Pretty soon as the little rabbit slept on who should come tiptoeing by but Old Man Weasel. Dear, dear me! No sooner did he see Little Jack Rabbit than he tip-toed even more softly around the big tree. Then he peeked out, first on one side and then on the other. I suppose he thought the Big Brown Bear might be in his cave wrapping up Lollypops and Ice Cream Cones.
By and by the old weasel grew bolder. Nobody came around and the little bunny boy rabbit kept on sleeping, oh, so peacefully, dreaming about red clover tops and carrot candies and ’licious lollypops and marshmallow drops.
“Ha, ha!” cried the old weasel, softly, just to himself, you know, as he sneaked on his tippy toes toward the Cozy Cave. “Ha, ha! Won’t I have a nice dinner,” he whispered, smacking his lips,—yes, he smacked them again!
“Wake up!” shouted Bobbie Redvest so loudly that Little Jack Rabbit woke up with a start. And then right over the wicked Weasel he hopped just like a frog and away through the Shady Forest until he bumped right into the Big Brown Bear.
“Oh, dear, and oh, dear!” he cried. “I’m glad it’s you, but why didn’t you come sooner?”
“Why?” asked the nice kind old bear with a good-natured grin. “Better late than never.”
“Oh, yes, oh, yes,” answered the frightened little bunny boy rabbit. “But if you’d only come two minutes ago I’d still be dreaming I was eating lemon drops and lollypops, clover tops and marshmallow drops.”
“Well, I’m glad I waited,” replied the Big Brown Bear. “If you had eaten much more you’d have been, and maybe you will be, twisted into a double bowknot by a tummy ache.”
“What?” cried the little rabbit.
“Well, perhaps not,” laughed the big bear. “Come, turn around and go home with me. I’ll give you a drink of Cranberry Tea.”