“I don’t see him,” said Mr. Rabbit.
“Nor I,” cried Lady Love, tearfully.
“Not on my back?” shouted the big kind circus beast, stretching around his big trunk to feel behind his great ears. But the little rabbit wasn’t there.
“Oh, dear, oh, dear!” cried Lady Love, “he’s lost.”
“Don’t cry,” begged Mr. Rabbit. “We’ll find him, never fear,” and hopping back into the little bungalow, he came out in a minute or two with a lantern. At once they all set out for the Shady Forest. All of a sudden Old Barney Owl tooted his horn.
“I don’t like that,” cried Mr. Rabbit; “owls are fond of little rabbits.”
“Come on, let’s run,” whispered the big Elephant. “Maybe we can scare the old bird,” and off he trotted at a rapid rate, the little bunnies hopping along, clipperty clip, lipperty lip, and the big circus animal bumperty bump, bumperty bump on his four large feet.
Pretty soon again from a big tall tree sounded the old owl’s toot! toot! toot! Quick as a wink the Circus Elephant pushed his trunk up into the branches and the next minute down came Old Barney Owl. The Elephant, you see, had grabbed him before he could fly away.
“What have you done with Little Jack Rabbit?” he asked, shaking the old bird until his teeth—I beg pardon, I mean his feathers—almost fell out.
“Oh, please don’t shake me till I’m blue