now let us see—oh, yes, i remember now. we left off just when little timmy meadowmouse poked his head up through the snow and said, “helloa!”
“howdy, timmy meadowmouse,
through the chimney of your house
looking o’er the meadow white,
glancing round from left to right,
you might lose your woollen socks
if ’t weren’t i, but danny fox,”
laughed little jack rabbit, kicking up his strong hind legs until a big snowball hit timmy meadowmouse, knocking the hat off his head into a snowbank.
“look out! what are you doing,” cried timmy meadowmouse. “that’s the new hat mother gave me for xmas.” pretty soon he began to laugh, too, for he’s a merry little fellow and a good friend.
“my, but it’s lonely these long winter days,” sighed the little bunny. “everybody’s sound asleep in his winter home. only you and i and a few others are about,” and the little rabbit sighed again, for what he says is true, let me tell you.
for in the good old summer time
’most everybody’s round,
the feathered folk are in the trees,
the furry on the ground.
and all the sweet and verdant dells
are ringing with the flower bells.
“cheer up, little rabbit,” said the merry little meadowmouse, “spring will soon be here. the buds on the trees are waiting for little miss south wind to open them,” and after that the little meadowmouse disappeared into his tunnel and the little bunny hopped away, clipperty clip, over the snow till he came to the shady forest. and after he had gone in a little way, not so very far, he saw something that made his heart go pitter, pat. and what do you suppose it was? i’ll give you three guesses and then i’ll tell you. the footprints of danny fox. yes, sir! right there in the snow were the marks of that sly old fox’s feet.
little jack rabbit stopped right then and there to look about him. but danny fox was nowhere in sight, but that was no reason why he might not be, at that very moment, hiding behind a tree. the little rabbit looked again at the footprints in the snow. there they were, but, thank goodness! they led away, far away, into the shady forest. just then, all of a sudden, the miller’s boy jumped out from behind a clump of bushes.
“run! run!” screamed jimmy jay, who happened by just then. and the little rabbit did. he went so fast that his shadow couldn’t keep up with him and neither could the miller’s boy. but, oh, dear me! the miller’s dog did. yes, sir! he kept so close that before he popped into the old bramble patch he caught the end of the little rabbit’s tail.
