a king can’t really be happy without a queen. there was never a king yet that didn’t have one, or, if he lived alone and refused to take a queen, he was faithless to his people. if you want to find a grouchy king, look through history for one that never had a queen to advise and soothe him.

bumper wasn’t thinking so much of doing a great honor to fuzzy wuzz in asking her to be his queen as he was of making himself happy. fuzzy wuzz had become very dear to him. she seemed to understand him, and they were both happy when they were together.

so one day, when he asked her to be his queen, and help him to preside over his people, she modestly consented. she thought as much of bumper as he did of her. they made an ideal couple. but a king can’t marry without the consent of his people, and bumper took up the question with old blind rabbit first. he was very modest and uncertain about it, and you can imagine his nervousness.

107“a king can marry, old blind rabbit, and bring a queen home with him to reign by his side, can’t he?” he began.

old blind rabbit showed a little surprise at this question, and after a while answered: “a queen, o bumper, is generally selected by the people. she must be one that they all like.”

“isn’t the king consulted?” asked bumper.

“not always. of course, sometimes he is, but his choice must be the same as that of his people.”

“it seems to me, then,” remarked bumper, “that a king must have a hard time selecting a queen.”

“he has, o bumper, and that is one reason why a king isn’t always happy. he must think of his people first, and of his own happiness second.”

bumper bowed meekly, and thought once more that being a king was not as agreeable as he had always thought.

“and if his queen is not the one the people choose,” he added, “what becomes of her and the king?”

“they’re often dethroned, o bumper, driven away into exile!” there was a threat in the old blind rabbit’s voice as he said this. his blind, sightless eyes seemed to go through bumper and read his thoughts.

108“you wish to select a queen?” continued blind rabbit.

bumper said yes, and blushed the color of his eyes.

old blind rabbit looked distressed. “you should not have thought of that,” he said severely, “without first consulting your people. i have already selected a queen for you!”

bumper’s heart dropped. this blunt announcement took away all his happiness. then a slow sense of anger and rebellion came into his mind. he wasn’t going to submit to any such dictation.

“and i have selected one for myself!” he replied, stubbornly.

“then you must give her up, o bumper! the queen the people select must be the one to reign with you.”

bumper’s stubborn nature immediately came to the surface. rather than give up fuzzy wuzz and take a queen that old blind rabbit had chosen for him, he would abdicate his throne, and leave the woods. he said as much to old blind rabbit, who was greatly distressed.

“think well of your words, o bumper!” he said. “if you disobey the rules of your people, they will banish you, and drive you into exile. a king cannot be above his people.”

109“i told you that i would banish myself rather than submit to this,” was the stubborn reply. “i shall choose my own queen or have none. i must live with her, and not you.”

this outburst of defiance became a king, and in a good cause it would have received old blind rabbit’s approval; but just now it ran against his wishes, and he saw nothing but rebellion in it. it was little short of treason.

“even if you banish yourself,” blind rabbit added angrily, “it does not follow you will take your queen away with you. she would not follow you into the woods. she might consent to be your queen here, but not your wife in exile.”

“leave that to me,” replied bumper, confidently. “i know she will follow me wherever i go.” then, smiling at a new thought, he added: “i can take her back to the garden where the red-headed girl lives. she would welcome us.”

“we may prevent that, o bumper! we may decide to hold you prisoner. no, no, we can’t permit such treason. it’s against the laws of the woods.”

now the argument was waxing strong, and both were getting very angry. perhaps they would have parted as enemies if at that very moment fuzzy wuzz hadn’t entered the burrow. 110old blind rabbit turned to her, and took one of her paws in his.

“here is the queen the people have selected for you, o bumper,” he said. “and no other will we have.”

for a moment bumper stared at the couple in surprise. it seemed for a moment as if old blind rabbit was playing a joke on him. then it dawned suddenly upon his mind that they had each chosen the same one to be queen. he began to laugh so loudly and excitedly that old blind rabbit felt mortified. was bumper making fun of fuzzy wuzz?

“this is very unbecoming to you, o bumper,” he began, and then bumper interrupted him.

“no, no, blind rabbit!” he protested. “it isn’t that. don’t you see i’m laughing because i’m so happy? we have both been very foolish. we got in hot words for nothing. now forgive me, and all will be well.”

“i don’t understand,” murmured old blind rabbit.

“i don’t blame you,” interrupted bumper. “but if you had eyes, and could see, you would understand. fuzzy wuzz is as happy as i am, and you could tell it by her eyes.”

then solemnly, he added: “old blind rabbit, the queen my people have selected is the one i 111chose. fuzzy wuzz is the one i meant to have, or none. now do you understand?”

it really took old blind rabbit some minutes to understand it fully, and then a gleam of happiness swept across his face. “o bumper,” he exclaimed with emotion, “your reign will be a happy one, and a joy to my people. long may the king live! and long may the queen live with him!”

he was so excited, and his voice was raised so high, that all the other rabbits came running in the burrow to see what the trouble was, and when they learned the news they set up a joyful squeal of approval. they would now have a queen of their own selection as well as a king.

this time rusty the black bird, piney the purple finch, mr. crested flycatcher, and all the other birds of the woods agreed to carry the message to the rabbits of the different burrows. they flew with swift wings in all directions to announce the wedding of bumper and fuzzy wuzz, inviting white tail, pink nose, crooked ears, brindley the lame and all the others to the feast.

for days and days the woods rang with happy laughter and merry talk. every one seemed to be happy. even mr. fox and buster the bear were excited, for who could help it when so many 112others were looking forward to the crowning of fuzzy wuzz as queen?

and of their reign in the woods you will hear later in other stories, for they lived happily as king and queen for a good many years, and they had adventures which you might guess were more exciting than any you have yet heard. in the land of rabbits they speak of time as having begun in the reign of king bumper and queen fuzzy wuzz, and they had good reason to date their calendars from that year, as you will see later when you have heard more about them in the book entitled

“bumper the white rabbit and his foes.”