and before he could turn
the spyglass the other way a lovely mermaid swam up and handed him her
card, and on it was written in lovely purple ink:

Miss Coral Seafoam,
Oceanville,
U. S. A.

"Pleased to meet you," cried the old gentleman rabbit most politely.
"This is my nephew, William Bunny, Brier Patch, Old Snake Fence
Corner, and my name is Mr. Lucky Lefthindfoot and I live in
Lettuceville, corner of Carrot and Lettuce streets," and then he tried
to take off his hat, but he couldn't, for it was tied down tight, you
remember, with his blue polka-dot handkerchief.

And after that the mermaid asked them to visit her coral island, where
she and her sisters sold coral beads and scarfpins. And in the next
story you shall hear--well, I guess I won't tell you now, but let you
wait and see.

STORY XXVI.

BILLY BUNNY AND THE MERMAID.

Well, now we'll commence by saying that as soon as Billy Bunny and
Uncle Lucky reached the coral island, where the lovely mermaid lived,
for she had asked them to call, you remember, they got off the Whale,
and, after asking him to wait for them while they made a little visit,
sat down on the sand, and pretty soon the mermaid brought them each a
lovely coral scarfpin, and the one she gave to Uncle Lucky was a
little image of herself and the one she gave to Billy Bunny was a
little fish.

Then the little rabbit opened his knapsack and took out a lovely apple
pie and gave it to her. And she was so pleased that she ate it all up,
and then she said, "I'll give you a lovely breast-pin made of
beautiful coral for your mother, Mr. Billy Bunny, if you'll give me
another pie."

So the little rabbit opened his knapsack and took out another fresh,
juicy apple pie and placed the beautiful present for his mother
carefully in the knapsack, and after that he ate a lollypop and Uncle
Lucky drank a bottle of ginger ale, and then they said good-by and got
aboard the Whaleship and sailed away.

And would you believe it? Dear, kind Uncle Lucky almost cried! You
see, he had never seen a mermaid before, and he thought she was
lovely, and I guess she was, for Uncle Lucky couldn't make a mistake,
I'm sure, for he had travelled abroad and had seen lots and lots of
beautiful lady bunnies.

"And now where are we going?" asked the little rabbit, but Uncle Lucky
was too busy trying to find his other blue polka-dot handkerchief with
which to wipe his eyes to answer.

And then he couldn't find it, a