The Story of a Candy Rabbit | Page 2

turned around and
he saw, near him, a big chocolate egg. It was covered with twists and
curlicues of sugar and candy, and in the end of this egg, also, was a
glass window.

"Well, this certainly is surprising!" exclaimed the Candy Rabbit. "I
wonder what I can see through that window!"
He looked and saw a little duck and a little chicken inside the chocolate
egg. The little chicken was on one end of a small seesaw, and the little
duck was on the other end. And as the Candy Rabbit looked through
the glass window, he saw the seesaw begin to go up and down.
The Candy Rabbit shook his head. Once more he rubbed his paws over
his pink glass eyes.
"I have heard of many strange things," he said to himself. "The
Sawdust Doll told some of her queer adventures, and so did the White
Rocking Horse and the Bold Tin Soldier. But never, in all my life, did I
ever see a chocolate egg with a glass window and a little chicken and a
duck inside seesawing and teeter-tautering! I think I had better go to the
doctor's, something must be the matter with me!"
"What's the matter with you?" suddenly asked a voice behind the
Candy Rabbit. The sweet chap turned so quickly that he almost cracked
one of his sugary ears. He saw, just back of him, a real fuzzy, furry
rabbit. At least the rabbit seemed real, for his ears slowly moved
backward and forward, his head turned from side to side, and, every
now and then, he would rise on his hind legs and then crouch down
again.
"What's the matter with you?" asked this Fuzzy Bunny of the Candy
Rabbit.
"I--I really don't know what is the matter," was the answer.
"You seem to be all right," went on the other rabbit, as he slowly turned
his head and bobbed up and down.
"Yes, I seem to be," said the Candy Rabbit, feeling his head and body
as far as he could reach, as if to make sure no part of him was broken,
or lost, or out of place. "But can you tell me this?" he asked. "A little
while ago I was on the toy counter of this store with the Calico Clown

and the Monkey on a Stick. And now I seem to be in Fairyland. Tell me,
am I dreaming, or is this really Fairyland, where eggs have windows in
them and hold little chickens and ducks who seesaw?"
The other Rabbit smiled, and kept on bobbing up and down, waving his
ears and turning his head from side to side.
"Oh, please stop that and answer me if you can," begged the Candy
Rabbit, in rather a sharp voice. "Why do you do that?"
"I have to," was the answer. "I have to keep on doing this until I run
down."
"Run down where?" asked the Candy Rabbit.
"I mean until the clock-work inside me runs down," explained the
Fuzzy Rabbit. "You see, I am wound up, and when I am wound I have
to rise up and stoop down on my hind legs. I have to twist my head and
wiggle my ears. I'll go on this way for half an hour more. But don't let
that bother you. I can still talk, and I'm glad you're here. You're some
company. These eggs never say anything," and with his ears he pointed
to the chocolate one and the glittery one, each of which had glass
windows.
"Ask him how he likes it here," suggested a voice on the other side of
the Candy Rabbit. Turning, he saw a big chocolate chap, almost like
himself, except that this Rabbit was very dark in color.
The Chocolate Rabbit waved his ears in a kind way at the Candy
Bunny, and went on:
"How do you like it here?"
The Candy Rabbit gave another look around, and the more he looked
the more certain he was that he was in Fairyland. Over at one end of
what seemed to be a table he saw a little chicken harnessed to a tiny
wagon, made from what appeared to be an egg shell, and a little doll sat
in the egg-shell carriage, driving the chicken with little silk ribbon

horse reins.
Turning around, so that he might not miss anything, the sweet fellow
saw a large basket of flowers, and, nestled in among the blossoms, were
some Candy Rabbits like himself, only smaller. Over in one corner
were piled some cards, with pretty pictures on them, and near them was
a small basket, filled with what seemed to be green grass, in which
were hidden many small candy eggs.
"Yes, this surely must be Fairyland, and I know I shall like it