Doctor Cotton-Tail took a seat in the merry-go-round.

The music began to play and they went round, and round, and round, faster and faster.  Bunny began to talk about his fur and whiskers.  Susan began to talk about her buttons.  Grandpa Grumbles shouted,

     “I’m just as happy as I can be,
     The Circus life is the life for me.”

Snubby Nose and Tippy Toes jumped down from the merry-go-round and danced this way and danced that way, and for all I know they are dancing yet!

More Cotton Tail Stories

CHAPTER I

Bunny Cotton-Tail and Susan were sitting by the fire, warming their paws.

[Illustration:  “BUNNY AND SUSAN WERE SITTING BY THE FIRE”]

“The evenings are growing cold,” said Bunny Cotton-Tail.  “It feels like snow to-night.”

“Oh, joy!” cried Bunny Boy, “how I do love snow!” Then he began to jump around the room so fast that Susan was afraid he would upset the table.

“I am going to play that the sofa is a hill, and slide down!” he cried.

Then Susan said if Bunny Boy did not sit down in his little red rocking chair and be good, she would put him in a bag!

So Bunny Boy sat down, but he began to cry.  There is no telling what would have happened just then if a soft “tap, tap,” had not been heard on the window.

Susan looked out.  There stood Bushy Tail with his traveling bag in his hand!

Susan was a little afraid to let him in, but there was nothing else to do, so she opened the door, and whisk! bound!  Bushy Tail was in, hugging Bunny Cotton-Tail!

“Who is the youngster!” asked Bushy Tail, pointing to Bunny Boy.

Then Bunny Boy made himself as small as possible.  He did not care for Bushy Tail.

Bushy Tail said he must tell about his trip.  Besides, he had something for Bunny and Susan in his bag.

It had begun to snow, and Bushy Tail was very wet.  He stood by the fire and warmed his paws.  Susan whispered to Bunny that she had never seen so handsome a fox in her life.

All the time Bushy Tail had a cunning look in his eyes.  After his fur was dry, and he had had a bowl of soup, he opened his bag, and my! what fine things he took out!

There was dried fruit for Susan.  There was fresh cabbage for Bunny.  And there were oranges, and peaches, and pears!  They had a fine feast, but the greatest fun of all was just before they went to bed, when Bushy Tail took from his bag a little telephone.  He hung it on the wall and fooled the rabbits with it for nearly an hour.

It had a little bell and a receiver, and one could call “hello” into it.

Perhaps Bunny and Susan would never have known the joke about the telephone if it had not been for Bunny Boy.  Bunny Boy crept out from under the sofa, where he had been hiding, and climbed up in a chair and pulled the receiver hard.  Then, bang! the top of the telephone came off, and showed that it was only a candy box!