Billy Bunny and Uncle Bull Frog Read online

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  BILLY BUNNY

  AND

  UNCLE BULL FROG

  BY

  DAVID CORY

  Author of "Billy Bunny and Daddy Fox,""Billy Bunny and The Friendly Elephant,""Billy Bunny and Uncle Lucky Lefthindfoot"

  ILLUSTRATIONS BY

  HUGH SPENCER

  BILLY BUNNY BOOKS

  BY DAVID GORY

  Large 12 mo. Illustrated

  1. BILLY BUNNY AND THE FRIENDLY ELEPHANT

  2. BILLY BUNNY AND DADDY FOX

  3. BILLY BUNNY AND UNCLE BULL FROG

  4. BILLY BUNNY AND UNCLE LUCKY LEFTHINDFOOT

  Other Volumes in Preparation

  1920

  CONTENTS

  I. BILLY BUNNY AND MR. BLACKSNAKE

  II. BILLY BUNNY AND THE FRESHWATER CRAB

  III. BILLY BUNNY AND THE SORROWFUL JAY BIRD

  IV. BILLY BUNNY AND THE TING-A-LING TELEPHONE

  V. BILLY BUNNY AND THE RUNAWAY DOG

  VI. BILLY BUNNY AND MR. O'HARE'S ESCAPE

  VII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE POLICEMAN CAT

  VIII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE GRAY MOUSE

  IX. BILLY BUNNY AND RED ROOSTER

  X. BILLY BUNNY AND MRS. COW

  XI. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BIG BEAR

  XII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE RABBITVILLE "GAZETTE"

  XIII. BILLY BUNNY AND MR. MOLE

  XIV. BILLY BUNNY AND THE WATER SNAKE

  XV. BILLY BUNNY AND THE PEACOCK

  XVI. BILLY BUNNY AND THE MARBLE DEER

  XVII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE FOREST DANCE

  XVIII. BILLY BUNNY AND RAGGED RABBIT

  XIX. BILLY BUNNY AND TAILOR BIRD

  XX. BILLY BUNNY AND PARSON CROW

  XXI. BILLY BUNNY AND JACK-IN-THE-BOX

  XXII. BILLY BUNNY AND MR. DUCK

  XXIII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE FRETFUL PORCUPINE

  XXIV. BILLY BUNNY AND DANNY BILLYGOAT

  XXV. BILLY BUNNY AND THE WHALE

  XXVI. BILLY BUNNY AND THE MERMAID.

  XXVII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE BEANSTALK

  XXVIII. BILLY BUNNY AND SCATTERBRAINS

  XXIX. BILLY BUNNY AND MRS. BLACK CAT

  XXX. BILLY BUNNY AND BIG YELLOW DOG

  XXXI. BILLY BUNNY AND A HAPPY BIRTHDAY

  XXXII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE LOST RING

  XXXIII. BILLY BUNNY AND THE GREAT NEWS

  XXXIV. BILLY BUNNY AND JENNY MUSKRAT

  XXXV. BILLY BUNNY AND THE MILLER'S DOG

  XXXVI. BILLY BUNNY AND THE WOODCHUCK

  XXXVII. BILLY BUNNY AND LITTLE PEEWEE

  XXXVIII. BILLY BUNNY AND OLD MOTHER MAGPIE

  STORY I.

  BILLY BUNNY AND MR. BLACKSNAKE.

  Rain, rain, go away, Billy Bunny wants to play.

  This is what Willy Wind sang one morning. Oh, so early, as theraindrops pitter-pattered on the roof of the little rabbit's house inthe Old Brier Patch.

  And then of course he woke up and wiggled his little pink nose amillion times less or more, and pretty soon he was wide awake, so hegot up and looked into the mirror to see if his eyes were open, as hewasn't quite sure he was wide awake after all, for the raindrops madea drowsy noise on the old shingles and the alarm clock wouldn't gooff, although it was 14 o'clock.

  Well, after a little while, not so very long, his mother called tohim, "Billy Bunny, the stewed lollypops are getting cold and therobin's eggs will be hard boiled if you don't hurry up, or hurry down,or something."

  "I'll be ready in a jiffy," answered the little rabbit, and then hebrushed his whiskers and parted his hair in the middle with a littlechip, and after that he was ready for breakfast and dinner and supper,for rabbits are always hungry, you know, and can eat all the time, soI've been told, and I guess it must be true, for why should an oldrabbit have told me that if it isn't the truth, I should like to know,and so would you, I'm sure.

  "Don't forget your rubber boots," said Mrs. Bunny after the morningmeal was over, as Billy Bunny started to hop outdoors. So, like a goodlittle bunny boy, he came back and put them on, and then before hewent he polished the brass door knob on the front door and swept theleaves off the little stone walk.

  And after that he was ready to do whatever he liked, so out he went onthe Pleasant Meadow to eat some clover tops so as not to feel hungryfor the next ten minutes.

  And just then Mrs. Cow came along with her tinkle, tinkle bell thathung at her throat from a leather collar.

  "Where are you going?" she asked, but the little rabbit didn't know.He was only looking around. He hadn't had time to make up his mindwhat to do, and just then, all of a sudden, just like that, Mr.Blacksnake rose out of the grass.

  "Look out!" cried Mrs. Cow. "Maybe he's going to eat you," but whetherhe was I'm sure I don't know, for Billy Bunny didn't wait to see. Hedidn't care whether Mr. Blacksnake wanted his breakfast, but hoppedaway as fast as he could and pretty soon, not so very far, he came tothe Babbling Brook, and there sat the little fresh water crab on thesand, and when he saw Billy Bunny he said:

  "It's raining, Billy Bunny, But you and I don't care, For raindrops make the flowers Grow and blossom fair."

  And this is what every little boy and girl should say on rainy days.

  STORY II.

  BILLY BUNNY AND THE FRESHWATER CRAB.

  Let me see. It was raining in the last story when we left off, wasn'tit? Billy Bunny and the little freshwater crab were talking together,weren't they?

  That's it, and now I know where to begin, for it's stopped rainingsince then and Mr. Happy Sun is shining in the sky and the littleclouds are chasing each other over the blue meadows like little lambs.

  "I like that little piece of poetry you just said," cried the littlerabbit. "Please say another." So the freshwater crab wrinkled hisforehead, and then he began:

  "And when the sun is shining, And all is bright and gay, Just keep a little sunshine To help a rainy day."

  "I will," said the little bunny, for he was a cheerful little fellow,and then he hopped away and by and by he came to the Old Mill Pond.

  But Uncle Bullfrog was nowhere to be seen.

  There stood the old log, but there was nobody on it but a black snail.It seemed strange not to see the old gentleman frog sitting there, hiseyes winking and blinking and his white waist-coat shining in the sun,and it made the little rabbit feel lonely.

  "Where is Uncle Bullfrog?" he asked a big bluebottle fly, who wasbuzzing away at a great rate. But he didn't know, and neither did abig darning needle that was skimming over the quiet water.

  "I wonder if that dreadful Miller's Boy has taken Uncle Bullfrogaway," thought Billy Bunny, and just then Mrs. Oriole flew down fromher nest that swung in the weeping willow tree and said:

  "Are you looking for Uncle Bullfrog, little rabbit?"

  "Yes, ma'am. Do you know where he is?"

  "He's down by the mill dam," answered the pretty little bird, and thenshe flew back to her nest that looked like an old white cottonstocking at Christmas time because it was all bulgy and full, only, ofcourse, hers had little birds inside and a Christmas stocking has allsorts of toys, with an orange in the toe and a Jack-in-the-Boxsticking out of the top.

  So off hopped the little rabbit, and pretty soon he saw the oldgentleman bullfrog catching flies, and undoing his waistcoat onebutton every time a fly disappeared down his throat.

  "I thought at first that dreadful Miller's Boy had taken you away,"said Billy Bunny, "and I was very sad, for I like you, Uncle Bullfrog,and I've never forgotten how you found the letter I lost a long timeago."

  "Tut,
tut," said the old gentleman frog. "How's your mother?" and thenhe swallowed another fly and unbuttoned the last button, and if hetakes off his waistcoat I'll tell you so in the next story.

  STORY III.

  BILLY BUNNY AND THE SORROWFUL JAY BIRD.

  Well, Uncle Bullfrog didn't take off his waistcoat, as I thought hemight in the last story, so I'm not going to tell you anything moreabout him.

  We'll just leave him in the old Mill Pond and go along with BillyBunny, who is hopping away toward the Friendly Forest.

  By and by, after he had gone into the shady depths for maybe a millionand two or three hops, he came across his old friend the jay bird, whohad sold him the airship, you remember, and then bought it back again.

  "I wish you'd kept your old flying machine," said the jay birdsorrowfully."But you wanted to buy it back," said the little rabbit, "so it's notmy fault."

  "Perhaps not," replied the sorrowful jay bird, "but that doesn't makematters any better."

  "Why, what's the trouble?" asked the little rabbit, sitting down andtaking a lollypop out of his knapsack.

  "I had an accident," answered the jay bird.

  "I ran into a thunder cloud and spilled out all the lightning, and, ohdear, oh dear. I just hate to talk about it, but I will. The lightningjumped all around and then struck the old tower clock and broke themain spring, so that it wouldn't go any more, and now nobody inRabbitville can tell the day of the month, or when it will beThanksgiving or Fourth of July."

  "Let's go to the clock maker and ask him to fix it," suggested thelittle rabbit, and this so delighted the sorrowful jay bird that hesmiled and flew after Billy Bunny, and pretty soon they came to theold clock maker, who was an old black spider.

  "Certainly I'll fix it," he said, "but it will cost you nine millionand some billion flies."

  "All right," said Billy Bunny. "I'll go down to the 3 and 1-cent storeand buy a fly catcher." So off he went and pretty soon he came backwith a great big fly catching box, and after he had set it down, theystood and watched the flies go in until it was so full that notanother one could even poke in his nose.

  "Now, Mr. Spider," said Billy Bunny, "there are maybe a trillion fliesin that box, for the storekeeper told me it was guaranteed to holdthat many, so please fix the town clock, for it would be too bad ifthe little boys and girls didn't know it was Christmas when it reallycame."

  So the spider got out his little tool bag and climbed up the steepleand fixed that old town clock so well that it began to play a tune,which it had never done before, and all the people in Rabbitville wereso delighted that they gave the spider a little house to live in forthe rest of his days.

  STORY IV.

  BILLY BUNNY AND THE TING-A-LING TELEPHONE.

  Ting-a-ling went the telephone bell in Uncle Lucky Lefthindfoot'shouse, the kind old gentleman rabbit who was the uncle of Billy Bunny,you know.

  And I only say this right here in case some little boy or girl shouldread this story without having seen all the million and one, or two,or three that have gone before.

  So Uncle Lucky jumped out of the hammock where he had been swinging upand down on the cool front porch of his little house in Bunnytown,corner of Lettuce avenue and Carrot street, and hopped into thelibrary and took down the receiver and said "Helloa! This is Mr. LuckyLefthindfoot talking."

  "Is that you, Uncle Lucky?" answered a voice at the other end of thewire. "This is Billy Bunny, and I'm lost in the Friendly Forest.""What!" cried the old gentleman rabbit, and he got so excited that heput the wrong end of the receiver to his left ear and got an awfulelectric shock that nearly wiggled his ear off. "Where are you now?"

  "I don't know," replied his small nephew. "I'm lost, don't youunderstand?"

  "Gracious, goodness mebus!" exclaimed the old gentleman rabbit, "thenhow am I to find you?"

  "I don't know, but please do," said Billy Bunny sorrowfully, "for I'mdreadfully hungry, and I haven't got a single lollypop or apple pieleft in my knapsack."

  "Well, you just stay where you are and I'll get into the Luckmobileand find you," replied the old gentleman rabbit as cheerfully as hecould, although he didn't know how he was going to do it, and neitherdo I, and neither do you, but let's wait and see.

  So pretty soon, in a few short seconds, Uncle Lucky was tearing alongthe dusty road toward the Friendly Forest, and by and by he came tothe house where his cousin, Mr. O'Hare, lived. So he stopped theautomobile and knocked on the door, and as soon as Mr. O'Hare openedit, he said: "Jump in with me, for my little nephew is lost and I wantyou to help me find him."

  So away they went into the Friendly Forest, and they looked allaround, but, of course, there was no little rabbit that looked likeBilly Bunny anywhere in sight. So Uncle Lucky and Mr. O'Hare got out,and after tying the automobile to a tree, they set out in differentdirections to find the little bunny. And Uncle Lucky went along alittle path and Mr. O'Hare followed a small brook, and after a whilethe old gentleman rabbit heard a bird singing:

  "I saw a little rabbit A-sitting by a tree, And I should say he'd lost his way-- That's how he looked to me."

  "Where did you see him?" asked Uncle Lucky excitedly. But what thelittle bird replied you must wait to hear in the next story.

  STORY V.

  BILLY BUNNY AND THE RUNAWAY DOG.

  You remember in the last story just as Uncle Lucky asked the littlebird to tell him where Billy Bunny was I had to leave off for therewas no more room in the story for me to add another word? Well, whatthe little bird said was:

  "Follow the path, Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot, 'till you come to a bridge,and then turn to your right, and pretty soon, if the little bunnyhasn't hopped away, you'll find your lost nephew."

  So Uncle Lucky started right off. He didn't wait to even dust off hisold wedding stovepipe hat, and by and by he came to the bridge. But ohdear me! Right in the middle of it stood a big dog, and when he sawthe old gentleman rabbit he gave a loud bark and ran at him.

  And what do you think the dear old bunny did? He honked on hisautomobile horn, which he had in his paw, and this frightened the dogso dreadfully that he turned around and ran away so fast that he wouldhave left his tail a thousand miles behind him if it hadn't been tiedon the way dogs' tails are, you know.

  And after that Uncle Lucky crossed the bridge and turned to his rightand pretty soon he saw Billy Bunny under a bush looking very miserableand unhappy. But when he heard his Uncle Lucky's voice, for the oldgentleman rabbit gave a cry of delight as soon as he saw him, thelittle rabbit looked as happy as he had before he was lost.

  "Here's an apple pie for you," said the dear, kind old gentlemanrabbit, taking a lovely pie out of his pocket. "I knew you'd ratherhave something to eat than a million carrot cents."

  And of course the little rabbit would, for he was so hungry he couldhave eaten brass tacks, or maybe iron nails.

  "Now come along with me," said Uncle Lucky. "We'll go back to theLuckymobile. Your cousin, Mr. O'Hare, went the other way to look foryou, so I suppose we'll have a dreadful time to find him. But, nevermind, I've found you." And dear, affectionate Uncle Lucky hugged hissmall nephew, he was so glad to be with him once more.

  Well, after they reached the automobile they honked and honked on thehorn hoping Mr. O'Hare would hear them. But I guess he didn't, for henever came back, although they waited until it was almost 13 o'clock.

  "We'll have to go home without him," said Uncle Lucky at last. And Iguess he was wise not to wait any longer, for it was growing dark, andto drive an automobile through a forest is not an easy thing to do atnight. And just then, all of a sudden, Willie Wind came blowingthrough the tree tops. When he saw the two little bunnies he said:

  "Your cousin, Mr. O'Hare, has fallen into a deep hole over yonder."And Willie Wind pointed down the Friendly Forest Trail. In the nextstory you shall hear how Uncle Lucky and Billy Bunny found theircousin, Mr. O'Hare.

  STORY VI.

  BILLY BUNNY AND MR. O'HARE'S ESCAPE.

  You remember in t
he last story how Willie Wind whispered to BillyBunny and Uncle Lucky that their cousin, Mr. O'Hare, had fallen into adeep hole? Well, it didn't take the two little rabbits more than fiveshort seconds and maybe five and a half hops to reach the spot, andthen they looked over the edge, but very carefully, you know, for fearthey might fall in, and there, sure enough, way down at the bottom wasMr. O'Hare looking very miserable indeed.

  "Keep up your courage!" cried Uncle Lucky in as cheerful a voice as hecould muster, and then he looked around to find a rope or a ladder.But of course there were not any ropes and ladders lying about, sothat kind old gentleman rabbit peeped over the edge of the hole andcalled down again, "Keep up your courage! We'll get you out!"

  Although he didn't know how he was going to do it, and neither do youand neither do I and neither does the printer man.

  Well, after a while, and it was quite a long while, too, Billy Bunnyfound a wild grapevine which he let down into the hole. "Make a loopand put it around your waist and Uncle Lucky and I will haul you out,"he called down, and then Mr. O'Hare did as he was told, and after thetwo little rabbits had pulled and pulled until their breath was almostgone, Mr. O'Hare's head appeared at the top of the hole.

  And then with one more big pull they brought him out safely, althoughhis waist was dreadfully sore because the grapevine had cut into hisfur and squeezed all the breath out of him.

  "I'm going to complain to the street cleaning department or the firstpoliceman I see," said Mr. O'Hare. "It's a dreadful thing to have ahole like this right in the middle of the Friendly Forest Trail."