STORY XVII-BILLY BUNNY AND THE SQUIRREL INNKEEPER
Wake up! Wake up! It's early morn, The cock is tooting his little tin horn.
The morning wind is singing a tune About the roses that bloom in June.
It's time to be up, for the day is here, And the sky is shining bright and clear.
So out of bed hopped Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky, and then they wound their watches, for they were so tired the night before that they had gone to bed with them on, as I told you in the last story.
Well, when they got downstairs they found the squirrel who owned "Cuddle Inn" already up and dressed. A most delicious smell of hot coffee and rolls came from the kitchen, so the little rabbits went into the dining room and read the menu card.
And what do you think they ordered? Lettuce leaves, with cream all over them, and carrot candies, with maple syrup, and corn flake muffins and warm milk, and, let me see, oh, yes! oh, yes! apple pie! For Uncle Lucky loved apple pie, and Billy Bunny loved it just as much, although he couldn't eat as many as the old gentleman rabbit could, for the reason that he ate so many candy carrots!
"And now that we are through breakfast," cried little Billy Bunny, "let's go fishing, for I heard a boy say outside the window that the trout in the forest brook were nibbling at pieces of cheese, they were so hungry." Just think of that!
So the kind Squirrel Innkeeper got out two fishing poles and Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky started off.
Well, by and by they came to the trout stream and commenced to fish, and in a little while they had three big trout. Then they put them in a basket with nice wet leaves and after that they sat down for lunch. And then they fell asleep. And while they were dreaming that a big whale had swallowed both hooks and was pulling them into the water a tramp cat came by and stole the basket of trout.
Yes, sir! As soon as she smelt fish she walked right up and without making a sound lifted up the basket and tiptoed away, and of course when the two little rabbits woke up they couldn't find the basket of fish.
"Well, that's a nice howdy-do," exclaimed Uncle Lucky ruefully, which means even worse than sadly, you know. "What shall we tell the Squirrel Innkeeper? It's his basket, you know, although the fish belonged to us?"
And while they were wondering what to do, an old basket maker came by with a pack of baskets. So Uncle Lucky took out his purse and bought one, and then he and Billy Bunny began again to fish. But, oh, dear me!
I guess the trout had all gone away, for they never got a bite, except from a mean old mosquito, who stung dear Uncle Lucky on the little left hind toe.
And in the next story, if the Tailor Bird doesn't sew up the bottoms of my trousers so that I can't get my collar on in the morning, I'll tell you more about Uncle Lucky Lefthindfoot and his little nephew, Billy Bunny.
STORY XVIII-BILLY BUNNY AND THE TAILOR BIRD
Well, the Tailor Bird didn't sew up the bottoms of my pantaloons so that I couldn't get on my collar, as I told you I was afraid he would in the last story.
But he did something else. He sent in his bill-I mean he pushed his bill in through the open window-and asked me if I was ready to try on my new spring suit. But I told him I didn't have time because I had to write a Billy Bunny story. So he flew away with his bill without another twitter.
And after he had flown for three hundred thousand short flutters he came to where Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky were fishing.
"There's no use to fish any more, my friends," said the Tailor Bird, "for the trout have gone to a dance and they don't bite when they dance."
"That's very kind of you to tell us that," said Uncle Lucky, and he pulled his hook out of the water. But would you believe it, he had a ten-dollar bill on the end of it! Yes, sir! He did.
And if I thought there were any more ten-dollar bills in that trout stream I'd go right off now without finishing this story and fish there for the rest of my life.
"Hip, hurray!" cried Billy Bunny, and then he pulled in his hook and line, and would you believe me again, even if I don't believe it myself, he had a twenty-dollar bill on his hook! Well, the little rabbit was so excited that he said "Hip, hurray!" three times and a half without stopping, and then he put the money in his pocket, and so did Uncle Lucky, and after that they said good-by to the Tailor Bird and went back to the hotel and told the Squirrel Innkeeper all about it. But he only laughed and said that was the best fish story he had ever heard.
"Well, then," said Uncle Lucky, "as long as you don't believe us, we'll be going." So he and Billy Bunny got into the Luckymobile and drove away, and by and by they came to a poor little mouse who had on a ragged skirt and a torn sunbonnet.
And what do you think dear, kind Uncle Lucky did? Why, he stopped the automobile and gave her his ten-dollar bill.
"Now run home to your mother," said the generous old gentleman rabbit, "and tell her to buy you a new dress and something for herself." And didn't she run!
That is, after she got over her surprise, for at first she could hardly believe her eyes, for I guess she'd never seen a ten-dollar bill before.
"The next poor person I see I'm going to give my twenty-dollar bill to,"
said Billy Bunny.
"Well, you'll have plenty of chances," said his Uncle, who of course had seen a good deal of the world and knew there were a few poor people left, although there were lots of money in banks and old stockings in farm-houses.
Now, I haven't room to-night to tell you who Billy Bunny gave his money to, but if you'll wait until to-morrow night you shall hear all about it-that is, unless some poor person sees Billy Bunny before I do.
STORY XIX-BILLY BUNNY AND ROBBIE REDBREAST
Well, it was two or three days before Billy Bunny came across a poor person to whom he might give his twenty-dollar bill, and then Uncle Lucky wouldn't let him. Wasn't that strange?
But the reason, you see, was because it was a tramp, and Uncle Lucky said: "A tramp is a man who hates work, and anybody who hates work is his own worst enemy."
And then he told Billy Bunny that if the tramp got the twenty dollars he'd hate work even more, so Billy Bunny put the money back into his pocket and later on he gave it to his dear mother. Which, I think, was the nicest thing he could have done.
"And now, my dear nephew," said the kind old gentleman rabbit, "let's go back to the Old Briar Patch, for I know your mother is lonely. You have been away so long."
And then they turned the automobile toward Old Snake Fence Corner and by and by they saw Mrs. Bunny hanging out the clothes on the line, for it was Monday morning, which is wash-day in Rabbitville, just as it is in Newport and Hoboken.
And when Mrs. Bunny saw them she was so excited that she pinned her thumb by mistake to the clothesline with a clothespin, and couldn't get away until Uncle Lucky pulled down the clothesline and Billy Bunny pulled off the clothespin.
"Where have you two been?" she asked when she had finished hugging her little bunny boy. But I won't tell you what Billy Bunny told her, for you know it already and, anyway, it would take maybe two hundred and forty-nine and a half stories to do it. So we'll leave Billy Bunny alone for a little while with his dear mother and go across the Pleasant Meadow to the Old Farm Yard to see how Cocky Docky and Henny Jenny are.
And maybe we'll hear something nice about Ducky Doodles and Turkey Purky and Mrs. Cow, unless you've forgotten all about these old friends.
Well, it's strange how news travels. Robbie Redbreast had seen Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky drive up to the Old Brier Patch, and had flown over to tell the Weathercock on the Old Barn, who told Cocky Docky and then, of course, all the Barn Yard Folk knew that Billy Bunny was back again at the Old Brier Patch.
Then Ducky Doodle said he thought he'd go for a swim, and off he waddled to the Old Mill Pond. And as soon as he got there he told Uncle Bullfrog. But he didn't tell the Miller's Boy. No, siree! He didn't want him to know, you may be sure.
And then, pretty soon, not so very long, Robbie Redbreast flew into the Friendly Forest and told Old Mother Magpie the news, and after that everybody knew that Mr. William Bunny had returned home from his travels. And that night the twinkle twinkle star shone right over the little rabbit's room and sang:
The twinkle twinkle star will peep At Billy Bunny fast asleep, And send to him a pretty dream Of silver fishes in a stream.
STORY XX-BILLY BUNNY AND THE BABBLING BROOK