w.

[Illustration: "SOON THE CIRCUS COTTON-TAILS CAME IN VIEW"]

Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes danced out of their hiding places and cried,
"Hurrah for the Circus Cotton-Tails! They have formed a real little
Circus!"

There was the band wagon. There were the elephants and camels. There
were the animals in cages.

The Circus Cotton-Tails cried, "Hurrah, hurrah! Here are Snubby Nose
and Tippy Toes. Come and join the Big Parade."

Bunny Bright Eyes said, "Can you walk a tight rope?"

Tippy Toes said he did not know, but Snubby Nose said he had walked a
tight rope off and on all his life!

Tippy Toes drew a little mirror out of his pocket and said,

"Who will walk the tight rope? Whom do you suppose?"

The mirror answered,

"Two cunning little Bunnies, Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes!"

CHAPTER XII

Bunny and Susan sat quietly by the cheerful fire warming their paws.

Bunny said, "My fur and whiskers, I hope Snubby Nose got home safely."

Susan said, "Bless my buttons, I was thinking of Tippy Toes this very
minute. Those two cunning little Bunnies are as much alike as two peas!
We could not tell them apart if Snubby Nose did not cry so much."

Bunny said, "I suppose we shall have no visitors for some time now."

"Don't be too sure of that," said a gruff old voice, "Here I am
standing now." There stood Grandpa Grumbles in the doorway. He had
never looked so happy in all his life. He struck the floor fiercely
with his green cotton umbrella and said,

"The Circus Cotton-Tails will come,
A-rat-a-tat, just hear the drum."

Bunny and Susan listened. Sure enough, they heard the "rat-a-tat," of a
drum. Soon they heard the Lion roar in his cage. They all went out as
fast as they could.

_There came the Circus Cotton-Tails on parade!_

Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes danced in front beating a drum.

Bunny and Susan and Grandpa Grumbles cried, "Hurrah, hurrah, for the
Big Parade!"

Grandpa Grumbles waved his green cotton umbrella and shouted, "Have you
a merry-go-round?"

The Circus Cotton-Tails stood still. They cried "Hurrah, Bunny! Hurrah,
Susan! Of course we have a merry-go-round."

Then the real little Circus Parade stopped. The Circus Cotton-Tails
cried, "Hurry, hurry! Help us unpack."

They went to one of the wagons and began to unpack the merry-go-round.
Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes helped and Bunny and Susan helped too.
Grandpa Grumbles cried,

"One for the money, ten for the