Bumper plunged both front paws in the basin,
and the water rippled in little waves so that he could see nothing. He was
terribly disappointed at first, for the water was a little dirty, and he
was afraid the black specks floating in it might be the reflection of his
eyes. Then the water cleared as the dirt settled at the bottom, and
straight up from the depths there glowed two tiny pink spots. Bumper
watched them in silence until his mother asked: "What do you see, dear?"

"Two pink stars!" he murmured.

Mother rabbit, like all fond mothers, smiled and leaned over to kiss the
wet nose of her little one. Jimsy and Wheedles and all the other rabbits
were anxious to see the two pink stars in the water, and they crowded
around the basin to get a look. They held their breath in amazement, for
wonder of wonders! instead of two, there were a dozen tiny pink stars!
They twinkled and flashed, and when they bobbed their heads up the stars
faded away or disappeared entirely.

Mother rabbit, who was very fond of her little ones, smiled proudly, and
said:

"All my children have pink eyes!"

"But don't all rabbits have pink eyes?" asked Bumper, whose little brain
was still bursting with questions.

"No, dear, they do not--only those rabbits that come from snowballs have
pink eyes."

"Oh!" exclaimed one and all, and particularly Bumper, who had started all
this probing into the family history.

Then the last question of the little girl popped up into his head, and
without waiting to catch his breath, or to give his mother time to think
up a suitable answer, he blurted it out.

"Where did I get these long, fluffy ears, mother? The little girl said
they were long and fluffy."

Just to make sure he had not been deceived, he pulled them right down
between his two front paws, and looked at them. They were, indeed, long,
silky and fluffy, and as white as snow.

Mother rabbit shook her head slowly just as if she intended to scold, and
then said in the softest, gentlest of voices:

"I'm afraid that little girl has been putting vain ideas into your head,
dear. You must be careful, and not let compliments about your eyes and
ears spoil you. If you do people won't like you."

Bumper promised not to be spoilt by listening to what little girls said,
and then eagerly repeated his question.

"Why, that is simple enough," Mother rabbit answered, having had time to
think. "When you were only a little snowball, we had to hang you up to