By and by, after a while, and a laugh and a smile, they came to a queer little house in the wood, so the two little rabbits hopped out and knocked on the door, which was opened by a little girl dressed in blue.
"Good morning," she said, with a courtesy. "Come in and see grandmother." Now her grandmother was a witch, but one of those nice kind witches you seldom hear about. She didn't have a crooked nose, nor a turned-up chin, and her back wasn't humped at all. She really was very nice-looking, indeed, for her blue eyes were kind and her voice sweet and low.
"What can I do for you two gentlemen bunnies?" she asked, taking up her knitting and making the needles fly so fast that they wondered how she could keep from making a slip now and then, and sometimes oftener.
"We're looking for strawberries," answered Little Jack Rabbit.
"Oh, ho!" said the nice old witch, "so that's what you're after. Don't you know that this isn't the time of year for strawberries?"
"I thought they grew all the year 'round in Fairy Land," said Uncle Hare.
"Well, I know where you may find some, but you'll have to sweep away the snow," said the nice old witch. "Go down to the meadow by the River Sippi, and then up a little hill, on the top of which stands a tiny house. Knock on the door and ask Tim Woodman to show you his strawberry patch."
"Thank you," said Uncle John Hare, and he drove away with his little nephew and by and by they came to the little house. And sure enough, when they knocked on the door, Tim Woodman opened it. But goodness me! When they told him what they wanted, he didn't seem at all pleased. I guess he wanted the strawberries for himself. But anyway, when kind Uncle John Hare offered to give him a ride in the Bunnymobile, Tim led them around to the rear of his house, and taking a broom began to sweep away the snow. And in the next story you shall hear what happened after that.