Old Father Bun thought a long time before speaking.
Old Father and Mother Bun talked on about the Runaway Bunny, saying:
So Old Father Bun sat down by a table and said:
He was not used to doing much writing.
“Click, click, click,” went Old Mother Bun’s knitting needles.
“Puff, puff, puff,” went Old Father Bun’s pipe.
By and by he wrote the following:
Old Mother Bun said:
Old Father Bun did not agree with her. He knew it paid to advertise in newspapers. So he put on his old felt hat, took his walking stick, and started out to a real newspaper office. He took his notice to Chatterbox, the Monkey newspaper man. So all the animals soon read in their newspapers about the Runaway Bunny.
“He took his notice to Chatterbox”
When Pit-A-Pat read the notice, she smacked her lips and said:
So by and by it happened that Old Father Bun said, “I hear the patter, patter of little feet.”
Old Mother Bun said, “Do look out and tell me who is coming.”
Pit-A-Pat came to the door and bowed politely, saying:
They gladly let Pit-A-Pat in and gave her a saucer of warm milk in their best blue-rimmed saucer.
While she was licking her chops, Old Father Bun said:
Old Mother Bun said:
“Did he have long ears?” asked Pit-A-Pat, winking slyly. “Did he have a tiny stubby tail?”
“Yes, yes,” shouted Father and Mother Bun eagerly.
“Did he have a habit of running away?” asked Pit-A-Pat, looking narrowly out of her green eyes.
“Yes, yes,” shouted Old Father and Mother Bun again together.
Then the most astonishing thing happened!
Pit-A-Pat got up slowly, humped her back, and without another word walked out of the open window!
Old Mother Bun remarked:
Old Father Bun said:
“Rap-a-tap-tap,” sounded on the door.
And in walked Rough Coat, saying politely:
As luck would have it, they had a whole plate full of chicken bones in the house. So Rough Coat had a wonderful meal.
Old Father Bun said, “Did you meet our Runaway Bunny?”
Rough Coat said, “Did he run as though he would never stop?”
“Yes, yes,” cried Father Bun excitedly.
“Did he sometimes say, ‘My fur and whiskers’?” asked Rough Coat.
“Yes, yes,” cried Father and Mother Bun together.
Rough Coat gave himself a great shake, remarking:
“Whisk! with a bound he was gone!”
Whisk! with a bound he was gone!
Father Bun said:
At this very minute the Runaway Bunny read in the newspaper about himself.
He read, “‘Bunny lost.’ That must be I.”
He twitched his long ears to and fro and turned to look back at his little stubby tail.
He did not want to go back and visit his grandparents yet. So he started on, saying: