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diff --git a/old/69200-0.txt b/old/69200-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 4090c36..0000000 --- a/old/69200-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2495 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Little Jack Rabbit and Mr. Wicked -Wolf, by David Cory - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Little Jack Rabbit and Mr. Wicked Wolf - -Author: David Cory - -Illustrator: H. S. Barbour - -Release Date: October 21, 2022 [eBook #69200] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Alan, Charlene Taylor and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The - Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND MR. -WICKED WOLF *** - - - - - - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND - MR. WICKED WOLF - - - - - _LITTLE JACK RABBIT BOOKS_ - (Trademark Registered) - - BY - DAVID CORY - - - LITTLE JACK RABBIT’S ADVENTURES - - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND DANNY FOX - - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND THE SQUIRREL BROTHERS - - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND CHIPPY CHIPMUNK - - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND THE BIG BROWN BEAR - - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND UNCLE JOHN HARE - - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND PROFESSOR CROW - - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND OLD MAN WEASEL - - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND MR. WICKED WOLF - - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND HUNGRY HAWK - -[Illustration: “Here Are Some Christmas Presents,” Said the Little -Bunny. -_Little Jack Rabbit and Mr. Wicked Wolf. Frontispiece_--(_Page 9_)] - - - - - _LITTLE JACK RABBIT BOOKS_ - (Trademark Registered) - - LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND - MR. WICKED WOLF - - BY - DAVID CORY - - Author of - - LITTLE JACK RABBIT BOOKS - THE ICEBERG EXPRESS - THE MAGIC SOAP-BUBBLE - THE CRUISE OF THE NOAH’S ARK - THE WIND WAGON - - - ILLUSTRATED BY - H. S. BARBOUR - - - NEW YORK - GROSSET & DUNLAP - PUBLISHERS - - Made in the United States of America - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1923, BY - GROSSET & DUNLAP - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - THE LITTLE FIR TREE 7 - - XMAS EVE 11 - - XMAS DAY 15 - - MR. WICKED WOLF 19 - - THE THINKING CAP 23 - - BRAVE YELLOW DOG TRAMP 27 - - SANTA’S REINDEER 31 - - PHOTOGRAPHER CRANE 35 - - THE MILKY WAY 40 - - HOME AGAIN 45 - - RESOLUTIONS 49 - - LONELY TIMES 54 - - THE BUNNYSNOBILE 58 - - THE OLD WEDDING STOVEPIPE HAT 62 - - THE POLICEMAN DOG 66 - - THE OLD HOLLOW STUMP 70 - - MR. MINER MOLE 74 - - PRECIOUS STONES 78 - - THREE GUESSES 82 - - POOR LADY LOVE 86 - - MR. MERRY SUN 90 - - BOBBIE REDVEST 94 - - THREE OLD RASCALS 98 - - A PRISONER 102 - - THE RABBITVILLE TROLLEY 106 - - FARMER DADDY LONGLEGS 110 - - ACORN COTTAGE 114 - - JENNY WREN’S PENNY 118 - - HUNGRY HAWK 122 - - CANDY CATS AND CHOCOLATE MICE 126 - - - - -LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND MR. WICKED WOLF - - - - -THE LITTLE FIR TREE - - The little fir tree in the wood - All through the year has been so good, - That now the winter time is here - And Xmas day so very near, - The birds have chosen it to be - A happy little Xmas tree. - - -“Little rabbit,” said Professor Jim Crow as he opened his little Wisdom -Book, “let me read you something, for this is the season of good cheer -and happy hearts and Xmas stockings and cranberry tarts.” And then that -wise old bird turned to page 23 and began: - - “When you hang up your stocking - Along the chimney place - In hope that Santa Claus will fill - Up every little space, - Oh, don’t forget the beggar child - Who wanders on the street, - And looks with longing eyes upon - The window’s Xmas treat.” - -“Do you suppose he’d like some of my last year’s toys?” asked Little -Jack Rabbit. - -“Of course he would,” answered Professor Jim Crow, and he smiled to -himself as he shut his book, for he knew he had sowed a good seed for a -kindly deed in the little rabbit’s heart. And then that old black bird -flew away, and Little Jack Rabbit hopped home to the Old Bramble Patch -and up to his little room. And after he had looked over all his toys he -packed some in a box and took them downstairs. - -“Mother, I’m going to the village to see the little ragged bunny boy.” - -“What for?” asked Lady Love. And if you haven’t guessed what, I’ll tell -you. He was going to give that little ragged rabbit boy the toys so -that he would have a merry Xmas, too. - -“Look out for Mr. Wicked Wolf,” said Lady Love, and then she gave the -little bunny a lollypop and kissed him good-by, and after that away he -hopped, and by and by, after a while, he came to a shabby little house -near Rabbitville. So he knocked on the door and pretty soon it opened -and there stood the little ragged rabbit’s mother. - -“Here are some Xmas presents,” said the little bunny. “They are my -last year’s best toys, but I want your little ragged rabbit to have -a happy Xmas.” And then he hopped away as fast as he could, for he -was afraid the rabbit lady was going to cry. And maybe she did, for -sometimes people cry when they are happy, although I never heard of -their laughing when they were sad. - - - - -XMAS EVE - - To-morrow will be Xmas. - Oh, what a happy day, - For Santa Claus will empty all - The presents from his sleigh. - And every little girl and boy - Will have some candy and a toy. - - -This is the song the little canary bird sang in her gold cage while -Little Jack Rabbit polished the front door knob and Lady Love made the -stuffing for the big turkey. And just then the telephone bell rang and -Uncle John Hare, the old gentleman rabbit, said, “Hello! I want to -speak to Little Jack Rabbit.” - -“Wait a minute,” said the little Black Cricket who had answered the -telephone because Lady Love was busy and Little Jack Rabbit couldn’t -leave the door knob all covered with wet polish, and she ran out to the -front porch and said: - -“Uncle John wants to speak to you on the ’phone.” Well, by this time, -the door knob was polished nice and dry, so the little rabbit hopped -inside. - -“Hello, it’s me,” said the little bunny, although my teacher always -told me to say, “It’s I,” but never mind, Uncle John knew what the -little rabbit meant, just the same. - -“What do you want for Xmas?” asked the dear, kind, old gentleman -rabbit. “Tell me a thousand things, and then you can’t guess what I’m -going to get.” - -So the little rabbit thought and thought, and by and by, after a while, -and maybe a little longer, he thought of 999. But, oh dear me, he -couldn’t think of just one more. Wasn’t that too bad? - -“Well, never mind,” laughed Uncle John. “That’s enough. And now I’ll go -down to the Three-in-one-cent Store, and to-morrow you’ll see what I -bought.” And then he hung up the receiver and went out to the garage, -hitched up the Bunnymobile, and pretty soon, not so very long, he -reached the Three-in-one-cent Store in Rabbitville, on the corner of -Lettuce Avenue and Popcorn Street. - -“I guess I’d better go over to the bank and get some money first,” -thought the old gentleman rabbit. So he hopped across the street and -wrote a check and then the paying teller gave him a lot of money for -it--lettuce dollar bills and carrot cents and a ten-carrot gold piece, -and after that he hopped back to the Three-in-one-cent Store and went -inside. And what do you suppose was the first thing he saw? Why, a -lovely book all about Little Jack Rabbit. “I’ll take that book,” said -the old gentleman bunny as quick as a twinkle. And then he bought a -pair of roller skates and a pair of ice skates and a red sled and a bag -of candy and a box of lead soldiers and a big red apple and a magic -lantern. And a lot more things besides, but, goodness me, I haven’t got -room enough in this story to put them in, so we’ll have to wait and -call up on Christmas morning and ask him. And if you don’t know his -telephone it’s “O, O, O, Ring Happy Bell, Old Brier Patch!” - - - - -XMAS DAY - - “Merrie Xmas!” Hear the cry - From every house beneath the sky; - And every child is up so soon - That he can see the silver moon, - Who’s had not time to tell the sun - That Xmas Day has just begun. - - -Well, the Old Grandfather Clock in the hall had just struck thirteen -o’clock when Little Jack Rabbit woke up, and before he even jumped out -of bed he called out, “Merrie Xmas, Mother.” And then, of course, Lady -Love woke up, and the alarm clock couldn’t make up its mind whether it -would say anything or not. But after a little while it began to sing: - - “Awake, awake; it’s Xmas morn, - Don’t linger in your bed; - I see a pair of roller skates, - A dandy coasting sled; - A stocking full as full can be, - And a lovely little Xmas tree.” - -And then the little Black Cricket came out of her crack in the warm -hearth and looked in her stocking, for she believed in Santa Claus just -the same as she always did when she was a little young cricket and -played hop, skip and jump in the Sunny Meadow grass. - -“Hurrah! Hurrah! I’ve got everything I asked for!” shouted Little Jack -Rabbit. So you see, dear, kind Uncle John Hare must have spent all his -money at the Three-in-one-cent Store! - -Well, by and by, after a while, they heard sleigh bells outside in the -Old Bramble Patch, and pretty soon Uncle John Hare jumped out of his -Bunnymobile and came into the house to give Lady Love a lovely gold -vanity bag and a pair of lorgnettes, a kind of lollypop eyeglass, you -know. - -And, oh, yes, oh, yes! I forgot to say he gave the little Black Cricket -a new fur piece and the Canary Bird a bushel of bird seed. And after -that every one was happy as could be. And just as they were all sitting -down to their Xmas dinner a knock came at the kitchen door. - -“Come in if you’re not Mr. Wicked Wolf,” said Uncle John Hare, and -who do you suppose walked in? Why, the Yellow Dog Tramp, with a large -package in his front paws. - - “Merrie Xmas to you all, - And many of them, too. - I’d love to stay awhile - And have a feast with you.” - -“Sit right down and make yourself at home, and a Merrie Xmas to you, -Mr. Yellow Dog Tramp,” said the little rabbits. - -“But you mustn’t bark,” added Lady Love, the little rabbit’s mother, -“the fairies might come and carry away the Xmas tree.” - - - - -MR. WICKED WOLF - - -Well, the Xmas tree didn’t run back to the friendly forest as I feared -it might in the last story. It stayed right in the little house in -the Old Bramble Patch, and the night after Xmas when the little Black -Cricket came out on the hearth, that dear little Xmas tree began to -sing: - - “Oh, I have had my heart’s delight, - I’ve been a Xmas tree, - All hung with candles shining bright - And tinsel fair to see. - I do not miss the shady wood, - The music of the breeze, - For I have found my heart’s delight - A little child to please.” - -Well, in the morning Little Jack Rabbit took his skates and went down -to the old mill pond, and so did Uncle John Hare, for he could skate -mighty well, let me tell you, even if he did have gray whiskers and a -pink waistcoat. Why, he could do the grapevine twist and the letter S -and maybe the whole alphabet, for all I know. - -Well, anyway, off they went, Little Jack Rabbit and his kind Uncle John -Hare, and when they came to the pond they put on their skates, and then -off they went over the ice as fast as the wind, and maybe faster, and -by and by, after a while, who should come by but Mr. Grouse. He had on -his snowshoes which kind Mother Nature had given him. - -“Ha, ha,” said Uncle John Hare. “You can’t go over the snow as fast as -I can on the ice, my man.” You see, Uncle John Hare knew how to make up -poetry and had once written some in a beautiful birthday album. - -“No, but I can slide over the snow just as well as if I were on a -toboggan.” And maybe he would have shown Uncle John Hare just what he -could do, if all of a sudden, something hadn’t happened. And isn’t it -too bad that something always has to happen just when these two dear -little rabbits are having a nice time? - -And now I suppose you are wondering what did happen, so I’ll tell you -right away. Mr. Wicked Wolf jumped out from behind a snow drift, and -said: “Ha, ha. What shall I eat first--rabbit or grouse?” Wasn’t that -a dreadful thing to hear? Well, I just guess it was. And then what do -you think Uncle John Hare did. Why, he just picked up a piece of ice -and hit that wicked old wolf right on the end of his nose. And then, -of course, Mr. Wicked Wolf had to wipe his eyes, for they were full of -tears, and while he was doing that the two little rabbits skated away, -and Mr. Grouse snowshoed away, and if the skates don’t come off and the -snowshoes, too, I’ll tell you some more in a day or two. - - - - -THE THINKING CAP - - -Oh, dear me. I just hate to start this story, for I must tell you -something very unpleasant. You remember in the last one Little Jack -Rabbit and Uncle John Hare were skating away as fast as they could from -Mr. Wicked Wolf. But, oh, dear me. All of a sudden, just like that, -Uncle John Hare’s skate came off. And of course that wasn’t lucky, let -me tell you. Oh, my, no. It was simply dreadful. And when Mr. Wicked -Wolf saw the predicament, which means a dreadful fix, you know, which -the dear old gentleman rabbit was in, he kicked up his heels and pretty -soon he was so close that even if Uncle John Hare could have fastened -on his skate again he never would have been able to get away. - - “Ha ha, ho ho, now I’ve got you two, - And I’ll skate you both till you’re black and blue, - And then I’ll take you home for a stew. - For Mrs. Wolf knows how to make - A rabbit stew and a big pancake.” - -And, oh, dear me again, and maybe once more, for I don’t know what’s -going to happen, and maybe it will happen before I can write it, and -then what will we all do, I should like to know? Maybe there won’t be -any more stories. - -“Wait just a minute, Mr. Wicked Wolf,” said the old gentleman rabbit, -and he took out his gold watch and chain. “It’s just 13 o’clock, and -that’s a very unlucky number.” Mr. Wicked Wolf scratched his head, for -he didn’t know what to do, and neither would I and neither would you -if we had been there. - -“I’ll wait till five minutes past 13,” said the wicked old wolf with -a grin, which showed all his white teeth, and the gold one which Dr. -Dentist Duck had put in after the railroad accident, which I’ll tell -you about some day if I don’t forget it. - -“Now put on your thinking cap,” said Uncle John Hare. So Little Jack -Rabbit opened his knapsack and took out a little pink worsted thinking -cap and put it on his head and pretty soon, not so very long, before -the five minutes were up, of course, he said: - - “Mr. Wolf, if I were you - I wouldn’t eat a rabbit stew; - I’d rather have a chicken pie - If I were you and you were I.” - -“I never thought of chicken pie,” answered Mr. Wicked Wolf, and the -more he thought about it the more he wanted it. So pretty soon he said: - -“I’ll let you off this time if you’ll motor me to the Farmyard.” But, -oh, dear me! Those two little rabbits didn’t want to do that. No, -sireemam. - -“Hurry up and decide,” growled Mr. Wicked Wolf with a dreadful grin. - - “Wait a minute if you please, - I’m so worried I shall sneeze,” - -said Uncle John Hare. I guess he would have said ’most anything to gain -time. - -Just then, all of a sudden, who should come along but the Yellow Dog -Tramp. Wasn’t that lucky? So the little rabbits started off in their -Bunnymobile without Mr. Wicked Wolf. - - - - -BRAVE YELLOW DOG TRAMP - - -Now if the brave Yellow Dog Tramp had been a minute later perhaps and -maybe the two little rabbits would have been eaten up in the last -story. For just as he came along Mr. Wicked Wolf grew impatient and -with a dreadful growl jumped out from behind the Bunnymobile. - -And, oh, dear me. Didn’t his eyes look fierce, and didn’t his mouth -look red and his teeth white? - -And if you can think of anything worse at night than a wolf’s face, -please tell me, for I’d like to know if there is anything that really -can scare that brave Yellow Dog Tramp. - -“Stop, or I’ll bite one of your rubber tires,” screamed Mr. Wicked -Wolf, and he took hold with his teeth. And then what do you think that -brave Yellow Dog Tramp did? - -Why, he leaned out of the automobile and hit that wolf on the head -with a monkey wrench, and that wolf saw three million five hundred and -ninety-nine and a half stars, and then he rolled over on the snow and -began to cry, and then the tire which he had bitten burst and all the -air came out--Oh, dear me, now I’m saying something which isn’t true, -for the Bunnymobile had runners in the winter and not wheels. - -So how could air come out of a steel runner? No, sir, that wasn’t what -happened at all. It was this way. - -The old gentleman rabbit got out the air pump and blew snow all over -that wolf till he was covered with a drift as high as the Old Rail -Fence and it took him all night to dig himself out. - -Well, after that Uncle John Hare started off for home, but just before -he reached the corner of Lettuce Avenue and Carrot Street, he came -across the Policeman Dog, who, when he saw the Yellow Dog Tramp, -shouted: - -“Stop the car,” and this made Uncle John Hare angry, for he knew that -Policeman Dog wanted to arrest the Yellow Dog Tramp. So Uncle John Hare -made the Bunnymobile go so fast that the Policeman Dog’s whistle fell -out of his mouth. - -“That’s very kind of you,” said the Yellow Dog Tramp, and he began to -bark, and just then a little deer came by. - -“Can you tell me if Santa Claus is around? I have a brother who helps -pull his sleigh and I want to see him.” - -“I guess you’re too late, my little deer,” said Uncle John Hare, “Xmas -is over and Santa Claus won’t come again for another year.” And then -the little deer began to cry: - - “Oh, dear, it is so long to wait - ’Till Xmas comes around, - What shall I do until the time - When Xmas bells will sound.” - -“Jump into my Bunnymobile,” said kind Uncle John Hare. “You come home -with us. I have a little barn right next to my garage where it’s nice -and warm. You shall have some hay to eat.” - -So the little deer jumped into the Bunnymobile and the kind old -gentleman rabbit took him home, and on the next page you shall hear -what happened after that. - - - - -SANTA’S REINDEER - - -In the story before this I promised to tell you what happened to the -little reindeer. - -Well, after kind Uncle John Hare had put the Bunnymobile in the garage, -he led the little reindeer into the barn and gave him some nice hay to -eat, and then he closed the door so that Mr. North Wind couldn’t get -in, and after that the kind old gentleman bunny went into the house, -with Little Jack Rabbit and the Yellow Dog Tramp who was with him, you -remember, in the last story. - -Pretty soon the old gentleman rabbit made the graphophone play a tune, -and this is what it was: - - “Meet me at the fountain when the syrups are in bloom, - And the lollypops are blushing like roses red in June, - And the fizzy soda water comes sparkling in the glass, - And the ice cream cones are dancing like fairies in the grass.” - -“Oh, dear me! I wish the good old summer time were here once more, I -do, for that’s the time a Yellow Dog has something nice to do,” and the -Yellow Dog Tramp sighed a great big sigh and lay down in front of the -open fire and fell asleep. So Uncle John Hare blew out the electric -lights and pulled down the shades and went to bed, and then he had a -dream. - -And then he had a nightmare, and then he woke himself up with a -dreadful yell, for he thought a crocodile was just going to swallow his -old wedding stovepipe hat. I suppose the crocodile thought it was a big -chocolate drop. - -Well, after that, the old gentleman rabbit looked at his gold watch and -chain, and as it was nearly fourteen o’clock, and Mr. Merry Sun was -just getting up, Uncle John Hare dressed himself and went downstairs -to tell his Japanese servant to have breakfast as soon as possible, -and then he went out to the barn to see how the little reindeer was -getting along. And, oh, dear me! Wasn’t he surprised to find three more -reindeer in the barn. - -“Why, where did you come from?” asked the old gentleman rabbit, and he -scratched his left ear with his right hind foot, for he couldn’t think -how they ever got into the barn. - -“We are Santa Claus’s deer,” they answered, “and if you’ll hitch us up -to your old sleigh we’ll be glad to give you a ride.” - -So the old gentleman rabbit hitched them up to his old-fashioned -sleigh, and then he put on his fur overcoat and gloves and told Little -Jack Rabbit and the Yellow Dog Tramp to get in, too, and away they went -to the Old Bramble Patch. - -And how those beautiful reindeer did go! They tossed their long horns -and threw out their heels and the bells on the sleigh made beautiful -music. Well, by and by, pretty soon, not so very long, they drove up in -front of the Old Bramble Patch. - -The next minute Lady Love, the little rabbit’s mother, hopped out of -the house. And wasn’t she surprised? She hadn’t seen Santa Claus’s -reindeer for a long time, and neither have I, not since I was a little -boy and stayed awake all Xmas eve night. - - - - -PHOTOGRAPHER CRANE - - -Well, sir! by this time if ever a little bunny was crazy to go sleigh -riding it was Little Jack Rabbit as he looked at the four reindeer -hitched up to the old sleigh. And wouldn’t you love to go sleigh riding -behind four of Santa Claus’s reindeer? - -Well, I just guess you would, and so would I and so would the Czar of -Russia if he hadn’t lost his throne. - -“Now hurry up and get on your fur overcoat,” said the old gentleman -rabbit, while the reindeer pawed the snow and tossed their antlers, -which are their horns, you know--until the bells on the harness began -chiming: - - “Down from the North come the reindeer a-flying, - Silver bells tinkle as onward they go, - Faster and faster their fleet hoofs are trying - To race with the North Wind that blows o’er the snow, - Tinkle, tink, tinkle, and crinkle, crink, crinkle, - Swift through the snowflakes they dash in a row.” - -And pretty soon out came Little Jack Rabbit with his fur overcoat, and -jumping into the sleigh sat down beside dear, kind Uncle John Hare. - -“On, Dixon and Blixon! On, Bullet and Arrow!” cried the old gentleman -rabbit, and away went the reindeer, while Lady Love waved her calico -apron from the window and smiled to see how happy was her little bunny -boy. - -Well, after a while, or maybe a mile, Little Jack Rabbit said: - -“Let’s go down to the photographer and have our picture taken.” - -“All right,” said Uncle John Hare, and the Yellow Dog Tramp said he’d -never had his picture taken in his life and would be tickled to death -to have one to send home to his old mother who lived in New Hampshire -and hadn’t heard from him since he’d left home. - -Well, when they came to the picture place the photographer, who was a -long-legged crane--as I told you once upon a time some fifty stories -ago, or maybe more--came out of his little picture gallery. - -And, oh, my! he shivered so that he almost spoilt the picture, for -he had to bring his camera outside because the four reindeer and the -sleigh and the two little rabbits and the Yellow Dog Tramp couldn’t -get into his little shop. - -You see, the crane didn’t have any stockings on and his great long legs -got dreadfully cold. - - “Now, look pleasant, if you please, - Excuse me while I take a sneeze!” - -and Photographer Crane almost sneezed his head off, as he stood on one -leg and pulled the other one out of the snow way up under his feathers. -Then he sneezed again. - -But, by and by, the pictures were taken, and Uncle John Hare paid for -them all, and the Yellow Dog Tramp took his over to the Postoffice and -sent it to his mother, way up in New Hampshire, and on the back he -wrote: - - “Oftentimes I’m thinking, - Mother dear, of you, - Some day when I’ve made my pile - I’ll come home in grand old style, - So be patient just a while, - Keep for me your same old smile, - Mother dear, won’t you?” - -I guess when that hobo dog’s mother received his picture she -smiled,--or maybe she cried, for sometimes we cry when a happy sadness -comes into our heart. - - - - -THE MILKY WAY - - -Now let me see where we left off in the last story. Sometimes I get all -mixed up, and perhaps I’d never get things right if I hadn’t made a -book out of these stories, so that I can look back and see whether it -was Uncle John Hare or the Big Brown Bear, or the Yellow Dog Tramp, or -Aunt Columbia who had to stop doing something because I didn’t have any -more room. - -[Illustration: Little Jack Shook Paws With the Great Bear. -_Little Jack Rabbit and Mr. Wicked Wolf._ _Page 45_] - -Well, here we are. The Yellow Dog Tramp had just posted his photograph -to his dear old mother way up in New Hampshire, and after he had -thanked the postoffice lady, who was an old maid duck, he jumped into -the sleigh and said: - - “Hurry on, you Reindeer, - Make the snowflakes fly, - Faster, faster, faster, - Don’t you balk or shy!” - -And then you should have seen how those Reindeer went. Well, sir, they -went so fast that pretty soon their feet hardly touched the earth, and -then they didn’t touch at all, and then, oh, me, oh, my! They rose -right up in the air just like a low sailing rocket, over the treetops -and over the steeples, over the houses and over the peoples. Goodness -me! - -There goes my typewriter again making up poetry and not putting it into -verses, and if it does it again I’m going to change the ribbon and get -one that is red, white and blue. My typewriter must show its color as -well as a man! - -Well, pretty soon, the old gentleman rabbit began to get uneasy, for he -wasn’t used to sailing through the sky in a sleigh drawn by reindeer. -“What do you think’s going to happen!” he asked anxiously. - -“Oh, don’t worry, Uncle John,” answered the little rabbit. “I’ve often -seen pictures of Santa Claus riding through the air in his sleigh.” - -And this quite comforted the old gentleman bunny, you know, and he -began to smile and the Yellow Dog Tramp barked two times and a half, -and after that they came to a snowy road right in the sky. - -And the hoofs of the Reindeer made a lovely tinkling noise as they beat -on the silvery frozen path. But of course the little rabbits didn’t -know they were sliding over the Milky Way. - -No, indeed. And they didn’t know it was all frozen over, either, and -neither would I have known this if a little snowbird hadn’t told me. - -Well, after a while, they came to a place where the Great Bear and the -Little Bear lived. It was way up in the Star Country, you see, and of -course it was all very strange. - -But the Reindeer seemed to know the way, and so Uncle John Hare just -let them go. And then the Great Bear, who sat on a piece of ice that -had five sharp points just like a star, said: - -“Mr. John Hare, I’m glad to see you.” And then the Little Bear, who -also sat on a five-pointed piece of ice, said: “I’m glad to see you, -Little Jack Rabbit!” - -And then the Reindeer stopped, for they had been going around and -around the two bears all the time, you know, and the two little rabbits -hopped out of the sleigh, and into the next story. - - Up in the sky - Ever so high - The snowflakes crinkle and winkle, - And the Moon Man winks - With a couple of blinks, - And the little stars tinkle, tinkle. - - - - -HOME AGAIN - - -Well, as soon as the two little rabbits had hopped out of the sleigh, -the Great Bear stretched out his paw and shook hands with Uncle John -Hare and the Little Bear shook paws with Little Jack Rabbit, and while -all this was going on, the Reindeer suddenly started off. - -“Goodness gracious meebus!” exclaimed the old gentleman rabbit, “there -goes my team of Reindeer! How are we ever going to get home?” - -Now wasn’t that a dreadful fix to be in? Well, I should say it was. -Way up in a Sky Country, in Star Land, making a call on the Great Bear -and the Little Bear! And no way to get home unless you slid down a -moonbeam, and that’s a very dangerous thing to do unless you’re a fairy -and know all about it. But don’t get worried, for I’m going to tell you -something. - -As soon as the Yellow Dog Tramp, who hadn’t jumped out of the sleigh, -you remember, saw what was happening, he grabbed up the reins and -turned those Reindeer around as quick as a wink, and pretty soon he -drove them back to the five-pointed pieces of ice where the two little -rabbits and the Great Bear and the Little Bear were sitting. - -“Come on!” said the Yellow Dog Tramp. “Let’s get home before the Dog -Star catches us!” And away went the Reindeer down the silver Milky Way -and pretty soon they were all safely riding over the snow through the -Shady Forest toward Uncle John Hare’s house. - -“Now we’ll have to go back to the North Pole,” said the Reindeer after -they had drawn the sleigh into the barn. - -“I’m sorry to hear that,” said the old gentleman rabbit; “I like sleigh -riding. But of course, if you must go, you know best,” and then the -reindeer said good-by and went away to the cold north country where -Santa Claus lives and the Xmas trees grow. - -And then the Yellow Dog Tramp said he was going back to New Hampshire -to see his dear old mother. - -“Take this ten-carrot gold piece to her,” said dear, kind, generous -Uncle John Hare, and that Tramp Dog almost cried with joy and away he -went back to the old homestead in the Green Mountains. - -Well, by this time it was pretty late and Mr. Merry Sun had disappeared -over the Western Hills, so the two little rabbits went into the house -and Uncle John Hare hung up his great fur overcoat and put on his -slippers and sat down before the fire to warm his paws, and while he -sat there a little cricket came out of a crack in the floor and began -to sing: - - “I’m the cricket on the hearth, - Listen while I sing, - Though it’s cold and bleak outdoors, - And Jack Frost will nip your paws - Round the hearth it’s warm and bright - In the fire’s golden light.” - -And when that little cricket looked up she saw Uncle John Hare fast -asleep and Little Jack Rabbit, too, for they were tired out with their -long, long sleigh ride. - - - - -RESOLUTIONS - - -Now, let me see. We left Little Jack Rabbit in Uncle John Hare’s house -in the last story, didn’t we? And Uncle John had just brought out a -nice apple pie, and the three little grasshoppers and the tiny black -cricket had helped the dear old gentleman rabbit eat it up. Well, after -a while, Little Jack Rabbit said he must be going, for he wanted to get -back to the Old Bramble Patch before New Year’s Eve. So he said good-by -and hopped away, and by and by, not so very far, he saw Professor Jim -Crow with his little Wisdom Book. - -“Wait a minute, little rabbit. Have you thought about the New Year?” - -“Oh, yes,” answered Little Jack Rabbit. “I’ve thought a lot about it.” - -“Let me read you something,” said the wise old professor and then he -opened his little Wisdom Book, but first, of course, he put on his -spectacles. - - “You must make a res-o-lu-tion-- - Which means a promise to yourself-- - That you will be a rabbit - Who will drop a naughty habit, - And do to other people what you would do for self.” - -And then Professor Jim Crow closed his book with a bang and flew away -to read a lesson on good manners to a naughty little cat who wore her -mother’s hat. - -Well, after that, the little rabbit hopped along and by and by he -came in sight of the Old Rail Fence, and through the rails he could -see the Old Bramble Patch and his mother hanging out the wash, for it -was Monday, and Lady Love washed on Monday, and ironed on Tuesday, -and sometimes on Wednesday if Little Jack Rabbit wore more than one -shirtwaist a day. - -And just then he thought of what the old crow had just read to him: -“Let me hand you the clothespins, mother dear, so you won’t have to -stoop down and wrinkle your ear.” And this made the kind lady rabbit -laugh, for she didn’t know that her little bunny son could make up -poetry, just like that, all of a sudden, you know. - -Well, pretty soon there was only one clothespin left and two stockings, -so he ran into the woodshed and got another clothespin for his mother, -and after that they both went into the kitchen, for it was almost -lunch time. - - “It’s half-past one, and the cake is done, - And the prunes are stirred to a turn; - So don’t let us wait, but fill up each plate, - Or I’m afraid the sliced carrot will burn.” - -And, goodness gracious me! When Lady Love heard that she looked all -around to see who was telling her what to do. But she didn’t see -anybody, and neither did the little rabbit until he looked up at the -new clock which Uncle John Hare had given his mother for Xmas and then -the little bunny knew who was talking, for just inside the Cuckoo Clock -House door stood the little bird who told the time of day. - -Pretty soon it began to storm, and Mr. North Wind blew great clouds of -snow around the little house in the Old Bramble Patch. And sometimes -he whistled down the chimney till the little cricket in the woodbox -shivered and wished it were Summer Time again. - - Oh, Mr. North Wind blows so shrill, - Across the meadow from the hill - That little rabbits cuddle tight - Around the hearthstone, warm and bright, - Where now and then the cricket trills - Of lovely spring and daffodils. - - - - -LONELY TIMES - - The old farm pump is frozen tight, - It must have happened in the night - When Mr. North Wind fierce and chill, - Came blowing down the big high hill. - - -Goodness me! When the kind-hearted farmer got up in the morning after -Cocky Doodles had sung his cock-a-doodle-do song and went out to pump -some water, he couldn’t get any. No, siree. There was a big icicle -hanging from the pump spout, and the water wouldn’t come out. So he -cracked off the icicle and went back into the kitchen for a pail of hot -water to pour down the old pump, and after that the water came out of -the spout and Mrs. Cow got a drink of water, although she had to wait -until the clock struck half-past eight. - -And, oh, dear me! It was just as cold over at the Old Bramble Patch and -Lady Love had a dreadful time getting breakfast, for Mr. North Wind -kept blowing down the chimney and sending the ashes all over the floor, -and this made Lady Love dreadfully nervous, for she always liked to -have her kitchen spick and span and cook her food on the Hoover plan. - -Well, after breakfast was over, Little Jack Rabbit hopped out doors, -for he wasn’t afraid of the cold. Oh, my, no. His little white fur -overcoat kept him as warm as toast. And just as he was going to hop -along the little path he saw Charlie Chickadee and Jimmy Junko flying -here and there in the Old Bramble Patch. - -“You don’t mind if we eat up the old dried berries, do you?” asked the -little Chickadee, “for there isn’t much to find when the ground is -covered with snow.” - -[Illustration: “Well, I Can Sit Here As Long As You Can,” Said Mr. -Wicked Wolf. -_Little Jack Rabbit and Mr. Wicked Wolf._ _Page 61_] - -“Eat all you wish,” answered the little rabbit, and then these two -little winter birds stuffed their pockets full of dried berries to -take home, and when they could find no more they flew out on the Sunny -Meadow where the fluffy grass stalks stood out above the snow, and -picked off the little grass seeds, and after that they flew away. So -the little rabbit hopped along and by and by, after a while, he came to -the old chestnut tree where Chippy Chipmunk lived in the summer time in -a hole under the spreading roots. But Chippy was nowhere to be seen. -Oh, my, no. All during the fall he had been busy storing away nuts and -grain in his little storeroom where he would be warm and safe from -Mr. North Wind, and have something to eat till Miss Spring came with -the whispering breezes. - - “Oh, dear, I’m very lonely, - My friends are all asleep. - In hollow trees or burrows warm - Safe from the snowflakes and the storm, - I cannot even hear them creep, - For they are snuggled up asleep,” - -sighed the little rabbit as he hopped into the next story. - - - - -THE BUNNYSNOWBILE - - -Well, just as Little Jack Rabbit hopped into this story, Uncle John -Hare, who was all alone in his little white house, gave a lonely sigh, -and, as soon as he had finished breakfast, he hopped out over the snow -to his garage to get his Bunnysnowbile. Dear me! I forgot to mention -that he had fastened on runners in place of the four wheels and now had -a wonderful autosleighbile or something just as good as a bobsled going -down hills. - -It didn’t take him long to find Little Jack Rabbit and very soon they -were gliding along as nicely as you please. The Bunnysnowbile behaved -very well. You see, it was such a short time after Xmas that it hadn’t -grown tired of looking at the Xmas presents, like a good many little -girls and boys I know, and so it slid along over the snow and didn’t -try to climb up any telegraph poles, and this made Uncle John Hare feel -very pleasant, so he began to sing: - - “The glad New Year has come and so - We’ll try until next year - To be as good as we can be - And help our friends to cheer.” - -But, oh, dear me! Just then, all of a sudden, just like that, out -popped Mr. Wicked Wolf I’ve so often told you about. And oh, dear me! -again. Didn’t he look fierce? His collar was turned up and his mouth -was wide open, and his long, white teeth looked so cruel that Uncle -John Hare shut his eyes, and then, I hate to tell it, the Bunnysnowbile -ran right into a big tree and turned over three times and a half, -and it might have turned-over once more if it hadn’t landed right up -against an old hollow stump. - -Which you’ll soon see was mighty lucky for the two little rabbits. For -when Mr. Wicked Wolf saw them sprawling over the snow he jumped as -quick as a wink and maybe he would have caught dear, kind Uncle John -Hare if that old gentleman rabbit hadn’t hopped inside that stump. - -And before he was inside Little Jack Rabbit was, too, so that all Mr. -Wicked Wolf could do was to sit outside and wait for them to come out. -But they didn’t. No, sireemam, and no, sireemister. They knew better -than that, and so would I if I didn’t have a gun and a pistol and maybe -a big long knife. - -“Well, I can sit here as long as you can,” said that dreadful wolf, and -he licked his lips with his long red tongue and grinned, oh, a dreadful -kind of a grin. - -“Very well, then,” replied Uncle John Hare. “If you want to sit in the -cold snow, do so,” and then the old gentleman rabbit took off his old -wedding stovepipe hat and blocked up the hole in the hollow stump so -that the wolf couldn’t see what was going on inside, you know. And then -the old gentleman rabbit looked around to see if there was any way to -get out. - -Well, by and by, after a while, Little Jack Rabbit found a small hole -in the back of the stump, and taking his pickaxe out of his knapsack, -set to work to dig a hole big enough to squeeze through, into the next -story. - - - - -THE OLD WEDDING STOVEPIPE HAT - - -You remember where we left off in the last story, I hope. But in case -you don’t, I’ll tell you. Little Jack Rabbit and dear, kind Uncle John -Hare were hiding in a hollow stump and Mr. Wicked Wolf was sitting -outside waiting to eat them up. But he won’t if I can help it. No, -sireebus! Not if I have to call up the Policeman Dog to help these two -little rabbits. - -Well, after a while, Little Jack Rabbit made a hole in the back of the -stump through which he and the old gentleman rabbit could just squeeze. - -But before they did, the little rabbit put his pickaxe back in his -knapsack, because he might have to use it some time again, and one -doesn’t find pickaxes lying around loose, let me tell you. - -Not in these days when iron costs almost as much as sugar and sugar -costs more than diamonds, and diamonds--well, I don’t know what they -cost, for I never wear any. - -“Oh, dear! I hate to leave my old wedding stovepipe hat in that hole,” -said dear, kind Uncle John Hare, which you remember he had stuffed up -with his old silk hat to keep Mr. Wicked Wolf from looking in. - -“We’ll make a snowball and put it there instead,” said Little Jack -Rabbit, and when that was done, they both hopped quietly out of the -back door. But, oh, dear me. After they were once out, they were afraid -to go any further, for Mr. Wicked Wolf would surely see them. - -So they hopped inside and closed up the back hole with the old wedding -stovepipe hat, and then they didn’t know what to do. And neither do I, -so I hope somebody will help those two poor little rabbits. - -Well, after a while, along came Danny Fox. So Mr. Wicked Wolf said to -him: “You go around to the back of the stump and see if you can find -out anything, and I’ll stay here.” - -Then Danny Fox crept around and as soon as he saw Uncle John Hare’s old -wedding stovepipe hat in the hole he knew who was inside. You bet he -did, even if he hadn’t smelt rabbit or seen little rabbit footprints in -the snow. - -And then, pretty soon, Mr. Wicked Wolf pushed in the snowball and then -he pushed his head inside. But when he tried to pull it out, his head, -you know, not the snowball, he couldn’t. No, sireemam. - -His head was stuck fast. But it isn’t very pleasant to have a big -wolf’s head inside a hollow stump when there’s hardly room enough for -you, let me say, and of course the two little rabbits were almost -scared to death. - -And when Danny Fox saw what was the matter, he laughed so hard that he -rolled over and over on the snow and the first thing he knew he rolled -right down the hill. - -Quick as a minute Uncle John Hare put on his hat and he and Little Jack -Rabbit hopped away as fast as they could, and even faster, and pretty -soon they came to the Old Bramble Patch, where Lady Love, the little -bunny’s mother, stood waiting for them. - - - - -THE POLICEMAN DOG - - -Now, I hated to end my last story without telling you what happened to -the Bunnysnowbile which the little rabbits left upside down beside the -old hollow stump where Mr. Wicked Wolf was caught fast, you remember. - -But you see I didn’t have room, and where one doesn’t have room -one must leave a lot of things to the im-ag-in-ation, which means -“make-believe,” you know. - -Well, at about 14 o’clock that very night Uncle John Hare heard the big -bell on the Bunnysnowbile ringing like everything. So he pushed up the -window and stuck out his head, and asked: - -“Is that my dear old snowbile?” - -“It certainly is,” said a voice, and then the lamps on the -Bunnysnowbile grew so bright that the old gentleman rabbit could see -who was sitting on the seat. And who do you think it was? - -You can have three guesses and another one if you guess right. It was -the Policeman Dog. Yes, sir! There he sat as fine as you please, with -his club on his lap and his big silver badge on his coat. - -“It’s very kind of you to bring back my Bunnysnowbile,” said Uncle John -Hare, and then he pulled his head in and went down stairs and showed -the Policeman Dog how to put the snow car into the stable without -waking up the Weathercock, who wasn’t asleep, anyway, but just minded -his own business like a well-behaved iron rooster. - -And then Lady Love opened the kitchen door and asked the Policeman Dog -to come in and have a hot cup of carrot tea, and after a while he said -good-by and went home to his wife and seventeen children. - -By and by the little rabbit said to his kind Uncle: “Let’s go out on -the Sunny Meadow and dance in the moonlight.” - -But the old gentleman rabbit said no. He had a slight touch of -rheumatism in his left hind toe and wasn’t going to take any chances. -No, sireemam. - -He wasn’t going to have plumbago, ammonia or anything else just for the -sake of dancing, and I don’t blame him either. - -So everybody went to bed, and when Mr. Merry Sun woke up the next -morning he had a hard time waking up Mr. John Hare, for the old -gentleman rabbit was so sound asleep that if Lady Love hadn’t rung -the breakfast bell right over his head he might have slept on until -to-morrow’s story. - -Well, after breakfast, as Little Jack Rabbit looked over the paper, -what do you suppose he saw? Why, a notice that Mr. Wicked Wolf had been -found with his head caught in an old hollow stump and that Old Man -Weasel had gone home to get his axe. - -But when he had come back, Mr. Wicked Wolf had already pulled the stump -right out of the ground and had gone home with it on his head and it -had taken his wife two hours and eighty-five minutes to get it off. - -“Gracious me!” exclaimed Lady Love. “Did you ever hear of such a -thing!” And then she opened the kitchen door and peeked out. But she -closed it mighty quickly, for she didn’t wish Uncle John Hare to catch -cold in his left hind toe. - - - - -THE OLD HOLLOW STUMP - - -Oh, dear me, how Mr. North Wind did blow! He rocked Mrs. Oriole’s nest -that hung from the willow tree by the Old Duck Pond back and forth till -Little Jack Rabbit thought it would come off and drop to the ground. -But it didn’t, for Mrs. Oriole knew how to knit, let me tell you, and -her stocking-like nest clung to the old willow tree like a thrift stamp -when you try to get it off to buy something you forgot to get before -the war began! - -“Well, I guess I’ll let it alone,” said Mr. North Wind; “maybe Mrs. -Oriole will want to use it next spring. Perhaps she used up all her -wool making sweaters for the boys over there.” - -“When do you go back north?” asked the little rabbit, for he was -thinking of the dear old summer time, when Granddaddy Bullfrog sat on -his log and caught flies and the darning-needles skimmed over the water. - -“Oh, pretty soon, not so very long,” said Mr. North Wind. “When Miss -Spring and her little Balmy Breezes come tripping over the Sunny -Meadow, I’ll say good-by!” And then he whistled: - - “I’m a husky old wind, I am, - I could blow the shell off a clam, - I shake the shutters and bang the doors, - And curl the nails on the pussy cat’s paws.” - -And then that boisterous old wind went into the Shady Forest and -broke a dead limb off the old chestnut tree and nearly hit Squirrel -Nutcracker, who had come out of his hole for a few minutes to stretch -his legs. - -Well, after that, the little rabbit hopped along, clipperty-lipperty, -and by and by he saw Mr. Wicked Wolf. Oh, dear me. Wasn’t that -dreadful, for who wants to meet a wolf even if his first name isn’t -wicked? - -“Hello, little bunny. I haven’t seen you since the last time.” - -“I wish you still had your head in the Hollow Stump,” shivered Little -Jack Rabbit, and then he wiggled his little pink nose so fast that Mr. -Wicked Wolf had to shut his eyes for fear he’d get dizzy. - -“Stop that,” he shouted. “My head is going around and around and I -can’t keep my feet in one place on the ground.” - -“I can’t either,” said the little rabbit, “I’m so frightened.” And -before that dreadful wolf opened his eyes, Little Jack Rabbit hopped -into an old hollow stump. - -Well, pretty soon, Mr. Wicked Wolf opened one eye, just a little -bit, you know, and then he opened the other eye a little bit, but he -couldn’t see the little rabbit anywhere, so he opened both his eyes, -blink, blink, just like that. - -“Where are you?” he asked, and he jumped over to the hollow stump, -following the little rabbit’s footprints in the snow, you see. But when -he looked down into the hollow stump there wasn’t any little white -shivering bunny there. No, Sireemam and No, Sireebus and No, Siree, Mr. -Prohibition Man. - - - - -MR. MINER MOLE - - -Now, I suppose you’ve been wondering what had become of Little Jack -Rabbit after hopping into the old hollow stump to get away from Mr. -Wicked Wolf. Well, you haven’t wondered nearly as much as that old -wicked wolf has, let me tell you. Why, he was so puzzled that he sat -down and took an Almanac out of his pocket and read it all through, but -even then he didn’t know anything. - -“Goodness me, where has that little bunny gone?” he said, and then he -jumped right into the old hollow stump, head first, kerplump, just like -that. Down, down he went, until all of a sudden he landed somewhere he -didn’t just know where. - -When, all of a sudden again, a voice said: - - “You robber bold, how can you dare - To jump down here from way up there?” - -“I beg your pardon,” said Mr. Wicked Wolf, and he fixed his cravat, -which was all loose and not tied in a nice little knot, “I’m sorry to -trouble you. But the fact is I was anxious about a little rabbit who -jumped in here a moment ago. Have you seen him? I can’t see you, but -maybe you saw him.” - -“I’ll let you see me pretty soon,” said the voice, and then Mr. Wicked -Wolf began to get afraid. At first, you see, he wasn’t scared a bit, -but when he heard the voice say that, he began to tremble and wabble, -and his long bushy tail to droop on the ground. - -“Let me out; please do,” he said. “I’ll never trouble you again.” - -“Very well, then, cross your heart and repeat after me: - - “I never break my promise, - For fear I’ll break my heart, - So I’ll give you my honest word, - And then we’ll kindly part,” - -said the voice, and when Mr. Wicked Wolf had done that, the voice said: - -“Now turn to your right and you’ll see a little ladder.” And sure -enough there was a little ladder running right up the inside of the -old hollow stump. And goodness me! As soon as Mr. Wicked Wolf saw the -ladder he went up it faster than a bricklayer with a hod of bricks on -his back, and in less time than I can tell you, he was out on the Sunny -Meadow and off for his home in the Shady Forest, for he lived, you -remember, not so very far from the Big Brown Bear’s cave. - -And now I suppose you are still wondering where little Jack Rabbit was, -but I had to get rid of that dreadful wolf first before I could tell -you. Well, as soon as Mr. Wicked Wolf was out of the stump, which was -very dark inside, you know, somebody turned on an electric light way -down at the bottom. And who do you suppose it was? Why, Mr. Miner Mole. -It was he who had been talking to Mr. Wicked Wolf all the time, and now -on the next page you shall hear about Little Jack Rabbit. - - - - -PRECIOUS STONES - - -Well, as soon as Mr. Miner Mole turned on the electric light in his -cap, he said: - -“Little Jack Rabbit, you can come out now, for Mr. Wicked Wolf has -gone.” - -At once the little bunny hopped out of a door, and now you know where -he had been hiding. I declare, it has taken me almost three stories to -tell you, but I’ve been busy explaining what Mr. Wolf did and after -that what Mr. Miner Mole said. - -“I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t taken care of me,” -said Little Jack Rabbit. - -“Oh, don’t mention it,” said the kind mole. “I’m glad you came down -into my mine. I’ve had luck lately. I’ll give you a couple of diamonds -and three rubies. You can make your kind Uncle John Hare a present of -one or three, if you wish.” - -And then that generous mole gave these beautiful precious stones to the -little bunny, and showed him how to climb the ladder. - -“I wish I had a little cap like yours with an electric candle in it,” -said the rabbit. “I’d wear it at night and have lots of fun.” But the -mole wouldn’t give him his lamp. I guess he thought more of it than he -did of his diamonds and rubies. - -Well, pretty soon, the little bunny said good-by and climbed up the -ladder, and when he got to the top he just peeped over the rim of the -old hollow stump, for he thought perhaps Mr. Wicked Wolf might be -hanging around, but he wasn’t, so he hopped away, clipperty-clipperty, -and by and by he thought of something. - -“Gracious me! I almost forgot that I had two diamonds and three -rubies.” So he opened his knapsack to make sure. And now I suppose you -are saying to yourself, “That poor dear little rabbit has gone and lost -his precious stones!” But he hadn’t. There they were as safe as safe -could be in his knapsack, right alongside of a piece of apple pie and a -lollypop! - -“I might as well eat my lunch now,” he thought, so he sat down, and -pretty soon the apple pie was gone and the lollypop, too. And then, all -of a sudden, a little bird began to sing. It was Charlie Chickadee but -the little rabbit didn’t know it at first: - - “A nice little rabbit went down in a hole - To see an old miner whose name was Mole, - Who wore a cap with a ’lectric light. - For his mine was dark as a closet at night. - Now why did that rabbit go down in that hole - To see the old miner, Mr. Mole?” - -And then Charlie Chickadee flew down to the ground and picked up some -apple pie crumbs which the little rabbit had dropped when he bit off -the next to the last piece of crust. - -“I’ll give you three guesses,” said the little bunny. And in the next -story you shall hear whether Charlie Chickadee guessed right the first -or the third time. - - - - -THREE GUESSES - - -Now, let me see. Oh, yes, I remember now where we left off. It was just -when Little Jack Rabbit gave Charlie Chickadee three guesses. Yes, sir, -that’s where we left off. The little chickadee had only three guesses -to find out why Little Jack Rabbit had gone down the Hollow Tree Stump -Mine to see the old miner, Mr. Mole. - -“Are you ready?” asked the little bunny. - -“Yes,” answered the little chickadee, “you went to get some gold!” - -“No, I didn’t,” answered the little rabbit. - -“Then you went to get some silver.” - -“No, I didn’t,” replied the little bunny. - -“Oh, dear me,” said Charlie Chickadee. “I’ve only one guess left, and -I’m sure Mr. Mole hasn’t got a coal mine,” and then the little bird -cocked his head on one side and looked out of the corner of his left -eye to see if he had guessed it a little bit. But Little Jack Rabbit -didn’t pay any attention--he just took out the two big diamonds and the -three immense big rubies and looked at them carefully. At once Charlie -Chickadee hopped up and down, and fluttered his wings, and shouted, “I -know, I know! Ha, ha ha, ha! you went to get diamonds and rubies!” - -“No, I didn’t,” said Little Jack Rabbit, and he strapped up his -knapsack and started off for Uncle John Hare’s house, for he wanted to -give his kind Uncle a ruby, you know, and maybe a diamond. - -“Goodness me, why did you go, then?” asked Charlie Chickadee. -“Everybody around here knows how dangerous that Hollow Tree Stump Mine -is.” - -“Because Mr. Wicked Wolf was so close to me I had nowhere to go,” -answered Little Jack Rabbit, and then he told the little bird all that -had happened. “And now I’m off to see Uncle John Hare.” And the little -bunny shouldered his knapsack. - -Well, after a while he came to Carrot Square in Turnip City, U. S. A., -so he went along for maybe three hundred and ninety-five and a half -hops till he came to Cabbage Avenue, where on the corner stood a little -white house. - -“Oh, here I am, how glad I am,” sang the little rabbit, and just then -Uncle John himself opened the front door, and when he saw his little -nephew he began to sing: - - “Hello, hello, how glad I am, - I’m as happy as a clam - At hightide to see you now, - So come in and tell me how - All the folks are getting on - And if you love your Uncle John.” - -“Wait till I show you what I’ve got for you.” And then the little bunny -opened his knapsack. - -“Well, I guess you love your old Uncle,” said Mr. John Hare, as he -looked at the precious stones. “To-day’s my birthday. How did you -remember?” - -For answer the little bunny just hugged his nice old uncle. - - - - -POOR LADY LOVE - - Parson Crow sat on his tree, - Early one spring morning; - And his voice was hoarse as he said, “Caw, caw.” - And he was sleepily yawning. - - -And just as Lady Love passed by that wise old crow opened his little -Wisdom Book and began to read: - - “A mossy stone will never roll, - But always stays in the same old hole.” - -Then he closed his little Wisdom Book and stroked his beak with his -black wings. - -“Well, my boy’s back from the army,” said Lady Love proudly, and she -took out of her pocket a little flag and waved it up and down. And -then she took out of another pocket a little silver Liberty Bell and -rang it three times, and then she hopped away to the postoffice, for -she wanted to send a letter to Aunt Columbia about her little son’s -discharge. - -Well, when she reached the postoffice, the postmistress, the old maid -grasshopper I told you about some million stories ago, who had gone to -Palm Beach for the winter, looked out of her little stamp window and -said, - -“Good morning, Lady Love. What can I do for you? Now here’s a stamp -already damp, and it’s red, white and blue.” - -“What a pretty little stamp,” said Lady Love, as she put it on the -envelope before dropping her letter in the little crack in the wall. - -And then she went down to the Three-in-one-cent Store to buy a tea -kettle. But just as she started away for the Old Bramble Patch, Mr. -Wicked Wolf jumped out from behind a tree. And, oh, dear me! If Lady -Love hadn’t opened her green silk parasol, and held it in front of her, -that wicked old wolf would have eaten the carrot flowers right off that -little lady rabbit’s bonnet. - -“Fold up your parasol,” said Mr. Wicked Wolf, “or I’ll tear it into -fourteen different pieces.” And, of course, this frightened Lady Love -nearly to death, for she was very fond of her green silk parasol, let -me tell you. - -“If you do,” said she, “I’ll tell the Bunnyville Regiment and they’ll -hang you.” And when Mr. Wicked Wolf heard that, he ran away as fast as -he could. - -“Dearie me,” said poor frightened Lady Love, “times are dreadful.” And -she hurried home as fast as she could hop to put the new tea kettle on -to boil for supper. - -And if the tea caddy doesn’t put golf balls in the new tea pot when -Lady Love isn’t looking, I’ll tell you in the next story about Timmy -Meadowmouse. - - - - -MR. MERRY SUN - - Little Timmy Meadowmouse, - Has a round ball for a house. - It’s made of nicely woven grass, - But it hasn’t a window pane of glass. - - -“Hello,” he said, as Little Jack Rabbit stopped to look at a daisy. -“How are you this lovely day?” - -“I’m going down to the Old Duck Pond to ask Granddaddy Bullfrog -something,” answered the little rabbit. - -“What are you going to ask him?” inquired Timmy Meadowmouse. - -“Never mind,” replied Little Jack Rabbit, “maybe I’ll tell you some -day,” and away he hopped, and by and by, pretty soon, not so very long, -he came to the Old Duck Pond. And there, sure enough, was Granddaddy -Bullfrog sitting on his log, winking and blinking in the sun. - -“Good-morning, Granddaddy Bullfrog,” said Little Jack Rabbit, “have you -had your breakfast?” - -“Had my breakfast?” almost shouted the old gentleman frog. “Why, it’s -almost time for lunch. I guess you’ve forgotten to set your watch -ahead.” - -“Oh, dear me,” said the little rabbit, “I have.” So he pulled out his -gold watch and chain, the one that dear Uncle John Hare had given him, -oh, ’umpty ’leven stories ago, you remember, and then he set it on an -hour fast, and after that he looked up at the sky and laughed. - -“Now don’t get mad, Mr. Merry Sun!” - -“Well, I won’t get mad,” said the jolly old fellow, “but I’ll tell -you one thing, I shan’t get up any earlier myself. You people can do -what you wish, but I’ve been on time since the world began and I don’t -propose to be hurried at my age.” And then he rolled behind a cloud -just to show that he meant what he said. - -“Do you think he’s angry?” asked the little rabbit. - -“Not a bit,” answered Granddaddy Bullfrog. “What does he care if the -factory whistle blows an hour earlier. He doesn’t have to hurry. He -gets up in the purple east every day at the same time.” - -“No, he doesn’t,” said a voice, and there stood Professor Jim Crow with -his little Wisdom Book. - -“Let me read you something,” and then the wise old bird turned to page -23 and began: - - “The sun in the winter time rises late, - Sometimes it’s sixty minutes to eight; - But when the summer time comes once more, - He often gets up at half-past four.” - -And, oh, dear me! This made Granddaddy dreadfully angry. - -“You don’t understand what I mean,” he said, and in the next story you -shall hear what the old gentleman frog really meant to say. - - - - -BOBBIE REDVEST - - -Now, let me see where we left off in the last story. Oh, yes; now I -remember. Professor Jim Crow had just corrected Granddaddy Bullfrog, -who was dreadful angry to think that he had made a mistake in saying -the sun got up every morning at the same time. And, just as he was -going to say something more, a little tadpole swam up to the log and -called out: - - “Granddaddy Bullfrog, please take care, - The Miller’s Boy is just over there. - He’ll throw a stone at you, I know, - If you don’t quickly dive below.” - -Well, sir, Granddaddy Bullfrog gave one look and then, kerplunk! he -dived into the water. And Professor Jim Crow flew away, and so did -Little Jack Rabbit--I mean hopped, for rabbits don’t fly--and pretty -soon he got into a dreadful scrape. Oh, dear me! I just hate to tell -you about it, but I must, for everything the little bunny does I write -down, even if I don’t see him do it. And do you know how I learn so -much about him? I’ll tell you. It’s because every morning Bobbie -Redvest comes to my window and says: - - “Wake up, wake up, you lazy man! - And listen to my song. - I saw your little rabbit friend - Play tag the whole day long.” - -And then I go to the window and ask him in, and give him some cracker -crumbs. And as soon as he has had his breakfast he tells me what to -write about. And if he didn’t there would be many days I wouldn’t know -what Little Jack Rabbit is doing, for I can’t run after him in the -Shady Forest all the time. - -And, now I’m going to tell you about the scrape this dear little rabbit -got into. Oh, dear me again! I hope he’ll get out of it all right! I -told Bobbie Redvest to be around to-morrow bright and early to let me -know. - -Well, just as Little Jack Rabbit hopped away from the Old Duck Pond he -saw the tip of Old Man Weasel’s nose from behind a tree, and the tip of -Danny Fox’s bushy tail behind a rock, and the left ear of Mr. Wicked -Wolf from behind a bush. Wasn’t that too dreadful for anything? Here -were these three enemies of the little rabbit just waiting to catch -him. - -“Oh, dear, oh, dear!” said the poor little bunny, “I’m a goner now. I -know, I know it!” But he didn’t give up hope. Oh, my, no! He just said -that to himself, you see. Not to anybody else. And just then he heard -Bobbie Redvest sing very softly: - - “Under the bush, by your left hind toe, - Is a little trap door that leads below. - Jump back three feet as quick as you can. - And you will be safe, little bunny man!” - - - - -THREE OLD RASCALS - - Don’t stop to ask the reason why, - Nor say “Just a minute!” - But do the thing you’re told to do - For all that there is in it! - - -Well, you remember what little Bobbie Redvest told the little rabbit to -do in the last story--to jump back three feet and hide under the trap -door beneath the bush. - -Well, sir, in less time than I can take to tell it, he was under the -door and hopping down a little stairway. But he didn’t forget to bolt -the door, and it’s mighty lucky he did, for the next minute Old Man -Weasel, Mr. Wicked Wolf and Danny Fox ran out from behind the trees and -tried to lift up the trap door. - -“I’ll dig a hole all around it,” said Danny Fox, when they found they -couldn’t get in. So he set to work, and so did Old Man Weasel, while -Mr. Wicked Wolf sat down and took out his pipe and smoked. And whenever -Danny Fox stopped to wipe the perspiration from his face Mr. Wicked -Wolf would say, “Hurry up! The little rabbit will be in China before -you get started!” - -And whenever Old Man Weasel stopped to wipe a little piece of dirt out -of his eye, Mr. Wicked Wolf would say: - -“Hurry up, Old Man Weasel. Danny Fox will get in first!” - -Well, by and by, after a while, Danny Fox came to the flight of stairs, -and maybe a minute or two later, Old Man Weasel got his head inside the -hallway, but there wasn’t room for both of them at the same time. - -“Get out of here,” said Danny Fox, “I saw the little rabbit first.” - -“I won’t!” shouted Old Man Weasel. “I saw him before you did!” And then -they started to talk and talk, till at last Mr. Wicked Wolf put his -pipe back in his pocket and said: - -“You are both wrong. I saw him first.” And he took hold of Danny Fox by -the tail and dragged him out, and Old Man Weasel, too. - -“You two talkers stay here while I go after the little rabbit,” said -Mr. Wicked Wolf, and he ran down the stairs as fast as he could. But, -goodness me! it was dark. And every once in a while he’d knock his head -against something, but he kept on just the same, and pretty soon he -saw a little light ahead. - -And then, all of a sudden, a voice said: - - “What are you doing down here under ground, - You wicked old wolf from the hill, - You haven’t got brains to go in when it rains - If you wake up a man when he’s ill.” - -“I don’t know who you are and I didn’t know you were ill,” answered Mr. -Wicked Wolf, looking all around to see who was talking. “Who are you, -anyway?” - - - - -A PRISONER - - -Well, before Mr. Wicked Wolf found out who was talking to him as I -meant to tell you in the last story, he saw the tip of Little Jack -Rabbit’s tail. So he didn’t stop to find out, but ran down the dark -tunnel as fast as he could. - -“Oh, dear me,” said the little rabbit to himself, “I thought Mr. Mole -would keep him for a few minutes till I got away.” And then the little -rabbit hopped along faster than ever, and I guess Mr. Wicked Wolf would -have caught him only the tunnel was so low and so narrow that Mr. -Wicked Wolf had to be very careful not to bump his head off. - -Well, pretty soon, the little rabbit came to a door, and when he -opened it, he found himself in the Shady Forest. And just then who -should come by but the Big Brown Bear. - -“Oh, help me, quick!” said Little Jack Rabbit. - -“How?” asked the big bear. - -“Roll that rock against this door,” begged the little rabbit. “Mr. -Wicked Wolf is after me.” - -Then the Big Brown Bear put his shoulder against the rock and rolled -it up against the door, and then he sat down and said: “Whew! That was -a job!” And I guess it was, for he was all out of breath, for the rock -was as large as himself and maybe bigger. - -“Let me out! Let me out!” shouted Mr. Wicked Wolf through the keyhole, -for he couldn’t even open the door a tiny crack because the bear had -rolled the stone up against it as tight as could be. - - “You stay in there till the 4th of July, - Away from the sun and the bright blue sky; - And maybe by then you will have grown wise - Enough to wear spectacles over your eyes,” - -shouted the Big Brown Bear as he and the little rabbit hopped away. -Dear me! Maybe the bear didn’t hop, but I was so excited for fear -Little Jack Rabbit wouldn’t get away that my typewriter picked out the -wrong word. - -“Gracious me!” said the little rabbit, after a while, and maybe a mile. -“I guess I’ll telephone to Uncle John Hare and tell him what a narrow -escape I’ve just had!” So he hopped in the Hollow Tree Telephone booth -and called up “One, two, three, Ring Happy Bell, Rabbitville, U. S. -A.” And pretty soon he heard Uncle John Hare say, “Hello, who is it?” - -“It’s me, Little Jack Rabbit,” answered the little bunny. And then he -told the dear old gentleman rabbit what had happened and Uncle John -Hare got so excited that he dropped the receiver on his left hind -toe--the one that had the rheumatism in it, you remember--and this made -him say something which I won’t repeat. - -“Come over right away,” he said, after rubbing his toe three times and -a half. - - - - -THE RABBITVILLE TROLLEY - - -Now, I think Little Jack Rabbit would have made Uncle John Hare a call -if all of a sudden he hadn’t stopped to listen to Bobbie Redvest sing: - - “Professor Jim Crow in his little Wisdom Book - Tells how to catch the fishes with a pin hook. - So you, Simple Simon, with your mother’s pail, - Listen to Professor Crow if you’d catch a whale.” - -Perhaps I’ve made a mistake, or Professor Jim Crow has, for this is not -Mother Goose Land. - -“Haven’t you made a mistake?” asked Little Jack Rabbit as the old crow -started to read a lesson on fishing. - -“Well, I declare,” he answered. “Maybe I’m getting old. I’ve turned to -the wrong place.” And then he opened the book at page 23 and read: - - “Dingle, dingle, trolley car, - The Motorman is my papa, - And while he shows the greatest care - My mother rings up every fare.” - -“Ha, ha,” laughed Little Jack Rabbit. “The Rabbitville trolley cars -have lady bunny conductors,” and off he hopped to take a ride, for he -had five carrot cents in his knapsack. - -Well, just as he reached Rabbitville a trolley car came by, so he held -up his striped candy cane and the motorman put on the brakes, and then -the little rabbit hopped on board and the lady bunny conductor rang the -bell three times and a half and away they went to Bunnybridge, just -over Clover River. - -“Hello!” said a voice as the little rabbit sat down, and there in the -middle of the car sat Squirrel Nutcracker. He was reading the Chestnut -Times and laughing over Miss Hazel Nut’s jokes. - -“Come over and sit by me,” said Old Squire Nutcracker. “Here’s -something about your Uncle.” And then he started to read: - -“Mr. John Hare has just repainted his house on the corner of Carrot -Avenue and Cabbage Square. He says he must have his house nice and -white so he can see it late at night.” - -And then Squirrel Nutcracker laughed some more, and he laughed so hard -that a hickory nut rolled out of his coat pocket and fell on the lady -conductor’s little toe and made her dreadfully angry, for she thought -Little Jack Rabbit had shot the nut out of his little popgun, you know. - -And just then the trolley bell began to ring like everything. Maybe -there was some one on the track. - - - - -FARMER DADDY LONGLEGS - - -Now, let me see where we left off in the last story. Oh, yes, I -remember now. It was just as the trolley car bell rang on the way to -Bunnybridge. - -“What’s the matter?” asked Squirrel Nutcracker, for the car stopped so -suddenly that his hat came off. And then they heard the motorman, who -was a billy goat, say: - - “Why don’t you get out of the way - With your cracky old wagon of hay, - Why don’t you look back - When you’re on the track, - And not keep me waiting all day.” - -And who do you suppose was driving the load of hay? Why, it was Old -Farmer Daddy Longlegs. He was sitting on top and saying giddap to a -pair of little field mice. - -“I’m very sorry, Mr. Motorman,” answered Farmer Daddy Longlegs. “Just -wait a minute and I’ll get off the track.” - -And then he turned the little mice to the right, and when the trolley -car went by it pulled off some of the hay and it fell into the open -window and covered Mrs. Duck’s new bonnet, with the yellow roses on it. - -“I’ll make a wish, for every time you pass a load of hay you must make -a wish, you know, and if you don’t tell anybody it will surely come -true,” she said with a quack. - -Well, by and by, after a while, they came to Clover River, and as the -trolley car couldn’t swim it went over the bridge, and in less than -five hundred short seconds it stopped in Bunnybridge, on the corner of -Cookey Street and Cocoanut Avenue. - -“Last stop. All out,” shouted the billy goat conductor, so all the -passengers left by the front door, for there was a big sign in the car -which said: - - “Have your nickel ready - When you board the car, - Get off at the front door, - No matter where you are.” - -But, oh, dear me. Just as Little Jack Rabbit hopped to the sidewalk a -deep, growly voice said: - - “What are you doing over here, - So far from the Bramble Patch? - If I were hungry I’d eat you up - As quick as I’d strike a match.” - -“Oh, please don’t,” cried the little rabbit. “Please, Mr. Wicked Wolf, -let me go just this once.” And unless Mr. Wicked Wolf gets dreadfully -hungry all of a sudden, you shall hear what happened after that. - - Mr. Wolf carries a big gunny sack - Over his shoulder and down his back. - Whenever he catches a squirrel or hare, - He drops him into his sack with care, - And then he says with a terrible grin, - “I’ll eat you up before you get thin!” - - - - -ACORN COTTAGE - - Mr. Wicked Wolf has a dreadful grin; - His teeth are bright and shiny like a piece of tin; - And wouldn’t you be frightened if he should say to you; - “I’ll eat you up before you count one billion twenty-two”? - - -Well, that’s what Mr. Wicked Wolf said just as I finished the story -before this, and I would have added a P. S. and told you, only I was -afraid you’d stay awake all night wondering how the little rabbit would -ever get away. But never mind. I won’t let that dreadful wolf hurt him, -not if I have to get a gun and go after him myself. - -[Illustration: Mr. Wicked Wolf Runs Away From the Dog Tramp. -_Little Jack Rabbit and Mr. Wicked Wolf._ _Page 115_] - -Well, the little rabbit began to count just as fast as he could, and -just as he reached nine thousand nine hundred and maybe a little -more the Yellow Dog Tramp came by and gave a loud bark: - - “Don’t hurt my bunny friend; - Get out of here, I say. - It’s safer far for you to be - A million miles away.” - -And when Mr. Wicked Wolf heard that he turned around and ran home as -fast as he could, and maybe faster. - -“Come with me, little rabbit,” said the kind Yellow Dog Tramp. So they -went into the wood and turned down a little path until they came to a -tiny house under a big oak tree. And right over the front door was a -sign: - -“Acorn Cottage.” - -“Who lives there?” asked Little Jack Rabbit. - -“Wait and see,” said the Yellow Dog Tramp, and then he knocked three -times and pretty soon a little Green Snake opened the door. She had on -a little pink bonnet and a white apron and on the end of her tail was a -pretty gold watch. - -“What do you want?” she asked, for she was a very timid little snake, -let me tell you, and was dreadfully afraid of tramps and burglars. - -“My little rabbit friend would like to find his fortune,” said the -Yellow Dog Tramp, “and I hear you are very wise and know how to tell -fortunes better than a gypsy. So please tell my little bunny friend -where his fortune is.” - -“Come in,” said the little Green Snake. So Little Jack Rabbit and the -Yellow Dog Tramp went into the little house, and pretty soon she told -Little Jack Rabbit to sit down. - -“You have two Liberty Bonds and three War Saving Stamps,” she said, -after she had looked at the lines in his little paw, “and in three days -and a half you will find a bright penny under a stone on the Shady -Forest Trail. That will be the beginning of your fortune.” And then she -coiled herself up and began to sway back and forth, and in the next -story you shall hear what happened after that. - - - - -JENNY WREN’S PENNY - - -You remember in the last story as the little Green Snake coiled herself -in a ring and swayed back and forth, she began to sing: - - “Under a stone on the Forest Trail - Close to the home of a little black snail, - Is a bright new penny, so stop to-day - And pick it up on your homeward way.” - -“I will,” said Little Jack Rabbit, and then he and Yellow Dog Tramp -set out, and by and by they saw a little stone just ahead of them. And -close beside it was a black snail in her little house which she always -carries around with her, rain or shine. - -“Hurrah,” cried the little rabbit, “now I will find my fortune,” and -he pushed aside the stone and was just going to pick up the bright -penny when a voice said: - - “Don’t you touch that penny, - For it belongs to Jenny, - To pretty little Jenny Wren - Who lives down in the shady glen.” - -“Oh, dear me,” sighed Little Jack Rabbit, “I thought I could take it.” - -“Who are you?” asked the Yellow Dog Tramp, looking all around to see -who had spoken, but there was no one in sight. And just then, all of a -sudden, out jumped Chippy Chipmunk in his little striped jacket. “That -penny belongs to Jenny Wren. She lost it this morning.” - -“Then why don’t you take it to her?” said the Yellow Dog Tramp. - -“I’m keeping watch till she comes back,” answered Chippy Chipmunk. “I -don’t know where she went.” And then the little chipmunk laughed and -picked up a nut and stuffed it into the little pocket in his left cheek. - -“Well, there’s no use waiting here,” said Little Jack Rabbit. “I must -get back to the Old Bramble Patch before sundown or mother will worry.” -And off he started, lipperty lip, clipperty clip, but just then who -should come by but little Jenny Wren herself. She wasn’t flying. Oh, -my, no. She was walking slowly over the ground and looked here and -there and everywhere. - -“Did you see a bright penny?” she asked. - -“It’s by that stone,” said Little Jack Rabbit. “Close by the snail in -her little shell house.” - -So Jenny Wren hopped over to the stone and picked up her lost penny, -and if she doesn’t spend it for a lemon lollypop I’ll tell you what -happened after that. - - A lollypop’s a lovely thing, - Just like a flower in the spring. - It grows upon the Lolly Tree - Beside the winding river Dee. - - - - -HUNGRY HAWK - - -“I must leave now,” said the Yellow Dog Tramp, who, you remember in the -last story, had found the lost penny for little Jenny Wren. - - “Come and see me soon again, - If it doesn’t chance to rain,” - -said Little Jack Rabbit, as he watched his good friend run away. - -Well, after that, the little bunny hopped along, and by and by he saw -Timmy Meadowmouse near his little house in the Sunny Meadow. And if -you’ve forgotten what Timmy Meadowmouse’s house looks like I’ll tell -you. It’s like a little ball, made out of grass, woven together on the -top of two or three stiff stalks of meadow grass. - -“Hello, Timmy Meadowmouse. What are you doing?” - -“Keeping a lookout for Hungry Hawk,” he answered. “It was only a few -minutes ago he flew by, way up in the sky. Oh, ever so high. But I -don’t want to be caught in his cruel claws,” and the little meadowmouse -shivered at the thought. - -“Neither do I,” said Little Jack Rabbit. “I won’t wait, but hurry home -to the Old Bramble Patch.” And it was a good thing he did, for just -then Hungry Hawk came sailing by and if he had seen the little rabbit -maybe he would have stooped down and caught him then and there and -maybe some other place. - -“What has kept you so late?” asked Lady Love as her little bunny son -hopped up the garden walk to the kitchen door, where the good lady -bunny stood shading her eyes with her left hind paw. She said nothing -when she learned how he had almost been caught by Mr. Wicked Wolf and -that the Yellow Dog Tramp had come by just in time. But when he said he -had found a penny, she exclaimed: “Where is it?” - -“Oh, dear,” answered the little rabbit, “it belonged to Jenny Wren. She -lost it this morning, so I had to give it to her.” - -And just then the telephone rang. - -“Hello,” said Little Jack Rabbit. “Is it you?” - -“It surely is,” said the old gentleman rabbit. “What do you suppose is -the matter?” But Little Jack Rabbit couldn’t guess, and I don’t believe -you can, so I’ll tell you right away. - -“My Sonora won’t stop singing,” said the old gentleman rabbit, “and the -three grasshoppers and the black cricket on the hearth can’t sleep. So -what shall I do?” - -“Call in the Old Red Rooster. He used to work in a talking machine -factory before he came to you.” - -And that’s just what Uncle John Hare did, and the next day he came over -in his Bunnymobile and took Little Jack Rabbit out for a long drive. - - - - -CANDY CATS AND CHOCOLATE MICE - - -After the Old Red Rooster had repaired the Sonora, he went back to the -barn to dust off the cobwebs. But, oh, dear me! All of a sudden, he -brushed down a little black spider who had her web in the northeast -corner. - - “You’re a very mean rooster to pull down my web, - For now I must spin me another, - If things must be clean you’ve no right to be mean, - I’ve a notion to tell your good mother.” - -“Please don’t,” begged the Old Red Rooster. “She’s a very old hen and -it might worry her so she couldn’t lay an egg.” - -Just then Little Jack Rabbit and Uncle John Hare drove up in the -Bunnymobile, so the little black spider began to spin a new web and -the Old Red Rooster commenced to dust off the top of the buggy. - -“Well, here we are, home again,” said the old gentleman rabbit, and he -took off his old wedding stovepipe hat and wiped his forehead with his -blue silk polkadot handkerchief, and after that he looked at his gold -watch and chain and fixed the diamond horseshoe pin in his red necktie. -You see, there was a little old broken mirror which he kept in the barn -so that in case his stovepipe hat wasn’t on straight he could fix it -before going out automobiling. - -As soon as the Bunnymobile was safe in the garage he and Little Jack -Rabbit went into the house and wound up the graphophone. And this is -the song it sang: - - “The candy cat ate a chocolate mouse, - O dearie, dearie me. - And the little toy dog chased the little toy cat, - Till she climbed up a cinnamon tree.” - -Dear, dear me! Here we are at the end of the book. I wonder why the -pages turn over so quickly; perhaps it is because Little Jack Rabbit -hops so fast. But never mind, dear little reader, I am going to tell -you some more about this little bunny boy in another book entitled -“Little Jack Rabbit and Hungry Hawk.” - - Yours for a story, - DAVID CORY, - The Jack Rabbit Man. - -[Illustration: SOME PICTURES OF LITTLE JACK RABBIT’S TRAVELS AND -ADVENTURES] - - The three Little grasshoppers - bowed to Uncle Lucky. - - Cocky Doodles and - Henny Jenny take a walk. - - “Hold up Yours,” said the - Policeman Dog. - - Mr. Wicked Wolf had to - shut his eyes. - - “I saw Little Jack Rabbit last - night, my dear,” said the Fox. - - This made Mrs. Cow laugh. - - “Goodness me! Where has - that little bunny gone?” - he said. - - The little rabbit said - goodbye. - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes: - - Italics are shown thus: _sloping_. - - Small capitals have been capitalised. - - Variations in spelling and hyphenation are retained. - - Perceived typographical errors have been changed. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LITTLE JACK RABBIT AND MR. -WICKED WOLF *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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