CHAPTER VII.
A BIRTHDAY PARTY
When Old Mother Bun’s Birthday came Old Father Bun said,
Old Mother Bun went and hid in the closet.
Pretty Bunny said,
Old Mother Bun peeped out of the closet and saw that Pretty Bunny had brought her a new table cloth.
He gave Old Mother Bun a new breakfast cap.
Old Mother Bun was so pleased with her presents that she did not hear the bell go “tinkle, tinkle, tinkle.”
By and by a voice cried,
Into the garden trooped the Flower Families.
There was the Pink Family, and the Geranium Family, and the Mint Family, the Sunflower Family, and the Primrose Family. The Nettle Family even peeped boldly over the fence!!
Then all the Bunnies shouted and out came Old Father Bun with a Birthday Cake with many candles upon it.
All the visitors did not arrive on time.
The Butterflies came in handsome dresses and brought Old Mother Bun a new mirror.
The Birds came bringing her a new song book.
By and by an old Peddler came singing,
The Flower Families crowded around the Peddler and each bought a present for Old Mother Bun.
The Peddler had many interesting stories to tell, and the Pretty Elf told stories, and the Marigold Family told stories, too. The Pool-Flower had a word to say; the Water-Dragon and Mary Bud said, “Let us relate our own story, please.” They were all members of the Marigold Family.
One of the members of the Marigold Family said, “Once Caltha fell in love with the Sun-god and looked up at him day after day. All night she waited for the first rosy hint of the sun’s coming. She became a spirit reflecting the sun, and she turned into a Marigold.”
As it grew late, one member of the Marigold Family cried,
One and all the Flower Families went home, and Echo Bunny who had come at the last minute called, speaking of the Witches, “a ride, a ride, a ride.”
Old Mother Bun said,
Sure enough, five and twenty witches came in the twilight and pulled up five and twenty stalks of Ragweed and rode away singing,
Old Father Bun said,
Old Mother Bun said,
They gathered leaves and went inside and warmed their paws by the fire.
The little Bunnies noticed that the leaves did not all look alike. They were different in size, form and color.
The Pretty Elf sang,
The Bunnies did as they were told, and when they opened their eyes each of the leaves they had gathered held a fairy.
One leaf with a smooth edge said,
Another leaf, with a fairy in it, cried,
Another said,
Still another leaf called,
Each little fairy from the leaf danced to Old Mother Bun and left a present.
Just as the Bunnies were wondering if it were bed time, a “rap-a-tap” was heard and in came the Peddler singing,
Old Mother Bun gave the Peddler a fine supper and asked him to stay for the night. He said, after supper,
Pretty Bunny and Healthy Bunny thought it great fun to peep into the Peddler’s pack, and by and by they drew out a wonderful book all about Flowers.
It had one chapter called, “Uses of Plants.”
The Bunnies read aloud,
Old Father Bun said,
The Pretty Elf danced to and fro,
Healthy Bunny said,
Pretty Bunny said,
They invited the Peddler to stay with them and he almost consented. He said at any rate he would give them the book about Flowers.
When the Bunnies were falling asleep, they heard a gentle “pitter, patter.”
Said Old Mother Bun, “What can be the matter?”
Next morning the little Bunnies looked under their pillows and each found a little booklet. One was shaped like a daisy and one like a buttercup. On each was written an invitation to a Flower Show. The invitation read,
Old Mother Bun said next day,