in the winter time.

“Bow wow!” went Old Sic’em, the farmer’s dog, tugging at his chain, as Little Jack Rabbit hopped around the Big Red Barn.

“Bow, wow, wow! It makes me laugh To see Mrs. Cow Spank her calf.”

“Now, that will do,” said Mrs. Cow, quite provoked, “it’s so long since you were spanked you’ve forgotten you were once a puppy boy dog.”

“Ha! ha!” laughed Little Jack Rabbit, “now will you be good, Old Sic’em?” But the old dog crept into his little wooden house with never an answer.

Just then Little Jack Rabbit spied Old Man Weasel under the woodpile.

“Oh, dear me!” said the little bunny to himself, “what shall I do?”

“Don’t be frightened,” chirped little Bobbie Redvest from the Old Rail Fence. “Old Man Weasel won’t dare show himself for here comes the Big Kind Farmer.”

Sure enough, there he stood with a milk pail on his arm. So away hopped Little Jack Rabbit to the Old Duck Pond to see Granddaddy Bullfrog, the nice old gentleman frog in his white waistcoat and gold rimmed spectacles.

“I’ll soon be going down to the warm mud at the bottom of the pond,” said the old fellow, with a shiver. “I can’t stand this snappy weather. Guess I’ll start now,” and with a dive off his log, he disappeared beneath the water.

“Good-by!” called out the little bunny boy, hopping home to the warm little bungalow in the Old Bramble Patch.

The next morning the Sunny Meadow was as white as Lady Love’s best tablecloth and just as smooth, for it had snowed all night, the snowflakes falling so softly that no one had even dreamed of what was happening.

After breakfast Little Jack Rabbit pulled on his nice warm mittens.

“Don’t forget your muffler,” warned his careful mother. Then filling his knapsack with little lettuce flour cakes, she kissed him good-by.

As he hopped along he began to sing:

“Three little bunnies a-sliding went All on a winter’s day. The ice was thin and two fell in, And the third one ran away.”

“That’s a fine song,” cawed Professor Crow from his Tall Pine Tree house.

“Drop me an ice cream pine cone,” laughed the little bunny. But the selfish old bird instead threw a snowball, hitting the little rabbit on the tip of his tail.

Off he hopped, for he wasn’t going to have snowballs thrown at him. No, sireeman. And pretty soon, not so very far, he met Brownie Mink creeping along by the Old Duck Pond.

“I must be very careful these days,” he whispered. “People wear fur in the winter time and that dreadful Miller’s boy may set a trap. If it catches me I’ll be a muff instead of a little mink.”

“They set traps for me, too!” answered the little bunny. “Besides, I must look out for Danny Fox and Old Man Weasel. And sometimes, and maybe oftener, for Robber Hawk. You’re not the only one who has to look out for himself.”

All of a sudden the little rabbit felt hungry and, opening his knapsack, handed a lollypop to Brownie Mink. But what the bunny boy ate will take too long to tell.

“The next time you pass the Old Bramble Patch I’ll ask Uncle Lucky to take us sledmobiling,” he said, buckling on his knapsack.

“Hurray!” shouted the little mink, tickled almost to pieces. He’d never ridden in a sledmobile and neither have I, and neither have you, but we may some day if we happen to be around when Uncle Lucky passes by.

“The snow is nearly three feet deep Upon the forest trail, And windy rifts and hilly drifts Blot out the lonely vale.

“Oh, little bunny, have a care For Danny Fox is everywhere! Be very careful where you go And leave no footprints in the snow,”

sang Sammy Snowbird from a little bush in the Sunny Meadow, knowing how hungry Danny Fox was now that the ground was covered with a white carpet. Up at the Old Barn Yard the chickens huddled inside the warm hen house and old Danny Fox couldn’t find even a feather near the Big Red Barn.

“I’ll keep a bright lookout, never fear,” laughed the bunny boy, and he hopped away into the Shady Forest. By and by he met a big Snow Man. Wasn’t it strange to find a Snow Man in the Shady Forest? Well, I guess it was, and the little rabbit thought so, too. All of a sudden two little bears ran out of a cave and shouted: “We did it.”

“It’s a fine Snow Man,” answered the little bunny and, taking a lemon lollypop out of his knapsack, he pushed the stick into the Snow Man’s mouth. It seemed as if he were smoking a lollypop pipe. But not for long, let me tell you. No, sireeman and no, siree, Mister! For in a jiffy those two little bears took it away from the poor Snow Man, and ate it up, stick and all.

“Ha, ha!” laughed the little rabbit, and, being a generous little bunny, he took another out of his knapsack. “Take it home to your little sister.” But the two bears didn’t have any sister, only an old aunt who didn’t like candy.

After that the little bunny hopped away. By and by he saw a great icicle hanging from a rock in the Bubbling Brook. Now Mr. Merry Sun was doing his best to melt it, but Mr. North Wind blew so cold that all Mr. Merry Sun could do was to paint it all sorts of colors, green and red, yellow and purple. “It looks like a stick of candy,” thought the little rabbit, breaking it off.

“I’ll fool somebody with it,” and away he hopped, singing:

“Over the snow, over the snow, Hippity, hippity, hop I go. I don’t care if the woods are bare, For I love the snow, the beautiful snow, Hiding the flowers until they can grow.”

By and by he came to the Shady Forest Pond. Of course it was all frozen over with a thick coating of ice. Only the top of Mister Muskrat’s house could be seen, in the upper bedroom of which, high and dry, Mister Muskrat himself lay sound asleep.

Sliding out on the ice, the little rabbit knocked on the roof. But he never saw the frightened Muskrat swim out in the water. Oh, dear, no. The ice was too thick for that, although Mister Muskrat could hear the little rabbit sliding about overhead.

“I must wait until Springtime to find out who called,” thought Mister Muskrat, swimming over to his other hiding place among the roots of the Old Chestnut Tree in which Old Barney Owl had built his little wooden house in a big hollow limb.

And wasn’t it strange? Mister Muskrat never got the least bit wet as he swam through the water. You see his thick fur overcoat is waterproof.

“I have few friends in the wintertime,” sighed Little Jack Rabbit. “Timmie Chipmunk is fast asleep in his little warm house. So is Woody Chuck. And Granddaddy Bullfrog and Teddy Turtle are dreaming away in the soft warm mud at the bottom of the Old Duck Pond. I’ll be glad when warm weather comes.”

Just then who should pop out of his little snow tunnel, for by this time the little rabbit was on the Sunny Meadow, but Timmie Meadowmouse. He wasn’t afraid of little bunnies, you know, nor squirrels, nor chipmunks, but always kept his eyes open for Danny Fox, and Old Man Weasel, who are always skulking around, or for Hungry Hawk, who is often flying up in the sky.

“I’ve been playing hide and seek all day,” laughed Timmie Meadowmouse.

“Who with?” inquired Little Jack Rabbit anxiously, wiggling his little pink nose to catch the first scent of danger.

“Oh, with Danny Fox,” replied the little meadowmouse. “But, you see, he didn’t catch me.”

“Don’t be too sure all the time. Some day you’ll regret it; Danger comes so suddenly, Watch and don’t forget it,”

sang Charlie Chickadee.

Dear me! That little bird must have known that danger was lurking near.

“Run, run, run! Skate, skate, skate! You’d better start this minute Or else you’ll be too late. Old Danny Fox will catch you If you don’t watch out, Hurry, hurry, hurry! Old Danny Fox’s about!”

shouted Squirrel Nutcracker from his Tree Top House.

Away went Little Jack Rabbit, clipperty clip, lipperty lip! No, he didn’t, either. He went slipperty slip! Slipperty slip! Just like that, only faster.

“I’ll catch you yet,” growled Danny Fox.

“Not yet,” gasped the little bunny boy.

“Pretty soon,” whined the old fox.

“Never and never,” replied the bunny boy bravely. “Mother shan’t lose her little rabbit, not if I can help it!” and away he went, faster than before, and lots faster than behind. And in less time than I can take to tell it he was safely over the little picket fence around the dear Old Bramble Patch. You see, he couldn’t wait to unlatch the gate, but gave a hop-tee-idy right over it. The next minute Lady Love had pulled him in and slammed the kitchen door.

“Safe at home in mother’s arms! That’s the place to be. Warm and cuddley, mother’s breast, Like a pretty downy nest,”

sang the Canary Bird. Then Little Miss Cricket chirped and the Three Grasshoppers fiddled pretty music.

BUNNY TALE 17

TROUBLE

I wish that only lovely things, Like roses red and diamond rings And lollypops and ice cream cones And pretty little colored stones

Would fall down at the rabbits’ feet And make them smile with laughter sweet, And not a hungry long-clawed hawk, With swishing wings and cruel squawk.

And now I’ve explained in this little poem what happened while the little rabbit family were sitting peacefully on the back porch of their little bungalow in the Old Bramble Patch.

“Goodness gracious meebus!” exclaimed Uncle Lucky, as he tried to close the kitchen door. “Hungry Hawk, will you kindly pull your bill away?”

“You can’t hurt my bill,” answered the old hawk, scratching and pushing the door.

“All right, then,” answered Uncle Lucky. “Let’s see you get away, you old robber.”

But, dear me! That old bird was very persistent!

“Get the poker!” panted Uncle Lucky, “I can’t hold out much longer.”

“Here it is,” cried the little bunny, handing the poker to the old gentleman rabbit. Then, in some way or another, I can’t explain just how, brave Uncle Lucky pressed it against the door and pulling up the kitchen table, made it fast to one of the legs.

“Ha, ha!” he laughed, “now, old robber hawk, get away if you can! Maybe you’ll wish you’d never made us a call,” and with a hop, skip and a toe-slide over the floor, the old gentleman bunny peeked out of the kitchen window.

Goodness gracious, how ruffled and bedraggled was the old hawk! He could use his legs and his wings all right, but his beak was caught fast in the door. No matter how he braced his feet and beat his wings, or flapped his tail this way and that, he couldn’t get free. No, siree! He was as fast as a clam at low tide.

“But how are we to get out unless we use the parlor?” said Lady Love. “Besides, the front door has no spring on it. It will be mighty inconvenient on wash day with my hands full of clothes-pins.”

“Shall we let the old bird go?” asked Little Jack Rabbit, hopping up on the window seat to peep over the red geranium flowers in the nice green box on the window sill.

“No, no!” answered Uncle Lucky. “Wait until I call up the Policeman Dog and ask him what’s best to do.”

“One, two, three, Rabbitville, Hurry up, I can’t keep still. What’s the matter, Central? Please Hold the wire while I sneeze,”

cried poor excited Uncle Lucky.

Pretty soon the voice of the Policeman Dog came over the wire, deep and low, kind and soothing:

“What can I do for you, Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot?”

“Oh, oh, but I’m glad to hear you say that,” answered the dear old gentleman rabbit. “Dear me, but it’s nice and comforting to hear your voice. Please come up here at once.”

“What for?” asked the Policeman Dog.

“Didn’t I tell you?” shouted the old gentleman bunny. “I declare, I’m so worried and out of breath, so excited and scared to death, I forgot to say that Hungry Hawk tried to catch us all while shelling peas on our little back porch. I’ve pinched his big long crooked bill between the kitchen door and the sill, but I don’t know what to do with him.”

“I’ll come right up,” answered the kind police dog and, hanging up the receiver, he put on his cap, picked up his big stick and trotted off for the Old Bramble Patch.

“You’re a good friend of Uncle Lucky’s,” he said, on meeting the Yellow Dog Tramp. “Come along with me while I tell you what has happened to the nice old gentleman bunny.” While explaining matters, whom should they meet but the Big Brown Bear, that friendly old dealer in lollypops and honey balls, the friend of all the forest folk.

“Come along with us,” said the Policeman Dog. “I’ll explain on the way what has happened at the little rabbit’s bungalow.”

“Nothing serious, I hope,” enquired the Big Brown Bear, anxiously. “I’m very fond of Little Jack Rabbit. It was only this morning he bought a lollypop with a carrot cent.”

“Well, it might have been serious if brave Uncle Lucky hadn’t slammed the kitchen door tight shut on Hungry Hawk’s bill.”

“Ha, ha,” laughed the Yellow Dog Tramp, “won’t Hungry Hawk be pleased to see us.”

“Ha, ha, he, he!” laughed the Big Brown Bear, “I’ll tickle him under the chin.”

“Let’s hurry faster,” said the kind Policeman Dog, and climbing over and under the Old Rail Fence they ran up the little path to the tiny white bungalow.

How the Police Dog and the Big Brown Bear And the Yellow Dog Tramp with his curly hair Laughed when they heard old Hungry Hawk Greet them all with an angry squawk.

“What are you trying to do, old bird? Break into the little bungalow?” asked the Policeman Dog.

“You’d better get a jimmy next time,” cried the Yellow Dog Tramp.

“Or an ax,” laughed the Big Brown Bear.

“He isn’t trying to get in,” shouted Uncle Lucky from the kitchen window. “He’s caught fast.” You see, the dear old gentleman rabbit didn’t know that the old robber hawk was being teased by the Policeman Dog and his two friends.

“What shall I do with him?” asked the Policeman Dog.

“Whatever you think best,” answered Uncle Lucky.

“Please take him away,” sighed Lady Love. “I can’t go out on the back porch and I don’t want to wear out the parlor rug.”

“Put him in jail,” shouted Little Jack Rabbit.

“I’ll please you all,” cried the Policeman Dog, and taking a pair of handcuffs from his pocket, he snapped them around Hungry Hawk’s legs. Then padlocking a chain around the old bird’s neck, he told Uncle Lucky to open the kitchen door.

It took the old gentleman rabbit two or three and maybe four minutes to untie the rope around the leg of the kitchen stove and unfasten the other end which was twisted around the doorknob. When all this was done, he pushed open the door.

“Whew! I’m glad to get my bill out!” gasped Hungry Hawk, shaking himself till three feathers fell on the little back porch.

“I’ll make a quill pen,—maybe three quill pens,” said Uncle Lucky, picking up the feathers. “Ha, ha, something good in everything. I had intended to buy a pen at the Three-in-One Cent Store. Now I can save a carrot cent.”

“Come along with us,” said the Policeman Dog, pulling the old Hawk through the fence. “You’ll go to jail for a month of Sundays.”

The Big Brown Bear and the Yellow Dog Tramp followed the Policeman Dog to see that Hungry Hawk didn’t play any tricks on his way to his jail hotel.

“Thank you all for coming up here,” shouted dear Uncle Lucky. “You’re good friends in time of need.”

By and by the old gentleman bunny invited the little rabbit to go for a ride.

Everything was going along nicely when, all of a sudden, just like that, something happened to the Luckymobile and before the old gentleman bunny could tighten a loose screw with the monkey wrench a voice shouted:

“What are you doing, you old rabbit man? Now throw up your paws as quick as you can. If you don’t you will learn what a robber can do, I’m sure you don’t want to be bitten in two.”

“No, no, no!” cried poor Uncle Lucky. “But who are you?”

“I’ll show you,” answered the voice, and out jumped Danny Fox. Dear me, but he looked dreadfully sly in his brown unionalls!

“Please, please don’t bite,” begged poor Uncle Lucky.

“Throw up your paws!” shouted Danny Fox.

Of course there was nothing for the old gentleman rabbit to do but obey, so up went his paws, almost knocking off his old wedding stovepipe hat.

“How much money have you in your pockets?” asked the old robber fox, hardly noticing Little Jack Rabbit.

“Ten lettuce leaf dollar bills and 23 carrot cents,” answered Uncle Lucky, in a trembly voice.

“That’s not much for a rich old rabbit gentleman like you,” growled Danny Fox. “Haven’t you forgotten your old leather wallet?”

“No, sireebus!” replied Uncle Lucky, “but I wish you had!”

“Ha, ha!” laughed the cruel fox, “I think I’ll put you both in this old sack and carry you home.”

“Come, come, Danny Fox,” cried Uncle Lucky. “If you do that you’ll get only ten lettuce leaf dollar bills and 23 carrot cents. I don’t want to be bumped about in an old flour sack.”

“What will you give me if I don’t put you in my old flour sack?” asked that wicked robber.