“Oh, I hope mother won’t be worried,” said Little Jack Rabbit again, after he and Brother Bobby Tail had cuddled up to kind Mrs. Cow.

“She’d be more worried if you didn’t get home tomorrow,” answered Mrs. Cow. “If you try to go home tonight you’ll be lost—or maybe something worse.”

“What?” asked Brother Bobby Tail, sleepily.

“Why, Danny Fox,” answered Mrs. Cow.

“Oh, oh!” shivered the two little bunnies—not with the cold, you know, but with fright, for they were nice and warm beside Mrs. Cow.

“Now, pretty soon,” she said, “the Kind Farmer will come to milk me. He’ll bring his milk pail and a nice hot corn and bran mash for my supper. So, don’t you wait when I tell you to run and hide. For he won’t stop to knock on the door—there’s no door to knock on.” And Mrs. Cow nodded her head till the little bell at her neck tinkled three times.

“Where shall we hide?” asked Little Jack Rabbit.

“Over there in the straw pile,” answered Mrs. Cow. “You’d better go over and make a nest for yourselves now. Be sure you can hide so that not even the tip of your tail will show, for the Kind Farmer has very bright eyes.”

It didn’t take the Bunny Brothers long to make a nice hiding place in the big straw pile, and after eating a supper of corn, they hopped about the shed, hoping to find a stray carrot or turnip. But they didn’t find any, and as Billy Breeze was sifting the snow through the cracks and knotholes, they hopped back to cuddle up again to kind Mrs. Cow.

By and by they fell asleep and dreamed they were eating carrot ice cream and clover cake. It was too bad that by and by the Kind Farmer came out to milk, although very likely Mrs. Cow would have been disappointed if he hadn’t. At any rate, all of a sudden, the two little rabbits woke up with a start.

“Run, run!” cried Mrs. Cow. “Hide, hide! He’s coming!”

Little Jack Rabbit didn’t wait to rub his eyes, neither did Brother Bobby Tail, but away they hopped. And just in time, too; for no sooner had they hidden in the straw than in walked the Kind Farmer with a nice hot supper for Mrs. Cow. But you can well believe that these two little rabbits were up and on their way home the next morning long before the Kind Farmer had even opened his eyes.