Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes jumped down from the merry-go-round and danced this way and danced that way, and for all I know they are dancing yet!

More Cotton Tail Stories

CHAPTER I

Bunny Cotton-Tail and Susan were sitting by the fire, warming their paws.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "BUNNY AND SUSAN WERE SITTING BY THE FIRE"]

"The evenings are growing cold," said Bunny Cotton-Tail. "It feels like snow to-night."

"Oh, joy!" cried Bunny Boy, "how I do love snow!" Then he began to jump around the room so fast that Susan was afraid he would upset the table.

"I am going to play that the sofa is a hill, and slide down!" he cried.

Then Susan said if Bunny Boy did not sit down in his little red rocking chair and be good, she would put him in a bag!

So Bunny Boy sat down, but he began to cry. There is no telling what would have happened just then if a soft "tap, tap," had not been heard on the window.

Susan looked out. There stood Bushy Tail with his traveling bag in his hand!

Susan was a little afraid to let him in, but there was nothing else to do, so she opened the door, and whisk! bound! Bushy Tail was in, hugging Bunny Cotton-Tail!

"Who is the youngster!" asked Bushy Tail, pointing to Bunny Boy.

Then Bunny Boy made himself as small as possible. He did not care for Bushy Tail.

Bushy Tail said he must tell about his trip. Besides, he had something for Bunny and Susan in his bag.

It had begun to snow, and Bushy Tail was very wet. He stood by the fire and warmed his paws. Susan whispered to Bunny that she had never seen so handsome a fox in her life.

All the time Bushy Tail had a cunning look in his eyes. After his fur was dry, and he had had a bowl of soup, he opened his bag, and my! what fine things he took out!

There was dried fruit for Susan. There was fresh cabbage for Bunny. And there were oranges, and peaches, and pears! They had a fine feast, but the greatest fun of all was just before they went to bed, when Bushy Tail took from his bag a little telephone. He hung it on the wall and fooled the rabbits with it for nearly an hour.

It had a little bell and a receiver, and one could call "h.e.l.lo" into it.

Perhaps Bunny and Susan would never have known the joke about the telephone if it had not been for Bunny Boy. Bunny Boy crept out from under the sofa, where he had been hiding, and climbed up in a chair and pulled the receiver hard. Then, bang! the top of the telephone came off, and showed that it was only a candy box!

Bushy Tail did not like this, but Bunny Cotton-Tail said he would rather have it a candy-box, after all, as he was a little afraid of telephones!

Then they shook one another's paws, and went to bed.

Bushy Tail slept on a sofa in the parlor. About eleven o'clock he got up and began, to stir around. There was the same cunning look in his eyes.

First he went and looked at Susan Cotton-Tail, and thought, "I have half a mind to eat you up." Then he went and looked at Bunny Cotton-Tail and thought, "I have half a mind to eat you up." Then he saw Bunny Boy out in the kitchen, wide awake, eating mince pie! Bushy said, "I have you, and I will eat you up!"

But Bunny Boy was too quick for him. He ran down the stairs, into the cellar, and had hopped through the cellar window in less than no time.

Then Bushy Tail took a mince pie and put it in his right-hand coat pocket. He took a currant pie and put it in his left-hand coat pocket.

He hid an apple pie in his hat, and he went slyly out of the door with a piece of blueberry pie in his mouth!

Next morning, when Bunny and Susan awoke, they saw that their pies were gone, and they saw that Bushy Tail and Bunny Boy were gone too!

Susan Cotton-Tail cried, and Bunny Cotton-Tail whistled.

CHAPTER II

Why do you suppose Susan Cotton-Tail had made so many pies? There was going to be a fair, and Susan had been asked to make pies for it. All the animals were going to the fair.

"We cannot go when we have no pies to sell," said Susan.

"All the animals will come to find out why we are not there," said Bunny.

Now Bunny Cotton-Tail was a very clever rabbit, even though he was getting old. He put on his overcoat and took a card and a hammer, and went out.

He was out a long time, tacking something up on the front door.

When he had finished, he asked Susan to come out and get a breath of air.

They walked up and down in front of the house. Then Susan began to laugh, and then she began to sneeze, and then she laughed and sneezed together, and what do you suppose was the matter?

Bunny Cotton-Tail had put up this sign on the house,

SCARLET FEVER HERE

"Well," said Bunny, "if you don't want to go anywhere or have any one come to see you, just put up a sign like that, and see how well it will work!"

Bunny and Susan went back into the house and peeped out their front window to see how the animals would act when they saw the sign.

First came Bushy Tail, big as life, trotting along. When he saw the sign he waved his beautiful tail in the air and ran down the road as fast as his legs could carry him!

Next came Mr. Owl. He read the sign aloud, and flew away.

So all day long, animals came to ask why Bunny and Susan did not come to the fair, and all were frightened and ran away.

Early in the evening old Grizzly came. He had followed Bushy Tail from California.