lothesline.

"Why, the Miller's boy has gone off to the war."

"Hurray!" shouted little Billy Bunny, who was polishing the brass door
knob on the back door. "Hurray!"

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself," said Old Mother Mischief. "His
poor mother is nearly crazy with grief."

"I'm sorry for her," said Mrs. Bunny, and she thought how thankful she
ought to be that her little rabbit didn't have to shoulder a musket.

"Well, I'm glad he's going," said Billy Bunny. "He can shoot at
something else now besides little rabbits."

Old Mother Magpie ruffled her feathers. "Well, if I had a boy like you
I'd teach him not to glory over another person's grief," and then she
flew away.

"I'm sorry for his mother," said Mrs. Bunny, "but the Miller boy will
never be missed," and the clothespin fell out of her mouth and stood
up in the grass like a little wooden soldier.

"Do you want anything at the store?" asked the little rabbit, after he
had finished cleaning the door knob. "If you do, tell me, for I'm
going by there."

"You can order a pound of carrot tea and some lollypops," answered his
mother, and then Billy Bunny picked up his striped candy cane and set
off for the village, and by and by he came to the post office and the
nice lady postmistress called to him that there was a letter there
addressed to Billy Bunny, Old Brier Patch, but what was written in it
I'm not going to tell you now, for I must stop and play a game of
pinochle with dear, kind Uncle Lucky, who just telephoned me to come
over to his house and have a game with him this evening, and I mustn't
keep him waiting another minute.

STORY XXXIV.

BILLY BUNNY AND JENNY MUSKRAT.

Well, I played pinochle with Uncle Lucky Lefthindfoot last evening and
it was so late when I got home that I overslept myself this morning.

And maybe I'd have slept all day if Robbie Redbreast hadn't come to my
window and told me that Billy Bunny was reading a letter which I told
you about in yesterday's story and that every time he turned a page he
laughed harder than ever.

Well, I was so curious to know what he was laughing at that I told
Robbie Redbreast to fly back to him and look over his shoulder and see
what was in the letter while I hurried and dressed as fast as I could,
and when I was all ready to go into the Friendly Forest where the
little rabbit was, I saw him coming toward me with the letter in his
hand and the little robin perched upon his knapsack.