As soon as Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky got home after leaving the Opera
House, as I told you in the last story, they heard a loud noise in the
back yard.
"What's that?" said Uncle Lucky, and he peeked around the corner of the
porch while Billy Bunny took his popgun out of his knapsack so as to be
ready in case it was a burglar.
"I don't see anything," whispered the old gentleman rabbit; "you take a
look." So Billy Bunny peeped around the corner and then he hopped
backward, almost knocking Uncle Lucky head over tail.
And before you could say "Jack Rabbit!" Old Man Weasel jumped from
behind the house and glared at the two rabbits with his wicked eyes.
"Good evening, Mr. Weasel," said Uncle Lucky, pushing Billy Bunny behind
him, for he was a brave old rabbit, was Uncle Lucky, and he was going to
save his little nephew from being eaten up by the wicked weasel, if he
could.
"Good evening, gentlemen," replied Old Man Weasel, licking his lips and
glaring at them with his fierce little eyes. "You look sweet and tender
to me."
"Your eyesight is pretty poor," said Uncle Lucky bravely, "and I don't
feel very sweet just now, and I'm too old to be tender," and he wriggled
his nose so fast in the moonlight that it made Old Man Weasel dizzy to
look at it, and he had to turn away, and while he wasn't looking, Billy
Bunny lifted his gun to his shoulder and pulled the trigger.
And when the cork hit the wicked weasel it made him jump right up into
the air, and when he came down he sprained his right foot on a big stone
so that he cried:
"Oh, dear! oh, dear! And woe is me!
I've sprained an ankle and a knee.
I cannot walk, I cannot run!
Plague take that little rabbit's gun!
Oh, won't you call an am-bu-lance,
My home is such a great dis-tance!"
"If you'll promise not to come here again," said kind Uncle Lucky, "I'll
call up the hospital. If you don't promise I'll call the Policeman Dog
and ask him to tickle you with his club," and the old gentleman rabbit
hopped down to the front gate and pretended to call a policeman, which
frightened Old Man Weasel nearly to death. He'd rather have a sprained
knee than be tickled by a policeman's club any day in the week.
"I'll promise! I'll promise!" he cried, and then Billy Bunny went to the
telephone and called up the hospital and they sent an ambulance around.
And the doctor--the man in white, you know, who sits on the back seat of
the ambulance--tied up the weasel's knee so he couldn't bend it, and his
ankle so he couldn't wiggle it, and then he placed him in the ambulance,
while the Policeman Dog stood by to keep the crowds away, only of course
there wasn't any crowds there, for it was midnight, you know.
And in the next story I will tell you more about the two little rabbits
if they only get up in time, for they've stayed up pretty late to-night
and may not hear the alarm clock in the morning.