Chapter IITHE HUNGRY RABBIT
The Runaway Bunny went hippety-hop;He was hungry as could be.Oh, Runaway Bunny, will you stopAnd take a bite with me?
The Runaway Bunny went hippety-hop;He was hungry as could be.Oh, Runaway Bunny, will you stopAnd take a bite with me?
The Runaway Bunny went hippety-hop;He was hungry as could be.Oh, Runaway Bunny, will you stopAnd take a bite with me?
The Runaway Bunny went hippety-hop;
He was hungry as could be.
Oh, Runaway Bunny, will you stop
And take a bite with me?
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.
“Told her how very hungry he was”“Told her how very hungry he was”
“Told her how very hungry he was”
“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:
“I don’t drink milk, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I don’t drink milk, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I don’t drink milk, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I don’t drink milk, though you think it funny;
I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
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”“By and by he met Rough Coat”
“By and by he met Rough Coat”
“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:
“I can’t eat bones, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I can’t eat bones, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I can’t eat bones, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I can’t eat bones, though you think it funny;
I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“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:
“The Runaway Bunny is sad, you see,For he is hungry as he can be.”
“The Runaway Bunny is sad, you see,For he is hungry as he can be.”
“The Runaway Bunny is sad, you see,For he is hungry as he can be.”
“The Runaway Bunny is sad, you see,
For he is hungry as he can be.”
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:
“I can’t eat bats, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I can’t eat bats, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I can’t eat bats, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I can’t eat bats, though you think it funny;
I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
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:
“I can’t eat honey, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I can’t eat honey, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I can’t eat honey, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I can’t eat honey, though you think it funny;
I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
He went on his way, singing about Old Mother Bun’s coffee and rolls and doughnuts.
He sang:
“Oh, the best things to eat for a Bunny on the runAre the rolls and the doughnuts of our Grandmother Bun.”
“Oh, the best things to eat for a Bunny on the runAre the rolls and the doughnuts of our Grandmother Bun.”
“Oh, the best things to eat for a Bunny on the runAre the rolls and the doughnuts of our Grandmother Bun.”
“Oh, the best things to eat for a Bunny on the run
Are the rolls and the doughnuts of our Grandmother Bun.”
Next he met Foxy-Lox, that sly old fellow! The Runaway Bunny fairly shouted:
“My fur and whiskers! I have to shout,I’m so hungry I don’t know what I’m about.”
“My fur and whiskers! I have to shout,I’m so hungry I don’t know what I’m about.”
“My fur and whiskers! I have to shout,I’m so hungry I don’t know what I’m about.”
“My fur and whiskers! I have to shout,
I’m so hungry I don’t know what I’m about.”
Foxy-Lox crept up very, very close and whispered in the Runaway Bunny’s right ear:
“Hungry for carrots and everything nice,I can supply you in just a trice.”
“Hungry for carrots and everything nice,I can supply you in just a trice.”
“Hungry for carrots and everything nice,I can supply you in just a trice.”
“Hungry for carrots and everything nice,
I can supply you in just a trice.”
Then Foxy-Lox, that crafty old fellow, crept up and whispered in the Runaway Bunny’s left ear:
“Hungry for cabbage and vegetables green,You’re the hungriest Bunny I’ve ever seen.”
“Hungry for cabbage and vegetables green,You’re the hungriest Bunny I’ve ever seen.”
“Hungry for cabbage and vegetables green,You’re the hungriest Bunny I’ve ever seen.”
“Hungry for cabbage and vegetables green,
You’re the hungriest Bunny I’ve ever seen.”
No wonder the Runaway Bunny was hungry. No breakfast, no dinner, no supper!
Foxy-Lox said:
“Come with me into my den,My children are little gentlemen.”
“Come with me into my den,My children are little gentlemen.”
“Come with me into my den,My children are little gentlemen.”
“Come with me into my den,
My children are little gentlemen.”
The Runaway Bunny followed him, muttering:
“At the home of good Old Mother Bun,There are plenty of meals for everyone.”
“At the home of good Old Mother Bun,There are plenty of meals for everyone.”
“At the home of good Old Mother Bun,There are plenty of meals for everyone.”
“At the home of good Old Mother Bun,
There are plenty of meals for everyone.”
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”“Waiting their turn to be served”
“Waiting their turn to be served”
“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:
“You will make a meal, ’tis true,Then we’ll make a meal of you!”
“You will make a meal, ’tis true,Then we’ll make a meal of you!”
“You will make a meal, ’tis true,Then we’ll make a meal of you!”
“You will make a meal, ’tis true,
Then we’ll make a meal of you!”
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:
“I won’t eat cabbage, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I won’t eat cabbage, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I won’t eat cabbage, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I won’t eat cabbage, though you think it funny;
I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
Then he looked at the carrots and said:
“I won’t eat carrots, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I won’t eat carrots, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I won’t eat carrots, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I won’t eat carrots, though you think it funny;
I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
Then he waved his paw toward the table of tempting things.
And he shouted:
“I won’t eat at all, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I won’t eat at all, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I won’t eat at all, though you think it funny;I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
“I won’t eat at all, though you think it funny;
I am a peculiar Runaway Bunny.”
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:
“We don’t care how hard the climb;Friend Bunny, you got out just in time!”
“We don’t care how hard the climb;Friend Bunny, you got out just in time!”
“We don’t care how hard the climb;Friend Bunny, you got out just in time!”
“We don’t care how hard the climb;
Friend Bunny, you got out just in time!”
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:
“I went to the side show and took in money,So you may call me a wee Circus Bunny.”
“I went to the side show and took in money,So you may call me a wee Circus Bunny.”
“I went to the side show and took in money,So you may call me a wee Circus Bunny.”
“I went to the side show and took in money,
So you may call me a wee Circus Bunny.”
“Then he stood on his head”“Then he stood on his head”
“Then he stood on his head”
“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 world is large, the world is wide,And I am empty quite—inside!”
“The world is large, the world is wide,And I am empty quite—inside!”
“The world is large, the world is wide,And I am empty quite—inside!”
“The world is large, the world is wide,
And I am empty quite—inside!”
The Circus Bunny said:
“We’re very near a garden plot,We shall find a good meal, like as not.”
“We’re very near a garden plot,We shall find a good meal, like as not.”
“We’re very near a garden plot,We shall find a good meal, like as not.”
“We’re very near a garden plot,
We shall find a good meal, like as not.”
“They had a fine meal”“They had a fine meal”
“They had a fine meal”
“They had a fine meal”
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:
“Let’s live in the garden a night and a day.There’s plenty of lettuce; come, what do you say?”But the Runaway Bunny was off with a hop,With his ears and his tail going flippety-flop.The surprised Circus Bunny remarked, “That is funny!That rabbit is surely the Runaway Bunny.”
“Let’s live in the garden a night and a day.There’s plenty of lettuce; come, what do you say?”But the Runaway Bunny was off with a hop,With his ears and his tail going flippety-flop.The surprised Circus Bunny remarked, “That is funny!That rabbit is surely the Runaway Bunny.”
“Let’s live in the garden a night and a day.There’s plenty of lettuce; come, what do you say?”
“Let’s live in the garden a night and a day.
There’s plenty of lettuce; come, what do you say?”
But the Runaway Bunny was off with a hop,With his ears and his tail going flippety-flop.The surprised Circus Bunny remarked, “That is funny!That rabbit is surely the Runaway Bunny.”
But the Runaway Bunny was off with a hop,
With his ears and his tail going flippety-flop.
The surprised Circus Bunny remarked, “That is funny!
That rabbit is surely the Runaway Bunny.”