dry, and that pulled your ears out."

That was an answer good enough for any rabbit, and Bumper should have been
satisfied, but he had a very inquisitive mind.

"But why didn't I melt when I was hung up to dry?" he asked quickly.
"Snowballs melt in the sun, don't they?"

"Yes," gravely, "so they do, dear, if you leave them in the sun too long.
But it was mother's business to see that you didn't melt. It's like baking
bread or cake. If you leave the dough in the oven too long it burns up,
and then it isn't either bread or cake. It's very hard to know just when
it's done, and it's harder"--sighing aloud--"for mothers to know just when
a snowball is turning into a white rabbit, and when it's beginning to melt
away into nothing. Now don't ask me any more questions to-night. It's bed
time, and little rabbits with pink eyes should be fast asleep."

Which was true, but Bumper went to sleep dreaming of a million questions
he would ask his mother in the morning.

STORY II

WHY BUMPER WAS LEFT AT HOME

Bumper woke up the next morning so hungry that he couldn't think of any of
the million questions to ask until he'd finished eating his breakfast.
Besides a cabbage, there were some carrots and beet tops the old woman had
fished out of a grocer's backyard, and Bumper had to jump lively to get
his share. Jimsy and Wheedles were already on their second carrot when he
opened his eyes.

"You'll never catch up with me!" said Jimsy, greedily. "I'm one carrot
ahead of you."

"And I'm one and a half," mumbled Wheedles, with his mouth full.

"I don't care. Sleep is better for you than so much eating. I had a longer
nap, and such beautiful dreams! Oh, I do hope some of them will come
true."

"Tell us about them," said Jimsy, forgetting to eat. "I never have
dreams."

"Neither do I," complained Wheedles. "You must tell us about your dreams."

"As soon as I finish my breakfast I will," replied Bumper. "Yes, they were
beautiful dreams! I thought I was in a big place filled with crisp lettuce
and golden carrots, and a girl with red hair picked me up in her arms and
carried me away."

Bumper stopped talking while his brothers looked in amazement at him. They
had heard the day before his story of the red-haired girl who wanted to
buy him, and they were interested. But while they stopped and waited for
him to proceed, Bumper chewed away at his carrot until it was all gone.
Then, picking up a second one, he said: "Now I'm u