my no! It took more than that,
although he was a scary little chap. You see, he knew all about the Old
Scarecrow, for he had watched the Kind Farmer put him up in the early
Spring.

Picking up a nice looking turnip, he turned about and started back
again. But, Oh dear me! All of a sudden out from behind a cornstack
jumped the Farmer's Boy.

The little rabbit didn't stop to say sorry to have met you. No siree. He
hopped away as fast as he could, but not fast enough. Before he had gone
maybe thirteen hops a stone hit his left hind leg.

"Ha, ha!" yelled the Farmer's Boy. "Wait till I hit you again, Mr.
Cottontail." But he didn't, for the little rabbit went faster on three
legs than he had on four, and the next minute popped safely into the
dear Old Bramble Patch.

"Where's the turnip?" asked Mrs. Rabbit.

"Goodness me! I guess that's what the Farmer's Boy hit me with,"
answered the little bunny.

THE BONFIRE

EVERYBODY in the Shady Forest was having a dreadful time. Old Parson Owl
was nearly coughing his head off, Professor Jim Crow's voice was so
hoarse his scholars could hardly understand him, and Little Jack
Rabbit's eyes looked as if he had been crying for a week.

The reason for all this was that the smoke from the Farmer Boy's big
bonfire had drifted into the forest until every chink and corner was
filled.

At first no one knew what was the matter. Of course the air smelled
queer and made one's eyes smart. But after a while when the smoke grew
so thick that it seemed like night-time and Mr. Merry Sun couldn't be
seen at all, the Forest Folk thought it time to hold a meeting to
consider what was best to do. They all decided to ask Billy Breeze to
help them, and you can imagine how grateful they were when he agreed to
blow the smoke out of the Shady Forest. Before Mr. Merry Sun went down
behind the hills that night Billy Breeze had cleared the smoke away and
everything was clean and sweet again.

Now, before all this had taken place, a handful of burning leaves had
drifted along the Old Rail Fence, setting fire to the long, dry grass,
and in a short time there was quite a fire close to the Old Bramble
Patch.

It didn't take Little Jack Rabbit long to borrow some sweet potatoes
from his mother, and while he was roasting them Chippy Chipmunk climbed
through the fence with a bagful of chestnuts.

Pretty soon along came Jimmy Crow, and when he saw what was going on, he
was mighty anxious to have