One day as Little Jack Rabbit was hopping home to the Old Bramble Patch, he came across something sweet. And what do you suppose it was? Why, a big tin pail half full of lollypop juice, standing under a little spout that was driven into a yellow lollypop tree.

"My, but it tastes good," he said, holding his mouth under the spout to let the sap drip onto his little red tongue. "I wish I had some buckwheat cakes with me."

But he didn't, so he took a little glass bottle out of his knapsack and filled it with the sweet juice.

But, oh dear me! Just then he heard a deep growl.

"Oh dear and oh dear!" cried Little Jack Rabbit, giving a hop to one side to hide behind an old stump.

And then the deep growling voice said again, quick as a wink:

"Who's stealing my lollypop sap?"

"Nobody," answered the little rabbit, peeking out from behind the old stump. And then, would you believe it, he hopped out all the way, for there stood the Big Brown Bear.

"I'll excuse you this time," said that friendly old bear with a grin. "Come into my cave and see all the lollypops I've made from the sap of the lollypop tree."

Well, there certainly were lots and lots of little lollypops piled on the shelves.

"Do you make buckwheat cakes?" asked the little rabbit.

"Every morning," answered the Big Brown Bear, "and I just drown 'em in lollypop syrup!"

The little rabbit smacked his lips.

"If you'll spend the night, I'll give you buckwheat cakes for breakfast," said the Big Brown Bear.

And Little Jack Rabbit did, and ate so many cakes the next morning that he couldn't button up his jacket until the afternoon, when he set out once more for the Old Bramble Patch.

Little Jack Ate so Many Cakes That He Could Not Button His Jacket.

Well, as he was hopping along, all of a sudden, just like that, he heard some one singing:

"Why, hello, Chippy Chipmunk!" cried Little Jack Rabbit, sitting up on his hind legs. "What are you doing out here? Is it time for you to come out of your nice warm burrow?"

"I guess so," answered the little chipmunk. "Old Mr. Groundhog says so, and he ought to know."

"Come over," said the little rabbit, taking the bottle of syrup out of his pocket. "Do you want to taste something you'd suppose was lollypop juice? Open your mouth and shut your eyes and I'll give you the sweetest kind of surprise."

But, oh dear me. Little Jack Rabbit dropped the cork by mistake in the little chipmunk's mouth!

(Did you ever try to get a cork out of a bottle after it had slipped 'way down inside? Well, then, just think what a time we'll have with this little chipmunk.)