saw Billy Bunny he
stopped and said: "What are you looking for, little rabbit?"

And when Billy Bunny told him, he took the number 7 out of his pocket
and handed it to the little bunny. "Here's your number," cawed the
black crow, although I never heard of a white one except once, and
that was a bad bird who had been whitewashed by a colored painter
because he ate up all the corn.

"That's my lucky number," said Billy Bunny. And then the crow said in
a mournful voice:

"It's mine, too, and I just hate to give it up."

"Well, if you can get me another number, I don't care if you keep it,"
said the little rabbit. And then what do you think that crow did? Why,
he got a nice smooth little chip and made a lovely number 3 on it with
a red pencil and handed it to the little rabbit.

And as soon as he had tied it on the Luckymobile, would you believe it
if I didn't say so, that Luckymobile started to go all by itself. And
if Billy Bunny hadn't been mighty quick he would have been left
behind.

"Where are you two rabbits going?" asked the crow as he flew alongside
of the Luckymobile. "Because if you are not in a hurry, why don't you
come with me to the meeting house to-night and hear me preach?"

"We will," said kind Uncle Lucky, "and I'll drop a carrot cent in the
collection box if you want me to." So after a while they stopped near
a tall pine tree and Parson Crow sat on a limb and waited for all the
little people of the forest to come to the meeting. Well, after they
were all there, he began:

"Now, listen to the words I say,
And do your duty every day.
Be always good and most polite
And do the things you know are right.
Oh, never say an angry word
To any animal or bird,
So when the night comes 'twill be good
To feel you've done the best you could."

And after that Uncle Lucky dropped a carrot dollar in the collection
box and drove home with Billy Bunny.

STORY XXI.

BILLY BUNNY AND JACK-IN-THE-BOX.

Oh, I'm a rollicking Jack-in-the-Box,
And I'm not afraid of a bear or a fox,
For every one's scared when up I pop,
And the little girl cries, "Oh, stop! oh, stop!"
I'm the bravest thing you ever saw,
I'm not afraid of my Mother-in-Law!

Well, sir, I suppose you'll think Billy Bunny was frightened and that
Uncle Lucky lost his breath and the automobile a tire. But nothing of
the sort happened. Instead, the old gentleman rabbit laughed