"Tinkle, tinkle" went the alarm clock next morning. Snubby Nose put his
paw on it so it would not ring too loudly. He whispered to Tippy Toes,
"Get up, it is time to make the garden."
They took the seeds Grandpa Grumbles had thrown from his umbrella. They
planted the seeds in even rows. They worked so fast, they had the
garden planted and were back in bed by eight o'clock.
Grandpa Grumbles woke up next. He went downstairs and out of doors. He
saw a little garden all planted in even rows. He shook his green cotton
umbrella and said,
"Radishes it is time to grow,
For spring has come again you know."
_Then the most surprising thing happened!_
The radishes began to peep up and show their little green heads.
Grandpa Grumbles shook his green cotton umbrella again and said,
"Young cabbage heads, all in a row,
Wake up, wake up, it's time to grow."
The cabbages came up as big and round as you please. Then Grandpa
Grumbles shook his green cotton umbrella again and said,
"Turnips come, wake up, 'tis clear
Merry, merry spring is here."
The turnips came up nodding in the sunshine, and Grandpa Grumbles said,
"Open green umbrella and sail away,
They were magic seeds, good day, good day."
He opened the green cotton umbrella and sailed away, and away, and
away.
Bunny Cotton-Tail woke up and looked out of the window. "My fur and
whiskers, look at the garden," he shouted.
Susan woke and looked out the window and said, "Bless my buttons there
is a real little garden."
Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes woke up again and said, "Hurrah, hurrah, how
fast the seeds grow! We must ask Grandpa Grumbles if they were magic
seeds that he gave us."
But Grandpa Grumbles had sailed away, and away, and away!
At that very minute the Postman brought two letters. The letters were
for Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes. They were from their Mothers asking
them to come home.
When Snubby Nose read his letter he cried and he screamed and he
howled!
When Tippy Toes read his letter he said, "Never mind, Snubby Nose, we
can go together to the bend of the road."
Before they had breakfast, Susan got out her rolling-pin and flour and
sugar and said, "I will make you some cookies to take with you."
Bunny said, "My fur and whiskers, I have two neat little baskets. I
will pack them with your lunch."
So Susan made cookies and Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes packed their
little traveling bags and Bunny packed their lunches in the little
baskets.
Bunny said, "I will take you in my wheelbarrow to the bend in the road,
then Snubby Nose goes east and Tippy Toes goes west."
Snubby Nose cried and he screamed and he howled! He did not want to go
home. Tippy Toes did not want to go home either, but he said, "Thank
you Bunny for the ride."
Soon Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes were ready to go. They stood before the
mirror and danced this way and that way and sang,
"Tell us, good mirror, whom shall we meet?"
The mirror answered,
"Circus Cotton-Tails in the street."
Then Snubby Nose held his breath and Tippy Toes held his breath.
Snubby Nose said, "I was one of the Circus Cotton-Tails once myself."
They went downstairs and kissed Susan good-bye.
Then they jumped into the wheelbarrow and Bunny wheeled them to the
turn in the road. He kissed them good-bye and Snubby Nose cried and he
screamed and he howled! Tippy Toes said, "Never mind, we shall meet
again some day and my nose is as ugly as yours is!"
Snubby Nose said, "_I beg you not to talk about noses_," and he
cried and he screamed and he howled, louder than ever.
Tippy Toes saw something must be done, so he said, "Oh, never mind, I
will go home with you. It will be a long walk around then to my house."
They both went east.
Snubby Nose said, "Listen, what is that? It sounds like a band!"
Tippy Toes said, "What is that? It sounds like the roar of a Lion."
They did not know whether to go east any longer or not. They hid behind
some bushes by the roadside, and all the while the sound of the band
came nearer and nearer. All the while the lion roared louder and
louder. They peeped through the branches. Soon the Circus Cotton-Tails
came in view.
[Illustration: "SOON THE CIRCUS COTTON-TAILS CAME IN VIEW"]
Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes danced out of their hiding places and cried,
"Hurrah for the Circus Cotton-Tails! They have formed a real little
Circus!"
There was the band wagon. There were the elephants and camels. There
were the animals in cages.
The Circus Cotton-Tails cried, "Hurrah, hurrah! Here are Snubby Nose
and Tippy Toes. Come and join the Big Parade."
Bunny Bright Eyes said, "Can you walk a tight rope?"
Tippy Toes said he did not know, but Snubby Nose said he had walked a
tight rope off and on all his life!
Tippy Toes drew a little mirror out of his pocket and said,
"Who will walk the tight rope? Whom do you suppose?"
The mirror answered,
"Two cunning little Bunnies, Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes!"