Billy Bunny

“ Is always kept so busy
He cannot take a nap.
He’s dancing to the music,
And picking up the dimes;
But oftener it’s nickels.
And pennies most the times. As soon as Billy Bunny heard the “Star-Spangled Banner,” for that was the tune which the old organ grinder was playing, he pricked up his ears and hopped out of the Old Briar Patch, and by and by he came up to the monkey, who held out his little red cap.
“Here’s a carrot cent for you,” said the little rabbit, but the organ grinder scowled a deep, gloomy scowl and said:
“Me no lika da mun!” But what could Billy Bunny do? ”

“ And when it was all gone, Billy Bunny said good-by and hopped away singing at the top of his voice:
"Oh, who is so merry and who is so gay
As a rabbit who always has money to pay
For candy and popcorn and nice apple pie
And other sweet things that you're longing to buy."
And in the next story, if Billy Bunny does eat any more carrot candy and get so dizzy he can't hop in a circle, I'll tell you some more about the little rabbit.
STORY XXXI. BILLY BUNNY AND A HAPPY BIRTHDAY. It very often happens
You don't know what to do,
And then's the time the Mischief Man
Comes smiling round to you. ”

“ And I’m so glad that I’m going to say “Hip, hip, hurrah!” just as loud as I can, for if there is anybody I hate it is that Miller’s Boy. Ever since I started to tell you about Billy Bunny he has been trying to catch this dear little rabbit and this time I certainly thought he had. And now that Billy Bunny is safe I’m so happy I could shout again.
Go home you horrid Miller’s Boy,
Who’s always trying to annoy
The Friendly Little Forest Folk
By trying every kind of joke. ”

“ Well, it’s time now to tell about Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky Lefthindfoot, his dear, kind, generous rabbit uncle.
“I’m never going to give anybody any medicine as long as I live,” said the old gentleman rabbit, taking out his blue polka-dot handkerchief and wiping his spectacles and then the back of his neck and the tip of his nose.
“You never even get thanked for it.” And then Uncle Lucky put his handkerchief on his nose and his spectacles in his pocket. Oh, dear me! I mean he did just what I didn’t say he did, and after that he climbed into the Luckymobile beside Billy Bunny and drove away. ”

“ Well, sir, after that Billy Bunny thought it was time to be going, so he bowed to the old squirrel and hopped away, and after maybe a million hops, skips and jumps, he reached the Old Brier Patch, where he found his dear mother standing in the doorway of her little house waiting for her bunny boy. ”

“ So Billy Bunny peeped around the corner and then he hopped backward, almost knocking Uncle Lucky head over tail.
And before you could say “Jack Rabbit!” Old Man Weasel jumped from behind the house and glared at the two rabbits with his wicked eyes.
“Good evening, Mr. Weasel,” said Uncle Lucky, pushing Billy Bunny behind him, for he was a brave old rabbit, was Uncle Lucky, and he was going to save his little nephew from being eaten up by the wicked weasel, if he could. ”

“ Well, after Billy Bunny had hopped and hopped and then some more, he came to a cross road, and the sign on the post said, “5,2811⁄2 hops to Bunnybridge.”
“Well, I’m glad I’m on the right road,” said the little rabbit, and he took half a hop so as to start out even, you know, because he never did like fractions, and by and by he came to Lettuce avenue. But just then something happened. Something usually does happen when you least expect it, and that’s what’s going to happen now if my typewriter doesn’t get balky and throw my hands off the keyboard. ”

“ So Billy Bunny took the Luckymobile around to the barn, and just then an old owl began to toot:
"I'm very fond of little gray mice,
And little white rabbits, too, are nice."
And down flew that old gray owl and made a grab for Billy Bunny. But he didn't catch him. No, sireemam! For the little rabbit hopped into the henhouse through the little round door, and the big red rooster began to crow:
"Look here, Mr. Owl, if you come inside
I'll hurt you with my spur. ”

“ And Billy Bunny said yes, for the woodchuck was very nice and had such good manners that the little rabbit felt quite at home.
But oh, dear me! it began to rain so hard right then and there that the water just poured into the old hollow stump, and pretty soon it was very uncomfortable. So the woodchuck said:
"Now don't you ever tell anybody where I'm going to take you. For it's my very own house, and I never let anybody know just where I do live. You see, so many people are after me, some with guns and some with sharp teeth and claws, that I have to be very careful." ”

“ Wherever I roam I’m always at home,
In forest or grassy lea.” “And so am I,” cried Billy Bunny. “I’m a traveler; yes, I am.” And then the little canary flew down from the tree and said to the little rabbit: “I have a little yellow brother who has always lived in a cage. But he can’t get me to live with him. I love the trees and the tall grasses too much.”
“Where do you live?” asked the little rabbit. ”

“ O'Hare. "It's a dreadful thing to have a hole like this right in the middle of the Friendly Forest Trail."
"Never mind that," said Billy Bunny, "let's go back to the Luckymobile. It will be late before we get out of the woods and maybe the electricity will all be gone and then we can't light the lamps, and maybe we'll be arrested." ”

“ And perhaps it did, for I've often seen clouds that looked exactly like squirrels, haven't you, and other animals, too, like bears and cats?
"Gracious me!" cried Uncle Billy. "Hang on, Billy Bunny, and don't let the cushions slip or the electricity run out of the cabaret, for if we ever get back to earth, I'd like to get home and stay home forever. Oh, home, sweet home," and the old gentleman rabbit took off his automobile goggles, for they were full of tears and he couldn't see anything. ”

“ Grouse with her brood of little brown birdies.
“Good morning, Billy Bunny,” she said, while her small brood hid themselves in the dry leaves that strewed the ground. “Come here, children,” she called, “Billy Bunny won’t hurt you. He’s a friend.” So the little brown birds came out from their hiding places and stood in a row and bowed as nicely as you please, and the little rabbit opened his knapsack and gave them each a candy carrot. ”

“ Well, as Billy Bunny had never had his fortune told and Uncle Lucky had forgotten whether he had or not, they got out of the automobile and sat down on a log while the old gypsy woman looked at their paws.
“You have a very long life line, Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot, and lots of money,” she said with a grin, “and you’re going to have lots more.” ”

“ Well, as soon as the wind king placed the beautiful ruby scarfpin in the little rabbit’s cravat he opened the door of his cave and gave a big puff, and away went Billy Bunny just like a bullet from a gun.
But he didn’t care, for he landed as nicely as you please on a mossy bank, and then he looked in the brook to see if the ruby scarfpin was still in his cravat, and then he looked around to see what he would do next. And just then a little wild canary began singing this song:
“I wouldn’t live within a cage,
I’d rather be wild and free ”

“ So Billy Bunny got out the sticking plaster and fixed the tires and then he made the elephant blow them up with his trunk, but he wouldn’t let him get in again.
No, sir. He said, “Now look here, Elly. You’re too heavy for the Luckymobile, so you’ll have to walk, but you can put your trunk in the back seat if that will help any.” So the Circus Elephant lifted his trunk into the automobile and ran along behind until they came to Uncle Lucky’s house. ”

“ STORY VI. BILLY BUNNY AND MR. O'HARE'S ESCAPE. You remember in the last story how Willie Wind whispered to Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky that their cousin, Mr. O'Hare, had fallen into a deep hole? Well, it didn't take the two little rabbits more than five short seconds and maybe five and a half hops to reach the spot, and then they looked over the edge, but very carefully, you know, for fear they might fall in, and there, sure enough, way down at the bottom was Mr. O'Hare looking very miserable indeed. ”

“ Isn’t it nice not to have to move out of your house, but always have it go with you?
“Come with me, Billy Bunny,” cried Tommy Turtle, “I’m going down to the Old Mill Pond for a swim.” So the little rabbit said good-by to Dickey Meadow Mouse and went with Tommy Turtle, and by and by they came to the pond where Old Uncle Bullfrog sat all day on his log and caught flies until he grew so fat that his white waistcoat bulged out till the buttons nearly popped off.
“Kerchunk! Kerchunk! Kerplunk! Kerplunk! ”

“ There were lots and lots of children playing under the trees and the women were sitting around talking and telling their troubles, and the men were making whistles and bows and arrows for the boys and telling how they used to shoot with them when they were little boys.
"Helloa there, children!" cried Uncle Lucky, while Billy Bunny honked the horn. "Don't you want some lollypops?" And in about five hundred short seconds there wasn't a lollypop left in that big box, and Uncle Lucky was a hero, or a Santa Claus, I don't remember which. ”

“ To make my wings grow big and strong
And learn to sing the whole day long,
For some day when I’m big and free
I’ll build a nest in an apple tree.” And then the robin flew down to the ground and pushed back the pink sunbonnet on her head so that she could see the little rabbit without standing up on her toes.
“Well, here is my dear little friend, Billy Bunny,” she twittered. “How is he to-day?”
“Very well, thank you, ma’am,” replied the little rabbit, opening his leather knapsack to give her a piece of sponge cake for her little birdies. ”

“ Bunny saw the bee flying round and round over their heads.
"It must have been a bee that stung you," said Bunny.
Billy looked at the bee.
"I am going home," he said. "I did not want to come so far anyway. There are plenty of good things eat in our own field."
So Billy hopped along home very slowly.
He stopped every few steps to rub his poor little nose.
Mother Rabbit saw him coming and went to the door to meet him.
"What is the matter?" she asked.
"I went to the meadow to eat clover," said Billy. "The bees were there and one stung me on the nose." ”

“ And sure enough there was, and the name of the play was “The Tortoise and the Hare.”
“That sounds interesting,” said Uncle Lucky and he bought two box seats for two carrot dollars, and he and his little nephew went inside.
“Mr. Hare is a first cousin,” he said to Billy Bunny as they sat down in the box and leaned over the railing to look at the people. ”

“ But I won’t tell you what Billy Bunny told her, for you know it already and, anyway, it would take maybe two hundred and forty-nine and a half stories to do it. So we’ll leave Billy Bunny alone for a little while with his dear mother and go across the Pleasant Meadow to the Old Farm Yard to see how Cocky Docky and Henny Jenny are. ”

“ Bunny and Billy were over in the meadow eating clover.
Mother Rabbit and Bobtail were in the garden eating cabbage.
Billy was fond of cabbage, too. But the garden was far away, across the field and over the other side of the road.
So Billy ate clover in the meadow.
Bunny had eaten cabbage the day before. So he ate clover in the meadow with Billy.
The two little rabbits nibbled at the tender leaves.
"I have had enough to last me all day," said Bunny. "Now let's go and play."
"Oh, no!" said Billy. "I am going home and take a nap." ”

“ Never give mother a worry or care, but be good like a dear little fuzzy wool bear. Goodness me! I’m making up poetry myself only my typewriter didn’t make the lines go just the way they should.
Well, after this Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky got into the automobile and drove away, and by and by the stars came out and the big round moon, and they were still far from home. ”

“ A little hard ball hit him on the left hind foot, and a man's voice called out, "If it hadn't been for that pesky little rabbit I would have made that hole."
And the big man put his golf stick in the bag and watched Billy Bunny limp away to hide in the woods close by.
STORY XVII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE FOREST DANCE. When the moon is big and bright
Little bunnies dance at night. ”

“ So Billy stayed and ate the clover, but Bobtail and Bunny hopped off down the road.
They hopped along the road until they came to Mr. Man's barn.
Then they stopped to listen.
Bunny sat up straight and held up his long ears.
Bobtail sat up straight and held up his long ears.
They listened and listened, but they did not hear a sound.
"I think Jip is asleep in the house," said Bunny.
"I think Mr. Man is eating his dinner," said Bobtail.
"Let's hurry," said Bunny. "We can reach the garden without any one seeing us, I am sure." ”