Well, after a few short hops Billy Bunny found himself in the Friendly Forest close to Timmy Chipmunk's little store, where he sold candy carrots and lettuce sandwiches and lemon soda.
So the little rabbit opened his knapsack and took out a handful of carrot pennies and bought a lovely apple pie, which the little chipmunk's mother had baked that very morning. And as soon as the pie was all gone Billy Bunny hopped away and by and by he came to the cave where the Big Brown Bear sold honey.
Now Mr. Bear was very cross this particular morning, for the day before while he was looking over a bees' nest some of the bees had been very rude and had stung him on the nose.
And now it was all swollen up so that he couldn't find a pocket handkerchief big enough to tickle it with, and so of course he was very miserable.
"I don't feel at all sociable," which means friendly, you know, he said to the little rabbit. "So you had better be on your way and leave a crusty old bear to himself." But do you think Billy Bunny did this? No siree, and a no sireemam.
He just opened his knapsack and took out some lettuce cold cream and rubbed it gently over the bear's nose and pretty soon it felt so well that Mr. Bear said, "Come with me, Billy Bunny, and we'll go down to the Three-and-one-cent store to buy a handkerchief, for now that my nose is well again, I don't care if I spend all my money to buy a handkerchief."
So off they started, and when they reached the store the bear forgot all about his nose and bought a little blue tin whistle instead. Wasn't that fine, for it's lots more fun to blow on a whistle than on a handkerchief, don't you think so?
"Well, now that you are happy again," said the little rabbit, "I'll go my way, for I'm seeking adventures, you know, and I want to see the wide, wide world so as to grow up a learned rabbit," and he hopped off down the Friendly Forest trail.
And in the next story, if the ink-well on my desk doesn't stub my quill pen when I sign my name to this story, I'll tell you more about little Billy Bunny.
STORY XXXVI-BILLY BUNNY AND PROFESSOR CROW
Let me see. I left off in the last story just as little Billy Bunny was hopping down the Friendly Forest path. Well, he hadn't gone very far when he saw old Professor Crow.
Now, the professor wasn't very busy, you know, for school was over and there were no little people to teach how to crow-I mean how to read and write-so he had plenty of time to himself, and as soon as he saw the little rabbit he flew down from the tree and began to talk. "I'm sorry to have to tell you," he began, "that my little boy, Blackie Crow, has the measles."
And you know that's a dreadfully uncomfortable kind of a thing to have, for you have to be so careful of your eyes. Now, when an owl gets the measles it doesn't make so much difference, for they don't want to go out in the sunlight, but with a crow, oh dear me and oh dear you! it's the hardest thing in the world to keep in the dark, and Professor Crow gave a tremendous sigh and looked very sad.
"I'm very sorry for Blackie Crow," said the little rabbit. "Won't you tell him I'm sorry?" and then the generous little rabbit took a lollypop out of his knapsack and told Professor Crow to take it home to his little boy.
Wasn't that nice? I think I know a little boy who would be glad to have the measles every day if he could get a lollypop.
And after that Billy Bunny shut up his knapsack and swung it over his shoulder and hopped away, and by and by, not so very long, he heard a little bird singing:
"Up in my nest I've five little birds, Waiting for mother to feed them.
What would I do if I should lose two?
I'd be too unhappy to heed them.
So that is the reason I look everywhere When I fly from my nest in the bright morning air."
And then she looked down at little Billy Bunny with his striped candy cane in his right paw and his knapsack over his shoulder.
And then she laughed out loud, and her laugh sounded just like music, for it was a mother bird's laugh, you know, and that always has the music of love in it.
"Good morning, Mrs. Bird," said the little rabbit. "I won't hurt your little ones."
"I know that," said the mother bird, "for you are a kind little rabbit.
But there are lots of four-footed little animals who are very unkind to birds, so that is the reason I sing this song to let them know that I am always watching over my nest."
And after that Billy Bunny hopped away, but before he went he left a big piece of chocolate cake on a clean white stone for Mrs. Bird to crumble up for her little ones. Wasn't that nice of the little rabbit, for he was very fond of chocolate cake, I know, for he once told me so.
STORY XXXVII-BILLY BUNNY AND MRS. GROUSE
Well, before I go any further, I'll tell you that the little birds were so delighted with the chocolate cake which the little rabbit left for them on the clean white stone, as I told you in the last story, that they went right to sleep after eating it and dreamed of a little white candy bunny and a big birthday cake with seven pink candles in it.
And after that little Billy Bunny hopped away, lippity, lip, clippity clip, and by and by he came to the Old Brush Heap where Cousin Cottontail lived before she moved next door to his mother in the Old Brier Patch at Snake Fence Corner.
And just as he reached the little patch that led into the Old Brush Heap he met Mrs. Grouse with her brood of little brown birdies.
"Good morning, Billy Bunny," she said, while her small brood hid themselves in the dry leaves that strewed the ground. "Come here, children," she called, "Billy Bunny won't hurt you. He's a friend." So the little brown birds came out from their hiding places and stood in a row and bowed as nicely as you please, and the little rabbit opened his knapsack and gave them each a candy carrot.
Wasn't that kind of him? And after that he said a little poem, and how I came to hear it was because a little wild canary, who was sitting close by, told it to me.
And this is the way it went:
"I am Billy Bunny from Old Snake Fence Corner Town, So don't be worried, don't be hurried, Little birds of brown.
Mother knows I will not harm you; I'm no cruel snake to charm you, So be merry; here's a cherry From the Circus Clown."
And then he gave them a big red cherry, a candy cherry, you know, which his friend the Clown at the circus had given him a long time ago.
"Well, I must be hopping along," said the little rabbit after the little birds had picked the cherry candy all to pieces until there was nothing left but the stone.
So away he went again to seek more adventures, and after a little while, not so very long ago, he came to the railroad bridge where you remember he and his brother, Bobby Tail, had taken a ride one day, oh, so long ago, maybe one hundred stories back, in a big empty freight car. And just then a train came by, and when the engineer saw Billy Bunny he stopped the train, for I suppose he thought the little rabbit wanted to get aboard.
And the brakeman helped him on and away went the train, over the rails that went clunkity, clunk, clunkity clunk, while the smoke from the engine trailed out behind, like a long gray feather. And the train didn't stop until the brakeman called out Lettuceville, where a thousand little rabbits raised lovely green lettuce in a big field.
And in the next story you shall hear how the little rabbit scratched his ear and had some lettuce salad, too, all covered o'er with sugar dew.
STORY XXXVIII-BILLY BUNNY AND THE CARLOAD OF LETTUCE LEAVES
You remember in the last story I left off just as Billy Bunny got out of the train at Lettuceville, where there was a big family of rabbits who raised lettuce leaves for all the bunnies in the big U. S. A.
And the first person he saw was an old gray-haired rabbit, who said: "Glad to see you, Mr. William Bunny. Do you want to buy a car-load of lettuce leaves?"
"How much?" asked the little rabbit.
"Five million carrot cents," replied the old gentleman bunny, "and that's very cheap, for the leaves are big and juicy and will keep all winter if you put them in the ice house."
[Illustration: THE RABBITS JUMPED INTO THE CUPBOARD AND CLOSED THE DOOR.]