"Rubies and diamonds," answered the dwarf, taking a bag from his pocket.

"Two diamonds and three rubies, five precious stones, the like of which you have never seen."

"I will finish the boot in a short time," answered Jim Cobbler, "and then you may try it on." And he set to work, and pretty soon, not so very long, it was finished. And would you believe it, it fitted the dwarf perfectly and matched his other boot exactly.

And as soon as he had paid for it, he walked outside and said in a singing way:

"Boots, boots, I would be A thousand miles across the sea."

And, whisk! away he went and was lost to sight before Uncle John Hare could get out his spygla.s.s.

"Well, well," laughed the wonderful shoemaker, coming to the door and shading his eyes with his hand, "it didn't take him long to walk away.

Ha! ha! My boots are better than airships." I guess he thought he had done a good day's work, and maybe he had, for two diamonds and three rubies are a fair price for one boot, although it may have a stride of a thousand leagues, more or less.

And just you wait until you hear what happens in the next story.

FIREFLY LANTERNS

Twinkle, twinkle, firefly, Like a diamond in the sky.

Well, it was mighty lucky that this firefly had her tiny lantern along with her, for I don't know how the two little rabbits would have reached home if she hadn't lighted the way for them, for the Bunnymobile lantern had gone out, you see.

"We must buy some new ones," said the old gentleman bunny. "We may be arrested any night, and that would be most unpleasant." So the next morning he and Little Jack Rabbit started off for Bunnyville and by and by, after a while, they crossed the bridge that spanned Rabbit River, which wasn't really much wider than a little brook, and stopped before a hardware store.

"What kind of lanterns have you?" asked Uncle John Hare of the fat Turkey Gobble who kept the store.

"We have Jack lanterns, and miners' lamps, and j.a.panese lanterns, and----"

"That'll do," said the little bunny, "let's see them." And after looking at this and looking at that the old gentleman rabbit picked out two Jack Lanterns.

"These will look scrumptious," he said. "I don't believe another car in town will have one." And then they started off again down the road to see little Ben Meadow.

Now little Ben Meadow lived in a round house.

His first name was Ben and his last name was Mouse.

So now you know who little Ben is, but just the same I suppose you wonder why he would be delighted to have two rabbits call on him. Well, I'll tell you. It was because, in the first place, he knew that these two nice bunnies wouldn't hurt him, and in the second place, he wore a collar and belt of leather studded with sharp pointed tacks, which would hurt anyone who tried to catch him.

"h.e.l.loa, Ben," said the old gentleman rabbit when the little mouse opened the door. "Have you any green cheese?"

"Maybe, but I'm not sure. It is over two weeks since the Man in the Moon was here," answered Benjamin Meadow Mouse, for that was his whole name, you know, only everybody called him "Ben" for short, and the little mice called him "Bennie."

Pretty soon he came out with a piece of cheese wrapped up in a napkin and handed it to the old gentleman rabbit, who thanked him and said: "I'm going to give a party tonight. You are invited. Come at eight and stay till late," and then he turned the Bunnymobile around and away they went. Pretty soon they pa.s.sed through the wood, where Bobbie Redvest had his nest.

"Come to my party tonight at eight, bring Mrs. Robin and stay till late," said Uncle John Hare, and in the next story you shall hear what happened after that.

INVITATIONS

You remember in the last story that Uncle John Hare was giving a party and had invited Benjamin Meadow Mouse and Bobbie Redvest, to be there early and stay till late and bring a key to his little front gate.

But now that I come to think of it, I didn't tell you about the key. No, sir, I must have forgotten that. Well, you see, there was a fence all around Uncle John's house, and if you didn't have a key to the little gate, why, of course, you couldn't get in. But the old gentleman rabbit had bought a thousand keys and to every one of his friends had given one, and sometimes two, but not at the same time.

"Now who else shall we invite?" asked the old gentleman bunny, as they rolled along with a laugh and a song.

"Jack Sprite," answered Little Jack Rabbit.

"Of course," laughed the old gentleman bunny, and he turned down the shady dell where the Jack-in-the-pulpit flowers grew, and by and by he came to the one in which Jack lived.

"Oh, yes, I'll come," he said, "and I'll stay late, until the rooster crows at eight."

"All right," answered Uncle John Hare, "I don't care, but don't blame me if I should fall asleep before that time," and then away went the Bunnymobile and before very long the two little rabbits met the little fairy who had once upon a time, not very many stories ago, slept in the old gentleman rabbit's bed.

"Come to my party, come at eight, And bring your key to my little front gate."

"I'll be there, never fear," laughed the little fairy, for Uncle John Hare was noted for his wonderful parties.

"Now that makes three," said Little Jack Rabbit. "Shall we ask the Ragged Rabbit Giant?"

"Sh-s-sh!" whispered the old gentleman bunny, "don't mention his name. I have only ten pounds of cheese for the rarebit. He'd eat a ton at one bite." Then they went on until they met Little Red Riding Hood.

"Come to my party, come at eight, And bring your key to my little front gate."

"I'll be there," answered Little Red Riding Hood, and she ran down to the village to buy a new gown.

"Now who else?" asked the old gentleman rabbit.

"Goodness me, yes, indeed, there's Bo Peep," said Billy Bunny. And in the next story you shall hear about the party.

UNCLE JOHN HARE'S PARTY

You remember we left off in the last story just as the two little rabbits were on their way to ask Bo Peep to come to their party. Well, she said she would, of course, and then Uncle John Hare, the old gentleman bunny, went to the telephone and called up Mother Goose and invited her and all the little people of Mother Goose Land to his party.

"Come to my party, come at eight, And bring your key to my little front gate,"

he added, before hanging up the receiver, for he didn't want anybody to be disappointed, you know. But they would be, just the same, if they forgot to bring their keys, for the old gentleman rabbit would never open his front gate after eight.

"Now we had better hurry home to help Mrs. Daisy Duck get things ready for tonight," and he changed places with his bunny nephew, who took the wheel and steered the Bunnymobile, while kind Uncle John Hare looked over the list of names to make sure no one had been left out, and pretty soon, not so very long, they were home and as busy as could be getting everything ready for the big party.