Little Jack Rabbit and the Squirrel Brothers Part 8

Well, by and by, after a while, he saw Old Professor Jim Crow scratching his head with his claw.

"What's the matter?" asked the little rabbit.

"I can't make out something I've written in my little Black Book,"

answered the old black bird, and he scratched his head again and looked dreadfully perplexed, which means worse than worried, you know.

"Let me look," said Little Jack Rabbit. And when the old blackbird had flown down from his pine tree, the little bunny leaned over his shoulder, and read: "Oh, oh, oh, Squirreltown!"

"Why, that's the Squirrel Brothers telephone number," he laughed. "So it is," said Professor Jim Crow. "I'm so glad you told me! Let's call them up!"

"'One, three, five, Chestnut Hill!'

Keep on ringing, Central, till Some one answers, 'h.e.l.lo! who Is calling up my Bungaloo!'

"But if no one says a word; Not a twitter from a bird, Nor a chatter comes your way, Call again another day."

GRANDPA POSSUM

But! gracious me! Central gave Little Jack Rabbit the wrong number, for as he stood in the Hollow Stump Telephone Booth, with the receiver to his ear, he heard Grandpa Possum say:

"I don't care how hard it snows, Nor how Old Mr. North Wind blows, For I'm as safe as safe can be In a big warm hole in the old nut tree."

"Ha, ha!" laughed the little rabbit, hopping out of the booth, just as Grandpa Possum poked his head out of his hollow tree house, "you certainly look sleepy. What made you wake up?"

"What woke me?" asked the possum gentleman angrily. "Why, those good for nothing Squirrel Brothers threw a s...o...b..ll into my window." And then Grandpa Possum shook the snow out of his left ear and looked around to find those naughty squirrels.

All of a sudden, quicker than a wink, another s...o...b..ll hit the old hollow tree a tre-men-dous whack.

"Goodness me!" said Grandpa Possum, "if I ever catch those pesky squirrels I'll make them wince, yes, I will, as sure as I'm twenty-one!"

And he began to grin, for Grandpa Possum is full of good nature and never can stay angry very long.

"If you're good natured, every one Will love you more and more, So don't get mad, be always glad, And lend a helping paw,"

sang Grandpa Possum, winking at Little Jack Rabbit, as Squirrel Twinkle Tail peeked out and said:

"Excuse me, Grandpa Possum, For throwing snow at you, 'Twould be too bad to make you mad Or just a little blue."

And then he and his mischievous brother Featherhead ran away and didn't bother Grandpa Possum for a long time.

"Well, I guess I'll be getting along," said the little rabbit and he hopped away and by and by he came to the Shady Forest Pond where Busy Beaver had his home. But of course he wasn't anywhere to be seen. No, siree. He was in his little mud hut whose roof stuck up above the ice and whose cellar door was way down deep where the water was free from ice and he could swim in and out as he pleased.

So the little rabbit didn't wait, but hopped along until he came to the edge of the forest, when he started to hop across the Sunny Meadow to the Old Barn Yard where Henny Penny and c.o.c.ky Doodle lived all the year 'round. But just then he heard the supper bell. So, instead, he hurried home to be in time for Aunt Jemima's angel cake.

COUSIN CHATTERBOX

Little Jack Rabbit loved the snow that covered the ground with a soft white carpet. His feet never grew cold. No siree, they didn't. All the little Forest Folk liked the snow, for Loving Mother Nature had given them warm fur, and warm fur laughs at cold just as love laughs at troubles.

Even Mrs. Grouse was happy. And if you've forgotten why, I'll tell you again. It was because dear Mother Nature had given her a pair of snow-shoes. Yes, indeed. The skin had grown out between her toes until she could walk as nicely as you please over the snow. And what is more, Loving Mother Nature had taught her to dive into a s...o...b..nk where she could stay for the night as snug and warm as you please, when Old Mr.

North Wind blew upon his chilly horn.

Neither did Squirrel Nutcracker care that the ground was covered with snow, and he could find no more nuts. He had a supply hidden safely away in the old hollow chestnut tree. But he did mind having other people take them. And when his cousin, Chatterbox, in his red fur coat, tried to break into his storehouse, Squirrel Nutcracker was as mad as mad could be.

"Whoever steals a nut from me From out my storehouse in this tree, A friend of mine shall be no more, So let him stay outside my store."

Chatterbox grew very angry as he peeped down from the chestnut tree and saw Little Jack Rabbit with a big smile on his face. It told the naughty red squirrel that the little rabbit knew whom the little gray squirrel meant.

But when Little Jack Rabbit opened his knapsack and took out a lemon lollypop, you should have seen those two squirrels forget all about their quarrel and scramble down the big chestnut tree. Yes, sir.

Squirrel Nutcracker forgot that Chatterbox wanted to steal his nuts, and Chatterbox forgot that he had been caught! And now that I come to think it over, perhaps that is the reason the little bunny laughed just before he opened his knapsack! I guess he knew how quickly those two little squirrels would forget everything when they saw a lemon lollypop!

"Now promise me one thing to-day, You little squirrels, red and gray, That you will quarrel nevermore Nor steal a nut from any store.

For he who steals will always end In having neither love nor friend."

Now don't you think it wonderful that the little rabbit could make up such lovely poetry? Well, I do, but the two little squirrels thought what he does in the next story even more wonderful.

But you must not impatient get, If mother says, it's growing late.

Just wait until another time, And kiss good-night your Auntie Kate.

JIMMY JAY

Now just as I finished the last story Little Jack Rabbit handed Squirrel Nutcracker and Chatterbox each a lovely lemon lollypop. I would have told you that before, only I had no more room, so I had to wait. But it's a good thing the little Squirrels didn't have to wait, isn't it?

Well, after the lemon lollypops were all gone, the little bunny went upon his way, hipperty hop, lipperty lop, until he saw Jimmy Jay on the Old Rail Fence.

Now you know that Jimmy Jay is a very mischievous little bird. Yes, sir, he certainly loves to tease. Grandmother Magpie is mischievous, too, but she's no worse than little Jimmy Jay. She does harm by meddling and Jimmy Jay by teasing.

Yes, it certainly is too bad that such a pretty bird as Jimmy Jay should cause so much trouble. Why, his coat's as blue as the summer sky when Mr. Merry Sun is s.h.i.+ning at his best.

"Hip, hip, hurray, I'm Jimmy Jay, And I'm proud of my coat of blue.

Go on your way, I'm Jimmy Jay, I've no time to talk to you."

"You're too fond of yourself, Jimmy Jay," said Little Jack Rabbit, and he wiggled his pink nose till the little Jay bird almost fell off the rail. You see, Little Jack Rabbit had the habit of wiggling his nose so fast that it made everybody dizzy to look at it.

"Mother says it's not the clothes You wear that make you good; It's having a contented mind And doing what you should."

Then away hopped the little rabbit, leaving Jimmy Jay to think it over.

Perhaps it kept that mischievous little Jay Bird from looking at himself in the Bubbling Brook. Or maybe it was because it was all frozen over with a thick coat of ice.