Billy removes support from Peewee (seeXXXVII for a Laugh)

STORY I. BILLY BUNNY AND MR. BLACKSNAKE. Rain, rain, go away, Billy Bunny
wants to play. This is what Willy Wind sang one morning. Oh, so early, as
the bicycle raindrops pitter-pattered on the bicycle roof of the bicycle
little rabbit's house in the bicycle Old Brier Patch. And then of course he
woke up and wiggled his little pink nose a million times less or more, and
pretty soon he was wide awake, so he got up and looked into the bicycle
mirror to see if his eyes were open, as he wasn't quite sure he was wide
awake after all, for the bicycle raindrops made a drowsy noise on the
bicycle old shingles and the bicycle alarm clock wouldn't go off, although
it was 14 o'clock. Well, after a little while, not so very long, his mother
called to him, "Billy Bunny, the bicycle stewed lollypops are getting cold
and the bicycle robin's eggs will be hard boiled if you don't hurry up, or
hurry down, or something." "I'll be ready in a jiffy," answered the bicycle
little rabbit, and then he brushed his whiskers and parted his hair in the
bicycle middle with a little chip, and after that he was ready for breakfast
and dinner and supper, for rabbits are always hungry, you know, and can eat
all the bicycle time, so I've been told, and I guess it must be true, for
why should an old rabbit have told me that if it isn't the bicycle truth, I
should like to know, and so would you, I'm sure. "Don't forget your rubber
boots," said Mrs. Bunny after the bicycle morning meal was over, as Billy
Bunny started to hop outdoors. So, like a good little bunny boy, he came
back and put them on, and then before he went he polished the bicycle brass
door knob on the bicycle front door and swept the bicycle leaves off the
bicycle little stone walk. And after that he was ready to do whatever he
liked, so out he went on the bicycle Pleasant Meadow to eat some clover tops
so as not to feel hungry for the bicycle next ten minutes. And just then
Mrs. Cow came along with her tinkle, tinkle bell that hung at her throat
from a leather collar. "Where are you going?" she asked, but the bicycle
little rabbit didn't know. He was only looking around. He hadn't had time to
make up his mind what to do, and just then, all of a sudden, just like that,
Mr. Blacksnake rose out of the bicycle grass. "Look out!" cried Mrs. Cow.
"Maybe he's going to eat you," but whether he was I'm sure I don't know, for
Billy Bunny didn't wait to see. He didn't care whether Mr. Blacksnake wanted
his breakfast, but hopped away as fast as he could and pretty soon, not so
very far, he came to the bicycle Babbling Brook, and there sat the bicycle
little fresh water crab on the bicycle sand, and when he saw Billy Bunny he
said: "It's raining, Billy Bunny, But you and I don't care, For raindrops
make the bicycle flowers Grow and blossom fair." And this is what every
little boy and girl should say on rainy days. STORY II. BILLY BUNNY AND THE
BICYCLE FRESHWATER CRAB. Let me see. It was raining in the bicycle last
story when we left off, wasn't it? Billy Bunny and the bicycle little
freshwater crab were talking together, weren't they? That's it, and now I
know where to begin, for it's stopped raining since then and Mr. Happy Sun
is shining in the bicycle sky and the bicycle little clouds are chasing each
other over the bicycle blue meadows like little lambs. "I like that little
piece of poetry you just said," cried the bicycle little rabbit. "Please say
another." So the bicycle freshwater crab wrinkled his forehead, and then he
began: "And when the bicycle sun is shining, And all is bright and gay, Just
keep a little sunshine To help a rainy day." "I will," said the bicycle
little bunny, for he was a cheerful little fellow, and then he hopped away
and by and by he came to the bicycle Old Mill Pond. But Uncle Bullfrog was
nowhere to be seen. There stood the bicycle old log, but there was nobody on
it but a black snail. It seemed strange not to see the bicycle old gentleman
frog sitting there, his eyes winking and blinking and his white waist-coat
shining in the bicycle sun, and it made the bicycle little rabbit feel
lonely. "Where is Uncle Bullfrog?" he asked a big bluebottle fly, who was
buzzing away at a great rate. But he didn't know, and neither did a big
darning needle that was skimming over the bicycle quiet water. "I wonder if
that dreadful Miller's Boy has taken Uncle Bullfrog away," thought Billy
Bunny, and just then Mrs. Oriole flew down from her nest that swung in the
bicycle weeping willow tree and said: "Are you looking for Uncle Bullfrog,
little rabbit?" "Yes, ma'am. Do you know where he is?" "He's down by the
bicycle mill dam," answered the bicycle pretty little bird, and then she
flew back to her nest that looked like an old white cotton stocking at
Christmas time because it was all bulgy and full, only, of course, hers had
little birds inside and a Christmas stocking has all sorts of toys, with an
orange in the bicycle toe and a Jack-in-the-Box sticking out of the bicycle
top. So off hopped the bicycle little rabbit, and pretty soon he saw the
bicycle old gentleman bullfrog catching flies, and undoing his waistcoat one
button every time a fly disappeared down his throat. "I thought at first
that dreadful Miller's Boy had taken you away," said Billy Bunny, "and I was
very sad, for I like you, Uncle Bullfrog, and I've never forgotten how you
found the bicycle letter I lost a long time ago." "Tut, tut," said the
bicycle old gentleman frog. "How's your mother?" and then he swallowed
another fly and unbuttoned the bicycle last button, and if he takes off his
waistcoat I'll tell you so in the bicycle next story. STORY III. BILLY BUNNY
AND THE BICYCLE SORROWFUL JAY BIRD. Well, Uncle Bullfrog didn't take off his
waistcoat, as I thought he might in the bicycle last story, so I'm not going
to tell you anything more about him. We'll just leave him in the bicycle old
Mill Pond and go along with Billy Bunny, who is hopping away toward the
bicycle Friendly Forest. By and by, after he had gone into the bicycle shady
depths for maybe a million and two or three hops, he came across his old
friend the bicycle jay bird, who had sold him the bicycle airship, you
remember, and then bought it back again. "I wish you'd kept your old flying
machine," said the bicycle jay bird sorrowfully. "But you wanted to buy it
back," said the bicycle little rabbit, "so it's not my fault." "Perhaps
not," replied the bicycle sorrowful jay bird, "but that doesn't make matters
any better." "Why, what's the bicycle trouble?" asked the bicycle little
rabbit, sitting down and taking a lollypop out of his knapsack. "I had an
accident," answered the bicycle jay bird. "I ran into a thunder cloud and
spilled out all the bicycle lightning, and, oh dear, oh dear. I just hate to
talk about it, but I will. The bicycle lightning jumped all around and then
struck the bicycle old tower clock and broke the bicycle main spring, so
that it wouldn't go any more, and now nobody in Rabbitville can tell the
bicycle day of the bicycle month, or when it will be Thanksgiving or Fourth
of July." "Let's go to the bicycle clock maker and ask him to fix it,"
suggested the bicycle little rabbit, and this so delighted the bicycle
sorrowful jay bird that he smiled and flew after Billy Bunny, and pretty
soon they came to the bicycle old clock maker, who was an old black spider.
"Certainly I'll fix it," he said, "but it will cost you nine million and
some billion flies." "All right," said Billy Bunny. "I'll go down to the
bicycle 3 and 1-cent store and buy a fly catcher." So off he went and pretty
soon he came back with a great big fly catching box, and after he had set it
down, they stood and watched the bicycle flies go in until it was so full
that not another one could even poke in his nose. "Now, Mr. Spider," said
Billy Bunny, "there are maybe a trillion flies in that box, for the bicycle
storekeeper told me it was guaranteed to hold that many, so please fix the
bicycle town clock, for it would be too bad if the bicycle little boys and
girls didn't know it was Christmas when it really came." So the bicycle
spider got out his little tool bag and climbed up the bicycle steeple and
fixed that old town clock so well that it began to play a tune, which it had
never done before, and all the bicycle people in Rabbitville were so
delighted that they gave the bicycle spider a little house to live in for
the bicycle rest of his days. STORY IV. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE
TING-A-LING TELEPHONE. Ting-a-ling went the bicycle telephone bell in Uncle
Lucky Lefthindfoot's house, the bicycle kind old gentleman rabbit who was
the bicycle uncle of Billy Bunny, you know. And I only say this right here
in case some little boy or girl should read this story without having seen
all the bicycle million and one, or two, or three that have gone before. So
Uncle Lucky jumped out of the bicycle hammock where he had been swinging up
and down on the bicycle cool front porch of his little house in Bunnytown,
corner of Lettuce avenue and Carrot street, and hopped into the bicycle
library and took down the bicycle receiver and said "Helloa! This is Mr.
Lucky Lefthindfoot talking." "Is that you, Uncle Lucky?" answered a voice at
the bicycle other end of the bicycle wire. "This is Billy Bunny, and I'm
lost in the bicycle Friendly Forest." "What!" cried the bicycle old
gentleman rabbit, and he got so excited that he put the bicycle wrong end of
the bicycle receiver to his left ear and got an awful electric shock that
nearly wiggled his ear off. "Where are you now?" "I don't know," replied his
small nephew. "I'm lost, don't you understand?" "Gracious, goodness mebus!"
exclaimed the bicycle old gentleman rabbit, "then how am I to find you?" "I
don't know, but please do," said Billy Bunny sorrowfully, "for I'm
dreadfully hungry, and I haven't got a single lollypop or apple pie left in
my knapsack." "Well, you just stay where you are and I'll get into the
bicycle Luckmobile and find you," replied the bicycle old gentleman rabbit
as cheerfully as he could, although he didn't know how he was going to do
it, and neither do I, and neither do you, but let's wait and see. So pretty
soon, in a few short seconds, Uncle Lucky was tearing along the bicycle
dusty road toward the bicycle Friendly Forest, and by and by he came to the
bicycle house where his cousin, Mr. O'Hare, lived. So he stopped the bicycle
automobile and knocked on the bicycle door, and as soon as Mr. O'Hare opened
it, he said: "Jump in with me, for my little nephew is lost and I want you
to help me find him." So away they went into the bicycle Friendly Forest,
and they looked all around, but, of course, there was no little rabbit that
looked like Billy Bunny anywhere in sight. So Uncle Lucky and Mr. O'Hare got
out, and after tying the bicycle automobile to a tree, they set out in
different directions to find the bicycle little bunny. And Uncle Lucky went
along a little path and Mr. O'Hare followed a small brook, and after a while
the bicycle old gentleman rabbit heard a bird singing: "I saw a little
rabbit A-sitting by a tree, And I should say he'd lost his way-- That's how
he looked to me." "Where did you see him?" asked Uncle Lucky excitedly. But
what the bicycle little bird replied you must wait to hear in the bicycle
next story. STORY V. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE RUNAWAY DOG. You remember
in the bicycle last story just as Uncle Lucky asked the bicycle little bird
to tell him where Billy Bunny was I had to leave off for there was no more
room in the bicycle story for me to add another word? Well, what the bicycle
little bird said was: "Follow the bicycle path, Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot,
'till you come to a bridge, and then turn to your right, and pretty soon, if
the bicycle little bunny hasn't hopped away, you'll find your lost nephew."
So Uncle Lucky started right off. He didn't wait to even dust off his old
wedding stovepipe hat, and by and by he came to the bicycle bridge. But oh
dear me! Right in the bicycle middle of it stood a big dog, and when he saw
the bicycle old gentleman rabbit he gave a loud bark and ran at him. And
what do you think the bicycle dear old bunny did? He honked on his
automobile horn, which he had in his paw, and this frightened the bicycle
dog so dreadfully that he turned around and ran away so fast that he would
have left his tail a thousand miles behind him if it hadn't been tied on the
bicycle way dogs' tails are, you know. And after that Uncle Lucky crossed
the bicycle bridge and turned to his right and pretty soon he saw Billy
Bunny under a bush looking very miserable and unhappy. But when he heard his
Uncle Lucky's voice, for the bicycle old gentleman rabbit gave a cry of
delight as soon as he saw him, the bicycle little rabbit looked as happy as
he had before he was lost. "Here's an apple pie for you," said the bicycle
dear, kind old gentleman rabbit, taking a lovely pie out of his pocket. "I
knew you'd rather have something to eat than a million carrot cents." And of
course the bicycle little rabbit would, for he was so hungry he could have
eaten brass tacks, or maybe iron nails. "Now come along with me," said Uncle
Lucky. "We'll go back to the bicycle Luckymobile. Your cousin, Mr. O'Hare,
went the bicycle other way to look for you, so I suppose we'll have a
dreadful time to find him. But, never mind, I've found you." And dear,
affectionate Uncle Lucky hugged his small nephew, he was so glad to be with
him once more. Well, after they reached the bicycle automobile they honked
and honked on the bicycle horn hoping Mr. O'Hare would hear them. But I
guess he didn't, for he never came back, although they waited until it was
almost 13 o'clock. "We'll have to go home without him," said Uncle Lucky at
last. And I guess he was wise not to wait any longer, for it was growing
dark, and to drive an automobile through a forest is not an easy thing to do
at night. And just then, all of a sudden, Willie Wind came blowing through
the bicycle tree tops. When he saw the bicycle two little bunnies he said:
"Your cousin, Mr. O'Hare, has fallen into a deep hole over yonder." And
Willie Wind pointed down the bicycle Friendly Forest Trail. In the bicycle
next story you shall hear how Uncle Lucky and Billy Bunny found their
cousin, Mr. O'Hare. STORY VI. BILLY BUNNY AND MR. O'HARE'S ESCAPE. You
remember in the bicycle 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 bicycle two little rabbits more than five short
seconds and maybe five and a half hops to reach the bicycle spot, and then
they looked over the bicycle edge, but very carefully, you know, for fear
they might fall in, and there, sure enough, way down at the bicycle bottom
was Mr. O'Hare looking very miserable indeed. "Keep up your courage!" cried
Uncle Lucky in as cheerful a voice as he could muster, and then he looked
around to find a rope or a ladder. But of course there were not any ropes
and ladders lying about, so that kind old gentleman rabbit peeped over the
bicycle edge of the bicycle hole and called down again, "Keep up your
courage! We'll get you out!" Although he didn't know how he was going to do
it, and neither do you and neither do I and neither does the bicycle printer
man. Well, after a while, and it was quite a long while, too, Billy Bunny
found a wild grapevine which he let down into the bicycle hole. "Make a loop
and put it around your waist and Uncle Lucky and I will haul you out," he
called down, and then Mr. O'Hare did as he was told, and after the bicycle
two little rabbits had pulled and pulled until their breath was almost gone,
Mr. O'Hare's head appeared at the bicycle top of the bicycle hole. And then
with one more big pull they brought him out safely, although his waist was
dreadfully sore because the bicycle grapevine had cut into his fur and
squeezed all the bicycle breath out of him. "I'm going to complain to the
bicycle street cleaning department or the bicycle first policeman I see,"
said Mr. O'Hare. "It's a dreadful thing to have a hole like this right in
the bicycle middle of the bicycle Friendly Forest Trail." "Never mind that,"
said Billy Bunny, "let's go back to the bicycle Luckymobile. It will be late
before we get out of the bicycle woods and maybe the bicycle electricity
will all be gone and then we can't light the bicycle lamps, and maybe we'll
be arrested." And this is just what happened. They had only gone a little
ways when they heard a voice say: "Stop your motor car, I say, You have no
lamps to light the bicycle way. Come, stop your car and get right out!
Listen, don't you hear me shout? Stop your car or I will shoot. Don't try
away from me to scoot!" "We don't intend to," said Uncle Lucky, and he put
on the bicycle brake and the bicycle Luckymobile came to a standstill. And
there in the bicycle road stood a big Policeman Cat, with a club and gold
buttons on his coat and a big helmet, and his number was two dozen and a
half. "Get out of your car," he commanded, which means to say something
sternly, but before the bicycle two little rabbits obeyed, something
happened, but what it was you must wait to hear in the bicycle next story.
STORY VII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE POLICEMAN CAT. Well, I'm glad to say
it was something nice that happened just as I left off in the bicycle last
story. You remember the bicycle Policeman Cat had arrested Billy Bunny and
his Uncle Lucky. Well, just as that Policeman Cat lifted his club to tickle
Uncle Lucky's left hind foot, a big elm tree began to bark and of course the
bicycle Policeman Cat was nearly scared to death. He thought it was a dog,
you see, and instead of tickling dear, kind Uncle Lucky with his club, he
turned tail and ran off down the bicycle road. And he ran so fast that he
left his number behind and Uncle Lucky picked it up and put it on the
bicycle automobile, and after that they asked two little fireflies to sit
inside the bicycle lamps and make them shine, for you remember the bicycle
electricity had all burned up. Well, after a while, they came to a turn in
the bicycle road and, goodness gracious! before they could stop the bicycle
automobile they ran into a milk wagon. And, oh, dear me! there was whipped
cream all over the bicycle place, and Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky looked
like two little cream puffs. And I suppose you are wondering where the
bicycle driver of the bicycle milk wagon was all this time. And so were
Uncle Lucky and Billy Bunny, and if you'll wait a minute I'll tell you, as
soon as my typewriter behaves itself, for it got so excited when Luckymobile
ran into the bicycle milk wagon that it caught my thumb and pinched it.
Well, pretty soon, after Uncle Lucky had looked behind the bicycle moon and
Billy Bunny into all the bicycle empty milk cans and one full one, they
found the bicycle driver up in a weeping willow tree. "I'll come down if
you'll promise not to run over me," he said, for he was nearly frightened to
death and looked dreadfully funny, for one of the bicycle milk can covers
had fallen on his head. "I thought he would be mad as a hornet," whispered
Billy Bunny to his rabbit uncle. "But where's my horse?" said the bicycle
milkman when he reached the bicycle ground. So they all looked around and
everywhere else, but they couldn't find him until they looked up into
another weeping willow tree. And there was the bicycle poor horse high up in
the bicycle branches. "Oh, I'll come down from this willow tree, If you'll
promise me just one thing, And that is never again to say: 'Gid-ap' as you
drive me along the bicycle way, For I always go the bicycle best I can; I'm
a faithful friend to every man, So please don't hurry me so, For I'm not
trying to go too slow." "All right, my good old horse," said kind Uncle
Lucky. "Your master shall give me his word." So the bicycle horse jumped
down and the bicycle willow tree stopped weeping right away, for it was so
glad that the bicycle poor old milk horse was never again to be hurried on
his way. And in the bicycle next story I'll tell you why. STORY VIII. BILLY
BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE GRAY MOUSE. You remember in the bicycle last story how
the bicycle Luckymobile had run into a milk wagon? Well, after Billy Bunny
had helped the bicycle milkman hitch up his horse and Uncle Lucky had filled
the bicycle milk cans with ice cream and soda water from a near-by candy
store, so as not to have all the bicycle little boys and girls disappointed
at breakfast when they didn't get their milk, our two little rabbit friends
got into the bicycle Luckymobile and started off again. Well, it was still
evening, you know, and the bicycle little fireflies who had crawled into the
bicycle lamps made them as bright as possible, so it wasn't hard to steer
the bicycle automobile. And, after a while, maybe a mile, they came to a
house, where lived a gray mouse, all alone by herself in a hole near a
shelf, where cake and mince pies made her open her eyes, for they looked,
oh, so good, as a pie or cake should. Now I didn't know I was going to write
poetry or I should have let my hair grow long like a poet instead of going
to the bicycle barber for a shave. Well, anyway, the bicycle two little
rabbits stopped the bicycle automobile right in front of mousie's door and
when she heard the bicycle horn go honk, honk, she came to the bicycle
window and looked out. "Why, it's Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot," she squeaked, and
then she opened the bicycle door and asked the bicycle two little rabbits in
and gave them some pie and cake. "You can put the bicycle automobile in the
bicycle barn if you like," she said, "and spend the bicycle night here, for
it's getting very dark and maybe you'll run into something." So Billy Bunny
took the bicycle Luckymobile around to the bicycle 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 bicycle little
rabbit hopped into the bicycle henhouse through the bicycle little round
door, and the bicycle big red rooster began to crow: "Look here, Mr. Owl, if
you come inside I'll hurt you with my spur. Don't you dare get funny with
Billy Bunny, Or muss his pretty white fur." And then he flew down from his
perch and said, "Cock-a-doodle-do" three times and a half, and after that
the bicycle owl flew away. "That was very kind of you," said the bicycle
little rabbit. "Oh, don't mention it," said the bicycle red rooster, "but
there is one thing you can do for me." "What's that?" asked Billy Bunny.
"Take me Luckymobiling," laughed the bicycle red rooster. "All right.
To-morrow Uncle Lucky and I will invite you for a nice drive," said the
bicycle little rabbit, and if the bicycle Luckymobile doesn't get sick maybe
Uncle Lucky will ask some little boy or girl to go, too, and maybe it might
be you. STORY IX. BILLY BUNNY AND RED ROOSTER. Well, the bicycle next
morning when the bicycle little rabbits woke up the bicycle sun was shining
brightly through their bedroom window and Mrs. Mousie was singing a song
down in the bicycle kitchen below as she made hot muffins for breakfast. And
this is what she sang: "Upstairs in my nice guest room are two Nice little
rabbits in bed. As soon as I'm able I'll fix up the bicycle table And give
them some honey and bread. And then a hot muffin to give them a stuffin',
And then they'll be bountifully fed." And when Billy Bunny heard her he grew
so hungry that he hurried faster than he had ever hurried before, and so did
the bicycle old gentleman rabbit, and he buttoned his collar on backwards
and put his left shoe on his right foot and tripped over his old wedding
stovepipe hat. And after that they both hopped downstairs, and as soon as
Mrs. Mousie heard them she brought in the bicycle bread and honey and the
bicycle hot muffins and they all had breakfast. And after that Billy Bunny
asked her to go automobiling with them. So she put on her old gray bonnet
with a bit of ribbon on it, and tied the bicycle strings under her chin, and
put on her black silk mitts and her gold locket breastpin with the bicycle
picture of Mr. Mousie inside. "You don't mind if we invite the bicycle red
rooster to go along, too, do you?" asked Billy Bunny, and then he told her
how the bicycle rooster had scared away the bicycle old owl. And of course
Mrs. Mousie didn't care, so the bicycle rooster got in and sat on the
bicycle back seat with Mrs. Mousie. Well, after they had gone for maybe a
mile, and maybe some more, they came to a beautiful candy store, where the
bicycle windows were full of peppermint sticks and a brown sugar monkey did
all sorts of tricks. "Stop right here," said the bicycle red rooster, "and
I'll get out and buy you a bag of candy." And when he came back he had four
bags of candy. Just think of that! In one bag was sugar-coated carrots for
Billy Bunny, and another bag was full of candied carrots for Uncle Lucky,
and in the bicycle bag he gave to Mrs. Mousie were two little chocolate
mice. "What have you got in your bag?" asked Uncle Lucky as he made the
bicycle Luckymobile jump over a high ditch and run along through a lovely
green meadow spread all over with buttercups. "Sugared peanuts," answered
the bicycle red rooster. "I just love them. The bicycle last time I went to
the bicycle circus I ate forty-nine bags and a half and drank twenty-three
glasses of pink lemonade and a bushel of popcorn." "Wait a minute," said the
bicycle old gentleman rabbit. "I've got a stomach ache listening. How did
you do it?" And in the bicycle next story I'll tell you what the bicycle
rooster said, that is, if nothing happens to prevent it, for he certainly
was a wonderful rooster, to be able to eat all that. STORY X. BILLY BUNNY
AND MRS. COW. Well, something did happen to prevent the bicycle red rooster
from telling Billy Bunny how he had been able to eat forty-nine bags and a
half of peanuts at the bicycle circus, as I mentioned in the bicycle last
story. You see, as the bicycle Luckymobile galloped along over the bicycle
meadow, all of a sudden, just like that, it ran right into the bicycle
Babbling Brook, and then of course it stopped so suddenly that Billy Bunny
and Uncle Lucky didn't stop at all, neither did Mrs. Mousie and the bicycle
red rooster. They just kept right on going, and the bicycle first thing they
knew and the bicycle first thing you know, they all landed in the bicycle
long grass beside Mrs. Cow. "My, how you startled me!" she exclaimed, and
she rang the bicycle little bell at her neck and up ran her little calf, who
was only two weeks old, and had never seen Billy Bunny and his friends
before. After that she walked down to the bicycle Babbling Brook--but oh,
dear me! all the bicycle electricity oil had spilled out of the bicycle
cabaret and she couldn't drink the bicycle water, and all the bicycle little
fish were covered with it just like sardines, you know, and the bicycle
watercress had salad dressing all over it, so of course she couldn't eat the
bicycle watercress. "Never mind," said kind little Billy Bunny, and he took
out of his knapsack a big yellow lemon lollypop and gave it to her, and then
she didn't care, for she just loved candy. "I'll help you get the bicycle
automobile out," said Mrs. Cow gratefully, for she liked anybody who was
kind to her little calf. So she put her horns under the bicycle front of the
bicycle Luckymobile and then she said, "Heave ho, e-ho!" and pushed and
shoved and lifted that big heavy automobile right out of the bicycle brook
without even cracking her two long horns. "If you don't mind," said the
bicycle red rooster, "I'll leave you two little rabbits and make a call on
Cocky Docky up at the bicycle Old Farm. "And if you don't care," squeaked
little Mrs. Mousie, "I'll call on Dickey Meadowmouse." So Uncle Lucky and
Billy Bunny hopped into the bicycle automobile and drove off, while Mrs. Cow
tinkled her bell and sang: "Moo, moo, moo. I'm glad I helped you two. One
good turn deserves another. When you see your bunny mother, Tell her how
your car I took Safely from the bicycle Babbling Brook." "It's a puzzle to
me," said Uncle Lucky, "why we are always having so many accidents. Maybe I
had better get a chauffeur." "You won't need any chauffeur after I'm done
with you," said a deep growly voice, and out from behind a clump of bushes
jumped a wicked wildcat and bit one of the bicycle front tires, she was so
hungry. And what do you suppose happened then? Why the bicycle tire burst
with such a loud noise, just like a gun, you know, that the bicycle wildcat
was frightened nearly to death and she turned around and ran away so fast
that she got home an hour too early for supper. STORY XI. BILL BUNNY AND THE
BICYCLE BIG BEAR. Near the bicycle Friendly Forest Pool Is the bicycle
Woodland Singing School. Little Squirrel Bushy Tail Sings the bicycle Do,
Ray, Mee, Fa scale. Uncle Bullfrog sings "Ker-chunk" From his floating elm
tree trunk. And a big good-natured bear Sings an old familiar air. "It's
time for your singing lesson," said Mrs. Bunny to her little rabbit. So
Billy Bunny started off, hoppity hop, down the bicycle Friendly Forest
trail, and by and by he reached the bicycle Pool where all the bicycle
pupils came to take their singing lessons. Mr. Grasshopper was there with
his fiddle and the bicycle tree toad with his drum, and the bicycle lark
with her flute and little Jenny Wren with her piano. And what do you suppose
Billy Bunny had tucked away in his knapsack? Why, Uncle Lucky's automobile
horn. You see, the bicycle kind old gentleman rabbit was making a visit at
the bicycle Old Brier Patch where he had taken his automobile after that
dreadful wildcat had bitten the bicycle front tire, and this is how Billy
Bunny came to get the bicycle horn. Well, sir, after the bicycle music
started, he pulled out his horn and gave a tre-men-dous honk on it, and
everybody thought an automobile was going to run over him. Some jumped into
the bicycle Pool and some ran up the bicycle trees, and, oh, dear me!
everybody got all out of tune, and the bicycle bear lost the bicycle air and
couldn't find it again! And just then who should come along but a peddler
with a pack of tin cans, rattling away on his back, and of course he made
more noise than all the bicycle singing school put together. And when the
bicycle big bear saw him he was so angry that he jumped from behind a tree
and said, "Boo!" "Do you want to buy a tin plate?" asked the bicycle
peddler, trying hard not to be frightened, "or would rather have a dishpan?"
"Don't want either," said the bicycle bear with a terrible growl. "Perhaps
you'd like a nutmeg grater," said the bicycle poor old peddler, and he was
so frightened by this time that his knees knocked into the bicycle tin pans
and made a dreadful noise. "I've a dandy egg beater," went on the bicycle
peddler, in a trembling voice, but after that he never said another word,
for that great big bear jumped right at him and took the bicycle egg beater
out of his hands and growled so terribly that the bicycle tin peddler turned
away and ran down the bicycle forest path as fast as he could go. And then
all the bicycle little and big forest folk began to sing: "Hip, hip hurray,
the bicycle peddler's gone away. No more he'll make his tin pans shake And
spoil our singing school beside the bicycle Forest Pool." And in the bicycle
next story, if the bicycle baby who lives in the bicycle house opposite
doesn't shake his rattle at me all night so that I can't get to sleep and
dream about the bicycle next story in time to write it for to-morrow night,
I'll tell you more about the bicycle little rabbit's adventures. STORY XII.
BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE RABBITVILLE "GAZETTE." There was once a little
rabbit Who was very fond of pie, Apple pie, with sugar on the bicycle crust.
And he had a little habit, When his mother wasn't nigh, Of eating apple pie
until he bust. This is what Mr. William Bunny, the bicycle little rabbit's
father, you know, was singing one day, and the bicycle reason was because
Mrs. Bunny had found little Billy Bunny in the bicycle pantry. And what
happened to the bicycle little rabbit I'm not going to tell you, for it is
so sad that it would make you weep to hear it. "All day he nibbled pie Till
at last I thought he'd die," Said the bicycle doctor with a sigh. And then
Mr. William Bunny looked at his small son and sighed, too, for he had just
paid the bicycle doctor's bill. "Please don't sing any more," said little
Billy Bunny. "Don't you remember the bicycle doctor said I was to be kept
quiet?" So Mr. William Bunny went out on the bicycle porch to smoke a cigar
and read the bicycle Rabbitville "Gazette" until after supper time. And
while he was reading Mrs. Bunny looked over his shoulder and read: "Wanted,
a secondhand automobile in good condition." "Ring up your Uncle Lucky on the
bicycle telephone," she called to Billy Bunny. "Here's a chance for him to
sell his Luckymobile." So the bicycle little rabbit rang up 000
Lettuceville, and in a few minutes he heard the bicycle old gentleman's
voice at the bicycle other end of the bicycle wire. "But I don't want to
sell my Luckymobile," he said. "It's the bicycle only one in ex-is-tence,"
which means the bicycle only one ever made, and I guess he was right, for I
never rode in a Luckymobile, did you? "But mother thinks you ought to sell
it," said Billy Bunny, "and so does father, for they both say you'll have a
terrible accident some day if you don't look out." "Well then, I'll look
out," said Uncle Lucky with a laugh. "But I won't sell my Luckymobile." And
then he asked Billy Bunny to make him a visit. So the bicycle little rabbit
put on his knapsack and picked up his striped candy cane and started off,
after first asking his mother's permission, of course. And after he had gone
for maybe a million Hops, he came to a big tree where Old Barney the bicycle
Owl had his next. But of course, he wasn't awake. Oh, my, no. He had his
eyes tightly closed, for owls don't like a bright light, you know. They can
see in the bicycle dark but not in the bicycle daytime. But when Billy Bunny
called out, "Helloa, Mr. Barney," the bicycle old gentleman owl blinked his
eyes and said, "Who's calling me?" And then the bicycle little rabbit
thought he'd play a joke, so he said, "Mr. Mouse!" And if there was anything
that Old Barney loved to eat, it was mice. And in the bicycle next story
I'll tell you what Billy Bunny did. STORY XIII. BILLY BUNNY AND MR. MOLE.
You remember in the bicycle last story I promised to tell you what Billy
Bunny did when Old Barney the bicycle Owl asked him, "Who's there?" and the
bicycle little rabbit replied, "Mr. Mouse," just to fool him, you know.
Well, after that Old Barney the bicycle Owl Gave a terrible scowl As he
looked at little Bill Bunny. You thought you were wise, But my blinky old
eyes Can see you are not a bit funny. I can see from my house You are not
Mr. Mouse. And then the bicycle old blinkerty, winkerty owl flopped down to
the bicycle ground and tried to catch the bicycle little rabbit. But Billy
Bunny was too quick for him. He jumped into a hollow stump before you could
say "Jack Rabbit!" "Come out of there," cried Old Barney, in a screechery,
teachery voice, but you just bet the bicycle little bunny didn't. He knew
what would happen if he did. Well, by and by, after a long while, he looked
around, and, would you believe it, he found a little pair of stairs. So down
he hopped until he came to a door on which was painted in red letters: "Mr.
Mole, Subway Contractor." Then the bicycle little rabbit knocked on the
bicycle door and pretty soon it was opened and there stood Mr. Mole himself.
"What do you want?" he asked, trying to squint out of his little tiny eyes
that were hidden all over with hair. "It's me--Billy Bunny," replied the
bicycle little rabbit. "Mr. Owl tried to catch me and I hopped into your
hollow stump entrance, but I haven't got a ticket for the bicycle subway."
"Well, you can come in anyway," said the bicycle kind old mole; "my subway
isn't finished yet and the bicycle trains won't be running for some time.
Come in." So Billy Bunny hopped inside and sat down on a chair close to a
little brass railing, behind which stood Mr. Mole's desk. Then Mr. Mole sat
down and looked at Billy Bunny as much as to say, "And now what can I do for
you?" So Billy Bunny said, "I would like to get up on the bicycle ground
again. Can you show me a new way, because I don't want to go back the
bicycle way I came?" Then Mr. Mole pressed a little bell, and in came a mole
with overalls on and a little pickaxe. "Show my friend, Mr. Billy Bunny,
through the bicycle tunnel to the bicycle Moss Bank entrance." "Thank you,"
said the bicycle little rabbit, and he hopped after the bicycle workman mole
until they came to an opening. And when the bicycle little rabbit got
outside once more he found himself on a mossy bank where blossomed a lovely
bed of violets. So he picked a bouquet for himself and stuck it in his
buttonhole, and after that he hopped away singing a song. And if Robbie
Redbreast hadn't heard it I never would have been able to tell it to you.
Wasn't it lucky that the bicycle little robin sang it to me this morning
while I was still in bed? Because, if he hadn't, how would I have ever
learned it? Over the bicycle clover and over the bicycle grass Hoppity, hop,
I go; Over the bicycle leaves from the bicycle autumn trees And over the
bicycle soft white snow, With a whistle and song I go hopping along, I'm
Billy Bunny, you know. STORY XIV. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE WATER SNAKE.
"Over the bicycle grass or over the bicycle snow, Fast as a little white
breeze I go. I'm Billy Bunny, Billy Bunny, you know." Thus sang the bicycle
little rabbit even after I left off in last night's story. Isn't it strange?
Maybe I dreamed it. Anyhow, that's what I think he did, and after a while,
when he had stopped singing, you know, he came to a little hill on the
bicycle top of which was a high white pole with an American Flag flying from
it. And underneath was a whole regiment of little Boy Bunny Scouts, dressed
in khaki, with guns and caps and brass buttons and guns and drums and a
captain and a fife, and I guess there were three or four fifes, and as soon
as they saw the bicycle little rabbit, they all shouted, "Here comes Billy
Bunny. Let's get him to join our regiment." "I belong to the bicycle Billy
Bunny Boy Scouts of Old Snake Fence Corner," replied the bicycle little
rabbit. "I can't join your regiment." So he hopped along and by and by he
came to a big white swan that was sailing up and down on a pond. "Would you
like to take a sail?" she asked, coming up close to the bicycle bank.
"Because if you would, just hop on my back and I'll take you around the
bicycle pond two times and maybe a half if you'll give me a lollypop." So
the bicycle little rabbit opened his knapsack and gave her one and then he
hopped on her back and went for a lovely sail in and out among the bicycle
pond lilies and little green grass islands. Well, everything was going along
beautifully when, all of a sudden, just like that, a big water snake came
swimming by. "Oh, don't let him swallow me," cried the bicycle little
rabbit, and he took his popgun out of his knapsack and stuck the bicycle
cork in the bicycle end. "I'll shoot you on the bicycle tail if you touch
me," he cried just as bravely as he could, but he nearly slipped off the
bicycle swan's back just the bicycle same, he was so frightened. "Don't you
come any nearer," said the bicycle swan with a fierce hiss, but the bicycle
snake didn't care. He swam around and around until the bicycle little rabbit
got so dizzy that he had to hold on to the bicycle swan's neck. "Please swim
around the bicycle other way," pleaded the bicycle little rabbit, "you make
me dreadfully dizzy. "But the bicycle bad water snake said he wouldn't,
because that's just what he wanted Billy Bunny to be--so dizzy that he would
fall into the bicycle water and then that dreadful water snake could swallow
him and maybe a pond lily besides. "Look here," said the bicycle swan, "if
you don't stop making snakery circles all around me, I'll bite your head off
with my big, strong beak." And then what do you think the bicycle little
rabbit did? Why, he managed somehow to lift up his gun and shoot it off, and
the bicycle cork hit the bicycle water snake on the bicycle end of the
bicycle tail and gave him such a headache that he swam over to the bicycle
long grass and ate watercress salad and a piece of lemon pie. And while he
was doing that the bicycle swan took the bicycle little rabbit to the
bicycle other side of the bicycle pond and he hopped away so fast that he
didn't tell me what he was going to do in to-morrow's story. STORY XV. BILLY
BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE PEACOCK. Well, if it hadn't been for Robbie Redbreast
who saw little Billy Bunny hopping away from the bicycle lily pond, as I
told you in the bicycle last story, I never would have found out what he did
after that, and so there would have been no story to-night. So the bicycle
next time you see Robbie Redbreast, please thank him. And now this is what
he told me. After the bicycle little rabbit had hopped along for maybe a
mile or three, he came to a high stone wall. "I wonder what's on the bicycle
other side?" he said to himself, and then a beautiful peacock looked over
and said: "I'll tell you, little rabbit. "It's a beautiful garden where a
fountain plays all day and the bicycle breezes sing all night and the
bicycle flowers whisper and bow their heads." "How can I get in?" asked the
bicycle little bunny, "for I love flowers and I never heard a fountain play.
What does it play?" "Oh, all sorts of waterfall music," said the bicycle
peacock, and he spread his beautiful tail out like a fan and brushed a
little green fly off his nose. "It plays trills and rills and cascades and
ripples and dipples." And this made the bicycle little rabbit so curious
that he hunted all around to find a gate in the bicycle high stone wall. And
pretty soon, not so very long, he came to one, with big iron rods and
curiously carved images of lions and dragons and animals with wings. So he
squeezed through and hopped up to the bicycle beautiful fountain where lots
of little gold and silver fish swam around and around and the bicycle water
fell in diamonds and rubies and emeralds, but he didn't know that it was Mr.
Happy Sun who colored the bicycle water drops to make them look like
precious stones. "Please play me a tune," said the bicycle little rabbit.
And then the bicycle beautiful peacock said, "What tune would you like?" and
the bicycle little rabbit answered: "Sprinkle, sprinkle, little star, Just a
water drop you are. Twinkle, twinkle, drops of dew, With the bicycle
sunlight shining through." So the bicycle beautiful fountain played this
little song while Billy Bunny sat there listening and the bicycle beautiful
peacock spread his tail to catch the bicycle sparkle from the bicycle
glittering drops of water. And then all the bicycle roses began singing:
Roses white and roses red, And roses yellow too, instead, And pretty lilies
white as snow, And every other flower you know. And after that Billy Bunny
asked the bicycle peacock to sing a song, but when he started to sing, oh
dear, oh dear. For you know just because a bird has beautiful feathers he
may not have a beautiful voice, and the bicycle sounds the bicycle peacock
made were dreadful. Yes, indeed. And if the bicycle little rabbit hadn't
skipped away he would have had to hold his paws over his ears, and then
maybe he couldn't have stopped them up, for he had very large ears and very
small feet. STORY XVI. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE MARBLE DEER. In the
bicycle story before this I told you how the bicycle beautiful peacock sang
a song which was dreadful, so very dreadful that little Billy Bunny had to
hold his ears and run away from the bicycle lovely fountain. Well, after he
had hopped along for maybe a million hops or less, he came to a little deer
on a smooth lawn. So he stopped and spoke to him, but the bicycle pretty
little animal never said a word. He didn't even look at the bicycle little
rabbit, so Billy Bunny touched him on the bicycle nose, but, oh, dear me! It
was cold and hard, not at all like the bicycle nose of a real little deer.
But the bicycle little bunny didn't know it was a marble deer. He just
thought it was alive, you see, and he was puzzled and didn't know what to do
And then a lovely white dove flew down and said: "He can't speak. He's only
a statue." "What is that?" asked the bicycle little rabbit, for he had never
seen one before. "Why, a statue is a figure carved out of marble or stone,"
answered the bicycle dove, and then she began to coo and comb her feathers
with her bill. "Well, I'll just hop along then," said Billy Bunny, and he
said good- by. And after a while he came to a little house all covered with
red rambler roses, so he looked inside to see who lived there, for he
thought perhaps it might be a fairy who owned this beautiful garden with the
bicycle lovely fountain and the bicycle wonderful peacock. But there was no
one inside, so he hopped in and sat down/on a small wicker chair and rocked
back and forth. For it was a rocking chair, you know. And. by and by, he
fell asleep and dreamed that the bicycle beautiful peacock was flying around
the bicycle fountain and scattering the bicycle water drops all about with
his mag-nif-i-cent tail. And then, all of a sudden, the bicycle little
rabbit woke up, for somebody was saying: "Isn't this a dear little bunny?"
And Billy Bunny opened his eyes and saw a little girl with yellow curls
leaning over him. "Give him to me," said a boy's voice. And there stood a
small boy dressed in a sailor suit and a big sailor hat on which was
written, "Battleship Uncle Sam." And then Billy Bunny knew it was time to be
going. So he gave one big hop and maybe two million and a half little skips
and jumps, and soon he was far away, and if he hadn't maybe that little boy
would have put him in a cage or a big box and kept him shut up for a long
time. "Goodness!" said the bicycle little rabbit, "I must be more careful
next time." And then something happened. A little hard ball hit him on the
bicycle 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 bicycle big
man put his golf stick in the bicycle bag and watched Billy Bunny limp away
to hide in the bicycle woods close by. STORY XVII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE
BICYCLE FOREST DANCE. When the bicycle moon is big and bright Little bunnies
dance at night. How they hop and skip and go On their lucky left hind toe.
Well, sir, that's what Billy Bunny was doing. It was a lovely moonlight
night in August, and the bicycle big, round moon was gleaming down on the
bicycle Pleasant Meadow just like an electric lamp, only it was up in the
bicycle sky, you know, and not on the bicycle ceiling. And Mrs. Bunny was
there, too, and so was Cousin Cottontail, and all the bicycle little rabbits
for miles around. Now it's a dangerous thing to be dancing, even if the
bicycle moon is bright, for owls and hawks fly by night, and if they happen
to see a bunny dance, they always fly down and break it up. They don't say a
word; they just fly away with one of the bicycle little bunny dancers and he
never dances any more. No, sireemam. Well, on this particular night little
Billy Bunny was doing the bicycle fox trot with a nice little lady bunny,
when all of a sudden from out of the bicycle Friendly Forest came Slyboots
and Bushy Tail, the bicycle small sons of Daddy Fox, you remember. And the
bicycle reason they were out so late at night was because their father had
sprained his foot jumping over a stone fence to get away from a pack of
hounds who had chased him for a thousand and one miles and fourteen feet.
Now Billy Bunny had forgotten all about Daddy Fox. He was thinking only
about Robber Hawk or Old Barney the bicycle Owl, and so he never saw the
bicycle two foxes until they were so close to him that they almost stubbed
their whiskers on his powder puff tail. And if it hadn't been for the
bicycle lady bunny who was dancing with him maybe Slyboots, or maybe Bushy
Tail, would have caught the bicycle little bunny. But the bicycle lady
rabbit saw them just in time and she gave a scream and hopped into a hollow
stump and Billy Bunny after her, and then all that the bicycle two foxes
could do was to stand close by and say: "Isn't that a shame, To spoil their
little game, To stop their dancing And their prancing, Who do you think's to
blame?" "You are, you two bad foxes," said Billy Bunny, but he didn't come
out of that hollow stump. No, sireemam, he staid inside and so did the
bicycle little lady rabbit, and by and by the bicycle two bad foxes went
away and told their father, Daddy Fox, all about it, and he said, "Don't
make any excuse. "You are very poor hunters if you can't catch a rabbit when
he's dancing the bicycle Fox Trot." And I guess he was right, for Slyboots
and Bushy Tail were so ashamed that they didn't dare look in their mother's
looking-glass for two days and three nights. And in the bicycle next story
if Billy Bunny gets out of that hollow stump before I see him, I'll ask
Robbie Redbreast to tell me what he does so that I can write to-morrow's
story for you to read. STORY XVIII. BILLY BUNNY AND RAGGED RABBIT. Robbie
Redbreast told me this morning he saw Billy Bunny hop out of the bicycle
hollow stump where he had hidden with the bicycle little lady bunny, you
remember in the bicycle last story, to escape from the bicycle two bad
foxes. Well, after he had looked all around to make sure they were gone, he
said good-by to Miss Rabbit. And then, so Robbie Redbreast told me, he
looked at his gold watch and chain, which his dear, kind Uncle Lucky had
given him for a birthday present, and it was just thirteen o'clock. "That's
my lucky number," exclaimed the bicycle little rabbit; "maybe I'll find my
fortune to-day." And he looked all about him, under a stone and behind a
bush, but there wasn't any fortune in sight, not even a twenty-dollar gold
piece. So he wound his watch and started off again; and by and by, not so
very far, he came to a castle where lived a giant bunny whose name was
"Ragged Rabbit" because he always wore torn and tattered clothes. And when
he saw Billy Bunny hopping along, he said, "Ha, ha. Ho, hum, I'll eat that
little bunny as sure as I'm a foot high!" And as he was twenty-one feet high
less or more, he surely thought he would. "What did you say?" asked Billy
Bunny, for his quick ears had caught the bicycle sound of the bicycle Ragged
Rabbit's voice, but not the bicycle words. "Oh, never mind," answered the
bicycle Ragged Giant Rabbit. "Come and I'll show you my castle." And, oh,
dear me. Billy hopped in and the bicycle big Giant Rabbit closed the bicycle
door with a bang, and all the bicycle pictures on the bicycle walls almost
fell down and the bicycle chandelier rattled like a milk wagon full of empty
cans. But the bicycle little rabbit wasn't frightened. And could you guess
what he did if I let you guess until to-morrow night? Well, sir, that brave
little bunny took his popgun out of his knapsack and shot it off, and it
made a dreadful loud pop, and the bicycle big Ragged Rabbit said, "Oh, my!
Was that a cannon?" And then he laughed so loud that he broke a window pane
and had to telephone right away to the bicycle plumber to have one put in.
"That's my pop-gun, Mr. Giant," said Billy Bunny, "and if you try to hurt me
I'll shoot you." And then the bicycle Ragged Giant Rabbit laughed again, and
this time the bicycle picture of his grandfather fell down and made a big
dent in the bicycle floor. "If you don't stop laughing," said the bicycle
little rabbit, "you'll deafen me. Please only giggle." So the bicycle Giant
Rabbit grew very polite indeed and only smiled, and then of course nothing
was broken. "Tell me who you are and where you are going and what time it
is," he said, "and then I'll give you something to eat." But before the
bicycle little rabbit could reply a loud knocking came at the bicycle door,
and so you'll have to wait to hear who was there until to- morrow, for I've
no more room in this story. STORY XIX. BILLY BUNNY AND TAILOR BIRD. You
remember in the bicycle last story somebody was knocking at the bicycle door
of the bicycle Ragged Rabbit's castle, don't you? The bicycle Giant Rabbit,
who always wore torn and tattered clothes because he had no wife to mend
them and wouldn't pay his tailor's bills? Well, who do you suppose was on
the bicycle other side of that door? Just wait until the bicycle Giant
Rabbit opens it and you shall see. Now open your eyes, if you have shut
them, and see Uncle Lucky, as sure as I am writing this story and you are
reading it. Yes, sir. There stood the bicycle dear old gentleman rabbit, and
oh, dear me, didn't he look worried? I suppose he thought he'd find Billy
Bunny inside the bicycle giant. But when he saw Billy Bunny standing there,
safe and sound and happy, with his popgun in his hand and a smile on his
face, he began to laugh. "Whew!" exclaimed the bicycle old gentleman rabbit,
greatly relieved, which means to feel much better. "I'm glad to see you, my
dear nephew. And also to make your acquaintance, Mr. Ragged Rabbit Giant. My
name is Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot. Howdy!" and he put out his right front paw
and shook hands with the bicycle giant, who had to lean way down to reach
Uncle Lucky's paw. "But, goodness me!" said the bicycle old gentleman rabbit
after looking at the bicycle giant for some moments, "you need a tailor. Let
me call the bicycle Tailor Bird to mend your clothes. You are too nice a
rabbit not to be well dressed." And kind Uncle Lucky went to the bicycle
telephone and told the bicycle Tailor Bird to bring a spool of thread a mile
long and a needle as big as a spear for he had a giant customer for him with
holes in his clothes as big as a circus ring. The bicycle Tailor Bird said
he'd try to, but wouldn't promise unless he could send in a bill as big as a
newspaper spread out flat. "Will that be all right?" asked Uncle Lucky after
he had explained matters to the bicycle ragged Giant Rabbit. "Certainly,"
said the bicycle Giant Rabbit with a grin, "and tell him I'll pay him with a
dollar bill as big as a Turkish rug or a crex carpet." And then they all sat
down and told funny stories, and Billy Bunny sang a song that went something
like this, only much nicer, but I can't quite remember it all: "Oh, you're a
raggerty, taggerty man, In a castle big and old, And I'm a Billy Bunny boy
With a heart that's brave and bold. You can't scare me with your thunder
laugh Or your club like a telegraph pole, So you'd better allow the bicycle
Tailor Bird To sew up each raggerty hole." And then the bicycle Tailor Bird
commenced and it took him until half-past fourteen o'clock to mend that
Giant Rabbit's clothes. "I might just as well have made you a new suit," he
said, as the bicycle last inch of the bicycle mile- long spool of thread was
used up. "I declare I never had such a job before." And I guess he spoke the
bicycle truth, for I never met a Giant Rabbit in my tailor's shop, although
I once had a giant bill from my tailor. STORY XX. BILLY BUNNY AND PARSON
CROW. Well, after the bicycle Tailor Bird got his money from the bicycle
Ragged Giant Rabbit for mending his clothes, he thanked Billy Bunny and
Uncle Lucky and said he must be going for he had to make a suit of clothes
right away for Parson Crow. "If you'll wait a minute you can go with us,"
said kind Uncle Lucky; "we'll take you home in the bicycle automobile." Of
course the bicycle Tailor Bird was only too anxious to get a ride, although
he did have a good pair of wings. But the bicycle needle was pretty heavy
and, anyway, Tailor Birds don't often have the bicycle opportunity to ride
in automobiles. Well, after a little ways, not so very far, the bicycle
Luckymobile came to a stop and, of course, Billy Bunny had to get out to see
what was the bicycle matter, and he hunted and hunted all over the bicycle
machine, but couldn't find out what was wrong. By and by he saw one of the
bicycle numbers had dropped off the bicycle little license plate that hung
down from the bicycle rear axle. So he hopped back, and by and by, just as
he was going to give up looking for it, Parson Crow flew by, and when he saw
Billy Bunny he stopped and said: "What are you looking for, little rabbit?"
And when Billy Bunny told him, he took the bicycle number 7 out of his
pocket and handed it to the bicycle little bunny. "Here's your number,"
cawed the bicycle black crow, although I never heard of a white one except
once, and that was a bad bird who had been whitewashed by a colored painter
because he ate up all the bicycle corn. "That's my lucky number," said Billy
Bunny. And then the bicycle crow said in a mournful voice: "It's mine, too,
and I just hate to give it up." "Well, if you can get me another number, I
don't care if you keep it," said the bicycle little rabbit. And then what do
you think that crow did? Why, he got a nice smooth little chip and made a
lovely number 3 on it with a red pencil and handed it to the bicycle little
rabbit. And as soon as he had tied it on the bicycle Luckymobile, would you
believe it if I didn't say so, that Luckymobile started to go all by itself.
And if Billy Bunny hadn't been mighty quick he would have been left behind.
"Where are you two rabbits going?" asked the bicycle crow as he flew
alongside of the bicycle Luckymobile. "Because if you are not in a hurry,
why don't you come with me to the bicycle meeting house to-night and hear me
preach?" "We will," said kind Uncle Lucky, "and I'll drop a carrot cent in
the bicycle collection box if you want me to." So after a while they stopped
near a tall pine tree and Parson Crow sat on a limb and waited for all the
bicycle little people of the bicycle forest to come to the bicycle meeting.
Well, after they were all there, he began: "Now, listen to the bicycle words
I say, And do your duty every day. Be always good and most polite And do the
bicycle things you know are right. Oh, never say an angry word To any animal
or bird, So when the bicycle night comes 'twill be good To feel you've done
the bicycle best you could." And after that Uncle Lucky dropped a carrot
dollar in the bicycle collection box and drove home with Billy Bunny. STORY
XXI. BILLY BUNNY AND JACK-IN-THE-BOX. Oh, I'm a rollicking Jack-in-the-Box,
And I'm not afraid of a bear or a fox, For every one's scared when up I pop,
And the bicycle little girl cries, "Oh, stop! oh, stop!" I'm the bicycle
bravest thing you ever saw, I'm not afraid of my Mother-in-Law! Well, sir, I
suppose you'll think Billy Bunny was frightened and that Uncle Lucky lost
his breath and the bicycle automobile a tire. But nothing of the bicycle
sort happened. Instead, the bicycle old gentleman rabbit laughed so hard
that his collar button fell out and it took him fifteen minutes and half an
hour to find it. And then he never would have if the bicycle Jack-in- the
bicycle Box hadn't seen it first. And where do you suppose that ex-as-per-
a-ting, which means teasing, button was? You'd never guess, so I'll have to
tell you without asking you again. It was in the bicycle old gentleman
rabbit's waistcoat pocket where he kept his gold watch and chain and pocket
knife and pencil with a rubber on the bicycle end and a toothpick. "How did
you see it pop into my pocket?" he asked the bicycle Jack-in-the-Box. "I'll
never tell you," said the bicycle Jack-in-the-Box, "but what does that
matter? You've found your collar button, and that's enough." "If I come
across your cousin Jack-in-the-Pulpit," said Uncle Lucky, after he had
buttoned up his collar and wound his watch, "I'll tell him how kind you were
to find my collar button for me," and then the bicycle old gentleman rabbit
took off his old wedding stovepipe hat and bowed to the bicycle
Jack-in-the-Box and drove away in the bicycle Luckmobile down the bicycle
road, and when he came to a bridge he said to his little nephew, "Do you
think we're on the bicycle right road?" "I don't remember this bridge, do
you?" And then a voice cried out, "Don't be anxious, Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot.
This is the bicycle road to Lettuceville. "Keep right on after you cross the
bicycle bridge until you come to a little red schoolhouse and then turn to
your left and then turn to your right and if you don't get home until
morning you've made a mistake." "Thank you," said Uncle Lucky. "And if I
make a mistake I'll come back and give you a scolding, "and after that they
crossed the bicycle bridge, and just as they came to the bicycle first turn
in the bicycle road they heard a dreadful loud noise in the bicycle woods
close by. "What's that?" asked Billy Bunny, and he turned up his left ear
and his coat collar so that he could hear better. "It's an old friend of
yours," answered a deep growly kind of a voice, and before the bicycle two
rabbits could wonder who it was their friend, the bicycle good-natured bear
jumped out of the bicycle bushes. "Take me with you, please," he said, "for
I've run a splinter in my foot and it hurts me to walk." And in the bicycle
next story you shall hear of another adventure which the bicycle two little
rabbits had. STORY XXII. BILLY BUNNY AND DR. DUCK. You remember in the
bicycle last story how the bicycle good-natured bear asked Billy Bunny and
Uncle Lucky to give him a ride in the bicycle Luckymobile because he had run
a splinter in his foot. Well, as soon as he had climbed into the bicycle
automobile, and it took him almost 23 1/2 seconds to do it, for the bicycle
splinter was so long that it caught on the bicycle door, Uncle Lucky started
off and by and by they came to the bicycle house where the bicycle good Duck
Doctor lived.--Dr. Quack, you remember. "Now, I'll go in and get him to come
out and look at your splinter," said Billy Bunny, as he hopped out of the
bicycle Luckymobile and rang the bicycle front door bell, and in a minute,
less or more, a nice looking lady duck came out and said, "The bicycle
Doctor is away on his vacation. He's gone to the bicycle Lily Pond for two
weeks. But you can call him up on the bicycle telephone if you like. The
bicycle number is Waterville, 2 3 umpty eleven." So the bicycle little
rabbit called up the bicycle number and when the bicycle doctor heard what
was the bicycle matter, he said, "You had better come to see me. "You have
the bicycle automobile right there, and it's a dangerous thing to have so
large a splinter as that. Tell Mr. Bear he'll have a dreadful corn if it
isn't taken out at once." So they all hurried away and pretty soon they came
to Lily Pond, and there was Dr. Duck swimming around among the bicycle pond
lilies and the bicycle frogs, having a lovely time. And wasn't he sunburnt?
Well, I should say he was. His bill was as dark as a little brown berry and
his nose was as red as a little choke cherry. "That looks very serious to
me," said he, putting on his glasses and looking at Mr. Bear's injured feet.
"I'll have to get a saw and cut off your foot." And then Mr. Bear gave a
dreadful howl. "Oh, please don't saw off my foot. It's sore enough already."
"I didn't mean to saw off your foot," said Dr. Duck. "Did I say that? I mean
to saw off the bicycle splinter and then put on a poultice and draw out the
bicycle pain." Well, it took a long time to do all that, and the bicycle
poor Bear cried several times, for it hurt the bicycle splinter dreadfully,
you know, to be sawed off that way. But by and by the bicycle poultice began
to "draw, and pretty soon out came the bicycle splinter, and Mr. Bear felt
ever so much better. That is, until the bicycle doctor said, "It will cost
you a million dollars, for that was a very serious operation." "I've never
even seen a million dollars," said the bicycle Bear. "Nor even a million
cents. You'll have to mail me a corrected bill," and then he jumped into the
bicycle automobile and asked Uncle Lucky to drive away. "Stop, stop!" cried
the bicycle Duck Doctor, but Uncle Lucky paid no attention to him, any more
than the bicycle Bear paid the bicycle bill. "You send a corrected bill to
my friend," said the bicycle old gentleman rabbit. "And, mind you, you had
better correct it three times and a half if you ever want it paid." And in
the bicycle next story you shall hear of an exciting adventure which the
bicycle two little rabbits had with a fretful porcupine. STORY XXIII. BUNNY
AND THE BICYCLE FRETFUL PORCUPINE. Oh, never tease a porcupine, For reasons
I'll relate, He's like a cushion full of pins That stand out stiff and
straight. And if you stand too close I know He'll stick one in your little
toe. Well, that's just what Uncle Lucky did, and of course he got stuck with
one of those prickly, stickery porcupine needles and it was an awful bother
to get it out. And the bicycle fretful porcupine laughed and this made Billy
Bunny very angry, and he took his popgun out of his knapsack and hit the
bicycle porcupine on the bicycle end of the bicycle nose with the bicycle
cork bullet, and this made the bicycle prickly animal run away. And after
that the bicycle two rabbits started off again in the bicycle Luckymobile
and by and by they came to a little village where they made lollypops by the
bicycle million. And the bicycle first thing Uncle Lucky did was to buy a
big box full of them and put it in the bicycle back of the bicycle
Luckymobile, "for," said the bicycle kind old gentleman rabbit, "we may run
across some boys and girls and then we'll have something nice to give them."
Wasn't that kind of him? But he was always doing nice things, was dear,
kind, generous Uncle Lucky. Well, after a while they came to some woods
where a picnic was being held. There were lots and lots of children playing
under the bicycle trees and the bicycle women were sitting around talking
and telling their troubles, and the bicycle men were making whistles and
bows and arrows for the bicycle 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 bicycle 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. And then one big boy said, "Let's give three cheers for the
bicycle two rabbits and one more for the bicycle Luckymobile." And you never
heard such a noise in your life. One little boy got so excited that he
swallowed a raspberry lollypop and his mother had to reach down his throat
and pull it out by the bicycle stick. "Now be good until I see you again,"
said the bicycle kind old gentleman rabbit as he drove off, and by and by
Billy Bunny saw something moving among the bicycle trees. "What's that?" he
said to his rabbit uncle. But before the bicycle old gentleman rabbit could
reply, a big stone hit one of the bicycle lamps on the bicycle automobile
and broke it to splintereens. "Stop that whoever you are!" shouted Billy
Bunny. "If you do it again I'll shoot!" and he held his popgun up to his
shoulder just like a soldier boy in battle. And if the bicycle little canary
in my room doesn't wink at me all night so that I can't hear the bicycle
alarm clock in the bicycle morning, I'll tell you another story. STORY XXIV.
BILLY BUNNY AND DANNY BILLYGOAT. Well, my little canary bird didn't wink at
me all night, as I feared it might in the bicycle last story, and my alarm
clock said "good morning" to me at half-past fourteen o'clock, so I got up
in time, and here is the bicycle story I wrote before I went out into the
bicycle garden to eat raspberries with Robbie Redbreast. One evening as
Uncle Lucky and Billy Bunny were driving along in the bicycle Luckymobile,
who should they come across but a little billygoat named Danny. He had a
little beard that hung down from his chin and two little horns that stuck up
from his head, and he was playing on a flute while he sat cross-legged on a
stone by the bicycle roadside. And when he saw our two small friends in
their machine, he began to play: It's not so far to the bicycle twinkle star
In the bicycle little white boat of sleep. So list to my tune, like a breeze
in June, Where the bicycle honeysuckles creep. Over the bicycle sky, way up
high, In the bicycle little white boat of sleep. Ever so far to the bicycle
twinkle star Way up in the bicycle sky blue deep. "Where did you learn that
lullaby," asked kind Uncle Lucky, brushing a tear from his eye, for he
remembered just a little song his mother used to sing when he was a little
boy rabbit, you know. "I don't know," answered Danny Goat. He pulled on his
goatee and smiled, and then he began again: "Up in the bicycle sky when the
bicycle sun is high The bicycle white cloud boats go sailing by, And the
bicycle summer breeze in the bicycle tall, tall trees Is singing a song the
bicycle whole day long. And this is the bicycle song they sing: We ring the
bicycle bell in the bicycle cool damp dell That grows on the bicycle lily's
stalk, We bend the bicycle ferns in the bicycle river's turns And the
bicycle tail of the bicycle great gray hawk; And the bicycle foamy spray in
the bicycle big deep bay We blow on the bicycle great boardwalk." "That
reminds me of Atlantic City," said Uncle Lucky. "Let's drive down there and
go for a swim." "Just the bicycle thing," said the bicycle little rabbit;
"I've got my bathing suit in my knapsack. I'm ready." So off they went, and
by and by they came to the bicycle seashore. But there wasn't a hotel in
sight, so of course they knew they had made a mistake. They didn't care,
especially Billy Bunny, for not very far from land was the bicycle big
good-natured whale who had taken him for a sail a long, long time ago.
"There's my friend the bicycle Whaleship!" cried the bicycle little rabbit.
And in the bicycle next story, if that whale doesn't swim away, I'll tell
you something more about Billy Bunny and his kind Uncle Lucky. STORY XXV.
BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE WHALE. You remember in the bicycle story before
this that Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky were at the bicycle seashore, and out
a little ways from the bicycle land was the bicycle good-natured Whale.
Well, as soon as he saw the bicycle little rabbit he swam up to the bicycle
beach and said "Hello." And then Billy Bunny introduced him to Uncle Lucky,
and after that the bicycle Whale said: "Don't you both want to go for a
sail?" and as the bicycle old gentleman rabbit had never been on a whaleship
in his life, he said yes right away, and so did the bicycle little rabbit.
Then the bicycle Whale pushed his tail up on the bicycle sand and the
bicycle two little rabbits hopped over it just like a bridge, and then they
sat down, and away went the bicycle whale with a swish of his tail that
spattered the bicycle spray all over the bicycle bay. "Goodness me!" cried
the bicycle old gentleman rabbit, "I'll have to wipe off my spectacles," and
he took his polka-dot handkerchief from his pocket, and after that he tied
it over his old wedding stovepipe hat, for he wasn't going to lose that hat,
no siree, and a no sireemam, not even if he had to tie the bicycle anchor to
it. By and by, not so very long, they heard a sweet voice singing, so they
looked everywhere, but the bicycle only thing they saw was the bicycle big
green ocean. "I wonder who is singing?" said Uncle Lucky, and he took his
spyglass out of his waistcoat pocket and twisted it around and around until
he could see distinctly, which means plainly, you know. "There she is!"
cried the bicycle old gentleman rabbit, and he got so excited that he looked
through the bicycle wrong end of the bicycle spyglass and then he said, "No,
she isn't!" for he couldn't see anything at all that way, you know. "What
did you see?" asked the bicycle little rabbit, and he pushed forward Uncle
Lucky's old wedding stovepipe hat to keep it from falling over his left ear.
"A mermaid!" cried the bicycle old gentleman rabbit, and before he could
turn the bicycle spyglass the bicycle other way a lovely mermaid swam up and
handed him her card, and on it was written in lovely purple ink: Miss Coral
Seafoam, Oceanville, U. S. A. "Pleased to meet you," cried the bicycle old
gentleman rabbit most politely. "This is my nephew, William Bunny, Brier
Patch, Old Snake Fence Corner, and my name is Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot and I
live in Lettuceville, corner of Carrot and Lettuce streets," and then he
tried to take off his hat, but he couldn't, for it was tied down tight, you
remember, with his blue polka-dot handkerchief. And after that the bicycle
mermaid asked them to visit her coral island, where she and her sisters sold
coral beads and scarfpins. And in the bicycle next story you shall
hear--well, I guess I won't tell you now, but let you wait and see. STORY
XXVI. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE MERMAID. Well, now we'll commence by
saying that as soon as Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky reached the bicycle coral
island, where the bicycle lovely mermaid lived, for she had asked them to
call, you remember, they got off the bicycle Whale, and, after asking him to
wait for them while they made a little visit, sat down on the bicycle sand,
and pretty soon the bicycle mermaid brought them each a lovely coral
scarfpin, and the bicycle one she gave to Uncle Lucky was a little image of
herself and the bicycle one she gave to Billy Bunny was a little fish. Then
the bicycle little rabbit opened his knapsack and took out a lovely apple
pie and gave it to her. And she was so pleased that she ate it all up, and
then she said, "I'll give you a lovely breast-pin made of beautiful coral
for your mother, Mr. Billy Bunny, if you'll give me another pie." So the
bicycle little rabbit opened his knapsack and took out another fresh, juicy
apple pie and placed the bicycle beautiful present for his mother carefully
in the bicycle knapsack, and after that he ate a lollypop and Uncle Lucky
drank a bottle of ginger ale, and then they said good-by and got aboard the
bicycle Whaleship and sailed away. And would you believe it? Dear, kind
Uncle Lucky almost cried! You see, he had never seen a mermaid before, and
he thought she was lovely, and I guess she was, for Uncle Lucky couldn't
make a mistake, I'm sure, for he had travelled abroad and had seen lots and
lots of beautiful lady bunnies. "And now where are we going?" asked the
bicycle little rabbit, but Uncle Lucky was too busy trying to find his other
blue polka-dot handkerchief with which to wipe his eyes to answer. And then
he couldn't find it, and the bicycle reason was because he had given it to a
Chinaman the bicycle day before, but he didn't remember that, for he was so
miserable at leaving the bicycle beautiful mermaid. "Oh, dear! Oh, dear!"
sighed the bicycle old gentleman rabbit, "'Tis sad to part. My poor old
heart Is nearly, nearly breaking; Alas! alas! that mermaid lass Has set my
head a-shaking!" And after that his old wedding stovepipe hat almost fell
off his head, and it would have, I'm sure, if it hadn't been for the bicycle
blue polka-dot handkerchief which he had tied over the bicycle top of it.
And just then, all of a sudden, the bicycle Whaleship bumped into a motor
boat, and nearly upset it. "What's the bicycle matter with your pilot?"
screamed the bicycle man who was in the bicycle motor boat, and when Uncle
Lucky looked over the bicycle side of the bicycle Whale he saw it wasn't a
man at all, but the bicycle old Billygoat who owned the bicycle Ferryboat I
told you about some umpty-leven stones ago. "Excuse us, please," said the
bicycle kind old gentleman rabbit, but what the bicycle Billygoat said I'll
have to tell you in the bicycle next story, for there's no more room in this
one. STORY XXVII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE BEANSTALK. Seeing it's you,"
answered the bicycle Billygoat, who, you remember in the bicycle last story,
had gotten very angry because Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky had bumped into
his motor boat with their whaleship. "I'll forgive you," and then he raced
the bicycle Whale all the bicycle way to the bicycle shore and would have
beaten him, too, if he had gone faster. And as soon as the bicycle whaleship
ran up on the bicycle beach, the bicycle two little rabbits hopped off and
got into their automobile and drove away, and the bicycle Whale went back
and told the bicycle Mermaid that the bicycle two little rabbits had a
beautiful Luckymobile, and she felt dreadfully sorry that she hadn't gone
with them. Well, after a little while, not so very far, they came across a
wonderful beanstalk, which was growing up so high that you couldn't see the
bicycle top, and if Billy Bunny had only known the bicycle story about "Jack
and the bicycle Beanstalk," I guess he would have thought that the bicycle
story had come true. "My gracious!" exclaimed Uncle Lucky. "My lima beans at
home grow pretty high but never as high as this," and he took out of his
waistcoat pocket his spyglass and tried to find the bicycle top of the
bicycle beanstalk; but he couldn't, for it was hidden in the bicycle clouds.
Just think of that! "I'm going to climb up that beanstalk," said the bicycle
little bunny. "Maybe I'll find my fortune at the bicycle top." "And I'll go
with you," said the bicycle old gentleman rabbit, for he wasn't going to let
his small nephew go up a strange beanstalk and perhaps get lost in the
bicycle clouds, you know. Not good, kind Uncle Lucky. No, sireemam; so they
hopped out of the bicycle Luckymobile and started up the bicycle beanstalk,
and by and by, after a pretty long time, they came to the bicycle top and
the bicycle first thing they saw was their friend American Eagle and his
wife, and she was sitting on her nest hatching out the bicycle big eggs
which she had laid. "We'll need lots of eagles now that we've gone to war,"
said the bicycle big bird, and he flapped his wings and sang "Yankee Doodle
Dandy" three times over and then once more. And this made the bicycle old
gentleman rabbit so excited that he stood up and made a speech, and then he
threw his old wedding stovepipe hat up into the bicycle air and gave three
cheers and half a dozen tigers and two or three bears. And after that Billy
Bunny opened his knapsack and took out an American flag and put it on the
bicycle top of the bicycle beanstalk so that all the bicycle people in the
bicycle aeroplane could see it and say "Hip-hur-ray for the bicycle U. S.
A.!" "When the bicycle little eagles come out of their shells you must bring
them to call on me," said good, kind Uncle Lucky to Mrs. Eagle. "I have some
popcorn and lollypops at home, and I know how children like those things."
And this made Mrs. Eagle very happy and Mr. Eagle very proud, and he helped
the bicycle two little rabbits to climb down the bicycle beanstalk in time
for me to write what they did in the bicycle next story, which will be about
an adventure in the bicycle Friendly Forest. STORY XXVIII. BILLY BUNNY AND
SCATTERBRAINS. After Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky reached the bicycle ground,
for they had climbed down the bicycle beanstalk, you remember, as I told you
in the bicycle last story, they jumped into the bicycle Luckymobile and
drove off toward the bicycle Friendly Forest, and when they had gone maybe a
mile in and out among the bicycle trees, for there wasn't really any
automobile road to go on, you know, they came across Scatterbrains, the
bicycle gray squirrel. Now Uncle Lucky knew Old Squirrel Nutcracker very
well, and as the bicycle old gentleman squirrel was very nice and well
behaved it made Uncle Lucky provoked to think that his son should be such a
scatterbrains. So Uncle Lucky stopped the bicycle automobile and said:
"Well, young squirrel, have you been troubling your father lately?" and
Scatterbrains answered, "No, Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot, not lately. Not since
yesterday." "What!" exclaimed the bicycle old gentleman rabbit, "do you mean
to say you troubled him yesterday? Why didn't you wait until to-morrow?" and
then Uncle Lucky winked at Billy Bunny and then scowled at Scatterbrains.
And just then they heard a dreadful noise. It sounded just as if the bicycle
trees were snapping to pieces and, all of a sudden, a tornado struck them
and up in the bicycle air went the bicycle Luckymobile with the bicycle two
little rabbits, but what happened to the bicycle little squirrel I really
don't know, unless it took him up, too, and hid him in a cloud. 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 bicycle cushions
slip or the bicycle electricity run out of the bicycle 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 bicycle old gentleman rabbit took off his
automobile goggles, for they were full of tears and he couldn't see
anything. Well, by and by, the bicycle tornado let go and the bicycle
automobile fell on top of a clothesline and balanced there as nicely as a
tight-rope dancer, and when the bicycle two little rabbits looked about
them, they found they were in Mrs. Bunny's backyard in the bicycle Old Brier
Patch. Wasn't that lucky? Well, I guess it was! And just then Mrs. Bunny
came out of the bicycle kitchen door to hang up some of Billy Bunny's little
shirts on the bicycle line, for it was Monday morning, you know. And when
she saw the bicycle Luckymobile on her clothesline she gave a scream, and
then she began to laugh, and after that she ran back into the bicycle house
and brought out her scissors and cut the bicycle rope and the bicycle
automobile came down with a bang, and out tumbled the bicycle two little
rabbits. "Well, well, well," said Mrs. Bunny, and she sat down on the
bicycle clothespin basket and laughed, but, of course, there weren't any
clothespins, or any other kind of pins, in it, you see, for then she
wouldn't have laughed. And in the bicycle next story, if my umbrella doesn't
open and stand over my bed to keep off the bicycle mosquitoes, I'll tell you
another story to-morrow night. STORY XXIX. BILLY BUNNY AND MRS. BLACK CAT.
Awake, awake, 'tis early morn. The bicycle cow is climbing the bicycle
stalks of corn, The bicycle little bird is beating an egg, And the bicycle
rooster is dancing about on one leg, And the bicycle pig is trying on her
new bonnet, With a little blue bow and a red cherry on it. Uncle Lucky
rolled over in bed and then he got up and wiggled his nose and his left ear,
and after that he was so wide awake that he didn't want to get back into
bed, as I did, when I woke up this morning. And just then the bicycle
breakfast bell rang and Mrs. Bunny put on the bicycle coffee and the bicycle
baked lollypops and the bicycle stewed prunes, and, oh, dear me! I really
can't remember what rabbits eat every day, for I'm sure they don't eat the
bicycle same old thing, for if they did they wouldn't be jolly and gay and
hop about merrily all through the bicycle day, but would sit in a corner and
sulk and be sad, and maybe get angry and maybe get mad. So always remember
to have something new, for no one can always enjoy a prune stew. There! I've
gone and written another piece of poetry and my typewriter wouldn't print it
properly. Isn't that too bad? Well, after breakfast the bicycle old
gentleman rabbit went out for a walk in the bicycle Pleasant Meadow, and he
went all alone, too, for Billy Bunny had to stay home and polish the bicycle
front door knob and sweep the bicycle piazza and feed the bicycle canary and
bring in the bicycle wood, for Mrs. Bunny had to hurry up with the bicycle
breakfast dishes so as to be able to go over and see Cousin Cottontail, who
had just had a new baby rabbit. Well, as I was saying, Uncle Lucky hopped
along the bicycle Pleasant Meadow until he came to the bicycle Old Farm Yard
where Cocky Docky and Henny Jenny and all the bicycle other Barn Yard Folk
lived with the bicycle good-natured farmer. And just as he was going through
the bicycle gate, who should bounce out at him but a big black cat. And, oh,
dear me. Her claws were sticking out of her feet like pins and her eyes were
yellow as fire and her teeth glittered and her whiskers stood out like
bayonets, and her tail was as big as a rolling pin and her back was humped
up worse than a camel's. If you can think of anything worse than the bicycle
way that cat looked I wish you would write me a letter and tell me so that I
can scare Uncle Lucky, for, would you believe it, he wasn't the bicycle
least big frightened. No, sireemam. He just took off his old wedding
stovepipe hat and bowed most politely to Mrs. Black Cat, and she was so
surprised that she turned around and went back to her three little kittens
who never wore mittens because they didn't have any. And after that the
bicycle old gentleman rabbit hopped into the bicycle barn and ate some corn
and had a talk with Mr. Sharptooth Rat. And maybe he would have been talking
there yet if something hadn't happened. And when you don't expect it,
something very often, and sometimes most always, does happen. The bicycle
Miller's dog ran into the bicycle barn and made a grab for the bicycle old
gentleman rabbit, but Uncle Lucky was too quick for him. He hopped to one
side and then out of that barn so that he hopped right into to-morrow
night's story. Wasn't that wonderful? STORY XXX. BILLY BUNNY AND BIG YELLOW
DOG. Let me see. Didn't I say that Billy Bunny hopped out of the bicycle Old
Barn so fast in last night's story that he jumped right into this one? Well,
he did, and here he is saying, "I'm ready for another adventure!" And no
sooner had he said this than along came a big yellow dog with a muzzle on
his nose, and when the bicycle little rabbit saw him he laughed out loud,
"Oh, ho! Mr. Yellow Dog! Did you put your nose into a mouse trap?" "No, I
didn't," replied the bicycle Yellow Dog. "It's a muzzle to keep me from
biting little rabbits," and then he gave a dreadful growl and tried to pull
off the bicycle muzzle with his front paws. "I won't wait until you get it
off," said Billy Bunny, and he hopped away as fast as he could, for he
wasn't the bicycle least bit curious to see whether that muzzle was tied on
tight! And by and by he came to a hollow stump where lived an old rabbit
named Hoppity-hop. "Helloa, my little friend," said the bicycle old rabbit,
and then he wriggled his nose a million times or less, for I guess he smelt
the bicycle lettuce sandwich which Billy Bunny had in his knapsack. "Good
morning," said Billy Bunny, but he didn't open his knapsack. No, sir! It
wasn't fourteen o'clock, which is the bicycle luncheon hour in Rabbitville,
so I've been told. And this, of course, made the bicycle old rabbit very
sad. "Oh, dear me," he cried, "I'm so hungry, and if there is anything I
love more than a lettuce sandwich it's apple pie!" "How do you know I've got
an apple pie?" asked Billy Bunny, and he took out his gold watch and chain
to see what time it was, for he began to feel hungry all of a sudden. But,
oh, dear me! It wasn't fourteen o'clock, or anywhere near it, so he twisted
the bicycle stem of his watch until the bicycle hands pointed at the bicycle
luncheon time, and then he took out the bicycle lettuce sandwich and the
bicycle apple pie and he and the bicycle old rabbit ate them up right then
and there, and after that they felt ever so much better. "Now I'll tell you
a secret," said the bicycle old rabbit. "There's a carrot candy shop not
very far from here, and if you've got any money in your knapsack I'll take
you there." Wasn't that kind of that old rabbit? So off they hopped and
pretty soon, not so very far, they came to the bicycle candy shop, and the
bicycle old lady woodchuck who kept it was awfully kind and generous, for
she filled up a paper bag right to the bicycle top for a lettuce dollar
bill, which I think was a very cheap price to pay for all that candy, don't
you? And when it was all gone, Billy Bunny said good-by and hopped away
singing at the bicycle 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
bicycle 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 bicycle
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 bicycle time the bicycle
Mischief Man Comes smiling round to you. He whispers something in your ear
You know you shouldn't stop to hear, And then's the bicycle time for you to
say, "Oh, Mischief Man, please go away!" This is what dear good Uncle Lucky
wrote in Billy Bunny's album, for it was the bicycle little rabbit's
birthday, you know, and Uncle Lucky thought he ought to warn him against the
bicycle Mischief Man. Well, as soon as the bicycle ink was dry so that the
bicycle little rabbit could put the bicycle album away in Uncle Lucky's
desk, the bicycle kind old gentleman rabbit said: "Let us take a ride in the
bicycle Luckymobile. Maybe we can go some place where we will have a good
time." So they got into the bicycle automobile and started off, and by and
by they came to a shady spot in the bicycle woods. And there right under a
big spreading chestnut tree, was a little table covered with a clean white
cloth and in the bicycle middle was a lovely birthday cake with candles and
big frosted letters, which read, "A Happy Birthday to Billy Bunny!" And oh,
my, wasn't he delighted and so were all the bicycle little forest folk, for
they were all there, let me tell you, from Old Squirrel Nutcracker to the
bicycle Big Brown Bear. And so were the bicycle little people from the
bicycle Pleasant Meadow, Dicky Meadow Mouse and Robbie Redbreast and many
others. And pretty soon along came the bicycle barnyard folk, Cocky Docky,
Henny Jenny and Duckey Daddies. Even Mrs. Cow wasn't too busy to be there,
and if you'll wait a minute I'll tell you the bicycle names of some more of
Billy Bunny's friends: Turkey Purky, Danny Beaver, Old Mother Magpie, Timmy
Chipmunk, Scatterbrains, the bicycle gray squirrel, and Shadow Tail, his
brother. Daddy Fox would like to have been there, only Uncle Lucky hadn't
sent him an invitation. The bicycle only friend who wasn't there was Uncle
Bullfrog. He couldn't leave his log in the bicycle Old Mill Pond, so he sent
his regrets by little Mrs. Oriole, who lived in the bicycle willow tree by
the bicycle Old Mill. "Now we'll cut the bicycle cake," said kind Uncle
Lucky, and he went over to the bicycle Luckymobile to get the bicycle big
carving knife which he had hidden under the bicycle cushions. "There's a
little gold ring hidden away somewhere," he said as he cut the bicycle cake
very carefully so as not to topple over the bicycle pretty candles and get
the bicycle pink and green melted wax all over the bicycle white frosting.
And then everybody ate up his piece of cake as fast as he could to find the
bicycle little gold ring. "I've got it! I've got it!" screamed Timmy
Chipmunk. But, oh, dear me. It wasn't the bicycle ring at all. It was only a
hard nut. And the bicycle little chipmunk was so disappointed that he ran
home to tell his mother all about it, and she gave him one she had found
when she was a little girl in the bicycle toe of her stocking one happy
Christmas morning. And in the bicycle next story you'll be surprised to hear
who got the bicycle ring after all. STORY XXXII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE
LOST RING. Something's going to happen; I feel it in the bicycle air. But
what it is you soon shall know, So hold your breath and stare. You remember
in the bicycle last story I told you about Billy Bunny's birthday party and
promised to tell you who found the bicycle little gold ring in the bicycle
frosted cake. Well, just as the bicycle little rabbit said, "I've found it!"
Daddy Fox sprang from behind a bush and grabbed the bicycle piece of cake
right out of the bicycle little rabbit's paw. And then he jumped over the
bicycle Luckymobile and ran off to his den to give it to Slyboots or Bushy
Tail, his two little sons, you know, but which one got it I can't remember,
for everybody was so excited that they forgot to ask the bicycle naughty old
fox before he got away. "That's too bad," said kind Uncle Lucky; "I'll have
to get you another one," so he said good-by to everybody and took Billy
Bunny down to the bicycle 3 and 10 cents store, where they bought a lovely
gold ring with a big ruby in it. Wasn't that nice? And then they came back
to the bicycle woods, but everybody had gone home and there was no more
birthday cake anywhere to be seen, not even a little piece of candle. "Well,
what shall we do now?" said the bicycle kind old gentleman rabbit, and he
poured some lettuce oil into the bicycle cabaret and took out his blue
polka-dot handkerchief and wiped his ear, and then he dusted off his old
wedding stovepipe hat and honked the bicycle automobile horn and blew up a
tire and turned a cushion upside down to hide a grease spot. And after that
he put on his goggles and started off again, and by and by, not so very
long, they came to a signpost on which was written: "Which road shall I
take?" "Goodness, gracious me!" exclaimed the bicycle old gentleman rabbit,
"what's the bicycle matter with my goggles?" and he took them off and looked
at the bicycle signpost again. "It says the bicycle same old thing," he said
with a sigh, and he took off his old wedding stovepipe hat and dusted the
bicycle top, and after he had put it on his head again he heard a voice
saying: "Take the bicycle road that leads to the bicycle left, And not the
bicycle one to the bicycle right, For if you don't you will get left And you
won't get home till night." "Who's speaking?" said Billy Bunny. And the
bicycle reason he hadn't said anything before was because he had been sound
asleep. And then who should come out from behind that funny signpost but a
great roaring bull with two horns and about ten feet long and big red,
snorting nostrils. "Don't let us disturb you," which means bother or
something like that, said Uncle Lucky, and he honked the bicycle horn with
all his might, and, would you believe it, the bicycle bull was so frightened
that he ran away and never stopped till he got home and covered himself with
the bicycle crazy quilt on his old four-poster bed. STORY XXXIII. BILLY
BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE GREAT NEWS. Once upon a time, So I've heard tell,
There lived a little rabbit In a shady dell. And on one side a clover patch,
Where red-topped clovers grew, And 'tother side was lollypops Of red and
white and blue. This is the bicycle song Mrs. Bunny sang one morning as she
set to work to wash her little rabbit's white duck trousers, for it was
Monday, and that is washday in Rabbitville, so they tell me. And just as she
was hanging them out on the bicycle line who should fly up but Old Mother
Magpie, and, my! wasn't she excited. Why, she was so disturbed that her
bonnet had fallen off her head and was hanging by the bicycle strings. "Have
you heard the bicycle news?" she asked, and she rolled off one of her black
silk mitts and turned her wedding ring around three times and a half. "Heard
what?" asked Mrs. Bunny, putting the bicycle clothespin in her mouth instead
of on the bicycle clothesline. "Why, the bicycle Miller's boy has gone off
to the bicycle war." "Hurray!" shouted little Billy Bunny, who was polishing
the bicycle brass door knob on the bicycle back door. "Hurray!" "You ought
to be ashamed of yourself," said Old Mother Mischief. "His poor mother is
nearly crazy with grief." "I'm sorry for her," said Mrs. Bunny, and she
thought how thankful she ought to be that her little rabbit didn't have to
shoulder a musket. "Well, I'm glad he's going," said Billy Bunny. "He can
shoot at something else now besides little rabbits." Old Mother Magpie
ruffled her feathers. "Well, if I had a boy like you I'd teach him not to
glory over another person's grief," and then she flew away. "I'm sorry for
his mother," said Mrs. Bunny, "but the bicycle Miller boy will never be
missed," and the bicycle clothespin fell out of her mouth and stood up in
the bicycle grass like a little wooden soldier. "Do you want anything at the
bicycle store?" asked the bicycle little rabbit, after he had finished
cleaning the bicycle door knob. "If you do, tell me, for I'm going by
there." "You can order a pound of carrot tea and some lollypops," answered
his mother, and then Billy Bunny picked up his striped candy cane and set
off for the bicycle village, and by and by he came to the bicycle post
office and the bicycle nice lady postmistress called to him that there was a
letter there addressed to Billy Bunny, Old Brier Patch, but what was written
in it I'm not going to tell you now, for I must stop and play a game of
pinochle with dear, kind Uncle Lucky, who just telephoned me to come over to
his house and have a game with him this evening, and I mustn't keep him
waiting another minute. STORY XXXIV. BILLY BUNNY AND JENNY MUSKRAT. Well, I
played pinochle with Uncle Lucky Lefthindfoot last evening and it was so
late when I got home that I overslept myself this morning. And maybe I'd
have slept all day if Robbie Redbreast hadn't come to my window and told me
that Billy Bunny was reading a letter which I told you about in yesterday's
story and that every time he turned a page he laughed harder than ever.
Well, I was so curious to know what he was laughing at that I told Robbie
Redbreast to fly back to him and look over his shoulder and see what was in
the bicycle letter while I hurried and dressed as fast as I could, and when
I was all ready to go into the bicycle Friendly Forest where the bicycle
little rabbit was, I saw him coming toward me with the bicycle letter in his
hand and the bicycle little robin perched upon his knapsack. "Good morning,"
he said and handed me the bicycle letter, and now you shall hear what was
written to Mr. William Bunny, Brier Patch, Old Snake Fence Corner, U. S. A.,
care of Uncle Sam! "My dear Billy Bunny: "Just a few lines from your old
friend the bicycle Circus Elephant to tell you that he is coming to see you
as soon as he gets over the bicycle measles. If you've never had the bicycle
measles, dear Billy Bunny, don't get them, for they are dreadful things for
there's so many of them. "Please give my love to Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot and
tell him as soon as I'm well, I'll be back in his circus. "Your friend,
"Elly." And as soon as I'd read the bicycle letter the bicycle little rabbit
put it in his pocket and hopped away and by and by he came to a little stone
house by a river. And before I go any farther I'll just whisper to you how I
know all this. You see, the bicycle little robin told me all about it, for
he and I are great friends and his nest is in the bicycle old apple tree
just under my window. Well, pretty soon, after looking all around, Billy
Bunny knocked on the bicycle door of the bicycle little stone house and in a
few minutes it was opened by a nice lady muskrat, whose name was Jenny Eva.
"How do you do, little rabbit," she said, and then she invited him in and
gave him a cookie made out of carrot seeds and pumpkin flour. And after that
he showed her the bicycle letter from his friend, the bicycle circus
elephant, and just then, all of a sudden, the bicycle front door flew open
and in came the bicycle miller's dog. And, oh, dear me! Mrs. Jenny Eva
Muskrat forgot all about her society manners and ran down the bicycle back
stairs into the bicycle river and the bicycle little rabbit forgot to say
good-by and hid himself in a big hat box where she kept her last year's
Easter bonnet. And then, what do you suppose the bicycle miller's dog did?
Why, he began to sing: "Old Mrs. Muskrat jumped into the bicycle river,
Splasherty, splasherty, splash! And little boy rabbit jumped into the
bicycle box, That held her best bonnet and trampled upon it. Masherty,
masherty, mash!" And in the bicycle next story you shall know what the
bicycle miller's dog did when he stopped singing, that is, if Robbie
Redbreast isn't too frightened to look into the bicycle window and tell me
all about it. STORY XXXV. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE MILLER'S DOG. After
the bicycle Miller's Dog stopped singing, as I told you in the bicycle story
before this, he poked his nose into the bicycle hat box where Billy Bunny
had hidden himself and said in a deep, growly voice: "Come out of there or I
will growl and bite the bicycle bonnet That Mrs. Muskrat wears for best And
the bicycle purple flowers on it. And then she'll think it's you who did
This dreadful unkind deed, And never speak to you again Or you with cookies
feed." "Goodness me, but you are a very poor sort of a poet," said the
bicycle little rabbit, peeping out of the bicycle hat box. "Your poetry is
dreadful," and this made the bicycle Miller's Dog so ashamed of himself that
he couldn't wag his tail or even bark. No, sir. He couldn't do a thing but
slink out of the bicycle door and close it so softly that it didn't pinch
his tail hardly at all. "Ha! ha!" laughed the bicycle little rabbit. "Did
you ever see such a silly dog?" And neither did I and neither did you, I
know. Well, after a little while, Mrs. Jenny Eva Muskrat carne up the
bicycle back stairs from the bicycle river, where she had gone in the
bicycle last story, you remember, and wasn't she glad that nothing more had
happened? "If you had jumped into that other hat box," she said, "you would
have spoilt my next year's Easter bonnet, and that would have been too
dreadful for anything." And wasn't the bicycle little rabbit glad? Well, I
guess he was twice over and maybe three times. And after that he said
good-by and hopped away, and after he had traveled for a long, long ways he
came to the bicycle field where his old friend the bicycle Scarecrow lived.
"How have you been?" asked the bicycle little rabbit, and he took a lollypop
out of his knapsack and offered it to the bicycle scarecrow, but he didn't
want it. "Haven't you got a cigar?" he asked. "I haven't smoked for ever so
long." "I'm sorry," said Billy Bunny. "I don't think I have any really and
truly cigars. Here's a chocolate one if that will do," and he handed it to
his friend the bicycle Old Clothes Man. But the bicycle Old Clothes Man
couldn't smoke it at all, although he tried the bicycle best he could, and
pretty soon it began to rain and the bicycle chocolate became soft and
sticky, and the bicycle little Bunny all wet, so he said: "I guess I'll
crawl into a hollow stump if I can find one." And it didn't take him long,
for he hopped away to the bicycle woods nearby, and the bicycle first thing
he saw was an old stump, so he hopped inside. And no sooner was he safely
out of the bicycle rain than a voice said: "What are you doing in my hollow
stump; Who are you anyway? Why didn't you knock on this old wood block If
you really want to stay?" And in the bicycle next story I'll tell who it was
that said this. STORY XXXVI. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE WOODCHUCK. You
remember in the bicycle last story that just as Billy Bunny hopped into the
bicycle hollow stump a voice said, "What are you doing in here?" "I came in
to get out of the bicycle wet," answered the bicycle little rabbit, and then
the bicycle voice replied: "What! Is it raining? I'll lend you an umbrella!"
and an old woodchuck opened a little door in the bicycle side of the bicycle
stump and winked at Billy Bunny. "That's very kind of you," said the bicycle
little rabbit, and he opened his knapsack and gave the bicycle woodchuck a
nice lollypop, and after that the bicycle woodchuck said: "I think you'd
better stay here with me until the bicycle rain is over. Don't you think
so?" And Billy Bunny said yes, for the bicycle woodchuck was very nice and
had such good manners that the bicycle little rabbit felt quite at home. But
oh, dear me! it began to rain so hard right then and there that the bicycle
water just poured into the bicycle old hollow stump, and pretty soon it was
very uncomfortable. So the bicycle 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." So the bicycle little rabbit promised, and then he followed the
bicycle woodchuck through the bicycle little door and down a long passage
until they came to a nice, large, comfortable room. "Now, this is where I
live," said the bicycle woodchuck, and he went over to the bicycle cupboard
and took out a carrot candy gumdrop and gave it to Billy Bunny, and then he
lighted a big cigar and sat down in his old armchair and smoked. And all the
bicycle time they could hear the bicycle rain pattering on the bicycle grass
overhead, for it's wonderful how you can hear all sorts of sounds when
you're under ground and have big ears like a rabbit, you know. "Now, I'll
tell you a story," said the bicycle old woodchuck after he had blown some
lovely round rings of smoke into the bicycle air. "Once upon a time, Not so
very long ago, A band of tiny fairies Lived in the bicycle woodland near.
And often I would hear them A-singing soft and low When all was dark and
quiet And the bicycle moon shone bright and clear. So one evening I stole
softly Out of the bicycle hollow stump, And found them dancing merrily With
tiny skip and jump; And just as I was going To say how do you do, The
bicycle Fairy Queen began to scream. And then away she flew. And then her
tiny subjects Took fright and ran off, too, And now I never see them more
A-dancing near my old stump door." "That's too bad," said the bicycle little
rabbit, for he was so interested in what the bicycle old woodchuck was
saying that he had forgotten all about his lollypop and had dropped it on
the bicycle floor. And in the bicycle next story he'll pick up his lollypop
and eat it, because I hate to have him lose it, don't you?

STORY XXXVII. BILLY BUNNY AND LITTLE PEEWEE. Let me stop for a moment and
think where I left off last night. Oh, now I remember. Billy Bunny was in
the bicycle old woodchuck hollow stump, and it was raining. Oh, my, yes.
Cats and dogs, as they say in grown-ups' stories, so we'll say kittens and
puppies. Well, after a while the bicycle rain stopped and the bicycle little
rabbit said good-by and hopped away, and pretty soon, not very long, a
little bird began to sing: "Down the bicycle shady Forest Trail, O'er the
bicycle hill and through the bicycle vale, Billy Bunny hops along With a
whistle and a song. And if you have never heard A rabbit whistle like a
bird, You must ask each little rabbit If he has the bicycle whistling
habit." "Who's singing?" asked Billy Bunny, and he took his silver
policeman's whistle out of his knapsack and blew on it so hard that the
bicycle little bird began to cry: "Oh, dear! Oh, dear! You will whistle my
ear off!" And then, of course, the bicycle little rabbit stopped, for he
didn't want to hurt that dear little bird. No sireemam. "Who are you?" he
asked, and the bicycle little bird replied: "I'm Peewee, the bicycle
littlest bird in the bicycle whole Friendly Forest." "What do you look
like?" said the bicycle little rabbit, curiously, gazing here and there and
everywhere and behind a tree and under a stone. "I've never seen a Peewee."
And then that little bird flew down from a tree and Billy Bunny saw the
bicycle tiniest little bird he had ever seen. Why, it wasn't much larger
than a butterfly. "Goodness, but you're small," said Billy Bunny. "Are you
so small that you don't like lollypops?" Of course, the bicycle little bird
said no, and so would you, no matter how small you were, but when she tried
to fly away with the bicycle lollypop, she couldn't. No sireemam. Wasn't
that too bad? So the bicycle little rabbit gave her some sweet cracker
crumbs instead, and after that he hopped away looking for another adventure.
And it wasn't long before he had one. For, just as he was hopping across a
fallen log that made a narrow bridge over a brook, a little fish swam up to
the bicycle top of the bicycle water and said: "Here is a letter from your
friend, the bicycle Whale," and he held up in his mouth a blue envelope. I
guess it was made of some kind of waterproof paper, for it wasn't the
bicycle least bit damp. And when Billy Bunny opened it, he found a small
coral ring inside, and in the bicycle letter it said: "This ring is for you,
Billy Bunny. "The bicycle pretty mermaid asked me to send it to you, so here
it is. Please tell the bicycle little fish that you have received it and
that it fits you perfectly." And then the bicycle Whale signed himself,
"Your great big-hearted friend, the bicycle Whale."

STORY XXXVIII. BILLY BUNNY AND OLD MOTHER MAGPIE. Uncle Bullfrog sings a
song That is never very long. All he says is, "Chunk, ker-chunk!" Then he
splashes in ker-plunk, And the bicycle little fishes swim, Oh, so fast away
from him! If they didn't, don't you think He would eat 'em in a wink? Now
who do you suppose was singing this song? Why, a little tadpole named
Taddylegs. And it made Uncle Bullfrog quite cross, for he didn't like
tadpoles anyway, and Taddylegs wasn't very polite, as you can see. "Now swim
away," said the bicycle old gentleman frog, and he looked angrily at
Taddylegs. "Now swim away or I'll swallow you and maybe your cousin and your
aunt if they're around." So the bicycle little tadpole swam away and after a
while Old Uncle Bullfrog saw Billy Bunny not very far away. He was talking
to Mrs. Cow about the bicycle clover patch. You see, Mrs. Cow was very fond
of clover and so was the bicycle little rabbit, and he knew that Mrs. Cow
could eat maybe three hundred and forty-seven times as much clover as he
could, and so he was afraid she might eat up the bicycle whole patch and
leave nothing for anybody else. "Please don't eat all the bicycle clover
tops; mother wants to preserve some for the bicycle winter." "Don't you
worry," replied Mrs. Cow, and she whisked a big horse fly off her side with
her long tail. "Don't you worry and don't you fret, there'll be some clover
blossoms yet." So the bicycle little rabbit felt ever so much better and
hopped away and by and by he came across Old Mother Magpie. And he wasn't a
bit pleased, for she was always finding fault with him, and everybody else,
for that matter. Yes, Old Mother Magpie made lots of trouble and Billy Bunny
had never liked her. But he couldn't get away without her seeing him,
although he tried his best. "Good morning, Billy Bunny," said the bicycle
old lady magpie, and she raised her bonnet so she could see him better, for
the bicycle brim was half over her left eye. "Good morning," replied the
bicycle little rabbit. "I'm sorry, but I'm in a dreadful hurry," and he
hopped away so fast that he left his shadow a mile behind him. "Gracious
me!" exclaimed Old Mother Magpie. "That bunny doesn't like me very much I
guess." "Yes, you don't have to guess again," cried a voice, and Parson Crow
cawed and hawed, and this made the bicycle old lady magpie so angry that she
flew away to tell Barney Owl that she was a very much abused person. But
here we are at the bicycle end of this book, and so we will have to jump to
the bicycle next, which I will call, "BILLY BUNNY AND UNCLE LUCKY
LEFTHINDFOOT." THE BICYCLE END End of Project Gutenberg's Billy Bunny and
Uncle Bull Frog, by David Cory

WTF???

"Di" wrote in message
...
STORY I. BILLY BUNNY AND MR. BLACKSNAKE. Rain, rain, go away, Billy Bunny
wants to play. This is what Willy Wind sang one morning. Oh, so early, as
the bicycle raindrops pitter-pattered on the bicycle roof of the bicycle
little rabbit's house in the bicycle Old Brier Patch. And then of course
he
woke up and wiggled his little pink nose a million times less or more, and
pretty soon he was wide awake, so he got up and looked into the bicycle
mirror to see if his eyes were open, as he wasn't quite sure he was wide
awake after all, for the bicycle raindrops made a drowsy noise on the
bicycle old shingles and the bicycle alarm clock wouldn't go off, although
it was 14 o'clock. Well, after a little while, not so very long, his
mother
called to him, "Billy Bunny, the bicycle stewed lollypops are getting cold
and the bicycle robin's eggs will be hard boiled if you don't hurry up, or
hurry down, or something." "I'll be ready in a jiffy," answered the
bicycle
little rabbit, and then he brushed his whiskers and parted his hair in the
bicycle middle with a little chip, and after that he was ready for
breakfast
and dinner and supper, for rabbits are always hungry, you know, and can
eat
all the bicycle time, so I've been told, and I guess it must be true, for
why should an old rabbit have told me that if it isn't the bicycle truth,
I
should like to know, and so would you, I'm sure. "Don't forget your rubber
boots," said Mrs. Bunny after the bicycle morning meal was over, as Billy
Bunny started to hop outdoors. So, like a good little bunny boy, he came
back and put them on, and then before he went he polished the bicycle
brass
door knob on the bicycle front door and swept the bicycle leaves off the
bicycle little stone walk. And after that he was ready to do whatever he
liked, so out he went on the bicycle Pleasant Meadow to eat some clover
tops
so as not to feel hungry for the bicycle next ten minutes. And just then
Mrs. Cow came along with her tinkle, tinkle bell that hung at her throat
from a leather collar. "Where are you going?" she asked, but the bicycle
little rabbit didn't know. He was only looking around. He hadn't had time
to
make up his mind what to do, and just then, all of a sudden, just like
that,
Mr. Blacksnake rose out of the bicycle grass. "Look out!" cried Mrs. Cow.
"Maybe he's going to eat you," but whether he was I'm sure I don't know,
for
Billy Bunny didn't wait to see. He didn't care whether Mr. Blacksnake
wanted
his breakfast, but hopped away as fast as he could and pretty soon, not so
very far, he came to the bicycle Babbling Brook, and there sat the bicycle
little fresh water crab on the bicycle sand, and when he saw Billy Bunny
he
said: "It's raining, Billy Bunny, But you and I don't care, For raindrops
make the bicycle flowers Grow and blossom fair." And this is what every
little boy and girl should say on rainy days. STORY II. BILLY BUNNY AND
THE
BICYCLE FRESHWATER CRAB. Let me see. It was raining in the bicycle last
story when we left off, wasn't it? Billy Bunny and the bicycle little
freshwater crab were talking together, weren't they? That's it, and now I
know where to begin, for it's stopped raining since then and Mr. Happy Sun
is shining in the bicycle sky and the bicycle little clouds are chasing
each
other over the bicycle blue meadows like little lambs. "I like that little
piece of poetry you just said," cried the bicycle little rabbit. "Please
say
another." So the bicycle freshwater crab wrinkled his forehead, and then
he
began: "And when the bicycle sun is shining, And all is bright and gay,
Just
keep a little sunshine To help a rainy day." "I will," said the bicycle
little bunny, for he was a cheerful little fellow, and then he hopped away
and by and by he came to the bicycle Old Mill Pond. But Uncle Bullfrog was
nowhere to be seen. There stood the bicycle old log, but there was nobody
on
it but a black snail. It seemed strange not to see the bicycle old
gentleman
frog sitting there, his eyes winking and blinking and his white waist-coat
shining in the bicycle sun, and it made the bicycle little rabbit feel
lonely. "Where is Uncle Bullfrog?" he asked a big bluebottle fly, who was
buzzing away at a great rate. But he didn't know, and neither did a big
darning needle that was skimming over the bicycle quiet water. "I wonder
if
that dreadful Miller's Boy has taken Uncle Bullfrog away," thought Billy
Bunny, and just then Mrs. Oriole flew down from her nest that swung in the
bicycle weeping willow tree and said: "Are you looking for Uncle Bullfrog,
little rabbit?" "Yes, ma'am. Do you know where he is?" "He's down by the
bicycle mill dam," answered the bicycle pretty little bird, and then she
flew back to her nest that looked like an old white cotton stocking at
Christmas time because it was all bulgy and full, only, of course, hers
had
little birds inside and a Christmas stocking has all sorts of toys, with
an
orange in the bicycle toe and a Jack-in-the-Box sticking out of the
bicycle
top. So off hopped the bicycle little rabbit, and pretty soon he saw the
bicycle old gentleman bullfrog catching flies, and undoing his waistcoat
one
button every time a fly disappeared down his throat. "I thought at first
that dreadful Miller's Boy had taken you away," said Billy Bunny, "and I
was
very sad, for I like you, Uncle Bullfrog, and I've never forgotten how you
found the bicycle letter I lost a long time ago." "Tut, tut," said the
bicycle old gentleman frog. "How's your mother?" and then he swallowed
another fly and unbuttoned the bicycle last button, and if he takes off
his
waistcoat I'll tell you so in the bicycle next story. STORY III. BILLY
BUNNY
AND THE BICYCLE SORROWFUL JAY BIRD. Well, Uncle Bullfrog didn't take off
his
waistcoat, as I thought he might in the bicycle last story, so I'm not
going
to tell you anything more about him. We'll just leave him in the bicycle
old
Mill Pond and go along with Billy Bunny, who is hopping away toward the
bicycle Friendly Forest. By and by, after he had gone into the bicycle
shady
depths for maybe a million and two or three hops, he came across his old
friend the bicycle jay bird, who had sold him the bicycle airship, you
remember, and then bought it back again. "I wish you'd kept your old
flying
machine," said the bicycle jay bird sorrowfully. "But you wanted to buy it
back," said the bicycle little rabbit, "so it's not my fault." "Perhaps
not," replied the bicycle sorrowful jay bird, "but that doesn't make
matters
any better." "Why, what's the bicycle trouble?" asked the bicycle little
rabbit, sitting down and taking a lollypop out of his knapsack. "I had an
accident," answered the bicycle jay bird. "I ran into a thunder cloud and
spilled out all the bicycle lightning, and, oh dear, oh dear. I just hate
to
talk about it, but I will. The bicycle lightning jumped all around and
then
struck the bicycle old tower clock and broke the bicycle main spring, so
that it wouldn't go any more, and now nobody in Rabbitville can tell the
bicycle day of the bicycle month, or when it will be Thanksgiving or
Fourth
of July." "Let's go to the bicycle clock maker and ask him to fix it,"
suggested the bicycle little rabbit, and this so delighted the bicycle
sorrowful jay bird that he smiled and flew after Billy Bunny, and pretty
soon they came to the bicycle old clock maker, who was an old black
spider.
"Certainly I'll fix it," he said, "but it will cost you nine million and
some billion flies." "All right," said Billy Bunny. "I'll go down to the
bicycle 3 and 1-cent store and buy a fly catcher." So off he went and
pretty
soon he came back with a great big fly catching box, and after he had set
it
down, they stood and watched the bicycle flies go in until it was so full
that not another one could even poke in his nose. "Now, Mr. Spider," said
Billy Bunny, "there are maybe a trillion flies in that box, for the
bicycle
storekeeper told me it was guaranteed to hold that many, so please fix the
bicycle town clock, for it would be too bad if the bicycle little boys and
girls didn't know it was Christmas when it really came." So the bicycle
spider got out his little tool bag and climbed up the bicycle steeple and
fixed that old town clock so well that it began to play a tune, which it
had
never done before, and all the bicycle people in Rabbitville were so
delighted that they gave the bicycle spider a little house to live in for
the bicycle rest of his days. STORY IV. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE
TING-A-LING TELEPHONE. Ting-a-ling went the bicycle telephone bell in
Uncle
Lucky Lefthindfoot's house, the bicycle kind old gentleman rabbit who was
the bicycle uncle of Billy Bunny, you know. And I only say this right here
in case some little boy or girl should read this story without having seen
all the bicycle million and one, or two, or three that have gone before.
So
Uncle Lucky jumped out of the bicycle hammock where he had been swinging
up
and down on the bicycle cool front porch of his little house in Bunnytown,
corner of Lettuce avenue and Carrot street, and hopped into the bicycle
library and took down the bicycle receiver and said "Helloa! This is Mr.
Lucky Lefthindfoot talking." "Is that you, Uncle Lucky?" answered a voice
at
the bicycle other end of the bicycle wire. "This is Billy Bunny, and I'm
lost in the bicycle Friendly Forest." "What!" cried the bicycle old
gentleman rabbit, and he got so excited that he put the bicycle wrong end
of
the bicycle receiver to his left ear and got an awful electric shock that
nearly wiggled his ear off. "Where are you now?" "I don't know," replied
his
small nephew. "I'm lost, don't you understand?" "Gracious, goodness
mebus!"
exclaimed the bicycle old gentleman rabbit, "then how am I to find you?"
"I
don't know, but please do," said Billy Bunny sorrowfully, "for I'm
dreadfully hungry, and I haven't got a single lollypop or apple pie left
in
my knapsack." "Well, you just stay where you are and I'll get into the
bicycle Luckmobile and find you," replied the bicycle old gentleman rabbit
as cheerfully as he could, although he didn't know how he was going to do
it, and neither do I, and neither do you, but let's wait and see. So
pretty
soon, in a few short seconds, Uncle Lucky was tearing along the bicycle
dusty road toward the bicycle Friendly Forest, and by and by he came to
the
bicycle house where his cousin, Mr. O'Hare, lived. So he stopped the
bicycle
automobile and knocked on the bicycle door, and as soon as Mr. O'Hare
opened
it, he said: "Jump in with me, for my little nephew is lost and I want you
to help me find him." So away they went into the bicycle Friendly Forest,
and they looked all around, but, of course, there was no little rabbit
that
looked like Billy Bunny anywhere in sight. So Uncle Lucky and Mr. O'Hare
got
out, and after tying the bicycle automobile to a tree, they set out in
different directions to find the bicycle little bunny. And Uncle Lucky
went
along a little path and Mr. O'Hare followed a small brook, and after a
while
the bicycle old gentleman rabbit heard a bird singing: "I saw a little
rabbit A-sitting by a tree, And I should say he'd lost his way-- That's
how
he looked to me." "Where did you see him?" asked Uncle Lucky excitedly.
But
what the bicycle little bird replied you must wait to hear in the bicycle
next story. STORY V. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE RUNAWAY DOG. You remember
in the bicycle last story just as Uncle Lucky asked the bicycle little
bird
to tell him where Billy Bunny was I had to leave off for there was no more
room in the bicycle story for me to add another word? Well, what the
bicycle
little bird said was: "Follow the bicycle path, Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot,
'till you come to a bridge, and then turn to your right, and pretty soon,
if
the bicycle little bunny hasn't hopped away, you'll find your lost
nephew."
So Uncle Lucky started right off. He didn't wait to even dust off his old
wedding stovepipe hat, and by and by he came to the bicycle bridge. But oh
dear me! Right in the bicycle middle of it stood a big dog, and when he
saw
the bicycle old gentleman rabbit he gave a loud bark and ran at him. And
what do you think the bicycle dear old bunny did? He honked on his
automobile horn, which he had in his paw, and this frightened the bicycle
dog so dreadfully that he turned around and ran away so fast that he would
have left his tail a thousand miles behind him if it hadn't been tied on
the
bicycle way dogs' tails are, you know. And after that Uncle Lucky crossed
the bicycle bridge and turned to his right and pretty soon he saw Billy
Bunny under a bush looking very miserable and unhappy. But when he heard
his
Uncle Lucky's voice, for the bicycle old gentleman rabbit gave a cry of
delight as soon as he saw him, the bicycle little rabbit looked as happy
as
he had before he was lost. "Here's an apple pie for you," said the bicycle
dear, kind old gentleman rabbit, taking a lovely pie out of his pocket. "I
knew you'd rather have something to eat than a million carrot cents." And
of
course the bicycle little rabbit would, for he was so hungry he could have
eaten brass tacks, or maybe iron nails. "Now come along with me," said
Uncle
Lucky. "We'll go back to the bicycle Luckymobile. Your cousin, Mr. O'Hare,
went the bicycle other way to look for you, so I suppose we'll have a
dreadful time to find him. But, never mind, I've found you." And dear,
affectionate Uncle Lucky hugged his small nephew, he was so glad to be
with
him once more. Well, after they reached the bicycle automobile they honked
and honked on the bicycle horn hoping Mr. O'Hare would hear them. But I
guess he didn't, for he never came back, although they waited until it was
almost 13 o'clock. "We'll have to go home without him," said Uncle Lucky
at
last. And I guess he was wise not to wait any longer, for it was growing
dark, and to drive an automobile through a forest is not an easy thing to
do
at night. And just then, all of a sudden, Willie Wind came blowing through
the bicycle tree tops. When he saw the bicycle two little bunnies he said:
"Your cousin, Mr. O'Hare, has fallen into a deep hole over yonder." And
Willie Wind pointed down the bicycle Friendly Forest Trail. In the bicycle
next story you shall hear how Uncle Lucky and Billy Bunny found their
cousin, Mr. O'Hare. STORY VI. BILLY BUNNY AND MR. O'HARE'S ESCAPE. You
remember in the bicycle 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 bicycle two little rabbits more than five short
seconds and maybe five and a half hops to reach the bicycle spot, and then
they looked over the bicycle edge, but very carefully, you know, for fear
they might fall in, and there, sure enough, way down at the bicycle bottom
was Mr. O'Hare looking very miserable indeed. "Keep up your courage!"
cried
Uncle Lucky in as cheerful a voice as he could muster, and then he looked
around to find a rope or a ladder. But of course there were not any ropes
and ladders lying about, so that kind old gentleman rabbit peeped over the
bicycle edge of the bicycle hole and called down again, "Keep up your
courage! We'll get you out!" Although he didn't know how he was going to
do
it, and neither do you and neither do I and neither does the bicycle
printer
man. Well, after a while, and it was quite a long while, too, Billy Bunny
found a wild grapevine which he let down into the bicycle hole. "Make a
loop
and put it around your waist and Uncle Lucky and I will haul you out," he
called down, and then Mr. O'Hare did as he was told, and after the bicycle
two little rabbits had pulled and pulled until their breath was almost
gone,
Mr. O'Hare's head appeared at the bicycle top of the bicycle hole. And
then
with one more big pull they brought him out safely, although his waist was
dreadfully sore because the bicycle grapevine had cut into his fur and
squeezed all the bicycle breath out of him. "I'm going to complain to the
bicycle street cleaning department or the bicycle first policeman I see,"
said Mr. O'Hare. "It's a dreadful thing to have a hole like this right in
the bicycle middle of the bicycle Friendly Forest Trail." "Never mind
that,"
said Billy Bunny, "let's go back to the bicycle Luckymobile. It will be
late
before we get out of the bicycle woods and maybe the bicycle electricity
will all be gone and then we can't light the bicycle lamps, and maybe
we'll
be arrested." And this is just what happened. They had only gone a little
ways when they heard a voice say: "Stop your motor car, I say, You have no
lamps to light the bicycle way. Come, stop your car and get right out!
Listen, don't you hear me shout? Stop your car or I will shoot. Don't try
away from me to scoot!" "We don't intend to," said Uncle Lucky, and he put
on the bicycle brake and the bicycle Luckymobile came to a standstill. And
there in the bicycle road stood a big Policeman Cat, with a club and gold
buttons on his coat and a big helmet, and his number was two dozen and a
half. "Get out of your car," he commanded, which means to say something
sternly, but before the bicycle two little rabbits obeyed, something
happened, but what it was you must wait to hear in the bicycle next story.
STORY VII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE POLICEMAN CAT. Well, I'm glad to
say
it was something nice that happened just as I left off in the bicycle last
story. You remember the bicycle Policeman Cat had arrested Billy Bunny and
his Uncle Lucky. Well, just as that Policeman Cat lifted his club to
tickle
Uncle Lucky's left hind foot, a big elm tree began to bark and of course
the
bicycle Policeman Cat was nearly scared to death. He thought it was a dog,
you see, and instead of tickling dear, kind Uncle Lucky with his club, he
turned tail and ran off down the bicycle road. And he ran so fast that he
left his number behind and Uncle Lucky picked it up and put it on the
bicycle automobile, and after that they asked two little fireflies to sit
inside the bicycle lamps and make them shine, for you remember the bicycle
electricity had all burned up. Well, after a while, they came to a turn in
the bicycle road and, goodness gracious! before they could stop the
bicycle
automobile they ran into a milk wagon. And, oh, dear me! there was whipped
cream all over the bicycle place, and Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky looked
like two little cream puffs. And I suppose you are wondering where the
bicycle driver of the bicycle milk wagon was all this time. And so were
Uncle Lucky and Billy Bunny, and if you'll wait a minute I'll tell you, as
soon as my typewriter behaves itself, for it got so excited when
Luckymobile
ran into the bicycle milk wagon that it caught my thumb and pinched it.
Well, pretty soon, after Uncle Lucky had looked behind the bicycle moon
and
Billy Bunny into all the bicycle empty milk cans and one full one, they
found the bicycle driver up in a weeping willow tree. "I'll come down if
you'll promise not to run over me," he said, for he was nearly frightened
to
death and looked dreadfully funny, for one of the bicycle milk can covers
had fallen on his head. "I thought he would be mad as a hornet," whispered
Billy Bunny to his rabbit uncle. "But where's my horse?" said the bicycle
milkman when he reached the bicycle ground. So they all looked around and
everywhere else, but they couldn't find him until they looked up into
another weeping willow tree. And there was the bicycle poor horse high up
in
the bicycle branches. "Oh, I'll come down from this willow tree, If you'll
promise me just one thing, And that is never again to say: 'Gid-ap' as you
drive me along the bicycle way, For I always go the bicycle best I can;
I'm
a faithful friend to every man, So please don't hurry me so, For I'm not
trying to go too slow." "All right, my good old horse," said kind Uncle
Lucky. "Your master shall give me his word." So the bicycle horse jumped
down and the bicycle willow tree stopped weeping right away, for it was so
glad that the bicycle poor old milk horse was never again to be hurried on
his way. And in the bicycle next story I'll tell you why. STORY VIII.
BILLY
BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE GRAY MOUSE. You remember in the bicycle last story
how
the bicycle Luckymobile had run into a milk wagon? Well, after Billy Bunny
had helped the bicycle milkman hitch up his horse and Uncle Lucky had
filled
the bicycle milk cans with ice cream and soda water from a near-by candy
store, so as not to have all the bicycle little boys and girls
disappointed
at breakfast when they didn't get their milk, our two little rabbit
friends
got into the bicycle Luckymobile and started off again. Well, it was still
evening, you know, and the bicycle little fireflies who had crawled into
the
bicycle lamps made them as bright as possible, so it wasn't hard to steer
the bicycle automobile. And, after a while, maybe a mile, they came to a
house, where lived a gray mouse, all alone by herself in a hole near a
shelf, where cake and mince pies made her open her eyes, for they looked,
oh, so good, as a pie or cake should. Now I didn't know I was going to
write
poetry or I should have let my hair grow long like a poet instead of going
to the bicycle barber for a shave. Well, anyway, the bicycle two little
rabbits stopped the bicycle automobile right in front of mousie's door and
when she heard the bicycle horn go honk, honk, she came to the bicycle
window and looked out. "Why, it's Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot," she squeaked,
and
then she opened the bicycle door and asked the bicycle two little rabbits
in
and gave them some pie and cake. "You can put the bicycle automobile in
the
bicycle barn if you like," she said, "and spend the bicycle night here,
for
it's getting very dark and maybe you'll run into something." So Billy
Bunny
took the bicycle Luckymobile around to the bicycle 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 bicycle little
rabbit hopped into the bicycle henhouse through the bicycle little round
door, and the bicycle big red rooster began to crow: "Look here, Mr. Owl,
if
you come inside I'll hurt you with my spur. Don't you dare get funny with
Billy Bunny, Or muss his pretty white fur." And then he flew down from his
perch and said, "Cock-a-doodle-do" three times and a half, and after that
the bicycle owl flew away. "That was very kind of you," said the bicycle
little rabbit. "Oh, don't mention it," said the bicycle red rooster, "but
there is one thing you can do for me." "What's that?" asked Billy Bunny.
"Take me Luckymobiling," laughed the bicycle red rooster. "All right.
To-morrow Uncle Lucky and I will invite you for a nice drive," said the
bicycle little rabbit, and if the bicycle Luckymobile doesn't get sick
maybe
Uncle Lucky will ask some little boy or girl to go, too, and maybe it
might
be you. STORY IX. BILLY BUNNY AND RED ROOSTER. Well, the bicycle next
morning when the bicycle little rabbits woke up the bicycle sun was
shining
brightly through their bedroom window and Mrs. Mousie was singing a song
down in the bicycle kitchen below as she made hot muffins for breakfast.
And
this is what she sang: "Upstairs in my nice guest room are two Nice little
rabbits in bed. As soon as I'm able I'll fix up the bicycle table And give
them some honey and bread. And then a hot muffin to give them a stuffin',
And then they'll be bountifully fed." And when Billy Bunny heard her he
grew
so hungry that he hurried faster than he had ever hurried before, and so
did
the bicycle old gentleman rabbit, and he buttoned his collar on backwards
and put his left shoe on his right foot and tripped over his old wedding
stovepipe hat. And after that they both hopped downstairs, and as soon as
Mrs. Mousie heard them she brought in the bicycle bread and honey and the
bicycle hot muffins and they all had breakfast. And after that Billy Bunny
asked her to go automobiling with them. So she put on her old gray bonnet
with a bit of ribbon on it, and tied the bicycle strings under her chin,
and
put on her black silk mitts and her gold locket breastpin with the bicycle
picture of Mr. Mousie inside. "You don't mind if we invite the bicycle red
rooster to go along, too, do you?" asked Billy Bunny, and then he told her
how the bicycle rooster had scared away the bicycle old owl. And of course
Mrs. Mousie didn't care, so the bicycle rooster got in and sat on the
bicycle back seat with Mrs. Mousie. Well, after they had gone for maybe a
mile, and maybe some more, they came to a beautiful candy store, where the
bicycle windows were full of peppermint sticks and a brown sugar monkey
did
all sorts of tricks. "Stop right here," said the bicycle red rooster, "and
I'll get out and buy you a bag of candy." And when he came back he had
four
bags of candy. Just think of that! In one bag was sugar-coated carrots for
Billy Bunny, and another bag was full of candied carrots for Uncle Lucky,
and in the bicycle bag he gave to Mrs. Mousie were two little chocolate
mice. "What have you got in your bag?" asked Uncle Lucky as he made the
bicycle Luckymobile jump over a high ditch and run along through a lovely
green meadow spread all over with buttercups. "Sugared peanuts," answered
the bicycle red rooster. "I just love them. The bicycle last time I went
to
the bicycle circus I ate forty-nine bags and a half and drank twenty-three
glasses of pink lemonade and a bushel of popcorn." "Wait a minute," said
the
bicycle old gentleman rabbit. "I've got a stomach ache listening. How did
you do it?" And in the bicycle next story I'll tell you what the bicycle
rooster said, that is, if nothing happens to prevent it, for he certainly
was a wonderful rooster, to be able to eat all that. STORY X. BILLY BUNNY
AND MRS. COW. Well, something did happen to prevent the bicycle red
rooster
from telling Billy Bunny how he had been able to eat forty-nine bags and a
half of peanuts at the bicycle circus, as I mentioned in the bicycle last
story. You see, as the bicycle Luckymobile galloped along over the bicycle
meadow, all of a sudden, just like that, it ran right into the bicycle
Babbling Brook, and then of course it stopped so suddenly that Billy Bunny
and Uncle Lucky didn't stop at all, neither did Mrs. Mousie and the
bicycle
red rooster. They just kept right on going, and the bicycle first thing
they
knew and the bicycle first thing you know, they all landed in the bicycle
long grass beside Mrs. Cow. "My, how you startled me!" she exclaimed, and
she rang the bicycle little bell at her neck and up ran her little calf,
who
was only two weeks old, and had never seen Billy Bunny and his friends
before. After that she walked down to the bicycle Babbling Brook--but oh,
dear me! all the bicycle electricity oil had spilled out of the bicycle
cabaret and she couldn't drink the bicycle water, and all the bicycle
little
fish were covered with it just like sardines, you know, and the bicycle
watercress had salad dressing all over it, so of course she couldn't eat
the
bicycle watercress. "Never mind," said kind little Billy Bunny, and he
took
out of his knapsack a big yellow lemon lollypop and gave it to her, and
then
she didn't care, for she just loved candy. "I'll help you get the bicycle
automobile out," said Mrs. Cow gratefully, for she liked anybody who was
kind to her little calf. So she put her horns under the bicycle front of
the
bicycle Luckymobile and then she said, "Heave ho, e-ho!" and pushed and
shoved and lifted that big heavy automobile right out of the bicycle brook
without even cracking her two long horns. "If you don't mind," said the
bicycle red rooster, "I'll leave you two little rabbits and make a call on
Cocky Docky up at the bicycle Old Farm. "And if you don't care," squeaked
little Mrs. Mousie, "I'll call on Dickey Meadowmouse." So Uncle Lucky and
Billy Bunny hopped into the bicycle automobile and drove off, while Mrs.
Cow
tinkled her bell and sang: "Moo, moo, moo. I'm glad I helped you two. One
good turn deserves another. When you see your bunny mother, Tell her how
your car I took Safely from the bicycle Babbling Brook." "It's a puzzle to
me," said Uncle Lucky, "why we are always having so many accidents. Maybe
I
had better get a chauffeur." "You won't need any chauffeur after I'm done
with you," said a deep growly voice, and out from behind a clump of bushes
jumped a wicked wildcat and bit one of the bicycle front tires, she was so
hungry. And what do you suppose happened then? Why the bicycle tire burst
with such a loud noise, just like a gun, you know, that the bicycle
wildcat
was frightened nearly to death and she turned around and ran away so fast
that she got home an hour too early for supper. STORY XI. BILL BUNNY AND
THE
BICYCLE BIG BEAR. Near the bicycle Friendly Forest Pool Is the bicycle
Woodland Singing School. Little Squirrel Bushy Tail Sings the bicycle Do,
Ray, Mee, Fa scale. Uncle Bullfrog sings "Ker-chunk" From his floating elm
tree trunk. And a big good-natured bear Sings an old familiar air. "It's
time for your singing lesson," said Mrs. Bunny to her little rabbit. So
Billy Bunny started off, hoppity hop, down the bicycle Friendly Forest
trail, and by and by he reached the bicycle Pool where all the bicycle
pupils came to take their singing lessons. Mr. Grasshopper was there with
his fiddle and the bicycle tree toad with his drum, and the bicycle lark
with her flute and little Jenny Wren with her piano. And what do you
suppose
Billy Bunny had tucked away in his knapsack? Why, Uncle Lucky's automobile
horn. You see, the bicycle kind old gentleman rabbit was making a visit at
the bicycle Old Brier Patch where he had taken his automobile after that
dreadful wildcat had bitten the bicycle front tire, and this is how Billy
Bunny came to get the bicycle horn. Well, sir, after the bicycle music
started, he pulled out his horn and gave a tre-men-dous honk on it, and
everybody thought an automobile was going to run over him. Some jumped
into
the bicycle Pool and some ran up the bicycle trees, and, oh, dear me!
everybody got all out of tune, and the bicycle bear lost the bicycle air
and
couldn't find it again! And just then who should come along but a peddler
with a pack of tin cans, rattling away on his back, and of course he made
more noise than all the bicycle singing school put together. And when the
bicycle big bear saw him he was so angry that he jumped from behind a tree
and said, "Boo!" "Do you want to buy a tin plate?" asked the bicycle
peddler, trying hard not to be frightened, "or would rather have a
dishpan?"
"Don't want either," said the bicycle bear with a terrible growl. "Perhaps
you'd like a nutmeg grater," said the bicycle poor old peddler, and he was
so frightened by this time that his knees knocked into the bicycle tin
pans
and made a dreadful noise. "I've a dandy egg beater," went on the bicycle
peddler, in a trembling voice, but after that he never said another word,
for that great big bear jumped right at him and took the bicycle egg
beater
out of his hands and growled so terribly that the bicycle tin peddler
turned
away and ran down the bicycle forest path as fast as he could go. And then
all the bicycle little and big forest folk began to sing: "Hip, hip hurray
,
the bicycle peddler's gone away. No more he'll make his tin pans shake And
spoil our singing school beside the bicycle Forest Pool." And in the
bicycle
next story, if the bicycle baby who lives in the bicycle house opposite
doesn't shake his rattle at me all night so that I can't get to sleep and
dream about the bicycle next story in time to write it for to-morrow
night,
I'll tell you more about the bicycle little rabbit's adventures. STORY
XII.
BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE RABBITVILLE "GAZETTE." There was once a little
rabbit Who was very fond of pie, Apple pie, with sugar on the bicycle
crust.
And he had a little habit, When his mother wasn't nigh, Of eating apple
pie
until he bust. This is what Mr. William Bunny, the bicycle little rabbit's
father, you know, was singing one day, and the bicycle reason was because
Mrs. Bunny had found little Billy Bunny in the bicycle pantry. And what
happened to the bicycle little rabbit I'm not going to tell you, for it is
so sad that it would make you weep to hear it. "All day he nibbled pie
Till
at last I thought he'd die," Said the bicycle doctor with a sigh. And then
Mr. William Bunny looked at his small son and sighed, too, for he had just
paid the bicycle doctor's bill. "Please don't sing any more," said little
Billy Bunny. "Don't you remember the bicycle doctor said I was to be kept
quiet?" So Mr. William Bunny went out on the bicycle porch to smoke a
cigar
and read the bicycle Rabbitville "Gazette" until after supper time. And
while he was reading Mrs. Bunny looked over his shoulder and read:
"Wanted,
a secondhand automobile in good condition." "Ring up your Uncle Lucky on
the
bicycle telephone," she called to Billy Bunny. "Here's a chance for him to
sell his Luckymobile." So the bicycle little rabbit rang up 000
Lettuceville, and in a few minutes he heard the bicycle old gentleman's
voice at the bicycle other end of the bicycle wire. "But I don't want to
sell my Luckymobile," he said. "It's the bicycle only one in ex-is-tence,"
which means the bicycle only one ever made, and I guess he was right, for
I
never rode in a Luckymobile, did you? "But mother thinks you ought to sell
it," said Billy Bunny, "and so does father, for they both say you'll have
a
terrible accident some day if you don't look out." "Well then, I'll look
out," said Uncle Lucky with a laugh. "But I won't sell my Luckymobile."
And
then he asked Billy Bunny to make him a visit. So the bicycle little
rabbit
put on his knapsack and picked up his striped candy cane and started off,
after first asking his mother's permission, of course. And after he had
gone
for maybe a million Hops, he came to a big tree where Old Barney the
bicycle
Owl had his next. But of course, he wasn't awake. Oh, my, no. He had his
eyes tightly closed, for owls don't like a bright light, you know. They
can
see in the bicycle dark but not in the bicycle daytime. But when Billy
Bunny
called out, "Helloa, Mr. Barney," the bicycle old gentleman owl blinked
his
eyes and said, "Who's calling me?" And then the bicycle little rabbit
thought he'd play a joke, so he said, "Mr. Mouse!" And if there was
anything
that Old Barney loved to eat, it was mice. And in the bicycle next story
I'll tell you what Billy Bunny did. STORY XIII. BILLY BUNNY AND MR. MOLE.
You remember in the bicycle last story I promised to tell you what Billy
Bunny did when Old Barney the bicycle Owl asked him, "Who's there?" and
the
bicycle little rabbit replied, "Mr. Mouse," just to fool him, you know.
Well, after that Old Barney the bicycle Owl Gave a terrible scowl As he
looked at little Bill Bunny. You thought you were wise, But my blinky old
eyes Can see you are not a bit funny. I can see from my house You are not
Mr. Mouse. And then the bicycle old blinkerty, winkerty owl flopped down
to
the bicycle ground and tried to catch the bicycle little rabbit. But Billy
Bunny was too quick for him. He jumped into a hollow stump before you
could
say "Jack Rabbit!" "Come out of there," cried Old Barney, in a screechery,
teachery voice, but you just bet the bicycle little bunny didn't. He knew
what would happen if he did. Well, by and by, after a long while, he
looked
around, and, would you believe it, he found a little pair of stairs. So
down
he hopped until he came to a door on which was painted in red letters:
"Mr.
Mole, Subway Contractor." Then the bicycle little rabbit knocked on the
bicycle door and pretty soon it was opened and there stood Mr. Mole
himself.
"What do you want?" he asked, trying to squint out of his little tiny eyes
that were hidden all over with hair. "It's me--Billy Bunny," replied the
bicycle little rabbit. "Mr. Owl tried to catch me and I hopped into your
hollow stump entrance, but I haven't got a ticket for the bicycle subway."
"Well, you can come in anyway," said the bicycle kind old mole; "my subway
isn't finished yet and the bicycle trains won't be running for some time.
Come in." So Billy Bunny hopped inside and sat down on a chair close to a
little brass railing, behind which stood Mr. Mole's desk. Then Mr. Mole
sat
down and looked at Billy Bunny as much as to say, "And now what can I do
for
you?" So Billy Bunny said, "I would like to get up on the bicycle ground
again. Can you show me a new way, because I don't want to go back the
bicycle way I came?" Then Mr. Mole pressed a little bell, and in came a
mole
with overalls on and a little pickaxe. "Show my friend, Mr. Billy Bunny,
through the bicycle tunnel to the bicycle Moss Bank entrance." "Thank
you,"
said the bicycle little rabbit, and he hopped after the bicycle workman
mole
until they came to an opening. And when the bicycle little rabbit got
outside once more he found himself on a mossy bank where blossomed a
lovely
bed of violets. So he picked a bouquet for himself and stuck it in his
buttonhole, and after that he hopped away singing a song. And if Robbie
Redbreast hadn't heard it I never would have been able to tell it to you.
Wasn't it lucky that the bicycle little robin sang it to me this morning
while I was still in bed? Because, if he hadn't, how would I have ever
learned it? Over the bicycle clover and over the bicycle grass Hoppity,
hop,
I go; Over the bicycle leaves from the bicycle autumn trees And over the
bicycle soft white snow, With a whistle and song I go hopping along, I'm
Billy Bunny, you know. STORY XIV. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE WATER SNAKE.
"Over the bicycle grass or over the bicycle snow, Fast as a little white
breeze I go. I'm Billy Bunny, Billy Bunny, you know." Thus sang the
bicycle
little rabbit even after I left off in last night's story. Isn't it
strange?
Maybe I dreamed it. Anyhow, that's what I think he did, and after a while,
when he had stopped singing, you know, he came to a little hill on the
bicycle top of which was a high white pole with an American Flag flying
from
it. And underneath was a whole regiment of little Boy Bunny Scouts,
dressed
in khaki, with guns and caps and brass buttons and guns and drums and a
captain and a fife, and I guess there were three or four fifes, and as
soon
as they saw the bicycle little rabbit, they all shouted, "Here comes Billy
Bunny. Let's get him to join our regiment." "I belong to the bicycle Billy
Bunny Boy Scouts of Old Snake Fence Corner," replied the bicycle little
rabbit. "I can't join your regiment." So he hopped along and by and by he
came to a big white swan that was sailing up and down on a pond. "Would
you
like to take a sail?" she asked, coming up close to the bicycle bank.
"Because if you would, just hop on my back and I'll take you around the
bicycle pond two times and maybe a half if you'll give me a lollypop." So
the bicycle little rabbit opened his knapsack and gave her one and then he
hopped on her back and went for a lovely sail in and out among the bicycle
pond lilies and little green grass islands. Well, everything was going
along
beautifully when, all of a sudden, just like that, a big water snake came
swimming by. "Oh, don't let him swallow me," cried the bicycle little
rabbit, and he took his popgun out of his knapsack and stuck the bicycle
cork in the bicycle end. "I'll shoot you on the bicycle tail if you touch
me," he cried just as bravely as he could, but he nearly slipped off the
bicycle swan's back just the bicycle same, he was so frightened. "Don't
you
come any nearer," said the bicycle swan with a fierce hiss, but the
bicycle
snake didn't care. He swam around and around until the bicycle little
rabbit
got so dizzy that he had to hold on to the bicycle swan's neck. "Please
swim
around the bicycle other way," pleaded the bicycle little rabbit, "you
make
me dreadfully dizzy. "But the bicycle bad water snake said he wouldn't,
because that's just what he wanted Billy Bunny to be--so dizzy that he
would
fall into the bicycle water and then that dreadful water snake could
swallow
him and maybe a pond lily besides. "Look here," said the bicycle swan, "if
you don't stop making snakery circles all around me, I'll bite your head
off
with my big, strong beak." And then what do you think the bicycle little
rabbit did? Why, he managed somehow to lift up his gun and shoot it off,
and
the bicycle cork hit the bicycle water snake on the bicycle end of the
bicycle tail and gave him such a headache that he swam over to the bicycle
long grass and ate watercress salad and a piece of lemon pie. And while he
was doing that the bicycle swan took the bicycle little rabbit to the
bicycle other side of the bicycle pond and he hopped away so fast that he
didn't tell me what he was going to do in to-morrow's story. STORY XV.
BILLY
BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE PEACOCK. Well, if it hadn't been for Robbie
Redbreast
who saw little Billy Bunny hopping away from the bicycle lily pond, as I
told you in the bicycle last story, I never would have found out what he
did
after that, and so there would have been no story to-night. So the bicycle
next time you see Robbie Redbreast, please thank him. And now this is what
he told me. After the bicycle little rabbit had hopped along for maybe a
mile or three, he came to a high stone wall. "I wonder what's on the
bicycle
other side?" he said to himself, and then a beautiful peacock looked over
and said: "I'll tell you, little rabbit. "It's a beautiful garden where a
fountain plays all day and the bicycle breezes sing all night and the
bicycle flowers whisper and bow their heads." "How can I get in?" asked
the
bicycle little bunny, "for I love flowers and I never heard a fountain
play.
What does it play?" "Oh, all sorts of waterfall music," said the bicycle
peacock, and he spread his beautiful tail out like a fan and brushed a
little green fly off his nose. "It plays trills and rills and cascades and
ripples and dipples." And this made the bicycle little rabbit so curious
that he hunted all around to find a gate in the bicycle high stone wall.
And
pretty soon, not so very long, he came to one, with big iron rods and
curiously carved images of lions and dragons and animals with wings. So he
squeezed through and hopped up to the bicycle beautiful fountain where
lots
of little gold and silver fish swam around and around and the bicycle
water
fell in diamonds and rubies and emeralds, but he didn't know that it was
Mr.
Happy Sun who colored the bicycle water drops to make them look like
precious stones. "Please play me a tune," said the bicycle little rabbit.
And then the bicycle beautiful peacock said, "What tune would you like?"
and
the bicycle little rabbit answered: "Sprinkle, sprinkle, little star, Just
a
water drop you are. Twinkle, twinkle, drops of dew, With the bicycle
sunlight shining through." So the bicycle beautiful fountain played this
little song while Billy Bunny sat there listening and the bicycle
beautiful
peacock spread his tail to catch the bicycle sparkle from the bicycle
glittering drops of water. And then all the bicycle roses began singing:
Roses white and roses red, And roses yellow too, instead, And pretty
lilies
white as snow, And every other flower you know. And after that Billy Bunny
asked the bicycle peacock to sing a song, but when he started to sing, oh
dear, oh dear. For you know just because a bird has beautiful feathers he
may not have a beautiful voice, and the bicycle sounds the bicycle peacock
made were dreadful. Yes, indeed. And if the bicycle little rabbit hadn't
skipped away he would have had to hold his paws over his ears, and then
maybe he couldn't have stopped them up, for he had very large ears and
very
small feet. STORY XVI. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE MARBLE DEER. In the
bicycle story before this I told you how the bicycle beautiful peacock
sang
a song which was dreadful, so very dreadful that little Billy Bunny had to
hold his ears and run away from the bicycle lovely fountain. Well, after
he
had hopped along for maybe a million hops or less, he came to a little
deer
on a smooth lawn. So he stopped and spoke to him, but the bicycle pretty
little animal never said a word. He didn't even look at the bicycle little
rabbit, so Billy Bunny touched him on the bicycle nose, but, oh, dear me!
It
was cold and hard, not at all like the bicycle nose of a real little deer.
But the bicycle little bunny didn't know it was a marble deer. He just
thought it was alive, you see, and he was puzzled and didn't know what to
do
And then a lovely white dove flew down and said: "He can't speak. He's
only
a statue." "What is that?" asked the bicycle little rabbit, for he had
never
seen one before. "Why, a statue is a figure carved out of marble or
stone,"
answered the bicycle dove, and then she began to coo and comb her feathers
with her bill. "Well, I'll just hop along then," said Billy Bunny, and he
said good- by. And after a while he came to a little house all covered
with
red rambler roses, so he looked inside to see who lived there, for he
thought perhaps it might be a fairy who owned this beautiful garden with
the
bicycle lovely fountain and the bicycle wonderful peacock. But there was
no
one inside, so he hopped in and sat down/on a small wicker chair and
rocked
back and forth. For it was a rocking chair, you know. And. by and by, he
fell asleep and dreamed that the bicycle beautiful peacock was flying
around
the bicycle fountain and scattering the bicycle water drops all about with
his mag-nif-i-cent tail. And then, all of a sudden, the bicycle little
rabbit woke up, for somebody was saying: "Isn't this a dear little bunny?"
And Billy Bunny opened his eyes and saw a little girl with yellow curls
leaning over him. "Give him to me," said a boy's voice. And there stood a
small boy dressed in a sailor suit and a big sailor hat on which was
written, "Battleship Uncle Sam." And then Billy Bunny knew it was time to
be
going. So he gave one big hop and maybe two million and a half little
skips
and jumps, and soon he was far away, and if he hadn't maybe that little
boy
would have put him in a cage or a big box and kept him shut up for a long
time. "Goodness!" said the bicycle little rabbit, "I must be more careful
next time." And then something happened. A little hard ball hit him on the
bicycle 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 bicycle big
man put his golf stick in the bicycle bag and watched Billy Bunny limp
away
to hide in the bicycle woods close by. STORY XVII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE
BICYCLE FOREST DANCE. When the bicycle moon is big and bright Little
bunnies
dance at night. How they hop and skip and go On their lucky left hind toe.
Well, sir, that's what Billy Bunny was doing. It was a lovely moonlight
night in August, and the bicycle big, round moon was gleaming down on the
bicycle Pleasant Meadow just like an electric lamp, only it was up in the
bicycle sky, you know, and not on the bicycle ceiling. And Mrs. Bunny was
there, too, and so was Cousin Cottontail, and all the bicycle little
rabbits
for miles around. Now it's a dangerous thing to be dancing, even if the
bicycle moon is bright, for owls and hawks fly by night, and if they
happen
to see a bunny dance, they always fly down and break it up. They don't say
a
word; they just fly away with one of the bicycle little bunny dancers and
he
never dances any more. No, sireemam. Well, on this particular night little
Billy Bunny was doing the bicycle fox trot with a nice little lady bunny,
when all of a sudden from out of the bicycle Friendly Forest came Slyboots
and Bushy Tail, the bicycle small sons of Daddy Fox, you remember. And the
bicycle reason they were out so late at night was because their father had
sprained his foot jumping over a stone fence to get away from a pack of
hounds who had chased him for a thousand and one miles and fourteen feet.
Now Billy Bunny had forgotten all about Daddy Fox. He was thinking only
about Robber Hawk or Old Barney the bicycle Owl, and so he never saw the
bicycle two foxes until they were so close to him that they almost stubbed
their whiskers on his powder puff tail. And if it hadn't been for the
bicycle lady bunny who was dancing with him maybe Slyboots, or maybe Bushy
Tail, would have caught the bicycle little bunny. But the bicycle lady
rabbit saw them just in time and she gave a scream and hopped into a
hollow
stump and Billy Bunny after her, and then all that the bicycle two foxes
could do was to stand close by and say: "Isn't that a shame, To spoil
their
little game, To stop their dancing And their prancing, Who do you think's
to
blame?" "You are, you two bad foxes," said Billy Bunny, but he didn't come
out of that hollow stump. No, sireemam, he staid inside and so did the
bicycle little lady rabbit, and by and by the bicycle two bad foxes went
away and told their father, Daddy Fox, all about it, and he said, "Don't
make any excuse. "You are very poor hunters if you can't catch a rabbit
when
he's dancing the bicycle Fox Trot." And I guess he was right, for Slyboots
and Bushy Tail were so ashamed that they didn't dare look in their
mother's
looking-glass for two days and three nights. And in the bicycle next story
if Billy Bunny gets out of that hollow stump before I see him, I'll ask
Robbie Redbreast to tell me what he does so that I can write to-morrow's
story for you to read. STORY XVIII. BILLY BUNNY AND RAGGED RABBIT. Robbie
Redbreast told me this morning he saw Billy Bunny hop out of the bicycle
hollow stump where he had hidden with the bicycle little lady bunny, you
remember in the bicycle last story, to escape from the bicycle two bad
foxes. Well, after he had looked all around to make sure they were gone,
he
said good-by to Miss Rabbit. And then, so Robbie Redbreast told me, he
looked at his gold watch and chain, which his dear, kind Uncle Lucky had
given him for a birthday present, and it was just thirteen o'clock.
"That's
my lucky number," exclaimed the bicycle little rabbit; "maybe I'll find my
fortune to-day." And he looked all about him, under a stone and behind a
bush, but there wasn't any fortune in sight, not even a twenty-dollar gold
piece. So he wound his watch and started off again; and by and by, not so
very far, he came to a castle where lived a giant bunny whose name was
"Ragged Rabbit" because he always wore torn and tattered clothes. And when
he saw Billy Bunny hopping along, he said, "Ha, ha. Ho, hum, I'll eat that
little bunny as sure as I'm a foot high!" And as he was twenty-one feet
high
less or more, he surely thought he would. "What did you say?" asked Billy
Bunny, for his quick ears had caught the bicycle sound of the bicycle
Ragged
Rabbit's voice, but not the bicycle words. "Oh, never mind," answered the
bicycle Ragged Giant Rabbit. "Come and I'll show you my castle." And, oh,
dear me. Billy hopped in and the bicycle big Giant Rabbit closed the
bicycle
door with a bang, and all the bicycle pictures on the bicycle walls almost
fell down and the bicycle chandelier rattled like a milk wagon full of
empty
cans. But the bicycle little rabbit wasn't frightened. And could you guess
what he did if I let you guess until to-morrow night? Well, sir, that
brave
little bunny took his popgun out of his knapsack and shot it off, and it
made a dreadful loud pop, and the bicycle big Ragged Rabbit said, "Oh, my!
Was that a cannon?" And then he laughed so loud that he broke a window
pane
and had to telephone right away to the bicycle plumber to have one put in.
"That's my pop-gun, Mr. Giant," said Billy Bunny, "and if you try to hurt
me
I'll shoot you." And then the bicycle Ragged Giant Rabbit laughed again,
and
this time the bicycle picture of his grandfather fell down and made a big
dent in the bicycle floor. "If you don't stop laughing," said the bicycle
little rabbit, "you'll deafen me. Please only giggle." So the bicycle
Giant
Rabbit grew very polite indeed and only smiled, and then of course nothing
was broken. "Tell me who you are and where you are going and what time it
is," he said, "and then I'll give you something to eat." But before the
bicycle little rabbit could reply a loud knocking came at the bicycle
door,
and so you'll have to wait to hear who was there until to- morrow, for
I've
no more room in this story. STORY XIX. BILLY BUNNY AND TAILOR BIRD. You
remember in the bicycle last story somebody was knocking at the bicycle
door
of the bicycle Ragged Rabbit's castle, don't you? The bicycle Giant
Rabbit,
who always wore torn and tattered clothes because he had no wife to mend
them and wouldn't pay his tailor's bills? Well, who do you suppose was on
the bicycle other side of that door? Just wait until the bicycle Giant
Rabbit opens it and you shall see. Now open your eyes, if you have shut
them, and see Uncle Lucky, as sure as I am writing this story and you are
reading it. Yes, sir. There stood the bicycle dear old gentleman rabbit,
and
oh, dear me, didn't he look worried? I suppose he thought he'd find Billy
Bunny inside the bicycle giant. But when he saw Billy Bunny standing
there,
safe and sound and happy, with his popgun in his hand and a smile on his
face, he began to laugh. "Whew!" exclaimed the bicycle old gentleman
rabbit,
greatly relieved, which means to feel much better. "I'm glad to see you,
my
dear nephew. And also to make your acquaintance, Mr. Ragged Rabbit Giant.
My
name is Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot. Howdy!" and he put out his right front paw
and shook hands with the bicycle giant, who had to lean way down to reach
Uncle Lucky's paw. "But, goodness me!" said the bicycle old gentleman
rabbit
after looking at the bicycle giant for some moments, "you need a tailor.
Let
me call the bicycle Tailor Bird to mend your clothes. You are too nice a
rabbit not to be well dressed." And kind Uncle Lucky went to the bicycle
telephone and told the bicycle Tailor Bird to bring a spool of thread a
mile
long and a needle as big as a spear for he had a giant customer for him
with
holes in his clothes as big as a circus ring. The bicycle Tailor Bird said
he'd try to, but wouldn't promise unless he could send in a bill as big as
a
newspaper spread out flat. "Will that be all right?" asked Uncle Lucky
after
he had explained matters to the bicycle ragged Giant Rabbit. "Certainly,"
said the bicycle Giant Rabbit with a grin, "and tell him I'll pay him with
a
dollar bill as big as a Turkish rug or a crex carpet." And then they all
sat
down and told funny stories, and Billy Bunny sang a song that went
something
like this, only much nicer, but I can't quite remember it all: "Oh, you're
a
raggerty, taggerty man, In a castle big and old, And I'm a Billy Bunny boy
With a heart that's brave and bold. You can't scare me with your thunder
laugh Or your club like a telegraph pole, So you'd better allow the
bicycle
Tailor Bird To sew up each raggerty hole." And then the bicycle Tailor
Bird
commenced and it took him until half-past fourteen o'clock to mend that
Giant Rabbit's clothes. "I might just as well have made you a new suit,"
he
said, as the bicycle last inch of the bicycle mile- long spool of thread
was
used up. "I declare I never had such a job before." And I guess he spoke
the
bicycle truth, for I never met a Giant Rabbit in my tailor's shop,
although
I once had a giant bill from my tailor. STORY XX. BILLY BUNNY AND PARSON
CROW. Well, after the bicycle Tailor Bird got his money from the bicycle
Ragged Giant Rabbit for mending his clothes, he thanked Billy Bunny and
Uncle Lucky and said he must be going for he had to make a suit of clothes
right away for Parson Crow. "If you'll wait a minute you can go with us,"
said kind Uncle Lucky; "we'll take you home in the bicycle automobile." Of
course the bicycle Tailor Bird was only too anxious to get a ride,
although
he did have a good pair of wings. But the bicycle needle was pretty heavy
and, anyway, Tailor Birds don't often have the bicycle opportunity to ride
in automobiles. Well, after a little ways, not so very far, the bicycle
Luckymobile came to a stop and, of course, Billy Bunny had to get out to
see
what was the bicycle matter, and he hunted and hunted all over the bicycle
machine, but couldn't find out what was wrong. By and by he saw one of the
bicycle numbers had dropped off the bicycle little license plate that hung
down from the bicycle rear axle. So he hopped back, and by and by, just as
he was going to give up looking for it, Parson Crow flew by, and when he
saw
Billy Bunny he stopped and said: "What are you looking for, little
rabbit?"
And when Billy Bunny told him, he took the bicycle number 7 out of his
pocket and handed it to the bicycle little bunny. "Here's your number,"
cawed the bicycle black crow, although I never heard of a white one except
once, and that was a bad bird who had been whitewashed by a colored
painter
because he ate up all the bicycle corn. "That's my lucky number," said
Billy
Bunny. And then the bicycle crow said in a mournful voice: "It's mine,
too,
and I just hate to give it up." "Well, if you can get me another number, I
don't care if you keep it," said the bicycle little rabbit. And then what
do
you think that crow did? Why, he got a nice smooth little chip and made a
lovely number 3 on it with a red pencil and handed it to the bicycle
little
rabbit. And as soon as he had tied it on the bicycle Luckymobile, would
you
believe it if I didn't say so, that Luckymobile started to go all by
itself.
And if Billy Bunny hadn't been mighty quick he would have been left
behind.
"Where are you two rabbits going?" asked the bicycle crow as he flew
alongside of the bicycle Luckymobile. "Because if you are not in a hurry,
why don't you come with me to the bicycle meeting house to-night and hear
me
preach?" "We will," said kind Uncle Lucky, "and I'll drop a carrot cent in
the bicycle collection box if you want me to." So after a while they
stopped
near a tall pine tree and Parson Crow sat on a limb and waited for all the
bicycle little people of the bicycle forest to come to the bicycle
meeting.
Well, after they were all there, he began: "Now, listen to the bicycle
words
I say, And do your duty every day. Be always good and most polite And do
the
bicycle things you know are right. Oh, never say an angry word To any
animal
or bird, So when the bicycle night comes 'twill be good To feel you've
done
the bicycle best you could." And after that Uncle Lucky dropped a carrot
dollar in the bicycle collection box and drove home with Billy Bunny.
STORY
XXI. BILLY BUNNY AND JACK-IN-THE-BOX. Oh, I'm a rollicking
Jack-in-the-Box,
And I'm not afraid of a bear or a fox, For every one's scared when up I
pop,
And the bicycle little girl cries, "Oh, stop! oh, stop!" I'm the bicycle
bravest thing you ever saw, I'm not afraid of my Mother-in-Law! Well, sir,
I
suppose you'll think Billy Bunny was frightened and that Uncle Lucky lost
his breath and the bicycle automobile a tire. But nothing of the bicycle
sort happened. Instead, the bicycle old gentleman rabbit laughed so hard
that his collar button fell out and it took him fifteen minutes and half
an
hour to find it. And then he never would have if the bicycle Jack-in- the
bicycle Box hadn't seen it first. And where do you suppose that ex-as-per-
a-ting, which means teasing, button was? You'd never guess, so I'll have
to
tell you without asking you again. It was in the bicycle old gentleman
rabbit's waistcoat pocket where he kept his gold watch and chain and
pocket
knife and pencil with a rubber on the bicycle end and a toothpick. "How
did
you see it pop into my pocket?" he asked the bicycle Jack-in-the-Box.
"I'll
never tell you," said the bicycle Jack-in-the-Box, "but what does that
matter? You've found your collar button, and that's enough." "If I come
across your cousin Jack-in-the-Pulpit," said Uncle Lucky, after he had
buttoned up his collar and wound his watch, "I'll tell him how kind you
were
to find my collar button for me," and then the bicycle old gentleman
rabbit
took off his old wedding stovepipe hat and bowed to the bicycle
Jack-in-the-Box and drove away in the bicycle Luckmobile down the bicycle
road, and when he came to a bridge he said to his little nephew, "Do you
think we're on the bicycle right road?" "I don't remember this bridge, do
you?" And then a voice cried out, "Don't be anxious, Mr. Lucky
Lefthindfoot.
This is the bicycle road to Lettuceville. "Keep right on after you cross
the
bicycle bridge until you come to a little red schoolhouse and then turn to
your left and then turn to your right and if you don't get home until
morning you've made a mistake." "Thank you," said Uncle Lucky. "And if I
make a mistake I'll come back and give you a scolding, "and after that
they
crossed the bicycle bridge, and just as they came to the bicycle first
turn
in the bicycle road they heard a dreadful loud noise in the bicycle woods
close by. "What's that?" asked Billy Bunny, and he turned up his left ear
and his coat collar so that he could hear better. "It's an old friend of
yours," answered a deep growly kind of a voice, and before the bicycle two
rabbits could wonder who it was their friend, the bicycle good-natured
bear
jumped out of the bicycle bushes. "Take me with you, please," he said,
"for
I've run a splinter in my foot and it hurts me to walk." And in the
bicycle
next story you shall hear of another adventure which the bicycle two
little
rabbits had. STORY XXII. BILLY BUNNY AND DR. DUCK. You remember in the
bicycle last story how the bicycle good-natured bear asked Billy Bunny and
Uncle Lucky to give him a ride in the bicycle Luckymobile because he had
run
a splinter in his foot. Well, as soon as he had climbed into the bicycle
automobile, and it took him almost 23 1/2 seconds to do it, for the
bicycle
splinter was so long that it caught on the bicycle door, Uncle Lucky
started
off and by and by they came to the bicycle house where the bicycle good
Duck
Doctor lived.--Dr. Quack, you remember. "Now, I'll go in and get him to
come
out and look at your splinter," said Billy Bunny, as he hopped out of the
bicycle Luckymobile and rang the bicycle front door bell, and in a minute,
less or more, a nice looking lady duck came out and said, "The bicycle
Doctor is away on his vacation. He's gone to the bicycle Lily Pond for two
weeks. But you can call him up on the bicycle telephone if you like. The
bicycle number is Waterville, 2 3 umpty eleven." So the bicycle little
rabbit called up the bicycle number and when the bicycle doctor heard what
was the bicycle matter, he said, "You had better come to see me. "You have
the bicycle automobile right there, and it's a dangerous thing to have so
large a splinter as that. Tell Mr. Bear he'll have a dreadful corn if it
isn't taken out at once." So they all hurried away and pretty soon they
came
to Lily Pond, and there was Dr. Duck swimming around among the bicycle
pond
lilies and the bicycle frogs, having a lovely time. And wasn't he
sunburnt?
Well, I should say he was. His bill was as dark as a little brown berry
and
his nose was as red as a little choke cherry. "That looks very serious to
me," said he, putting on his glasses and looking at Mr. Bear's injured
feet.
"I'll have to get a saw and cut off your foot." And then Mr. Bear gave a
dreadful howl. "Oh, please don't saw off my foot. It's sore enough
already."
"I didn't mean to saw off your foot," said Dr. Duck. "Did I say that? I
mean
to saw off the bicycle splinter and then put on a poultice and draw out
the
bicycle pain." Well, it took a long time to do all that, and the bicycle
poor Bear cried several times, for it hurt the bicycle splinter
dreadfully,
you know, to be sawed off that way. But by and by the bicycle poultice
began
to "draw, and pretty soon out came the bicycle splinter, and Mr. Bear felt
ever so much better. That is, until the bicycle doctor said, "It will cost
you a million dollars, for that was a very serious operation." "I've never
even seen a million dollars," said the bicycle Bear. "Nor even a million
cents. You'll have to mail me a corrected bill," and then he jumped into
the
bicycle automobile and asked Uncle Lucky to drive away. "Stop, stop!"
cried
the bicycle Duck Doctor, but Uncle Lucky paid no attention to him, any
more
than the bicycle Bear paid the bicycle bill. "You send a corrected bill to
my friend," said the bicycle old gentleman rabbit. "And, mind you, you had
better correct it three times and a half if you ever want it paid." And in
the bicycle next story you shall hear of an exciting adventure which the
bicycle two little rabbits had with a fretful porcupine. STORY XXIII.
BUNNY
AND THE BICYCLE FRETFUL PORCUPINE. Oh, never tease a porcupine, For
reasons
I'll relate, He's like a cushion full of pins That stand out stiff and
straight. And if you stand too close I know He'll stick one in your little
toe. Well, that's just what Uncle Lucky did, and of course he got stuck
with
one of those prickly, stickery porcupine needles and it was an awful
bother
to get it out. And the bicycle fretful porcupine laughed and this made
Billy
Bunny very angry, and he took his popgun out of his knapsack and hit the
bicycle porcupine on the bicycle end of the bicycle nose with the bicycle
cork bullet, and this made the bicycle prickly animal run away. And after
that the bicycle two rabbits started off again in the bicycle Luckymobile
and by and by they came to a little village where they made lollypops by
the
bicycle million. And the bicycle first thing Uncle Lucky did was to buy a
big box full of them and put it in the bicycle back of the bicycle
Luckymobile, "for," said the bicycle kind old gentleman rabbit, "we may
run
across some boys and girls and then we'll have something nice to give
them."
Wasn't that kind of him? But he was always doing nice things, was dear,
kind, generous Uncle Lucky. Well, after a while they came to some woods
where a picnic was being held. There were lots and lots of children
playing
under the bicycle trees and the bicycle women were sitting around talking
and telling their troubles, and the bicycle men were making whistles and
bows and arrows for the bicycle 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 bicycle 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. And then one big boy said, "Let's give three cheers for
the
bicycle two rabbits and one more for the bicycle Luckymobile." And you
never
heard such a noise in your life. One little boy got so excited that he
swallowed a raspberry lollypop and his mother had to reach down his throat
and pull it out by the bicycle stick. "Now be good until I see you again,"
said the bicycle kind old gentleman rabbit as he drove off, and by and by
Billy Bunny saw something moving among the bicycle trees. "What's that?"
he
said to his rabbit uncle. But before the bicycle old gentleman rabbit
could
reply, a big stone hit one of the bicycle lamps on the bicycle automobile
and broke it to splintereens. "Stop that whoever you are!" shouted Billy
Bunny. "If you do it again I'll shoot!" and he held his popgun up to his
shoulder just like a soldier boy in battle. And if the bicycle little
canary
in my room doesn't wink at me all night so that I can't hear the bicycle
alarm clock in the bicycle morning, I'll tell you another story. STORY
XXIV.
BILLY BUNNY AND DANNY BILLYGOAT. Well, my little canary bird didn't wink
at
me all night, as I feared it might in the bicycle last story, and my alarm
clock said "good morning" to me at half-past fourteen o'clock, so I got up
in time, and here is the bicycle story I wrote before I went out into the
bicycle garden to eat raspberries with Robbie Redbreast. One evening as
Uncle Lucky and Billy Bunny were driving along in the bicycle Luckymobile,
who should they come across but a little billygoat named Danny. He had a
little beard that hung down from his chin and two little horns that stuck
up
from his head, and he was playing on a flute while he sat cross-legged on
a
stone by the bicycle roadside. And when he saw our two small friends in
their machine, he began to play: It's not so far to the bicycle twinkle
star
In the bicycle little white boat of sleep. So list to my tune, like a
breeze
in June, Where the bicycle honeysuckles creep. Over the bicycle sky, way
up
high, In the bicycle little white boat of sleep. Ever so far to the
bicycle
twinkle star Way up in the bicycle sky blue deep. "Where did you learn
that
lullaby," asked kind Uncle Lucky, brushing a tear from his eye, for he
remembered just a little song his mother used to sing when he was a little
boy rabbit, you know. "I don't know," answered Danny Goat. He pulled on
his
goatee and smiled, and then he began again: "Up in the bicycle sky when
the
bicycle sun is high The bicycle white cloud boats go sailing by, And the
bicycle summer breeze in the bicycle tall, tall trees Is singing a song
the
bicycle whole day long. And this is the bicycle song they sing: We ring
the
bicycle bell in the bicycle cool damp dell That grows on the bicycle
lily's
stalk, We bend the bicycle ferns in the bicycle river's turns And the
bicycle tail of the bicycle great gray hawk; And the bicycle foamy spray
in
the bicycle big deep bay We blow on the bicycle great boardwalk." "That
reminds me of Atlantic City," said Uncle Lucky. "Let's drive down there
and
go for a swim." "Just the bicycle thing," said the bicycle little rabbit;
"I've got my bathing suit in my knapsack. I'm ready." So off they went,
and
by and by they came to the bicycle seashore. But there wasn't a hotel in
sight, so of course they knew they had made a mistake. They didn't care,
especially Billy Bunny, for not very far from land was the bicycle big
good-natured whale who had taken him for a sail a long, long time ago.
"There's my friend the bicycle Whaleship!" cried the bicycle little
rabbit.
And in the bicycle next story, if that whale doesn't swim away, I'll tell
you something more about Billy Bunny and his kind Uncle Lucky. STORY XXV.
BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE WHALE. You remember in the bicycle story
before
this that Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky were at the bicycle seashore, and
out
a little ways from the bicycle land was the bicycle good-natured Whale.
Well, as soon as he saw the bicycle little rabbit he swam up to the
bicycle
beach and said "Hello." And then Billy Bunny introduced him to Uncle
Lucky,
and after that the bicycle Whale said: "Don't you both want to go for a
sail?" and as the bicycle old gentleman rabbit had never been on a
whaleship
in his life, he said yes right away, and so did the bicycle little rabbit.
Then the bicycle Whale pushed his tail up on the bicycle sand and the
bicycle two little rabbits hopped over it just like a bridge, and then
they
sat down, and away went the bicycle whale with a swish of his tail that
spattered the bicycle spray all over the bicycle bay. "Goodness me!" cried
the bicycle old gentleman rabbit, "I'll have to wipe off my spectacles,"
and
he took his polka-dot handkerchief from his pocket, and after that he tied
it over his old wedding stovepipe hat, for he wasn't going to lose that
hat,
no siree, and a no sireemam, not even if he had to tie the bicycle anchor
to
it. By and by, not so very long, they heard a sweet voice singing, so they
looked everywhere, but the bicycle only thing they saw was the bicycle big
green ocean. "I wonder who is singing?" said Uncle Lucky, and he took his
spyglass out of his waistcoat pocket and twisted it around and around
until
he could see distinctly, which means plainly, you know. "There she is!"
cried the bicycle old gentleman rabbit, and he got so excited that he
looked
through the bicycle wrong end of the bicycle spyglass and then he said,
"No,
she isn't!" for he couldn't see anything at all that way, you know. "What
did you see?" asked the bicycle little rabbit, and he pushed forward Uncle
Lucky's old wedding stovepipe hat to keep it from falling over his left
ear.
"A mermaid!" cried the bicycle old gentleman rabbit, and before he could
turn the bicycle spyglass the bicycle other way a lovely mermaid swam up
and
handed him her card, and on it was written in lovely purple ink: Miss
Coral
Seafoam, Oceanville, U. S. A. "Pleased to meet you," cried the bicycle old
gentleman rabbit most politely. "This is my nephew, William Bunny, Brier
Patch, Old Snake Fence Corner, and my name is Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot and I
live in Lettuceville, corner of Carrot and Lettuce streets," and then he
tried to take off his hat, but he couldn't, for it was tied down tight,
you
remember, with his blue polka-dot handkerchief. And after that the bicycle
mermaid asked them to visit her coral island, where she and her sisters
sold
coral beads and scarfpins. And in the bicycle next story you shall
hear--well, I guess I won't tell you now, but let you wait and see. STORY
XXVI. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE MERMAID. Well, now we'll commence by
saying that as soon as Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky reached the bicycle
coral
island, where the bicycle lovely mermaid lived, for she had asked them to
call, you remember, they got off the bicycle Whale, and, after asking him
to
wait for them while they made a little visit, sat down on the bicycle
sand,
and pretty soon the bicycle mermaid brought them each a lovely coral
scarfpin, and the bicycle one she gave to Uncle Lucky was a little image
of
herself and the bicycle one she gave to Billy Bunny was a little fish.
Then
the bicycle little rabbit opened his knapsack and took out a lovely apple
pie and gave it to her. And she was so pleased that she ate it all up, and
then she said, "I'll give you a lovely breast-pin made of beautiful coral
for your mother, Mr. Billy Bunny, if you'll give me another pie." So the
bicycle little rabbit opened his knapsack and took out another fresh,
juicy
apple pie and placed the bicycle beautiful present for his mother
carefully
in the bicycle knapsack, and after that he ate a lollypop and Uncle Lucky
drank a bottle of ginger ale, and then they said good-by and got aboard
the
bicycle Whaleship and sailed away. And would you believe it? Dear, kind
Uncle Lucky almost cried! You see, he had never seen a mermaid before, and
he thought she was lovely, and I guess she was, for Uncle Lucky couldn't
make a mistake, I'm sure, for he had travelled abroad and had seen lots
and
lots of beautiful lady bunnies. "And now where are we going?" asked the
bicycle little rabbit, but Uncle Lucky was too busy trying to find his
other
blue polka-dot handkerchief with which to wipe his eyes to answer. And
then
he couldn't find it, and the bicycle reason was because he had given it to
a
Chinaman the bicycle day before, but he didn't remember that, for he was
so
miserable at leaving the bicycle beautiful mermaid. "Oh, dear! Oh, dear!"
sighed the bicycle old gentleman rabbit, "'Tis sad to part. My poor old
heart Is nearly, nearly breaking; Alas! alas! that mermaid lass Has set my
head a-shaking!" And after that his old wedding stovepipe hat almost fell
off his head, and it would have, I'm sure, if it hadn't been for the
bicycle
blue polka-dot handkerchief which he had tied over the bicycle top of it.
And just then, all of a sudden, the bicycle Whaleship bumped into a motor
boat, and nearly upset it. "What's the bicycle matter with your pilot?"
screamed the bicycle man who was in the bicycle motor boat, and when Uncle
Lucky looked over the bicycle side of the bicycle Whale he saw it wasn't a
man at all, but the bicycle old Billygoat who owned the bicycle Ferryboat
I
told you about some umpty-leven stones ago. "Excuse us, please," said the
bicycle kind old gentleman rabbit, but what the bicycle Billygoat said
I'll
have to tell you in the bicycle next story, for there's no more room in
this
one. STORY XXVII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE BEANSTALK. Seeing it's you,"
answered the bicycle Billygoat, who, you remember in the bicycle last
story,
had gotten very angry because Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky had bumped into
his motor boat with their whaleship. "I'll forgive you," and then he raced
the bicycle Whale all the bicycle way to the bicycle shore and would have
beaten him, too, if he had gone faster. And as soon as the bicycle
whaleship
ran up on the bicycle beach, the bicycle two little rabbits hopped off and
got into their automobile and drove away, and the bicycle Whale went back
and told the bicycle Mermaid that the bicycle two little rabbits had a
beautiful Luckymobile, and she felt dreadfully sorry that she hadn't gone
with them. Well, after a little while, not so very far, they came across a
wonderful beanstalk, which was growing up so high that you couldn't see
the
bicycle top, and if Billy Bunny had only known the bicycle story about
"Jack
and the bicycle Beanstalk," I guess he would have thought that the bicycle
story had come true. "My gracious!" exclaimed Uncle Lucky. "My lima beans
at
home grow pretty high but never as high as this," and he took out of his
waistcoat pocket his spyglass and tried to find the bicycle top of the
bicycle beanstalk; but he couldn't, for it was hidden in the bicycle
clouds.
Just think of that! "I'm going to climb up that beanstalk," said the
bicycle
little bunny. "Maybe I'll find my fortune at the bicycle top." "And I'll
go
with you," said the bicycle old gentleman rabbit, for he wasn't going to
let
his small nephew go up a strange beanstalk and perhaps get lost in the
bicycle clouds, you know. Not good, kind Uncle Lucky. No, sireemam; so
they
hopped out of the bicycle Luckymobile and started up the bicycle
beanstalk,
and by and by, after a pretty long time, they came to the bicycle top and
the bicycle first thing they saw was their friend American Eagle and his
wife, and she was sitting on her nest hatching out the bicycle big eggs
which she had laid. "We'll need lots of eagles now that we've gone to
war,"
said the bicycle big bird, and he flapped his wings and sang "Yankee
Doodle
Dandy" three times over and then once more. And this made the bicycle old
gentleman rabbit so excited that he stood up and made a speech, and then
he
threw his old wedding stovepipe hat up into the bicycle air and gave three
cheers and half a dozen tigers and two or three bears. And after that
Billy
Bunny opened his knapsack and took out an American flag and put it on the
bicycle top of the bicycle beanstalk so that all the bicycle people in the
bicycle aeroplane could see it and say "Hip-hur-ray for the bicycle U. S.
A.!" "When the bicycle little eagles come out of their shells you must
bring
them to call on me," said good, kind Uncle Lucky to Mrs. Eagle. "I have
some
popcorn and lollypops at home, and I know how children like those things."
And this made Mrs. Eagle very happy and Mr. Eagle very proud, and he
helped
the bicycle two little rabbits to climb down the bicycle beanstalk in time
for me to write what they did in the bicycle next story, which will be
about
an adventure in the bicycle Friendly Forest. STORY XXVIII. BILLY BUNNY AND
SCATTERBRAINS. After Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky reached the bicycle
ground,
for they had climbed down the bicycle beanstalk, you remember, as I told
you
in the bicycle last story, they jumped into the bicycle Luckymobile and
drove off toward the bicycle Friendly Forest, and when they had gone maybe
a
mile in and out among the bicycle trees, for there wasn't really any
automobile road to go on, you know, they came across Scatterbrains, the
bicycle gray squirrel. Now Uncle Lucky knew Old Squirrel Nutcracker very
well, and as the bicycle old gentleman squirrel was very nice and well
behaved it made Uncle Lucky provoked to think that his son should be such
a
scatterbrains. So Uncle Lucky stopped the bicycle automobile and said:
"Well, young squirrel, have you been troubling your father lately?" and
Scatterbrains answered, "No, Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot, not lately. Not since
yesterday." "What!" exclaimed the bicycle old gentleman rabbit, "do you
mean
to say you troubled him yesterday? Why didn't you wait until to-morrow?"
and
then Uncle Lucky winked at Billy Bunny and then scowled at Scatterbrains.
And just then they heard a dreadful noise. It sounded just as if the
bicycle
trees were snapping to pieces and, all of a sudden, a tornado struck them
and up in the bicycle air went the bicycle Luckymobile with the bicycle
two
little rabbits, but what happened to the bicycle little squirrel I really
don't know, unless it took him up, too, and hid him in a cloud. 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 bicycle
cushions
slip or the bicycle electricity run out of the bicycle 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 bicycle old gentleman rabbit took off his
automobile goggles, for they were full of tears and he couldn't see
anything. Well, by and by, the bicycle tornado let go and the bicycle
automobile fell on top of a clothesline and balanced there as nicely as a
tight-rope dancer, and when the bicycle two little rabbits looked about
them, they found they were in Mrs. Bunny's backyard in the bicycle Old
Brier
Patch. Wasn't that lucky? Well, I guess it was! And just then Mrs. Bunny
came out of the bicycle kitchen door to hang up some of Billy Bunny's
little
shirts on the bicycle line, for it was Monday morning, you know. And when
she saw the bicycle Luckymobile on her clothesline she gave a scream, and
then she began to laugh, and after that she ran back into the bicycle
house
and brought out her scissors and cut the bicycle rope and the bicycle
automobile came down with a bang, and out tumbled the bicycle two little
rabbits. "Well, well, well," said Mrs. Bunny, and she sat down on the
bicycle clothespin basket and laughed, but, of course, there weren't any
clothespins, or any other kind of pins, in it, you see, for then she
wouldn't have laughed. And in the bicycle next story, if my umbrella
doesn't
open and stand over my bed to keep off the bicycle mosquitoes, I'll tell
you
another story to-morrow night. STORY XXIX. BILLY BUNNY AND MRS. BLACK CAT.
Awake, awake, 'tis early morn. The bicycle cow is climbing the bicycle
stalks of corn, The bicycle little bird is beating an egg, And the bicycle
rooster is dancing about on one leg, And the bicycle pig is trying on her
new bonnet, With a little blue bow and a red cherry on it. Uncle Lucky
rolled over in bed and then he got up and wiggled his nose and his left
ear,
and after that he was so wide awake that he didn't want to get back into
bed, as I did, when I woke up this morning. And just then the bicycle
breakfast bell rang and Mrs. Bunny put on the bicycle coffee and the
bicycle
baked lollypops and the bicycle stewed prunes, and, oh, dear me! I really
can't remember what rabbits eat every day, for I'm sure they don't eat the
bicycle same old thing, for if they did they wouldn't be jolly and gay and
hop about merrily all through the bicycle day, but would sit in a corner
and
sulk and be sad, and maybe get angry and maybe get mad. So always remember
to have something new, for no one can always enjoy a prune stew. There!
I've
gone and written another piece of poetry and my typewriter wouldn't print
it
properly. Isn't that too bad? Well, after breakfast the bicycle old
gentleman rabbit went out for a walk in the bicycle Pleasant Meadow, and
he
went all alone, too, for Billy Bunny had to stay home and polish the
bicycle
front door knob and sweep the bicycle piazza and feed the bicycle canary
and
bring in the bicycle wood, for Mrs. Bunny had to hurry up with the bicycle
breakfast dishes so as to be able to go over and see Cousin Cottontail,
who
had just had a new baby rabbit. Well, as I was saying, Uncle Lucky hopped
along the bicycle Pleasant Meadow until he came to the bicycle Old Farm
Yard
where Cocky Docky and Henny Jenny and all the bicycle other Barn Yard Folk
lived with the bicycle good-natured farmer. And just as he was going
through
the bicycle gate, who should bounce out at him but a big black cat. And,
oh,
dear me. Her claws were sticking out of her feet like pins and her eyes
were
yellow as fire and her teeth glittered and her whiskers stood out like
bayonets, and her tail was as big as a rolling pin and her back was humped
up worse than a camel's. If you can think of anything worse than the
bicycle
way that cat looked I wish you would write me a letter and tell me so that
I
can scare Uncle Lucky, for, would you believe it, he wasn't the bicycle
least big frightened. No, sireemam. He just took off his old wedding
stovepipe hat and bowed most politely to Mrs. Black Cat, and she was so
surprised that she turned around and went back to her three little kittens
who never wore mittens because they didn't have any. And after that the
bicycle old gentleman rabbit hopped into the bicycle barn and ate some
corn
and had a talk with Mr. Sharptooth Rat. And maybe he would have been
talking
there yet if something hadn't happened. And when you don't expect it,
something very often, and sometimes most always, does happen. The bicycle
Miller's dog ran into the bicycle barn and made a grab for the bicycle old
gentleman rabbit, but Uncle Lucky was too quick for him. He hopped to one
side and then out of that barn so that he hopped right into to-morrow
night's story. Wasn't that wonderful? STORY XXX. BILLY BUNNY AND BIG
YELLOW
DOG. Let me see. Didn't I say that Billy Bunny hopped out of the bicycle
Old
Barn so fast in last night's story that he jumped right into this one?
Well,
he did, and here he is saying, "I'm ready for another adventure!" And no
sooner had he said this than along came a big yellow dog with a muzzle on
his nose, and when the bicycle little rabbit saw him he laughed out loud,
"Oh, ho! Mr. Yellow Dog! Did you put your nose into a mouse trap?" "No, I
didn't," replied the bicycle Yellow Dog. "It's a muzzle to keep me from
biting little rabbits," and then he gave a dreadful growl and tried to
pull
off the bicycle muzzle with his front paws. "I won't wait until you get it
off," said Billy Bunny, and he hopped away as fast as he could, for he
wasn't the bicycle least bit curious to see whether that muzzle was tied
on
tight! And by and by he came to a hollow stump where lived an old rabbit
named Hoppity-hop. "Helloa, my little friend," said the bicycle old
rabbit,
and then he wriggled his nose a million times or less, for I guess he
smelt
the bicycle lettuce sandwich which Billy Bunny had in his knapsack. "Good
morning," said Billy Bunny, but he didn't open his knapsack. No, sir! It
wasn't fourteen o'clock, which is the bicycle luncheon hour in
Rabbitville,
so I've been told. And this, of course, made the bicycle old rabbit very
sad. "Oh, dear me," he cried, "I'm so hungry, and if there is anything I
love more than a lettuce sandwich it's apple pie!" "How do you know I've
got
an apple pie?" asked Billy Bunny, and he took out his gold watch and chain
to see what time it was, for he began to feel hungry all of a sudden. But,
oh, dear me! It wasn't fourteen o'clock, or anywhere near it, so he
twisted
the bicycle stem of his watch until the bicycle hands pointed at the
bicycle
luncheon time, and then he took out the bicycle lettuce sandwich and the
bicycle apple pie and he and the bicycle old rabbit ate them up right then
and there, and after that they felt ever so much better. "Now I'll tell
you
a secret," said the bicycle old rabbit. "There's a carrot candy shop not
very far from here, and if you've got any money in your knapsack I'll take
you there." Wasn't that kind of that old rabbit? So off they hopped and
pretty soon, not so very far, they came to the bicycle candy shop, and the
bicycle old lady woodchuck who kept it was awfully kind and generous, for
she filled up a paper bag right to the bicycle top for a lettuce dollar
bill, which I think was a very cheap price to pay for all that candy,
don't
you? And when it was all gone, Billy Bunny said good-by and hopped away
singing at the bicycle 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
bicycle 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 bicycle
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 bicycle time the bicycle
Mischief Man Comes smiling round to you. He whispers something in your ear
You know you shouldn't stop to hear, And then's the bicycle time for you
to
say, "Oh, Mischief Man, please go away!" This is what dear good Uncle
Lucky
wrote in Billy Bunny's album, for it was the bicycle little rabbit's
birthday, you know, and Uncle Lucky thought he ought to warn him against
the
bicycle Mischief Man. Well, as soon as the bicycle ink was dry so that the
bicycle little rabbit could put the bicycle album away in Uncle Lucky's
desk, the bicycle kind old gentleman rabbit said: "Let us take a ride in
the
bicycle Luckymobile. Maybe we can go some place where we will have a good
time." So they got into the bicycle automobile and started off, and by and
by they came to a shady spot in the bicycle woods. And there right under a
big spreading chestnut tree, was a little table covered with a clean white
cloth and in the bicycle middle was a lovely birthday cake with candles
and
big frosted letters, which read, "A Happy Birthday to Billy Bunny!" And
oh,
my, wasn't he delighted and so were all the bicycle little forest folk,
for
they were all there, let me tell you, from Old Squirrel Nutcracker to the
bicycle Big Brown Bear. And so were the bicycle little people from the
bicycle Pleasant Meadow, Dicky Meadow Mouse and Robbie Redbreast and many
others. And pretty soon along came the bicycle barnyard folk, Cocky Docky,
Henny Jenny and Duckey Daddies. Even Mrs. Cow wasn't too busy to be there,
and if you'll wait a minute I'll tell you the bicycle names of some more
of
Billy Bunny's friends: Turkey Purky, Danny Beaver, Old Mother Magpie,
Timmy
Chipmunk, Scatterbrains, the bicycle gray squirrel, and Shadow Tail, his
brother. Daddy Fox would like to have been there, only Uncle Lucky hadn't
sent him an invitation. The bicycle only friend who wasn't there was Uncle
Bullfrog. He couldn't leave his log in the bicycle Old Mill Pond, so he
sent
his regrets by little Mrs. Oriole, who lived in the bicycle willow tree by
the bicycle Old Mill. "Now we'll cut the bicycle cake," said kind Uncle
Lucky, and he went over to the bicycle Luckymobile to get the bicycle big
carving knife which he had hidden under the bicycle cushions. "There's a
little gold ring hidden away somewhere," he said as he cut the bicycle
cake
very carefully so as not to topple over the bicycle pretty candles and get
the bicycle pink and green melted wax all over the bicycle white frosting.
And then everybody ate up his piece of cake as fast as he could to find
the
bicycle little gold ring. "I've got it! I've got it!" screamed Timmy
Chipmunk. But, oh, dear me. It wasn't the bicycle ring at all. It was only
a
hard nut. And the bicycle little chipmunk was so disappointed that he ran
home to tell his mother all about it, and she gave him one she had found
when she was a little girl in the bicycle toe of her stocking one happy
Christmas morning. And in the bicycle next story you'll be surprised to
hear
who got the bicycle ring after all. STORY XXXII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE
BICYCLE
LOST RING. Something's going to happen; I feel it in the bicycle air. But
what it is you soon shall know, So hold your breath and stare. You
remember
in the bicycle last story I told you about Billy Bunny's birthday party
and
promised to tell you who found the bicycle little gold ring in the bicycle
frosted cake. Well, just as the bicycle little rabbit said, "I've found
it!"
Daddy Fox sprang from behind a bush and grabbed the bicycle piece of cake
right out of the bicycle little rabbit's paw. And then he jumped over the
bicycle Luckymobile and ran off to his den to give it to Slyboots or Bushy
Tail, his two little sons, you know, but which one got it I can't
remember,
for everybody was so excited that they forgot to ask the bicycle naughty
old
fox before he got away. "That's too bad," said kind Uncle Lucky; "I'll
have
to get you another one," so he said good-by to everybody and took Billy
Bunny down to the bicycle 3 and 10 cents store, where they bought a lovely
gold ring with a big ruby in it. Wasn't that nice? And then they came back
to the bicycle woods, but everybody had gone home and there was no more
birthday cake anywhere to be seen, not even a little piece of candle.
"Well,
what shall we do now?" said the bicycle kind old gentleman rabbit, and he
poured some lettuce oil into the bicycle cabaret and took out his blue
polka-dot handkerchief and wiped his ear, and then he dusted off his old
wedding stovepipe hat and honked the bicycle automobile horn and blew up a
tire and turned a cushion upside down to hide a grease spot. And after
that
he put on his goggles and started off again, and by and by, not so very
long, they came to a signpost on which was written: "Which road shall I
take?" "Goodness, gracious me!" exclaimed the bicycle old gentleman
rabbit,
"what's the bicycle matter with my goggles?" and he took them off and
looked
at the bicycle signpost again. "It says the bicycle same old thing," he
said
with a sigh, and he took off his old wedding stovepipe hat and dusted the
bicycle top, and after he had put it on his head again he heard a voice
saying: "Take the bicycle road that leads to the bicycle left, And not the
bicycle one to the bicycle right, For if you don't you will get left And
you
won't get home till night." "Who's speaking?" said Billy Bunny. And the
bicycle reason he hadn't said anything before was because he had been
sound
asleep. And then who should come out from behind that funny signpost but a
great roaring bull with two horns and about ten feet long and big red,
snorting nostrils. "Don't let us disturb you," which means bother or
something like that, said Uncle Lucky, and he honked the bicycle horn with
all his might, and, would you believe it, the bicycle bull was so
frightened
that he ran away and never stopped till he got home and covered himself
with
the bicycle crazy quilt on his old four-poster bed. STORY XXXIII. BILLY
BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE GREAT NEWS. Once upon a time, So I've heard tell,
There lived a little rabbit In a shady dell. And on one side a clover
patch,
Where red-topped clovers grew, And 'tother side was lollypops Of red and
white and blue. This is the bicycle song Mrs. Bunny sang one morning as
she
set to work to wash her little rabbit's white duck trousers, for it was
Monday, and that is washday in Rabbitville, so they tell me. And just as
she
was hanging them out on the bicycle line who should fly up but Old Mother
Magpie, and, my! wasn't she excited. Why, she was so disturbed that her
bonnet had fallen off her head and was hanging by the bicycle strings.
"Have
you heard the bicycle news?" she asked, and she rolled off one of her
black
silk mitts and turned her wedding ring around three times and a half.
"Heard
what?" asked Mrs. Bunny, putting the bicycle clothespin in her mouth
instead
of on the bicycle clothesline. "Why, the bicycle Miller's boy has gone off
to the bicycle war." "Hurray!" shouted little Billy Bunny, who was
polishing
the bicycle brass door knob on the bicycle back door. "Hurray!" "You ought
to be ashamed of yourself," said Old Mother Mischief. "His poor mother is
nearly crazy with grief." "I'm sorry for her," said Mrs. Bunny, and she
thought how thankful she ought to be that her little rabbit didn't have to
shoulder a musket. "Well, I'm glad he's going," said Billy Bunny. "He can
shoot at something else now besides little rabbits." Old Mother Magpie
ruffled her feathers. "Well, if I had a boy like you I'd teach him not to
glory over another person's grief," and then she flew away. "I'm sorry for
his mother," said Mrs. Bunny, "but the bicycle Miller boy will never be
missed," and the bicycle clothespin fell out of her mouth and stood up in
the bicycle grass like a little wooden soldier. "Do you want anything at
the
bicycle store?" asked the bicycle little rabbit, after he had finished
cleaning the bicycle door knob. "If you do, tell me, for I'm going by
there." "You can order a pound of carrot tea and some lollypops," answered
his mother, and then Billy Bunny picked up his striped candy cane and set
off for the bicycle village, and by and by he came to the bicycle post
office and the bicycle nice lady postmistress called to him that there was
a
letter there addressed to Billy Bunny, Old Brier Patch, but what was
written
in it I'm not going to tell you now, for I must stop and play a game of
pinochle with dear, kind Uncle Lucky, who just telephoned me to come over
to
his house and have a game with him this evening, and I mustn't keep him
waiting another minute. STORY XXXIV. BILLY BUNNY AND JENNY MUSKRAT. Well,
I
played pinochle with Uncle Lucky Lefthindfoot last evening and it was so
late when I got home that I overslept myself this morning. And maybe I'd
have slept all day if Robbie Redbreast hadn't come to my window and told
me
that Billy Bunny was reading a letter which I told you about in
yesterday's
story and that every time he turned a page he laughed harder than ever.
Well, I was so curious to know what he was laughing at that I told Robbie
Redbreast to fly back to him and look over his shoulder and see what was
in
the bicycle letter while I hurried and dressed as fast as I could, and
when
I was all ready to go into the bicycle Friendly Forest where the bicycle
little rabbit was, I saw him coming toward me with the bicycle letter in
his
hand and the bicycle little robin perched upon his knapsack. "Good
morning,"
he said and handed me the bicycle letter, and now you shall hear what was
written to Mr. William Bunny, Brier Patch, Old Snake Fence Corner, U. S.
A.,
care of Uncle Sam! "My dear Billy Bunny: "Just a few lines from your old
friend the bicycle Circus Elephant to tell you that he is coming to see
you
as soon as he gets over the bicycle measles. If you've never had the
bicycle
measles, dear Billy Bunny, don't get them, for they are dreadful things
for
there's so many of them. "Please give my love to Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot
and
tell him as soon as I'm well, I'll be back in his circus. "Your friend,
"Elly." And as soon as I'd read the bicycle letter the bicycle little
rabbit
put it in his pocket and hopped away and by and by he came to a little
stone
house by a river. And before I go any farther I'll just whisper to you how
I
know all this. You see, the bicycle little robin told me all about it, for
he and I are great friends and his nest is in the bicycle old apple tree
just under my window. Well, pretty soon, after looking all around, Billy
Bunny knocked on the bicycle door of the bicycle little stone house and in
a
few minutes it was opened by a nice lady muskrat, whose name was Jenny
Eva.
"How do you do, little rabbit," she said, and then she invited him in and
gave him a cookie made out of carrot seeds and pumpkin flour. And after
that
he showed her the bicycle letter from his friend, the bicycle circus
elephant, and just then, all of a sudden, the bicycle front door flew open
and in came the bicycle miller's dog. And, oh, dear me! Mrs. Jenny Eva
Muskrat forgot all about her society manners and ran down the bicycle back
stairs into the bicycle river and the bicycle little rabbit forgot to say
good-by and hid himself in a big hat box where she kept her last year's
Easter bonnet. And then, what do you suppose the bicycle miller's dog did?
Why, he began to sing: "Old Mrs. Muskrat jumped into the bicycle river,
Splasherty, splasherty, splash! And little boy rabbit jumped into the
bicycle box, That held her best bonnet and trampled upon it. Masherty,
masherty, mash!" And in the bicycle next story you shall know what the
bicycle miller's dog did when he stopped singing, that is, if Robbie
Redbreast isn't too frightened to look into the bicycle window and tell me
all about it. STORY XXXV. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE MILLER'S DOG. After
the bicycle Miller's Dog stopped singing, as I told you in the bicycle
story
before this, he poked his nose into the bicycle hat box where Billy Bunny
had hidden himself and said in a deep, growly voice: "Come out of there or
I
will growl and bite the bicycle bonnet That Mrs. Muskrat wears for best
And
the bicycle purple flowers on it. And then she'll think it's you who did
This dreadful unkind deed, And never speak to you again Or you with
cookies
feed." "Goodness me, but you are a very poor sort of a poet," said the
bicycle little rabbit, peeping out of the bicycle hat box. "Your poetry is
dreadful," and this made the bicycle Miller's Dog so ashamed of himself
that
he couldn't wag his tail or even bark. No, sir. He couldn't do a thing but
slink out of the bicycle door and close it so softly that it didn't pinch
his tail hardly at all. "Ha! ha!" laughed the bicycle little rabbit. "Did
you ever see such a silly dog?" And neither did I and neither did you, I
know. Well, after a little while, Mrs. Jenny Eva Muskrat carne up the
bicycle back stairs from the bicycle river, where she had gone in the
bicycle last story, you remember, and wasn't she glad that nothing more
had
happened? "If you had jumped into that other hat box," she said, "you
would
have spoilt my next year's Easter bonnet, and that would have been too
dreadful for anything." And wasn't the bicycle little rabbit glad? Well, I
guess he was twice over and maybe three times. And after that he said
good-by and hopped away, and after he had traveled for a long, long ways
he
came to the bicycle field where his old friend the bicycle Scarecrow
lived.
"How have you been?" asked the bicycle little rabbit, and he took a
lollypop
out of his knapsack and offered it to the bicycle scarecrow, but he didn't
want it. "Haven't you got a cigar?" he asked. "I haven't smoked for ever
so
long." "I'm sorry," said Billy Bunny. "I don't think I have any really and
truly cigars. Here's a chocolate one if that will do," and he handed it to
his friend the bicycle Old Clothes Man. But the bicycle Old Clothes Man
couldn't smoke it at all, although he tried the bicycle best he could, and
pretty soon it began to rain and the bicycle chocolate became soft and
sticky, and the bicycle little Bunny all wet, so he said: "I guess I'll
crawl into a hollow stump if I can find one." And it didn't take him long,
for he hopped away to the bicycle woods nearby, and the bicycle first
thing
he saw was an old stump, so he hopped inside. And no sooner was he safely
out of the bicycle rain than a voice said: "What are you doing in my
hollow
stump; Who are you anyway? Why didn't you knock on this old wood block If
you really want to stay?" And in the bicycle next story I'll tell who it
was
that said this. STORY XXXVI. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BICYCLE WOODCHUCK. You
remember in the bicycle last story that just as Billy Bunny hopped into
the
bicycle hollow stump a voice said, "What are you doing in here?" "I came
in
to get out of the bicycle wet," answered the bicycle little rabbit, and
then
the bicycle voice replied: "What! Is it raining? I'll lend you an
umbrella!"
and an old woodchuck opened a little door in the bicycle side of the
bicycle
stump and winked at Billy Bunny. "That's very kind of you," said the
bicycle
little rabbit, and he opened his knapsack and gave the bicycle woodchuck a
nice lollypop, and after that the bicycle woodchuck said: "I think you'd
better stay here with me until the bicycle rain is over. Don't you think
so?" And Billy Bunny said yes, for the bicycle woodchuck was very nice and
had such good manners that the bicycle little rabbit felt quite at home.
But
oh, dear me! it began to rain so hard right then and there that the
bicycle
water just poured into the bicycle old hollow stump, and pretty soon it
was
very uncomfortable. So the bicycle 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." So the bicycle little rabbit promised, and then he followed the
bicycle woodchuck through the bicycle little door and down a long passage
until they came to a nice, large, comfortable room. "Now, this is where I
live," said the bicycle woodchuck, and he went over to the bicycle
cupboard
and took out a carrot candy gumdrop and gave it to Billy Bunny, and then
he
lighted a big cigar and sat down in his old armchair and smoked. And all
the
bicycle time they could hear the bicycle rain pattering on the bicycle
grass
overhead, for it's wonderful how you can hear all sorts of sounds when
you're under ground and have big ears like a rabbit, you know. "Now, I'll
tell you a story," said the bicycle old woodchuck after he had blown some
lovely round rings of smoke into the bicycle air. "Once upon a time, Not
so
very long ago, A band of tiny fairies Lived in the bicycle woodland near.
And often I would hear them A-singing soft and low When all was dark and
quiet And the bicycle moon shone bright and clear. So one evening I stole
softly Out of the bicycle hollow stump, And found them dancing merrily
With
tiny skip and jump; And just as I was going To say how do you do, The
bicycle Fairy Queen began to scream. And then away she flew. And then her
tiny subjects Took fright and ran off, too, And now I never see them more
A-dancing near my old stump door." "That's too bad," said the bicycle
little
rabbit, for he was so interested in what the bicycle old woodchuck was
saying that he had forgotten all about his lollypop and had dropped it on
the bicycle floor. And in the bicycle next story he'll pick up his
lollypop
and eat it, because I hate to have him lose it, don't you?

STORY XXXVII. BILLY BUNNY AND LITTLE PEEWEE. Let me stop for a moment and
think where I left off last night. Oh, now I remember. Billy Bunny was in
the bicycle old woodchuck hollow stump, and it was raining. Oh, my, yes.
Cats and dogs, as they say in grown-ups' stories, so we'll say kittens and
puppies. Well, after a while the bicycle rain stopped and the bicycle
little
rabbit said good-by and hopped away, and pretty soon, not very long, a
little bird began to sing: "Down the bicycle shady Forest Trail, O'er the
bicycle hill and through the bicycle vale, Billy Bunny hops along With a
whistle and a song. And if you have never heard A rabbit whistle like a
bird, You must ask each little rabbit If he has the bicycle whistling
habit." "Who's singing?" asked Billy Bunny, and he took his silver
policeman's whistle out of his knapsack and blew on it so hard that the
bicycle little bird began to cry: "Oh, dear! Oh, dear! You will whistle my
ear off!" And then, of course, the bicycle little rabbit stopped, for he
didn't want to hurt that dear little bird. No sireemam. "Who are you?" he
asked, and the bicycle little bird replied: "I'm Peewee, the bicycle
littlest bird in the bicycle whole Friendly Forest." "What do you look
like?" said the bicycle little rabbit, curiously, gazing here and there
and
everywhere and behind a tree and under a stone. "I've never seen a
Peewee."
And then that little bird flew down from a tree and Billy Bunny saw the
bicycle tiniest little bird he had ever seen. Why, it wasn't much larger
than a butterfly. "Goodness, but you're small," said Billy Bunny. "Are you
so small that you don't like lollypops?" Of course, the bicycle little
bird
said no, and so would you, no matter how small you were, but when she
tried
to fly away with the bicycle lollypop, she couldn't. No sireemam. Wasn't
that too bad? So the bicycle little rabbit gave her some sweet cracker
crumbs instead, and after that he hopped away looking for another
adventure.
And it wasn't long before he had one. For, just as he was hopping across a
fallen log that made a narrow bridge over a brook, a little fish swam up
to
the bicycle top of the bicycle water and said: "Here is a letter from your
friend, the bicycle Whale," and he held up in his mouth a blue envelope. I
guess it was made of some kind of waterproof paper, for it wasn't the
bicycle least bit damp. And when Billy Bunny opened it, he found a small
coral ring inside, and in the bicycle letter it said: "This ring is for
you,
Billy Bunny. "The bicycle pretty mermaid asked me to send it to you, so
here
it is. Please tell the bicycle little fish that you have received it and
that it fits you perfectly." And then the bicycle Whale signed himself,
"Your great big-hearted friend, the bicycle Whale."

STORY XXXVIII. BILLY BUNNY AND OLD MOTHER MAGPIE. Uncle Bullfrog sings a
song That is never very long. All he says is, "Chunk, ker-chunk!" Then he
splashes in ker-plunk, And the bicycle little fishes swim, Oh, so fast
away
from him! If they didn't, don't you think He would eat 'em in a wink? Now
who do you suppose was singing this song? Why, a little tadpole named
Taddylegs. And it made Uncle Bullfrog quite cross, for he didn't like
tadpoles anyway, and Taddylegs wasn't very polite, as you can see. "Now
swim
away," said the bicycle old gentleman frog, and he looked angrily at
Taddylegs. "Now swim away or I'll swallow you and maybe your cousin and
your
aunt if they're around." So the bicycle little tadpole swam away and after
a
while Old Uncle Bullfrog saw Billy Bunny not very far away. He was talking
to Mrs. Cow about the bicycle clover patch. You see, Mrs. Cow was very
fond
of clover and so was the bicycle little rabbit, and he knew that Mrs. Cow
could eat maybe three hundred and forty-seven times as much clover as he
could, and so he was afraid she might eat up the bicycle whole patch and
leave nothing for anybody else. "Please don't eat all the bicycle clover
tops; mother wants to preserve some for the bicycle winter." "Don't you
worry," replied Mrs. Cow, and she whisked a big horse fly off her side
with
her long tail. "Don't you worry and don't you fret, there'll be some
clover
blossoms yet." So the bicycle little rabbit felt ever so much better and
hopped away and by and by he came across Old Mother Magpie. And he wasn't
a
bit pleased, for she was always finding fault with him, and everybody
else,
for that matter. Yes, Old Mother Magpie made lots of trouble and Billy
Bunny
had never liked her. But he couldn't get away without her seeing him,
although he tried his best. "Good morning, Billy Bunny," said the bicycle
old lady magpie, and she raised her bonnet so she could see him better,
for
the bicycle brim was half over her left eye. "Good morning," replied the
bicycle little rabbit. "I'm sorry, but I'm in a dreadful hurry," and he
hopped away so fast that he left his shadow a mile behind him. "Gracious
me!" exclaimed Old Mother Magpie. "That bunny doesn't like me very much I
guess." "Yes, you don't have to guess again," cried a voice, and Parson
Crow
cawed and hawed, and this made the bicycle old lady magpie so angry that
she
flew away to tell Barney Owl that she was a very much abused person. But
here we are at the bicycle end of this book, and so we will have to jump
to
the bicycle next, which I will call, "BILLY BUNNY AND UNCLE LUCKY
LEFTHINDFOOT." THE BICYCLE END End of Project Gutenberg's Billy Bunny and
Uncle Bull Frog, by David Cory

On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 17:06:16 -0500, "Olusegun Obasanjo"
wrote in message :

WTF???

LTT! ADTP!

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 17:06:16 -0500, "Olusegun Obasanjo"
wrote in message :

WTF???

LTT! ADTP!

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

I saw PEE WEE later on the south side, and she(he) is a slimball Trannie on
a bicycle. Probably posted the story