STORY XXXII-BILLY BUNNY AND THE MILLER'S BOY
As soon as the Brown Horse heard that whistle which I mentioned in the last story, but couldn't tell you what kind of a whistle it was because I had no more room, he jumped clear across the brook which was close by and never stopped running until he found himself once more in his own stable.
And then before Billy Bunny could even say "Call me up on the telephone," or "Won't you lunch with me to-morrow," of course the Brown Horse was out of sight. So the little rabbit waited a minute to see if he could hear the strange whistle again, and sure enough he did, and it was right close to him this time, and when he looked around there stood the Miller's Boy.
And before Billy Bunny could hop away something hard hit him on the head and he rolled over on the ground and didn't wake up until he found himself rolled up in the Miller Boy's jacket, and oh, dear me! The Miller's Boy was walking home as fast as he could and there was our dear little Billy Bunny wrapped up like a Christmas present so that he couldn't even wiggle his left ear.
"Oh, mercy me!" cried the little rabbit, "I'm a goner now as sure as Monday comes after Sunday and sunshine after rain and a stomach ache after eating green apples!"
And then he tried to squirm about, but the Miller's Boy squeezed all the harder, so Billy Funny decided to keep quiet, for he didn't want to have all his breath squeezed out of him, you know.
Well, by and by, as the Miller's Boy walked along, the jacket slipped a little under his arm, and then Billy Bunny saw a little light through the arm sleeve. And before you could say "Jumping cats!" he pushed through the sleeve and down to the ground and hopped away, free as a bird in the air or a fish in the ocean.
And I'm so glad that I'm going to say "Hip, hip, hurrah!" just as loud as I can, for if there is anybody I hate it is that Miller's Boy. Ever since I started to tell you about Billy Bunny he has been trying to catch this dear little rabbit and this time I certainly thought he had.
And now that Billy Bunny is safe I'm so happy I could shout again.
Go home you horrid Miller's Boy, Who's always trying to annoy The Friendly Little Forest Folk By trying every kind of joke.
Go home and tie the bags of meal And never try again to steal A little rabbit on his way, Who's always cheerful all the day.
Well, after the little rabbit had hopped for maybe a mile or three, he thought he was safe, and so he stopped to rest, and I would tell you right now what he did, only I must stop so as to get this story in the paper in time for tonight, so pleasant dreams and happy wakening.
STORY XXXIII-BILLY BUNNY AND OLD MOTHER MAGPIE
As I told you in the last story, little Billy Bunny stopped to rest after escaping from the Miller's Boy, and while he stood on his hind legs and looked around, who should fly down from a tree but Old Mother Magpie. And the very first thing she said to the little rabbit was, "My goodness, what a dirty little bunny you are."
And this of course made Billy Bunny very angry, for he didn't think he was dirty. So he opened his knapsack and took out a little mirror which a lady bunny had dropped one day in the Friendly Forest and looked at himself, and sure enough there was a great black smudge right across his face.
"Ha! Ha!" laughed Old Mother Magpie. "You wouldn't believe me, would you?" And then she laughed again.
"No, I wouldn't believe anything you said," answered the little rabbit, "for you've told more untruths about people than anybody I know, and that's the reason they call you 'Old Mother Mischief.'"
Well, sir! This made her so mad that she flew at the little rabbit, and maybe she would have pecked his eyes out if he hadn't put on a pair of goggles that belonged to his dear, kind Uncle Lucky.
"Please go 'way," said the little rabbit, "I can't help being rude to you because you're so rude to other people," and he hopped away as fast as he could before she could say another unkind word, and by and by he came across Squirrel Nutcracker.
Now the old gentleman squirrel had grown pretty old and was very hard of hearing, and when Billy Bunny said "Good morning" he never heard him at all, but just sat there on the old log and ate a peanut which he had saved from the last circus.
So Billy Bunny hopped up behind him and leaned over and called out quite loud right in his left ear, "Good morning!" And this so startled Old Squirrel Nutcracker that he swallowed the peanut shell, and then he began to choke until he got black and blue in the face.
And, of course, this frightened the little rabbit, too, for he felt it was his fault, so he patted Old Squirrel Nutcracker on the back, and by and by the old gentleman squirrel stopped coughing, although he was dreadfully mad to think that he had swallowed the circus peanut without even tasting it.
"Look here, young rabbit," he said with a scowl, "don't you ever again shout in my ear! If you do I'll pin back both your ears with a pine needle and send you home to your mother!" Wasn't that a dreadful thing for him to say?
Well, sir, after that Billy Bunny thought it was time to be going, so he bowed to the old squirrel and hopped away, and after maybe a million hops, skips and jumps, he reached the Old Brier Patch, where he found his dear mother standing in the doorway of her little house waiting for her bunny boy.
And that's a good place to leave him for to-night, don't you think so?
For we'll know he's safe and sound with his own dear mother, so go to sleep and to-morrow I'll tell you another story; yes, I will, if you are good.
STORY XXXIV-BILLY BUNNY AND DICKEY MEADOW MOUSE
Ting-a-ling! went the rising bell, and Billy Bunny opened his left eye and twinkled his nose and stretched his right hind leg, and then he was wide awake.
But before he got out of bed he pulled out his gold watch and chain, the watch which his kind Uncle Lucky Lefthindfoot had given him, you remember, from under his pillow, for he was so sleepy he wondered if his mother hadn't made a mistake. But, no, she hadn't.
It was half past fourteen o'clock and Mr. Happy Sun was laughing through the little window. So up jumped Billy Bunny and combed his fur and parted it in the middle down his back, and after that he was almost ready for breakfast, except to brush his teeth with a new toothbrush which he had bought at the Three-in-one-cent store.
After breakfast he started right out to play on the Pleasant Meadow, and the first person he saw was little Dickey Meadow Mouse. He had just come out of his little grass ball house and was looking around to see what he would do.
"Good morning," said Billy Bunny, "how are you this lovely day?"
And of course Dickey Meadow Mouse said he was well, for the little people of the Pleasant Meadow are never ill unless some enemy injures them, for they know how to take very good care of themselves, you know, and kind Mother Nature always provides them with enough to eat, and sometimes more.
And while they stood there laughing and talking Tommy Turtle passed by with his little shell house on his back, which always goes with him, rain or shine. Isn't it nice not to have to move out of your house, but always have it go with you?
"Come with me, Billy Bunny," cried Tommy Turtle, "I'm going down to the Old Mill Pond for a swim." So the little rabbit said good-by to Dickey Meadow Mouse and went with Tommy Turtle, and by and by they came to the pond where Old Uncle Bullfrog sat all day on his log and caught flies until he grew so fat that his white waistcoat bulged out till the buttons nearly popped off.
"Kerchunk! Kerchunk! Kerplunk! Kerplunk!
I'm king of this Old Mill Pond.
I never care to go anywhere, Not even a foot beyond.
For I'm contented to stay right here Where the cattails wave in the at-mos-phere, And the Darning Needles and Bottle Flies Dart and skim 'neath the summer skies."
And then the old frog blinked his eyes and swallowed a foolish fly that came too near.
"Top of the morning to you, Uncle Bullfrog," said little Billy Bunny.
"Does the Miller's Boy throw stones at you nowadays?"
"Sometimes," said the old gentleman frog, "but not so often of late, for his father is away and he doesn't have the time. He has to look after the Old Mill, you know."
And just then a stone splashed in the water, but I'll let you guess who threw it until the next story.
STORY XXXV-BILLY BUNNY AND BIG BROWN BEAR
If you haven't guessed who threw the stone at Old Uncle Bullfrog in the last story, I'll tell you right now. It was that bad Miller's Boy.
Yes, siree. There he stood, not very far away, and he was just going to throw another, when the old gentleman frog thought it was time to take a dive and the little rabbit thought it was time to take a hop, and Tommy Turtle to take a swim and soon Uncle Bullfrog was deep down on the muddy bottom where he ate his breakfast without a thought of the Miller's Boy.