Billy Bunny and Uncle Bull Frog Part 2

"Stop your motor car, I say, You have no lamps to light the 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 brake and the Luckymobile came to a standstill. And there in the road stood a big Policeman Cat, with a club and gold b.u.t.tons 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 two little rabbits obeyed, something happened, but what it was you must wait to hear in the next story.

STORY VII.

BILLY BUNNY AND THE POLICEMAN CAT.

Well, I'm glad to say it was something nice that happened just as I left off in the last story. You remember the 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 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 road.

And he ran so fast that he left his number behind and Uncle Lucky picked it up and put it on the automobile, and after that they asked two little fireflies to sit inside the lamps and make them s.h.i.+ne, for you remember the electricity had all burned up.

Well, after a while, they came to a turn in the road and, goodness gracious! before they could stop the automobile they ran into a milk wagon. And, oh, dear me! there was whipped cream all over the place, and Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky looked like two little cream puffs.

And I suppose you are wondering where the driver of the 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 milk wagon that it caught my thumb and pinched it.

Well, pretty soon, after Uncle Lucky had looked behind the moon and Billy Bunny into all the empty milk cans and one full one, they found the 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 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 milkman when he reached the 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 poor horse high up in the 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 way, For I always go the 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 horse jumped down and the willow tree stopped weeping right away, for it was so glad that the poor old milk horse was never again to be hurried on his way. And in the next story I'll tell you why.

STORY VIII.

BILLY BUNNY AND THE GRAY MOUSE.

You remember in the last story how the Luckymobile had run into a milk wagon? Well, after Billy Bunny had helped the milkman hitch up his horse and Uncle Lucky had filled the milk cans with ice cream and soda water from a near-by candy store, so as not to have all the little boys and girls disappointed at breakfast when they didn't get their milk, our two little rabbit friends got into the Luckymobile and started off again.

Well, it was still evening, you know, and the little fireflies who had crawled into the lamps made them as bright as possible, so it wasn't hard to steer the 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 barber for a shave.

Well, anyway, the two little rabbits stopped the automobile right in front of mousie's door and when she heard the horn go honk, honk, she came to the window and looked out.

"Why, it's Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot," she squeaked, and then she opened the door and asked the two little rabbits in and gave them some pie and cake.

"You can put the automobile in the barn if you like," she said, "and spend the night here, for it's getting very dark and maybe you'll run into something." So Billy Bunny took the Luckymobile around to the barn, and just then an old owl began to toot:

"I'm very fond of little gray mice, And little white rabbits, too, are nice."

And down flew that old gray owl and made a grab for Billy Bunny. But he didn't catch him. No, sireemam! For the little rabbit hopped into the henhouse through the little round door, and the big red rooster began to crow:

"Look here, Mr. Owl, if you come inside I'll hurt you with my spur.

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, "c.o.c.k-a-doodle-do"

three times and a half, and after that the owl flew away. "That was very kind of you," said the little rabbit. "Oh, don't mention it,"

said the red rooster, "but there is one thing you can do for me."

"What's that?" asked Billy Bunny. "Take me Luckymobiling," laughed the red rooster.

"All right. To-morrow Uncle Lucky and I will invite you for a nice drive," said the little rabbit, and if the 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 next morning when the little rabbits woke up the sun was s.h.i.+ning brightly through their bedroom window and Mrs. Mousie was singing a song down in the kitchen below as she made hot m.u.f.fins 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 table And give them some honey and bread.

And then a hot m.u.f.fin 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 old gentleman rabbit, and he b.u.t.toned 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 bread and honey and the hot m.u.f.fins 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 strings under her chin, and put on her black silk mitts and her gold locket breastpin with the picture of Mr. Mousie inside.

"You don't mind if we invite the red rooster to go along, too, do you?" asked Billy Bunny, and then he told her how the rooster had scared away the old owl. And of course Mrs. Mousie didn't care, so the rooster got in and sat on the 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 windows were full of peppermint sticks and a brown sugar monkey did all sorts of tricks.