“The little breezes are ringing the bells,” said the wind king, and then he took out of a moss cushion a beautiful ruby scarfpin and handed it to Billy Bunny. “Put it in your tie,” said the king, “and don’t you ever lose it.”
And in the next story if the dogwood tree in our yard doesn’t catch cold to-night and lose its bark, so it can’t scare the the pussy cat when she tries to climb up and catch the little robin in the nest, I’ll tell you about Billy Bunny and the Canary bird.
STORY XXIII—BILLY BUNNY AND THE WILD CANARY
Well, the Dogwood Tree in our yard was all right this morning. It hadn’t taken cold, and it was covered with lovely flowers, so I’m going to tell you some more about Billy Bunny, as I promised to in the last story.
Well, as soon as the wind king placed the beautiful ruby scarfpin in the little rabbit’s cravat he opened the door of his cave and gave a big puff, and away went Billy Bunny just like a bullet from a gun.
But he didn’t care, for he landed as nicely as you please on a mossy bank, and then he looked in the brook to see if the ruby scarfpin was still in his cravat, and then he looked around to see what he would do next. And just then a little wild canary began singing this song:
“I wouldn’t live within a cage,
I’d rather be wild and free;
Wherever I roam I’m always at home,
In forest or grassy lea.”
“And so am I,” cried Billy Bunny. “I’m a traveler; yes, I am.” And then the little canary flew down from the tree and said to the little rabbit: “I have a little yellow brother who has always lived in a cage. But he can’t get me to live with him. I love the trees and the tall grasses too much.”
“Where do you live?” asked the little rabbit.
“Come and see,” said the little canary, and he flew off, and by and by he pointed to his tiny nest.