<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VI</h2>
<p><span class="smcap">When</span> Susan’s mother saw Susan,
she laughed and she cried. Then
she put Susan to bed, and there
the poor little rabbit stayed for
a week, and then it was time for
school to begin.</p>
<p>When Bunny’s mother saw him,
she switched him with a little maple
switch, and sat him up in the corner
until he told the whole story.</p>
<p>Bunny ran away so much, you
see, that his mother was quite used
to it, while Susan was a good rabbit
and had never before run away
from home.</p>
<p>The week passed, and then Bunny’s<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">[37]</span>
mother said Bunny must go to
school. For rabbits have to go to
school if they want to learn anything,
of course!</p>
<p>So she put up a nice little lunch
for Bunny, and gave his coat an
extra brush. She brushed him so
hard that he cried a little, and went
down the road with his dinner pail
on his arm, brushing the tears away
with his sore paw!</p>
<p>Bunny never did like to go to
school very well, so when he stopped
crying, and found that he had
taken the wrong road and was going
into the woods, he was not
sorry at all.</p>
<p>He went on a little way and saw
some squirrels. They seemed to be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">[38]</span>
having a very good time, and
Bunny sat down to watch them at
their play. Then he opened his
basket and began to eat his lunch,
for he was always hungry.</p>
<p>He was so tired then, after his
long tramp, that he fell asleep, and
he never opened his eyes until he
heard a soft “tinkle, tinkle, tinkle.”
He opened his eyes, and there stood
Susan Cotton-Tail, smiling at him.</p>
<p>Bunny did not know where he
was, at first, but he rubbed his eyes
hard, and then he asked Susan where
she had got the dear little bell that
hung around her neck. Susan said
it was a reward given her by her
teacher for good behavior. Then
Bunny was sorry that he had not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">[39]</span>
gone to school, for he liked the
“tinkle, tinkle” of that bell.</p>
<p>Susan said that all the rabbits
were out looking for Bunny, and
that they thought him very naughty.</p>
<p>When Bunny got home, he said
that he would go to school now
every day if Susan might stop for
him. It worked well for a week,
then that naughty Bunny got up
early and went down to watch the
little fishes swimming in the brook.
All the rabbits went out to look
for him and found him and took
him home, as before.</p>
<p>That night Mother Cotton-Tail sat
by the fire a long time, thinking.
Presently, she crept softly out of the
house, shutting the door behind her.</p>
<span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">[40]</span>
<div class="figcenter"><ANTIMG src="images/image040.jpg" alt="" /></div>
<div class="poetry-container">
<div class="poetry">
<div class="verse"><b>Mother Bunny Cotton-Tail</b></div>
<div class="indent"><b>Seeks Mr. Owl, you see,</b></div>
<div class="verse"><b>And little Bunny Cotton-Tail</b></div>
<div class="indent"><b>Is scared as scared can be.</b></div>
</div></div>
<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
<span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">[41]</span>
<div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />