now, what do you suppose mother bunny was going to do? she was going to find mr. owl, who is the wisest creature in the woods. and why was she going to find mr. owl? because she wanted to ask him how to stop bunny cotton-tail from running away.
mr. owl was at home, as usual, sitting on a branch of an old pine-tree. when mother cotton-tail told her story, he blinked his round eyes and turned his head all the way around to hide a smile. he had heard of bunny cotton-tail before.
mr. owl did not talk very much;[42] wise people never do. so he answered mother cotton-tail with two words: “mr. fox.”
mother cotton-tail did not see what that meant, but mr. owl had no more to say, so she started slowly homeward.
on the way home she passed mr. fox’s den. there she saw an old overcoat of his out on the line. then, whisk! jump! as quick as a wink she had that overcoat down from the line, and was off, carrying it over her shoulder.
when she was safely away from mr. fox’s den, she crept into the coat, though it was much too big, and doubled her ears up neatly inside his cap.
[43]she looked ahead of her, and what did she see, coming down the road, but a little rabbit—a naughty, run-away little rabbit? she knew at once that it was her own bunny.
mother cotton-tail stood very still in the shadow of a tree, and when bunny came by, she whisked out, and took him in her arms and started straight for mr. fox’s den.
bunny cotton-tail was so scared that he did not say a word, but he thought he felt his hair turning gray, and that was a pity for one so young!
when they got near the den, mother cotton-tail stopped. everything was very still.
“now, bunny,” she said, “you shall[44] go in there, and we will eat you up, unless you promise never to run away any more.”
did bunny promise? well, indeed he did, in a hurry! and mother cotton-tail told him that all the foxes knew about it and would catch him if he ever ran away again.
then she gave him a big hug, which scared him nearly to death. think of his being scared when his own mother hugged him! but you see, he thought she was mr. fox. then she let bunny go, and he ran straight home.
mother cotton-tail put mr. fox’s coat back on the line and went home, too, very happy.
[45]bunny cotton-tail never ran away from home any more. so mr. owl knew what he was talking about, after all.
bunny and susan were always the best of friends, but whether his sore paw ever got well or not, i cannot tell you, for i forgot to ask him.
