Billy Bunny and Uncle Bull Frog Part 3

"Stop right here," said the red rooster, "and I'll get out and buy you a bag of candy." And when he came back he had four bags of candy. Just think of that! In one bag was sugar-coated carrots for Billy Bunny, and another bag was full of candied carrots for Uncle Lucky, and in the bag he gave to Mrs. Mousie were two little chocolate mice.

"What have you got in your bag?" asked Uncle Lucky as he made the Luckymobile jump over a high ditch and run along through a lovely green meadow spread all over with b.u.t.tercups.

"Sugared peanuts," answered the red rooster. "I just love them. The last time I went to the circus I ate forty-nine bags and a half and drank twenty-three gla.s.ses of pink lemonade and a bushel of popcorn."

"Wait a minute," said the old gentleman rabbit. "I've got a stomach ache listening. How did you do it?" And in the next story I'll tell you what the rooster said, that is, if nothing happens to prevent it, for he certainly was a wonderful rooster, to be able to eat all that.

STORY X.

BILLY BUNNY AND MRS. COW.

Well, something did happen to prevent the red rooster from telling Billy Bunny how he had been able to eat forty-nine bags and a half of peanuts at the circus, as I mentioned in the last story.

You see, as the Luckymobile galloped along over the meadow, all of a sudden, just like that, it ran right into the Babbling Brook, and then of course it stopped so suddenly that Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky didn't stop at all, neither did Mrs. Mousie and the red rooster.

They just kept right on going, and the first thing they knew and the first thing you know, they all landed in the long gra.s.s beside Mrs.

Cow.

"My, how you startled me!" she exclaimed, and she rang the little bell at her neck and up ran her little calf, who was only two weeks old, and had never seen Billy Bunny and his friends before.

After that she walked down to the Babbling Brook--but oh, dear me! all the electricity oil had spilled out of the cabaret and she couldn't drink the water, and all the little fish were covered with it just like sardines, you know, and the watercress had salad dressing all over it, so of course she couldn't eat the watercress.

"Never mind," said kind little Billy Bunny, and he took out of his knapsack a big yellow lemon lollypop and gave it to her, and then she didn't care, for she just loved candy.

"I'll help you get the automobile out," said Mrs. Cow gratefully, for she liked anybody who was kind to her little calf. So she put her horns under the front of the Luckymobile and then she said, "Heave ho, e-ho!" and pushed and shoved and lifted that big heavy automobile right out of the brook without even cracking her two long horns.

"If you don't mind," said the red rooster, "I'll leave you two little rabbits and make a call on c.o.c.ky Docky up at the Old Farm." "And if you don't care," squeaked little Mrs. Mousie, "I'll call on d.i.c.key Meadowmouse." So Uncle Lucky and Billy Bunny hopped into the automobile and drove off, while Mrs. Cow tinkled her bell and sang:

"Moo, moo, moo. I'm glad I helped you two.

One good turn deserves another.

When you see your bunny mother, Tell her how your car I took Safely from the Babbling Brook."

"It's a puzzle to me," said Uncle Lucky, "why we are always having so many accidents. Maybe I had better get a chauffeur." "You won't need any chauffeur after I'm done with you," said a deep growly voice, and out from behind a clump of bushes jumped a wicked wildcat and bit one of the front tires, she was so hungry.

And what do you suppose happened then? Why the tire burst with such a loud noise, just like a gun, you know, that the wildcat was frightened nearly to death and she turned around and ran away so fast that she got home an hour too early for supper.

STORY XI.

BILL BUNNY AND THE BIG BEAR.

Near the Friendly Forest Pool Is the Woodland Singing School.

Little Squirrel Bushy Tail Sings the Do, Ray, Mee, Fa scale.

Uncle Bullfrog sings "Ker-chunk"

From his floating elm tree trunk.

And a big good-natured bear Sings an old familiar air.

"It's time for your singing lesson," said Mrs. Bunny to her little rabbit. So Billy Bunny started off, hoppity hop, down the Friendly Forest trail, and by and by he reached the Pool where all the pupils came to take their singing lessons.

Mr. Gra.s.shopper was there with his fiddle and the tree toad with his drum, and the lark with her flute and little Jenny Wren with her piano. And what do you suppose Billy Bunny had tucked away in his knapsack? Why, Uncle Lucky's automobile horn.

You see, the kind old gentleman rabbit was making a visit at the Old Brier Patch where he had taken his automobile after that dreadful wildcat had bitten the front tire, and this is how Billy Bunny came to get the horn.

Well, sir, after the music started, he pulled out his horn and gave a tre-men-dous honk on it, and everybody thought an automobile was going to run over him.

Some jumped into the Pool and some ran up the trees, and, oh, dear me!

everybody got all out of tune, and the bear lost the air and couldn't find it again!

And just then who should come along but a peddler with a pack of tin cans, rattling away on his back, and of course he made more noise than all the singing school put together.

And when the big bear saw him he was so angry that he jumped from behind a tree and said, "Boo!"

"Do you want to buy a tin plate?" asked the peddler, trying hard not to be frightened, "or would rather have a dishpan?"

"Don't want either," said the bear with a terrible growl.

"Perhaps you'd like a nutmeg grater," said the poor old peddler, and he was so frightened by this time that his knees knocked into the tin pans and made a dreadful noise.

"I've a dandy egg beater," went on the peddler, in a trembling voice, but after that he never said another word, for that great big bear jumped right at him and took the egg beater out of his hands and growled so terribly that the tin peddler turned away and ran down the forest path as fast as he could go.

And then all the little and big forest folk began to sing:

"Hip, hip hurray, the peddler's gone away.

No more he'll make his tin pans shake And spoil our singing school beside the Forest Pool."

And in the next story, if the baby who lives in the house opposite doesn't shake his rattle at me all night so that I can't get to sleep and dream about the next story in time to write it for to-morrow night, I'll tell you more about the little rabbit's adventures.

STORY XII.

BILLY BUNNY AND THE RABBITVILLE "GAZETTE."

There was once a little rabbit Who was very fond of pie, Apple pie, with sugar on the crust.

And he had a little habit, When his mother wasn't nigh, Of eating apple pie until he bust.

This is what Mr. William Bunny, the little rabbit's father, you know, was singing one day, and the reason was because Mrs. Bunny had found little Billy Bunny in the pantry.

And what happened to the little rabbit I'm not going to tell you, for it is so sad that it would make you weep to hear it.