Well, it was mighty lucky that this firefly had her tiny lantern along with her, for I don't know how the two little rabbits would have reached home if she hadn't lighted the way for them, for the Bunnymobile lantern had gone out, you see.

"We must buy some new ones," said the old gentleman bunny. "We may be arrested any night, and that would be most unpleasant." So the next morning he and Little Jack Rabbit started off for Bunnyville and by and by, after a while, they crossed the bridge that spanned Rabbit River, which wasn't really much wider than a little brook, and stopped before a hardware store.

"What kind of lanterns have you?" asked Uncle John Hare of the fat Turkey Gobble who kept the store.

"We have Jack lanterns, and miners' lamps, and Japanese lanterns, and——"

"That'll do," said the little bunny, "let's see them." And after looking at this and looking at that the old gentleman rabbit picked out two Jack Lanterns.

"These will look scrumptious," he said. "I don't believe another car in town will have one." And then they started off again down the road to see little Ben Meadow.

So now you know who little Ben is, but just the same I suppose you wonder why he would be delighted to have two rabbits call on him. Well, I'll tell you. It was because, in the first place, he knew that these two nice bunnies wouldn't hurt him, and in the second place, he wore a collar and belt of leather studded with sharp pointed tacks, which would hurt anyone who tried to catch him.

"Helloa, Ben," said the old gentleman rabbit when the little mouse opened the door. "Have you any green cheese?"

"Maybe, but I'm not sure. It is over two weeks since the Man in the Moon was here," answered Benjamin Meadow Mouse, for that was his whole name, you know, only everybody called him "Ben" for short, and the little mice called him "Bennie."

Pretty soon he came out with a piece of cheese wrapped up in a napkin and handed it to the old gentleman rabbit, who thanked him and said: "I'm going to give a party tonight. You are invited. Come at eight and stay till late," and then he turned the Bunnymobile around and away they went. Pretty soon they passed through the wood, where Bobbie Redvest had his nest.

"Come to my party tonight at eight, bring Mrs. Robin and stay till late," said Uncle John Hare, and in the next story you shall hear what happened after that.