Mother Bunny and her flowers

CHAPTER VI.
LEAVES AND A FLOWER
ALPHABET

Trees in Mother Bun’s garden grow

With many kinds of leaves, you know;

But the little pine tree here

Is evergreen throughout the year.

“A picnic, a picnic,” cried Old Mother Bun.

Let us go on a picnic just for fun.”

Old Father Bun winked his eyes and twitched his long ears to and fro and said,

“Would you leave your garden for an hour?

You might miss a bud, a leaf or flower.”

He liked to tease Mother Bun about her flowers.

Pretty Bunny cried, “Do let me go and get Homeless Bunny and Happy Bunny, and Happy-Go-Lucky Bunny and invite them all to go with us to a picnic.”

Healthy Bunny said, “I will pack our lunch pail.”

Just then a wee little voice cried,

“Ha, ha, ha, I’ll help you myself,

I came from the Tulip, the Impish Elf.”

The Impish Elf came in and jumped into the butter dish and left the tracks of his little feet all over the oil cloth.

Old Mother Bun said,

“Don’t play tricks on any one;

Don’t play tricks while I am gone.”

“Can’t I play a trick on the tree-toad or dragon fly or on the little white butterflies?” asked the Impish Elf.

Just then Pretty Bunny saw little white butterflies sailing over the poppies and sang to the tune of “Twinkle Little Star,”

“Butterflies, how do you do?

Butterflies sail two and two,

Oh, you are a pretty sight,

Butterflies so pure and white.”

The Bunnies went to the woods for their picnic and after they had lunch

Oh! You are a Pretty Sight

Butterflies So Pure and White!

Old Father Bun told about some Dryads that lived in the trees.

“Hark! what is that?” cried Healthy Bunny.

Click, click, click, like a key,

Sounded near them in a tree.

The tree-trunk opened and there stood a Woodland Fairy. She smiled and said, “I will tell you a story about a Nymph who once lived in an oak tree. She belonged to Ceres, a goddess of long ago. One day a man ordered the oak, in which she lived, to be cut down, though every one begged that it be saved. As the woodmen would not cut it down, the lord who owned the place seized the ax and cut it down himself. Then the Nymph pronounced this magic upon him, ‘He can eat and eat but will always be hungry.’” As she finished her story the Nymph disappeared in the tree.

The Bunnies tapped on many tree-trunks to see if another Nymph would come out. They heard a voice call,

“Ha, ha, ha, let me out,

All day long I sing and shout.”

The voice came from another oak tree, and looking below it, the Bunnies found a key and unlocked a door in the tree and out came a Dryad with another story to tell.

She said,

“A statue of the Virgin, long ago,

Was placed once in an oak, you know.

A shepherd before it his flute would play;

From a church the statue he’d taken away.

He was sentenced to prison for theft, you see,

And the statue taken out of the tree.

That night the statue walked out, they say,

And let the imprisoned shepherd away.

I hope you’ll remember this tale of mine,

Because the image became a shrine.”

Back into the tree went the Dryad and the Bunnies said, “What wonderful stories we learn in the woods to-day.”

Just then a call “Help, help,” was heard.

Happy-Go-Lucky had fallen into the stream and Homeless Bunny was trying to get him out.

They all ran as fast as they could and by and by rescued him; then Old Father Bun built a fire so they could all warm their paws and whiskers.

Picking up a branch from the Linden tree Old Mother Bun said,

“The blade, foot-stalk and stipules see,

The parts of the leaf upon the tree.”

The Bunnies drew near her to see the branch she was looking at.

Old Father Bun said,

“Here is something that I’ve found.

Leaves are simple, or compound,

Simple, when in one piece, ’tis said,

Compound, when more pieces in the blade.”

The Bunnies gathered leaves about them. They saw that some were Parallel-veined and some were Feather-veined. Some of the veins in the leaves ran side by side, and some of them branched out. They saw some wild grape vine leaves that were still different; they had three main ribs and veins extending out from them. They were called Radiate-veined.

Old Mother Bun said,

“We would be here ’till set of sun,

If we studied leaf-shapes every one.”

Old Father Bun’s eyes twinkled and he said,

“Leaves have different margins too;

Some of them I’ll introduce to you.”

Then the first surprising thing happened!

The wind blew a great blast and down fell many leaves. They made a gay carpet.

The little Bunnies cried, “What fun!

It is almost as though autumn had come.”

Then the second surprising thing happened! For they were in a fairy woodland. Every leaf began to talk, and by placing it to the ear each Bunny could hear what it wanted to say.

One leaf said,

“My shape is Linear, longer than wide;

I could tell you other things beside.”

Another voice cried,

“I am Lance-shaped, to a point I taper;

The wind plays with me many a caper.”

Another voice cried,

“I am not nearly as broad as long;

Tell it in verse, I am called oblong.”

The Oval leaf spoke, and the Ovate-leaf, the Heart-shaped leaf, and the Kidney-shaped leaf, the Arrow-shaped leaf and the Ear-shaped leaf, and then the third surprising thing happened!

The breeze sang merrily,

“So many times before we have met,

Let us have a Flower Alphabet.”

In trooped Flower Fairies wearing dresses like real Flowers. They formed a circle, dancing and singing,

“Amaryllis is my name,

Bouncing Bet, I’m glad I came,

Here are the Canterbury Bells,

Daisies blossom in the dells,

Everlasting flowers in the spring,

Four O’Clock, hear the wee bells ring,

Geraniums grow in the garden bed,

Hollyhocks hold high each head,

Iris is a jolly fellow,

Jack-In-The-Pulpit is black and yellow,

Knotweed is a pretty pink,

So the Tiger Lilies think,

Marigold, Marigold,

Nasturtium loves her, so I’m told,

Oxalis or wood-sorrel,

With Peony had a quarrel,

Quaint, indeed, is Prince’s Father,

Red-Hot Pokers grow together,

Shepherd’s purse with fairy money,

Tobacco plant, thinks quite funny,

Uvularia perfoliate is the lily,

Verbena says hard names are silly,

Water-cress says to yellow-eyed grass

Xyris flexuosa is a hard name, alas!

Yarrow, that common roadside flower,

Zinnia says will bloom many an hour.”

The merriest flower of all was the Daisy and she sang,

“Perhaps some one will explain,

When you make a Daisy-chain,

Why you can count for hours and hours,

In my centre tiny flowers!”

Just then the fourth surprising thing happened!

A great wind came up and blew Homeless Bunny over hill and dale. It blew Happy-Go-Lucky Bunny over hill and dale and up onto Primrose Hill. It blew Shadow Bunny to the end of Nowhere. The little Bunny family it blew safely home to their own door-step.

Each Hollyhock raised a stately head,

But not a single word they said;

Growing by the garden wall,

They did not seem surprised at all.

When the Bunnies got inside, the table was neatly set for supper, and a wee voice cried,

“I’ve come to live with you—it’s funny,

But my name is Stay-At-Home-Bunny.”

Old Mother Bun said,

“I know that we will love you, honey;

I’m glad to see you, Stay-At-Home-Bunny.”

Old Father Bun said,

“Stay-At-Home-Bunny, I beg pardon,

Have you looked at Old Mother Bun’s garden?”

The Stay-At-Home Bunny winked her eyes and nodded her head. She whispered to Old Father Bun,

“For hours and hours we’ll have to make

A very wonderful Birthday Cake,

Or else at the store we’ll have to try

A wonderful Birthday Cake to buy;

So, come early and enjoy the fun

At the Birthday Party of Old Mother Bun.”

Old Father Bun looked wise and said,

“No wonder I look old and wise,

Next week we’ll have a fine surprise.”

Mother Bunny and her flowers

About This Book

CHAPTER VI. LEAVES AND A FLOWER ALPHABET

CHAPTER VI.
LEAVES AND A FLOWER
ALPHABET