Little Jack Rabbit and Uncle John Hare Part 7

"You're very kind," answered the Turkey Gobbler. "Some day I'll do you a favor."

Well, by and by, after a while, the two little rabbits came to a hill which the Bunnymobile wouldn't go up. No, siree. It just stood still and turned its two bra.s.s lamps around to see what the old gentleman rabbit was going to do about it.

"Goodness gracious me!" he said. "Now what do you think is the matter.

Maybe it wants some gasoline to drink or maybe some milk. I'm sure I don't know which!" And just then Professor Crow flew by and said:

"What is the matter with you, I say; There's a wire stretched across the way, Can't you see it from where you sit?

The two front wheels are caught by it."

"So there is," exclaimed Little Jack Rabbit. "Thank you, Professor Crow."

"But how can we cut the wire?" asked the old gentleman rabbit. "I wish Mrs. Daisy Duck were here with her work basket; we could borrow her scissors."

"Ha, ha!" laughed the old black crow. "If you'll give me a ride I'll cut the wire with my beak."

"That will be fine," said Uncle John Hare. "Go ahead and cut it, and then jump in and we'll take you wherever you wish." In a few minutes that clever black bird cut the wire in two, and then the Bunnymobile went up the hill as nicely as you please. And when they reached the top they met a little old man with a pack on his back. He was a very queer looking person, not the least like a dwarf, but much smaller than a boy.

"Take me with you, good friends," he said. "I will reward you with a present from my pack."

"Jump in," said Little Jack Rabbit. "You may sit with Professor Crow on the back seat." So the little old man crawled in, bundle and all, and after a while he undid the string that tied the bag and put his hand inside.

"What shall I pick from out of the bag.

Say what you'd like the best.

A watch or a ring or a diamond stud, Or a purple velvet vest?"

THE WITCH'S SPELL

Now I guess Little Jack Rabbit and Uncle John Hare, the nice old gentleman bunny, have had plenty of time since I wrote the last story to think what they would rather have from the pack, which the funny little old man had untied as he rode along with them in the Bunnymobile.

"Now tell me what you'd like," he said again.

"I'll take a diamond pin," said the old gentleman rabbit.

"Give me a watch," cried the little bunny.

"A gold ring will suit me," said the little pig. "I can wear it like an earring in my nose."

"I'd like a purple velvet vest," said Prof. Jim Crow; "it will go very nicely with my black swallow-tail coat."

Then the funny little old man pulled out his hand, and, would you believe it? he handed Little Jack Rabbit a diamond pin. And then he put his hand in the bag again and drew out a watch, a ring, and a lovely purple vest.

"Goodness gracious me, but you are generous," said Uncle John Hare. "How can we ever repay you?"

"I will tell you," answered the little old man. "And I hope you will be willing to do what I ask."

"Oh, dear me," thought Little Jack Rabbit, "I know he's going to ask us to do something dangerous."

"In yonder forest," said the little old man, "lives an old witch who keeps in a wicker cage a lovely bird. Now this little bird is really my daughter, but the wicked witch has cast a spell over her. And the only way she can be set free is for someone to touch her with a little blue flower which grows all by itself near a big oak tree, not far from here."

"I will fly away and bring back the flower," said Professor Jim Crow.

"Now then," said the funny little old man, "I will tell you what to do.

The little pig must go around to the back of the witch's hut and dig up her garden, and when she runs out to send him away, you two rabbits hop up on the porch and carry off the cage. And as soon as you have it safe in the Bunnymobile, come back to me. I will wait for you here."

Well, by this time, as Prof. Jim Crow had flown after the flower, the two little rabbits and the pig started off for the witch's hut and by and by, after a while, they stopped in the wood and got out. And when they were quite near, the little pig ran around to the back and began to dig up the garden.

Pretty soon, the old witch ran out of the back door to chase the pig and by this time Little Jack Rabbit had placed the birdcage in the Bunnymobile. But, oh dear me. Just as he and his uncle were driving away they heard a dreadful scream, and in the next story I'll tell you what happened after that.

THE MAGIC FLOWER

"Come back, come back with my pretty bird, Or I'll change you both into a snake.

How dare you act like a couple of thieves And my little pet blue bird take?"

And then the witch gave a dreadful scream, and jumping on her broom-stick flew after Little Jack Rabbit and Uncle John Hare.

Now it may seem strange that a broom-stick can go as fast as a Bunnymobile, but it did, just the same. And maybe a little faster, for pretty soon the old witch was alongside and stretching out her bony hand tried to s.n.a.t.c.h up the cage with the little blue bird. But just then, all of a sudden, up came Professor Jim Crow with the magic blue flower, and as soon as he touched the little bird she changed into a lovely princess, and the old witch gave another dreadful scream and almost fell off her broom-stick. You see she was afraid of that little magic blue flower, for she knew if she came near it she would turn into a bat, and that would be the end of her. So she flew away on her broom-stick, back to her hut in the wood.

Well, by this time they had reached the funny little old man with his pack who lost no time in touching the little magic flower, when, presto!

chango! as the magician says, he turned into a handsome king, and throwing his arms around the princess, cried, "My dearest daughter! At last you are free!" And then he turned to the two little rabbits and Prof. Jim Crow. "How shall I ever repay you?"

"Don't mention it again," said the old gentleman bunny. "We are all glad to have helped you; and besides, you gave us all a present."

Just then the little pig came up, much out of breath, for he had run all the way from the witch's house.

Pretty soon the king and the princess drove off in a great coach drawn by four milk white horses, after saying good-by to the bunnies, the crow and pig. And not so very long, they heard a voice singing:

"My little white dress I have washed so clean, I will iron the ruffles in between, And when the prince comes riding along, I'll sing my prettiest fairy song."

"Who is singing?" asked the little rabbit, and they stopped the Bunnymobile and knocked at the door of a little house they spied in the wood and in less than five seconds, it was opened by a little girl.

"Come in," she said, "I've never seen such nice rabbits before." And in the next story you shall hear what happened after that.

THE RIBBON TREE

In the story before this I told you how a little girl opened the door of her cottage when the two little rabbits went rat-a-tat-tat three times.

And you remember she was singing a song about her pretty ruffled dress which she meant to put on before the prince came riding by. Well, as soon as the two little rabbits sat down in the parlor, the little girl said: