Bunny Rabbits Diary | Page 6

the kite," he called to the rabbits.
He puffed out his cheeks and blew and blew.
But the leaf only fluttered and fluttered because the branch held the string fast.
North Wind blew and blew, but he could not make the kite fly away.
"I don't like to fly kites this morning," he said. "I am going to pile some more leaves under the oak tree."
So he danced over the ground, and through the woods, singing a gay little song:
"Come, little leaves," said the wind one day.
"Come o'er the meadow with me and play.
"Put on your dresses of red and gold,
"For summer has gone and the days grow cold."

APRIL FOOL'S DAY
I
"Wake up, Billy!" called Bunny. "Wake up and see how hard it is snowing."
Billy opened his sleepy eyes and rolled out of bed.
Then he went to the door and peeped out.
"April fool, April fool!" shouted Bunny.
Billy laughed. Then he hopped out of doors.
It was a warm sunny day,--just the day to run around and play jokes.
But first the little rabbits had to find their breakfast.
Now that the warm days were coming they could find plenty to eat.
And Bunny and Billy and Bobtail were growing very fat.
Bobby Gray Squirrel and Sammy Red Squirrel could find plenty to eat, too.
In the fall they had stored away nuts and acorns in little holes in the ground.
When Jack Frost covered the ground with snow the squirrels could not dig up these nuts.
But now the ground was soft again, and Bobby and Sammy had plenty to eat.
Bunny and Billy and Bobtail saw the squirrels hide the nuts.
They did not like acorns so they never opened the store-house doors.
They just hopped around under the trees looking for green leaves and tender roots.
But on this first day of April Bunny found the biggest acorn he had ever seen.
It was hidden in a little hole, and he saw it when he sat down to eat his breakfast.
"Oh, oh!" he said to himself. "Now I can play a joke on Bobby Gray Squirrel.
"I am going to tie a string to this acorn, and when Bobby tries to pick it up I shall pull it away from him."
He told Bobtail and Billy about the joke he was going to play on the gray squirrel.
"Ho, ho!" laughed Billy.
"Ha, ha!" laughed Bobtail.
"We must hurry and finish our breakfast," said Bunny.
"Bobby will be out hunting for nuts very soon."
In a few minutes the three rabbits had finished their breakfast.
Then Bunny hopped away to find a string he had seen under the oak tree.
It was the same string they had used to fly their kite.
The string had held the kite to the branch for a long time.
Then one day North Wind came again and tried to carry it away.
He puffed and puffed, and at last the branch let go of the string.
The kite flew up in the air and far away, but the string dropped to the ground under the oak tree.
There Bunny found it, and he tied the string around the acorn.
Then he scampered back to his brothers.
They were waiting for him near the old stone wall.
"Let's fool Sammy Red Squirrel first," said Billy.
"I saw him run out of his hole just a minute ago."
Bunny put the acorn in front of Sammy's door.
[Illustration: Bunny put the acorn in front of Sammy's door.]
Then he held on to the other end of the string and hid behind a big rock.
Bobtail and Billy hid behind the pine tree.
They all kept as still as mice. They did not even shake one of their long ears.
"There is Sammy now," whispered Billy. "I can see him running along the path."
"Don't make a noise," said Bobtail.
Bunny saw the little red squirrel coming down the path.
He kept very still and held on to the string.

II
Sammy came skipping down the path.
He was singing a gay little tune:
"One, two, three, four, five, six,
"I'll watch out for April tricks."
Just then he saw the acorn lying on the ground near his door.
"Look at that!" he said. "Bobby Gray Squirrel must have been here.
"Something frightened him, and made him drop that nut near my door."
Now Sammy was very fond of big acorns and he had not had one for a long time.
So he pounced on the acorn.
But it was not there! Bunny had given the string a quick pull.
Sammy put his hand down on a rock. There was no acorn to be seen.
"April fool!" shouted Bunny.
"April fool!" shouted Billy and Bobtail.
The three rabbits hopped out from their hiding places.
They laughed and laughed, and Sammy laughed, too.
"That was a good trick," he said.
"We are going to play it on Bobby Gray Squirrel, now," said Bunny.
"May I go with you?" asked Sammy.
"Oh, yes!" said the three rabbits.
So off through the woods they all went.
"Bobby often comes to the big oak tree," said Billy. "I think that will be a good place to