“Oh, I hope mother won’t be worried,” said Little Jack Rabbit again,
after he and Brother Bobby Tail had cuddled up to kind Mrs. Cow.
“She’d be more worried if you didn’t get home tomorrow,” answered Mrs.
Cow. “If you try to go home tonight you’ll be lost--or maybe something
worse.”
“What?” asked Brother Bobby Tail, sleepily.
“Why, Danny Fox,” answered Mrs. Cow.
“Oh, oh!” shivered the two little bunnies--not with the cold, you know,
but with fright, for they were nice and warm beside Mrs. Cow.
“Now, pretty soon,” she said, “the Kind Farmer will come to milk me.
He’ll bring his milk pail and a nice hot corn and bran mash for my
supper. So, don’t you wait when I tell you to run and hide. For he
won’t stop to knock on the door--there’s no door to knock on.” And Mrs.
Cow nodded her head till the little bell at her neck tinkled three
times.
“Where shall we hide?” asked Little Jack Rabbit.
“Over there in the straw pile,” answered Mrs. Cow. “You’d better go
over and make a nest for yourselves now. Be sure you can hide so that
not even the tip of your tail will show, for the Kind Farmer has very
bright eyes.”
It didn’t take the Bunny Brothers long to make a nice hiding place in
the big straw pile, and after eating a supper of corn, they hopped
about the shed, hoping to find a stray carrot or turnip. But they
didn’t find any, and as Billy Breeze was sifting the snow through the
cracks and knotholes, they hopped back to cuddle up again to kind Mrs.
Cow.
By and by they fell asleep and dreamed they were eating carrot ice
cream and clover cake. It was too bad that by and by the Kind Farmer
came out to milk, although very likely Mrs. Cow would have been
disappointed if he hadn’t. At any rate, all of a sudden, the two little
rabbits woke up with a start.
“Run, run!” cried Mrs. Cow. “Hide, hide! He’s coming!”
Little Jack Rabbit didn’t wait to rub his eyes, neither did Brother
Bobby Tail, but away they hopped. And just in time, too; for no sooner
had they hidden in the straw than in walked the Kind Farmer with a nice
hot supper for Mrs. Cow. But you can well believe that these two little
rabbits were up and on their way home the next morning long before the
Kind Farmer had even opened his eyes.