At eight o"clock, and maybe a few minutes before, the little front gate began to rattle, and Mother Goose came up the walk, followed by Goosey-Goosey-Gander and the Three Blind Mice, who held on to the gander"s tail feathers so as not to stub their toes on the front door step.
Then pretty soon, the lock began to rattle again, and in came Jack Sprite and the little Forest Fay, and before 13 minutes past 8 every one was there. Well, by and by it came time to cut the big birthday cake in which was hidden a little gold ring, and of course everyone hoped he would find it in his piece of cake. But of course everybody except Benjamin Meadow Mouse was disappointed, which tells you right away who got the ring.
[Ill.u.s.tration: Jack Sprite and Forest Fay Arrive at Uncle John Hare"s Party.]
Now everything was going along as nicely as you please, when, all of a sudden, there came a rap-tap-a-tap at the little front gate, and Mrs.
Daisy Duck, the old housekeeper, whispered:
"Somebody"s knocking at the gate, We won"t let him in because it"s too late; No one gets in who has lost his key No matter what time the hour may be."
But, goodness me. The knocking kept right on, only louder and louder, and pretty soon a gruff voice said:
"I"m the Ragged Rabbit Giantman Open the gate as quick as you can."
"What shall we do?" asked Mrs. Daisy Duck, who was a timid lady duck and never felt safe unless she was out in the middle of Turnip City Lake.
And in the next story, if that big giant doesn"t break down the gate, I"ll tell you what happened after that.
THE LITTLE RING
"If you don"t open the gate, I"ll step over the wall It"s not very high, and I"m pretty tall.
I guess you had better open the gate; In case I get angry you"ll find it too late."
"Oh, dear me!" said Mrs. Daisy Duck, "What shall we do?"
Then what do you suppose little Benjamin Meadow Mouse said? You"d never guess. He ran out of the house, down to the gate, and called out to that great big giant: "Have you a little boy at home?"
"I certainly have," replied the big immense giant rabbit.
"Then take this little ring to him," said Benjamin Meadow Mouse, handing over the ring which he had just found in his piece of birthday cake, as I told you in the last story.
"You are very kind," said the giant. "I"ll go home at once and give it to him." And away he went to climb up his mountain.
Well, after that, the birthday party broke up, and all the little guests went home, but before Benjamin Meadow Mouse said good night, Little Jack Rabbit gave him another ring, maybe a little prettier than the one in the birthday cake.
The next morning when Mr. Merry Sun looked into the window he said:
"Wake up, wake up! little boy rabbit Dress yourself in your white fur habit.
It"s going to be a beautiful day For I"ve driven the rain clouds all away."
"That"s very nice of you, Mr. Merry Sun," said the little bunny, rubbing his eyes, for he was still sleepy from the birthday party. Then, after a yawn or two, he jumped out of bed, and pretty soon he was downstairs with Uncle John Hare, reading the Bunnyville News.
Well, before very long, they were ready to go for a drive, so they cranked up the Bunnymobile, and started off, and by and by, after a while, and many a mile and a song and a smile, they met little Bobbie Redvest who told them that the Cow That Jumped Over the Moon wasn"t feeling very well.
"Goodness me, that"s too bad," said the old gentleman bunny. "I guess I"ll get the doctor." So off he went, with Little Jack Rabbit, and pretty soon, not so very far, they came to the good doctor"s house on the corner of Lettuce Avenue and Pumpkin Square.
And in the next story you shall hear what happened after that.
DOCTOR CAT
Oh, Doctor Cat was very wise, Oh, very wise was he.
He knew you"d smile in a little while If tickled on the knee.
Well, I hope you remember where we left off in the last story, but in case you don"t, Little Jack Rabbit and Uncle John Hare had gone after Doctor Cat to tell him that the Cow That Jumped Over the Moon was ill with the rheumatism.
"That"s pretty hard to cure," said the wise cat doctor after the little bunnies had explained matters. "But I will get my little black bag and go with you," and filling it full of little medicine bottles and boxes of pills he put on his coat and hat and followed the two little rabbits out to the Bunnymobile. Then they all started for Mrs. Cow"s house in Meadowville, on the corner of Corn Cob Avenue and Clover Street.
"I don"t know what will happen if she never can jump over the moon again," said Little Jack Rabbit. "Just think how disappointed all the little boys and girls will be who read Mother Goose. Maybe the Little Dog will never laugh again and the Dish won"t run after the Spoon."
"I"ll give her a jumping powder," said Dr. Cat. "That"s all she needs.
Don"t worry. I once treated a kangaroo for the same trouble," And he began to purr as if nothing could worry him except, maybe, a big dog.
Well, pretty soon they came to Mrs. Cow"s house, so the doctor jumped out and went in. But, oh dear me, Mrs. Cow was sicker than he thought, I guess, for he didn"t come out for fifteen minutes, and maybe more.
"How is she?" inquired kind Uncle John Hare when the famous cat doctor was once more seated in the Bunnymobile.
"She hasn"t got rheumatism at all," he answered. "She b.u.mped her foot on the edge of the moon, but it will be all well in a few days."
By and by the two little rabbits and the famous cat doctor came to a bridge where they found the old dog who took the toll ill with the flu.
"Let me off here," said Dr. Cat, "and you can go on your way." So the two little bunnies crossed the bridge and stopped at a moving picture theatre.
"There"s going to be a show very soon," said a green parrot. "Get your tickets. Don"t be late. There won"t be a seat by half past eight."
"Shall we go in?" asked the old gentleman rabbit.
And you don"t suppose for a minute that Little Jack Rabbit answers "no"
in the next story, do you?
THE BIG BLACK BEAR
Now the Moving Picture to which Little Jack Rabbit and Uncle John Hare went in the story before this was about a dog that barked at the moon till the Man in the Moon threw him a bone, after which he sat out in the backyard every night to catch the bones the Man in the Moon threw down to him.
"I wish it had been about the little bird in the Moon Man"s house," said Little Jack Rabbit. "I don"t care much about dogs."
Well, after that they both jumped into the Bunnymobile and started off for home. But, oh dear me. They had gone only a little way, just so far, when out from the wood jumped a big black bear.