Laura Rountree Smith

“ Another Bunny was ordering of another clerk and kept asking questions and said the prices were much too high and talked so as to take up all the clerk’s time.
The strange Bunny asked Pretty Bunny if she had noticed this after they had left the store, and remarked,
“To be well-mannered I hope you’ll try;
Don’t handle things unless you buy.”
Pretty Bunny said, “Let me go home, please let me go home; you have made a mistake, I am not your grandchild at all, I am visiting Aunt Etiquette.” ”

“ No one ever loves a boaster.”
She continued to say that we should be willing to take our turn in playing a game and be good-natured whether we won or not.
Tattle-Tale Bunny stood in the corner of the play-ground talking to a new Bunny, and Miss Manners called him to her quietly and said that we should not repeat tales to any one, even after school; the only ones safe to confide in were the teacher, or one’s own mother.
When the recess games were over the Bunnies came trooping in, still noisy and out of breath. Then the teacher gave them a “Sitting Lesson.” ”

“ Healthy Bunny laughed and went back to bed, for the Looking-Glass Bunny could keep some secrets after all.
Healthy Bunny dreamed that he sat at table with Aunt Etiquette and sang to the tune of “Twinkle Little Star,”
[Pg 60]
“Bunnies, you will not regret
Lessons learned in Etiquette;
At the table have a care
To sit straight up in your chair.”
Next morning at breakfast Healthy Bunny asked if he might repeat the song.
Aunt Etiquette said, “Yes,” and added,
“Manners at table, manners at table,
Are taught by Fairy Tale and Fable;
If we try, we all are able
To learn good manners at the table.” ”

“ Pretty Bunny got up and opened her window wide, and before she had time to ask how many Bunnies lived in the house, she had fallen asleep and was dreaming that every room in the house needed to be put in order. She heard a voice call,
“I’m the Good Mannered Bunny, I sing, and sing,
We should have a place for everything.”
Next morning Pretty Bunny took pride in picking up her room, and she asked to do the same for Aunt Etiquette who was old and stiff and lame. ”

“ Homeless Bunny did not learn good manners easily so he stopped to talk to a person on a street corner.
Happy Bunny took hold of Healthy Bunny, but they took too much room that way walking on the sidewalk, so Aunt Etiquette remarked,
“Happy Bunny, you mean no harm,
On the street don’t take another’s arm;
To properly walk, please don’t forget,
Is part of good street Etiquette;
Walk straight ahead, and I suppose
You learned long ago to turn out your toes.”
[Pg 90]
Happy Bunny and Pretty Bunny looked down to see if they were really turning out their toes. ”

“ We can show good manners in little things;
We should be polite and never bold,
And always do what we are told.”
[Pg 84]
CHAPTER VII.
STREET MANNERS.
If every Bunny that we meet
Had good manners on the street,
What a pleasant world ’twould be
For other folks like you and me.
Next morning early, Aunt Etiquette called,
“Come, Bunnies, I’ll give you all a treat,
We’ll take a walk upon the street.”
All the Bunnies, except Pretty Bunny, were ready soon and in their hurry they slid down the banisters. Pretty Bunny stopped to put her room in order. ”

“ Then, Pretty Bunny and Healthy Bunny knew that breakfast was ready, and they went hoppety-skip down stairs.
Healthy Bunny did many useful things for Old Aunt Etiquette. He helped her put her house in order and Pretty Bunny washed her dishes, but, sad to say, they were so slow about the work that Pretty Bunny was late to school. That evening she had to stay in school to make up the time she had missed, and as Healthy Bunny was visiting school he had to wait for her.
[Pg 95]
When evening came Old Aunt Etiquette put on her best spectacles and said,
“Who was late, tell me pray? ”

“ Pretty Bunny said she was not afraid of the dark and was anxious to get back to Aunt Etiquette, but the strange Bunny said, “It is not safe for youngsters to be out late,” so they sat for an hour and ten minutes thinking over the matter. ”

“ Pretty Bunny said she learned more about manners every day of her life.
She said, “I am learning more, and more,
We can have good manners in the store;
We should not complain about the price,
Or ask the same thing over twice;
If things we don’t intend to buy,
To keep our hands off we must try;
We should not sample things, ’tis true,
Unless the clerk should ask us to.”
Aunt Etiquette kissed Pretty Bunny good night, and said,
“You are fortunate this time, it’s true ”

“ She was ready to dance down stairs when a voice cried out,
“Though a maid is really the bed-room keeper,
You might plan to use the carpet sweeper.”
[Pg 43]
Pretty Bunny found the carpet sweeper and ran it over the rug where she had gotten lint from the towels. She then dusted the room and was just ready when Aunt Etiquette rang the bell for breakfast.
Pretty Bunny said, “Good morning, I hope you slept well, Aunt Etiquette,” and she kissed her on both cheeks, remarking, all in one breath, as little Bunnies do,
“How many Bunnies live with you? ”

“ At this very minute Healthy Bunny came back and said Aunt Etiquette had just found out that Pretty Bunny had been left behind.
Healthy Bunny and Pretty Bunny bumped into several people on the walk until Pretty Bunny remarked,
“A little Bunny who is bright
Will always turn out to the right.” ”

“ Without a young Bunny for company;
You see, I really truly care
If a Bunnie travels on the stairs.”
The Old Family Clock ticked in the usual way for some time and then sang,
“I knew once, but I’ve forgot,
As like as not, as like as not.”
[Pg 24]
CHAPTER II.
PRETTY BUNNY’S JOURNEY
Pretty Bunny should refrain
From eating peanuts on the train;
She should not stare at any one,
So says good Old Father Bun.
The day for the journey came at last and Old Father Bun and Pretty Bunny waved their paws and cried,
“Good bye, good bye, we are happy, you know ”

“ And manners that you learn in school
Will always help you, as a rule.”
Next morning Aunt Etiquette said, “If you are going to visit me a year and a day, you will have to start to school.”
Healthy Bunny said, “I will go back home, but Pretty Bunny can stay and go to school.”
Pretty Bunny began to feel a little homesick at that but she helped Aunt Etiquette fill up her dinner pail and bade good bye to Healthy Bunny at the crossroads and sang,
“Sing a song as you go by,
And never, never, never cry.”
[Pg 62]
A merry voice answered,
“I think your little rhymes are funny. ”

“ If you are a well-mannered Rabbit.
One morning Aunt Etiquette came down stairs and found everything in the living room in disorder. Healthy Bunny had thrown the newspapers on the floor the night before, and Pretty Bunny had left faded flowers in a vase. ”

“ When Teddy On Time came back he walked in front of Uncle Education who remarked quietly,
“Say ‘EXCUSE ME’, lad or lass,
When in front you have to pass.”
Polly Pick-It-Up was very bright and she said,
“I can teach one lesson soon,
Rise when any one enters the room.”
[Pg 119]
Uncle Education said if we practise good manners every day we will not need to think about manners particularly when visitors come. ”

“ Careless people leave me on the floor.’”
Pretty Bunny picked up the pitcher to set on the wash stand when, to her surprise,
[Pg 42]
The wash bowl said, “Just listen a minute,
Why leave the bowl full, with water in it?”
Pretty Bunny emptied the water out of the bowl, dried it and set the pitcher neatly in it.
Towels were on the floor and towels were on a chair.
To her surprise Pretty Bunny heard a voice say,
“Pretty Bunny, have you the knack
Of hanging towels upon a rack?”
Then in a voice that scolded,
She said, “Is each towel folded?” ”

“ They told Pretty Bunny where to hang her wraps and her dinner-pail, and made her feel quite at home. As it was not yet time for school to begin, the Bunnies went and cleaned the blackboard and erasers and hung up all the erasers neatly on the hooks. They said,
“We help the teacher every day
In our work in every way.”
[Pg 64]
The teacher came in with a pleasant “Good Morning.”
She read a story that day that every one liked. The story was called, “Little Rag-Tag.”
“Once upon a time, Little Rag-Tag came to school. She had on a ragged dress and the buttons were off her shoes. ”

“ She might have added that it shows very bad manners to be late to meals if we can possibly help it.
The Bunnies took off their new things and came to dinner. Said Pretty Bunny,
“Excuse us, Mother, we just had to wait;
To dinner we do not mean to be late.”
That night after they had all gone to bed, Pretty Bunny began to wonder [Pg 22] about the “pitter, patter” of foot-steps on Aunt Etiquette’s stair-case. ”

“ Tardy Ted was late to bed,
The Whistling Wind went on ahead.
The next day was Saturday and Tardy Ted went to the Tailor to see if he had repaired his best suit and put buttons on it. The Tailor said, as though it was a matter of no moment,
“Alas, young man, I’m a little late;
I really think you’ll have to wait.”
Then Tardy Ted went to the Shoemaker who was mending his best shoes, and the Shoemaker said,
“Alas, young man, I’m a little late ”

“ To an older person first you’ll bow.”
[Pg 88]
She said a young person may recognize an older person first, and that it is right to always be ready to speak to a person you know.
“Where are we going to-day, Aunt Etiquette?” asked Healthy Bunny. ”

“ Polly began to straighten the books and put the magazines in even piles and put away the candy box. She picked up for herself and all the family, and she heard a voice say,
“A duster makes old things just shine ”