little bunny looked around he saw his old friend the Circus Elephant
with a bouquet of roses in his long trunk. "Here's your lollypop," said
the elephant, and he dropped the bunch of roses, for he only meant to
tease the little rabbit for a minute, you know.
And then he came over and sat down. But, oh dear me. He jumped up in an
awful hurry, for he had sat on the bunch of roses.
"Oh, dear and oh dear again," he cried, "why do lovely roses have
thorns?" and he wiped a tear from his eye with the end of his ear, and
then he sang this song:
"Oh, why should roses red have thorns
And pears have prickly prickles,
And Mr. Dill his glass jars fill
With sour little pickles?"
And after that my typewriter says you must wait a little while to hear
what happened next, because
The Circus Elephant took so long
To finish this beautiful pickle song,
The clock struck twelve before he was through,
The Old Red Rooster woke up and blew
Twice six times on his big tin horn,
And nearly deafened the ears of corn.
BAGS OF PEANUTS
Well, as soon as the Circus Elephant had finished the song in the last
story he took a silk handkerchief out of his trunk and wiped his eyes,
and then he said: "Do you suppose, if I kneel down you can hop up on my
back?"
"I'll try," answered the little rabbit. So the big circus animal
squatted down on the ground, till with a hop, skip and jump the clever
little bunny landed right in the middle of his back.
"Now hold on tight," said Elly, for that was the Circus Elephant's name,
and off he went and by and by he came to a place where there were many
peanut vines.
"Well, this is lucky," said the elephant. "We can take them to Chippy
Chipmunk. I'll dig the vines and you can pick out the peanuts and fill
your knapsack." So the elephant started in, and in less than thirteen
minutes he had plowed up the whole field of peanuts. And in less than
thirteen seconds the little rabbit had his knapsack full, but then he
didn't know what to do with all the rest of the peanuts.
And while he was looking around to find a bag or a box, who should come
by but the old dog with his stage coach and team of billy-goats.
"Plenty of peanuts," said the old dog driver, jumping down from his high
seat and walking over to the Old Rail Fence. Then he put his old pipe
back in his mouth and puffed out a cloud of smoke.
"Load up your stage coach," said the Circus Elephant, "and we'll take
them to Chippy Chipmunk!"
"All right," answered the old dog, and he went back and brought over
fourteen empty mail bags, and when they were brim full he put them back
in the stagecoach, and then the elephant and Billy Bunny got on top, and
away went the Billy Goat team.
Over the hills and through the dells
Till the peanuts rattled inside of their shells.
And by and by, pretty soon, not very long, they came to the old Chestnut
Tree, where the little chipmunk lived. "Now you keep these peanuts till
the circus comes," said Little Jack Rabbit. "Then all the little people
in the Shady Forest can have all they want. Maybe by that time I can get
lollypopade from the Big Brown Bear!"
The Big Brown Bear made Lollypopade
From the fruit of the Lollypop Tree in the glade.
Sometimes it was yellow, and often bright pink,
But never the color of purple green ink.
Perhaps some fine day when out walking with me
We may happen to come to this Lollypop Tree.
In that case, my dear little friends, no excuse
Shall keep us from tasting this Lollypop juice.
THE MUSICAL ALARM CLOCK
Chippy Chipmunk sat on the Old Rail Fence, his little eyes shining like
bright glass beads, looking over toward the Old Bramble Patch.
Chippy Chipmunk felt very fine this particular morning. Mr. Merry Sun
shone down on the little chipmunk's back with its beautiful smooth
shining stripes of reddish brown and black, over which his little tail
was thrown like a ruffle.
"Helloa, helloa!" he shouted, for I guess the Little Jack Rabbit had
overslept himself that morning. "Helloa, Helloa!"
"Here I am," answered the little bunny, hopping up to the Old Rail
Fence. "What do you want?"
"Oh, nothing in particular," answered Chippy Chipmunk. "Only I was
wondering why you weren't around, that's all."
"I guess I'm late. You see, my Alarm Clock didn't wake up either," and
the little rabbit laughed. And just then they heard it ring, "Cling,
cling, cling, cling cling!" And then it began to sing:
"The dew is shining on the grass
'Tis time to be awake.
The Morning Glory on her vine,
The Lily on the lake,
Have lifted up a dewy head,--
So hurry, tumble out of bed."
"Come on, Chippy Chipmunk," said the little rabbit when the Alarm Clock
stopped singing, "Let's go for a walk up the Shady Forest Trail." So off
they started together and after a while, not so very far, they came to
the tree where Squirrel Nutcracker lived with his family. But Old Squire
Nutcracker wasn't at home, and neither was Mrs. Nutcracker, and of
course the two Squirrel Brothers were away. So the little rabbit and the
little chipmunk went along until they came to the Forest Pond in the
middle of which on a little island stood the big chestnut tree where Old
Barney Owl had his home.
"He sleeps all day," laughed the little bunny, "so he's at home!"
"But how are we to get over to the island?" asked Chippy Chipmunk. But
the little rabbit didn't answer. He was too busy pushing a log into the
water.
"Get aboard," he said to the little chipmunk, and then with a shove he
hopped on and pretty soon they reached the island, when they hopped off
and up to the big chestnut tree to knock on Old Barney Owl's front door.
"Oh, Mr. Owl, pray do not scowl
Because we've called on you.
It's just a surprise, so open your eyes.
Please, Mr. Barney, do."
Now of course Little Jack Rabbit and Chippy Chipmunk knew that Old
Barney Owl couldn't see in the daytime, otherwise they wouldn't have
called on him. For Mr. Barney Owl loved to eat little rabbits and
chipmunks.
MORE ADVENTURES
Now when Old Barney Owl heard Little Jack Rabbit and Chippy Chipmunk
knock on his front door, he winked and blinked. But he didn't open it,
for the light hurt his eyes, you know, and all day long he kept the
shades pulled down.
"Who are you and what do you want?" he asked in a sleepy voice.
"It's me and Little Jack Rabbit," answered the little chipmunk.
"Come 'round this evening," replied the wise old owl.
"No, thank you," laughed Little Jack Rabbit. "We don't make calls in the
evening," and he and the little chipmunk hurried away for they thought,
maybe or perhaps, Old Barney Owl might open the front door and catch
them.
"He, he," said Chippy Chipmunk, "he asked us to call this evening, did
he? Not if my name is Chipendale Chipmunk!"
Well, after they had called on Mrs. Water Rat, who lived nearby in a
lovely garden of water lilies, they hopped on board the log and after a
shove, away it went over the water to the other bank, where these two
little four-footed sailors hopped off and then, all of a sudden, just
like that, a voice said:
"Don't you go another inch
Or your noses I will pinch."
"Who said that?" inquired the frightened little rabbit.
"Who are you?" asked trembling Chippy Chipmunk.
And then Teddy Turtle crawled out from behind some bulrushes and began
to laugh. And the little rabbit and the little chipmunk would have been
frightened if it hadn't been Teddy Turtle, let me tell you, for some
turtles are dreadful snappers, you know.
[Illustration: Little Jack and Chippy Chipmunk Meet Teddy Turtle.]
"Oh, it's you, is it?" and the little rabbit told Teddy Turtle all about
the little snail at the seashore who carries his shell house around with
him. "Yes, he takes his little house with him just the way you do."
"I'm going to take a swim, so good-by!" answered Teddy Turtle, crawling
over to the water, and in he went with a loud splash that frightened two
little minnows almost to death.
Oh, the little minnows swim
Where the water's cool and dim,
'Neath the weeping willow branches
Making shadows here and there.
Where the gnats and little flies
Are making nice mud pies,
And Mrs. Muskrat combs her silky hair.
"Come on, let's be going. There's always something to see. Why, here
comes the Little Balmy Breezes across the Sunny Meadow," cried the
little rabbit, but the little chipmunk ran off to the Shady Forest.
AT THE FARM
Across the Sunny Meadow grass
The little breezes love to pass,
They tickle all the cattails till
They almost fall into the rill.
And every now and then they tell
Old Mrs. Cow to ring her bell.
Now before I go on with this story I'll explain right away that the
"rill" is the Bubbling Brook, and the only reason I used "rill" is
because it rhymes with "till."
"Ha, ha," laughed Little Jack Rabbit, as Mrs. Cow shook her head till
the bell on her collar made so much noise that her little calf came
running toward her, "I heard what the little breezes said." And then
Mrs. Cow gave a long "Moo!" which meant something I'm sure, for after
that the little rabbit hopped away and by and by he came to the Barnyard
where Cocky Doodle every morning sang his cock-a-doodle-do song to wake
up Mr. Merry Sun, who goes to sleep in the West and gets up every
morning in the East. I wonder how he does it, don't you? I guess you and
I would feel very funny if some morning after having gone to sleep in
our own bed we should wake up in another!
"Helloa," said Henny Penny, as the little rabbit hopped through the Old
Rail Fence. "Where have you been all this time?"
"Oh, lots of places," he replied. "Chippy Chipmunk and I have been
sight-seeing, and the Old Red Rooster has sprained his left leg and the
Old Brown Horse has a new collar, and Grandmother Magpie has gone away
to visit in Birdville, U. S. A."
Just then Ducky Waddles came waddling by, after a swim in the Old Duck
Pond, where Granddaddy Bullfrog lived.
"I saw Teddy Turtle a minute ago," said the little duck; "he's very
proud because Mrs. Turtle has just laid some eggs in a hole in the
ground and covered them with dirt. He says pretty soon they'll hatch
into little turtles!"
"Ha, ha," laughed the little rabbit, "don't tell that to Peter Possum;
he just loves turtle eggs." So Ducky Waddles promised he wouldn't, and
after that the little rabbit hopped away, although the Weathercock on
the Old Red Barn had asked him to stay a little longer.
"No, I can't," replied the little bunny. "I'm afraid Old Sic'em might
chase me." But even if that old dog had, the little rabbit could have
slipped away, for Old Sic'em had the rheumatism and could hardly run.
Well, after a while, not so very long, the little rabbit saw Professor
Jim Crow.
"Wait a minute," said the good professor, "I want to read you
something." So the old gentleman crow turned to page 23 of his little
Black Book, after putting on his spectacles, of course, for he couldn't
see to read without them, and then he cleared his throat and said, "Caw,
caw," two or four times, and looked at the little rabbit, but what he
read out of his little Black Book I'll tell you in the next story.
DANNY FOX
Well, since the old crow has opened his little Black Book in the story
before this, I'll tell you now what he read on page 23:
"Little brown rabbits have all the same habits."
"Ha, ha," laughed the little bunny, "you're a very wise bird, Professor
Crow!" and he hopped away until he came to the wooded hill where Danny
Fox had his den.
Now it was a long time since the little rabbit had seen the old robber
fox and he was a bit curious to learn what was the trouble, for trouble
there must have been, otherwise Danny Fox would have been around to
steal a chicken now and then from the Old Barnyard.
So the little rabbit hopped along very carefully and by and by he came
to a big tree quite close to the pile of rocks under which the fox
family had their den, Danny Fox and Mrs. Fox, Bushy Tail and Slyboots,
their two little sons.
"I don't see anyone around," said the little rabbit to himself, and he
hopped over to another tree and peeped out.
And then, Oh, my! how his heart went pitter-pat, for right in front of
him, not forty hops away, sat Danny Fox on a three legged stool smoking
a corncob pipe.
"Oh, dear!" thought the little rabbit, "I didn't mean to get so close!"
But when he saw that Danny Fox's left foot was bandaged up in a piece of
white cloth with a big red cross stamped on it, he knew the old robber
couldn't run very well, and maybe not at all. So he called out, "Helloa,
Danny Fox! What's the matter with your foot?"
"Don't bother me," grumbled the old robber fox, not even looking around.
Maybe he didn't want to see a nice fat little rabbit when he couldn't
catch him for supper.
Just then Peter Possum shouted from his tree house:
"Old man robber, Danny Fox,
Caught his foot in a steel trap box."
"Keep quiet, will you," snapped Danny Fox, angrily.
"Ho, ho, ha, ha," laughed the little rabbit. "So you got caught for all
your slyness?" which made the old fox so angry that he jumped up and ran
at him on three legs.
"Who's laughing now?" cried Danny Fox, as the little rabbit hopped away
and Peter Possum climbed a tree. "You're very brave when you're out of
danger," and the old robber limped back to his stool and lifted up his
wounded foot. And while he was doing this, Grandmother Magpie came by,
and as she was always poking into other people's business, she asked
what was the matter. "If I told you," snapped Danny Fox, "everybody in
the Shady Forest and the Sunny Meadow would know it in a few minutes,
you old tattle tale!"
"Gracious me!" exclaimed the mischievous old blackbird, "you're in a
disagreeable mood to-day," and away she flew after Little Jack Rabbit,
but before she caught up to him, he hopped into the Old Bramble Patch
for the night.
Wind the clock, it's time for bed;
Dreams are waiting, Sleepy Head.
Through the window bright and far
Shines the silver Twinkle Star.
Oh, how soft the pillow lies!
Cuddle down, dear Sleepy Eyes,
Underneath the counterpane,
Till the robin in the lane
Sings his morning roundelay,
And it's time again for play.
CHIPPY CHIPMUNK'S STORE
Chippy Chipmunk stood outside his store waiting for Little Jack Rabbit
to come along. He had promised, if the little bunny would call after
business hours, to help him get a little store of his own.
Mr. Chippy Chipmunk looked very nice and well-to-do in his clean striped
jacket as he sat on the wooden bench just under the big sign. Pretty
soon he stood up to look at it again. He had done this very same thing
at least ten times that day, he was so proud of it.
CHIPPY CHIPMUNK
ALL KINDS OF NUTS
WHOLESALE & RETAIL
"A mighty nice sign!" he said aloud, as he sat down again on the wooden
bench. All of a sudden the thumperty-thump of little feet made him look
up.
"Good evening," said Chippy Chipmunk.
"I was afraid I'd be late," answered Little Jack Rabbit. "You see, I had
to wait until mother got home."
"Come over and sit down," said Chippy Chipmunk.
"Wait till I read the sign over again," answered the little bunny.
"Wouldn't I be proud if I had a little store! I don't know what I'd
sell, but that doesn't make so much difference--it's having your own
name over the door that makes you feel like a millionaire."
"Come in and see the nuts," said the little chipmunk, after a while.
A long hollow log, carefully split in two, made a very nice counter.
Indeed, it served also for a showcase, for in the hollow the nuts were
arranged in separate piles.
"I made all the tags myself," said Chippy Chipmunk proudly, pointing to
small squares of cardboard on which were printed:--CHESTNUTS--HICKORY
NUTS--WALNUTS--BEECH NUTS.
"Are these your scales?" asked Little Jack Rabbit admiringly.
"Yes, I sell by the pound. Then nobody gets cheated," answered the
little chipmunk, cracking a nut with his sharp teeth. "You ought to have
a store at the edge of the Old Bramble Patch, with a sign painted in red
and green letters:
"JACK RABBIT
CABBAGES & TURNIPS"
"Do you think I know enough about vegetables?" asked the little rabbit
anxiously.
"Just as much as I do about nuts," replied Chippy Chipmunk.
But, oh, dear me! If they had known what was going to happen I guess
they never would have talked so long about the nut and vegetable
business.
NAUGHTY FEATHERHEAD
Yes, Sir! If Little Jack Rabbit and Chippy Chipmunk had known what was
going on outside the store I guess they never would have talked so long
about the nut and vegetable business. For, oh, dear me! as the little
rabbit shook paws good-night and looked up once more to admire the sign
above the door, it wasn't there. No--nothing was there but the bare
boards. With mouth and eyes wide open he stood staring at the spot where
the sign had hung only a few minutes before.
"What's the--?" Chippy Chipmunk didn't finish. After he had looked up
there wasn't any use in asking Little Jack Rabbit what was the matter.
The answer was right before him. Poor Chippy Chipmunk!
"Who could have taken my sign?" he asked at last in a trembling voice.
But, of course, the little rabbit didn't know.
"Who could have taken the sign?" Chippy Chipmunk repeated mechanically.
Then he looked up again as if expecting the sign to shine forth in the
old familiar way:
CHIPPY CHIPMUNK
ALL KINDS OF NUTS
WHOLESALE & RETAIL
They hadn't heard Featherhead, the naughty son of Squirrel Nutcracker,
take down the sign. Very softly, one at a time, he had loosened the
screws and then carried it off and thrown it in a deep hole.
It was certainly a very mean thing to do, but then, you must remember,
Featherhead was not a nice sort of a squirrel.
Just then, who should come by but Featherhead himself.
"What's the matter?" he asked, just as though he didn't know. Wasn't
that deceitful of him?
Little Jack Rabbit didn't answer. Somehow he didn't quite like the
little squirrel's tone of voice--it didn't ring true. And when
Featherhead turned his back, showing a long streak of white paint across
his shoulder, the little rabbit didn't wait a minute, but, quicker than
a wink, caught the frightened squirrel and shook him till his teeth
rattled.
"What did you do with Chippy Chipmunk's sign?"
"I--I threw it in a deep hole near the Tall Pine Tree," mumbled
Featherhead, now thoroughly frightened.
"You come with us and get it," screamed Chippy Chipmunk, mad as a dozen
hornets; and they marched the naughty squirrel over to the Tall Pine
Tree.
When the sign was once more over the door Chippy Chipmunk said to his
little rabbit friend:
"You got my sign back for me. To-morrow I'll help you build your store."
LITTLE JACK RABBIT'S STORE
In a few days Little Jack Rabbit's store was finished, and all the
Little People of the Shady Forest and Sunny Meadow were coming to the
grand opening. It stood just at the edge of the Old Bramble Patch, on
the corner of the Shady Forest Trail and the Old Cow Path.
A nicely painted post had been set in the ground, on which was fastened
a sign printed in large letters:
JACK RABBIT
CABBAGES & TURNIPS
In the doorway, between barrels of cabbages and turnips, stood Little
Jack Rabbit, a smile on his face and a clean white apron over his little
khaki trousers. His kind mother had made two of these nice aprons so
that he would always have one to wear while the other was in the wash.
You may be sure he felt very proud as he stood, bowing and smiling to
his friends who had come to wish him success in his new business.
"Too young to run a store," snapped Grandmother Magpie.
"If he's as honest with his scales as he is truthful with his words,"
answered Granddaddy Bullfrog, looking at her through his yellow-rimmed
spectacles, "all his friends will buy here."
Mrs. Rabbit was tickled to death to think that her son at such an early
age had started in business all by himself. It meant to her that he
would become a multi-millionaire in a few years!
Chippy Chipmunk had left his store in charge of his brother so as to be
on hand, and Featherhead stood at a little distance, enviously watching
the friendly greetings.
Everybody was there, even Old Parson Owl, winking and blinking, from a
shady spot in the forest, nodded pleasantly and wished the little rabbit
good luck.
Suddenly a sharp bark came down the Shady Forest Trail, and the next
instant Old Sic'em and the Farmer's Boy jumped over the Old Rail Fence.
Into the Old Bramble Patch went Little Jack Rabbit and his mother, while
the Forest Folk either ran off or flew away.
"What's this?" cried the Farmer's Boy, kicking over the cabbages and
turnips that the poor little rabbit had so carefully placed in front of
the store.
Down fell the sign from the nicely painted post. Crack! it went under
the heel of the Farmer Boy's shoe.
"Why didn't you catch 'em, Sic'em?" he asked crossly. Then he turned
away and went whistling down the path.
"I don't feel much like whistling," said Little Jack Rabbit, "my store
has all gone to smithereens!"
But Mrs. Rabbit didn't say anything. I think she was even more
disappointed than her little bunny boy.
BILLY BREEZE
"Billy Breeze, Billy Breeze!
Come and help me, if you please.
If you'll only shake the tree,
There'll be lots of nuts for me."
This is what Chippy Chipmunk sang one morning when he found there were
no more nuts on the ground.
Of course, he had a lot already stored away, but he didn't want to use
them now. No, indeed; not until the cold weather came. Pretty soon he
commenced to sing again:
"Billy Breeze, Billy Breeze!
Come and help me, if you please.
Shake the nuts from off the tree;
Do this favor, please, for me."
Now everybody in the Shady Forest liked Chippy Chipmunk. In the first
place, he was such a good little worker. Then, too, he minded his own
business and was never cross. So as soon as Billy Breeze heard him call,
he blew in from the Sunny Meadow and shook the tree. Down came the nuts,
pitter, patter, all over the ground, and one hit the little chipmunk
right on the head.
"Ouch!" he cried.
"Whew! Did it hurt?" whistled Billy Breeze.
"Well, I should say so," answered Chippy Chipmunk. "Wait till I hide
before you shake again."
Then Billy Breeze gave the big tree another shake. Pitter, patter,
pitter, patter! went the nuts on the dry leaves.
"I guess that's enough," said Billy Breeze. "I must go now!"
"What for?" asked the little chipmunk.
"To turn the Weathercock."
And off went Billy Breeze across the Sunny Meadow, to the Old Farm Yard.
The Weathercock on the Big Red Barn saw him coming and whirled around on
his gilded toe. And Henny Penny at once set to work to prune and oil her
feathers. She rubbed her bill over the little oil sack hidden among the
feathers on her back and said to Cocky Doodle:
"It's going to rain, for Mr. Weathercock is pointing to the East."
PITTER, PATTER
As soon as Billy Breeze had turned the Weathercock on the Big Red Barn,
he hurried away to get the rain-clouds. He didn't even wait to say howdy
to Ducky Waddles, although he knew the little duck would be glad to know
where he was going. But Billy Breeze didn't have time. No, sir. He had
to get those rain-clouds in a hurry. It hadn't rained for so long that
the roads were inches deep with dust, the Bubbling Brook was almost dry,
and the Old Duck Pond was so low that the Mill Wheel couldn't turn. The
Miller couldn't grind his corn, and the Miller's Boy had so much spare
time to tease Granddaddy Bullfrog that the poor old gentleman frog was
nearly worried to death.
"Hurry up and get those rain-clouds," shouted Granddaddy Bullfrog as
Billy Breeze hurried across the Old Duck Pond.
"I wish we'd have some rain," said the "rusty, dusty" Miller, coming to
the door of the Old Mill. It almost seemed as if he were speaking to
Billy Breeze.
"You'll get rain pretty soon," he answered, but I guess the Miller
didn't hear him, for he turned around and went inside.
By and by the rain-clouds came tumbling across the sky, as Billy Breeze
pushed them headlong over one another. Mr. Merry Sun saw them coming,
and hurried over to the west. But it wasn't any use. Billy Breeze drove
them on so fast that in a little while Mr. Merry Sun was shut in
altogether. The bright blue sky grew gray and the leaves began to
whisper:
"It's going to rain! It's going to rain!"
And the grass rippled in the Sunny Meadow and murmured:
"It's going to rain! It's going to rain!"
Everybody seemed glad except, perhaps, Mr. Merry Sun. But I don't
believe he minded it. He must have known that rain is just as needful as
sunshine.
Pitter, patter, pitter, patter! Yes, the raindrops were falling. Chippy
Chipmunk scurried into his little house and Granddaddy Bullfrog chuckled
as he crawled under a sheltering leaf.
Little Jack Rabbit hopped swiftly over to the Old Bramble Patch and the
Farmer's Boy turned up his collar and ran out of the Shady Forest where
he had been gathering nuts.