Title: The Runaway Bunny
Author: Laura Rountree Smith
Illustrator: Dorothy Dulin
Release date: June 8, 2021 [eBook #65568]
Language: English
Credits: E-text prepared by Charlene Taylor, David King, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org)
| Note: | Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See https://archive.org/details/runawaybunny00smit |
TIME TO RUN AWAY 7
THE HUNGRY RABBIT 20
A LOAD OF EASTER EGGS 35
MOTHER BUN’S VISITORS 48
THE ANIMALS’ FOURTH OF JULY 58
THE COUNTY FAIR 66
THE BUNNY SCHOOL 77
THE TELL-THE-TIME RABBIT 88
THE THANKSGIVING DINNER 101
CHRISTMAS AT MOTHER BUN’S 112
The Runaway Rabbit sat on the doorstep of his own little house, saying, “By my cottontail, it is time for me to run away!”
He took out his little brown traveling bag and packed it full.
“Packed it full”
He was in such a hurry to run away that he did not even stop to clear off his breakfast table. He did not even stop to wind his clock or lock his front door!
Hippety-hop, lippety-lop, he went down the path, carrying his little brown traveling bag.
“Where are you going?” asked the Whistling Wind.
“Where are you going?” asked the Smiling Sun.
To them both, the Runaway Bunny replied:
He did not tell anyone where he was going. Many years ago he had made up his mind that some day he would run away and visit his grandparents.
Now wasn’t it funny? At this very minute Old Mother Bun was saying:
She wanted a little Bunny to travel up and down the cellar stairs for her.
At this very minute Old Father Bun was saying:
He wanted a little Rabbit to bring in wood and water.
“Took out her field glasses”
Suddenly, without any warning whatever, Old Mother Bun took out her field glasses. And as she looked out of the window she remarked, “I think I see a little figure away over in the field coming this way very fast!”
Old Father Bun put his long ears close to the window to listen.
He had wonderful hearing, and he said, “I think I hear the far-off patter, patter, patter of little feet. Some one is coming. He should be here in five minutes.”
Father Bun took out his watch and kept looking at it, while he went outdoors to wait. He had not long to wait, for the Runaway Bunny soon came in sight. He cried:
He set down his traveling bag and kissed his grandparents.
Old Mother Bun said, “You are our own dear grandson.”
Father Bun said, “Come right inside, my dear.”
The Runaway Bunny was glad to sit down by the kitchen stove and eat cookies as fast as Old Mother Bun took them out of the oven.
Now he had heard the old Rabbits wishing before he had entered the house. So he went pitter, patter, clitter, clatter, down to the cellar and brought up a great green cabbage. He put it into a chopping bowl and chopped it up for dinner.
Then he went pitter, patter, clitter, clatter, down to the cellar and brought up many other good things.
Old Mother Bun said:
“The Runaway Bunny winked one eye”
At this the Runaway Bunny winked one eye; for he never stayed anywhere very long.
He had formed the habit of running away.
He next went with a hop and a skip and a bound, and brought in wood and water.
Old Father Bun was delighted. He said:
The Runaway Bunny looked cross-eyed; but he had a merry time all day.
He said, “Grandmother Bun, what a fine pantry you have!” and “Grandfather Bun, what a fine garden you have! Will you take me riding in your wheelbarrow?”
When evening came he and his grandparents popped corn. And when it was bedtime the Runaway Bunny opened his traveling bag and brought out a brand new nightcap for Old Mother Bun and a brand new pipe for Old Father Bun.
They said:
The Runaway Bunny coughed politely and took his little brown traveling bag and went pitter, patter, clitter, clatter, upstairs.
He put on his little white nightcap and night robe.
Old Mother Bun tucked him up snug and warm in bed, and Old Father Bun sang:
When the little fellow was asleep, Old Mother Bun said:
Old Father Bun remarked:
In the morning the Runaway Bunny was gone!
He left his little brown traveling bag, so it looked as though he intended to come back some time. He also left a polite note to thank his grandparents for their kindness.
The Bunny
The Runaway Bunny took out his little toy watch and looked at it. And, though he could not tell time, he said, “My fur and cottontail! It seems to be time for something to eat.”
He decided to ask the first animal he met for some breakfast.
He went hopping and skipping along until he met Pit-A-Pat, the Cat. He told her how very hungry he was.
She said, “Come home with me and I’ll give you a saucer of milk.”
The Runaway Bunny replied:
Then he whispered to Pit-A-Pat that he wished he had stopped for Old Mother Bun’s breakfast, and he went hopping down the path.
Pit-A-Pat remarked, “I ought to have asked who Mother Bun is. I might want to know some day.”
My, how hungry the Runaway Bunny was! By and by he met Rough Coat, the old tramp dog, and asked him for a tiny bite of breakfast.
“By and by he met Rough Coat”
Rough Coat said, “If you come with me I will give you a fine bone I buried last week.”
The Runaway Bunny bowed politely and said:
“What are you running away for?” asked Rough Coat.
But the little fellow was in too much of a hurry to stop to answer him. He could not forget how hungry he was.
He sang:
A wise old owl in the tree overhead, who said his name was Who-Who, offered the Rabbit a juicy bat.
But the Runaway Bunny replied:
He went on hippety-hop, hippety-hop, until he met Old Brother Bear, who offered him a taste of honey.
Now Old Brother Bear loved honey. So he was relieved when the Runaway Bunny replied:
He went on his way, singing about Old Mother Bun’s coffee and rolls and doughnuts.
He sang:
Next he met Foxy-Lox, that sly old fellow! The Runaway Bunny fairly shouted:
Foxy-Lox crept up very, very close and whispered in the Runaway Bunny’s right ear:
Then Foxy-Lox, that crafty old fellow, crept up and whispered in the Runaway Bunny’s left ear:
No wonder the Runaway Bunny was hungry. No breakfast, no dinner, no supper!
Foxy-Lox said:
The Runaway Bunny followed him, muttering:
They went along until they came to the den.
There was a table set with carrots and cabbage and tender green spring-flower shoots and everything else, in fact, that a hungry Bunny would like to eat.
“Waiting their turn to be served”
Sure enough, the six little Foxy-Loxies sat like little gentlemen round the table, waiting their turn to be served.
Old Foxy-Lox invited the Runaway Bunny to eat a good square meal.
Nodding his head in the direction of the visitor, he whispered to his little Foxes:
The Runaway Bunny had sharp ears. He began to twitch them nervously to and fro.
He could not hear what Old Foxy-Lox was whispering about. But he thought the old fellow was up to some mischief. So he said:
Then he looked at the carrots and said:
Then he waved his paw toward the table of tempting things.
And he shouted:
Then he gave one bound and was out of the den before Foxy-Lox could wink an eyelash.
His talkative little ticking Watch made this remark:
The Runaway Bunny was thinking hard again, “No breakfast, no dinner, no supper!” He sat down on a log to think.
Pitter, patter, clitter, clatter, came the sound of two little feet. And another Bunny stood in the path before him.
This new friend now said:
“Then he stood on his head”
Then he stood on his head and did several circus tricks, as cunning as could be. At any other time the Runaway Bunny would have laughed. But he only said mournfully:
The Circus Bunny said:
They went hippety-hop until they came to the garden. Here they ate the tops of some early spring flowers and some bits of tender lettuce. They had a fine meal before they were through with it. The Circus Bunny said:
As the Runaway Bunny hopped along, it began to rain very hard.
He heard a voice singing:
The voice came from a wee house in the woods. The Runaway Bunny stopped and knocked politely at the door.
His little heart went thump, for he did not know what he should find inside.
The door opened a little and a very old Rabbit peeped out and said:
The Runaway Bunny hung his head, for he had never been generous enough to give away anything in all his life. But as the rain was falling fast, he wanted to go in and dry his fur and whiskers.
So he said:
In answer to this, the door was opened wide and he hopped inside.
My, what a wonderful sight he saw!
There were Easter eggs on the table and Easter eggs on the floor, Easter eggs on the window-sill and Easter eggs in baskets! They were painted in gay colors—red, blue, and gold.
Old Mother Give-Away said:
“Painting piles and piles of Easter eggs”
Then she told him how she and Father Give-Away had spent many days painting piles and piles of Easter eggs.
She said she wanted every Rabbit in the world to have an Easter egg on Easter morning. She wanted the eggs well hidden, so it would be fun to hunt for them.
“Splashing the colors upon them”
She went on painting the eggs, dashing and splashing the colors upon them. The Runaway Bunny planned where he would hide the Easter eggs in every wee house he visited.
He thought he would put them back of books and in vases and back of clocks and in cups and bowls and baskets. There are so many good places to hide wee Easter eggs.
By and by the two Bunnies curled up on the rug and fell asleep.
Very early next day the Runaway Bunny woke up.
He said:
To his surprise Old Mother Give-Away answered, as though she were half asleep:
The Runaway Bunny laughed and slipped four little Rubbers on his four little feet to keep them dry, this misty, moisty morning.
Then he asked again:
Then the Rubbers piped up to answer him:
“The Umbrella was in a very good humor”
The Umbrella was in a very good humor and, as the Runaway Bunny opened it, said:
The Runaway Bunny chuckled as he slipped on the Raincoat that hung on a nail.
He asked as before:
The Raincoat replied:
The Runaway Bunny knew they were happy to get out in the rain. But he asked again:
The Rain Cap replied:
Then the Runaway Bunny ran out into the yard and said to the Wheelbarrow:
And the Wheelbarrow said, “I am ready to start this very minute.”
“About 246 Easter eggs in the Wheelbarrow”
Then Mother Give-Away came out and helped the Runaway Bunny pile about 246 Easter eggs in the Wheelbarrow. She covered them well to keep them dry.
The Runaway Bunny remarked:
“Who is Grandmother Bun?” asked Old Mother Give-Away.
The wind whistled so hard that the Runaway Bunny did not hear the question. But he went rolling the Wheelbarrow merrily along, singing:
“He left eggs at every Rabbit house”
He left eggs at every Rabbit house he passed, and by and by the Wheel-barrow was empty.
He left it in the road and went hippety-hop along, singing:
Old Father Bun thought a long time before speaking.
Old Father and Mother Bun talked on about the Runaway Bunny, saying:
So Old Father Bun sat down by a table and said:
He was not used to doing much writing.
“Click, click, click,” went Old Mother Bun’s knitting needles.
“Puff, puff, puff,” went Old Father Bun’s pipe.
By and by he wrote the following:
Old Mother Bun said:
Old Father Bun did not agree with her. He knew it paid to advertise in newspapers. So he put on his old felt hat, took his walking stick, and started out to a real newspaper office. He took his notice to Chatterbox, the Monkey newspaper man. So all the animals soon read in their newspapers about the Runaway Bunny.
“He took his notice to Chatterbox”
When Pit-A-Pat read the notice, she smacked her lips and said:
So by and by it happened that Old Father Bun said, “I hear the patter, patter of little feet.”
Old Mother Bun said, “Do look out and tell me who is coming.”
Pit-A-Pat came to the door and bowed politely, saying:
They gladly let Pit-A-Pat in and gave her a saucer of warm milk in their best blue-rimmed saucer.
While she was licking her chops, Old Father Bun said:
Old Mother Bun said:
“Did he have long ears?” asked Pit-A-Pat, winking slyly. “Did he have a tiny stubby tail?”
“Yes, yes,” shouted Father and Mother Bun eagerly.
“Did he have a habit of running away?” asked Pit-A-Pat, looking narrowly out of her green eyes.
“Yes, yes,” shouted Old Father and Mother Bun again together.
Then the most astonishing thing happened!
Pit-A-Pat got up slowly, humped her back, and without another word walked out of the open window!
Old Mother Bun remarked:
Old Father Bun said:
“Rap-a-tap-tap,” sounded on the door.
And in walked Rough Coat, saying politely:
As luck would have it, they had a whole plate full of chicken bones in the house. So Rough Coat had a wonderful meal.
Old Father Bun said, “Did you meet our Runaway Bunny?”
Rough Coat said, “Did he run as though he would never stop?”
“Yes, yes,” cried Father Bun excitedly.
“Did he sometimes say, ‘My fur and whiskers’?” asked Rough Coat.
“Yes, yes,” cried Father and Mother Bun together.
Rough Coat gave himself a great shake, remarking:
“Whisk! with a bound he was gone!”
Whisk! with a bound he was gone!
Father Bun said:
At this very minute the Runaway Bunny read in the newspaper about himself.
He read, “‘Bunny lost.’ That must be I.”
He twitched his long ears to and fro and turned to look back at his little stubby tail.
He did not want to go back and visit his grandparents yet. So he started on, saying:
So sang all the wild animals in the woods.
The Runaway Bunny ran on and on until he could run no longer. Then he set up a shout, for he had been traveling in a circle, and here he was back at his own little house in the woods!
There was his wee spinning wheel in the corner. There were his dishes on the table as he had left them.
“Then he began to spin furiously”
He hopped into his wee bed and slept a week and a day. Then he went down cellar and got a cabbage to eat. He felt very happy. He wanted to work. Then he began to spin furiously, singing:
“Rap-a-tap,” sounded on his door and in walked Pit-A-Pat, big as life and twice as natural! She told the story about her little kittens who had lost their mittens. The Runaway Bunny listened earnestly, for he had known what it was to be cold.
Pit-A-Pat bowed her thanks and the Runaway Bunny began to spin again in real earnest, saying:
“Bowwow,” sounded outside the window.
There stood Rough Coat, growling, “I need a new collar. I want one with my name and address upon it, so if I get lost some one can lead me home.”
The Runaway Bunny knew how hard it was to want things. So he whistled, and sang:
Rough Coat went away happy.
“Whir, whir, whir,” went the cunning little spinning wheel.
All day long the Runaway Bunny kept on spinning and telling what he wanted to buy for himself with the money, after his goods were sold.
All day long the animals came and begged him for money.
At last he ran to the store and sold the cloth he had spun. When he had given the animals the money they wanted, he said:
“No flag, no firecrackers, no fireworks,” called Old Who-Who, the Owl.
The Runaway Bunny dried his eyes, for he was so disappointed he had shed a few tears. And he said:
“Pit-A-Pat came with a large flag”
He was just starting to run away when there was a great noise and Pit-A-Pat came with a large flag as a present, and Rough Coat brought firecrackers. Soon all the animals gathered together for a surprise party and they set off fireworks and drank red lemonade.
They all had a happy Fourth of July.
The Three Little Kittens wore their new mittens and Rough Coat wore a new collar. All the animals hugged and kissed the Runaway Bunny and begged him to stay with them in the woods.
Suddenly, without any warning whatever, he took his flag and, singing a song to himself, went hippety-hop down the road.
He sang:
All the animals clapped their paws and cried:
The Runaway Bunny went hopping along, singing:
“Good-bye, good-bye,” called a merry voice; and there in the path before the Runaway Bunny stood the Circus Bunny.
The Circus Bunny said:
“To whom were you saying good-bye?” asked the Runaway Bunny.
“I will answer that question when you tell me about the wonderful ride you had with the kite,” answered the Circus Bunny.
But the Runaway Bunny had already forgotten about the kite and could think of nothing but the fair. He was delighted to have company on the way; and he remarked:
What a fine trip they had!
Everyone was going to the fair. Some of the animals were going on foot and some were going on horseback. Some of them rode in state in cars. Some of the animals traveled alone and others took the whole family.
The Runaway Bunny said to everyone he passed:
The Circus Bunny kept saying a little rhyme over and over:
They arrived at the fair. But just as they were going to set up a wee tent of their own and make money for themselves, some one picked them up by their long ears and put them in a wire cage.
“Picked them up by their long ears”
The Circus Bunny whispered:
The Runaway Bunny answered:
By and by a man came and called out:
Now crowds and crowds gathered around the cage. The Circus Bunny stood on his head and turned somersaults and said:
All the animals in the crowd cheered and clapped, and cried, “Do it again! Do it again!”
By and by the Circus Bunny grew tired of performing his tricks, and it was the Runaway Bunny’s turn to entertain the crowd.
He had never done a trick in all his life and was wondering what to do, when the Circus Bunny reminded him:
So the Runaway Bunny sang:
“Up, up, up he began to sail”
At this very minute the most surprising thing happened!
The Runaway Bunny was so little that he squeezed out through the wires in the cage door! He took hold of the string of a kite that was near, and up, up, up he began to sail, higher and higher, until he soon looked like a speck in the sky.
“Well,” remarked the Circus Bunny, “it was certainly fortunate that the jolly old kite was waiting for him. That is a new way he has found of running away. I believe I will squeeze out of this cage, too.”
So while the crowd was watching the Runaway Bunny, he tried to get out of the cage. But he stuck halfway, until kind-hearted Old Mother Bun pulled him out and tucked him safely in her market basket.
Old Father Bun said, “What is in your basket?”
Old Mother Bun said, “I will tell you when we get home.”
Up, up, up sailed the Runaway Bunny.
When he had sailed up a week and a day, down, down sailed the kite and he arrived in his own little back yard, at home.
He said, “I shall have a fine kite story to tell my great-great-grand-children some day. That was a fine ride I had!”
Then he repeated in a singsong way:
He made himself a nice little supper and for once was contented to sit in his wee house. But that night he dreamed that he was running away, singing:
The summer had passed and September had come. All the school bells were ringing.
The Runaway Bunny said:
“Went hippety-hop down the path”
He packed his neat little dinner pail and went hippety-hop down the path, singing happy little songs like this:
“Don’t be so sure of that,” called Pit-A-Pat.
“Don’t be so sure you’ll get there soon,” said Rough Coat.
“You may not get there until afternoon,” growled Old Brother Bear.
whispered Old Foxy-Lox, peering at the Runaway Bunny from his hiding place.
The school bells all sang:
At this very minute the Runaway Bunny thought of something he had forgotten.
He stopped short in the path, saying:
He put his dinner pail down by a log and went hurrying home to get a lead pencil. Soon he came back hippety-hop with his pencil in his overalls pocket.
He stopped to look for his dinner pail. It was gone!
He shouted to Pit-A-Pat, who had gone on ahead:
Pit-A-Pat said she knew nothing about the lost dinner pail.
Soon the Runaway Bunny caught up with Rough Coat and said:
“Brother Bear came up and whispered softly”
Then Brother Bear came up and whispered softly:
The Runaway Bunny was very angry to think Foxy-Lox would take his dinner pail. He wanted to go to Foxy-Lox’s house and get it back.
But Old Brother Bear said:
The Runaway Bunny saw that Brother Bear was right. It would never do to go to Foxy-Lox’s house for his dinner pail. Besides, that sly fox would never give it back.
So the Runaway Bunny ran on to school and got there just two minutes late.
“All the Bunnies were in their seats”
All the Bunnies were in their seats, ready for work. The Runaway Bunny took his seat and began to learn a rhyme the rest were studying.
He said it over to himself:
The Runaway Bunny was a smart little fellow. He liked to learn his ABC’s.
He learned to read very well and he went to school sixteen days in September.
Then one bright afternoon he heard the birds singing:
He wished he could fly like his feathered friends.
Suddenly he remembered how fast he could run.
He did not wait for the close of school but went hippety-hop out of the window, singing:
He stayed in the woods all the rest of September.
“Learned the names of the flowers”
From Old Brother Bear he learned the names of all the fall fruits and flowers.
Suddenly he decided to go to town; and he left the wild woods, singing:
The Runaway Bunny was running away toward town.
The Bunny.
One day the Runaway Bunny woke up in his own little house and sang:
He put on his Wrist Watch for company, though he could not tell time to save his little stubby tail!
He was going hippety-hop along when he met Old Brother Bear. The Bear passed the time of day, but seemed to be in a terrible hurry and growled:
“Where are you going?” inquired the Runaway Bunny.
But Old Brother Bear only hurried on.
Next Foxy-Lox came along and chattered:
“Where are you going?” asked the Runaway Bunny.
But Foxy-Lox had no time to answer him, and went hurrying down the path without even a backward glance.
The Runaway Bunny said to himself:
“Tick, tick, tick,” went the little Wrist Watch and it sang:
“The Runaway Bunny was surprised”
The Runaway Bunny was surprised, you may be sure, and put his ear down close to the little watch to listen.
The little Wrist Watch continued:
The Runaway Bunny skipped this way and that way, and sang:
The little Wrist Watch continued:
Then the Runaway Bunny ran on faster than ever and the tiny hands of the Wrist Watch ran round its face. Before he could believe it, the Runaway Bunny was learning to tell time.
He shouted:
He learned half past and a quarter past and a quarter of the hours.
He sang merrily:
He sat down and began to eat cabbage leaves. My! how fresh and crisp they were!
He began to wonder about the animals he had met. He wondered where they could be going. Don’t you wonder, too?
All this time Old Brother Bear was on his way to the home of Father and Mother Bun. When he came in, those two old Bunnies were sitting by the fire.
“Sitting by the fire”
He took off his cap politely and said:
“Gave him a plate of cakes”
Seeing that Old Brother Bear was friendly, Old Father Bun allowed him to sit in a rocking chair by the fire. Old Mother Bun gave him a plate of cakes, smoking hot, with honey on them. Old Mother Bun said:
“Did he have long ears and a tiny tail?” asked Old Brother Bear.
“Yes, yes,” shouted Old Mother Bun.
“Did he carry a little Wrist Watch?” asked Old Brother Bear.
“Yes, yes,” shouted Old Father Bun.
Then Old Brother Bear, who was something of a joker, smacked his lips and said:
So saying, he bowed politely and walked out of the door.
Old Mother Bun remarked:
Old Father Bun’s head went nid-nid-nodding.
“Up walked Old Foxy-Lox”
Up walked Old Foxy-Lox, tapping on the window pane.
Foxy-Lox asked for cookies and honey, but Old Mother Bun would not let him in.
He went off, shouting:
“Call him back! Call him back!” called Old Father Bun, who had waked up in time to hear Foxy-Lox shout.
Mother Bun shook her head as she counted her silver spoons, saying:
Old Father Bun said:
While all this was going on, the Runaway Bunny continued to eat as much cabbage as he wanted.
The little Wrist Watch said to him:
The Runaway Bunny had really learned to tell the time. But he wanted to tease, so he said:
Then he curled up in a hole in a hollow tree and went to sleep.
All the time, his little Wrist Watch ticked busily on.
For all who wanted to hear, it sang:
That night the Runaway Rabbit cried out in his sleep:
“The Market Basket cried out”
One day late in November, the Runaway Rabbit sang:
He had gone hippety-hop only a little way when he sat down on a stone to think.
To his surprise, the Market Basket he carried cried out:
“Dear me! My fur and whiskers, I never thought about that!” he cried. “Of course I will—now that you suggest it!”
He rattled the pennies in his little bead purse. He rattled the dimes and quarters.
He went hippety-hop to the market and said:
“Surprised the butcher”
To see such a little fellow with so much money surprised the butcher. But he weighed the turkey and it quite filled the Market Basket.
The Runaway Bunny was starting merrily down the road, when the Basket cried:
The Runaway Bunny saw a nice yellow pumpkin in a field and he managed to tuck it under his arm.
He arrived home and began to make a pumpkin pie. He measured this, weighed that, and cut up and cooked the pumpkin.
He baked a wonderful pumpkin pie and was about ready to set out again, when the Basket cried:
The Runaway Bunny threw his little red cap up in the air, shouting, “Sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes!”
“He pared them and cut them up”
So, leaving his turkey and pie, he ran hippety-hop to the grocer’s and bought sweet potatoes and took them home. He pared them and cut them up. He pared some carrots, too. Then he put them all on to cook.
He sang:
The basket spoke again and said:
The Runaway Bunny ran quickly for cranberries.
He was back in less than no time, and began to pack his Basket to take with him to spend the day with Old Mother Bun.
At this very minute “Rap-a-tap!” was heard on the door; and in walked his old friends, Pit-A-Pat, Rough Coat, Old Brother Bear, and Foxy-Lox.
Pit-A-Pat began to lick her chops as she smelled the gravy. For the Runaway Bunny had the dinner all cooked to take with him, of course.
Rough Coat thought of the turkey legs. Old Brother Bear smelled the sweet potatoes.
Old Foxy-Lox had a long head on him.
So he said:
The Runaway Bunny switched his ears to and fro. But he let the animals help him set the table with turkey, gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberries, and pumpkin pie. And every minute he grew more and more hungry himself.
“He grew more and more hungry”
Foxy-Lox said:
The Runaway Bunny enjoyed a joke as well as anyone.
So he said:
Then they all had a fine feast.
The visitors felt a little guilty and whispered among themselves:
The Runaway Bunny excused himself, saying he wanted some exercise.
And he sang:
He ran off through the woods away, away, away! Would he never stop?
The Bunny.
Old Mother Bun was very busy making Christmas presents and Old Father Bun was very busy wrapping them up and putting the animals’ names upon them.
Every once in awhile, Old Mother Bun would say, “Did you remember Old Father Chipmunk?”
Then Old Father Bun would say, “Did you remember Old Grandfather Weasel?”
“Click, click, click,” went Old Mother Bun’s knitting needles, as she knitted scarfs and sweaters and caps for the animals.
One evening Old Father Bun said:
“There were three stockings”
Old Mother Bun got out a big stocking, a little stocking, and a middle-sized stocking, saying:
So there were three stockings hanging by the fireplace. And every hour it grew nearer and nearer Christmas Eve.
Now wasn’t it odd? At this very minute the Runaway Bunny was saying:
He looked down the path that led to the woods toward Old Mother Bun’s home, singing:
He ran on happily.
Suddenly he stopped and remembered he had no presents for Old Mother Bun and Old Father Bun. So back he went hippety-hop, hippety-hop, to his little house; and up he went into the attic and looked in an old trunk.
“Looked in an old trunk”
Sure enough, there was a brand new pipe in a red velvet case. He looked down deeper in the trunk and found something else.
He put his presents in a little bag and went off hippety-hop, singing:
Sometimes he stopped to rest and cried:
His little sweater did not keep him warm enough.
“He was getting colder every minute”
His little paws were very cold! His long ears were even colder! He was getting colder every minute as he went hippety-hop across the snow!
The next minute he jumped into such a deep snowdrift that only his long ears stuck out. The snow got into his nose and eyes until he could scarcely breathe. He tried to wriggle out, but the drift held him fast.
Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle went some sleigh bells. And a funny old man, dressed in fur from top to toe and carrying a big pack on his back, came riding along.
He was singing:
He got out of his sleigh and waded into the snowdrift from which the Bunny’s ears stuck out.
“Pulled the Runaway Bunny out”
Then he pulled the Runaway Bunny out by the ears.
The Runaway Bunny shook the snow from his fur and looked at the funny old man.
“Why, it’s Santa Claus!” shouted that surprised Bunny. “Hurrah!”
“Tut, tut! This is no time of night for little Bunnies to be out in the cold!” cried Santa Claus. “Come with me and you shall ride in my pack, where you will be warm and dry.”
So the Runaway Bunny jumped into Santa’s pack and almost buried himself among the toys. Then he rode away, singing:
They slid down many chimneys and climbed over many roofs. Then away they rode until by and by they came to the home of Father and Mother Bun. They peeped in at the window. There sat old Father and Mother Bun fast asleep in their armchairs.
“Crept down the chimney”
As Santa Claus crept down the chimney, he whispered to the Runaway Bunny, “You may help me, little Bunny. You may trim the stockings with holly.”
So he took a bunch of holly from his pack and the Runaway Bunny fastened sprays of it on the stockings.
Then Santa whispered:
So the Runaway Bunny took off his little sweater, so that he would not be too hot in the warm stocking. Then Santa tucked him into Old Mother Bun’s stocking. He put her presents on the floor. Then he filled Old Father Bun’s stocking from top to toe.
He left a card on the table. He wrote on the card:
Did they have a merry Christmas? Well, I should think they did!
Early Christmas morning, Old Mother Bun awoke and cried:
Next Old Father Bun awoke and said:
Then Father Bun took hold of one ear and Mother Bun took hold of the other ear, and they pulled the Runaway Bunny out of the stocking.
They all cried, “Merry Christmas!”
Then the Runaway Bunny gave Mother Bun her spectacles and Father Bun his pipe. And they had a merry time with the presents Santa Claus had brought them.
Old Mother Bun gave the Runaway Bunny a new cap and sweater, and Old Father Bun gave him a new sled. Then the pair kissed him on both cheeks and begged him to live with them always. He said he would.
Then the Runaway Bunny put on his new cap and sweater and went coasting downhill on his new sled.
“Went coasting downhill”
I wonder if he ever ran away after that. I forgot to ask him!
