And in the next story if the dogwood tree in our yard doesn't catch cold to-night and lose its bark, so it can't scare the the pussy cat when she tries to climb up and catch the little robin in the nest, I'll tell you about Billy Bunny and the Canary bird.
STORY XXIII-BILLY BUNNY AND THE WILD CANARY
Well, the Dogwood Tree in our yard was all right this morning. It hadn't taken cold, and it was covered with lovely flowers, so I'm going to tell you some more about Billy Bunny, as I promised to in the last story.
Well, as soon as the wind king placed the beautiful ruby scarfpin in the little rabbit's cravat he opened the door of his cave and gave a big puff, and away went Billy Bunny just like a bullet from a gun.
But he didn't care, for he landed as nicely as you please on a mossy bank, and then he looked in the brook to see if the ruby scarfpin was still in his cravat, and then he looked around to see what he would do next. And just then a little wild canary began singing this song:
"I wouldn't live within a cage, I'd rather be wild and free; Wherever I roam I'm always at home, In forest or grassy lea."
"And so am I," cried Billy Bunny. "I'm a traveler; yes, I am." And then the little canary flew down from the tree and said to the little rabbit: "I have a little yellow brother who has always lived in a cage. But he can't get me to live with him. I love the trees and the tall grasses too much."
"Where do you live?" asked the little rabbit.
"Come and see," said the little canary, and he flew off, and by and by he pointed to his tiny nest.
"If I had a pair of wings," laughed the little rabbit, "I'd be able to look inside and see what kind of furniture you have. But I'm only a four-footed little rabbit. Good-by!" and he hopped away, and by and by he came to a field of corn. But it was too early for the corn to be ripe, so the little rabbit opened his knapsack and took out an apple pie, for it was lunch time. And just as he was going to bite off a nice, big, juicy piece a big black crow flew down and snatched the pie away.
And this made Billy Bunny very angry. Oh, my, but he was mad. And then he opened his knapsack and took out his gun and before the thieving crow had flown off more than a mile he dropped that apple pie. Yes, sireemam.
The cork bullet hit him right on the end of his bill, and then of course he couldn't hold on to the pie any longer. And before he could fly down to pick it up the little rabbit was there.
"Oh, ho! Mr. Crow, Do you like apple pie?
If so, better go And buy one by and by."
And this made the crow so angry that he flew over to a colored man who did whitewashing and asked him to paint him white. And in the next story you shall hear how Billy Bunny was fooled by three little sparrows.
STORY XXIV-BILLY BUNNY AND THE LITTLE SPARROWS
Well, as soon as Billy Bunny finished eating the apple pie which he had just gotten away from the bad crow who had stolen it, as I told you in the last story, he shouldered his knapsack and picked up his striped candy cane and then he set off once more on his journey of adventure.
And by and by he came to a telegraph pole where three little sparrows were swinging back and forth. And when they saw the little rabbit they cried out all together: "Helloa, Billy Bunny!"
"Who's telephoning to me?" asked the little rabbit, for he hadn't looked up, you see, and, of course, didn't know that the little sparrows were sitting on the wires.
And when the three little birds saw that he didn't know who was talking to him, they thought they'd have some fun and make believe some one was telephoning to the little rabbit. So one little sparrow said, in a deep, far-away kind of voice:
"Helloa! Helloa! Is this Billy Bunny of Snake Fence Corner?"
"Yes, this is Billy Bunny," cried the little rabbit, getting all excited and wiggling his little pink nose so fast that one of the little sparrows got so dizzy looking at him that she had to hold on with her bill. Pretty soon he hopped up close to the telegraph pole and leaned his ear against it.
"Helloa! Helloa! Who's calling me?
Please give the name, for I cannot see.
Who's at the other end of the wire, please?
Excuse me a minute-I'm going to sneeze."
And then Billy Bunny almost sneezed his head off, for the telegraph pole trembled so that it tickled his ear. And when you tickle a rabbit's ear you are very likely to make him sneeze.
Just then the three little sparrows began to laugh and twitter, and this, of course, made the little rabbit look up. And when he saw them he knew, at once, they were playing a joke.
"So you were calling me on the telephone, were you?" he asked, trying not to get angry. For he was a very good-natured little bunny, as you well know by this time.
"Yes, we were," said the littlest sparrow, "but please don't feel badly about it. We were only in fun."
"I thought perhaps it was my mother, that is all," answered the little rabbit, "and I was worried for fear she might be anxious about me."
"Oh, she isn't worried," said the largest sparrow. And the middling-sized sparrow-the one, you know, who hadn't said a word as yet-spoke up:
"Your Uncle Lucky is, though. I was at his house this morning and the little sparrow who lives on his front porch told me that the old gentleman rabbit was wondering what had become of you."
"Well, I'll go right off now and make him a call," said Billy Bunny. And in to-morrow night's story I'll tell you what happens next.
STORY XXV-BILLY BUNNY AND ROBIN REDBREAST
In the last story I left off just where Billy Bunny was setting out to make a call on his good kind Uncle Lucky, you remember, and if you have forgotten, please take my word for it, for I keep a scrapbook of all these little stories and I'm sure I'm right, for I just looked to see.
Well, as the little rabbit hopped along with his knapsack on his back and his striped candy cane in his right paw, he heard a robin redbreast singing in her nest, and this is what she sang:
"Some day you'll be old enough To leave the dear home nest, But till that day just grow and say I'll try to do my best To make my wings grow big and strong And learn to sing the whole day long, For some day when I'm big and free I'll build a nest in an apple tree."
And then the robin flew down to the ground and pushed back the pink sunbonnet on her head so that she could see the little rabbit without standing up on her toes.
"Well, here is my dear little friend, Billy Bunny," she twittered. "How is he to-day?"
"Very well, thank you, ma'am," replied the little rabbit, opening his leather knapsack to give her a piece of sponge cake for her little birdies. "That won't hurt them a bit," said he, "for my mother made it and it's very simple."
And then the little robins peeped over their nest and cried, "Oh, hurry, mother dear, and give us the cake," for they were just as fond of sponge cake as Billy Bunny was of lollypops, and while they were eating the cake he took a lollypop out of his knapsack and ate it, for he was hungry too, for it was half-past noon, and that's the hungry hour for rabbits, I am told.
Well, after that he said good-by and started off again for Uncle Lucky's house. "I must get there before sundown," he said to himself, "for I don't want to sleep out of doors to-night if I can help it."
So he hopped along as fast as he was able, but Mr. Happy Sun was in a hurry, too, and pretty soon he went down behind the purple hills and it began to grow dark. "Oh, dear! oh, dear!" sighed the little rabbit, "where am I going to sleep if I don't get to Uncle Lucky's house pretty soon?" And just then a sleepy voice exclaimed:
"Under this bush is a soft pile of leaves, Come and sleep on it if you please."
So Billy Bunny hopped under the bush and there he saw a little ruffed grouse, who is often called a quail and sometimes a pheasant. "Oh, thank you, Mrs. Quail," said Billy Bunny, "you are very kind," and then he made a soft bed for himself and went to sleep, and if he wakes up early enough in the morning I'll tell you in the next story how he reached dear kind Uncle Lucky's house.