II
Bunny and Billy and Bobtail began to nibble the greenest leaves.
They nibbled and nibbled and nibbled.
The bees buzzed and buzzed and buzzed.
"What good honey we can make," said the bees. "Clover honey is best of all."
"Oh, how good this clover is," said Billy. "I am glad I came so far."
"Yes," said Bunny. "It is the sweetest clover I ever tasted."
"Yes, it is," said Billy. "I—
"Oh, oh, oh!" he cried. "Oh, my nose!"
Billy jumped up and hopped round and round. He rubbed his nose and wiped the tears out of his eyes.
Bunny and Bobtail stopped eating, and went to see what had happened to Billy.
"What is the matter?" asked Bunny.
"Oh, my nose!" said Billy. "I took a bite of clover and something stung me on the nose."
A bee flew up from the clover and sailed round and round in the air.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz!" said the bee. "I stung your nose, Billy. I thought you were going to eat me."
Bunny saw the bee flying round and round over their heads.
"It must have been a bee that stung you," said Bunny.
Billy looked at the bee.
"I am going home," he said. "I did not want to come so far anyway. There are plenty of good things eat in our own field."
So Billy hopped along home very slowly.
He stopped every few steps to rub his poor little nose.
Mother Rabbit saw him coming and went to the door to meet him.
"What is the matter?" she asked.
"I went to the meadow to eat clover," said Billy. "The bees were there and one stung me on the nose."
"Rub your nose in the dirt and that will make it feel well again," said Mother Rabbit.
Billy put some dirt on his nose, and the pain soon went away.
Then Mother Rabbit took him to a place where the grass was tender.
He ate all the dinner he wanted and then went home to take a nap.
Bunny and Bobtail ate their dinner in the meadow.
The clover was so sweet and tender that they wanted to eat it all.
They nibbled and nibbled and nibbled.
But they were both very careful not to nibble any of the blossoms where the bees were gathering honey.
MOVING DAY
I
It was warm and sunny in the meadows.
It was warm and sunny in the fields.
But in the woods it was cool and shady under the pine trees.
The red squirrels had been playing all the morning.
They had chased each other up and down the trees and along the little path.
Now Sammy was sitting on the branch of a pine tree resting.
All at once he heard a noise over in the field.
It was a very loud noise and he wondered what it could be.
He could not see the field from the tree where he was sitting.
So he ran down to the ground and skipped along—to the old stone wall.
"Whirr, whirr, whirr!" the noise came nearer and nearer.
"Oh, dear me!" said Sammy. "I know what that is. Mr. Man is cutting the grass in the field.
"Now all the families that live there will have to move out."
Sammy sat still and watched to who would be the first to move.
He had not been sitting on the wall very long when he saw the whole rabbit family coming out of the field, one behind the other.
Mrs. Rabbit had on her bonnet and shawl. She was carrying Baby Rabbit in her arms.
Father Rabbit had a big basket.
Bunny and Bobtail and Billy were hopping along behind, laughing and talking.
"What fun it is to move," said Bunny.
"I hope we shall find a good home somewhere," said Mother Rabbit.
Bunny and Bobtail and Billy hopped and skipped along.
They hopped ahead of Father Rabbit along the little path that led through the woods.
When they came to the stone wall they saw Sammy Red Squirrel.
"Good-morning," they called. "We are moving to-day. We are looking for a new home.
"Do you know where we can find one large enough for all of us?"
"No," answered Sammy. "I know where the house is that Mrs. Robin left, but that is too small for you."
"Come, come," called Mother Rabbit, "we cannot stop to talk. We must find a new home soon. It is dinner time this very minute."
So the family of rabbits hopped off along the path.
Then Sammy heard a little squeaking noise and he looked to see where it came from.
"Squeak, squeak!" said Mrs. Field Mouse. "I was not ready to move.
"I did not want to leave my home in the field this week."
"We can soon find another home," said Mr. Field Mouse.
"Here is one right here. This is the very place we are looking for."
Mr. Mouse set his bag down beside a hole that he had found near the stone wall.
Mrs. Mouse looked at the hole and so did all the little mice.
"Perhaps that will do until we can go back to our home in the sunny field," said Mrs. Mouse.
Then she shook her head and wiped a tear from her eye.
"Oh, dear!" she said. "I know I shall be very lonely here."
"But we could not stay in the field," said Mr. Mouse. "A man was cutting the grass, and I am afraid of that big cutter."
"That is so," said Mrs. Mouse, as she wiped another tear out of her eye. "But I shall be glad when we can move back."
"I think this hole will do," said Mr. Mouse. "I will go in and see."