CHAPTER VII.
STREET MANNERS.
Next morning early, Aunt Etiquette called,
All the Bunnies, except Pretty Bunny, were ready soon and in their hurry they slid down the banisters. Pretty Bunny stopped to put her room in order. This took her so long the other Bunnies had started on their way when she was ready.
As her little feet went “pitter, patter” down the stairs she heard another “pitter, patter” behind her. She turned, but saw no one. She ran out doors and none of the Bunnies were in sight. She stood by the side of the house and called, “Boo-Hoo.” A voice answered, “Boo-Hoo.”
Pretty Bunny cried excitedly, “Who are you?” and the voice repeated, “Who are you?”
Pretty Bunny said, “Are you the Bunny who goes pitter, patter on the stairs?” The voice answered, “On the stairs.”
Suddenly Pretty Bunny sat down and laughed until she cried, and then she said,
Pretty Bunny said, “Good bye,” and Echo Bunny, (for it was really he,) answered, “Good bye.”
At this very minute Healthy Bunny came back and said Aunt Etiquette had just found out that Pretty Bunny had been left behind.
Healthy Bunny and Pretty Bunny bumped into several people on the walk until Pretty Bunny remarked,
They noticed then that people turned to the right and teams turned to the right also.
By this time they had caught up with the others and noticed Aunt Etiquette bowing politely to people she met.
She said,
She said gentlemen always raised their hats when a lady they were walking with spoke to any one.
Heedless Bunny tried to attract the attention of a Bunny across the street and Aunt Etiquette said,
Homeless Bunny said, “Should we always wait for an older person to speak to us?”
Aunt Etiquette replied,
She said a young person may recognize an older person first, and that it is right to always be ready to speak to a person you know.
“Where are we going to-day, Aunt Etiquette?” asked Healthy Bunny.
Happy Bunny shouted, “Where? where?” and they soon had a crowd around them, they made so much noise. When the crowd found there was nothing the matter they went on their way.
Aunt Etiquette looked quite severe and said,
The Bunnies looked quite ashamed and Pretty Bunny said very politely, in a low voice, “Please tell us where we are going, Aunt Etiquette.”
Aunt Etiquette answered,
At this, Heedless Bunny said, “Oh, no, please take us to the Park.”
Homeless Bunny said, “Please take us to the restaurant.”
Happy Bunny said, “We can have a good time most any place, but we have to keep still in a library.”
There were so many of them Aunt Etiquette had to say every little while,
Heedless Bunny began to whistle and sing, and the first thing the rest knew he had gone off down a cross street.
Homeless Bunny did not learn good manners easily so he stopped to talk to a person on a street corner.
Happy Bunny took hold of Healthy Bunny, but they took too much room that way walking on the sidewalk, so Aunt Etiquette remarked,
Happy Bunny and Pretty Bunny looked down to see if they were really turning out their toes. They told Aunt Etiquette that sometimes at home they practised walking straight and tried to stand so erect that they could walk about carrying a book on their heads without letting it drop.
They met some Bunnies who were dressed gayly and by dress and manner tried really to attract attention.
She continued,
Sure enough, they were all keeping step.
Happy Bunny turned to look after a group of Bunnies they had passed and Aunt Etiquette said,
By the time they had come to the library Happy Bunny began to ask questions. “What book are you looking for, Aunt Etiquette?”
She smiled and answered. “I am looking for a book of Home-Made Fairy Tales.”
Pretty Bunny said, “Hurrah, hurrah.”
Aunt Etiquette said, “If you really want to learn good manners you will do some thinking. In a library people are reading.”
Aunt Etiquette got the book she wanted and they started homeward.
Happy Bunny went off by himself but Healthy Bunny and Pretty Bunny went on with Aunt Etiquette.
She gave the two cunning little Bunnies a surprise.
She took them into a restaurant and let them order ice cream and cake.
Healthy Bunny was in such a hurry to taste his ice cream and Pretty Bunny was in such a hurry to taste her cake that they began to eat before Aunt Etiquette had put on her gold rimmed spectacles, and she said quietly,
The Bunnies now waited until Aunt Etiquette was ready to eat too, and they said they were glad to learn so many little things in a pleasant way.
When they arrived home at last, Pretty Bunny drew a picture of a side walk and wrote below it every rule of street manners she could remember.
Healthy Bunny made a little song and sang it to the tune of “Twinkle Little Star.”
Late that night Pretty Bunny told Healthy Bunny about hearing Echo Bunny speak.
Healthy Bunny did not answer; he was already asleep.