Well, after they had gone for maybe a mile, and maybe some m

Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks and the

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BILLY BUNNY

AND

UNCLE BULL FROG

BY

DAVID CORY

Author of "Billy Bunny and Daddy Fox,"

"Billy Bunny and The Friendly Elephant,"

"Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky Lefthindfoot"

ILLUSTRATIONS BY

HUGH SPENCER

BILLY BUNNY BOOKS

BY DAVID GORY

Large 12 mo. Illustrated

1. BILLY BUNNY AND THE FRIENDLY ELEPHANT

2. BILLY BUNNY AND DADDY FOX

3. BILLY BUNNY AND UNCLE BULL FROG

4. BILLY BUNNY AND UNCLE LUCKY LEFTHINDFOOT

Other Volumes in Preparation

1920

CONTENTS

I. BILLY BUNNY AND MR. BLACKSNAKE

II. BILLY BUNNY AND THE FRESHWATER CRAB

III. BILLY BUNNY AND THE SORROWFUL JAY BIRD

IV. BILLY BUNNY AND THE TING-A-LING TELEPHONE

V. BILLY BUNNY AND THE RUNAWAY DOG

VI. BILLY BUNNY AND MR. O'HARE'S ESCAPE

VII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE POLICEMAN CAT

VIII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE GRAY MOUSE

IX. BILLY BUNNY AND RED ROOSTER

X. BILLY BUNNY AND MRS. COW

XI. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BIG BEAR

XII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE RABBITVILLE "GAZETTE"

XIII. BILLY BUNNY AND MR. MOLE

XIV. BILLY BUNNY AND THE WATER SNAKE

XV. BILLY BUNNY AND THE PEACOCK

XVI. BILLY BUNNY AND THE MARBLE DEER

XVII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE FOREST DANCE

XVIII. BILLY BUNNY AND RAGGED RABBIT

XIX. BILLY BUNNY AND TAILOR BIRD

XX. BILLY BUNNY AND PARSON CROW

XXI. BILLY BUNNY AND JACK-IN-THE-BOX

XXII. BILLY BUNNY AND MR. DUCK

XXIII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE FRETFUL PORCUPINE

XXIV. BILLY BUNNY AND DANNY BILLYGOAT

XXV. BILLY BUNNY AND THE WHALE

XXVI. BILLY BUNNY AND THE MERMAID.

XXVII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BEANSTALK

XXVIII. BILLY BUNNY AND SCATTERBRAINS

XXIX. BILLY BUNNY AND MRS. BLACK CAT

XXX. BILLY BUNNY AND BIG YELLOW DOG

XXXI. BILLY BUNNY AND A HAPPY BIRTHDAY

XXXII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE LOST RING

XXXIII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE GREAT NEWS

XXXIV. BILLY BUNNY AND JENNY MUSKRAT

XXXV. BILLY BUNNY AND THE MILLER'S DOG

XXXVI. BILLY BUNNY AND THE WOODCHUCK

XXXVII. BILLY BUNNY AND LITTLE PEEWEE

XXXVIII. BILLY BUNNY AND OLD MOTHER MAGPIE

STORY I.

BILLY BUNNY AND MR. BLACKSNAKE.

Rain, rain, go away,

Billy Bunny wants to play.

This is what Willy Wind sang one morning. Oh, so early, as the

raindrops pitter-pattered on the roof of the little rabbit's house in

the Old Brier Patch.

And then of course he woke up and wiggled his little pink nose a

million times less or more, and pretty soon he was wide awake, so he

got up and looked into the mirror to see if his eyes were open, as he

wasn't quite sure he was wide awake after all, for the raindrops made

a drowsy noise on the old shingles and the alarm clock wouldn't go

off, although it was 14 o'clock.

Well, after a little while, not so very long, his mother called to

him, "Billy Bunny, the stewed lollypops are getting cold and the

robin's eggs will be hard boiled if you don't hurry up, or hurry down,

or something."

"I'll be ready in a jiffy," answered the little rabbit, and then he

brushed his whiskers and parted his hair in the middle with a little

chip, and after that he was ready for breakfast and dinner and supper,

for rabbits are always hungry, you know, and can eat all the time, so

I've been told, and I guess it must be true, for why should an old

rabbit have told me that if it isn't the truth, I should like to know,

and so would you, I'm sure.

"Don't forget your rubber boots," said Mrs. Bunny after the morning

meal was over, as Billy Bunny started to hop outdoors. So, like a good

little bunny boy, he came back and put them on, and then before he

went he polished the brass door knob on the front door and swept the

leaves off the little stone walk.

And after that he was ready to do whatever he liked, so out he went on

the Pleasant Meadow to eat some clover tops so as not to feel hungry

for the next ten minutes.

And just then Mrs. Cow came along with her tinkle, tinkle bell that

hung at her throat from a leather collar.

"Where are you going?" she asked, but the little rabbit didn't know.

He was only looking around. He hadn't had time to make up his mind

what to do, and just then, all of a sudden, just like that, Mr.

Blacksnake rose out of the grass.

"Look out!" cried Mrs. Cow. "Maybe he's going to eat you," but whether

he was I'm sure I don't know, for Billy Bunny didn't wait to see. He

didn't care whether Mr. Blacksnake wanted his breakfast, but hopped

away as fast as he could and pretty soon, not so very far, he came to

the Babbling Brook, and there sat the little fresh water crab on the

sand, and when he saw Billy Bunny he said:

"It's raining, Billy Bunny,

But you and I don't care,

For raindrops make the flowers

Grow and blossom fair."

And this is what every little boy and girl should say on rainy days.

STORY II.

BILLY BUNNY AND THE FRESHWATER CRAB.

Let me see. It was raining in the last story when we left off, wasn't

it? Billy Bunny and the little freshwater crab were talking together,

weren't they?

That's it, and now I know where to begin, for it's stopped raining

since then and Mr. Happy Sun is shining in the sky and the little

clouds are chasing each other over the blue meadows like little lambs.

"I like that little piece of poetry you just said," cried the little

rabbit. "Please say another." So the freshwater crab wrinkled his

forehead, and then he began:

"And when the sun is shining,

And all is bright and gay,

Just keep a little sunshine

To help a rainy day."

"I will," said the little bunny, for he was a cheerful little fellow,

and then he hopped away and by and by he came to the Old Mill Pond.

But Uncle Bullfrog was nowhere to be seen.

There stood the old log, but there was nobody on it but a black snail.

It seemed strange not to see the old gentleman frog sitting there, his

eyes winking and blinking and his white waist-coat shining in the sun,

and it made the little rabbit feel lonely.

"Where is Uncle Bullfrog?" he asked a big bluebottle fly, who was

buzzing away at a great rate. But he didn't know, and neither did a

big darning needle that was skimming over the quiet water.

"I wonder if that dreadful Miller's Boy has taken Uncle Bullfrog

away," thought Billy Bunny, and just then Mrs. Oriole flew down from

her nest that swung in the weeping willow tree and said:

"Are you looking for Uncle Bullfrog, little rabbit?"

"Yes, ma'am. Do you know where he is?"

"He's down by the mill dam," answered the pretty little bird, and then

she flew back to her nest that looked like an old white cotton

stocking at Christmas time because it was all bulgy and full, only, of

course, hers had little birds inside and a Christmas stocking has all

sorts of toys, with an orange in the toe and a Jack-in-the-Box

sticking out of the top.

So off hopped the little rabbit, and pretty soon he saw the old

gentleman bullfrog catching flies, and undoing his waistcoat one

button every time a fly disappeared down his throat.

"I thought at first that dreadful Miller's Boy had taken you away,"

said Billy Bunny, "and I was very sad, for I like you, Uncle Bullfrog,

and I've never forgotten how you found the letter I lost a long time

ago."

"Tut, tut," said the old gentleman frog. "How's your mother?" and then

he swallowed another fly and unbuttoned the last button, and if he

takes off his waistcoat I'll tell you so in the next story.

STORY III.

BILLY BUNNY AND THE SORROWFUL JAY BIRD.

Well, Uncle Bullfrog didn't take off his waistcoat, as I thought he

might in the last story, so I'm not going to tell you anything more

about him.

We'll just leave him in the old Mill Pond and go along with Billy

Bunny, who is hopping away toward the Friendly Forest.

By and by, after he had gone into the shady depths for maybe a million

and two or three hops, he came across his old friend the jay bird, who

had sold him the airship, you remember, and then bought it back again.

"I wish you'd kept your old flying machine," said the jay bird

sorrowfully.

"But you wanted to buy it back," said the little rabbit, "so it's not

my fault."

"Perhaps not," replied the sorrowful jay bird, "but that doesn't make

matters any better."

"Why, what's the trouble?" asked the little rabbit, sitting down and

taking a lollypop out of his knapsack.

"I had an accident," answered the jay bird.

"I ran into a thunder cloud and spilled out all the lightning, and, oh

dear, oh dear. I just hate to talk about it, but I will. The lightning

jumped all around and then struck the old tower clock and broke the

main spring, so that it wouldn't go any more, and now nobody in

Rabbitville can tell the day of the month, or when it will be

Thanksgiving or Fourth of July."

"Let's go to the clock maker and ask him to fix it," suggested the

little rabbit, and this so delighted the sorrowful jay bird that he

smiled and flew after Billy Bunny, and pretty soon they came to the

old clock maker, who was an old black spider.

"Certainly I'll fix it," he said, "but it will cost you nine million

and some billion flies."

"All right," said Billy Bunny. "I'll go down to the 3 and 1-cent store

and buy a fly catcher." So off he went and pretty soon he came back

with a great big fly catching box, and after he had set it down, they

stood and watched the flies go in until it was so full that not

another one could even poke in his nose.

"Now, Mr. Spider," said Billy Bunny, "there are maybe a trillion flies

in that box, for the storekeeper told me it was guaranteed to hold

that many, so please fix the town clock, for it would be too bad if

the little boys and girls didn't know it was Christmas when it really

came."

So the spider got out his little tool bag and climbed up the steeple

and fixed that old town clock so well that it began to play a tune,

which it had never done before, and all the people in Rabbitville were

so delighted that they gave the spider a little house to live in for

the rest of his days.

STORY IV.

BILLY BUNNY AND THE TING-A-LING TELEPHONE.

Ting-a-ling went the telephone bell in Uncle Lucky Lefthindfoot's

house, the kind old gentleman rabbit who was the uncle of Billy Bunny,

you know.

And I only say this right here in case some little boy or girl should

read this story without having seen all the million and one, or two,

or three that have gone before.

So Uncle Lucky jumped out of the hammock where he had been swinging up

and down on the cool front porch of his little house in Bunnytown,

corner of Lettuce avenue and Carrot street, and hopped into the

library and took down the receiver and said "Helloa! This is Mr. Lucky

Lefthindfoot talking."

"Is that you, Uncle Lucky?" answered a voice at the other end of the

wire. "This is Billy Bunny, and I'm lost in the Friendly Forest."

"What!" cried the old gentleman rabbit, and he got so excited that he

put the wrong end of the receiver to his left ear and got an awful

electric shock that nearly wiggled his ear off. "Where are you now?"

"I don't know," replied his small nephew. "I'm lost, don't you

understand?"

"Gracious, goodness mebus!" exclaimed the old gentleman rabbit, "then

how am I to find you?"

"I don't know, but please do," said Billy Bunny sorrowfully, "for I'm

dreadfully hungry, and I haven't got a single lollypop or apple pie

left in my knapsack."

"Well, you just stay where you are and I'll get into the Luckmobile

and find you," replied the old gentleman rabbit as cheerfully as he

could, although he didn't know how he was going to do it, and neither

do I, and neither do you, but let's wait and see.

So pretty soon, in a few short seconds, Uncle Lucky was tearing along

the dusty road toward the Friendly Forest, and by and by he came to

the house where his cousin, Mr. O'Hare, lived. So he stopped the

automobile and knocked on the door, and as soon as Mr. O'Hare opened

it, he said: "Jump in with me, for my little nephew is lost and I want

you to help me find him."

So away they went into the Friendly Forest, and they looked all

around, but, of course, there was no little rabbit that looked like

Billy Bunny anywhere in sight. So Uncle Lucky and Mr. O'Hare got out,

and after tying the automobile to a tree, they set out in different

directions to find the little bunny. And Uncle Lucky went along a

little path and Mr. O'Hare followed a small brook, and after a while

the old gentleman rabbit heard a bird singing:

"I saw a little rabbit

A-sitting by a tree,

And I should say he'd lost his way--

That's how he looked to me."

"Where did you see him?" asked Uncle Lucky excitedly. But what the

little bird replied you must wait to hear in the next story.

STORY V.

BILLY BUNNY AND THE RUNAWAY DOG.

You remember in the last story just as Uncle Lucky asked the little

bird to tell him where Billy Bunny was I had to leave off for there

was no more room in the story for me to add another word? Well, what

the little bird said was:

"Follow the path, Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot, 'till you come to a bridge,

and then turn to your right, and pretty soon, if the little bunny

hasn't hopped away, you'll find your lost nephew."

So Uncle Lucky started right off. He didn't wait to even dust off his

old wedding stovepipe hat, and by and by he came to the bridge. But oh

dear me! Right in the middle of it stood a big dog, and when he saw

the old gentleman rabbit he gave a loud bark and ran at him.

And what do you think the dear old bunny did? He honked on his

automobile horn, which he had in his paw, and this frightened the dog

so dreadfully that he turned around and ran away so fast that he would

have left his tail a thousand miles behind him if it hadn't been tied

on the way dogs' tails are, you know.

And after that Uncle Lucky crossed the bridge and turned to his right

and pretty soon he saw Billy Bunny under a bush looking very miserable

and unhappy. But when he heard his Uncle Lucky's voice, for the old

gentleman rabbit gave a cry of delight as soon as he saw him, the

little rabbit looked as happy as he had before he was lost.

"Here's an apple pie for you," said the dear, kind old gentleman

rabbit, taking a lovely pie out of his pocket. "I knew you'd rather

have something to eat than a million carrot cents."

And of course the little rabbit would, for he was so hungry he could

have eaten brass tacks, or maybe iron nails.

"Now come along with me," said Uncle Lucky. "We'll go back to the

Luckymobile. Your cousin, Mr. O'Hare, went the other way to look for

you, so I suppose we'll have a dreadful time to find him. But, never

mind, I've found you." And dear, affectionate Uncle Lucky hugged his

small nephew, he was so glad to be with him once more.

Well, after they reached the automobile they honked and honked on the

horn hoping Mr. O'Hare would hear them. But I guess he didn't, for he

never came back, although they waited until it was almost 13 o'clock.

"We'll have to go home without him," said Uncle Lucky at last. And I

guess he was wise not to wait any longer, for it was growing dark, and

to drive an automobile through a forest is not an easy thing to do at

night. And just then, all of a sudden, Willie Wind came blowing

through the tree tops. When he saw the two little bunnies he said:

"Your cousin, Mr. O'Hare, has fallen into a deep hole over yonder."

And Willie Wind pointed down the Friendly Forest Trail. In the next

story you shall hear how Uncle Lucky and Billy Bunny found their

cousin, Mr. O'Hare.

STORY VI.

BILLY BUNNY AND MR. O'HARE'S ESCAPE.

You remember in the last story how Willie Wind whispered to Billy

Bunny and Uncle Lucky that their cousin, Mr. O'Hare, had fallen into a

deep hole? Well, it didn't take the two little rabbits more than five

short seconds and maybe five and a half hops to reach the spot, and

then they looked over the edge, but very carefully, you know, for fear

they might fall in, and there, sure enough, way down at the bottom was

Mr. O'Hare looking very miserable indeed.

"Keep up your courage!" cried Uncle Lucky in as cheerful a voice as he

could muster, and then he looked around to find a rope or a ladder.

But of course there were not any ropes and ladders lying about, so

that kind old gentleman rabbit peeped over the edge of the hole and

called down again, "Keep up your courage! We'll get you out!"

Although he didn't know how he was going to do it, and neither do you

and neither do I and neither does the printer man.

Well, after a while, and it was quite a long while, too, Billy Bunny

found a wild grapevine which he let down into the hole. "Make a loop

and put it around your waist and Uncle Lucky and I will haul you out,"

he called down, and then Mr. O'Hare did as he was told, and after the

two little rabbits had pulled and pulled until their breath was almost

gone, Mr. O'Hare's head appeared at the top of the hole.

And then with one more big pull they brought him out safely, although

his waist was dreadfully sore because the grapevine had cut into his

fur and squeezed all the breath out of him.

"I'm going to complain to the street cleaning department or the first

policeman I see," said Mr. O'Hare. "It's a dreadful thing to have a

hole like this right in the middle of the Friendly Forest Trail."

"Never mind that," said Billy Bunny, "let's go back to the

Luckymobile. It will be late before we get out of the woods and maybe

the electricity will all be gone and then we can't light the lamps,

and maybe we'll be arrested."

And this is just what happened. They had only gone a little ways when

they heard a voice say:

"Stop your motor car, I say,

You have no lamps to light the way.

Come, stop your car and get right out!

Listen, don't you hear me shout?

Stop your car or I will shoot.

Don't try away from me to scoot!"

"We don't intend to," said Uncle Lucky, and he put on the brake and

the Luckymobile came to a standstill. And there in the road stood a

big Policeman Cat, with a club and gold buttons on his coat and a big

helmet, and his number was two dozen and a half.

"Get out of your car," he commanded, which means to say something

sternly, but before the two little rabbits obeyed, something happened,

but what it was you must wait to hear in the next story.

STORY VII.

BILLY BUNNY AND THE POLICEMAN CAT.

Well, I'm glad to say it was something nice that happened just as I

left off in the last story. You remember the Policeman Cat had

arrested Billy Bunny and his Uncle Lucky.

Well, just as that Policeman Cat lifted his club to tickle Uncle

Lucky's left hind foot, a big elm tree began to bark and of course the

Policeman Cat was nearly scared to death. He thought it was a dog, you

see, and instead of tickling dear, kind Uncle Lucky with his club, he

turned tail and ran off down the road.

And he ran so fast that he left his number behind and Uncle Lucky

picked it up and put it on the automobile, and after that they asked

two little fireflies to sit inside the lamps and make them shine, for

you remember the electricity had all burned up.

Well, after a while, they came to a turn in the road and, goodness

gracious! before they could stop the automobile they ran into a milk

wagon. And, oh, dear me! there was whipped cream all over the place,

and Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky looked like two little cream puffs.

And I suppose you are wondering where the driver of the milk wagon was

all this time. And so were Uncle Lucky and Billy Bunny, and if you'll

wait a minute I'll tell you, as soon as my typewriter behaves itself,

for it got so excited when Luckymobile ran into the milk wagon that it

caught my thumb and pinched it.

Well, pretty soon, after Uncle Lucky had looked behind the moon and

Billy Bunny into all the empty milk cans and one full one, they found

the driver up in a weeping willow tree.

"I'll come down if you'll promise not to run over me," he said, for he

was nearly frightened to death and looked dreadfully funny, for one of

the milk can covers had fallen on his head.

"I thought he would be mad as a hornet," whispered Billy Bunny to his

rabbit uncle.

"But where's my horse?" said the milkman when he reached the ground.

So they all looked around and everywhere else, but they couldn't find

him until they looked up into another weeping willow tree. And there

was the poor horse high up in the branches.

"Oh, I'll come down from this willow tree,

If you'll promise me just one thing,

And that is never again to say:

'Gid-ap' as you drive me along the way,

For I always go the best I can;

I'm a faithful friend to every man,

So please don't hurry me so,

For I'm not trying to go too slow."

"All right, my good old horse," said kind Uncle Lucky. "Your master

shall give me his word." So the horse jumped down and the willow tree

stopped weeping right away, for it was so glad that the poor old milk

horse was never again to be hurried on his way. And in the next story

I'll tell you why.

STORY VIII.

BILLY BUNNY AND THE GRAY MOUSE.

You remember in the last story how the Luckymobile had run into a milk

wagon? Well, after Billy Bunny had helped the milkman hitch up his

horse and Uncle Lucky had filled the milk cans with ice cream and soda

water from a near-by candy store, so as not to have all the little

boys and girls disappointed at breakfast when they didn't get their

milk, our two little rabbit friends got into the Luckymobile and

started off again.

Well, it was still evening, you know, and the little fireflies who had

crawled into the lamps made them as bright as possible, so it wasn't

hard to steer the automobile. And, after a while, maybe a mile, they

came to a house, where lived a gray mouse, all alone by herself in a

hole near a shelf, where cake and mince pies made her open her eyes,

for they looked, oh, so good, as a pie or cake should.

Now I didn't know I was going to write poetry or I should have let my

hair grow long like a poet instead of going to the barber for a shave.

Well, anyway, the two little rabbits stopped the automobile right in

front of mousie's door and when she heard the horn go honk, honk, she

came to the window and looked out.

"Why, it's Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot," she squeaked, and then she opened

the door and asked the two little rabbits in and gave them some pie

and cake.

"You can put the automobile in the barn if you like," she said, "and

spend the night here, for it's getting very dark and maybe you'll run

into something." So Billy Bunny took the Luckymobile around to the

barn, and just then an old owl began to toot:

"I'm very fond of little gray mice,

And little white rabbits, too, are nice."

And down flew that old gray owl and made a grab for Billy Bunny. But

he didn't catch him. No, sireemam! For the little rabbit hopped into

the henhouse through the little round door, and the big red rooster

began to crow:

"Look here, Mr. Owl, if you come inside

I'll hurt you with my spur.

Don't you dare get funny with Billy Bunny,

Or muss his pretty white fur."

And then he flew down from his perch and said, "Cock-a-doodle-do"

three times and a half, and after that the owl flew away. "That was

very kind of you," said the little rabbit. "Oh, don't mention it,"

said the red rooster, "but there is one thing you can do for me."

"What's that?" asked Billy Bunny. "Take me Luckymobiling," laughed the

red rooster.

"All right. To-morrow Uncle Lucky and I will invite you for a nice

drive," said the little rabbit, and if the Luckymobile doesn't get

sick maybe Uncle Lucky will ask some little boy or girl to go, too,

and maybe it might be you.

STORY IX.

BILLY BUNNY AND RED ROOSTER.

Well, the next morning when the little rabbits woke up the sun was

shining brightly through their bedroom window and Mrs. Mousie was

singing a song down in the kitchen below as she made hot muffins for

breakfast. And this is what she sang:

"Upstairs in my nice guest room are two

Nice little rabbits in bed.

As soon as I'm able I'll fix up the table

And give them some honey and bread.

And then a hot muffin to give them a stuffin',

And then they'll be bountifully fed."

And when Billy Bunny heard her he grew so hungry that he hurried

faster than he had ever hurried before, and so did the old gentleman

rabbit, and he buttoned his collar on backwards and put his left shoe

on his right foot and tripped over his old wedding stovepipe hat.

And after that they both hopped downstairs, and as soon as Mrs. Mousie

heard them she brought in the bread and honey and the hot muffins and

they all had breakfast. And after that Billy Bunny asked her to go

automobiling with them.

So she put on her old gray bonnet with a bit of ribbon on it, and tied

the strings under her chin, and put on her black silk mitts and her

gold locket breastpin with the picture of Mr. Mousie inside.

"You don't mind if we invite the red rooster to go along, too, do

you?" asked Billy Bunny, and then he told her how the rooster had

scared away the old owl. And of course Mrs. Mousie didn't care, so the

rooster got in and sat on the back seat with Mrs. Mousie.

Well, after they had gone for maybe a mile, and maybe some more, they

came to a beautiful candy store, where the windows were full of

peppermint sticks and a brown sugar monkey did all sorts of tricks.

"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 buttercups.

"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 glasses 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 grass 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 Cocky Docky up at the Old Farm." "And if you

don't care," squeaked little Mrs. Mousie, "I'll call on Dickey

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. Grasshopper 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.

"All day he nibbled pie

Till at last I thought he'd die,"

Said the doctor with a sigh.

And then Mr. William Bunny looked at his small son and sighed, too,

for he had just paid the doctor's bill.

"Please don't sing any more," said little Billy Bunny. "Don't you

remember the doctor said I was to be kept quiet?"

So Mr. William Bunny went out on the porch to smoke a cigar and read

the Rabbitville "Gazette" until after supper time.

And while he was reading Mrs. Bunny looked over his shoulder and read:

"Wanted, a secondhand automobile in good condition."

"Ring up your Uncle Lucky on the telephone," she called to Billy

Bunny. "Here's a chance for him to sell his Luckymobile." So the

little rabbit rang up 000 Lettuceville, and in a few minutes he heard

the old gentleman's voice at the other end of the wire.

"But I don't want to sell my Luckymobile," he said. "It's the only one

in ex-is-tence," which means the only one ever made, and I guess he

was right, for I never rode in a Luckymobile, did you?

"But mother thinks you ought to sell it," said Billy Bunny, "and so

does father, for they both say you'll have a terrible accident some

day if you don't look out."

"Well then, I'll look out," said Uncle Lucky with a laugh. "But I

won't sell my Luckymobile." And then he asked Billy Bunny to make him

a visit. So the little rabbit put on his knapsack and picked up his

striped candy cane and started off, after first asking his mother's

permission, of course.

And after he had gone for maybe a million Hops, he came to a big tree

where Old Barney the Owl had his next. But of course, he wasn't awake.

Oh, my, no. He had his eyes tightly closed, for owls don't like a

bright light, you know. They can see in the dark but not in the

daytime.

But when Billy Bunny called out, "Helloa, Mr. Barney," the old

gentleman owl blinked his eyes and said, "Who's calling me?" And then

the little rabbit thought he'd play a joke, so he said, "Mr. Mouse!"

And if there was anything that Old Barney loved to eat, it was mice.

And in the next story I'll tell you what Billy Bunny did.

STORY XIII.

BILLY BUNNY AND MR. MOLE.

You remember in the last story I promised to tell you what Billy Bunny

did when Old Barney the Owl asked him, "Who's there?" and the little

rabbit replied, "Mr. Mouse," just to fool him, you know. Well, after

that

Old Barney the Owl

Gave a terrible scowl

As he looked at little Bill Bunny.

You thought you were wise,

But my blinky old eyes

Can see you are not a bit funny.

I can see from my house

You are not Mr. Mouse.

And then the old blinkerty, winkerty owl flopped down to the ground

and tried to catch the little rabbit. But Billy Bunny was too quick

for him. He jumped into a hollow stump before you could say "Jack

Rabbit!"

"Come out of there," cried Old Barney, in a screechery, teachery

voice, but you just bet the little bunny didn't. He knew what would

happen if he did.

Well, by and by, after a long while, he looked around, and, would you

believe it, he found a little pair of stairs. So down he hopped until

he came to a door on which was painted in red letters: "Mr. Mole,

Subway Contractor."

Then the little rabbit knocked on the door and pretty soon it was

opened and there stood Mr. Mole himself.

"What do you want?" he asked, trying to squint out of his little tiny

eyes that were hidden all over with hair.

"It's me--Billy Bunny," replied the little rabbit. "Mr. Owl tried to

catch me and I hopped into your hollow stump entrance, but I haven't

got a ticket for the subway."

"Well, you can come in anyway," said the kind old mole; "my subway

isn't finished yet and the trains won't be running for some time. Come

in." So Billy Bunny hopped inside and sat down on a chair close to a

little brass railing, behind which stood Mr. Mole's desk.

Then Mr. Mole sat down and looked at Billy Bunny as much as to say,

"And now what can I do for you?" So Billy Bunny said, "I would like to

get up on the ground again. Can you show me a new way, because I don't

want to go back the way I came?"

Then Mr. Mole pressed a little bell, and in came a mole with overalls

on and a little pickaxe. "Show my friend, Mr. Billy Bunny, through the

tunnel to the Moss Bank entrance."

"Thank you," said the little rabbit, and he hopped after the workman

mole until they came to an opening. And when the little rabbit got

outside once more he found himself on a mossy bank where blossomed a

lovely bed of violets.

So he picked a bouquet for himself and stuck it in his buttonhole, and

after that he hopped away singing a song. And if Robbie Redbreast

hadn't heard it I never would have been able to tell it to you. Wasn't

it lucky that the little robin sang it to me this morning while I was

still in bed? Because, if he hadn't, how would I have ever learned it?

Over the clover and over the grass

Hoppity, hop, I go;

Over the leaves from the autumn trees

And over the soft white snow,

With a whistle and song

I go hopping along,

I'm Billy Bunny, you know.

STORY XIV.

BILLY BUNNY AND THE WATER SNAKE.

"Over the grass or over the snow,

Fast as a little white breeze I go.

I'm Billy Bunny, Billy Bunny, you know."

Thus sang the little rabbit even after I left off in last night's

story. Isn't it strange? Maybe I dreamed it. Anyhow, that's what I

think he did, and after a while, when he had stopped singing, you

know, he came to a little hill on the top of which was a high white

pole with an American Flag flying from it.

And underneath was a whole regiment of little Boy Bunny Scouts,

dressed in khaki, with guns and caps and brass buttons and guns and

drums and a captain and a fife, and I guess there were three or four

fifes, and as soon as they saw the little rabbit, they all shouted,

"Here comes Billy Bunny. Let's get him to join our regiment."

"I belong to the Billy Bunny Boy Scouts of Old Snake Fence Corner,"

replied the little rabbit. "I can't join your regiment." So he hopped

along and by and by he came to a big white swan that was sailing up

and down on a pond.

"Would you like to take a sail?" she asked, coming up close to the

bank. "Because if you would, just hop on my back and I'll take you

around the pond two times and maybe a half if you'll give me a

lollypop."

So the little rabbit opened his knapsack and gave her one and then he

hopped on her back and went for a lovely sail in and out among the

pond lilies and little green grass islands.

Well, everything was going along beautifully when, all of a sudden,

just like that, a big water snake came swimming by.

"Oh, don't let him swallow me," cried the little rabbit, and he took

his popgun out of his knapsack and stuck the cork in the end.

"I'll shoot you on the tail if you touch me," he cried just as bravely

as he could, but he nearly slipped off the swan's back just the same,

he was so frightened.

"Don't you come any nearer," said the swan with a fierce hiss, but the

snake didn't care. He swam around and around until the little rabbit

got so dizzy that he had to hold on to the swan's neck.

"Please swim around the other way," pleaded the little rabbit, "you

make me dreadfully dizzy." But the bad water snake said he wouldn't,

because that's just what he wanted Billy Bunny to be--so dizzy that he

would fall into the water and then that dreadful water snake could

swallow him and maybe a pond lily besides.

"Look here," said the swan, "if you don't stop making snakery circles

all around me, I'll bite your head off with my big, strong beak." And

then what do you think the little rabbit did? Why, he managed somehow

to lift up his gun and shoot it off, and the cork hit the water snake

on the end of the tail and gave him such a headache that he swam over

to the long grass and ate watercress salad and a piece of lemon pie.

And while he was doing that the swan took the little rabbit to the

other side of the pond and he hopped away so fast that he didn't tell

me what he was going to do in to-morrow's story.

STORY XV.

BILLY BUNNY AND THE PEACOCK.

Well, if it hadn't been for Robbie Redbreast who saw little Billy

Bunny hopping away from the lily pond, as I told you in the last

story, I never would have found out what he did after that, and so

there would have been no story to-night. So the next time you see

Robbie Redbreast, please thank him.

And now this is what he told me. After the little rabbit had hopped

along for maybe a mile or three, he came to a high stone wall. "I

wonder what's on the other side?" he said to himself, and then a

beautiful peacock looked over and said: "I'll tell you, little rabbit.

"It's a beautiful garden where a fountain plays all day and the

breezes sing all night and the flowers whisper and bow their heads."

"How can I get in?" asked the little bunny, "for I love flowers and I

never heard a fountain play. What does it play?"

"Oh, all sorts of waterfall music," said the peacock, and he spread

his beautiful tail out like a fan and brushed a little green fly off

his nose. "It plays trills and rills and cascades and ripples and

dipples."

And this made the little rabbit so curious that he hunted all around

to find a gate in the high stone wall. And pretty soon, not so very

long, he came to one, with big iron rods and curiously carved images

of lions and dragons and animals with wings.

So he squeezed through and hopped up to the beautiful fountain where

lots of little gold and silver fish swam around and around and the

water fell in diamonds and rubies and emeralds, but he didn't know

that it was Mr. Happy Sun who colored the water drops to make them

look like precious stones.

"Please play me a tune," said the little rabbit. And then the

beautiful peacock said, "What tune would you like?" and the little

rabbit answered:

"Sprinkle, sprinkle, little star,

Just a water drop you are.

Twinkle, twinkle, drops of dew,

With the sunlight shining through."

So the beautiful fountain played this little song while Billy Bunny

sat there listening and the beautiful peacock spread his tail to catch

the sparkle from the glittering drops of water. And then all the roses

began singing:

Roses white and roses red,

And roses yellow too, instead,

And pretty lilies white as snow,

And every other flower you know.

And after that Billy Bunny asked the peacock to sing a song, but when

he started to sing, oh dear, oh dear. For you know just because a bird

has beautiful feathers he may not have a beautiful voice, and the

sounds the peacock made were dreadful.

Yes, indeed. And if the little rabbit hadn't skipped away he would

have had to hold his paws over his ears, and then maybe he couldn't

have stopped them up, for he had very large ears and very small feet.

STORY XVI.

BILLY BUNNY AND THE MARBLE DEER.

In the story before this I told you how the beautiful peacock sang a

song which was dreadful, so very dreadful that little Billy Bunny had

to hold his ears and run away from the lovely fountain.

Well, after he had hopped along for maybe a million hops or less, he

came to a little deer on a smooth lawn. So he stopped and spoke to

him, but the pretty little animal never said a word. He didn't even

look at the little rabbit, so Billy Bunny touched him on the nose,

but, oh, dear me! It was cold and hard, not at all like the nose of a

real little deer.

But the little bunny didn't know it was a marble deer. He just thought

it was alive, you see, and he was puzzled and didn't know what to do

And then a lovely white dove flew down and said:

"He can't speak. He's only a statue."

"What is that?" asked the little rabbit, for he had never seen one

before.

"Why, a statue is a figure carved out of marble or stone," answered

the dove, and then she began to coo and comb her feathers with her

bill.

"Well, I'll just hop along then," said Billy Bunny, and he said good-by.

And after a while he came to a little house all covered with red

rambler roses, so he looked inside to see who lived there, for he

thought perhaps it might be a fairy who owned this beautiful garden

with the lovely fountain and the wonderful peacock.

But there was no one inside, so he hopped in and sat down on a small

wicker chair and rocked back and forth. For it was a rocking chair,

you know. And, by and by, he fell asleep and dreamed that the

beautiful peacock was flying around the fountain and scattering the

water drops all about with his mag-nif-i-cent tail. And then, all of a

sudden, the little rabbit woke up, for somebody was saying:

"Isn't this a dear little bunny?" And Billy Bunny opened his eyes and

saw a little girl with yellow curls leaning over him.

"Give him to me," said a boy's voice. And there stood a small boy

dressed in a sailor suit and a big sailor hat on which was written,

"Battleship Uncle Sam."

And then Billy Bunny knew it was time to be going. So he gave one big

hop and maybe two million and a half little skips and jumps, and soon

he was far away, and if he hadn't maybe that little boy would have put

him in a cage or a big box and kept him shut up for a long time.

"Goodness!" said the little rabbit, "I must be more careful next

time." And then something happened. A little hard ball hit him on the

left hind foot, and a man's voice called out, "If it hadn't been for

that pesky little rabbit I would have made that hole."

And the big man put his golf stick in the bag and watched Billy Bunny

limp away to hide in the woods close by.

STORY XVII.

BILLY BUNNY AND THE FOREST DANCE.

When the moon is big and bright

Little bunnies dance at night.

How they hop and skip and go

On their lucky left hind toe.

Well, sir, that's what Billy Bunny was doing. It was a lovely

moonlight night in August, and the big, round moon was gleaming down

on the Pleasant Meadow just like an electric lamp, only it was up in

the sky, you know, and not on the ceiling.

And Mrs. Bunny was there, too, and so was Cousin Cottontail, and all

the little rabbits for miles around.

Now it's a dangerous thing to be dancing, even if the moon is bright,

for owls and hawks fly by night, and if they happen to see a bunny

dance, they always fly down and break it up. They don't say a word;

they just fly away with one of the little bunny dancers and he never

dances any more. No, sireemam.

Well, on this particular night little Billy Bunny was doing the fox

trot with a nice little lady bunny, when all of a sudden from out of

the Friendly Forest came Slyboots and Bushy Tail, the small sons of

Daddy Fox, you remember.

And the reason they were out so late at night was because their father

had sprained his foot jumping over a stone fence to get away from a

pack of hounds who had chased him for a thousand and one miles and

fourteen feet.

Now Billy Bunny had forgotten all about Daddy Fox. He was thinking

only about Robber Hawk or Old Barney the Owl, and so he never saw the

two foxes until they were so close to him that they almost stubbed

their whiskers on his powder puff tail.

And if it hadn't been for the lady bunny who was dancing with him

maybe Slyboots, or maybe Bushy Tail, would have caught the little

bunny. But the lady rabbit saw them just in time and she gave a scream

and hopped into a hollow stump and Billy Bunny after her, and then all

that the two foxes could do was to stand close by and say:

"Isn't that a shame,

To spoil their little game,

To stop their dancing

And their prancing,

Who do you think's to blame?"

"You are, you two bad foxes," said Billy Bunny, but he didn't come out

of that hollow stump. No, sireemam, he staid inside and so did the

little lady rabbit, and by and by the two bad foxes went away and told

their father, Daddy Fox, all about it, and he said, "Don't make any

excuse.

"You are very poor hunters if you can't catch a rabbit when he's

dancing the Fox Trot." And I guess he was right, for Slyboots and

Bushy Tail were so ashamed that they didn't dare look in their

mother's looking-glass for two days and three nights.

And in the next story if Billy Bunny gets out of that hollow stump

before I see him, I'll ask Robbie Redbreast to tell me what he does so

that I can write to-morrow's story for you to read.

STORY XVIII.

BILLY BUNNY AND RAGGED RABBIT.

Robbie Redbreast told me this morning he saw Billy Bunny hop out of

the hollow stump where he had hidden with the little lady bunny, you

remember in the last story, to escape from the two bad foxes.

Well, after he had looked all around to make sure they were gone, he

said good-by to Miss Rabbit. And then, so Robbie Redbreast told me, he

looked at his gold watch and chain, which his dear, kind Uncle Lucky

had given him for a birthday present, and it was just thirteen

o'clock.

"That's my lucky number," exclaimed the little rabbit; "maybe I'll

find my fortune to-day." And he looked all about him, under a stone and

behind a bush, but there wasn't any fortune in sight, not even a

twenty-dollar gold piece. So he wound his watch and started off again;

and by and by, not so very far, he came to a castle where lived a

giant bunny whose name was "Ragged Rabbit" because he always wore torn

and tattered clothes.

And when he saw Billy Bunny hopping along, he said, "Ha, ha. Ho, hum,

I'll eat that little bunny as sure as I'm a foot high!" And as he was

twenty-one feet high less or more, he surely thought he would.

"What did you say?" asked Billy Bunny, for his quick ears had caught

the sound of the Ragged Rabbit's voice, but not the words.

"Oh, never mind," answered the Ragged Giant Rabbit. "Come and I'll

show you my castle." And, oh, dear me. Billy hopped in and the big

Giant Rabbit closed the door with a bang, and all the pictures on the

walls almost fell down and the chandelier rattled like a milk wagon

full of empty cans. But the little rabbit wasn't frightened. And could

you guess what he did if I let you guess until to-morrow night?